Happy Opening Day!

The guys have been talking about today for a couple of weeks now!  It's Opening Day in Baltimore for the Orioles today!  We have tickets (kind of a tradition since Ben was little) and it's always a celebratory atmosphere in Maryland (if you're on O's fan, that is).  Even little Miss Sassy Pants is excited (she loves her Birds!!).  I'm writing now, as I know later today I'll be exhausted.  The sun is shining but we are expecting storms, so there's no telling how long this day will be, and if I know my guys (and I'm pretty sure I do) they will stay until the last out is called.  I'm hoping my knee cooperates as well as the weather...so we'll see.  Here is a past picture of us on Opening Day many years ago.  

It's also the last day of the month...so I thought I would recap a little of what I've done this month in stitching.  Some days it feels as though I'm not really accomplishing much so I thought (mainly for my own encouragement) I would post before and after pictures of what I've been able to stitch this month.  First up is Romantic Stitcher.  I think by number of stitches I'm about half way through the pattern.  That's so encouraging!  Here is where I started this month...  

And here is where I finished up last night...  

I've also been working on the Soed Idee Quaker SAL.  Here is where I started on the first day... 

and here is where I finished up part 8 on Saturday.  

That is all that has been published so far.  The new parts come out on Saturday on their website.  I also threw in a little Christmas Ornament that is the April JCS Ornament challenge piece.  

Stitched on 36 count mystery fabric over two, this is Joy by Gentle Pursuit Designs from the 2024 JCS Christmas Issue.  I wasn't sure I would like it, but after it was finished I thought it turned out quite nicely!  I love all those specialty stitches!  

So I guess that's all that I have to share for now.  I hope I still have time to stitch today, I have stitched 1125 days in a row. I would hate to break my streak now!  LOL  I hope you are having a fabulous day whatever you put your hand to...and enjoy your stitching! 

Wednesday, Wednesday

Whew!  My Mom always used to say, "So goes Monday, so goes the week."  For that very reason, I try not to have anything scheduled for Monday...and try to make it as productive as I can.  Monday turned out to not be very productive at all...haha.  I did get my hair cut and got to see my friend, the hairdresser, and catch up on all the news since she left at the end of December....but that was about all I got done.  I was too tired, too sleepy, and too distracted to get anything done.  However...  Yesterday I had Miss Q here...and she had a Dr appointment so her Mom picked her up early.  She was happy most of the day...thankfully!  She loves to smile...more than her sister did at this age...and that just melts my heart!  And because her Mom picked her up early, I had a little more stitching time than most days when I have the girls...so I guess I made up a bit for Monday when I didn't get much done at all!  

I finished part 7 of the Soed Idee SAL!!  The next part comes out on Saturday.  Here is where I am now...  

Then I pulled out my poor neglected Romantic Stitcher.  I know it looks like there are a lot of holes at the bottom of her skirt...but those will eventually be filled in with beads.  I'm going to wait until the rest is finished before I add those.  Here is how she looks now... 

Hopefully I'll get some serious stitching done today and tomorrow.  This weekend (starting Friday and running through Monday) will be super busy.  Spring has sprung, and all our usual spring busyness has begun...lol.  Monday is Opening Day for the Orioles.  My knee has been having issues again, so I'm not sure if I'll be going to the game or not.  If I don't go, I'll probably stay home with Miss Q...I'll have to see how my knee feels on Monday.  In a way, I'm kind of sad...but that's life!  Opening Day is almost like a holiday here in Maryland.  The air is full of excitement and promise.  All I can say is LET'S GO O'S!!  

And on that note, I'll get off this machine and go get some stitching done.  I'm looking forward to working on my stitcher.  I hope you have a wonderful stitchy day!     

Monday, Monday...

It is a rainy day here today....and I'll be headed out soon to get my hair cut (finally!!).  It's been a while and my hair over my forehead is hanging in my eyes...and driving me crazy (not that I have that far to go!).  

The rain always makes me sleepy, but I'm also tired from the crazy day yesterday.  I love my granddaughters, but there is a reason I only have them one day a week on separate days...lol.  Our DIL's birthday was Saturday, so we agreed to watch the girls while the kids went out to a nice dinner together.  DH was in charge of Miss Sassy Pants...and I was in charge of Little Miss Q.  Let's just say, after this weekend, I KNOW I couldn't have them both here are the same time if I were alone.  LOL!!  They were only gone about 4 hours...but it was exhausting.  I love the girls, but now I know why we have them while we are young!  It brings to mind the commercial where a family drives up...the grandparents open the door, the kids dump the babies in the grandparents arms and drive away....all the while the grandparents yell..."Don't leave us with the babies!!  Don't leave us with the babies!!!"  

I said all that to say, I haven't got as much stitching done as I would have liked...however, I did stitch the first 6 parts of the Soed Idee Quaker Sampler...and started the current part 7.  

Sadly I haven't touched Romantic Stitcher all week.  Hopefully that will change once I finish part 7!  

I've already had one "dose" of Pick-me-up (otherwise known as coffee) but I think I'll need a second dose!  LOL

So that's all the news I have today.  I'm not sure what the rest of the week will hold, only that I'll have Miss Q tomorrow and Miss Sassy Pants on Friday.  Prayers appreciated, I'll need all the help I can get!  Happy Stitching!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  This has always been one of my favorite days of the year.  The wearing of the green, lucky shamrocks, shenanigans, and smiling Irish eyes!  We actually used to find 4 leaf clovers in our front yard from time to time when I was a kid...and my Dad had the brightest blue eyes along with his lovely brown hair...and loved to tell stories full of blarney.  

I was hoping to stitch a few St. Patrick's Day pieces this year, but this was the only one I managed.  This is called Pot of Gold by Shannon Christine stitched on 32 count mystery fabric (tea dyed) over two.  It was a freebie she included with a hunt for this pattern along with a hunt for discounts on her webpage.  All ready to spruce up my mantle.  It is a fun stitch!  Hopefully next year I can display a few more!  Wish me luck!  (Pun intended!)  

It was a rather subdued weekend, so I got a few stitches in and even started something new!  Here is where I left off with Romantic Stitcher...  

And then I started the new Soed Idee SAL, I'm calling it Red Quaker.  I love the motif I finished, and this alphabet is really pretty!  I'll be working on this off and on when I finish my required Romantic Stitcher stitches.  I'm stitching this on 28 count Antique Ivory over one using Cranberry Belle Soie silk floss.  I'm loving it so far!!  This is a free SAL from the Soed Idee website, they are already on part 6 which comes out on Saturdays.  I'm so far behind but hoping I catch up before the SAL is over.  Here is the webpage where the pattern can be found.  Soed Idee Red Quaker

Later Sunday night the kids came over for dinner.  They always bring so much excitement!  Mike and Miss Sassy Pants had a little Karaoke to Let it Go and You're Welcome....so cute and so funny!  Neither of them can sing too well at this point...lol...but I loved every second of it!  Poor little Miss Q wasn't having a good day...poor little mite, but hopefully she'll have a better day when I have her here tomorrow.  I love the days with the grands, though they usually wipe me out!  I can't believe she's 4 months old already!  I'll leave you with a little Irish Blessing.  I would love to chart this out one day...

I hope you all have a great day!  Happy Stitching!   

Happy Pi Day!

Hi Fellow Stitchers!  It's Pi Day!!  I know, I know, I'm such a nerd...but having a BA degree in Math makes me a nerd I guess.  LOL  I stitched this little Pi pie several years ago...and always comes out for a peek on this day...3-14...  

I also have a little celebration as I had a fun little finish last night.  I still have to fully finish it, but I'll get there.  This is He Loves Us a freebie from Teresa Kogut.  I've had it in my stash for a while but I think it's still available and here is the link...  https://teresakogut.com/freebies/cross-stitch/he-loves-us/   I stitched mine on 40 count Light Mocha over two using DMC floss, but substituted a satin floss for the lettering.  You can't see the sheen, but I love how it turned out!  

I've actually been able to keep up with my 500 stitches a day on Romantic Stitcher by Passione Ricamo.  Some days takes me longer to get the stitches in because there is a lot of confetti stitches in certain parts...but more often than not I can get them done in about 2 1/2 hours.  I know...I'm a fast stitcher!  According to the position in the chart I'm a little more than 1/4 done...according to the stitch count I'm about 40% done.  That skirt has a lot of stitches in it!!  LOL  

Anyway, enough spuddling (don't you just love that word?).  

It's time to get some stuff done around here.  Miss Q is home with her parents today so I have a free day...I have so many things I want to accomplish today...so off I go.  I hope you have a wonderful day whatever you are up to today, and have time to pursue the things that make you happy.  Happy Stitching!  

Whew! It's been a roller coaster ride!

Hello Fellow Stitchers!  March sure came in like a lion....let's hope the lamb shows up soon!  And I'm talking about more than just the weather.  

I'm back on a somewhat schedule watching the granddaughters again.  There's nothing better than todder hugs and baby snuggles.  I'm loving the Gigi life!  However it sure cuts into my stitching time.  

I made myself a little challenge...I'm hoping to put 500 stitches in The Romantic Stitcher a day...and so far, I'm doing pretty good.  My hope is to finish it within a few months...let's see how I do now that my challenge is in print!  LOL!  Here is where I left off last night...   

I also challenged myself that if I finished the 500 stitches during the day, I would stitch on a smaller project afterward.  I was  able to finish off A Quiet Place by The Little Stitcher stitched on 36 count Petite Point Natural over two and framed in the little oval frame.  

This is part of the JCS SAL on Facebook.  Thankfully I've been able to keep up...and I really like how this turned out.  

My  next little project will be an Easter piece.  I had a couple of projects lined up for St. Patricks too...but I'm beginning to lose hope that I will get them done this year.  Oh well, there's always next year!  

Well that's all the news that's fit to print today.  I hope you are all safe from the wild weather, and enjoying some stitching time.  Take care! 

Well, it's about time!!

Good Morning!  It's been kind of a crazy week here (I'm beginning to think I live in crazy town).  Little Miss Sassy Pants came to stay over night on Sunday night.  Monday was a holiday but her parents had an appointment with Little Miss Cranky Pants early in the morning.  To save them some craziness we offered to have Miss A stay with us and as always her stay was full of busy fun.  She really is a delight!  Her parents have decided to share the girls and I have each of them one day a week...different days.  So Miss A came back for her regular day (now on Tuesdays)...and again, we had another day of fun.  We made ornaments (each year I measure the girls heights, cut a ribbon, and put them in a clear plastic ornament.  I attach a tag with their name and date and a little saying:  

Inside this little ornament 

You will plainly see 

A ribbon length of (measurement) 

To match the height of ME

I also include how much they grew from last year.  It's going to be a fun thing for their trees when they are older.  I'm not sure what I've done with previous years, but I'm going to search for them and make a box for all the ornaments I make for them.  Hopefully their parents will keep track of them.  

After Miss A left on Tuesday I started a new project (I have a TON of WIPs, but why not start another one?  LOL!!)  I have had this pattern in my stash for AGES.  I'm not even sure when I bought it, but I had it kitted, lost all the items for the kit...kitted it again, found the lost kit...and then decided to use a different fabric.  I had it all set to start on January first, but started something else instead.  I tell you, the older I get the more scatterbrained I become.  LOL!!  I finished a project on Monday and thought...I need something that will keep my interest...and my eyes fell on The Romantic Stitcher by Passione Ricamo.  It's about time she saw the light of day!  

I started Tuesday night.  I worked on her on Wednesday, and Thursday, and then...it was Miss Q's day to visit.  Now Miss Q is barely 3 months old.  Babies are a lot of work.  I really enjoyed my time with Miss A when she was a baby.  Miss Q is quite a handful and by the end of the day I'm exhausted.  But...bonding at this age is so important, I'm so glad I'm able to spend time with these precious girls.  So...I didn't have as much time to stitch this week.  Hopefully next week will be a little better.  So...here is where I finished last night (Friday).  

This weekend is International Hermit and Stitch Weekend.  I was promised to have the whole weekend to stitch, let's see how much I can get stitched!  Wish me luck!! 

 As I was typing this, the kids texted to see if they could come over to look through some stuff they have stored here....well there goes the weekend!  LOL  You didn't wish me luck fast enough...hahahahaha.  Happy Stitching!