It's Spring!!!

A delightful event happened while we were gone on vacation...spring arrived in the Pacific Northwest. Though a week shy calendar-wise, we came home to flowers and plum trees in full bloom!!! Here area few pictures from my garden this week. I've said it many times before, spring is my favorite season!


Easter is coming up this weekend. I am not quite ready for it yet this year. I really like having Easter in April when the weather is a little warmer and I have a little more time to think about getting ready for it. The kids are having Gracie dedicated at church Easter morning, so I need to get the christening gown cleaned up and pressed. This will be the 5th baby in my family to wear this dress. I am looking forward to seeing her in it. I have a friend, Lizzie's piano teacher, that has a professional embroidery machine, so I am going to take the dress to her and have her embroider in white script the names and birthdates of all our girls that have worn the dress. I haven't decided if it will be along the bottom hem or under the overskirt yet.


I have been fighting a cold for over a week now, and been miserable, trying to go to work and keep up with life at the same time. I finally called in sick to work yesterday (and today) and slept a good portion of the day. I am feeling a little better now, I hope by next week to be back to normal.

Von and I are attending the Victoria Samper Retreat in Victoria the last full week of April. I am really looking forward to going. One of the activities will be a gift exchange, and I was wanting to stitch something special for a gift, so yesterday I pulled out my hardanger books, and found a small pocket (designed for potpourri, but I have other ideas!!) with a hardanger flap that I really like and so I started stitching it last night. I think it's going to be really pretty. I hope I have enough time to make an accessory or two to go with it!!! Von! No peeking!!!!

A Wonderful Vacation!

We had such a nice time discovering Kauai!

We connected with family and friends,

My first cousin, Kathy. Lives on Oahu.

Connie Amundson (Cyberstitcher friend) and I at Princeville Resort

Viewed gorgeous scenery

Waimea Canyon

Kilauea Lighthouse

Watched 6 glorious sunrises

Stitched and relaxed on the beach,

Stitching on beach in front of our Hotel

Discovered the color pallette of Kauai

Enjoyed the beaches

Looked for and discovered settings used in motion pictures:

Hanalei Bay, setting for movie South Pacific

Basically had an all around fabulous time!!!

At Anini Beach

Enjoy the pictures!

Aloha from Kauai!

We are having lunch with a cyberstitcher friend (Connie A.) and her husband at their condo this afternoon and she has graciously offered to let me use her computer to check in. They are both fantastic people, and we have enjoyed getting to know them.

We are having a wonderful time on Kauai...it's much different here than the other islands we have visited. We drove up to the Waimea Canyon yesterday, and the views were gorgeous. It is like a small Grand Canyon. I have taken lots of pictures and already filled up one memory card. This morning we went to the beach at Hanalei Bay, and stood in the spot where they filmed the movie "South Pacific".

The weather has been good, not too hot, and we are enjoying being outside.

More later, and I will post lots of pictures when I get back. Aloha!!!

And here it is March already!!

Not that I am complaining...I am so thankful that winter is on it's way out the door. By the time we get back from Hawaii we will have a short 5 days left of Old Man Winter. I am so glad! I love springtime. It is my favorite season I think, with all the new growth on the plants, beautiful flowers and warmth again in the sunshine. The greens are so vibrant, and are never again quite as "spring green" the rest of the year!!!

It's been a busy week. I've been out after work almost every evening this week, and again today, shopping for things we need for our trip. I think I purchased the last of it this afternoon. I hope. I like to get a bunch of new tee-shirts before we go to Hawaii, then I wear them all summer, so now I am set for the year again. Only six more days until we leave!!! I visited a couple of different video rental stores looking for movies that were filmed on Kauai. I brought home South Pacific and Six Days, Seven Nights. Alot of the South Pacific beach scenes are right there on the north shore of Kauai. I keep saying to John, "look, that's where we will be next Saturday!"

I made contact with a lady that is in the same cyberstitchers group I am in, her name is also Connie and she lives on Kauai now, so we are going to meet up for lunch while we are there. We are also taking a long layover at the Honolulu airport and my first cousin, Kathy, is coming to the airport to spend a little time with us. We had such a great visit with them 4 years ago when we vacationed on Oahu. I am looking forward to seeing her again!

I haven't gotten much stitching done at all this week. By the time I get home from shopping I am too tired. I started Porecelain Nosegay by Just Nan, but as you can see from the scan, I haven't gotten very far. I do love the way the colors are working with the fabric!

Not much else exciting to share I guess. I am not sure I will have time for another blog entry before we leave for Kauai next Saturday, but I will be sure and do a full report when we get home.

Happy Birthday today Dad!!!! You missed some glorious sunshine and sweater weather up here today!!! We are all looking forward to you guys coming home!

I remember....

When I was reading back over some old posts from this summer a few minutes ago, I discovered that I mentioned getting some of my old slides digitized. Well, I actually did do that last month...and some of the pictures are a hoot!!! This was a very low tech method I used...essentially put the slides into the slide projector, shine them on the wall and snap a picture with my digital camera. Some of the pix I took in Paris during college 33 years ago discolored alot, but with the discoloration, they look REALLY old, like 100 years old. I kind of like the way the colors are so muted....So I thought you all might like to see some of my ancient history...a little trip back in time....

The Eiffel Tower, taken January 1975. Notice how the colors have muted out.

This is me, taken sometime in the mid-70's, with our new puppy, Nutmeg. She was so tiny she fit right into my pocket!!

This was taken at my parents 25th wedding anniversary party in 1973. I am on the left, then my mom, and my grandma (mom's mom) is standing in the background against the wall. I miss my Grandma still. My middle daughter, Alli, has alot of her facial features.

This was taken by my dad in 1973, at our cabin in Whatcom County, WA.

College graduation, 1977.

An old-world street scene, taken in a long forgotten town somewhere in Northern France. Again the muted colors make the picture look older than it is.

This is me sitting in front of Chenonceaux, my favorite castle in the Loire Valley, France. I wish the castle wasn't so faded out...it really was a nice picture. I used to be so skinny!!!

Maybe one of these days I will post some more of these old pictures. It takes Blogger a long time to post them all, so I won't do any more this evening. But, now you know some of my history that few people remember!!!

Noisy Saturday...

Today is Lizzie's 13th birthday, and we have a houseful of kids helping her celebrate this afternoon. They are having a wonderful time, a noisy wonderful time. Happy birthday dear daughter!!!

I also want to say Happy Birthday to my special friend Thea!!! You have enriched my life immeasurably with your friendship and loving support...I hope your day gives back to you a little of what you have poured out!!! Thanks so much for everything, and many blessings to you today on your birthday!!!

I didn't get a post done last week, we had a super busy weekend and I just never got the chance to sit down long enough at the computer by myself to write up a post. It was one of those weekends where I went back to work Monday morning and nearly cried because I was more tired and frazzled from the weekend than if I had gone to work. Ever had one of those weekends? This one has been busy too, with birthday celebrations, but so far I have also been able to get a lot of the little things done that I have to do on a weekend to feel sane the rest of the week. Its a hard lesson for me to practice sometimes...taking care of myself so I can have the ability to take care of others!!!

I was able to get two projects finished since my last post. Whirlygig is finished, and I am very happy with the project. It was very fun and relaxing to do. I also finished a smocked dress for Alana (dear granddaughter), that I am very pleased with. She loves to wear it, I think it makes her feel pretty. She dances around in it like a ballerina, holding up the skirt. It's so sweet and looks so cute on her.

I haven't started a new stitching project yet this week. Nothing is calling out to me, in my basket of twenty projects in various stages of completion. About half of them haven't even been started, but are kitted up and ready for me stitch. I may just wait until I feel the desire to start one. I do have a project set aside to take to Kauai with me, so I will save that one for our trip. It's a small Just Nan design (Beach Roses) that I took with me to Maui last year and didn't have time to stitch. It is such a fitting design to be stitched on the beach!!!

We leave for Hawaii (Kauai) three weeks from today. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I can hardly wait to get to the hotel and drop the suitcases on the floor and head out the patio doors for the beach. We are staying in an older motel that our condo association has just purchased, (they will be remodeling and converting it to condos) so we were able to get a really fantastic room rate through the association. It is on the beach (note in picture you can see the ocean at the center of the photo), though the rooms are not as close to the actual beach as our condo on Maui...it is still very close.

Check it out!

Daughter Amy has started a new blog, due to the fact that with an internet provider change when they moved, she was unable to get into her old blog to make new posts. One day very soon we will try and transfer all her old posts to her new blog, but in the mean time, please check out her new one:



Diaper Days

I will update the link in my sidebar to the new blog, and make a post of my own sometime this weekend!!!!

I have the best intentions....

but life always seems to get in the way. As you can see, I haven't gotten much done on Swirlygig this week. It is sometimes agonizing when the little designs you know should only take a couple of evenings to complete turn into a couple of weeks instead. Ah well. I did have a VERY productive week in other areas of my life. I got our taxes completely done. And filed. And a generous size refund is on the way...the IRS website says in about 2 weeks it will be in our account. Horray!!! Cuz it is already spent...on plane tickets for Hawaii!!! Another major accomplishment this week, getting all the arrangements done for our trip to Kauai. We are leaving March 8th for a glorious sunshine filled week on the beach. I can hardly wait!!! It will be our first time on Kauai, tho our fourth trip to Hawaii in four years. I love Hawaii. I want to move to Hawaii. I want to move my whole family to Hawaii so I can stay there guilt free. (I can dream can't I?) We are hoping when we retire to spend at least the winter there every year. We will at least still be making an annual pilgrimage there I am sure, since we have the timeshare now. Isn't it amazing when a "PLACE" gets under your skin and won't let you go???


Daughter Amy was taking pictures of the grandbabies this afternoon, and I couldn't resist posting this one...the baby (Gracie) is laughing!!! in this picture. I bust up laughing every time I look at this picture. I love having grandkids. I am sure some people must get tired of my ramblings on about them, but how can you not talk about the things (people) you love??? Which is why we all have blogs anyway, right?

Von and I are headed to a special holiday retreat in Victoria BC, in April, sponsored by The Victoria Sampler. I am really looking forward to spending time with dear friends and stitching to my hearts content for a long weekend. The last time I was able to attend I came home so relaxed and refreshed. That's how I need to spend retirement...shuttling between Hawaii and these retreats in Victoria...and maybe a monthly side trip to visit the grandkids. Now, that would be almost heaven!!!

until next time...happy stitching!!!

Time is flying by....

I can hardly believe it has already been one month since Christmas. The days and weeks are absolutely FLYING by for some reason. Others in my family have mentioned the same thing. Well, it gets us to spring faster, which I am really looking forward to. It's been cold here in the Pacific Northwest, and I have had to scrape the frost off the car windows every morning this week. Yuck. Even rain is better than scraping icy frost!!! I am watching the days get a little longer, now the sunshine is directly in my eyes when driving home from work, instead of it getting dark by that time.

My stitching time has been scant, here is a scan of the current project I am working on, a little freebie called Swirlygig from Bent Creek. It's been fun to work on. I completely changed the colors called for in the pattern except the Sable GAST...I didn't actually have the other colors, so substituted some Weeks Dye Threads in colors that appealed to me. I think it will be pretty when it's done, and I will post another picture then.

A couple weeks ago I took my oldest granddaughter, Alana, in to have her portrait taken. When my three daughters were little, I had a special dress that I had them wear for a picture. So I wanted a picture of Alana in the dress too! The photographer had a wonderful idea of bringing a picture of her mom (Amy) in the dress with us, for Alana to hold the picture. (I started to cry when she suggested it...it was such a great idea!). Here are the results...I am SOOO happy with pictures!

Back to the subject of cupcakes...I was window shopping in Michaels the other day, and saw a whole book on cupcakes in their book section. I was tempted to bring it home! This seems to be something that lots of people are doing right now!!! Which reminds me, I need to get some more cupcake liners at the store!!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

Cupcakes!!!

I had a few minutes this week to putter in the kitchen, so I decided to follow the inspiration from my previous post, and make cupcakes!!! Nothing terribly exciting, just a box mix and purchased icing, but it was a big hit here in the Dunton household. I think every single person asked "are those for us???".

It was fun, but they didn't last long!!! Note to self...cupcakes are prettier when you don't over fill the muffin tins!!!

Congratulations are lovingly sent to my friend Von on the birth of her grandaugther Ilse. Check her blog for more details! Congrats to Mystie and Matt, and all our love, from our family to yours!!!

Kitchen Inspiration

I don't bake much anymore. Mostly because I work full time, I don't have extra time to just putter around in the kitchen. Sometimes I like to bake when the mood strikes. Not as much as I like to stitch or EAT baked goods mind you, but there are times when it is fun, especially trying a new recipe.

I found this blog about cupcakes while reading another blog, A Treehuggers Wife. I am inspired. I lifted this picture from said blog Isn't it pretty? I hope she doesn't mind, but maybe it will bring her more readers. I think I need to plan a Saturday morning baking session!!! Followed of course, by a Saturday afternoon eating and stitching session!!

Happy New Year!!!

To all my friends and family, may 2008 be a blessed and wonderful year!!!

I had intentions of posting a "Year in Review" yesterday, on the last day of the year, but I was too tired to think that hard when I got home from work. I guess that the first day of 2008 is not too late to enjoy my 2007 highlights in review:

I have accomplished my first stitching finish for 2008 this morning...a little freebie from Lilybet Designs. I changed thread colors a bit, I think it turned out pretty cute.



We had a nice and busy Christmas. New Year celebrations have been just dear hubby and I. Everyone else is off visiting friends or relatives this last week, so we have had a very rare few days with just the two of us at home. It is unnaturally quiet around here!!! I have enjoyed watching some movies and doing some stitching without having to get up and do anything else. It's been a nice break, but I am ready to see my grandbabies again!!!


Happy New Year everyone!!!

Merry Christmas!

May the season of Peace Himself bless you with peace!!!

Even in the scurrying and hurrying of trying to get everything ready to bless my family on this day of celebration, I am thinking of all of you and wishing you peace!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Where has the time gone?

Eeeppps! Has it really been so long since I last posted? Where has the time gone? Much has happened in the last 2 1/2 weeks...a severe winter storm left my part of the State paralyzed for over a week, with record breaking rains and flooding. The interstate freeway was closed completely by flood water for several days, causing millions of dollars in damage to the local economy, as goods could not be transported except by a 6 hour detour over the mountains. In this picture, the mileage sign is next to to the freeway, which runs UNDER the bridge!!! The water was 10 feet deep in places! Thankfully the water has receeded now and the freeway is again open.

This last Saturday my sister got married, so we traveled up to Lynnwood (about 1.5 hours North of our town) for the wedding. It was a very nice wedding, and we had a good time. Congratulations Karen and Aaron! Their wedding cake was so pretty, decorated with snowflakes!!!

I had to replace my two year old digital camera this month also, but I got a much better one for about the same price I would have had to spend to repair the old one. It has all kinds of wonderful settings and has 8.3 megapixels...it takes great pictures. One of the built in settings is for fireworks, and on our drive home from the wedding I was taking pictures of the lights on this setting....I was so excited by the pictures I was getting. It was incredible fun, and Lizzie and I spent alot of time taking pictures until the battery died. Here are a couple of the best shots.

I haven't done much of any stitching lately. Life has not been conducive to sitting down and relaxing, but I have been working on a "learning" piece for myself off and on. It is a new technique that I have never tried before...padded roll, cut thread, needle weaving...sort of like hardanger, but a little more "intense". The design is by Elegant Needle Designs, I don't have alot to show for it right now, but here is a picture of what I do have done.

We had some snow yesterday...about an inch maybe. It was pretty for a while, but it melted off by evening. I turned on my two favorite Christmas movies yesterday afternoon and decorated our Christmas tree and put a few decorations out. It looks more festive around here now. I'll post a picture of the tree another day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's an absolutely gorgeous day here in Western Washington. Blue sky, no clouds, sunshine galore and white frost everywhere!!! BRRRR! It's very cold this Thanksgiving, but one of the very few I can remember where the weather has not been lousy or terrible!! I am thankful for good weather this day.

Baby Gracie spent a couple days in the hospital this week under the lights to treat her jaundice. Her biliruben levels were actually not that high, but she had lost so much weight post-birth (she is down to 5.5 pounds) that in ratio to her tiny body, the jaundice was making her very lethargic and she was eating poorly. She is home now, eating well and healthy. I am thankful for a new healthy granddaughter this day.

Alana turned two years old yesterday and received more presents than ought to be legal. It wasn't until bedtime last night that she fully accepted the fact that she really is two years old and would hold up two fingers to say how old she is. She is still the sunshine in our lives. I am thankful for a healthy and beautiful two year old granddaughter this day.

The whole family has been struggling with colds this last week, and John and I both feel miserable. I am thankful that colds are the extent of the illness in my family this day.

I took the whole week off in vacation this week, and have enjoyed it. I have been slowly moving my computer and stitching things (which are alot, by the way) back into my little room, and taking the time to purge deeply as I do it. Lots of stuff has gone in the recycle bin, more is destined for Goodwill. We have moved the granddaughters to the upstairs bedroom now that Alli and Chris have their own apartment. I am thankful that we had the foresight 9 years ago to buy a house big enough to shelter our whole family when there is a need. I am thankful to have my little room back this day.

The pumpkin and apple pies have been made and are enticing us from the kitchen counter. We will be taking them to my Mom and Dad's house for dinner today, joining about half of the extended family for the family feast. One sister and her family will spend the day with her hubby's family. It will be a special day showing off Gracie to the rest of the family, and enjoying each other's company. I am thankful for a wonderful extended family this day.

I am off now to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on TV, taking along my cup of coffee and a stitching project. I am thankful for modern technology that allows me to share Thanksgiving with the whole country at the same time this day. And I am thankful for stitching, for I think I would be slightly insane without it!!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. May you be as blessed as we are this day!!!

She's Here!!!

Announcing the arrival of

Gracie Lynn Rheinhardt


November 15, 2007


5:01 AM


6 lbs. 3 oz; 18 inches


Mother Amy Sue and Gracie are healthy and beautiful!!!




More later when I have had a chance to have some sleep!!! It's been a long 24 hours!

Quiet Weekend

I got hit by an organizing mood this weekend, so I decided to indulge myself by organizing something to do with my needlework instead of housework. I pulled out my large pile of fairly new patterns I have been collecting for the last couple of years, and set aside every single one that I wanted to do in the next year. I came up with about 8 patterns...several of them I had cut fabric for last spring. I decided to kit them all up and have them competely ready to go for when the mood hit to stitch them. It took several pleasant hours, but they are all done except to find a bit of fabric for one freebie Christmas ornament. So now my project basket is really full again, but most of them are completely new projects. Ahhh. I LIKE being organized!!!

Still no baby yet. Amy Sue felt pretty well Saturday, so we did some shopping for the baby, and she was happy with what we got accomplished. She thinks she has all the "needs" pretty well taken care of now, and everything left on her registry is just "wants" or "would be nice to haves".

I don't have any great new pictures this week. The weather has not been great, so we haven't been outside much. I've done some stitching, but not enough to warrant a picture. Maybe next week. I've decided to change the picture weekly in my sidebar, and I will probably be delving into my older nice pictures...show them off a little. This picture of Mt. St. Helens was captured from the Mt. St. Helens webcam last month...the sunrise over the mountain was spectacular that day, and I captured several of the images to keep.

November in all it's glory!

Just a few pictures of some of the trees outside my office building....absolutely gorgeous!!!!