Week Seventeen: Secret Flower Bed

This week I stitched a piece by The Trilogy aptly named "Secret Flower Bed." If you look closely among the maze of flowers, leaves, and twigs you can spot a wee lady bag, two bumblebees, a small brown bird, a white-tailed bunny, and a teeny-tiny green worm (let me tell you stitching an eye on that little worm was not easy!). I used a natural color 28 count linen with Weeks Dye Works, The Gentle Art Sampler Threads, and DMC floss plus 3 tiny pinkish buttons for accents.

This time of year gardening comes alive in our yard. This past month we have been trying to rebuild the fence around the vegetable garden (or as my husband calls it "the compound"). We have such a problem with deer, groundhogs, and rabbits helping themselves to our freshly sprouting vegetables and flowers that we have to fence the area in and then surround the fence with chicken wire buried deeply enough to keep the burrowing animals out. What a job; but the end result is worth the work with an abundance of lettuce, tomatoes, beans, peas, zucchini, and fresh flowers all summer long...

Week Sixteen: Prairie Schooler Chicks

Here a chick, there a chick, everywhere a chick chick! This week I stitched another egg-shaped pattern from The Prairie Schooler's "Just Hatched" leaflet using 18-count ivory aida and DMC floss. It was a fun and very quick stitch-- good for this past week with Easter, work, doctor's and hair appointments...

I can never look at a baby chick without thinking of our "near disaster" with some newly hatched ducklings. Our pond, which lies at the far end of our property, is a magnet for wildlife of every kind. We have visits from deer, hawks, squirrels, herons, groundhogs, Canadian geese, and of course, ducks. About 15 years ago, the ducks had hatched some darling fluffy babies who, after a few days of "waking up" decided to learn to swim in our pond. We all enjoyed watching them happily paddling on the water, but one day we looked out and there was not a single duckling to be found. Walking back to the pond to explore further, we could hear them peeping like crazy, but not one was in sight. We traced the peeping to the pond's drain pipe--the poor things had swum right over it and had been washed down! With some quick thinking on my husband's part, he ran next door, borrowed the neighbor's golf ball retriever and rescued the scared little things--our hero! Needless to say, from that point on, the drain has been covered with a screen of some sort to prevent further mishaps. There is a new duck couple enjoying the pond this spring so hopefully we'll have some baby chicks to enjoy very soon...

Week Fifteen: Prairie Schooler Bunnies

Another cross stitch bunny finish for the third week in a row. Well, I have to admit it--I love the little fellows. Just ask my family...I have rabbit accessories scattered throughout my home. After all, tomorrow is Easter so what could be more appropriate? I'm looking forward to spending the day with my family, cooking a tasty dinner, and just being plain thankful for all the special guys in my life. Being the only female in a family of four men (my husband and three grown sons) is not always easy, but I wouldn't trade them for any number of girls. My sons were actually the ones who encouraged me to start this blog to help me keep a visual record of my "creations" throughout the year. This week's design is another Prairie Schooler pattern that I stitched on 18-count ivory aida using DMC threads. It is from the "Just Hatched" leaflet and I eventually hope to finish this piece and the one from week thirteen into egg shaped ornaments to be enjoyed for many Easters to come...Wishing you all a blessed Easter!

Week Fourteen: Daffodil Run

Springtime brings an abundance of both daffodils and rabbits to our backyard so I couldn't resist stitching this tiny ornament! "Daffodil Run" is designed by Just Nan--I love the littlest details in her designs, especially the little garland of roses around the bunnies' necks and the daffodils sprouting from each corner (although by the time I was on my fourth rabbit, I was a bit tired of stitching the little bunnies!). I used 32-count flax Belfast linen and DMC threads and attached the cute daffodil charm that came with the pattern.