Lately

Oh my lands, have I ever been busy! This little business venture of mine called Heartstring Samplery has been growing slowly and steadily for the last 9 years, and its been a good thing; but I've reached a breaking point, it would seem, between keeping up on designing and filling orders while also homeschooling three days a week and managing our household. I think I have the equivalent of three full time jobs overlapping all at once. Between all of these wonderful, necessary things (and I confess, the easy nature of Instagram for posting pictures), I've sorely neglected this here blog thing. I've heard from more than one of you that you are missing my posts, so I am currently on an airplane taking advantage of the hours that I'll be sitting with nothing better to do, and am determined to get caught up! I'll be back-blogging (post dating) entries all the way back to January, so keep scrolling down if you're one of the faithful readers who really want to know what I've been up to (but bear with me if you're reading this immediately after posting, because this airline internet connection is pretty slow).

I did finally break down and hire a friend to start doing the bulk of my chart folding and stuffing, which has been an immense relief. I kid you not, the day I gave her the first big batch of orders to assemble, I literally slept better. I didn't realize how much stress I was releasing by doing so. Up until now, every single blessed chart has been touched by yours truly at least three times. Now you all have dearest Becky to thank for the freed up creative space in my head. I just hope and pray that she doesn't get sick and tired of the job any time soon.

As I type this, I'm en route to my first ever teaching gig at a stitching retreat in Virginia Beach. Pat and Ann at Dyeing to Stitch have been so helpful in giving me all the direction I need to prepare, but I admit I'm a bit jittery over how it will go. I get that way when doing something new. Not worried that I'll fail, but just not knowing what it will be like. Once my brain has a frame of reference, I'll be good. Having never even attended a stitching retreat before means I have no clue what to expect. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

This year has been a blur of preparation. First getting ready for the Needlework Market in Nashville, which started for reals as soon as the holidays were over, then as soon as I got home, I started planning and devising fun things for this retreat. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself once this trip is through. No more travel on my calendar for 2017 other than a couple of family vacations. I think it will be very nice to just breathe for awhile. :)

Now with no further ado, here are some pictures from the month of April, including lots of blooming flowers, smiling and growing-up-too-fast children, our first firepit of the season (it was a balmy 65 outside that day, who could resist?), and some Resurrection Sunday fun with cousins.

Lately

Grape Hyacinths, Spring Break, Easter celebrations, frost on the Daffodils, brilliant sunshine, blossoming orchards, a new handbag (much deserved, after lugging the last one for nearly six years), antique shopping, stitching, and all the regular things that somehow don't ever get photographed.

Life is good.

Lately

I'm almost finished with a new little design that I think you're going to like a lot. It has been super fun to stitch up. I'm hoping to get it finished and the chart ready to release next week. Maybe even as early as Monday. We'll see...

Spring is busting out all over the place; we're probably nearing peak bloom of the Cherry trees, the plum trees being the earliest and finished already. I think the double-blossom flowering cherries are my all time favorite, they are so poofy and eager to show off. Crabapple blooms are probably my next favorite, if you care to know.

Crabapple :: My Neighborhood :: First Grade Art :: Under the Piano Lid :: Sunset Perch :: Old Kitty (antique sampler from my Sister's collection) :: Flowering Cherry :: Perfect Arrangement (again from my Sister's house) :: Easter Blooms :: Risen Indeed :: Weathered :: Fritillaria :: Snooze :: Lilac :: Kerria Japonica :: Through the Sunroof :: Coming Soon :: Moss and Petals :: Over the Fence :: Bubble Girl :: Scattered