A New Year - A New Venture

Of Generations Past

Happy New Year to all my blogging friends! I wish you all a wonderful new year, filled with God's abundant blessings.

I'm starting the New Year off with a new business ~ something I've thought about for quite awhile, and have worked on the last few weeks. I love doing needlework of all types, and have been filling a notebook with various ideas for cross stitch designs and other projects such as quilted items, wool items, knitting, crocheting, and even a few little book ideas.

I wanted to come up with a name that fit everything I wanted to do, and nothing was working. Then one night in the shower as the hot water streamed down, I began to think about all the crafts I love that I learned from my mother, grandmothers and great-grandmother, and the name "Of Generations Past" was created. I think as soon as I stopped thinking so hard, that God and His angels had a chance to step in and pass the name on to me :)

The photo above is of my ancestors, and the little girl in the front row is my mom, sitting on the lap of my grandmother. My great-grandmother is in the row behind, standing to the right next to the men. I love this picture and always wish I could go back in time and join in the family gatherings, which always seemed to be so much fun. This picture was taken in summer 1929, almost 80 years ago.

I had hoped to have my website up and working, but the holidays (and my husband being home on vacation for a few weeks) have delayed the progress. Right now it just says "Under Construction". However, getting the website up is a priority for next week. In the meantime, I've been playing with the cross stitch design software that I purchased the other day, and thought I'd share my first practice design with you as a freebie for the new year. I used one of my favorite poems (and Christmas carols) as an inspiration for this. I hope you have fun with it!

I used DMC 924 for the verse, DMC 926 for the snowflake, and DMC 224 for the heart. I'm adding a pearl to the center of the snowflake, and I'll post a picture as soon as it's stitched!

In the bleak midwinter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen,
Snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter,
Long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold him,
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When he comes to reign;
In the bleak midwinter
A stable place sufficed
The Lord God incarnate,
Jesus Christ.

Enough for him, whom Cherubim
Worship night and day
A breast full of milk
And a manger full of hay.
Enough for him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
which adore.

Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air;
But his mother only,
In her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.

What can I give him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him —
Give my heart.

~ Christina Rosetti, c. 1872



Copyright 123108, Joanne M. Thayer, Of Generations Past