Chocolate!

Somedays I am just hungry for chocolate.  Chocolate something...anything...I'm craving the food of the gods today.

Maybe Godiva truffles...

Or maybe a REALLY LOT of Ghirardelli ...

Since it's still morning, maybe chocolate chip pancakes or waffles would be a good place to start.  But then again, that doesn't seem to be quite what I'm wanting.  But who turns down chocolate chip pancakes?  Except maybe for chocolate filled crepes.  Hmmmm.

Is it too early for mousse?  I think not.  Probably never too early for mousse topped with whipped cream.  No one is counting calories on a Chocolate Day.  Besides how many calories could there possibly be in something so light and frothy?  Maybe only 5 or 10 - it's the whipped cream that will be on my hips tomorrow.

My lovely daughter gave me a this cookbook for my birthday - best present ever:

My darling daughter knows me well!

What an awesome book this is - chock full of only chocolate recipes.  No such thing as chocolate overload at my house!  I've made the chocolate buttermilk tea bread - chocolate + coffee = 2 of my favorite things - and the chocolate muffins - so rich and decadent - and several other recipes that were sinfully delightful.

And, it's still early.  I've got time to make the chocolate silk pie for dessert this evening.  Oh happy day!!!

By tonight I'll be sitting in the rocking chair, stitchery in hand, in a euphoric state of chocolate bliss.

Thank you, Lord, for this day and for chocolate!

Here a Stitchery... there a Stitchery!

While it is true that one of my favorite things is sitting down at my beloved Janome with a piece of beautiful fabric and creating something, I really love making stitcheries.

The whole process – drawing words or pictures with a water-soluble pen, sorting through my stash of floss for the perfect colors, and then the actual stitching – is just so relaxing and enjoyable.  Because I work in a country primitive style, the words are not always perfectly straight and the figures don’t have to be photographic quality.  Cats and houses, words and pumpkins, snowmen and snowladies – anything my imagination leads me to.  It’s just plain fun!

Psychologists should explore the relaxing effects of the backstitch.  Sewing a picture has to be therapeutic.  No matter the stresses of the day or the noises around me, watching the needle moving and creating is almost meditative.

I remember back a number of years ago, at a show my husband and I did in a Kansas City, KS suburb.  I was arranging pillows stitched with clever sayings in what I hoped was an artistic display when a couple of fellow crafters wandered by.  Both ladies stopped, aghast, and said, “Oh my, those will never sell.  We’ve never seen anything like that before….”

I sold out.

And I was hooked on stitcheries from then on.  Not just because they all sold, but because I could do something I truly loved to do and share it with others.  I will never lose the thrill I feel when someone sees something I’ve created and their face lights up as they reach for it.

I am truly blessed.

All I need is muslin, warm and natural batting, a disappearing marker and an idea.

Ready to stitch!

Stitching...love this part!

All pressed and trimmed - this stitchery is ready to be made into a pillow.  This beautiful fabric is called Blueberry Crumb Cake - just perfect for a little country style pillow!

Finished!