Spring Today....Tomorrow?

Winter warriors are giddy this week here in southwestern Ohio. We actually hit 78 degrees within the last few days. My daffodils are dancing in the cool spring breezes. What joy! Tomorrow? High predicted to be only 42. Ugh. Ah well, Randy and I are off to Michigan tomorrow anyway. Ice and snow in their forecast today. Our daughter Elise is singing the role of Beth in the University of Michigan's opera Little Women. Cannot wait!

Wanted to quickly share a couple photos of new Trilogy designs we have released. Do ask your needlework shop to order them in if they haven't yet. Wedding Lineup is a perfect gift for your favorite newly married or not-so-newly married couple. Can't you just hear the tin cans clinking at the back of that getaway vehicle? ha! Instructions are included on how you can personalize the stitched design for the happy couple.


Spring Sneak Peek is the next in our popular Sneak Peek series. Bugs, gnomes, flowers and all things spring are peeking into view in this design. With the blizzard-of-a-winter Marsha endured in Oklahoma this year, I feel confident she just might be the most gleeful of all the Trilogy designers about spring! Elizabeth is our thread and fabric picking guru for the Trilogy. I think she did an awesome job with this one. The colors just make me happy. Hope you are finding time to stitch something that makes you happy this spring!

Friends

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." ~Albert Schweitzer

I hope you have friends who rekindle your inner spirit. I know I do. I have written before about my friendship with my Trilogy partners Ruth, Marsha and Elizabeth. We have Skype sessions together a couple of times a month. I love hearing their voices. Inevitably one of Elizabeth's sweet children joins us and we all delight in hearing her precious voice. Ruthie's doggie sometimes needs to go outside so we patiently wait for her return. (Our Skype sessions, you see, are much like spending a few precious minutes in each other's homes.) And Marsha is often quiet. Well, quiet until she has surveyed the situation and makes a profound comment which explains why we lovingly call her "Pearl" for the pearls of wisdom she imparts. It is comforting to know that no matter how many miles are between us, we are there for each other no matter what. We have shared a lot together. Births, deaths, illnesses, and maybe more birthdays than we want to admit. I look forward to all there is still to share with these wonderful women friends of mine.

There are other friends in my life who are also great blessings. Kathy is my walking buddy. We have been walking together for years. It all started when our daughters were applying for college and we walked and talked through the process together. Elise is about to graduate with her Master's degree so that means Kathy and I have probably been walking together every week for 8 years. Wonder how many pairs of shoes I have worn through in that time? Then there is my pal Polly. She is a nut! I cannot spend five minutes with Polly without laughing. She has a zest for life that may be unmatched. Then there is my internet confidante Betsy. We met online through our daughter's like interests. She lives in Philadelphia. I live in Cincinnati. After corresponding online for a couple of years we were finally in the same city at the same time and shared a meal together. Our connection began because our daughters were involved in the same field. But we soon found out there was more to our connection than our offspring. Interestingly, Betsy is a fiber artist. She combines beads and knitting into breathtaking jewelry. My dear friend Betsy is insightful, thoughtful and forthright. Nancy has been my chum since the 1st grade. THAT is a long time! She is the graphics designer for Heart in Hand. What a gift her many talents have been to me over the years of running my business. But Nancy is also godmother to my oldest daughter, so our friendship runs deep.

I imagine many of you have special friends who have stood by you through the trials of life. We learn so much about ourselves through our friendships. I have celebrated friendship in my designs over the years. Here are pictures of some of my favorites. Maybe one of them is a perfect gift for one of your friends.