Pete and repeat were sitting on a fence...

Wow...can this year get any crazier?  Well there's good news and bad news folks...the good news is the cyclone bomb missed us, but for those who were in the path... know that I've been praying for all of you!  I do have relatives and friends in that area and I'm hoping they weathered the storm ok.  

The bad news is the folks in Washington can't get a simple budget passed without playing the name game, pointing fingers (didn't their mothers tell them that was rude?) and holding the American people hostage.  Mike (who doesn't carry his phone around all day) picked up his phone yesterday and was bombarded with messages about the government shut down happening on Monday.  Yes he will be working without a paycheck until they get things sorted AGAIN.  And yes, we don't expect it to last as long, but who knows that for sure?  Anyway...just another bump in the road, right?  

On a positive note, I was able to finish a page of Let Freedom Ring before the end of the month, YAY!  

I made some substantial progress on my blessings sampler, Hummingbird's Garden by Samplers Not Forgotten, though I wasn't able to finish it before the month ran out of days.  Hopefully February will show better progress, though it's a short month.  I'll do my best!

January wasn't a total bust as I was able to finish off two things I started.  Santa Holding Heart Mill Hill Kit... 

and Winter Snow Owl by Blackberry Lane Designs.  

I have ideas how I want to finish both of these, so with a little luck I'll get them fully finished before the month is out.  Sadly I didn't get the monthly Christmas ornament stitched from the JCS Ornament challenge through the facebook group.  Hopefully I'll get it done this month along with the one for this month.  Such lofty plans for such a short month...haha.  We'll have to see what the Lord has planned.  

So I'm off to meet up with the kids for brunch.  They aren't too pleased with me as I begged off watching Miss Q this past week.  It's crazy how much a week of flu will knock the socks off you.  Thursday was the first day I actually felt really good, well rested, and full of energy since before the first of the year.  Too much going on and very little rest.  I hope I can keep rested now, it feels so good to feel good!  On that note, I'll bid you a fond farewell until next time.  Happy Stitching! 

Here we go again...lol

Hi folks!  Sorry it took so long to update, it's been a wild ride.  We never lost power, but I ended up with the flu starting on Friday and I was flat out by Saturday.  I don't think I was awake for more than a few hours all day, most of the day was spent sleeping.  Since last Saturday, I've lost 6 pounds...not fun...lol.  I think I'm finally back to eating normal meals now...haha.  We did get several inches (I am not sure how much, 4-5 is my guess) with a nice inch or so coating of ice.  It was a mess to clean up, though I was too sick to help out.  Thankfully our neighbors took pity on Mike and gave him a hand.  So we are cleared out for now just in time for the bomb cyclone headed this way this weekend.  I'm feeling a little better today, though a little shaky, so begged off when the kids asked me to watch Miss Q.  

For the first time in 1421 days (almost 4 years) I didn't stitch on Saturday.  I couldn't stay awake, or hold a hoop.  I barely stitched on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.  Gotta be honest, I'm sad I broke my streak.  Yesterday was the first day I actually made any progress stitching...and have nearly finished off a page from Let Freedom Ring by Lila's Studio.  Sorry it's so dark.  

I'm hoping to finish off this page (not much left to do in all honesty) then I'll get back to Hummingbird's Garden.  I won't be able to finish this "Blessing Sampler" by the end of the month so already my yearly plans have gone belly up.  As I've said before...we make plans and God laughs.  So I hope this isn't an omen of how this year will go...haha.  I'm learning to roll with the punches.  Ok, I've been fed and watered, done my daily Sodoku, prayed for those who are sick, without power, and for our country as a whole...it's time to stitch!  Who's with me?  Happy Stitching! 

Are You Ready?

This probably won't make a lot of sense to a lot of people....but we've been busy the past few days.  Buying groceries.  Buying water.  Buying batteries.  Buying equipment to weatherproof the house.  Buying gas for the cars.  Filling buckets with water.  Digging out our cooler and freezing bottles of water.  Gathering blankets.  Gathering flashlights.  And praying like mad.  I don't usually get crazy over predicted storms, but I'll be honest and say this one scares me.  We are right on the line where it will be heavy snow at first, then sleet, then freezing rain.  I can deal with snow, but freezing rain...uh NO.  My mom was trapped in an ice storm in Northern NY one year.  They were without power for over a week.  She couldn't get out of her house to get supplies, couldn't draw water, had no heat or any way to get warm.  The police finally rescued her and brought her to a warming center where she stayed for a few days...bringing what non-perishable food she had on hand to share with others who were in the same situation.  While I get that a great portion of the country is having below freezing conditions and a large amount of snowfall, we are not prepared for this in Maryland nor are they dealing with the ice.  So we gathered things, charged our bricks for our electronics, charged our phones and tablets and weather proofed the house.  I think we are ready.  Not panicked, but prepared and hoping for the best.  Did I mention I gathered some stitching stuff?  LOL  Yep, that will keep me sane during the daylight hours I hope.  We have plenty of games to keep us occupied during the evening hours.  Whew...let's hope it's not as bad as they say it could be.  And don't worry if you don't hear from us for a while.  We won't be on Facebook or writing blogs until we are sure we won't lose power...though I did promise to keep a few friends up to date.  The snow begins around midnight.  I'll keep folks up-to-date unless or until we lose power.  In the meanwhile I'll let you know the other stuff that has been keeping us busy!  

DH has a birthday in January.  I decided to make plans for a trip to the beach in Ocean City.  Little did I know that it would be bitter cold...and that the tickets I got to see a Billy Joel tribute show was in a bar...lol.  Of course we saw the sunrise...

and those pesky seaguls...

Our hotel was the last one on the right with the blue roof.

So...we spent our time driving out to Assateague Island to drive along the National Seashore.  The last time we were there they told us about a free pass for military that gets us into any national park along with anyone in the car with him...so the National Seashore is one of our favorite places to explore.  The first day is was raining, but we were lucky enough to see some horses...  

some ducks...  

some Sika deer... 

and a Blue Heron, wasn't he grand?

The next day we were lucky enough to see several horses just standing by the road like they were posing for pictures.  Haha...

then there were others who were out on the salt marsh staying away from prying eyes....

and one that hid in the bushes.  

We took a walk along the path to see what we could see along the shore...the water was so clear!  

I guess you've been wondering if I've been stitching...why yes I have!    First up is a finish, this is Winter Snow Owl by Blackberry Designs...stitched on 32 count Pearl Grey over two.  I stitched this for a cousin a while ago and promised myself I would stitch one for me too!  So here it is!  

I added a few stitches to Hummingbird's Garden by Samplers Not Forgotten stitched on 40 count Moonstone over two.  I love all the specialty stitches in this one!  

Last but not least is Let Freedom Ring by Lila's Studio.  It's been neglected all month so it needs a little love.  I'm finally working on page 5.  I'll be working on this one while it's snowing I hope, as long as I can see.  

So that's all that I have for now.  Let's hope the lights stay on and I'm able to get online to check on all of you!  Stay safe if you are in the path of the storm!  Happy Stitching!  

Craziness Reigns Supreme

If it's true that there is no rest for the wicked, I'm wondering where I went wrong...lol.  It seems every day there is something new I need to take care of.  Can I just say 2026 started off with a bang?  I'm truly tired and there is no end in sight!  

Two days before the first weekend of the year my husband decided we needed to go to Hershey to see the holiday lights before they were taken down until next year.  It was bitter cold but we thought, why not?  So we packed up the van with all the stuff we would need for an overnight trip, packed up the kids and the grandkids and took off!  Um...it was a fun ride there, we found a great place to have lunch, dropped off our stuff early at the hotel, and went to the park, where we were freezing even before it got dark.  Poor Ms. Q wasn't having any of it, poor little mite.  Little Miss Sassy Pants had a blast riding on a few rides, but we finally decided to throw in the towel after we had a hot pretzel and wonderful Hershey Hot Chocolate.  YUMM!!  Hopefully next year will be better!  Don't worry, the wheel chair is because the arthritis in my knee and the pain in my foot wouldn't let me walk too far, so I chose to ride.  It's not a permanent thing.

Next up will be Hubby's birthday...so stay tuned.  I'm hoping his surprise will be a good one!  I do have good news though...I had an appointment with the Orthopedic and I've been given the nod to be done with physical therapy.   Well you would think that would free up some days....nope.  Hubby has been taking off days here and there, and has decided  we need to hoe out the basement and get rid of stuff we haven't seen/needed in years.  I agree it's a mess down there, but am I in the mood to do it?  NO!  I just got some time to stitch...haha.  Oh well, onward an upward.  I'm writing this today, and since he's now at work, I'm taking the day to stitch before he finds more chores for me to do.  (We took down the rest of the decorations yesterday and packed it all away until next November).  

I have found some time in the evenings!  I wanted something quick and easy to take to Hershey with me and pulled out this Mill Hill kit, Jim Shore Santa Holding Heart.  I decided I'll make a stand up, so stitched it on 28 count Sage.  Now to find time to fully finish it...haha.  Unless there's a miracle of the addition of time, it may be next Christmas before I get there....hahahahaha.  

I've been slowly adding stitches to Hummingbird's Garden.  When I first started this, I thought it would go quickly.  I guess I didn't really look at how densely this was stitched.  I still have a lot more to go in the block I'm working on, but at least the fussy stitches are done, and I'm just filling in spaces.  Still it's a LOT of stitching!  I'm itching to get back to Let Freedom Ring... I need a clone!!  

I haven't posted any updates on American Flag either, so here's where I left off stitching on that.  I hope to get back to this one soon too!  This is where I left off on New Year's Eve.

I think my blog writing will be hit and miss for the next few months.  Hopefully I can get Let Freedom Ring done in the time I'm hoping to.  And hopefully I'll find more time for stitching along with all the other chores I'm being asked to do.  I thought retirement would mean things would slow down...I was mistaken...though life seems a lot more rewarding...it's a trade off!  I hope you all enjoyed the holidays, and the January doldrums stay at bay.  Happy Stitching!

New Year, New Start!

Hi there!  Yes, I finally settled on what I hoped to stitch this New Year.  This is called Hummingbird's Garden by Samplers Not Forgotten.  

I found this at the needlework market last spring and just couldn't resist all those lovely specialty stitches!  Not to mention, my Mom has been on my mind a lot lately.  There are days I wish I could talk to her, and I know she would especially love her two great granddaughters so much.  So I'm dedicating this stitch to my Mom, who loved hummingbirds.  I started this yesterday and I'm stitching it on 40 count Moonstone over two using mostly WDW thread (though I thought I had them all, then realized I needed two skeins of several of them...so I substituted DMC for two of them).  I've never done bargello so this will be a new one for me.  I'm enjoying these stitches!!.  Here is where I left off last night.  

I've read that Blessing Samplers are to be quickly stitched in the first month of the year.  I have no illusions that I will finish this in January but I know I'm going to have a difficult time putting this down...haha.  I still hope to stitch two pages of Let Freedom Ring, and stitch a bit on American Flag this month as well.  While I'm contemplating these ideas, I'll try to fit in a rotation of these.  If you have any ideas, I'm open to thinking about them.  

I sincerely thought things would slow down a bit after the New Year...but I guess not.  I love my husband...but he sure does like to be on the move!  Looks like we'll be undecorating and sorting through boxes this weekend...oh yay.  LOL  Hopefully after the weekend I'll be able to get my goals page up and running.  In the meanwhile, I hope all is well in your neck of the woods.  Happy Stitching! 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all my friends and family.  I'm praying we all have a wonderful year full of blessings and unexpected treasured moments.   

Just under the wire....

Well I wasn't expecting to get these finished this year, but wonders never cease!  

I wasn't feeling too well yesterday at physical therapy, couldn't balance, and 'just felt spacey.  Last night I took my temperature, it was 100.4, UGH.  I was supposed to watch Miss Q today, but the kids decided it would be better to keep her away from me until I'm feeling better.  So I decided to work a bit on American Flag last night and here is where I finished.  I probably could have stitched more but I called it a night early and slept all night for the first time in a long time.  

I woke up feeling a little more clear headed and thought, this may be the last time I'll get a chance to work on ornaments.  So I pulled out my finishing stuff and started working.  Now I probably could have finished a lot sooner but I'm still a little off my game.  I also tried a new kind of finish for me.  When I was at the retreat at Salty Yarns I discovered someone had used table number holders when they made a stand up.  I though that was genius!  So I ordered some from Amazon, and gave it a whirl today.  This is Christmas Morning from the 2024 JCS ornament issue stitched on 32 count coffee dyed fabric finished as a stand up.  

Next I finished Snow Friends by Shannon Christine stitched on 32 count raw opalescent over two.  No this isn't Deja Vu...haha it is the third one I've made this year, but this one is for ME!  haha

Then I finished Cardinal Couple by My Lovely Embroidery stitched on 32 count light blue over one both finished in small white tart pans I found at Hobby Lobby.  Yes, this was the second one I stitched, and again, this one is for ME!  haha

I was about to put everything away when I remembered my whole point in doing some finishing today was to finish Miss Q's ornament...hahaha.  I mentioned last post that I wanted one to commemorate the theme of her first birthday party which was Wild One.  I found Girl With A Watering Can In A Garden by My Lovely Embroidery online, finished stitching it the day before yesterday and really wanted to finish it before the first of next year.  This was stitched on 46 count antique white over two.  I truly love how it came out.  So  I pulled out some fabric, cut more acid free cardboard and got her finished.  Whew!  

I never dreamed I would finally get things finished off.  Thankfully my fever is down to a dull roar, my mind is a little clearer, and I'll be back to physical therapy again tomorrow.  Hopefully then I'll be able to keep my balance.  That was kinda crazy yesterday...haha.  

Well I'm not sure what tomorrow will hold (other than going to physical therapy) but we hope to spend time with the kids.  I hope however you choose to celebrate the beginning of a New Year, that you are safe, healthy and all things go well for you in 2026.  Happy New Year and Happy Stitching!  (I still haven't chosen my Blessings Sampler...have you?)