Square 9: Marriage

Before I go on and on about what a blessing marriage is, let me first admit that I don't love the way this square turned out.  I wanted to use grayish colors, since my rings are those colors (not gold), but once I finished stitching I realized that this square looked pretty washed out.  Oh, well! Now, on with the sappy:

Marriage, for me, is a continued, constantly evolving blessing.  I know that this is not the case for everyone, but that makes me feel even more fortunate.  I met my husband later than some -- I was 28 at the time.  I am so grateful that we met when we did.  It was one of those situations you sometimes hear about: we just "knew."  It wasn't a matter of if we'd get married, but rather when.

In almost 13 years, we've been through a fair amount of better (two beautiful children, wonderful trips and fun experiences, companionship and support) and worse (the loss of jobs, death of loved ones, losing our house to a catastrophic flood).  Through it all, we've been a great team, and we've faced it all, together.  Which is the essence of what marriage should be, I think.  You face life, the good and the bad, as a team.

Squares 7 & 8: Mom & Dad

I am truly blessed to have my parents.  They did an outstanding job of raising my brother and myself -- instilling in us independence and confidence, morality and compassion.  They emphasized education and achievement.  They provided a stable home, and provided us with wonderful experiences, like many (many!) family road trips.  We were lucky little people to grow up in such a home, with parents who loved us and had our best interests always in mind.

Now I'm additionally blessed because my parents are a big part of my girls' lives.  My girls get the benefit of having a loving, extended family around them -- and they get a lot of spoiling from Mimi and GrandDad.

Blessings abound!
Happy stitching! :)

Squares 5 & 6: Girls

I actually wanted this square to read "little girls" but I didn't have room.  Little girls are such a blessing in so many ways.  I'm sure if I had boys I'd feel the same way about them, but since we've only been blessed with girls, that's where my experience lies.

We are fast approaching the "tween" years with my oldest daughter, and I find myself increasingly nostalgic for the days when she was a little girl -- for tea parties with her stuffed animals, lullabies sung to dolls, endless princess dress-up sessions.  Oh, if I could go back and just spend one day with her 4-year old self!

I'll end it there, before this post turns into a boo-hoo fest, but suffice it to say that I am endlessly grateful for my two little girls.

Square 4: Coffee

So, obviously this square is not nearly as sentimental (sappy?) as the previous one -- this one is strictly practical.  I love coffee.   I love the way it smells as it brews, and I really love the way it helps me through my morning.

I was hooked from a very young age.  When we would go to visit my grandmother in Louisiana, she would bring cafe au lait (thick with more sugar than anything else) to us in bed in the morning when it was time to get up.  And just like that, a coffee addict was born.

Coffee helped me through law school, it helped me work around the clock as a young lawyer, and now it really helps me with two young kids.  Thanks, coffee!  Now I'm off for another cup.

Square 3: Flower Bouquets

I love flowers and flower bouquets -- really, who doesn't?  Flowers are blessings all on their own, but here's how flower bouquets have become a special blessing for me.

Many years ago, when I was a single gal working as an attorney, I worked at a big firm with hundreds of employees.  I always dreaded Valentine's Day, which I spitefully called the "parade of the flower bouquets," because when you work in a big office like that, and you aren't dating anyone, it seems like everyone is getting a flower delivery except you.  Invariably, someone (or several someones) would come into my office, look around pointedly, and say, "Where are your flowers?"

It shouldn't have mattered, but I admit that it did matter -- it made me feel lonely.  Every year I was tempted to take a vacation day on Valentine's Day, just to avoid the whole issue.

Then I met the hubs (who wasn't the hubs yet, of course, but just a really cute boy with a charming Fort Worth accent).  Flash forward several months to Valentine's Day -- this time, a huge bouquet was delivered to my office.  I think I actually cried.  Later, I was telling him how much it meant to me, and how much it had sucked all those years to not get flowers.  He said, "Well, you'll never not get flowers again." 

That was over 13 years ago, and he's never missed a Valentine's Day since.    :)

Square 2: Love

For this square, I decided to do "love."  I think love, in its many different forms, will probably show up in many squares on this sampler, because love has so much to do with so many of the blessings in my life: my parents, my spouse, my children, my friends -- that's really all about love at the core of it.

I had my husband in mind when I put these two hearts together.  He is such a monumental blessing to me that he's going to need WAY more than just one square, but this was a good start.  :)

Wishing you all love and blessings!

Square 1: Sunshine

I was super-eager to start this new sampler!  I drew my grid yesterday afternoon.  I was inspired by Amy's decision to do 100 squares, but I have to tell ya, once you draw a 10 by 10 grid you realize -- that's A LOT of squares.  It's kind of intimidating!  But, I actually have a big plan for this sampler that involves a central design that's going to take up a number of squares, so it might turn out fine to have extra squares to play with.

In my zeal to get started, I ran to HL (Hobby Lobby) for new stitching material and a few new threads.  I had my girls in tow -- both of whom were somewhat mystified at the sudden, urgent need to go to HL (they'll get it eventually!) but they were game.  They helped me pick out some new colors of thread, including a bunch of variegated colors that I've been wanting to try.  I think these variegated pastels are going to play a major role in my color palette this time around.

So, I had my new colors, my new fabric, my grid -- I even had a sketch of my central design! -- and then I looked at that first, blank square and ....... nothing.  No idea how to start.  Countless blessings, all sorts of things to be grateful for, but what to start with????

Finally, I decided to keep it simple, so I went with sunshine.

Yesterday was a lovely, sunny day here in the Texas tropics, and I got to get out in that sunshine and play tennis.  It felt great to be outside; I think the sun did me a world of good (even if I was slathered in 50 SPF sunscreen from head to toe).   So, here's to sunshine, the first of many blessings.

Here's To New Stitching and New Blogging Adventures!

I loved the 39 Squares stitchalong -- so much so that I've been in serious withdrawal since I finished my sampler.  I was so thrilled when Amy announced a new project, and I can't wait to get started. I admit, I'm a bit intimidated by the idea of 100 squares, but I'm game!  I started this blog to follow these stitching adventures, but you can still find me at my other blog, Dishy Vintage.  I hope you're stitching along, too!