REFLECTIONS ON LIFE -

Today is my birthday and I have been thinking about what a wonderful life it has been and I hope it will continue to be. I was born January 6, 1926 (you do the math) in Washington, D.C. My parents were kind and loving and always had time for my brother and me. My mother was a wonderful lady. She taught her children manners, that laughing was important and she read to us each day, instilling in us the love of books. It was her contention that the whole world could be yours thru reading. My father taught us to be responsible, a work ethic that meant that you worked every day. He taught us to fish and play ball and to love animals, and to me he was a very special person. All in all, a wonderful childhood.

And then came World War II. The end of childhood as many of us knew it. Work at the ration board on Saturdays and letters to loved ones. Some came home and some didn't. We were always grateful for their sacrifice and their willingness to keep up safe.

Then came marriage to a wonderful young man that I had met my senior year of high school. The marriage produced two beautiful daughters and lasted 59 years until the death of my husband. The only picture for this blog is a picture of a picture. This is our wedding photo taken when Bob was home on leave - everyone was in the service.Oh how young we were!

When I was in the throes of despair after his death my dear friend Carole came to me and said that I had to start hooking again. I had stopped hooking in order to take care of Bob . This was the best advice anyone could have given me. I am so grateful that she introduced me to a group of hookers that really cared, not only about hooking, but about each other.

And so my second oddesy into the hooking world began. I never dreamed when I started to hook in 1970 that it would become such a large part of my life. I can honestly say that it has saved my sanity on several occasions. In addition, it has allowed me to meet and know so many talented people, and to make many friends.

As I look forward to this new year I have resolved to continue to promote hooking and to help as many hookers as I can. Also, I have resolved to be more active in the community outreach programs, one for the food bank, one for the women's and children shelter and for the animal shelter. All of these programs are thru hooking groups.

I look forward to seeing each and everyone of you in the new year. May your 2010 be a productive and happy experience.

Doris

A RUG BLOG -

When I started my blog my intention was to use it as a way to encourage the art of rug hooking. As often happens I got off track and started reported my daily "doings." I realize that I live a very quiet life and have little to say on a daily basis and probably have been boring you to death. Sooooo - one of my New Years resolutions is to get back to the original idea of my blog. Therefore this posting is all about the rug I have just finished plus a bonus rug you have not seen before.

I have completed my study of white on white and am very pleased with the results. I am not a professional photographer as you will see but I got some reasonable pictures of the rug. The white on white is much more pronounced than the pictures show.

The first picture is the finished product. I could not get quite far enough back from the wall its hung on to get all of it but I think you can get the idea.

I started out by buying linen for fine hooking as I knew that I would use a #3 cut to do this rug. I also purchased a yard of "crack." I have fallen in love with this product. It is a mesh with a sticky side that takes a magic marker very well. Pat Wenger of Newtown, PA. enlarged the design for me and put it on the linen. However, at that point I was not sure how I was going to manage the white on white. So Pat just put the figures on the linen. I also knew that I did not want a harsh black so I dyed Barb Carrolls antique black formula and looked thru my stash for the brightest red I could find for the yarn. I then took a yard of white wool from a bolt of Dorr's white and a yard of white wool from a bolt of Woolrich's and washed them. I did nothing else to them.

Here is the crack that I mentioned. I am getting ready to put a grid on it. I decided to make the white on white a "parkay" floor.

Here I have laid the crack over the partially worked design to put my grid on. You can see that I don't always draw straight with a ruler (LOL).

I finally got the grid working and I thought that all was well so I hooked away like a happy little hooker thinking that the parkay would be floor and I would do something that looked like wall paper for the upper portion of the rug. NOT TO HAPPEN! Everything I tried for wall paper took away from the parkay floor. All of the hookers that saw this rug in progress thought that the parkay was great looking and I did not want to take away from its looks. So my theory of "if it ain't broken - don't fix it" came into play and I added the grid to the top portion of the rug.

Another "in progress" view.

A close up of the cat with yard - the finished product.

The boy and the next picture of the little girl are also close ups of the finished product.

I am so sorry that the work of the white on white and the parkay does not show up in the pictures. It really is quite stunning up close and personal! This was a great fun project and a good color lesson.

I have added another rug picture for you enjoyment. This is a Persian oriental designed by Pearl K. McGown and called Empress. This rug was hooked by my daughter Kristen and is now hanging in my family room.

Rug hooking is an art form that is ever changing. I hope that each and every one of you hooks with an open mind and tries new things. With the coming of the New Year now is the time to think of a new project and a new way to achieve it.

USELESS FACT FOR THE DAY!

In 1869 women were granted the right to vote in the Wyoming Territory.

Doris

IT'S OVER!!!!

The hustle and bustle is over, thank goodness. I started cooking our tradional Christmas foods nearly a month ago. The freezers were chock a block full and ready for the Christmas feast. When the family gathers to exchange presents I think that the most important thing we do is "break bread" together. To me, the showing of love and caring for one another, during the sharing of food, is the most significant time of the season. This year the tree was downstairs in the family room and that is where everyone put their presents to exchange.
What a heap of stuff! Most of the presents were inexpensive and many were so funny we laughed ourselves silly. One of the guys got a plastic alligator that snapped its jaws at everyone.

My grandson Richard standing, on the sofa Paul and Vicki (grand-daughter and husband ) and Sheri, Richards wife. Sitting in the plaid shirt their daughter Lisa and in the foreground their daughter Brandy. Guess who is in the middle of things - why it's Miss Eloise!

I normally would not show presents but these bottle containers are so cute I couldn't resist. They each came with a bottle of wine inside.

This is my daughter Joan talking a mile a minute as she opens a small box.

Sorry, I didn't get a picture of my great grand-daughter Danyel. She received a laptop since she is planning to go away to college next fall.

All in all. it was a great day. So nice to have the whole family together. We live fairly close to each other except for Vicki and her husband. We only get to see them a couple of times a year so it is special when they can some.

Now that the day has passed I am planning on having some quiet time to finish a good book I am reading and to get some hooking done. I am anxious to finish the rug I started this fall with Cynthia Norwood. The background in this rug is so beautiful that I can't wait to see the finished product.

Enough snow has melted that I have taken the barricades off of the deck and Eloise is again able to get out in the yard for a good run. Being short poses a problem when the snow is deep.

I am looking to 2010 as a new beginning. Hopefully the world will find some peace and while I don't expect great prosperity I do hope that things will ease up for those in need. With best wishes for a happy, healthy new year, I look foreward to seeing all of you soon.

Doris

WINTER COMES FOR CHRISTMAS!!!

Winter in all of it's glory came on Thursday night into Friday. I can't remember such a snow fall except when I was about 8 years old (that's a long time ago!). Altho it is pesky trying to get around it certainly is beautiful. The whole world seemed white and the air was so fresh. This is the view I see when I sit to my computer.
Sitting in front of the open wood stove is what is the most enjoyable thing to do on such a day. There is no heat like that given off by a wood stove. Eloise loves to lay on the rug in front of the stove and warm herself.

I have been busy getting the house ready for Christmas. This is one of the small arrangements in the living room. This one consists of a wooden tree with tiny ornaments that my husband made for our children many years ago. I have surrounded it with tiny snow people from my collection and a large candle. When the candle is lit the arrangement looks lovely. It sits on an antique hand painted Pennsylvania dower chest.

My kitchen cabinets have knife, fork and spoon shaped door handles. I have hung a series of small decorations on the handles.

I especially like these small ornaments. They give the kitchen the festive feel of the season. Fortunately I had enough of them to do all of the cabinets. I tried to use a wide variety of small things.

This arrangement is on the dining table and the candles will be lit for Christmas dinner. They were handmade by a neighbor in Keedysville.

This next picture is of a few of my favorite ornaments on the tree. I always feel a thrill when I unwrap the ornaments after not having seen them for a year. This year I used only new ornaments and have carefully put away my antique ornaments. I hope to get them out next year and purchase a smaller tree for them.

This is my favorite ornament - this year - they are all my favorites!

This is not a great picture of the tree. I should have backed down the hall and gotten the whole tree. However, I got enough that you can get the idea of what it looks like. In the background you will see the drafting table where I do a lot of work on my rugs.

All of the presents are wrapped, except one, and that's one of those that must be done at the last minute. Thanks to my friend Traci, the food is in the house and tomorrow I can pre-prepare a few more things for the Christmas feast. I try very hard to keep up the family traditions, including the good china and silver along with table decor and arrangements. Sometimes I wonder why I do all of this and then when the children come and they love it all, I know very well why I do it. It wouldn't be Christmas without out family traditions.

I want to wish all of my friends a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthly, and prosperious New Year. Looking forward to seeing all of you in 2010.

Doris

A BLUE AND GRAY CHRISTMAS -

Yesterday was the monthly meeting of the Blue and Gray hookers of Gettysburg, Pa. This is a group of really dedicated rug makers, many that have been hooking for a long time and others that are fairly new at the art form. This meeting was their annual Christmas celebration and wool exchange. The turn out was exceptionally large. Most of the old members of the group were there along with a few new faces. Always nice to see old friends.
I could not get a picture of everyone but you get the idea of how many were there. Lots of talk, laughter and good food. There is something about hooking rugs and cooking that go together. I have never met a rug maker that did not cook lots of goodies.

This wonderful scene of Joseph and Mary was hooked by Lina. It is a real stunner. I wish you could see it up close.

This is Lina holding the picture up for all of us to see.

Here we are in a circle while Ann is reading the "Mr. Right and Mr. Left" poem that helps us exchange our wool gifts.

And last, but certainly not least, is Joan, our Santa. Joan is aklways in such jolly good spirits, gives us lots of laughs, and keeps us smiling all of the time.

I did not take many pictures as you can see. Just so much talking, good companionship and lots and lots of food. It is a great pleasure to belong to this group of great friends.

Eloise and I wish all of you the best of holiday seasons and the most blessed of Christmas's.

Doris

MOTHER NATURE'S GIFT -

The weather man said it would snow on Saturday and snow it did! The whole world looked just beautiful. Altho I hate rain I just love the snow. My mother does not understand my attitude.

Our backyard was just lovely in the snow.

Our bird feeder looks like it has a crown on its head!

Even the old barn looks good. The snow has covered up all of its age spots.

The trees look as tho they have been painted. When the sun shines on them they are like crystal.

Now here it is Tuesday night and it is snowing again and not only that it is sleeting and every thing is slippery! Snow is one thing - BUT - ice is something else.

SOOOOOOOOOO -

This girl is where every one with any sense should be. I hope that the next time I get to work on my mother's computer the sun will be shining.

Love to all of my friends.

Eloise

A SOCIAL MEETING -

On Wednesday the social meeting of rug hookers living in the Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia area got together for their monthly (every six week or as the mood strickes) meeting.. It was at the home of Linda V. and she had decorated her home the day before we were to come.
This is the beautiful tree in her living room. Sorry I didn't get a picture of the lovely nativity scene next to it. Since it is such a busy time of the year only seven of us were able to attend. There are 12 to 15 members of this group. We come as we can and offer to host as we can. It is a very informal group, however a congenial group of hookers.

Here is Barb hard at work on the piece that she is finishing for the Christmas swap on Saturday.

This is our hostess Linda sitting at her piano in the living room of her lovely home.

This picture and the one following are of an item that Jill bought and brought to show us because it is not only novel but utilizes hooking. Pay close attention to the tail of the turkey and the body of the turkey is a wool plaid.

A very innovative use of hooking and of the plaid material. The whole turkey is mounted on a candle holder.

Here is Jill's scroll piece still in the "works" but a lovely piece in progress.

This piece if Barb's also a work in progress.

Beth "hard at work" on her swap piece. This is an interesting piece with a winter scene of a church surrounded by trees.

Linda is working on this sweet quilt wall hanging for a grandchild. It is really a charming piece and the colors are beautiful.

A really nice time was had by all. Our hostess, Linda, had fixed us a lovely luncheon and several of the participants had brought desserts. We all had a wonderful before Christmas hook-in. It is a wonderful time of year to get together with friends and just relax and enjoy each other. After all, celebrating Christ's brithday, is partly about good fellowship and loving each other as He did.

On final note that I can't help leaving you with. It was another rainy day and who wants to get out of bed when it rains?

NOT ELOISE!!!!!!!

I hope each and every one has happy experiences doing their Christmas shopping. Happy mall hopping to each and every one.

Doris