Thursday, March 28, 2013

My stitching sister

You probably don't know, but Terri is my stitching sister.  We share very similar backgrounds - both of us were in the Air Force, we're both accident prone, we both have ankle issues, we're both going through graduate school, and most importantly, we both love to stitch.

Out of the blue a package arrived yesterday.  I wasn't expecting anything, so I was totally blown away when I opened it and kept pulling out item after item.  Terri had chosen to surprise me with the most adorable Easter bunny stitched over 1, and all sorts of other goodies.


You might notice 2 of the chocolates are missing.  Both parents were hovering as I opened the package, and chocolate was immediately consumed.

Terri - thank you so much for spoiling me!  Random surprises are the absolute best!

A few weeks ago I posted about a new blog, The Snowflake Diaries, and an adorable freebie on it.  I chose to go out of my normal comfort zone of 36 or 40 count linen and stitch on 28 gingham.  For some reason the pale green gingham screamed Spring! to me and seemed perfect for this design.  I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to be brave enough to sew this into an egg-shaped pillow, or if I'm going to try and find an oval frame.
Spring Bunny Love, stitched on 28 ct gingham with
Nina's Threads (slightly altered from charted colors)
Several months ago I posted about having artificial turf put in the back yard.  I thought I was going to hate it, but I have to admit, I love it.  I never did take a true "before" picture.  The one below is after we'd spent several days pulling up plants and cutting out bushes.  Its hard to see, but what's left in this picture are the root balls of about 40 bushes.  I spent an hour trying to dig one out without any progress.  The easiest solution was to rent a stump grinder for half a day to grind them out.  Dad was done in about 90 minutes.


And here's the after pictures.  The yard is just so open now, doesn't look like a total overgrown mess (only partly overgrown now).  Annie has gotten used to it, and we have a great area for me to throw a ball for her.  We're still working on the part of her bringing it back and dropping it for another throw.  She thinks the game is for me to chase her to get the ball.



18 comments:

cucki said...

Aww such sweet goodies..very pretty gift..
Your finish is looking so sweet..
Have a lovely day x

Carol said...

What a great surprise package from Terri--she is so sweet and generous! I just stitched the same bunnies, Mindi--aren't they adorable?! Yours looks wonderful on the gingham fabric...

Your new yard will save you tons of time and it looks fabulous. So glad it worked out so well :)

Happy Easter to you!

Annie said...

Your version of the bunnies is really lovely. I love the two-toned pink skirt!

Margaret said...

Wow, so that's artificial grass??? It looks great! I hope Annie learns about fetching the ball. lol!

Love your stitching -- that checked fabric is perfect! Love the gift from Terri too. How neat that you two have so much in common!

Parsley said...

Terri is a doll and so are you. :) So happy you got spoiled.

I am thinking about doing artificial turf in some dog pens. I think it will help my pet clients stay clean but I wonder if they will 'use' it.

Vickie said...

See, I thought like Parsley right away too. Are there any problem with Annie "using" it? Clean up?
Your stitching is adorable. What great gifts!

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri Malinovich) said...

What a lovely gift. I adore the bunnies. I have seen them around but I have yet to stitch them. I think you've just pushed me over the edge!

Rachel said...

What a fun surprise!! LOVE the bunny! The yard looks great! One of our pups fetches till SHE is done. The other will run and touch the ball with her nose and come back without the ball...LOL

Barb said...


Spring Bunny Love is adorable!

Chris said...

What a lovely surprise from Terri!
I think that your parents have figured out that there is chocolate involved in most stitching..lol.
I think the gingham was a perfect choice for that sweet design, It looks fabulous!
So does the lawn.
Hugs!

Catherine said...

Lovely stitches! And what a great surprise in the mail!!
Your yard looks fabulous ~ what a view!

Charlene ♥ NC said...

Oh, I love the bunnies on the gingham! How adorable! And your yard is beautiful. Great choices and hard work! Happy Easter!

dixiesamplar said...

Oh my; I am so touched by your kind words of thanks and friendship, Mindi! You and I are definitely two peas in a pod...and I am very honored to share so much with you (especially the stitching part; not so much the painful and clutzy part, LOL). I am so glad that you are enjoying your goodies too; I always get such a kick out of gathering goodies for my stitching friends!

I adore your new Easter freebie finish...and that green gingham is the perfect choice to bring it all together.

Loving the new yard...and, I bet it doesn't take Annie long to get used to it or to learn to bring mommie the ball :-) She is one smart cookie.

I hope that you & the family have a very blessed Easter.

Faith... said...

What a nice gift! Love your Spring Bunnies and thanks for the site; I will be checking it out.

Anne said...

Love your bunnies and the artificial turf looks wonderful!!! :)

Anne said...

It's such a pretty little package from Terri! I love the pillow!

Poussy Stitches My Love said...

thank you for the beautiful pictures

Patty C. said...

Love the bunnies ;)