Blood, sweat, and tears

Good morning everyone! Well, the title of this post isn't exactly what you'd think of when it comes to a blog about cross stitching, is it? I'll get to the meaning behind it after I share a bit of stitching and the photos from the second stop on our European trip with you.

My ornament for the month of June is this cute Prairie Schooler Santa from Book No. 48: "A Christmas Visit." I call this skinny bird-loving guy my "around the world Santa" because he was stitched mainly in airports all over the world from Philadelphia, to Munich, to Barcelona, to Madrid. I stitched a little bit in each airport and then finally finished him up here this week.

If you're familiar with the chart, you'll notice that I left the bottom part of it off that was supposed to have the year stitched in it. I'm not crazy about having dates on my ornaments because, to me, they always look "old" after that particular year has passed. So, I decided he looked just fine as is. He's stitched on 32 ct. sage jobelan with the recommended DMC threads.

When I was putting my June ornament away in my giant under-the-bed ornament box, I spotted the others from 2011 and thought you might like to see a photo of all six of the ornaments together. I love each and every one and can't wait to add them to my Christmas tree in six months. Do you have a favorite? All but two are stitched "over one"--would you say I'm an "over one" addict?


My stitch-along with Nancy (Watermelon Garden by Ewe & Eye & Friends) is progressing, too. There is a lot of solid stitching in this one and I think it may end up taking longer than I had planned. But, I'm truly enjoying stitching it. I changed the color of the house and watermelon from the cherry red that was suggested on the chart to a more berry, "watermelony" color--what do you think?

So, on to the next stop on our trip: Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg was a last minute day-trip that we took from Munich and I'm so glad we ended up adding it on. It was definitely one of my favorite spots--I only wish we had had more time to enjoy there than just one afternoon.

The first glimpse of Salzburg from the window of the bus.

The lovely Salzac River. "Salz" is the German word for salt.

Are you a lover of The Sound of Music like me? If so, this garden

should look very familiar to you. It's where Maria and the children
sang "Do-Re-Mi." This is the stunning Mirabell Palace and Gardens.

And these are the famous steps on which the "Sound of Music" cast

performed the Do-Re-Mi song! I tried to get the guys to do a "Sound of
Music" tour of Salzburg, but had no luck. Guess I'll have to go back
again someday with some girlfriends. Anyone up for it?

The wonderful Pegasus fountain where Maria and the von Trapp
children danced and sang (see the last photo in this link.
(I have a great photo of my whole family standing in front of
this fountain. If you'd like to see it, just let me
know in your comments and I'll email it you.)

One of the charming streets filled with bustling shops in old Salzburg.

Did you know that Mozart was born in Salzburg?
Yep--right in this bright yellow building in 1756.

Another "Sound of Music" sight--the Residenz Fountain where
Julie Andrews sang "I Have Confidence" on her way
to begin working for the von Trapp family:
"I have confidence in sunshine
I have confidence in rain
I have confidence that spring will come again
Besides which you see I have confidence in me!"

Chess anyone?

This sign indicates that this is the courtyard
where the cows were to be washed!

Construction on the imposing Hohensalzburg Castle,
which sits on top of the Festungsberg Mountain, began in 1077.

A close-up of view of a portion of Hohensalzburg Castle.
Yes, the sky really was that blue!

The incredible view of Salzburg from Hohensalzburg Castle.

Can you imagine living in this beautiful setting
with the Alps in your backyard? Sigh...

A shop selling traditional Austrian clothing: the dirndl and Lederhosen.

Probably the prettiest cemetery I've ever seen! Does anyone know
if all Austrian cemeteries are like this with the raised flower beds
at the foot of each gravestone? I could have wandered around there
all day reading the inscriptions and admiring the lovely blooms.

And that wraps up my Salzburg leg of the trip. On my next post we'll visit a city with a very different feel: Barcelona, Spain...

So, I suppose you're wondering about the "Blood, Sweat, and Tears" that I mentioned earlier? Well, that has pretty much described my life over the past four days. You see, my oldest son had oral surgery on his gums on Thursday and I have been helping care for him while he temporarily moved home during his recovery. I just have one word to describe the experience: "blood." Oh, my, let's just say I could never have had a career in medicine. Even though I come from a long line of doctors (father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and several cousins), I am completely thrown by blood. I get weak-kneed at the mere thought of it. And believe me, "thinking" of it is not all that has been happening. My poor son--I think he and I have seen more blood this week than in our entire lives so far. His mouth is healing, but a lot more slowly and painfully than we ever would have anticipated.





The "sweat" comes from being told by my youngest son on Wednesday afternoon that he was moving to Washington, D.C. on Saturday for a summer internship (paid, thankfully!) which he just found out he had received. Can you say stress? Getting someone ready for a major move in two days sure worked up a sweat--the shopping, the washing, the ironing, the packing. It actually took my middle son, who's an engineer, to figure out how to get all of the youngest son's "stuff" into the allotted two suitcases... (The secret is to roll your clothes, put them in plastic bags, and remove the air from them--amazing!) When we discovered the price of a one-way airline ticket was over $300.00 and he'd have to travel from Pittsburgh to Boston just to get to D.C., we found a great deal ($21.50!!) on Megabus. Has anyone out there used Megabus? Some of their fares are as low as $1.00 between major cities--incredible!

So, by now, I think the "tears" part of my blog post title is obvious. Yes, my youngest is leaving, flying the nest, maybe for good. You see, he hopes to find a permanent job in D.C. and being down there this summer for his internship will certainly enable him to be available for interviews much more easily than if he were here at home. We said our goodbyes privately at home before I took him to the bus stop. "Thanks for everything, mom. I love you," he said as he hugged his weeping mother. Although we are extreme opposites in our habits and I complain about his lack of order, late hours, and that sort of thing, he is such a positive, happy person who brings a lot of laughter into our home. I know I'll miss him dearly. In fact, I already do...

So, that winds up another (too long!) post. I hope you're enjoying my vacation photos and that you feel as if you took that fun trip right along with me. I always like to imagine what a pleasure it would be to take a trip around the world just visiting blogging friends!

Wishing you all a very special week and I truly thank you for your comments and emails. They never fail to bring a smile :) Bye for now...