background

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Jo's Big Birthday Blog Hop

Jo of Serendipitous Stitching and Gifted Gorgeousness fame is celebrating a big birthday today.  A blog hop was organized to celebrate and I have 2009!  To read the rest of the years of her life, click on over to Serendipitous Stitching for the links to the other blogs and to see some of her gorgeous stitching.

On to 2009 - Jo was 43.  The Small Boy arrived early in the year, weighing in at nearly 10lbs it was not an easy birth.  He was unwilling to arrive and eventually came "out through the sun-roof" as they say.  The Large Boy was not keen on this new arrival at first but once he realised that babies come bearing Lego he was resigned to the situation.  Plus he got a great new bedroom with a midsleeper bed complete with slide.  Jo continued to run her Toddler Group, now with a qualifying baby, and also help with the PTA.  Three new PTA babies were born that year so there was often a "nurse-in" at the meetings.  Stitching was pretty non existent although Jo did complete one piece for a friend.

For me, 2009 was a year of ups and downs.  As this is a celebratory post, we'll leave out the downs.  The highlight of the year was a week long trip to Hilo on the big island of Hawaii.  It was a work trip but The Hubs was able to go with me and we had a really good time.  He would scope out all the neat places to see during the day and then when I got out of work we'd rush around to see them before they closed.  We even got snorkeling gear and were able to swim with sea turtles.  It is an amazingly beautiful island and definitely worth the jet lag to visit. 

Unlike Jo's baby, The Hubs gave me time to stitch during the year - except for the week before his leg surgery when he was pretty much bedbound - and I think I had a pretty productive stitching year that year.  I stitched the center of Chatelaine's Hawaiian Mandala while sitting on the balcony of our hotel room in Hilo, so that piece is doubly meaningful.  Jo has definitely made up for lost stitching time.  This year she's been doing a lot of Christmas and Just Nan stitching but she also does a lot of Hallowe'en stitching.  I don't do a lot of Hallowe'en stitching but this piece



has the look of one of the pumpkins in Just Nan's Counting Bats which Jo recently completed and I think is one she'd like.

Many Happy Returns on your Big Birthday Jo!!!

10 comments:

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

Thanks for taking part in the Birthday Blog Hop.
Hawaii sounds amazing, hopefully hubby's leg didn't trouble him on that trip. The Mandala sounds like the perfect memory too.
I love the spooky pumpkin you've chosen for me, great finishing as well.

The Knitting Cross Stitcher said...

I enjoyed reading your post.I would love to visit Hawaii.
Your spooky stitch lovely.I love the oranges of pumpkins and Hallowe'en:)

Bea said...

Thanks for a great post and that jack o' lantern is perfect for Jo.

Stitching Noni said...

I enjoyed your post - Hawaii is on my bucket list... :o)
Love the Halloween piece you chose to show today!
Hugs xx

Melinda Forbes said...

I hear Hawaii is just beautiful - A trip there is on my bucket list. Thank you for sharing the good, and congrats on making it through the difficult times!

Katie said...

I'm hopping along on the blog hop. What a great post. Thanks for sharing. Love your adorable pumpkin.

Brigitte said...

Oh great, a Halloween pumpkin for Jo for her birthday. So lovely to read what you and Jo were up to back in 2009.

Tiffstitch said...

Great finish on the pumpkin and what a fun year you got to tell us about!

Elfie said...

I am slowly hopping through the birthday blog posts. I enjoyed reading your very interesting post. This is such a nice thing to be involved in.

Heather said...

Great post! Love the stitching :)