~ this, that & the other ~

 

 Good Morning Friends & Folk!
...and a very happy Monday to us all ~

lot's of little things going on here at the farm,
I'm working on finished goods for our
Halloween Open House & Stitch In 

here in the shop/studio on Saturday October 5th...
{pre-registered stitch in is full, but Shop will be open for your retail therapy}

In-between that, we are babysitting our grand-dogs
while Hannah has some work related trips to make...

 here is tiny old-man Willie Nelson {Italian Greyhound}
...remember me telling you earlier this year about Willie's spinal injury/surgery and

how he was literally paralyzed and couldn't hardly lift his head?

well you just can't keep a good dog down ~ he is walking and getting around
so well!!! we believe that it is a miracle he is up and ambulatory on his own.
{of course with us, but especially his mama Hannah providing as much love, prayers,

comfort and therapy as we could} seems as though his risky surgery was a success!

 

this of course, is Grizzly...
Griz now lives with us, as having three dogs 

{and especially since Willie's special needs}
became too much for Hannah
and we happily offered to keep him for her....

~ after all, he IS another of Pepper's grown 'puppies'
so now he is with his back where he was born,
and with his 'real' mama, brother and sister
LOL

and this is Lady ~
a rescue beagle found roaming the streets of Richmond,
~ that Hannah took in and saved her little life.
this one is a goof-ball...she is sweet and kooky,
and we do love her little face and freckles!

if you've visited our IG or FB pages lately,
you would have seen the video-tour of our shop/studio,
and how hard Peter has been working to make things more organized and helpful to me...

He is in the process of building me a brand new {another} cutting counter in the studio...
this one will be full of beautiful Lanacot wools that I personally

can't wait to get my hands on!
the two wooden posts leaned against the cabinet base are actually from an old
spool-rope bed...we've had them forEVER
and had no clue what to do with them
{but now we do and we can't wait to show you!}

this is a hooked mat in-progress...
pumpkins and crows, of course.
I work on my rug hooking in the studio in the afternoons/evenings.
~ doing that in the studio rather than in this old farmhouse helps keep the dust down a bit in the house {right...she says to herself convincingly!}
sure, I'll go with that!
no, really it's just that my sewing room is SO FULL of other things to do at the moment
and I love the light in the studio, so.....

the next two photos below are of a band of Goldfinch or 'distelfink'
{if you're familiar with PA German}
if you're unfamiliar,
Distelfink: 
their name comes from the Pennsylvania German word for "goldfinch," dischdelfink.
That word has two components:
dischdel, meaning "thistle," and fink, meaning "finch."
{now you know}

...they gather in our backyard every morning...

we think they like the salt that comes from our water-softener tank
{don't worry, we checked with our vet to see if this was safe
because the rabbits, squirrels and deer do this here too}
it's all good.

can you spot them all? the males are the bright yellow chaps wearing their best summer colors,
while the females are more of a lime-green and harder to see....

I love to hear their conversations amongst themselves, like small chittering
and whistling children!

and these two:

Hannah & Marcus...
my two favorite people
❤
taken last week at a wedding in MD ~

 so there you have it, 

a narrated photo drop of-sorts...

~  just a glimpse of our happy life in general!

wishing you a beautiful Monday, surrounded by everything you love,

and those who love you most...

 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Wonder-land ~

Hello Friends & Folk!

and a ch-ch-chilly Good Thursday morning to you all ~

oh the woodstoves will be piping today...keeping them going is a job in and of itself!

but we 'wood' not have it any other way ~ I love the coziness of our woodstove, the tangy smell of the smoke and how it curls gently from our rooftops.

It will be a good day to do some final decorating & cleaning ~

then I will settle in for an afternoon and evening of stitching!

Each year, our little family visits the

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, VA

{  https://www.lewisginter.org }

Being that our daughter Hannah was born on December 20th,

~ it is a perfect way to celebrate! 

 

although it was only 28*, we enjoyed the brisk-ness of our annual visit...

 Each year the Garden decorates in a 'theme' with this year 2019 being "Things that Fly" ~

there were fairies, flying pigs and hot air balloons...kites and aeroplanes and flying monkeys too!

here are a few snaps of the beautiful lights...

{{ it was so cold that I hated to take off my gloves to work my iPhone }

entering the Garden Walk from the Gift Shop

a view of the 'Tree-house'

Hannah's friend Sarah, Hannah & Peter all bundled up

my Space-Cowboy lol

a fabulous view of the greenhouse, from the 'treehouse' {and Peter photo-bombing}

another view of the greenhouse...

walkway to the greenhouse...bricks engraved with names of philanthropists who support the Garden...

HUGE lighted peacock in front of the greenhouse ~

our beautiful Hannah & her sweet beau Tevin ❤

...and here we are, my hubby & me ~ in front of the towering tree in the conservatory!

 After our walk, we made our way in to the gift shop

to choose our yearly ornament ~ 

Hannah & I have been collecting one each time we visit ~

...here are a few from year's past:

 

this year, I found this sweet little Bee!

 I wish I would have taken more photos, 

but as I mentioned it was hard to remove my gloves to take a photo!

and once we got into the greenhouse, we warmed up and enjoyed the most-beautiful

room of orchids and giant hanging baskets above our heads ~ and I simply forgot to take photos!

if you're ever in the area, the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is a must-see ~

any time of the year, but especially magical at Christmastime...

you won't be disappointed!!

 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ a finish and another year older ~

A rainy day is perfect for a little handwork, 

...don’t ya think?

I finished the Purple Heart chairpad today ~ 

& love how it turned out!
❤ ♥ ❤

I decided it needed a crocheted edge,
so I put one one using my rug hook...

i used some of the purple wool that i hooked the heart with
for the covering of my turned-back edge ~
isn't the crochet prettier on the back? lol!

chicken soup is simmering on the woodstove,
the whole farmhouse smells heavenly on such a dreary but beautiful day ~
I will begin another project this afternoon...
not sure what or how it will be made...embroidery is tugging at my heartstrings but I need to hook!

~AND~

Happy Birthday to our daughter Hannah!
where have the last 24 years gone? 

Dear Hannah Elizabeth,
You will never know how very happy you have made our lives ~
filling it with the most wondrous moments and heartfelt memories.

...watching you grow into the kind, considerate and intelligent woman
 you have become has been a wonderful journey for Dad & I.

We have been blessed with your love & laughter, friendship and frivolity! 

May all of your dreams come true pumpkin!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox
Mom & Dad

Blessings from the Farm ~ 

Lori

~ Friday Thoughts ~

Happy Friday 

~ Friends & Folk ~

we have a cool dry respite today,

before the heatwave & humidity comes next week.

that means yard work this afternoon ~

which includes tending the gardens...

don't you love how alien the scarlet bee balm looks?

always happy, 

you know these are my favorites:

 

little flutterby 

on a pincushion flower ~ 

more happiness!

 

our humble patio

where we enjoy eating, chatting 

and of course it's my fav stitching spot 

in the Summer months ~

 

progress is being made on the un-named sampler...

I really am trying to make it look very old, yet whimsical ~

but I ran out of room for the last letter in this word

so I did what our stitching-sisters of the past did:

I raised it up a bit higher and stitched it over one.

{this is still 2 strands on 32ct linen} 

there. all better now.

and I love it ~

 

I have an idea in mind for the finish ~ 

but not entirely sure if I will use it 

... or do something a bit different 

I seem to always be changing my mind as I stitch.

Hannah will be visiting us this evening,

coming home for a bit to celebrate Father's Day with us ~

always a happy time when our one and only comes home!

 ❦

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Happy Easter to you! ~

the ham is in the oven,
sweet-rolls are rising ~
and the pies are cooling.

six beloved dogs running around together,
a walk in our quiet woods after supper, then a bit of rug hooking awaits.

 my small family is together here in our old farmhouse...
a perfect way to spend a beautiful holiday!

Happy Easter Wishes to you all!

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ This Girl... ~

Yes, this girl.

Hannah, 

our heart and light of our lives ~ 

... you are 23 today!

where does the time go?

her 16th birthday celebration

 always exuberant ~ and full-spirited!

she learned this from her father, not me.

 ~ wide-eyed and forever smiling ~

and full of surprises too ~

you have grown into such a wonderful young woman ~

caring, loving, deeply compassionate and kind.

you make us so very proud....

 

surprising us again at her graduation by decorating her cap with gratitude ~

always ready for an adventure and up for mostly anything...

you are our best friend and go-to fun-person!

and we thank you for loving us ~

and wanting to share your life with us as you begin yours...

Happiest Birthdays to you ~ 

may your every wish come true!

May your life be filled with deep love and sublime happiness and remember this:

YOU will change this world one day.

Love,

Mom & Dad 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ a short visit to Richmond, VA ~

Spent the last few nights in Richmond, VA

 with our daughter Hannah

walking the brick-lined & ancient cobble-stoned streets, seeing the sights...

just taking in the old-city 

and being amazed at all of the wonderful diversity she has to offer. 

We dined at a few locales, thrifted at a few dusty little shops

and then headed out on our walking tour of her neighborhood:

a.k.a. 'The Bottom' {Shockoe}

I didn't want to infringe on anyone's privacy, so I did not take photos of private homes.

But let me tell you this ~ row after row of beautifully appointed and historically known homes line the streets there, my head was spinning around like an owl's!

Our plan was to take in a few museums, then maybe head over to Hollywood Cemetery.

 but we just took our time and enjoyed each others company 

walking on those old streets and being voyeurs of those old houses.

We did however, visit the Edgar Allan Poe museum, 

...which is in walking distance from Hannah's home.

and what a loverly museum! 

a small home { ca. 1700's} is used for the entrance to the museum and gift shop,

 and walking through it & out the back door brings you to a delightful tiny courtyard surrounded by high brick walls, pathways. and a bubbling fountain ~

I made fast-friends with two resident cats

...they are brothers.

 

the shrine's statue of Poe is laden with coins, pebbles and other gifts of remembrance...

{there is a penny in Mr. Poe's right ear...very strange indeed.}

 

I tried my best to stay focused on the subjects of the tour

and not drift off to this spot...

but he was calling me.

 

the grotto that the Poe shrine is in 

was a cool respite from the day's almost 90* heat & bright sun.

my girl is a beautiful soul ~ inside and out.

 

I would love to make a courtyard here at the farm ~

complete with a bubbling fountain...

maybe in place of the kitchen garden!

 

ok, so my attention span is short.

I couldn't bear not to hold one of these big-boys...

oh, and we ducked into this to get out of the hot sun:

thought it was a phone booth at first, but....

no.

 

Perfect spot to REST in.

I drove home from Hannah's this morning, 

and once here I set to work cleaning up the kitchen garden

 {with thoughts of that courtyard in my mind}

and it's overgrown mass of sweet annie...

while I walking {always barefoot}

I tripped over a three tiered wire plant stand on the porch and busted my left heel.

~ so now I am walking with a cane. {ok, it's a walking stick I use when we go hiking}

cannot put any weight on it without shooting pain, so I think I fractured it.

ugh.

I'm just glad I didn't hurt it before the weekend 

... or I would have never been able to go to Richmond.

Now that I have to sit with this blasted foot up on a pillow on the couch for the rest of the day,

and possibly tomorrow ~

I will be perusing my sketchbooks for something new to needle punch.

{just hoping I don't need to get x-rays, not much they can do for a fractured heel anyway}

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori