Exciting news!

It's been an exciting week!  It started out on Monday when we learned the vehicle we had ordered had arrived!  Before Suzy Q arrived, we used to travel together when we went to games and on holidays, we all used to fit in our Toyota Rav, or as Miss Sassy Pants called it...The Red Car...lol.  She loved it when we all rode together because she wasn't alone in the back seat anymore.  Since Suzy Q was born, we had to travel in two separate cars, and let me tell you, we loved having our son drive us into Baltimore, it was just nerve wracking to drive in that traffic ourselves.  So we went on a hunt for a vehicle that had three rows of seats and would accommodate two car seats.  For safety and maintenance the Toyota Sienna won hands down, so we began the hunt.  We later learned that it is a very popular vehicle and car lots had a hard time keeping them on the lot.  So...we found a place that had one ordered, and wasn't spoken for yet, so we added a few features to it, and then waited.....and waited.....and went to a few baseball games in separate cars....and waited some more.  FINALLY it's here and we couldn't be happier.  We nicknamed the Rav, Ruby...so now we have to find a name for the Sienna.  We've driven over 80 miles on it so far, and the needle hasn't moved from the full mark...haha...I think I'm going to like having a hybrid!  

I finally bit the bullet and tried a new frame place.  I had read on Facebook about a place not too far from me called Side Street Framers.  Let me tell you, the framer was fantastic!  She chose a couple of frames off the wall, and they were just perfect!  She allowed me to do my own stretching, and I had them back in a week, just in time for the fair!  Here is Romantic Stitcher, and Christmas House, fresh from the framer.  I couldn't be happier and will be using them again!  First up is Romantic Stitcher, isn't she lovely in her new home?

Next up is Christmas All Through The House.  She allowed me to stretch this one, cut holes in the foam core and then stretch that one around the second piece that went underneath.  I like how there is a space in there, it makes it look 3D and like you are really looking into a window.   I truly loved this one too!

I finished up the last two from Gather Pumpkins from the series and once I have rick rack I like, I will get them fully finished.  First up is Quilted Pumpkins.  

And the last in the series is Gather Pumpkins.  

I have the Pumpkins and the Pinecones stretched and ready to sew on the rick rack.  Even the magnets have been attached.  I'm so excited that I've nearly got them all finished within 8 months!  I have a ton more finishing I want to get done, now to find the time!!  In the meanwhile I'll be working on some gifts for a friend who is turning 60 and has asked to have some small pieces stitched and sent to her so she can make a quilt.  I've already started one, so as soon as I've sent them off, I'll show pictures...in the meanwhile, there may be a dry spell on my blog.  I'll keep you posted.  I've spent a little time with the grandkids this week.  I love that the kids send me pictures when they take some cute ones...so here is a little pic of how they are growing.  I love that the truly love one another!  

I'm sorry it's so long today, as I said it's been a whirlwind of activity here lately.  When that happens, I try to update when I can, but I don't always have time to work on the computer.  I'm off to search from some rick rack, and work on those gifts.  I hope all is well in your neck of the woods.  We had a little reprieve from the heat so we might take in an outdoor concert tonight...I'm looking forward to spending more time with the kids!  Take care and Happy Stitching!   

Is it Pumpkin Season yet?

I guess it is at Chez DJ...lol.  I love fall, the colors, the scents in the air, and the cooler temperatures.  I was in Bath and Body Works the other day and they had all their fall/Halloween scents out and it just put me in the mood for fall.  So I came home, lathered up  my hands with some autumn scented hand soap, and dug out the Gather Pumpkin series by Hands on Design.  These work up pretty fast if you have the time.  The first one is finished called Pumpkin Barn stitched on 32 count Vintage Smokey White over two.  

Two more to go and all the seasons will be finished...but I still need some rick rack to fully finish the winter series.  Now that JoAnns is closed, there isn't any place to get the rick rack where you can really look at the colors *sigh*.  What a same that they went out of business.  I used to love searching through their fabric too.  Oh well, I'll be wandering around some local businesses, perhaps searching while we take some vacations that are in the planning stages now.  I'll let you know when I find what I'm looking for.  

I hope all is well in your corner of the world.  Happy Stitching!   

Just another finishing day at the zoo

It's been a hot one today!  Just moving around the house would make me feel a little off, so I gathered some stuff, and sat down to do some crafts.  

First off is this pumpkin.  I used dollar store twine, a metal pumpkin cookie cutter and a single artificial flower.  I started this project with Little Miss Sassy Pants, but before we could finish, we had to leave.  So I finished wrapping it (we were almost done yesterday) and attached the flower.  Easy peasy!  I can't wait to show it to her the next time she visits.  

You may remember this little piece, gifted to me by Ms. Mouse in England.  We sat and had a virtual lesson on making a Pin Drum, which is what you see here.  I had finished it the night she taught me, but I didn't like the wool I had used for the top, so....today I pulled off the top, re-covered the top, and added the little tea bag charm to the side.  I'm still trying to decide if I need trim, but I'm tempted to leave it as it is, I like the simple look to it.  What do you think? 

She sent me three other pieces to finish as well, and I'm contemplating how I should do that, though the Christmas ornament was the easiest.  Here is what I did with that.  From this picture you can't see how puffy it is, it's almost half a sphere.  I wanted to give it a more round look to it.  I have to say I really like how it turned out!  

Yesterday I put the final stitches into Gather Butterflies by Hands on Designs.  So far I've stitched 3 of the series, so I started the last one last night, Gather Pumpkins the autumn set.  I fully finished the three in the Gather Butterflies series, swapped out the spring set for the summer set, and they are now gracing my living room!  I love this series, but I think my favorite will be the fall set.  I'm still looking for rick rack that will work for the winter set that I have already stitched.  I'm looking forward to getting them all finished!  

I still have two pieces to finish that Ms. Mouse sent me.  I haven't figured out how I want to go about that just yet, though I have an idea for one of them...I just can't find the supplies that I know I have in this house!  I heard someone say, finding something you put in a safe place, you'll need divine intervention and a sherpa to find...hahaha.  That is my house in a nutshell.  I've looked in most of the safe places I have, but still haven't found them...but I'm on the hunt!  Tomorrow we are off to help the kids with something (they haven't told us what we'll be doing yet...haha) so I doubt I'll  get anything much done tomorrow.  But stay tuned!  I'll be working on the Gather Pumpkins series soon!  I hope everyone is safe wherever you may be!  Happy Stitching! 

Change of Plans…

It's been a wild ride around here lately!  We've spent a lot of time with our granddaughters and their parents, but it's all fun.  I've not had as much time to stitch lately, but I did manage to work on some smaller things in between the chaos.  Poor little Suzy Q has been sick lately so things have been a little crazy.  We had Miss Sassy Pants here for a sleep over on Saturday night.  We camp out in the living room when she comes to stay so we had a little gymnastics before bed (those air mattresses make quite a trampoline...haha) and she slept like a dream!  

I finally got to the frame shop over the weekend and the framer there was very accommodating.  She was amazing finding frames and we found the perfect frame for each project in my humble opinion.  The stretching took a little while and imagination but she allowed me to stretch them and I brought them back to her the next day.  With a wing and a prayer I'll have them back in time to enter them in the fair.  

I finally fully finished two of the pages of Let Freedom Ring and set it aside so I could finish off a few things.  I'll probably get back to it once the craziness settles down.  I like to keep a few smaller projects going on the side so when it does get crazy like this, I can pick up something quick and go if I need to.  Today may be one of those days as I got a text last night to be on stand by today in case Mr. B needs an extra hand with the girls.  I may have both of them tomorrow while Mr. B has a doctor's appointment.  So let's see, here is where I left off with Let Freedom Ring.  I did fully finish two pages and started on the third.  There are 15 pages all together and my thought was to fully finish two a month.  I know I'll finish long before July of next year, but that's ok, perhaps I'll actually have it framed and on the wall by then.  We shall see!  Here is where I left off.  

I decided to pick up Gather Butterflies series by Hands on Design and see about finishing off the summer set of three.  I had the first one stitched already.  I finished the second one and have started on the third.  The way my luck has been going lately, I'm not sure when I'll finish up the third and final one of the series but I'm hoping I can do it today.  If so, I'll fully finish them and get them up on my mantle.  Here are the two I've recently been working on.  First up is Greenhouse Butterflies.  All of these series have been stitched on 32 count Vintage Country Smoke over two.  

These work up very quickly!  I'm looking forward to getting them all fully finished and safely tucked away to swap out for the different seasons.  And here is where I left off with Gather Butterflies.  

The lettering is done over one and looks so delicate, I love how these are turning out!  I think I'll go back to working on Merry Christmas letters after this.  With a little luck I'll have them all finished by the end of next month.  

I guess that's all the news that's fit to print.  I hope you all are safe from the storms and heat here in the US.  It's been quite a summer with all the crazy weather.  We had a lovely reprieve from the heat yesterday but there are more wicked weather coming our way for the weekend.  Hopefully I can get some errands run so I can stay put over the worst of the storms.  I hope you all are able to do the same.  Take care!  And Happy Stitching!   

Chilling out

Hi everybody!  I'm not sure what's going on in my head these days.  Maybe it's the atmospheric upheaval (we've had some tremendous thunder and lightning storms complete with tornado warnings and flash flooding here in our state), maybe the planet itself is in upheaval (so many volcanos erupting and earthquakes happening in places that have been relatively dormant for a while) but it seems that things are chaotic in the world right now.  I've had to turn the news off completely during the day.  

I also spent a few hours with my son and his girls on Tuesday while he waited for someone to come and take care of a bees nest in the yard.  They turned out to be bald faced wasps....I've had one sting me once...ouch!!  I helped with the girls while he dealt with the bee guy and then we went out for lunch.  Driving to the restaurant reminded me of all the long car rides taking him to scouts or youth group and the wonderful conversations we used to have.  I like the man he has become.  A Dr. once asked me how I liked being a mom.  I said I loved it, that I enjoyed every stage he went through.  She told me she never heard anyone say that about their child.  I guess he is an exception to the rule.  He was an only child, but always had a presence about him that drew people in.  I called him a people magnet...haha.  I guess we did spoil him a bit, but he never acted like a spoiled child.  And his oldest daughter is just like him...just a joy to be around.  Spending time with them just made the world seem like a  better place.  I'll forever be thankful for my family.  

I've been working on Let Freedom Ring and am very close to having a second page finish.  I'll be working on that again today, once I'm ready to sit and stitch.  

But, I had a Christmas ornament I had to finish for this month, so I pulled that out and worked on that for a couple of days.  Yesterday I finished stitching Friendly Joy by Needle Bling Designs.  It's stitched on 40 Nova over two.  I think he turned out quite cute, though a little bigger than I'm used to.  Now to decide how to fully finish him.  

And here he is finished!  I added a couple of buttons to fill in the gaps of the round frame.  I like how he turned out!

I think I'll work on a few other finishes today.  Since I feel a little calmer my creative juices might just come out to play...I hope!  Ms. Mouse helped me with a pin drum a while back (I haven't posted pictures yet because I'm hoping to fix a couple of mistakes I had with it...let's hope I don't make it worse!...lol) and if I can fix that today, I'll be back soon with an update on my finishing.  Cross your fingers (I can't because I'll be needing mine) that the plans in my head work well.  Haha!  

I hope you're having a great day, accomplishing a lot of stitching, keeping cool in this crazy heat, and feeling chill like me today!  Happy Stitching! 

LFR update

Just thought I should check in with y'all.  (Y'all?  Where did that come from?)  Well things did not go as planned this weekend.  I wasn't feeling too well, so begged off going to the Orioles game on Saturday.  It was Hawaiian shirt night give-away and it's a yearly tradition with the O's.  We rarely get there in time to get one, but this year the kids and Mike got there in time.  The kids were so kind to give me one of theirs!  I'll have to take a picture of it one day so you can see.  I think I have another one from a few years ago...they are just fun to wear!  Mike rode into Baltimore with them, and when Little Miss Sassy Pants saw the ballpark, she did a fist pump and said, "Yeeeesssss!!".  She loves her baseball!!  From the sounds of things, Little Miss Suzy Q did what her sister did at her age, and slept through most of the game...haha.  She's going to love those games like we all do!  It's such a fun outing for the family...I'm so sorry I missed it.  Sunday we had plans to go to the Christmas in July Craft Fair at the Howard County Fairgrounds, but again, I didn't feel up to it.  There were a few scattered showers going on as well, so I'm not really sad about missing it.  I love going to the one in November, the weather is much cooler then too.  So hopefully I'll make up for it then.  So what does a person do when they are stuck at home missing all the fun?  Well, I cross stitch of course!  As you know I've been working on Let Freedom Ring by Lila's Studio.  My first thought for this SAL was to stitch two full pages a month for the first couple of months, with hopes of finishing it off by July 4, 2026.  I must say, it's difficult to put down!  LOL   Here is where I left off last night.  

There are so many lovely parts to this pattern, I really enjoyed the horse drawn carriage.  Then I started the building.  With page 15 completed, I'm nearly at completion of page 14, but in my wandering through the pattern, I have decided to finish off the tops of the building on pages 9 and 10.  It's pretty concentrated stitching, but it's fun putting the windows together, the little archways, and the trees.  I love the little eyelet stitches, it's just so hard to put down.  

On Saturday night, though, the fever was a little worse, and I just couldn't concentrate, so I picked up a little Christmas ornament I had scheduled for this month.  This is Friendly Joy by Needle Bling Designs from the 2024 JCS ornament issue.  This is the July pattern for the JCS SAL that I participate in each year.  I'm stitching it on Nova 40 ct. over two.  So cute, but ALOT of stitching in his face!  Haha...so even though I spent a good portion of Saturday stitching on him, I'm nowhere near getting him finished off!  

Little Miss Suzy Q has an appointment today, so Little Miss Sassy Pants will be visiting for a couple of hours.  I'm looking forward to getting some hugs and "Oh, Gigi" comments from her.  Haha.  I usually do or say something to get that response.  She still thinks I'm funny with my old fashioned sayings (a friend of mine used to call them "Debbie-isms").  I learned them from my Grandmother and after hearing them over and over, I guess they just stuck.  I wonder if Little Miss Sassy Pants will continue on the tradition?  We will see.  

So I guess that's all the news.  I don't expect to get much stitching in today or tomorrow.  I've been asked to help wrangle the girls tomorrow while they have some work done around their house.  I really need to get a haircut sometime soon, I'm beginning to look like the wild woman from wooley (as my mother used to say) and at my age, longer hair is looking a bit ridiculous on me...haha.  So here I go.  I hope you are having a wonderful day, and here's to getting lots of stitching in whatever project you are working on today!  Take care!

Let Freedom Ring

I almost have a page finish for Let Freedom Ring, and hopefully by tonight I will have one!  While my plans aren't working out quite like I planned, I'm enjoying the stitch!  Here is a progress picture.  

The weather has been hot, Miss Sassy Pants has an ear infection and her Dad has Strep throat.  I'm a little under the weather myself...ugh...I hope this heat breaks by Saturday, we have an Orioles game to go to!  I'm hoping things improve soon!  Happy Stitching! 

America 250 SAL

I have been asked by a couple of different people to participate in a Stitch-a-long (SAL) celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States.  How exciting to be around for this special celebration!  Many have chosen a large project to stitch through the year to finish in time for the 4th of July next year.  I decided to join in, and chose Let Freedom Ring by Lila's Studio.  

I started two days ago, and started from the bottom right.  There are 15 pages in the pattern, so my hope is to finish about a page and a half each month.  I found the middle of the bottom, and worked right until I reached the edge, then started working upwards.  Once page 15 is finished, I will work across the bottom until I reach the other side, the double back to page 14.  I'm using 36 count Classic Homespun hand dyed fabric and working with one strand over two.  I'm loving it so far!  Here is where I left off after two days of stitching.  

This is such a lovely pattern!  If you plan on joining in, folks are using the hashtag #america250sal.  Why not choose a pattern and join in?  Or, choose several and stitch the year through.  Either way, it's a great way to leave an heirloom to mark this special time in our lives.  

We had a lovely time with family on the 4th watching the fireworks and just hanging out.  I snapped this sweet photo of the girls.  It's hard to put into words the relationship these two have.  Miss Q's face lights up when she sees Miss Sassy Pants, and Miss Sassy Pants loves to hug and sweet talk to her sister.  They are just too cute!  

I hope you were able to enjoy celebrating our nation's birthday.  Please consider joining in the SAL...and Happy Stitching!

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day!

 I put the first few stitches in Let Freedom Ring today, and I think I'm going to enjoy stitching this!  

I hope you all enjoy whatever activities you are doing to celebrate.  Stay safe!  We will be spending the evening with the kids and we look forward to seeing Little Miss Sassy Pants who I hear is feeling much better today.  I'll be stitching until we gather with them.  Happy Stitching, and God Bless America!

Stars and Stripes Stacker

Well...I was hoping to have it ready by the 4th of July...but I just ran out of time.  The good news is that I finished stitching it...yippee!  Reading through the instructions left me massively confused.  So...I went to the only person on my list of friends who would have a clue what I'm stressing over and might give me some answers...I put Ms. Mouse on the case.  I won't be able to work on it any time soon, as I have a lot of things happening in the next few weeks, but hopefully soon!  

There are 6 panels in each "round".  The largest ones took the longest.  Because there are so many, I grouped them together.  If you click on the picture it will take you to a larger picture if you want to see more of the detail.  Here is the bottom... the largest round.  

Here is the middle or medium round.  

Here is the top or smallest round.  

I just couldn't resist when I saw it, I just had to stitch him!  I hope I'm able to fully finish him.  Hopefully he will be ready for the big celebration next year.  

It's been a crazy day.  I won't go into details,  just know, poor Little Miss Sassy Pants wasn't feeling good today so made a trip to Urgent Care.  Hopefully she will be feeling better soon.  No fun being sick over the holidays.  We spent some time with her little sister who is turning into a little fire cracker just like her big sister.  They are really going to have their hands full when she starts crawling/walking.  

I'm off to start Let Freedom Ring tomorrow.  I can't wait, but in the meanwhile I needed something to stitch today.  I gathered up supplies to stitch Friendly Joy from the 2024 JCS Ornament Issue but the few stitches I have put in are not getting me too excited.  I may have to switch fabric.  Off to see what I'm going to do with the mess I created.  I hope you are having a good day, stay cool and safe!  Happy Stitching! 

It's like Africa Hot!

I really shouldn't complain about the heat, but for the past few days it's been crazy hot...lol.  I remember that line from a movie, "It's like Africa hot".  I can see (and hear) Matthew Broderick saying that line but for the life of me, I can't remember the name of the movie.  Anyway, I don't think I'll ever get used to Maryland weather.  The seasons come and go like overnight.  We had unseasonably low temperatures, then it was like a switch was flipped and we are having close to record highs.  Today the heat index is supposed to reach 107!!  I miss the more moderate seasonal changes of Northern New York.... and when I say Northern, I mean so close to the Canadian Border I could throw a stone and it would land in Canada.  Anyway, other than the one night we lost power, we have a great air conditioner that is working it's butt off, so I really shouldn't complain.  Ok, enough about the weather.  

Last week at this time I was packing up the car for a trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania.  We met the kids and our DIL's family on Saturday and everyone (but me) headed to the park.  My knee has been giving me issues, and I just knew with the heat and the knee pain I was going to have a tough time at the park...so I sat and stitched while they had fun.  Here is a picture of Little Miss Sassy Pants and her Pappy at the Hershey Kiss fountain.  

I'm not sure what is going on with my  mojo lately.  It seems to come and go, and I can't really settle on any one project.  I need to sit down and really have a conversation with my stitchy personality (yes, I do talk to myself at times...lol) and get my priorities straight.  So where am I with my stitching?  Well...I keep hearing about the 250th anniversary of the United States next year.  People are talking about stitch-a-longs and patriotic stitching etc and I knew I had bought a few Patriotic pieces last year and this year during the Market Day madness.  When I knew I was going to Hershey, I wanted some quick pieces to stitch up and remembered I have the Stars and Stripes Stacker.  

I stitched one part (there are 18 pieces in this project) before I left and decided I should be able to get it done quickly...hopefully by the 4th of July.  

Good grief did I underestimate my ability and the craziness that enters my life from time to time.   I thought I would have plenty of time.  Well I set my needles on fire for the first 6 pieces which make up the first round of the stacker....and I though Yay, this will be a breeze...hahaha.  

Then I started stitching on the vest.  Uh oh...I realized halfway through I was using the wrong color of blue, but decided I liked it and carried on.  That silly vest took 5 days, because my world got a bit turned upside down.  

I ended up watching Miss Sassy Pants on Monday so her Daddy could take Miss Q to a Dr. appointment.  Tuesday I had errands.  Wednesday a former co-worker wanted to get together so we went to see How To Train Your Dragon (which was really good if you like that sort of movie) and yesterday I finally got to get some good stitching in.  I did stitch every day so was able to finish 5 of the second round of pieces....there are now 7 left to stitch.  

The next 7 have a lot of stitching so we'll see how far I get in the next few days.  

I don't know if any of you follow Homespun Needlework (Cross Stitch and Samplers) group on Facebook, but from time to time they offer exclusives.  The last one they offered struck a chord with me and I just had to have it.  It arrived on Wednesday.  When I bought it I thought I would start it right away...it's a beautiful pattern.  It's called A Grateful Heart by The Scarlett House.  

But then...squirrel...haha.  A lady on Facebook suggested a SAL starting on the 4th of July with something I had already kitted up years ago...Let Freedom Ring by Lila's Studio.  I have always wanted to stitching this, so now is the perfect time to get it done!  

My husband keeps asking me when I'm going to start A Grateful Heart...maybe for the New Year?  We'll see.  

We have a ball game to go to on Saturday in honor of Ben's birthday.  I'm hoping it will cool off and that my knee cooperates.  They are giving Hawaiian Shirts away so hopefully we will get there in time.  It's not always easy with the kids but fingers crossed.  Hopefully next week will be a little less hectic.  I really thought things would slow down after day care closed for the summer (I watch the kids so it lowers their cost for day care) but I don't know.  I will miss seeing the girls, but it will be nice to have a little more time to myself.  It doesn't sound like a lot, but this old body of mine just can't keep up...lol.  

So I guess you're all caught up.  I hope you are safe wherever you are with the excessive heat, the crazy storms, and just the world in general.  Just seems like everything is in upheaval right now...but for now, I'm turning off the news, and unplugging so I can get some stitching done and rest up for tomorrow.  Happy Stitching!

Bless Our Land

Hi Fellow Stitchers!  It's a special day today as our son turns 30 today...the big three-oh!  (Wow am I feeling old!).  He has been the light of our lives since the moment we found out we were having him.  So we are wishing him a wonderful day!  

I had a finish last night.  This is Bless Our Land from the book Patriotic Smalls 2023 by Twin Peaks Primitives.  I forget the actual number of patterns in this book, but I hope to finish a few before the 4th however, time is running short and I have a few other things I need to stitch.  I'm hoping I have enough time...we will see.  This was stitched on 36 count Wisteria two over two.  

I found this little piece of fabric (just the right size!) for Bless Our Land at Salty Yarns.  They have some bins you can rummage through that are remnants of fabric left after the majority of pieces have been cut from.  They are usually not too expensive, and just the right size for smalls and things.  I sure do love that shop!!  

As I was finishing up last night I was already thinking about what I wanted to stitch next.  I received a lovely patriotic pattern from Mouse in that package, and really want to stitch on that BUT I also received the Stars and Striped Stacker pattern by Praiseworthy Stitches which I ordered during the Nashville Market days.  I have almost everything I need to stitch it, so I think that will be my next project.  

We had an exciting day yesterday, as some severe thunderstorms blew through.  Someone's ring camera caught a funnel cloud over our house yesterday!  It was a little scary as the thunder and lightning were non-stop for quite a bit.  Our lights flickered and a tree blew down in a neighbors yard around 50 feet from our house.  Scary stuff!  But it was short-lived, and no damage that we could see so....whew!  I think the Lord protected us!  The National Weather service never sent a warning, but a local meteorologist that I follow on FB sent a warning through Messenger so we were sheltering in the basement when it happened.  I hope I'm never that close to another one as long as I live!!  

On that note, I'll leave you with this thought...cherish your loved ones, always be thankful in every moment, and be grateful for all the circumstances we find ourselves in, big and small.   Be healthy, be safe, and Happy Stitching!