Getting Set Up

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Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Over the past several weekends, DH has helped me get some things done out in the yard. We put up several new birdhouses, bought and put out some tomato plants and put out some fun yard pinwheels I found at the Dollar Store.

Some new rose bushes adorn our yard. Two climbing and one shrub. One of the climbing roses already has several blooms on it. Two of these three are yellow. We also added two yellow knock out roses to the yard. I guess by now you can guess that I like yellow roses!

On the stitching front, I worked on Patty Polk by Falling Star Primitives and finished her up. I just love the verse and you can tell by all her mistakes, shortcuts, no frill design and sudden color changes that she was really bored with this project and just wanted to finish it up so she could get back to reading!

I hope everyone has a lovely holiday weekend. Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Mother's Day

Some of my stitching fabric has arrived and some of it is on back order but should be arriving soon.I was catching up on some blog reading and on more than one blog I saw a sampler that made my tongue hang out as I drooled. Margaret Cottam by La D Da. This is a picture from  Maude and Mozart and was taken at Country Sampler. It is one of the many pictures I have seen of this design. I debated on whether I needed another BAP in my stash but in the end, I could envision it hanging on my dining area sampler wall and I caved!

DH decided to reward me for my efforts in quitting smoking. I have to brag a little and say yes, I am proud of myself. There are some days I just want to light one up sooooo badly but I get through it. I have quit before and made long term promises to myself and others that I would NEVER smoke again. Ha! That never seemed to work so this time there were no promises. Just taking it one day at a time. Oh, back to my reward for not spending all that money on those devil weeds. A new stitching chair for the bedroom! I have been wanting one back there for some time for those times I want to escape for some privacy.

 

We are getting ready to start some work on the house. You know, those things that build up over the years. Something happens and you say "oh, that's not big. It can wait." Twenty years of saying that really adds up and one day you realize that you have one honker of a long honey-do list! Since my first choice is not do-able right now (selling this place and getting a smaller place for just me and dh) we will opt for choice #2 and do some of the more important things on that list.

I have finished stitching on Primitive Adam and Eve by Country Rustic Primitives. On the last day, my hands were swollen, stiff and cramping but I saw how close I was to finishing and trudged on. Now I have a wonderful finish and I can let my hands rest up for several days before a new start! I love all the red and I am looking forward to adding another A&E to the sampler wall.

 

While we were out puttering around town, I picked up a new tomato pin cushion. If you read my blog, you know I really fried green tomatoes so a green tomato pincushion will be right at home among the others! I also picked up several magazines and a darling new journal! I love all the bugs and butterflies on the cover. This may be my "what's happening outdoors" journal.

 

I was feeling sort of blue that my chickadee family had all flown the nest. I had not seen the goldfinch babies and parents at my feeders in a while either. My backyard had gone from buzzing with activity to being a ghost town of sorts. Even those pesky squirrels who try to eat up all my birdseed were no where to be seen. I was thinking about how much I wanted another family of birds to nest in our yard when I heard babies! A group of baby birds all chirping at once. I focused in on the sound and saw a moma wren at my feeder getting some food then fly off into a clump of shrubs at the back of our yard. You may remember hearing me say that I have a soft spot in my heart for wrens. The leaves on the shrubs where the nest was would shake and tremble with delight as she fed them. The babies would once again all chime in with their anxious "feed me first" chirps. All is good. I have babies in my backyard and I am happy. DH helped me put up two more birdhouses!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I wish you a happy Mother's Day whether you are being waited on or waiting on someone else!

Frames and Things

The weather is so iffy these days. Cool then warm. Sunny day then several rainy ones with that cloudy overcast chill. I try to get outside and do some container gardening and enjoy watching the birds as much as possible. Our backyard is jumping with all the nesting! Baby gold finches, baby purple house finches and baby mourning doves take their turns at my feeders. A chickadee family is nesting in one of my birdhouses and a bluebird couple is building a nest in another of my birdhouses to raise a clan of their own! I am getting over the case of shingles that surprised me a few weeks ago. I do not remember ever having chicken pox so over the years of hearing all the shingle horror stories, I was pretty cocky and sure I would never get it. Boom! I got shingles so I guess I did have chicken pox as a child!

I picked up some framing and am thrilled with the outcome! She did a wonderful job on them! I picked up several but will show them one post at a time so I don't overload on pictures! Here is Baby, It's Cold Outside by Heartstring Samplery. I love the frame, too.

 

How many sampler walls do you have? I am working on building up three for now (no pictures until after we paint and hang everything back up). One in my dining area and two in my bedroom. Of course, there are a few pieces scattered through out the house on various walls by themselves.

I finished up Sarah Schall by Heartstring Samplery on May 1st. I used 18 count Aida and stayed with the recommended colors. No changes this time! Isn't she beautiful! I do have to say that Fido looks like a devil dog with that red eye! Maybe I should change that one thing. Sort of creeps me out.

 

I sorted out my stash into groups based on which walls they would be stitched for then put them in individual boxes. Most of them are already kitted up. Since it is May and the month of Mother's Day, I pulled out my Mother's Tree sampler to work on. I am working from the bottom up and am currently on my grandmother's name. After her, 5 more generations to stitch! For some reason, this sampler seems to be scraping my nerves but I know I will treasure it so that makes it all worthwhile!

I placed an order for several school girl type samplers that I liked but a big part of my order consisted of fabric. I know I have plenty of fabric to last a while but each time I go through my stash, I panic. What if I run out of fabric before I can complete them all? What if the stores stop carrying the type I like or the manufacturers stop making the color I prefer! Good grief! Talk about a melt down! Get a grip, old gal! lol.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by and not giving up me and my blog! I always enjoy your visits and am thrilled to see new followers to my blog as well!