Happy new year!

Hello hello!! I can not believe it has been almost a year since I posted.. my apologies. Last year was a crazy year. If I had continued blogging I think you may have been disappointed in the amount of stitching I was doing. I don't really do new year's resolutions anymore but I do want to try to carve out more time for stitching this year.  I do still enjoy it so much.  I will post a picture of the tavern soon.  It is semi-finished.  The directions on the pattern were a little confusing, especially since I didn't have a photo of the finished product.  It must have gotten lost at some point and was extremely hard to find online, at least one that was close up and clear.  I never did find one.  I don't know if you remember, but a friend had asked me to stitch that for her, and sadly, she passed away before I finished. She had some heart problems but was staying in an assisted living facility, and seemed to be doing pretty well. Her death was sudden and unexpected to many of her friends, including me.  I plan on keeping the tavern in memory of her.   Here is a photo of my latest WIP- Blackbird Designs' "Strawberry Fields Forever." 

Yes, I have a long way to go!! I also have several UFOs I should start working on. 

Something else I am trying to do this year is make my house a toxin-free household as much as possible.  Did you know when an item has "fragrance" in the ingredients it can include 300 different chemicals, etc? Including formaldehyde? When I found that out I threw my plug-ins in the trash! I was told of a website- ewg.org- where you can look up everyday household products and see what toxins, skin irritants, carcinogens, etc are in them.  It is pretty eye-opening and pretty scary! I wish I would have found this site a lot sooner!  The great thing about essential oils is that instead of being harmful when diffused into the air, is that they are actually helpful! For instance, oils like rosemary can promote mental clarity! Lavender and cedarwood can promote restful sleep! Citrus oils such as lemon, orange, and grapefruit can help you feel uplifted and happy! The list goes on...  Cat owners do need to be careful as some oils are irritating to cats when diffused. 

Speaking of animals..what would a post be without Ginger and/or Kona? Here is a pic of Kona on our one snow day we have had so far this year-

Till next time-

Tracey ♥