Hello Autumn...

~ Greetings Friends ~ Here I am for a fallish update :) I'm in the mood for a little frost on the pumpkin, especially after seeming not to really have a hot summer and all of the sudden we're in a hot, humid sauna the past few days...ugh! I'm tired of sweating...a little chill in the air would be a welcome relief!
To spur on the mood of frosty evenings... I just finished this darling new design:
"Hallow-Day Inn" designed by ~ Brenda Gervais of With Thy Needle and Thread Stitched on 36 ct. coffee stained (and baked) linen Stitched with GAST, WDW and CC as charted.

I finished as a wee quilted wall-hanging and I embellished the design "frame" by adding free hand embroidery of "bittersweet" :)

I think the bittersweet "frame" compliments the wee little bittersweet branches the witches are adding to the pot. I love those witches and they spoke to me from the first time I saw the sweet photo on Brenda's Blog announcing the design...and the big lopsided pumpkin...well that sealed the deal ;) How darling is that?!

And here is where it resides today...in our living room decorating our antique dresser inherited from my husband's family. I love it!

Speaking of decorating... I couldn't stand it anymore and put up our fall decorations. Here's a few snaps from random places around our autumn home...

We've been hopping along here at Pfeiffer House... it was still the middle of summer when the kids started back to school on August 4th ~ our school corporation is transitioning to year round school basically. Here's all four Pfeiffer kids on the first day of school, with bright and shining faces:

Here is just my High Schoolers... Katie: Junior Year Jake (l) and Ian (r): Freshman Year

And the baby... Ellie: Third Grade

The big kids are in Cross Country again this year... and here is snap of them after their first big race of the season. They all ran in the Early Bird Invitation at LaVern-Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana. They did FABULOUS!! and continue to do well. All three of them keep beating their PR (personal record) each new meet they have. We are so proud of their hard work and dedication to running. Running is a mind game and it makes them tough and mentally strong. Katie tells me she prays the whole time she is running, sounds logical to me, as I would be calling on the Lord too if I had to run a 5K :)

I don't know if you all have ever noticed... but my Ellie is a card. And she's a whole lot like her Mama. The other week I was looking through my iPhone and here was a weird picture of Ellie. I asked her "what is this picture about?" and she said, "I'm posing like you did on your profile picture!".... ha ha ha!! (Look in my sidebar to see the resemblance! LOL!)

I'm sure most of you...
have seen Country Cottage Needleworks newest series! Nikki is doing a series of Ornaments called the "Classic Collection" and I am honored to be the model stitcher and finisher for the series. People they are darling! She has released the first two in the series to date and I have stitched and finished the first five of them. O my heavens! CUTE as buttons! As a courtousy to Nikki and also to all of you that need a little help, I have created tutorials to teach you how to do the finishing for the series. The first two are up on my tutorial blog: Learn to Finish with The Twisted Stitcher
Look for: CCN "Angels" and CCN "Dear Santa"
and if you haven't signed up at your Needlework Shop of choice to get these monthly designs, RUN to get them today! ;)

I have some things coming up... in the next few weeks. I'm having surgery. I've been having some female issues and all testing and ultrasounds have shown nothing, but pain persists and its getting worse, so I am scheduled for an exploratory laprascopy on September 15. Please keep me in your prayers. The doctor is pretty sure that it is likely scar tissue from my C-sections, but he doesn't know for sure of course and always niggling in the back of someone's mind is...well you know. So...prayers are appreciated :) Thank you!
Also... I don't know that I'll be back much before Christmas...I know, I know...but I have had lots of e-mails and questions about "are you going to do the 25 days of Christmas with the Twisted Stitcher?" and the answer is: I'm sure gonna try, really hard! And to do that, I have to plan and execute 25 days worth of goodies to share. :)
So until next time... I'll be stitching and thinking up good stuff, while I keep my hands to work and heart to God, just like always! Please think of me on September 15 and send some prayers up to heaven for me that all is well! Hugs in stitches, Vonna xxxx