Delivering Liberty

Good morning, everyone! Hope your week is off to a great start... Recently, I was lucky enough to win the chart "Delivering Liberty" in a giveaway from Sandra at Homespun Elegance and, guess what? I loved it so much, I already finished it. Don't you love this funky sheep. He reminds me a bit of those judges who wear those long wigs--does anyone else see the resemblance?


This is stitched on 32 ct. putty Belfast linen using DMC, WDW, Nina's, and Sampler Threads (although I substituted several of the suggested over-dyeds for similar shades I already had in my collection.) To complete the piece, I added some black French-knot "seeds" to the watermelon and sewed on two coconut button "wheels." I didn't have the little flag charm that was featured on the chart, so I simply added another gold star in its place. I wonder if there will be any watermelon left by the time Mr. Sheep arrives at his destination with that black crow hitching a ride? So, here is my framed piece (which fit perfectly into a ready-made 5" X 7" frame!), all ready for the next 4th of July!








I told you I was a fan of the Homespun Elegance "Delivering" series. Just look at all these other cute designs that I've collected through the years. So far I've only stitched "Delivering Posies," but I know all of them will eventually wind up in my finishes pile. Thank you, Sandra, for sharing your talent with us and for sending me such a great addition to my Homespun Elegance chart collection.

Now for my next travel report on the fourth stop on our European adventure: the magical Alhambra in Granada, Spain.

The Alhambra

Our trip from the airport to our hotel in Granada's medieval El Albaicin district was one that I'll never forget. Because we are a family of five, we had to split into two groups and take two taxis. Thank goodness my two younger sons both speak Spanish because the taxi drivers certainly didn't speak English! I felt like I was in some sort of wild action/adventure movie as the taxis sped through the steep, narrow, curving, and very dimly lit streets of the old Moorish quarter to our hotel. Honestly, those streets could barely hold one car, they were so narrow. When a car came through, any pedestrians had to flatten their bodies against the buildings to avoid being hit! Add in the fact that we arrived at nearly midnight and you can see why it was such an unforgettable ride...

One of the very narrow, steep streets
in the Moorish section of Granada.

Although Granada has many other sights and things of historical interest, we only had one day there so we, of course, spent it touring The Alhambra. When we arrived, we were first treated to a tour of The Generalife which was used as a summer palace and a place of rest for Muslim royalty back in the 14th century.

We saw beautiful gardens...

ancient buildings with lovely fountains...

breathtaking views of the countryside near Granada...

and even lovelier panoramas.

The interior views were just as spectacular.

The next stop was the Palace of Charles V who ruled the Holy Roman Empire from 1516 to 1556.

The Palace of Charles V.

The highlight of The Alhambra visit was The Palacios Nazaries. Although, the colors have faded through the years, you can still see the amazing architecture of 14th century Moorish rulers. It was the most stunning and unusual collection of buildings I've ever seen...

The throne room the Sala de Embajadores, Hall of the Ambassadors.

Hall of the Abencerrajes at the Palacios Nazaries

The stunning Granada countryside
as seen through the palace windows.

The ceilings at The Alhambra have held up the best through the centuries.

Some of the intricate scroll-work, honeycomb-like
architecture, and mosaic work at the Palacios Nazaries.

Our final stop at The Alhambra was The Alcazaba--the fortress that protected the entire complex.

A Moorish arch led to The Alcazaba.
The Alcazaba is the oldest portion of The Alhambra
complex which fell to Spanish rule in 1492
ending seven centuries of Muslim rule.

Some of the ruins of The Alcazaba.

The view from the top of the Torre de la Vella at The Alcazaba.
The Sierra Nevada mountains loom in the distance.

If you ask any of us what our favorite moment on our trip was, I think we would each respond that it was the evening meal we shared at Restaurante Ruta Del Azafran. As we gazed up at The Alhambra and watched the skies change from bright blue to an almost haunted-looking shade of midnight we truly felt the magic of The Alhambra that others have described. The meal was one of the finest on our trip and I doubt that we'll ever have such a memorable vista by which to dine...

The view of the Alhambra when we sat down to eat about 8 PM.

The sun begins to fade.

Dusk descends and the lights flicker on.

I think we could have happily stayed here all night

just gazing up at this hauntingly beautiful sight.

Just a few of the steep, winding steps we climbed
after dinner for even better views of The Alhambra.

So that ends the tour for today. Hope you enjoyed your armchair traveler's view of Granada and The Alhambra. Next stop will be Ronda, one of the most famous "white towns" in Spain.


I was so touched to receive this beautiful handmade card, bird chart, and ribbons and floss (in my favorite blues!) from an email friend in England. June wanted to thank me for encouraging her to start her own blog. I'm delighted to introduce her new blog, Butterfly Wings to you. Please drop in and say "hello"--she is doing a wonderful job on her new venture and her stitching, gardens, and stitching room are just beautiful. And, guess what? June is offering her very first giveaway! Thank you for your kindness, June--I just adore this little hummingbird card and your other goodies sure put a smile on my face :)







Most of you know that I love to bake and make sweet concoctions, but now that we're empty nesters I've cut way back on that particular hobby. I really miss it and so was thrilled to make a new and fattening treat for the 4th of July weekend when we had some extra mouths to feed. All I can say about this Peanut Butter Pie is wow!! Decadent, delicious, delectable, delightful, divine!! Let's put it this way--a small piece goes a very long way... I sent my youngest son this photo in a blatant attempt to lure him home. Looks like it worked--he'll be coming for a quick visit this weekend...


And finally, the winner of my giveaway for the "Watermelon Garden chart is:

Theresa at Giraffe Crossing blog

Congratulations, Theresa--I hope you'll enjoy stitching this as much as I did and that you'll pass it on once you are finished. Thanks to all who entered...it was nice to see some new commenters among my very loyal regulars! I hope you'll continue to visit.

Thanks for dropping by today...hope you aren't too bored with my travel photos. Don't worry, I'm not turning this into a travel blog; it's just that I want to have a way to share my photos with my non-stitching family and friends. Your wonderful comments are much appreciated--thank you all! Bye for now...