Beginning the New Year with Gratitude

First of all, thanks to you for taking the time to read my blog. With so many wonderful places to chose from, it is an honor to catch your eye. If you are returning even more so.

Another year, and in fact another decade comes to an end this evening under a rather rare lunar occurrence, an eclipsing blue moon. We all have so much to be thankful for on any day, the wonders of the world around us, friendships, family.

The Christmas wrapping paper has all been disposed of, memories starting to be tucked away, and our eyes turn toward the future on New Year's Eve. But I'm going to change the focus of my blog for this next year. Try to make it a little less random, and back off from the trying to let it help build a business. Celebrating family happenings will continue, but also share the generosity of friends in a more open forum.

I've been blessed, flat out, to join two hooking circles this year, both of them flowed out of joining 10 minutes a day Rug Hooking, so April if you read this, a Huge thanks to you, and a real hope that things will settle into a midwinter slower pace in your work. I've missed seeing and being inspired by your work. I'm adding some yarn to my latest project, another thing you introduced me to. :)

Before the hooking circles were many online friends. One of the features of many groups are "swaps". Some of the nicest treasures in my home were made for me by friends and sent in swap boxes. If I were to post all the pictures over the years, you would be amazed! But I'll do that going forward... my picture taking never is a proper setting for these gifts, often perched on an ironing board or chair. But like the jewels of generosity they are, the gifts sparkle on their own despite my poor photography.



Betty is a talented mom who designs cross stitch, needlepunch and rug hooking designs, as most of you who read this blog already know. She sent a wonderful box of Christmas gifts and a birthday pinkeep to me. Each package had the most precious candy canes made from pipe cleaners! The dragonfly pinkeep was especially dear to me, and the "Willie" needlepunch was inadvertantly overlooked in my first unwrapping of the gifts. Because I tend to let myself get too busy and fragmented, I've tried to make myself leave things in the box until I get a picture taken. Doing that, revealed the punch needle piece. It is magnificent, Betty will be pish poshing that, but those of you with some of her work will know it to be the truth. Colors TDF! plush, finished beautifully and with her dear initials on the back. When you do things by hand, the thought of the time someone else spends to make you a gift, makes it all the more dear. In addition, Betty contributed 2 lovely dolls to our Comfort Dolls box earlier this year. I'm honored to be her friend.

Sharon, sent a box filled with things of beauty and use for New Year's swap. We were to include a "white elephant" which she tried to call a handmade set of mittens she'd made. They are peeking out from under the floss in the picture of everything in the box.Two inches of "confetti" filled the bottom of the box! A gigantic salad bowl(my own) was quickly filled with wooly worms, wool rug yarn, and a lovely tan piece of wool. The picture of things inside the box, just couldn't show it all. Every bit of that bowl is filled with a wealth of wooly worms, and in an amazing act of ESP on her part, in some of the colors I needed most! What I thought was mascara, turned out to be cuticle oil that is already making my dried cuticles feel better~notepads perfect for a quick shopping list or jotting down a phone number after bumping into a friend who has moved back to town. Sharon's blog is linked to the right from My Chocolate Mousse she is as much fun as talented, and again I'm honored by her friendship.