Are you a Mary's Sampler SAL fan?

It seems that Christmas is starting too early for me this year - the commercials on tv, the Christmas decorations and music in the store. I am a little bit old fashioned and prefer to celebrate Thanksgiving in all of its autumn splendor and start my Christmas decorations and celebrations the day after Thanksgiving.

That being said, I am doing a little early celebrating this year with Plum Street Samplers.

Paulette Stewart has been so kind and generous to create this wonderful stitch along and to publish it for us for free!

When I first heard about it, I thought that I wouldn't be able to keep up with a weekly stitch along and that I would pass. When I saw the first week - a sweet tiny little Joseph and Mary, I knew I had to join in. Luckily I was at the Bittersweet Sisters retreat so I just ran down to the Stitchery Nook and picked out my fabric and threads. I was able to stitch week one and two while in Iowa and week three in Spring Green, WI. I like to read the week's bible verse and stitch that week's installment either right before or after church. But some weeks it takes me until the next Saturday night. I love the anticipation and guessing what the next installment might be. I am glad for this time for quiet reflection on the true meaning of Christmas before the rush begins...

It's not too late to join in the fun. You can find all of the installments on the Plum Street Samplers blog.

Thank you Paulette for this wonderful Stitch A Long. It has truly been a wonderful gift!      

And I couldn't resist sharing this sweet face of dear Orion sound asleep on my oldest son's leg. My son came home from college for the weekend with an awful cold and I think Orion was trying to help him feel better :)

"God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’"

~ Job 37:5-6

Blessings, Patti