“This Is the Day” Finish

 Here is what I have been working on while grounded. This piece is straight off the Q-snap frame and has yet to be pressed, but I am super excited to share it with you. This photo did crop a bit of the image at the top. It’s This Is the Day by Plum Street Samplers. It has been my sole Sunday stitch for the past two years, and amazing but true . . . it was started on April 22, 2022, and I finished it yesterday April 21, 2024, just one day short of two years. When I recorded this finish in my cross stitch journal, I was amazed at the dates!

This brick house took a long time to stitch, but I love it.

It was stitched on 16 count White Chocolate Aida. If you are familiar with the pattern, you will notice a few changes that I made. I left out the goat in the top left corner over the flowers. It just didn’t make sense to me, so I stitched two bees instead. (It’s beyond me why the designer had a ram in the sky.) I also left out the stack of animals and long legged bird on the right side of the house and replaced them instead with flowers. I did use all the floss listed on the chart.

One of the first things I am going to do when I am no longer grounded is take this to be framed. I cannot wait to see this on my wall!!! :-)

No Retreat for Me

 

I should be on my way to Maine right now to attend a cross stitching retreat in Augusta. My bag had been packed, my cross stitch pieces packed, and Emma’s bag had been packed for a stay at her home away  from home. (I’m blessed to have friends whom Emma loves and who welcome her when I go away.) My plan was to leave this morning and take my time heading up the coast. I was going to stop at Portland Head Light to do some photography. Unfortunately, a foot issue will keep me from attending. As you know if you follow my blog, because of a foot issue, I recently had to cancel attending a guild quilting retreat on the Cape. Things had been healing well, and I was really looking forward to this retreat, but it was not to be. Yesterday there was a problem which means no retreat for me. Yes, I will be off my foot again for at least a week until an infection clears and things heal once again. :-(

I’m super grateful that it happened while I was home and not while I was away. So, it means time again to just sit and stitch and read. I had preordered and received yesterday Doris Kearns Goodwin’s new book An Unfinished Love Story - A Personal History of the 1960s, which I know will be a fascinating read. 

I’m also grateful that I had a visit with my cousin Kristin and her girls (the Ladies Lunch group) on Tuesday. It was a perfect day for outdoor dining and our destination was Tony’s along Wollaston Beach. Tony’s is the place if you love lobster rolls which I do, but the other day I was in the mood for a whole belly fried clam plate . . . Yum! Yum! Yum! 

The cross stitch piece above by designer Priscilla Blain of Stitching with the Housewives was completed last year, but I wasn’t crazy about how I had finished it. When I saw this display piece on the Paisleys and Polka Dots website, I knew it would be perfect for this piece. Paisleys and Polka Dots sells kits that you paint and then assemble. I glued a magnet to the wood  piece and a washer on the back of the cross stitch, so that I will be able to use it to display other pieces.

Lastly, here’s a look at the table mat that I had made for the retreat. The small green wool square is where I could park my needle and next to it is a place for my scissors. The little Campbell Kids lunch box was a thrifting find, and it contains my other stitching accessories. 

Well, that’s it. I have a jigsaw puzzle on the sunporch, and if it isn’t too cool, I may work on it for a while. Sit, stitch, read, puzzle . . . decisions . .  decisions . . . decisions. :-)

The Eclipse, an Amaryllis, and Breaking Resolutions

 Did you view the eclipse? It was indeed pretty cool!!! My friend Marilyn had given me two pairs of the special glasses, so I invited my friend Edith to join me in my special viewing area. Okay, we viewed it from the middle of my backyard. We had 93.4 eclipse coverage in our area, so it didn’t get dark or even dusk like, but it did get progressively cooler. 

I usually pick up a couple of amaryllis bulbs during the holiday season. The red one bloomed beautifully around Christmas, but this bulb was still in the box and, frankly, forgotten on a shelf in the cellar. I’m glad I came across it while searching for something else. :-) 

It’s April. How have you done keeping your New Year’s resolutions? Craft wise the results for me have been mixed. I haven’t accomplished as much as I had hoped to by this time. On the plus side, I have been quilting strictly from stash, but Saturday afternoon found me at The Quilted Crow in Bolton where I purchased a pattern and a few pieces of wool for a new wool applique project. Had I finished all the other wool projects waiting in the queue? Well, no, but I just couldn’t help myself. :-) This will be a spring themed piece, and I am looking forward to starting it.

Have a lovely week.

Happy Spring!

 Hello! It has been a minute. . . make that more than a month since my last post. I had been grounded for a few weeks with a foot issue, so there wasn’t much to write about. It was three weeks of sitting and stitching and sitting and reading . . . you get the picture. Things have improved, and on Friday I had a lovely trip to the grocery store. (I must say Stop and Shop home delivery has been great, but it was good to push a shopping cart again. :-),

It did give me time to stitch “Easter Tree “ by designer Shannon Christine. Though the piece is not that large it took quite a while to stitch due to all the color changes. If you know the pattern, you will realize that I left a few things out at the bottom. I also made great progress on a large piece which should be finished some time this week. I can’t wait to see it framed and hanging on the wall.

As for reading, I finished two novels both by William Martin. If you enjoy historical fiction, he is definitely an author to check out. As the title suggests, the first  deals with the California Gold Rush. Both are Peter Fallon novels. I finished the second in the wee hours of Saturday night. I was so close to the end that I could not put City of Dreams down. It begins with protagonist Peter Fallon receiving a text message asking if he is interested in saving America and a search is soon on for a mahogany box filled with twenty bonds from1780. This is the third William Martin book that I have read in the past two months, so I may choose to read something lighter next, but then I think I will go back and reread some of his other novels. Yes, he is that good! I can only hope that he is working on another Peter Fallon novel.

So, what have you been reading???

I received two beautiful flower arrangements for Easter; one from my godchild and her family and the other from her sister and her family who joined me for Easter dinner along with a friend. Bonus: My young cousin Des who is a Lego fanatic gave me a very lengthy, detailed explanation of the video game Brawlers. Am I ready to play? Did I understand it all? Not a clue, but it sure was fun listening to his enthusiastic, detailed explanation!

Last thing, did you know that this is the 50th anniversary of the tv series Little House on the Prairie based on the books by Laura Ingles Wilder? Nope, I don’t feel old . . . well maybe just a bit. :-) The television series is currently being broadcast in forty-six countries worldwide.

That’s it. Have a wonderful week. Wear protective lenses to view tomorrow’s eclipse, and don’t worry if you miss this one as there will be another total eclipse viewable in the USA on Aug. 23, 2044!!!

Fire Engine Quilt

 Good Sunday Morning! This is just a quick post to show you my latest quilt finish which I will be donating at a guild meeting on Tuesday. The center panel was purchased on a shop hop quite a few years ago. The yardage I purchased had four small fire engine sections. I had used one of the small panels in a piece which I donated last year. 

I’ve been busy kitting up a few cross stitch pieces. Since Christmas I have been focusing on just two projects but have decided that I would like a bit more variety in my daily stitching. 

The weather continues to hint of spring. This February will go down as one of the warmest on record, but we all know that March and even April may have some stormy surprises.

So, that’s all, short and sweet. This afternoon I’ll be with family celebrating my cousin twelfth birthday. 

Hope you all have a lovely, creative, wonderful week. :-)

“Snow Magical” and “Winter Cardinal Etching” - Two Cross Stitch Finishes

This piece is “Snow Magical” by designer Brenda Gervais. If you follow any flosstube channels on Youtube, you will know that this has been a very popular piece to stitch. The cute sweater and snow took a l-o-n-g time to stitch. Since Christmas, I have been working on this and one other larger piece, and I am glad to have finally finished this snowman. I chose a frame from Hobby Lobby to fully finish this piece.

Speaking of snow . . . in my previous post I wrote of an approaching snowstorm. Schools, meetings,  events, etc. were cancelled the day before, but then the forecast kept changing. The big snowstorm was a no show in my area although on parts of Cape Cod they received heavy snow. My friend Laurel sent this along which speaks to the difficulties of being a meteorologist in our area. If you don’t like our weather, just wait a minute.

Laurel also sent along a few photos that she had taken at the start of the lighthouse restoration project which I wrote about in a previous post.

Boy! I wish I had been there that day. :-)

I stitched this small piece, “Winter Cardinal Etching” by Cecelia Turner, this past week. The chart came from the 2020 Christmas/Winter issue of Punch Needle and Primitive Stitcher magazine. I stitched it for a gift when it first came out and always planned to stitch it again for myself. It took a few years to get around to it. I did change the floss used for the cardinal to DMC321 rather than the called for floss on the pattern. Cardinals in my area are bright red and the called for floss was a bit too dark.

On Wednesday, I received this sweet Valentine’s Day surprise from my godchild’s family. I can already see it displayed next year with the back filled with tiny Valentine cross stitch pillows. :-)

That’s it for now. Have a good week.

The Lincoln Letter and Snow Is Coming

 Today we honor and remember our 16th president who was born on February 12, 1809. It’s appropriate that I have just finished reading The Lincoln Letter, A Petter Fallon Novel by William Martin. It is one of the best books that I have read in the last few years. Martin is a brilliant story teller, and though I have read many books about this bloody period in our history, I came away with a deeper understanding of what life was like for the people who lived in our nation’s capitol during those turbulent times. 

When I reflect on it, I believe my interest in this period stems from knowing about my dad’s paternal grandfather who was an Irish emigrant. He was a gardener who enlisted at the age of forty. The Massachusetts Volunteer Militia was made up of Irishmen and men of Irish descent who answered Lincoln’s call. I have a copy passed down of the History of the Ninth Massachusetts Militia which documents the forming and service of this group. In the back of the book, a few lines are written about each man in  each company. If you were to see this book and examine Company E, you would find a  a small slip of faded pink paper on which in school girl handwriting,  I once wrote “My Great Grandfather” and his name to mark the page. When I was older, before sites like Ancestry came along, I sent away for and received his military records. They contained his enlistment papers, service records, and even the pension request forms from his widow. His first wife had died while he was in service, and after the war was over, he met and married a much younger woman, my great grandmother and then raised a second family.

Why am I telling you this? His last assignment before being released from duty and mustered out was due to serious health issues incurred from long hours of sentry duty along the Potomac. In this novel, the crowded hospitals for soldiers and the city of Washington are a backdrop for the story. 

If you enjoy historical fiction, I highly, highly recommend this suspense filled novel. 

SNOW IS COMING!!!

For the last three or four days, we have been experiencing  near spring-like weather. It even hit sixty degrees on Saturday. Glorious! BUT. . . we, New Englanders, are not easily fooled. I knew that touch of spring was a set up, all part of Mother Nature’s plan. So while I enjoyed taking Emma for walks each day, I waited for the other shoe to drop, and it has as we have a snowstorm moving in over night. Our guild meeting scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled as have all schools in the area. Along with the snow, we can expect high winds, just a typical nor’easter. It’s supposed to be a quick moving storm, so we will just have to see how much snow Mother Nature brings us.

Bundle up and keep your shovel handy. :-)

Photographic Outing Failure

 On Saturday, my friend Laurel texted me a photo of seals basking on rocks near the bridge on 3A in Scituate. She said she had never seen so many gathered there. Of course, my interest was piqued. Unfortunately, Sunday was already going to be busy. After church, I had gone with my friend Marilyn to the cinema in Randolph where they had a special 60th anniversary showing of My Fair Lady. 

There is something totally wonderful about viewing these classics on the big screen. You may remember that last year I saw Casablanca in that same theater. Though I had seen it maybe twenty times on tv, seeing it on the big screen was beyond amazing.

The next classic coming that I want to see is Gone with the Wind in April. As the date gets closer, I’ll be sure to let you know. Incidentally, this 60th anniversary showing of My Fair Lady was available in many other cinemas at the same time on both Sunday and Monday. 

Well, I still wanted to go photograph the seals so when Monday dawned with a bright blue sky (a rarity lately) and it was a balmy 38 degrees, I grabbed my ‘real’ camera and long lens and headed down to Scituate. There was not one seal to be spotted anywhere. :-(

Undaunted, I decided to go to Kennedy’s Garden Center just down the street from the bridge and perhaps there photograph some of their beautiful flowering plants . . . It was Monday;  Kennedy’s was closed. ;-(

Undaunted, I headed for the Scituate Lighthouse which is usually a perfectly lovely photographic subject. This is what I captured. :-(

For those not from the area, please know that this is truly a sweet little lighthouse with historical significance. When I returned home, I read on the Scituate Historical Society website about the restoration project.

So, did I capture any images at all? Yes, I did find one at the Scituate Harbor pier, and may I be the first to wish you a very Happy Valentine’s Day. ;-)

Better luck next time ;-).

Books in Bloom 2024

 

We have just concluded the fourth wettest January on record. One bright spot in this gray and dismal stretch has been “Books in Bloom” at the Tufts Library in Weymouth. The displays by members of the Weymouth Garden Club and others may be viewed until tomorrow afternoon. (2/3)  In case you were unable to attend, I thought that I would show you a few pieces. (As always, simply click on the photos for larger images to facilitate reading the info accompanying each display.)

The displays in the children’s section were equally fun and creative.

These floral displays remind us that spring will indeed come again; we just have to get through February and March. :-)

Snowman for Hire and Kitchen Front

“Snowman for Hire” is my first completed wool applique piece for 2024. When I saw this pattern by Primitive Gatherings, I knew that I would have to stitch it. The pattern was meant to be a table runner with the snowman scene on each end, but I chose to make a wallhanging instead.

 All of the wool came from my stash. The snowman is two layers thick to avoid shadowing from the black background underneath. It also made for a ‘puffier’ snowman. 

The embellishments used enhance the piece. The pattern called for making wool cardinals, but I found these cardinal buttons on Etsy. It turns out that there are lots of folks making/selling cardinal buttons, but these from PiecefulDesigns were just what I was looking for.

The pattern also called for a zillion colonial knots to create a snow effect. Well, I don’t mind stitching french knots and colonial knots, but I decided again to search Etsy for snowflakes. Though I already had some snowflake buttons on hand, the scale wasn’t right. Luckily, I found just the perfect teenie snowflakes at BritchesNBowsShop on Etsy. If you click on the photo, you will see just how perfect these snowflakes are. I used a dab of fabric glue to adhere each one.

Are you a fan of cooking contest on TV? If so, you might enjoy The Cooking Front by Jennifer Ryan. This novel is set in England during WWII, and the premise is that a radio program on the BBC is holding a cooking contest to inspire housewives dealing with the hardships of food rationing. The winner of the contest would become the program’s first female co-host. The recipes created by each of the contestants are included at the end of each chapter though I’m pretty sure they are not recipes you will be serving to your family and friends . . . especially the one with whale meat as the main ingredient. (Yes, you read that right. At the height of the food shortages, desperate housewives were encouraged to use many things which we might find appalling.) 

Halfway through the book, I wasn’t sure that I would be recommending this novel, but it built gradually and I ultimately found it a pleasant, informative read. 

To learn about rationing in our country, go to nps.gov and search for “Food Rationing on the Homefront.” While rationing in our country ended by 1945, rationing in Great Britain didn’t end until 1954.

That’s all for now. Keep warm.

Tear Open to Find Joy!

This tempting proclamation appeared on top of an item purchased at the grocery store yesterday. What was the item? Did I tear it open in search of joy? You betcha’! Did I find joy? You’ll have to keep reading to find out. ;-)

 Clearly, I have not kept up with my intention to post twice a week. So, how has 2024 been going for you so far? I was grounded with a foot issue for two weeks . . . offloading. . .  That means that for two long weeks I wasn’t supposed to put any weight on my foot. Fortunately, I had quilting, wool applique, cross stitching, and reading to keep me busy.

I was able to resume normal activities last Thursday. Yeah!!! Everything was good. . . but . . . not so fast. I happened to glance up at the upstairs ceiling in the hallway and spotted a crack and water stain! No!!!!!! A new roof is in my future when we have a warm, dry stretch. For now, I have a bucket in the attic. We are expecting rain a few times this week; wish me luck. (By the way, this roof is only twenty years old; usually a roof lasts twenty-five to thirty years, but the leak in mine is around a vent pipe. I’d say 2024 can only get better, but I sure don’t want to tempt fate.)

I don’t have any finishes to show, but I have been busy. A child’s quilt just needs an outer border and then to be quilted. My cross stitch focus has been alternating between two pieces, and I have a wool applique piece about 95% done. I also prepped a wool applique piece on which I plan to work while on an upcoming quilt guild retreat. 

At yesterday’s meeting of the Crosstown Quilt Guild, our guest speaker was Pat Delaney of  Crabtree Lane Studio. Her talk was very informative and the quilts that she showed were stunning. If you are not familiar with this award winning quilter, check out her site to see her quilts, the lectures that she offers, and learn about her upcoming retreats.

So, back to the title of this post . . . did I find joy? I didn’t, but Emma did and I got the idea for this post. 

Isn’t that something! Hope it made you smile.

Stay safe and may you find moments of joy each day. :-)

Getting Ready for Christmas 2024!!!

 

How cute is this little pillow, “Struttin’ “ from designer Teresa Kogut.  (I was going to label this post, “Struttin’ My Stuff,” but I feared I just might attract the wrong kind of audience. ;-) Anyway, I purchased this chart a few years back and finally pulled it out to stitch it a few weeks ago. Santa’s coat took a l-o-n-g time to stitch, but it was worth it to stitch this sweet, little reindeer. I FFO’d it this afternoon. Teresa Kogut’s charts are always delightful, and she has a wonderful flosstube where she shows her artwork and cross stitch designs on Youtube.

I’m planning to stitch one Christmas item each month to prepare for Christmas 2024. 

Youtube Tip:   I watched a documentary last week, “Leslie Caron: The Reluctant Star.” If you have an hour,  check this one out. It explores her childhood in Paris, her first role in “An American in Paris, her role in Gigi, and her long acting career. It was a visually lovely documentary.

I’m keeping this post short. Have a good week and keep warm; it’s cold outside. :-)

My Crafty Year in Review 2023

Is it really time to start dedecking the halls??? Say it isn’t so!!! I’m going to take my time even though I have been enjoying all of my decor since Thanksgiving weekend. This morning I removed the window candle lights and took care of the outdoor items which among other things meant removing the spotlight, taking down the ornaments from the front railings and from the shepherd’s hooks in the backyard, and finally lugging the old sled back into the garage. Mission accomplished. This afternoon I packed up the festive kitchen decor, but I’ll drag my heels packing away the ornaments. :-) Couldn’t I just leave the tree up in the corner of the living room as a decorative accent all year long?

Anyway, let’s get back to a review of what I have accomplished this year in my crafty life. :-) 

 Cross Stitch - I fully finished twenty-four pieces. My favorite was Mary Poppins.

Quilting . . . not so much - While I have worked on pillowcases, isolette covers for a Boston hospital, a wheelchair quilt for a veteran, comfort pillows, and a few other things that our Crosstown Quilt Quild donates to worthy organizations,  I only made one quilt, and that had been started years ago. Therefore, it  was my favorite completed quilt in 2023.

Wool Applique - I completed a few pieces, and this large Americana table runner was my favorite.

So, I managed to complete a few things last year, and I’ve already picked out a number of projects to begin working on this week. 

Today’s Youtube Tip:  End the season on a high note with “ Run, Run, Rudolph,”  with Brad Paisley and Steven Tyler 3:18 minutes of pure rockin’ fun. Promise me you will check this one out. Even if you only put “Brad Paisley” in the search, it will comes up. I hope these two collaborate on something else. :-)

Resolutions: once again . . . Lose ten pounds, read more, pick up my flute which I stopped playing during the pandemic, quilt more, have fun, travel . . . 

I heard someone on tv this morning point out that 2024 is a leap year.    Let’s all plan something really special for February 29th. 

Finally, my friend Laurel sent this along, and both Emma and I think it is adorable.