Wish I Had a Watermelon!

"Wish I had a watermelon! Wish I had a watermelon!" Do those words ring a bell with any of you? Here's why they have special meaning to me...When my sons were little my husband used to cut their hair for them. Multiply three boys times 8 to 10 haircuts per year times who-knows-how-many years and his hair-cutting skills sure saved us a lot of money! He would plop them on top of the bathroom vanity, drape a sheet around their necks, and whip out the scissors and hair-clippers. In the summers they would almost always get a buzz cut--short and cool. When my husband was finished he would then rub his hand around and around their soft, sweet, peach-fuzz like heads and recite those words, "Wish I had a watermelon. Wish I had a watermelon." The boys laughed and giggled each and every time. I never knew where my husband got that line until I Googled it and found out it was from an old episode Our Gang (The Little Rascals)."

So, in honor of our 34th wedding anniversary which is coming up in July, I dedicate my "Watermelon Garden" finish (by Ewe & Eye & Friends) to my dear husband. I changed the sign outside of the watermelon colored house so it has a watermelon on it and added the words: "EST. 1977"--the year we were married. I also added a little crow under the tree and moved the date and my initials to the lower left garden. Should I add another crow or leave it as is? I've been back and forth trying to decide...

I really enjoyed doing this SAL with my blogging friend from South Carolina Nancy. It has been fun to see how each of us "made it our own" by changing bits here and there and substituting different colors. I hope we'll have the chance to do another stitch along some day, Nancy! Mine is stitched on 40 ct. Vintage Light Examplar by Lakeside linens and uses both DMC and Sampler threads. It ended up being just under 5 inches square so I'm hoping to find a ready-made frame for it.

I want to thank Chris at Tot Hill Farm Stitches who passed the "Watermelon Garden" chart along to me in a giveaway. I would like to continue the kindness and pass it along myself so if you'd like to have a chance to win it, please let me know in your comments...

Now for a recap of the third stop in our 12 day European adventure: the Spanish city of Barcelona, the second most populous city in Spain. We had a wonderful (and very cute!) guide named Carlos who led us through the city's most well-known sights. Because of his knowledge and enthusiastic love of his city, I feel like we learned more about Barcelona than any of the other cities we visited.

You can't go anywhere in Barcelona without hearing the name Antoni Gaudí. Gaudí was the Modernista architect responsible for much of Barcelona's most unusual architecture. His works reflect his love of nature and religion.

Gaudí's most famous work is La Sagrada Familia church.
Construction began on it over 100 years ago in 1882 and
isn't expected to be completed for another 15-20 years!

From a distance, the church almost looked like it was made of sand.
But, look closely--hundreds of carved images cover the exterior.

You'll see the depiction of Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus.

And here are the carvings of the three wisemen and some angels.

A small portion of the breathtaking interior above the main altar.

I've never seen a church like this, have you?

Gaudí's Park Guell features this magnificent mosaic serpentine bench.

More images of the whimsical Park Guell.

Gaudí's La Pedrera (Casa Mila) was finished
in 1912 for a wealthy couple.

The crazy roof-top terrace of La Pedrera!

More La Pedrera (Casa Mila) images.

I loved all the beautiful flower-laden wrought iron balconies.

Our guide took us through one of the local markets: La Boqueria.

We saw mounds of colorful fruits and vegetables...

...and marveled at the rows of hanging ham legs.
Shaved Jamón ibérico (Iberian ham) made such a tasty appetizer.

Aren't these dried fruits and nuts delectable looking?

Of course, this booth of chocolatey delights was my favorite stop!

La Rambla is a bustling pedestrian street filled with
cafes, flower, souvenir, and bird stalls,
caricaturists, and wild looking spray-painted mimes.

Built between 1329 and 1383 Santa Maria del Mar is a
wonderful example of Catalan Gothic architecture.

The Columbus Monument is located at the spot in Barcelona
where Columbus returned after his first voyage to The Americas.

I hope you're enjoying my photos from our trip...next stop on our journey will be Granada, Spain, home of the spectacular Alhambra!













I was thrilled to hear from Sandra of Homespun Elegance that I had won one of her newest designs in her recent giveaway. Don't you just love that dear sheep pulling his basket of Americana? This is part of her "Delivering" series of which I'm a huge, huge fan...I already own several charts from the series and I'm thrilled to add "Delivering Liberty" to it! Thank you so much, Sandra--I can't wait to begin stitching your gift. And thank you for your lovely hand-painted notecard...It is too pretty to put in the mail--think I'll frame it for my family room. Oh, how I wish I could paint or draw. I suppose that is why I stitch--it makes me feel as if I'm just a teeny bit artistic!

Don't forget...if you'd like to have a chance to win the Ewe & Eye & Friends "Watermelon Garden" chart giveaway, please let me know in your comments and make sure to leave your email address if it isn't connected with your profile. I'll announce the winner in my next blog entry...

Thank you for all of your wonderful comments on my last post... I truly appreciate the time you each take in dropping by to say "hi" every week. I know this is an especially busy season of the year for us all so the fact that you take a moment to leave a comment means even more to me. Have a great week everyone! Bye for now...