A quiet morning . . .

As a matter of happenstance I found myself with free time this morning. Hubbie and I had planned to do some quick shopping and run a few errands but Mina woke early this morning and as a result took her morning nap as soon as we dropped the boys off at school. We decided to wait until she woke up before heading out. Having gotten cleaning and laundry done the day before in preparation for shopping there was nothing left for me to do but play with wool. I have to say it was quite a pleasant and relaxing couple of hours.

There is typically a TV on most hours of the day at our house; Hubbie likes listening to the news. I find that depressing so instead I put on Pandora and listened to some Jazz/Swing. I have no idea what station it was; I just typed "In the Mood" into the search box and picked the first station on the list. Dave sat on one end of our dining room table doing taxes. Maybe it wasn't as relaxing a morning for him as it was me? He is a statistical analysis by trade though and he does love mucking about with his numbers. I sat opposite him and hooked wool. This is a little of what I've come up with so far . . . it's very primitive. None of my loops are the same height, my wool is fraying a bit, the design is simple as I had none in mind . . . but I'm liking it so far. I read somewhere that you're supposed to keep your tails and cut them later. When later? They're beginning to get in the way. Perhaps I'll trim them up just a bit so they're not hanging over where I have to hook next. It looks a bit messy now, but I suppose it neatens up as I go.

So that was our morning. Occasionally Dave would look up from his laptop and ask me a question. Doing the day to day books for the household is my job so he would want to know about this bill or that expense. For the most part we sat in silence just enjoying the peace and quiet. These moments are few and far between in our house :) Before too long Mina woke up and the day truly began. Only an hour now before it's time to go pick up the kids. But this morning was a wonderful (if unexpected) respite that will hopefully carry me through the rest of the day. I'm hoping you ladies can find a quiet moment as well tucked somewhere into your day.

xoxo

Jennie Lynn

Giveaway Winner and Wooly Worms . . .

The winner of the giveaway is Teri from Dixie Sampler Designs. I have to say I am very luck to have met this woman (albeit through the internet only) and I would like to think I have come to be able to call her a friend. She recently finished my French Letters Bluebird and I love the way it came out. She stitched it on a larger count, 28 count I believe she said, which made it harder to finish into the little bluebird. I think he's precious and well worth a trip to her blog to see.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway, left me a comment or posted about it in their blog. I had a lot of fun with it and can't wait to do it again. I'm thinking Easter isn't too soon, is it?

Last week I ordered some wool strips. I saw them listed on Etsy and simply had to have them. Aren't the colors just perfect for Spring? I purchased several months ago some monk's cloth and an inexpensive hook; I just never got around to actually working on anything. I think these wooly worms are just what I need to finally get started. I have no design in mind but the colors look so lovely together I think any arrangement would look great. Any suggestions for someone who has never put wool to hook before?

xoxo

Jennie Lynn

What did you get from Santa?

I hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas. I did because I ordered it myself.

During the first year or so of marriage I became painfully aware that my husband did not excel in the area of gift giving. Now he isn't as inept as Fred Flintstone giving Wilma a bowling ball . . . but he's pretty close. So my husband and I soon decided that on special occassions he would simply present me with cash. I do the book-keeping in our household so to be presented with money that I didn't have to hunt and peck through our budget for myself is quite the treat. Also having money that I must spend on myself rather than the children (as I think most mothers are inclined to do) or stash into the savings account is rather exhilarating. So I bought wool. Now I'm a newcomer to the area of wool applique and rug hooking but I've found that I quite enjoy it. I have a few patterns tumbling around in my head right now and I can't wait to share them with you.

Also look in the next couple of days for the January Freebie Pattern. I posted the last one on November 30th so I'm thinking this one will go up on Decemeber 30th. It's sitting in my sewing box right now all stitched up just waiting to have a photo taken of it. I hope you stop by to see it and let me know what you think.

xoxo

Jennie Lynn