She's Baaaccckkkk!!

Upon entering my front door yesterday, I looked down and saw this mess on my front steps....

I then looked up & this is what I saw.... she's BAACCCKKK!

Mother robin is back again this year. As you can see, this mother robin's house is currently quite messy, she has some house cleaning to do...yep, just like me! If you look real hard you can see that she even found some blue Easter basket grass to weave in and out of her nest! Truly amazing! The robins work on their nest in the early morning and then you don't see them much for the rest of the day. We had a nice spring shower over the weekend...made for perfect mud for nest building. The robins start with larger/coarser grasses and mud for the main structure of their nests. They use their big ruby-red breast to form the nice hollow of the nest...fun to watch this process of the nest building. Once the nest suits the parents, they will line it with finer, softer grasses. Mother robin will lay one egg a day, usually 3 - 5 eggs. The robins will then hatch, one a day...in the order they were laid!
Do you suppose it is the same robin as last year? I often wonder this...It is a great place to raise a family of birds as the the small porch protects the little ones from the elements...no rain under here!!

I did some searching through old photo files from last year and am going to share our 2008 robins nest with you...

If I went upstairs and opened the window & hung my body out the window I could get a pretty good view of the baby birds.

Four tiny robins just hatched....Feeding time....

The babies would pop their little heads up each time we went in or out of our door. They become sensitive to noise/motion and think it is mother landing on the nest with a big juicy earthworm....

Here are a few more pictures that I snapped last spring.....

The red bud tree & crab apple trees in full bloom...my favorite time of the year! These trees always put on quite a show in our yard, usually just in time for Mother's Day weekend.

A shot of the trees outside our bedroom window....

The orioles arrive here in the springtime just as the red bud & crab apple trees are blooming. They enjoy the sweet nectar in the blossoms. They also LOVE oranges & grape jam. I load up my oriole feeders and we welcome these springtime visitors to our yard. One of the most beautiful birds...the Baltimore Oriole.

Male & female Baltimore Oriole enjoying oranges & jam for a morning snack.

Ending with a few more pictures from last years garden....

I love this picture! I didn't notice the delicate spider web on the tomato plant until I downloaded the picture onto my computer (click photo for better viewing). Isn't that just cool! We enjoyed these sweet tomatoes in our garden salads...the plants were simply planted in a clay pot and put in sunny spots throughout my backyard.

I had some fun making photo collages....

Looking forward to robin eggs, blooming red buds & crab apples, and the return of the oriole,

brenda

AS BUSY AS A BEE!!!

"No bees, no honey; no work, no money."

As of lately I do feel like a BEE...going from one half-way completed design to the next, and then back to the other! A bee with it's head chopped off, perhaps!!

My stitchers & myself have been busy stitching, sewing, stuffing & adding final touches to the next group of new pattern releases. There are designs that need to be framed, photo shoots that need to happen, ad layouts to create, one deadline after another, AND it is too nice to be inside...I'd rather be outside enjoying the nice spring time weather, BUT 'tis my job!

No hints or sneak peeks of the new ones....titles only!

Sarah's Garden

Schoolgirl Sampler

A Gardener's Prayer

Sheltering Tree

Feather Your Nest

Spooky Hollow

Boo & Jack

Ghosts & Goblins

Frozen Frosty

...and a couple that don't have names as of yet!!

With thy Needle & Thread,

Brenda

This one gets a smiley face!

When time allows I enjoy trying new recipes and I must admit this one is going to get a smiley face in my book! I can feel my jeans getting tighter by the moment...so yummy & so simple to make!

CHOCOLATE & PEANUT BUTTER RIBBON DESSERT

What You Need:

12 Nutter Butter Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies, divided

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

One 8 oz. package Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

One 12 oz. tub Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed & divided

2 squares Bakers Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

Directions:

Crush 8 of the cookies in a resealable plastic bag with a rolling pin. Mix cookie crumbs with melted butter. Press into the bottom of a foil-lined 9" x 5" loaf pan.

Mix cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gently stir in 3 cups of the shipped topping. Spoon 1/2 cup of the cream cheese mixture into small bowl. Stir in melted chocolate until well blended; set aside. Spoon half of the remaining cream cheese mixture over the crust. Top evenly with the chocolate mixture;cover with remaining cream cheese mixture.

Freeze 4 hours or overnight until firm. Lift up on the tin foil, removing dessert from pan. Peel away tin foil and cut into slices. Top slice with a dollop of remaining whipped topping & crushed cookie crumbs.

Enjoy & have a good week,

brenda gervais

Good Friday Sale!

Shop online with us on Good Friday, April 10Th for springtime savings at Country Stitches! Order between the hours of 7 AM - 10 PM (Central Standard Time) and receive 10% off of select items. Some exclusions do apply. Do not shop too early or too late as sale is just between mentioned hours. Sale applies only to online/Internet orders.

Wishing everyone a joyous Easter holiday,

Brenda

My two day sabatical from work....

I enjoyed a nice break from pattern design work & helped out with Beckham while Mommy was recovering from oral surgery. Beckham was so good for Grandma & I had a wonderful time. He no longer looks like a baby...he is all little boy! He has found his fingers and enjoys singing with his thumb and index finger in his mouth....so cute & makes for a sweet little bedtime song. I now have lots of new pictures to tweak & create with in my photo editing program....yippeee!!!!

It sounds like winter is returning over the weekend with a foot of snow forecast & blizzard conditions....a good weekend to curl up in a chair and do some needlework!

Have a good weekend,
brenda gervais

A little photo fun...

I stumbled upon a fun photo editing program called, Color Select Studio....so fun & so easy and for just $14.95! The program automatically turns the photo into black & white as it is uploaded and then it magically remembers the colors in the picture. You then simply paint the colors of the details you want to "pop" in your photo.

You may remember in a previous post how the little cherub in the above photo didn't want to sit in his car seat? Here is a picture of him prior to this phase...there is nothing more precious then a picture of a sleeping baby, especially a content baby in their carseat! I love this picture and I LOVE his little blue argyle socks & I couldn't resist capturing the socks in this photo. As of late, the whole carseat/carrier thing seems to be going better & Mommy doesn't have to fly through the grocery store like a mad-woman!

have a good day,

brenda

Yummy Spring Time Salad....

"Tender slices of grilled chicken seasoned with barbecue sauce tastefully tops off this main-dish salad. It makes a super supper on a warm Spring/Summer night."

I seem to cook different foods depending on the season. Winter foods at our house consist of homemade soups, roasts in the crock pot with carrots & potatoes, and a variety of hot dishes. As Springtime approaches I begin to look forward to Spring/Summer time cooking...lighter meals with fresh fruits & vegetables, and grilled meat. We enjoyed a weekend of beautiful weather here...warm enough to grill & move into some of my favorite Springtime recipes. Today's recipe share is a family favorite & one we enjoyed at our house today - BBQ Ranchero Chicken Salad.

BBQ RANCHERO CHICKEN SALAD (serves 6)

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

Romaine lettuce, torn into bite size pieces

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 sweet red pepper, chopped

1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed & drained

1 can (2 1/4 oz.) sliced black olives, drained

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup Ranch salad dressing

1 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Grill chicken, brushing sides with BBQ sauce each time you flip it over. Grill until done.

On serving plates, combine lettuce, tomatoes, onions, red pepper, olives and black beans.

In a small bowl, combine Ranch dressing, chili powder and cumin; stirring until well blended.

Slice chicken breasts; arrange over lettuce. Drizzle salad with dressing and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.

Serve with garlic toast & fresh fruit.

have a good week,

brenda

WELCOME SPRING!

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven...

Happy Spring,
brenda

Just in case you visit my blog today....

Dad & I wish you the best on your 26th! Too bad you live 10 hours away, or I would fix you your favorite meal for your b-day!

I'd throw one of these on the grill....cook it medium well along with an onion wrapped in foil....

I'd make some gravy for these....



I'd open a bag of fresh frozen this....




And then after we are all stuffed from a big birthday meal, we'd force ourself to eat some birthday cake! And feel like this....






And then we'd all sit around and sing the birthday song to you!


Happy Birthday to my Colorado Rocky Mountain High Boy!
We Love you,
Mom & Dad

It's so fun being a Grandma!

While I don't get to see this little one as often as I'd like, I do enjoy calls from his Mommy several times a week to keep me updated on all the new things he is learning...some good & some well not so good. Beckham has decided he doesn't like his car seat...oh no! He does eventually fall asleep...that is until you get stuck at a red stop light and then he awakens & the complaining begins again...doesn't want to be in his car seat!




Yesterday was a beautiful day...a beautiful day for mom & dad to take the little one on a stroller ride. You know the fancy strollers the young couples use these days? The ones where the car seat becomes the stroller seat. The car seat faces backwards in the stroller, like the car, until they become older. Did I mention he doesn't like his car seat...the stroller ride lasted approximately 2 blocks. Mom & Dad gave into the complaining, that turned into crying, and headed home much sooner then they anticipated. They got home, took him out of his stroller & gives his mommy a big smile and laugh, with tears still wet upon his cheeks! If Beckham only knew how much his mother has looked forward to warmer weather so she could take her little one on a stroller ride....

In a later phone conversation with my sister, we pondered if he would enjoy the stroller ride experience in a stroller that wasn't his car seat.

You know, one of these....

the type we used when our kids were little! The Umbrella Stroller! Granted it wasn't exactly one of these....

But the umbrella stroller seemed to worked great, they were nice and light weight and you didn't have to drive a SUV just so you had a place big enough to store the thing while traveling with it.

We even still have an umbrella stroller hanging in the rafters of the garage at Grandma's house...the one that I used when Uncle Matthew was a baby! It even is a boy one....blue denim, perfect! Hmmmm......

My sister then reminded me of this

and then asked me if I would have thought about using this to push my babies around in..



or this.....

(ahhh....I loved that old buggy! I spent many hours of my childhood using it as my "pretend" lawnmower!)


I then decided that the umbrella stroller thought was probably just that....a thought! And you can be the one to guess my answer to my sister's question!

have a good week,

brenda

Looking for model stitchers....

Thank you to all of you who have shown interest in stitching for me...there are lots & lots of stitchers out there with many years of stitching experience...this is going to a tough decision! I am no longer taking names at this time.

I am looking for a few ladies that would be interested in stitching new cross stitch models for me. Must be able to work with a range of stitch counts, including small stitch counts (32 - 35 count over 1 thread). Must be willing to work on dark fabrics. Workmanship must be of high quality. Backsides of your work must be neat, tidy & free of knotted threads. Model stitchers must be willing & able to dedicate 10 hours a week (at a minimum) to stitching once a design is sent to you. Past experience with model stitching for a design company or cross stitch shop a plus, but not necessary if you have years of stitching experience. If interested, please email me at order@countrystitchesonline.com and I will get back to you with a small questionnaire.

With thy Needle & Thread,

brenda

Ebay treasures & a Challenge!

My latest fetish seems to be searching for "things" to tie the mini friendship samplers on to. I found some goodies from eBay seller staglaneprimitives. This seller has some textile bobbins with great colors of wool threads still on the bobbins. The blue is the best robin's egg blue...my favorite shade of blue! Also from the same seller I bought the best rusty tin oil can. There are many more oil cans for those of you that are stitching my ABC pin keep and are in need of small oil cans. Most items are "buy it now"!

Here is the "Have Ye Any Wool?" sampler tied onto the bundle of olde textile bobbins.

Here is the "Bittersweet" sampler tied on the olde oil can.

I foresee a "tie one on" CHALLENGE with the Friendship Samplers pattern....details to follow, so get stitchin!

The "Friendship Sampler" pattern packet will be ready to ship on Monday, happy stitching!

With thy Needle & Thread,

brenda

This & That....

Tis going to be a beautiful day here today...almost near 60 degrees! I did hear a robin outside my window yesterday morning as I was doing my morning stitching...gives one hope that Spring is just around the corner!

An update on the itty bitty samplers...this series is all stitched, photos are taken & instructions will be completed over the weekend. I have titled this pattern "Friendship Samplers" as they would make a great little gift to give to that special friend. These samplers work up quite quickly and all 6 will be offered in one pattern! They are precious simply tied onto items, tucked into the arms of your favorite doll or teddy, tied onto a gift, or don't forget they would make a sweet necklace as well. We do sell the tin frames that fit these tiny samplers. Stay tuned right here on my blog for release date of this pattern.

Also...we got a shipment of patterns from some of our favorite designers in... with more to follow. Check these out on our WHATS NEW page!

With thy Needle & Thread,

brenda

See what's in my stitchin' basket....

Coming soon... A NEW series of itty bitty cross stitched sampler patterns, all to fit the Twisted Threads tin frames. The above sampler measures 2" x 2 1/4". The sampler in the above photo is tied around a bundle of grubby candles...what a unique way to display your work! Keep an eye on our blog for other sampler designs & what other "things" we tie these samplers too! We will letcha know when this series of cross stitched designs is complete!

With thy needle & thread,
brenda

Introducing Easter Peep!

"Easter Peep" cross stitch pattern is now printed & ready to ship! Pattern can be found at http://www.countrystitchesonline.com/, under the NEW ITEMS category.

Keep stitchin,

Brenda Gervais

Growing so fast....

If your baby is..."beautiful and perfect, never cries or fusses, sleeps on schedule and burps on demand, an angel all the time," you must be the grandma. ~Theresa Bloomingdale~

I thoroughly enjoyed the past 4 days that I spent with this little guy! He is growing so fast & is just a "lump of sugar"! Isn't he cute in his little furry bear hat? What once was a very loose fitting hat is now snug and almost too small to get under & around those plump little cheeks. I had to get just one last picture of Beckham in this hat....before he outgrows it. I then played with the photo in Photoshop, applying the watercolor filter to the photo. I like the "twinkle in the eyes" effect that the filter gave this photo.

Beckham has now found his hands and spends lots & lots of time looking at his right hand...so cute. His daddy was hoping for a left handed pitcher, but currently he looks to be a "righty"! He learned to blow spit bubbles while he was at Grandma's house. No, grandma didn't teach him how to do that!

Well after a fun filled 4-day weekend it is back to reality...it is back to work. Can I just retire & become a fun-time grandma?

Have a good week,
brenda

Sneak peek at a work in progress...

Little Peep is sporting her Easter bonnet with the blue ribbon on it & is marching in the annual Easter parade. Should be a beautiful parade...the tulips are in full bloom.

Here is a snippet of a new cross stitch design, called "Easter Bonnet". Did you ever get the Easter Peeps candies in your Easter Baskets when you were young? I loved those sweet marshmallowy candies in the shapes of small yellow chicks. I'm not sure why I liked them as a child, but I cannot make myself eat them in my adult life...too squeaky & gritty on my teeth! What was your favorite Easter candy? It was this childhood favorite that was the inspiration for this design.

The stitching is about done on this design and then I will have the fun task of deciding on its finish. I'm hoping to do a fun & different finish...we shall see! This design is worked on 32 ct linen over 1 thread. Size is somewhat smaller, at just 2 7/8" x 2 3/4".

keep stitchin,

brenda

Cookies for my Valentine!

I spoke to both of my adult children yesterday, it isn't uncommon that one calls while I am on the phone with the other (love it...makes me feel SO important)! They were both busy preparing for the big day...Valentines Day!

Daughter Erin ventured out in 8" of wet snow to do her shopping. Took her an hour and a half to drive the 2o minute drive home from the mall. She was white knuckled and nearly in tears by the time she got home. She bought her "love" a sweater and said it was too much money, but bought it anyway. Erin isn't participating in the recession, she is stimulating the economy!

Son Matthew has been planning a meal of marinated beef tenderloin & the trimmings for his "love" for several weeks now. He's called me several times for recipes & then followed by recipe questions. One call was to ask me if tenderloin is really $23.oo per pound. I proceeded to tell him he had probably picked the most expensive cut of meat...Matthew is stimulating the butcher shop economy as well! I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in that butcher shop! Another phone call... "Is there really 2 Tablespoons of salt in this marinade?" I got him set straight & said it was teaspoons not tablespoons...just a minor detail! Another phone call...I don't feel like going to the grocery store AGAIN, can I substitute white wine vinegar for red wine vinegar? I reassured him that it could be substituted as long as you are not a wine connoisseur!

I hung up the phone and began to feel somewhat guilty that I had only bought my "love" a Valentines card...I was being out-done by my children! You see, I get hit hard in February...first there is our anniversary, then it's Valentines and then a few days later it is his birthday. Any good gift ideas that I had for him for the year were all used up at Christmas time! Then I remembered a saying my mother would say..."The fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach". It was with that thought that I knew the perfect gift for my "sweet heart"...a batch of his favorite frosted cut-out sugar cookies. I awoke early this morning and they were freshly baked & just frosted when he arose for the day. Today there was no need for Cream of Wheat...he had cookies to eat for breakfast on this Valentines Day!

CREAM CHEESE CUT-OUT SUGAR COOKIES

"Deliciously thin, crispy & buttery cookies to tease your taste buds!"

1 cup white sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg yolk

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, butter, cream cheese, salt, almond & vanilla extracts and egg yolk. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour until well blended. Chill the dough until firm.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

3. On floured pastry cloth, roll out the dough 1/3 at a time to 1/8" thick. Cut into desired shapes.

4. Place on an un-greased cookie sheet & bake for 7 - 10 minutes, or until light & golden brown. Cool cookies completely before frosting.

DECORATOR FROSTING

2/3 cup butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 drops of red food coloring

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, powdered sugar & milk until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and food coloring. Frost your cookies & enjoy!

happy valentines day,

brenda

14% off at Country Stitches on the 14th!

SAVE 14% ON THE 14TH FOR 14 HOURS!

Join us on Valentines Day for sweet savings at

www.countrystitchesonline.com

Between the hours of 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM Central Standard Time on February 14th all online purchases will be discounted 14%. This sale runs just 14 hours...so don't shop too early or too late!

Offer valid for online purchases made on the 14th, during the above hours only, no exceptions!

Happy Valentines,

Brenda

COMING SOON!

HOPPIN' ALONG SAMPLER cross stitch pattern will be ready for your stitching pleasure in just a few days! This design is worked on 32 ct over 2 threads. Finished pillow size is approximately 10" from bunnies bottom to the tops of his ears.

The start of each day....

My day begins around 6 AM. I stumble out of bed, put my glasses on, visit the little girls room and then make my way downstairs and into the kitchen. And I must stress, this always happens in this exact order, ALWAYS! A creature of habit, that is for sure! It is here were I meet up with this.....

my little orange bag of my favorite coffee...dunkin donuts! Nope, no Starbucks for this girl! I would have to drive 1 1/2 hours to the nearest Starbucks. I brew my morning pot and then it is off to.....
enjoy my morning cup or two or three, and sit and do some needlework in the quietness of the early morning hours. My coffee pot has a cute little buzzer that goes off in 2 hours and I stitch until the timer goes off. It is then time to get ready for the day... and then it is off to Country Stitches to begin processing, filling & shipping orders to all our wonderful stitching customers.

What time of day to you stitch? Please share your stitching stories with us...we'd love to hear!

happy stitchin,
brenda gervais

P.S. One of our customers shared her stitching story with us, it is funny & I must share! She is a Valdani thread user and must lock herself in the bathroom when she stitches so her kitties can't get at those cute little balls of Valdani floss. I can totally relate....my cat LOVES the Valdani thread as much as I and I have fished several of them out of his water dish!