Hello Autumn! All around catch up and updates!

Lots of things happening, and just a bit of stitching! It's been quite a couple of months. I can't believe it's been that long. I've had a birthday, which was really wonderful, a beach vacation, and a major dental surgery. Still dealing with the latter, since it was just one week ago, but it's going just fine so far. I survived. Just a bit of an update on my Sisters of the Broom. 

Now for the kicker. I am doing this on 16 ct. aida, which is really pretty! I like it so much. But I'm using one strand of floss and I'm not grooving on my stitches. Of course. So I'm toying with the idea of switching it up to linen and using two strands. How crazy am I here? I know it's probably almost 50% done, but I want to be happy with it. And I'm stressing over it. I'm going to lay off of it for a while and see how I feel in a week or so I think. 

The vacation. It was wonderful! Here was the view from our house right on the beach. 

Getting away with the kids was just what I needed. I wish I could capture that feeling all year long. My sweet little grand dog, Franklin, even slept with me one night! That is a pretty big deal because his pawrents were just down the hall and he didn't want to go to bed with them! He stayed until about 4:45am when he had to go out and I'm so glad I went, because I hadn't seen the stars that magnificent in a long while. It was amazing.

The weather was perfection for the entire seven days. Lots of mini-golfing and lots of shopping and eating and enjoying the weather and the beach.

As I said to someone recently, I know what I would do with my lottery winnings. 

I made this kitty for my mom for her birthday. Turned out so adorable! You can find the pattern HERE.

Every time I make one of these little things, it's like saying hello to a new tiny friend, lol. They are just so much fun.

Well, that's it from me for now. I'll decide what to do with Sisters of the Broom soon. I hope everyone is having a fabulous start to their Autumn season so far. I am going to try and do a few things I haven't done the past couple of years. And cook some things I haven't tried yet.  

See you soon!

Pineberry Lane All Good Witches and Updates

I'm calling both of these done. Good Witches only needs the centers of the diamonds on the dresses filled in. Otherwise it's done. It was very hard for me to work on this or even want to keep it, quite honestly. I started it when Jenny was alive, and I have a difficult time finishing projects that are ongoing when something bad happens. Anyone else have this issue? 

Regardless, I did manage to derive some enjoyment from putting in some stitches recently. Even more so when I found a few stray hairs in this piece. They will definitely make it in to the framed piece when the time comes. This is one that I can say I'm just glad it's done and I'll be happy to move on to my next project.

Little Jenny hair

Looks like the VA heat is going to be awful and oppressive this week again. I'm telling you, I really feel for all the little (and big!) animals out there. Just seems to be no break.

I have been wanting to learn to embroider forever. I decided to give it a go a couple weeks ago and bought a little tiny pattern on Etsy. I think I enlarged it too much because I definitely have way more embroidering going on here than the designer had! But I'm learning, so I'm not going to be too hard on myself for now. I can definitely see doing more of this in the future.

I'll try to finish this one up this week. Work has been abysmally slow. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy that, but I have to try to make up the time somehow and that gets a bit tiresome. No pleasing me apparently! LOL.

I need to stitch, crochet, embroider and sew more. It takes me out of my life somewhat and gives my brain something to focus on and concentrate on, and aside from all the beautiful things we make, isn't that why we do it anyway? I think it is. It's like a form of meditation with needle and floss or thread.

I made these earlier in the spring when I really need a break from my thoughts. I think they turned out pretty good!

I also crocheted this for myself after making one for my sweet daughter in law. I love this thing so much.

I have more to catch up on, but I'll leave that for next time! I sincerely hope everyone who comes across this blog is well, and enjoying life, and getting lots of stitching done. Be back soon with a new stitch and more updates! Take care everyone.

It's been a rough few months.

I don't want to make this post. I have avoided it for four months. She'd have been 18 today. For some insane reason, I thought this pup would live forever. Not to be. To say my life has changed is an extreme understatement. Extreme. I had this pup for nearly 1/3 of my ENTIRE LIFE. That's a long time. We've owned seven pups over 35 years and I have loved them all. This was my heart and soul dog. And now she's gone. And I am devastated. I don't have a big enough or good enough word to say how much we love and miss her.

She was there for me through the loss of almost all my other pups. I've been at my current job for 17 years. I've never worked this job without her watching over me. Life just kind of sucks right now in this moment. She was a beautiful, fun, spunky, little spirited pup. She weighed all of 11 lbs and the hole in my life is enough to drive a tractor trailer through. Funny how that happens. 

Jenny Lynn. Also known as Boo Boo, Jenny Penny, Little Sweet, Lil' Sweet, Baby Girl, Boogie, Boogalicious, Jenny Girl, Sweet Monkey, and a host of other intermittent sweetie names. Couldn't say a word, but was a great communicator. It was the consensus early on that she was the most hilarious dog we've ever had. So funny. Had a real sense of humor. Fantastic guard dog, and I never felt safer than when she was sleeping next to me.

Jenny Lynn 

6/29/06 - 2/28/24

The above graphic is a true representation! Small of stature, huge of spirit and tenacity. The best. 

I promise I'll be back soon, in a few days, with some needlework updates. A few stitches here and there and something new. Been trying like mad to keep my mind and my hands busy. It's been really rough.

The heat here in VA is going up and up. Last week was brutal. I guess mild summers won't be seen here anymore and I miss them. Stay cool, take it easy and have a good upcoming holiday. I'll be back! Promise.

Amigurumi January!

I inadvertently crocheted a bunch of amigurumi in January! I thought about doing a couple for V-Day gifts and they just multiplied. I'm hoping my Galentine's Day recipients don't read this blog (I doubt they will!), and I couldn't wait to post them so here they are: 

 I made these hearts in a pod in worsted weight too, and I literally cannot stand how cute they are. 

 I mean, RIGHT? AAAAGH! So precious, lol. 

And I just made this today for my son's best friend, who is embarking on a new single life in his own apartment this weekend. Here's to all his good fortune this year! I hope you can tell it's a fortune cookie!

So, my stitching and designing have taken a back seat to these cuties. I could not help myself. 

My little Jenny girl is healing up, and getting back to her somewhat normal self, complete with a bit of doggie dementia. She is sleeping better and though we are now hand feeding her, she's eating, so that is good!

Feb will be the month for stitching! I have one project to finish and a million to start. How are you guys faring with the beginning of the year? 

My mom and I get together most every year to go over our goals for the upcoming year. But I had a suggestion this year that we go over them every couple months to see where we are at. Too easy to let things fall by the wayside. But you also don't want to set yourself up for any failure so we think hard about these goals. They were all pretty reasonable, so we shall see!

I hope everyone reading this is having a great start to the year and enjoying themselves. Good luck with all your goals and endeavors this year. I'll check in soon with more updates and hopefully a stitchy finish!

 

End of Year Wrap Up! Goodbye 2023!

We are at the end of another year. It turns and turns whether we want it to or not. I haven't done much stitching at all, but finishing up Summer Bouquet was a years long goal of mine. I have always loved that sampler and I am so happy I finished it! I'll take it in for finishing soon! I'm not that confident with pinning and framing linen, so I'll probably leave this one to someone else to do. I do hope to continue to work on stitching that I love this next year. It's just been tough lately. 

Here's a pitiful update on All Good Witches by Pineberry Lane. The lighting on these is awful, lol. Oh well. You get the jist!

I did lots of amigurumi projects this year and I was really happy with that! I need to keep using up all this yarn, so I'll be crocheting more this year too. I also started designing here and there again, but haven't officially released anything just yet. Maybe I'll get there soon.

Look at my second gorgeous embroidery from my amazing daughter in law! So beautiful! I'm in awe of her embroidery skills! I am so appreciative of her time and effort in making these things for me. Just awe inspiring.

Our Christmas was so wonderful. The kids came over in the morning and after an incredible opening of gifts in which they got us the most thoughtful and great things, we cooked a big breakfast and we all sat around and enjoyed it at our table. My father in law lives with us now and it was so nice for him to celebrate his second holiday here with us.

Thanksgiving was good. I got to see my nephews for the first time in 2 years. Dynamics change when people get divorced and that is what happened here. I sure miss seeing them, but they are busy boys now with lots to do and two households to do it in. One of them is graduating college soon and they've just grown up while the world was spinning and I have missed out on most of it! Seeing them, and being with my kiddos was the best thing about it. I could honestly do without Thanksgiving though. Not really my favorite holiday or event. Am I weirdo feeling like that? Anyone else who isn't fond of Thanksgiving please chime in, lol!

My sweet little boo boo had to have surgery this past Friday. She's doing OK, and recovering well. But this pup is 17.5 years old! She is s tough little Jack Russell and keeps on trucking. This past year has been tough on her with losing her eyesight and most of her hearing. She still loves to eat and has a good appetite. One of us usually always has to be home with her as she gets stuck in corners and her legs may splay out on the wood floor areas. Poor baby. Sweet little Jenny. She had this same surgery last year, when she was ONLY 16.5 years old, and it was a totally different game. She is just much more delicate this year.

She is officially the last pet we'll have. I just don't have it in me anymore. We've given 7 doggies, 2 kitties, quite a few fish, and two guinea pigs a good life. I'm done! 

Well, I'm tired from caretaking for a little doggie this weekend, and it's NYE, so I'm going to sign off. I hope everyone has a great New Year's Eve and new start to 2024! Take care of yourselves and one another. Be back soon!

Goings on and Summer Bouquet!

Happy July! Hope everyone is well. Been working on a few things and trying to put some stitches in Summer Bouquet too, when I can! Here she is so far. 

Those bleeding hearts are awesome. I did something I've never done before and tried Anchor spooled floss! The hearts called for DMC 221, so I took it to JoAnn's and eyeballed the closest thing I could find and it was Anchor 0045. Here's a comparison pic for you.

At least for this experiment, I thought the Anchor was more vibrant with a very nice sheen to it. It was also "stiffer" or not as soft as the DMC, which I kind of preferred. It was also not nearly as fuzzy as DMC tends to be anymore. I usually wet and straighten the floss and use Thread Magic conditioner on it to try and cut down the fuzzy halo. 

So there you go. Just my own opinion on this first try of the Anchor. I would definitely use it again and wish I had decided to that with the brown used for the alphabet in this piece. Oh well! Next time!

My sweet kid turned 27 last month. Becoming his mom changed my life so much. I cannot imagine it without him or his wife and all they've brought to my existence. I sure miss them not living here, but I'm so happy they are enjoying life on their own and we see them all the time! 

My little Jenny turned 17 last month too! WOW. She's not as strong or as able as she was as a young 15 year old Jack Russell, but she's aging gracefully and still capable of trying to take down a rabbit (if she sees it of course) and showing up on time every day for breakfast and dinner! It's been 17 years of entertainment with this one!

I've been working on creating this simple little fun pattern of a chick. SO fun and SO cute. You can get the pattern HERE. She has other super cute ones too!

It has been SO hot here. Humidity too for good measure. I have tired of VA summers. And winters. I always love the sky in summer however. I caught a pretty cloud display the other evening.

Can I just please get paid to go around and take pretty pictures? Is that too much to ask? I think not. Oh well.

I hope everyone is getting lots of stitching time in and life is treating you well. I'll be back again soon with more updates and hopefully a near or full finish of Summer Bouquet. 

Take care!

Getting there on Summer Bouquet!

Been a while again! I have some progress on Cedar Hill's Summer Bouquet. She's so pretty. 

Hopefully I can get it done by the actual start of Summer in a few weeks! 

There hasn't been too too much else happening lately. My son will turn 27 next weekend, and I absolutely cannot believe it. He's really accomplished a great deal and I'm so proud of him. Love that kid.

Speaking of birthdays, my sweet little Jenny will be 17 at the end of the month! She likes to snooze a lot, but has a great appetite. Her joints give her some problems and I bought a light therapy tool I've started using today. It has great reviews and people have said it really helps their pups with arthritis, so I hope it can help her too. Her eyes and ears have given out on her the past year, but we accommodate that. And sometimes she will really run around the yard and actually fence fight with the dog next door, LOL. It's so hard seeing her getting older and all that comes with it, but I'm so so thankful we've had all this time together! Looking forward to as much more as we can get!

Take care of yourselves and enjoy this warmer weather. I heard we've already entered hurricane season. Seems like we just got out of hurricane season! Wow.

Get lots of stitching time in and I'll be back soon with another update!

 

Summer Bouquet - Purple makes an appearance!

What another beautiful week it has been! And the appearance of purple in this sampler just made me so happy. The color is gorgeous. It's DMC 791 and it's an ultraviolet purple. So so gorgeous and nice to work with too! 

It's been a wonderful weekend too. We had some downpours yesterday but nothing like the apocalypse they had been predicting. The perennial garden is taking some shape with a few plants put in and the moonflowers are beginning to come out of the ground from seeds we planted a couple weeks ago. Ah, Spring!

My kids and I saw John Wick 4 this weekend. I absolutely love Keanu Reeves and these movies. I know, super violent, but I can't help it. Just love them. LOL. 

The sweetie Grand Dog, Franklin, had his ONE YEAR birthday last week!!!! He's a ball of energy and just super happy and sweet. He got lots of toys and love on his birthday--all in all, not too different from any other day, but he had a banner and some things that made it special. We had fun watching him open his presents.

And my little girl, Jenny, has been good. Her birthday is in a couple months and we will have a nice one for her! She loves to sleep in, as evidenced here on Saturday morning.

This baby has such a routine. She knows in her bones what time breakfast and dinner is and she sticks to it, regardless of what the daylight savings time says. She also knows what time bed time is (8pm at the VERY latest), and she will do laps around the house and then look up at the staircase leading to the bedroom to let me know that "hey mom, have you lost your mind? It's time for BED!"

Well, that's it for me now, but I hope you all have a lovely upcoming week! Temps back down in the 60's with some rainy days this week, but the plants need it, so it's all good. Take care of one another and get some stitchy or crafty time in if you can!

See you soon with more Summer Bouquet!

Cedar Hill and Tiny Mouse

Been a rough, busy week here! In spite of it all, I managed to work on my Cedar Hill Summer Bouquet. 

I think she's turning out lovely. I am trying to let go of my perfectionist nature a bit. Perfection is the enemy of good. And perfection is the enemy of DONE. I still waver between my idea of perfection and good enough for me. In between is OK!

For instance, the directions on the piece said that doing one stitch at a time is the ONLY way to achieve the desired effect on the black eyed susans. Well I really loathe doing "xxxx", and much prefer "////", then making the full cross stitch on the way back to the left. And as you can see, they turned out lovely with really nice variegation! Good enough for me!

I started crocheting a little tiny mouse and have the head done. And seriously, her face just melts me! I won't be able to work on the rest of her for a bit, but she's going to be precious!

Let's see...my little granddog, Franklin, got neutered last week and boy oh boy, was he pitiful. Then at about 4am Friday morning, my father in law had to go to the hospital by ambulance with some breathing and heart issues. He soldiered on through, but needs some medication changed up and he should be good to go with maintenance of course! He will be 88 in June, and I think he's done quite well, especially after losing his wife last year. 

I hope everyone reading this is doing well! I'll be back soon with more updates!

Take care and get lots of stitching in!