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!  

I love cardials!

You can probably guess by the amount of cardinals I stitch, that I love them.  They were one of my Mom's favorite birds.  Now when I see them (especially a pair of them) I think of my Mom and Dad.  Lately they have been on my mind a lot.  I found this lovely pattern, and kept circling back trying to decide if I would buy it...and then I did when I saw that it was on sale.  I stitched this on 28 count Confederate Grey over 1 and I adore how it turned out.  

I may redo that finish as it seems kinda tiny in the 4" frame...lol.  Although I do like the look of the woodgrain around the outside.  Decisions decisions...what do you think?

That's all I've been up to lately, except for taking care of my beautiful granddaughters.  

I've had them a lot over the past few days, in fact I'm waiting for one of them right now!  So I'm off to have an adventure on this cold cold day!  I hope you are safe and warm and happily stitching wherever you are today!   

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing you and all your loved ones a very Happy Valentine's Day!  I had one last finish (the Primrose Cottage Friday Freebie for February).  I just didn't have time to fully finish it but thought it was appropriate to post it here today.  Spread the LOVE!

 

I stitch when I'm stressed...

I first want to thank those who have been reading and commenting on my blog.  I'm sorry I've been so slow at answering.  It's been a little crazy here the past few weeks.  I'm bailing out my canoe but the water is rushing in faster than I can bail.  When life gets a little overwhelming, I turn to my stitching to help get my mind off the craziness around me.  Having said that, I've been stitching up a storm!!!  

Since my last post, I've been working on Valentine's Day pieces.  I have decided I want to decorate the mantle of my fireplace for the different seasons.  Right now I have winter pieces there, but I'm ready to switch over to Valentine's pieces.  You saw the first one I stitched last week.  Since then I've stitched four more pieces and today I fully finished all five of them!  Yup, you guessed it, I'm stressed to the max!  So let's get started!  

Last week I finished You Have My Heart by Hands on Design.  Today I fully finished it into a frame I found at Home Goods.  I was so excited to find heart shaped frames, I nearly bought them all but settled on only two.  I was afraid to finish the heart shape into an ornament, and even finishing it this way was a challenge, but I'm satisfied with this finish!  Stitched on 40 count natural over two.  This was a fun stitch!  

Next I stitched Fruit of the Heart by Jan Hicks Creates.  This is stitched on 28 count antique ivory over one.  This came out so cute this small, and it fit perfectly into this little frame I found at my local thrift store.  I love the little hearts on the frame.  

Next I stitched Opalescent Heart by The Sweetheart Tree.  I found this pattern in the June or July 2007  issue of The Gift of Stitching magazine.  I couldn't find paillettes for a reasonable price so I used two different sizes of sequins and while they look ok, I wish I could have had the sparkle of the paillettes.  Should I ever win the lottery, I will buy the correct items to finish this properly...until then I'll settle for the sequins...haha.  It was stitched on 28 count natural over two.  I took a piece out of this frame and substituted the Valentine's Day piece until after February, and then I'll switch the original item back.  I'm trying to be as frugal with my finishing as I can.  I love that I can do that with certain items.  I really like how this one turned out!  

Next is Valentine's Day 2013 by Passione Ricamo.  I love her dainty and vibrant designs.  I have stitched this a couple of times for other people, but I decided this year I would stitch it for MY valentine.  Again, it fit perfectly in one of the frames I found at Home Goods.  This was stitched on 28 count ivory over two.  The frilly contour of the heart fits it perfectly!  

And last is Rose Heart by Roberta Rankin.  I don't remember where I found this pattern, but it was a freebie.  I stitched this on 40 count antique white over two.  I have stitched this before for others, one was made into a teacup pincushion.  I have always thought this was so pretty, and this year I decided I would make one for ME!  I found this adorable little frame in Target in that little area of inexpensive items at the front of the store.  It was a set of two (the other is an oval) for $3.oo!  It's tiny, but this heart fit perfectly!  

I would have a hard time choosing my favorite of all these.  They will be gracing my mantle starting tomorrow.  I haven't stitched today (I have a running record of 1076 consecutive days not counting today) but I did kit another Valentine's piece (Primrose Cottage Friday Freebie for February) and will start that as soon as I finish here.  I'm not sure how I will finish that one just yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I finish it!  And that's all the stitchy news I have for today.  

If you don't want to hear the family news you can stop reading now (I gave you fair warning!).  I want to thank those who have been faithfully praying for my husband and me.  You hum through life and to be honest, other than the cancer I had 15 years ago, we have enjoyed pretty good health.  Recently my husband (who is a REALLY bad patient) has had a few hiccups.  This latest hiccup started in the form of kidney stones.  Then diverticulitis.  Then more kidney stones.  After two different tries to get rid of them, this last procedure was a little more aggressive which culminated in some pretty scary side effects.  The last procedure was yesterday....what should have been a 2-3 hour procedure turned into a 6 hour marathon.  As I sat in the waiting room stitching...and watching the clock...I saw people arrive, get called back for their "appointments" and leave...and still no sign of my husband.  To say I was biting my nails toward the end was an understatement.  I'm so glad I had my stitching along with me.  You can get a lot of stitching done in a 6 hour stretch!  I won't go into all the gory details, let's just say he had a pretty scary episode when they were waking him up from anesthesia which prompted them to watch him closely for TWO HOURS.  I wish they had told me something...or maybe I'm glad they didn't...but when they finally released him they told him...if you feel at all unwell, call 911.  That sure didn't allay my fears at all.  I have to say, I watched him pretty close and except for one little episode, he made it through the night better than the last time.  I made sure he ate when he got home a fairly bland meal, and kept him moving gently until it was time for bed.  He is feeling much better today.  He will need to make another appointment soon with a different doctor, but I'm VERY thankful for those who have been praying.  I know things could have gone very bad last night but I trust God that it will all work out for the good.  So please keep praying for him until they resolve everything.  I sincerely appreciate your prayers.  I'm thankful for those who have been praying, I'm thankful for things to occupy our hands and minds...and I'm thankful for a merciful God who watches over us.    It's going to be even more busy around here.  I'll answer emails and post when I can.  Until then I hope you understand if it gets quiet in my corner here and there.   Until then....stay safe, stay warm, and keep on stitching!