Christmas spirit alive & well

Ok....it's official....I am a sap. This video moved me to tears. The element of surprise and generosity truly overwhelmed me! What an amazing idea and even more amazing that they could pull something of this magnitude off in such a short amount of time.

Hope your Christmas season is going well! We still haven't finished decorating and I have only bought one gift so far! Having a show this late in the year is just too much. It's put me waaaaaay behind schedule. .....breathe deep

I want this washer!

A must see funny video my hubby turned me on to.

Just had to share... 

Tell me what you think!

Sale!

Everyone loves a sale! 25% off at my blog (email your order to teresakogut3@gmail.com to receive discount & combined shipping) OR shop my Etsy shop for a 25% discount, using coupon code HOLIDAYSAVINGS2013 at checkout!

Sale runs Friday though Monday only :)

WISHING YOU ALL A BLESSED THANKSGIVING!

New Patterns Coming Feb 2014

Designing new punchneedle patterns for the Nashville TNNA market held Feb 2014! My goal is 12 new punchneedle patterns, 12 new cross stitch patterns and many new hooked rug patterns as well.

Here is a sampling of the new punchneedle patterns that I will be offering. Having a blast designing and punching!

Also working on getting all the patterns over to my blog teresakogut.com. I had set up the pattern site with Google sites before I designed my current blog. Come to find out the Google site can only be so large and I have exceeded the limit so I can't add any more patterns!

I really want everything in one spot anyway so this just forces me to make it happen...before Feb! No rest for the weary :)

Have a great day my friends!

another cute video to share

Barnes & Miner from barnesandminer on GodTube.

I would love to see this couple's entire show. Good clean humor :)
Enjoy!

a video worth sharing

Cats Stealing Dogs' Beds from iluvanimals on GodTube.

Shop Across America

Homestead Collection, Findlay Ohio

Spent last week with three of my favorite gals on our 19th annual "Shop Across America" (which is only Ohio! lol) For the past 19 years we have taken 4-6 days out of the years to spend stopping at every antique and country gift shoppe we can find.....thanks to the Country Register, antique brochures and kind shop keepers that guide our trip.

Jeffrey's....our favorite antique store, Findlay Ohio

Here's a run down of our trip (as I remember it)....Findlay Ohio for Homestead Collection, Jeffrey's Antiques & Early American Home, Tipp City for antiquing, Waynesville to shop the entire village and eat lunch at the Hammel House (their coconut creme pie is amazing!), Washington Court House for North Shore Primitives, Newark for the Old Crow (was closed to prepare for their open house) and Longaberger, Berlin to shop the entire village, Seville for antiquing and Ohio Wholesale then back to Findlay for Mason's Merchantile and a few other new stops....I know there's more, but I can't remember it all!

Early American Home, Findlay Ohio

Jann, Linda, Debbie and I made lots of great memories as we always do, had some good wine and watched some funny movies. Next year for our 20th, we are contemplating Pennsylvania! A whole new adventure!

The Wooden Sunflower, Waynesville Ohio (Manya makes the most amazing candles)

Slipped in a little work (if you want to call it that) while on our trip. Had store interviews with Michelle at The Homestead Collection and Barb at Early American Home for the Gather Dream Create Inner Circle.

Trips like this are good medicine...and the break I needed. I am blessed to have these gals in my life and blessed to be able to enjoy a trip like this every year.

Til next time,

Teresa

Unity

Post by WOW! That's CooooooooL.

This was so amazing...I got chill bumps! The song, the music, the voice and the beat is incredible but what struck me the most is out of all those kids...for the length of that song they were ONE.

They were working together...they were all NEEDED to make it work....they put aside their differences and became one for the sake of music.....simply beautiful.

Blessings,
Teresa

Unicorns do exist!

You may have already seen this video as it's been out for a few years now but I still find it hilarious. I wanted to give you a laugh today.

Blessings,
Teresa

Kindred Spirits

Have you ever met a group of ladies that you instantly became friends with and as you visit and get to know one another, you realize they love everything you love, they love to shop at the same antique and primitive shops you do, so on and so on?

Well, I am blessed to have become friends with the Holly Hookers! Dawn Rossell of Holly Hills Primitives in Holly, Michigan hosts a weekly rug hooking gathering at her wonderfully primitive shop. I make it out to visit and work on my punchneedle as much as possible....I wish I could go every week! It's good medicine.

This week as we were all working (not that it's work in the least) and talking it seemed everything someone said, someone else could relate to. Or someone would mention an antique store in Ohio and three others would say, "oh yeah, I love that shop" or do you know so and so? Oh yeah she........

It was awesome. It made the world seem small.

Thanks ladies for being so welcoming, thanks for the good conversations and thanks for just being YOU!

Blessings,
Teresa

A Hole in Our Hearts

We lost our beloved Buster early last Monday morning. He was only 9, but those years were so full of fun and love. I have never met a dog quite like Buster. Boxers are notorious for thinking they are human and they are certainly the most humorous dog breed I've ever come across as well.

Buster had a host of health issues in his short life. His spine was fusing together so he got to where he couldn't run and play like he use to. He was on steroids for a couple of years to help him with the pain and in the meantime contracted a bone infection that went on and on. He was on an antibiotic for over a year as well. Every time the antibiotic would run out, he would get sick.

Recently, though, we had renewed hope for Buster. We took him off the steroid because he had gained a lot of weight and was constantly hungry...plus, we knew his body needed a break from the drug. Since he was off the steroid, the antibiotic worked and the bone infection disappeared! He was in good health and he didn't seem to be in pain so we left him off the steroid.

A few months of being drug-free, he had a seizure. It was a short one, but scary nonetheless.  However, last Sunday night, he had a seizure that he never came out of. It was the scariest thing I have ever witnessed and the feeling of helplessness was overwhelming. It was midnight Sunday night and we struggled to find a vet at that late hour. Without going into details, it was all Buster could take and he had to leave us.

Many of you have pets that you love like children and you can relate to my pain while others may think I'm being ridiculous, but either way, I want to share some "Buster moments" with you....partly as a healing process for me but also to share with you the wonderful life Buster gave to his family.

• When Buster was just a puppy, he was standing on the porch at my studio and a leaf fell from the tree and landed in front of him. He quickly backed up and started lunging at it barking as if it was something dangerous.
• He would chase and jump at the red dot from the laser light...cutest thing ever ;)
• When Daisy would bark at someone going down the road, Buster would push her out of the way and bark at her as if to say, "back up, I got this"
• When the car alarm or smoke detector would go off, Buster would howl like a wolf.
• Buster use to attack the vacuum.
• Buster would unwrap his own Christmas presents.
• He snored like an adult man!
• Buster always had to have a paw on you while you were petting him.
• He would jump like a bunny when he barked.
• When I would get up in the morning, he would pace the floor behind me while I made coffee because he couldn't wait to be fed.......and if I sleep a little too late, he would paw at our bedroom door.
• In the morning while I would get ready for the day, Buster would follow me from room to room waiting for me so he could "go to work" with me.
• He knew when it was 5pm......his tummy would tell him so and he would start pestering me to go up to the house to be fed.
• He had a pink pig squeaker and we would say "I'm goona get that squeaker" and he would whine and howl.....it never got old.....one of the most fun things we did with him.
• He loved to snuggle.
• My friend, Renee, was dog-setting Buster and Daisy at her house a few years back in the wintertime. In the morning, she got up to let her dog and ours outside. Sebastian and Daisy took off outside and Buster stopped and looked at her as if to say "really? but it's so cold outside" so she closed the door and he jumped on her bed so they could snuggle. (this story always cracks me up because we never let our dogs on the furniture, so he just loved his Renee)

The stories could go on and on......I may add more as I remember them just so we will never forget. I didn't realize at the time how much his presence at work meant to me. I am often by myself at the studio but Buster's breathing (and snoring) kept me company. 

I take comfort in the fact that we will see Buster again some day....along with our other faithful companions. Even though it's very sad when they are gone, I always say, "I'd rather have loved and lost than to never have loved at all."

Enjoy every moment with your furry friends and more importantly, your family and friends. You never know when the good Lord will call them home.

My Uncle JR and Buster. This was November 2004 when we were in Missouri for Thanksgiving. My cousin Shelly and her husband, Harold, bred boxers. Buster was a pup in the last litter before Harold passed away.

Told you he was a snuggler ;)

I am adding a video below to show you how he would play with his squeaker. It's kind of loud so turn down the volume.

What a difference a day can make!

Have you ever had one of those days? It seemed like the universe was working against me! (when in reality it was my attitude and negativity feeding the misery) For starters, I woke up at 4am and couldn't get back to sleep. So I decided to get the day going and discovered my internet was down...piddled around with that for a while with no luck. As the day progressed, I became more ill. Allergies were taking hold of me and my eyes watered and itched, my throat was scratchy and I was drained of all energy.

Here's the clincher.....my finger was shut in the truck door! What a strange feeling of helplessness that was. My hubby and son were unloading something from the truck at a friends house and I stayed in the truck (wallowing in my self-pity - I can say that today and laugh). I had my hand over my head, not realizing Ryan had left his door open and evidently my finger was in the door frame. He jumped in and shut the door. It took a couple seconds for it to hit but I screamed loudly and quickly, "my finger, my finger, my finger!!!" Ryan suddenly realized what was happening and he opened the door. He felt so bad but I told him it wasn't his fault. Today you wouldn't know anything ever happened to my finger other than a little swelling. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? When something hurts THAT bad, I want to see black and blue with gnarly swelling! lol.

Anyway, as you can imagine, I couldn't wait for the day to be over. But then I remembered ....... Nashville season premiere was coming on at 10pm. So I laid in bed, eyes watering and red until to watch the program...hubby would nudge me when I'd doze off here and there but I saw most of it.

What a difference a day makes. Today I feel much better (thank you NyQuil), my finger looks good and my attitude is back in check.

Blessings to you all,
Teresa

September Give Away

In honor of all the victims, their families and all the fallen men and women who gave their lives to the war on terror, I am offering this Americana rug for the September give away.

Go to my business Facebook page and comment on the give away post. Share on your facebook page to have your name entered twice.

Good luck to you all and

GOD BLESS THE USA!

Harvest at the Mill Show

A huge thank you to Dick and Dawn Rossell of Holly Hills Primitives for inviting us to be a part of their first show! They did an amazing job organizing, advertising, hosting, you name it, they did it! The show was a huge success even though it rained a bit in the afternoon. To learn more and see the vendor list, go here.

This photo was taken during set up on Friday afternoon. Love all the old shutters and antiques in this shot.

Across from our booth was our dear friends, Bob and Peggy from The Wren in the Willow. Here you can see Bob is busy setting up their three booths! What a huge job. (one is enough for me :)

One of my favorite vendors...Lynn Capizzo from Lyndale Primitive Antiques. She offers antique toys, teddy bears, and other needfuls. Really unique items!

Here is a shot of our booth (thank you to hubby for helping set up and tear down..it's definitely a two person job). Halloween originals amongst other originals, prints on wood, punchneedle patterns, primitive watercolor originals and other handmades.

Friday after setting up our booth, I stayed up until 11:30 making these cute jack-o-lanterns out of oranges. They really turned out cool. Each one has a different expression.

This was taken from Wren in the Willow's booth. I went to visit them during the rain.

Love this sign for the shop! Dawn has a great eye for creating primitive vignettes!

This was taken during set up as well. Gloria's booth, the neighbor across from us :)

 This was another amazing booth! My friend, Linda, bought the coolest antique tin here. It was a marshmallow tin in Halloween colors.

Loved meeting these gals, Kerry McCann and Marie Faren. They had some great primitives and antiques. Talking with Marie, we found common ground...Seville Antiques in Seville Ohio! Jann, Linda, Debbie and I have been there many times during our annual "shop across America" trip. (which only includes Ohio, lol!) Marie has a booth at Seville Antiques....what a small world.

Also, Kerry hosts an amazing show at her farm the third weekend of June and third weekend of October. She brought a photo book from her past shows.....it looks AMAZING! She invited us to bring our goodies to her next show....definitely thinking about it. To find out more, go here.

Wojo's had a booth, too. If this doesn't get you in the mood for fall....nothing will :)

Sorry I didn't get photos of all the booths! If I missed yours, I apologize. I couldn't get out much because I had to "man" my own booth but there were many more amazing people I wish I could've included here.

A big thank you also goes to my best buddy, Linda, for helping me during the show. I was on my own most of the day and she would come over from Wren in the Willow's booth if she saw I needed help. 

This was truly one of the best shows we've ever done. There were carriage rides, folk music playing, good food (which was also a fundraiser for abused children), great vendors, and very well organized. After the show some of the vendors met at Bittersweet Cafe for a bite to eat and just to get to know each other - that was a nice perk. Dawn and Dick thought of everything! Congratulations to you both!

Looking forward to their next show :)
Blessings,
Teresa

Weekly Hooking

I'm baaaaaaack! I moved my personal blog over to my other site a few months back but I didn't keep it up as much over there.

Sooooo.....(as if I need one more thing to do) I decided to start blogging here again!

This post is dedicated to my friend Dawn Rossell of Holly Hills Primitives.

She and Dick, her husband, are the shopkeepers of a beautiful shop in Holly, Michigan in the town's old mill. Dawn creates stitchery that she adheres to old antiques and pieces of wood, while Dick creates AMAZING primitive furniture for the store.

I met Dawn last fall. Peggy Meganck of Wren in the Willow is a mutual friend of ours. Dawn and I were "fluffing" Christmas trees for Peggy's home show. (It was truly amazing how she transformed her house into a country store!) Dawn and I chatted while getting the trees ready and became fast friends.

Dawn hosts a weekly hook-in with several sweet ladies at her shop every Wednesday. I have had the pleasure to attend a few of these hook-ins. I LOVE to see the amazing work these ladies are doing and I leave so inspired and uplifted! Like I said yesterday while visiting them "this is good medicine".

Pictured above is Sue, Sheila and Sally. Also in weekly attendance is Sue, Pat, Bobbie and Bonnie. I thoroughly enjoy visiting with these ladies...wish I could go every week!

Thank you to Dawn for hosting this hook-in every week. You are a gem!

Also, in case you hadn't heard yet, Holly Hills Primitives is hosting "Harvest at the Mill" on Sept 7 from 10-4! Tons of primitives with vendors from 9 different states! Sure to be a blast. Don't miss it!

 

I am fortunate enough to be vending at this show! Here are a few goodies I will be bringing!

Also.....whatever doesn't sell at the show will be available at my new Etsy Shop....created just for primitives called "Primitives by Teresa" :)

Have a blessed day everyone!

Mothers Day & Father's Day 2013

I moved these from my other site back over here now that I decided to keep my blogger site :)

Happy Father's Day
posted June 17, 2013

Ryan, Briahnna, Kevin and Kyle Take 1

Take 2

Take 3.....there are more but there's not one where they are all being "normal" :)

Dad and I

Geesh...I wonder were the kids get their silly nature from?????

I cannot express in words how much I love my family. I truly enjoy every time we get together! Hope you all had a fantastic Father's Day too.

We also celebrated Bri's 29th birthday! Happy Birthday beautiful young lady!

Great Video

 posted June 4, 2013

Simon Cowell Cried During This Touching Shadow Dance About the Loss of a Mother from hulahan on GodTube.
Some things move me so much that I just HAVE to share it with you! Enjoy....oh and grab a kleenex!

 

 Mother's Day

 posted May 13th, 2013

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

TAKE 1

TAKE 2

TAKE 3

FINALLY, A "NORMAL" PICTURE :)

Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day. Despite the 40 degree temperature, we had a great time. Stayed indoors and played cards most the of the afternoon. I am truly blessed with the best Mom ever and with some pretty awesome and very fun-loving boys. We missed you, Briahnna!

Peace to you and wishing you a wonderful week!

Moved

Hello Blogger Friends! I have moved all the content from this blog over to my website and all future updates will be there. It is just easier to have it all in the same place :) I hope you join me there!

Click here

Mothers Day

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

TAKE 1

TAKE 2

TAKE 3

FINALLY, A "NORMAL" PICTURE :)

Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day. Despite the 40 degree temperature, we had a great time. Stayed indoors and played cards most the of the afternoon. I am truly blessed with the best Mom ever and with some pretty awesome and very fun-loving boys. We missed you, Briahnna!

Peace to you and wishing you a wonderful week!