Small Finishes and Fall Travels

Hello, my stitching friends! I'm in between trips here--just returned from our anniversary vacation to North Carolina this past weekend and will leave for New York to visit with my parents tomorrow. But, I wanted to pop in and say "hi" to everyone and share a few photos with you. Thank you all so much for your kind comments on my bowl of "squirrely" finishes in my last post. Whether you love the little guys or not, you have to admit they are very entertaining and (I think) rather cute. I also want to wish my new followers a big welcome--so happy to have you here and I hope you'll find something in my blog to make you smile.

I've stitched my first piece for my October bowl of smalls--the bottom scene from Prairie Schooler Book No. 132 "Autumn Leaves." Can anyone guess what my "theme" will be for this month? Here's a hint: it is something stitched in this little fall scene. I used the suggested DMC colors for this and stitched it on 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle Linen.

 

I love how the autumn "leaves" spell out numbers in the grass of this tiny sampler... Reminds me of how we used to play in the leaves when I was a young girl. We would rake them into straight lines to form the blueprint of a house and then "play house." Does anyone else remember doing that or was that just something my friends and I loved to do? I then turned the stitching into a small pillow using two coordinating fabrics, some orange ric-rak,  and a pair of buttons...I'm very pleased with how this one turned out!

 "Autumn Leaves" by Prairie Schooler 

(lower portion only)

I also stitched a little birthday gift for my friend, Valerie. Valerie loves Halloween so I thought this tiny pillow ("Boo Web" by X's and Oh's) would be perfect for her. This is the second time I've stitched this one and the second time I've given it away. Do you think it's time to stitch one for myself? I just love that grinning spider waiting for his next "victim" down in the lower right corner and how the web itself spells out "BOO!" I stitched it over one on 28ct. evenweave and combined two Halloweeny fabrics with yellow ric rak and black cording to finish it off. Valerie seemed very pleased with it and I'm happy to have added a little something to her Halloween display.

"Boo Web" by X's and Oh's

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that our actual wedding anniversary (our 35th!!) took place back in July, but that my husband was 3183.11 miles away in Alaska at the time enjoying a bike trip with three friends. So, we celebrated a bit late by taking a road trip in early October. Covering six states (PA, MD, VA, TN, NC, and WV) plus the District of Columbia (where we stopped for a quick visit with our youngest son), we saw some wondrous sights. But, before we hit the road, we had a teeny-tiny problem to attend to! My husband had been packing the car while I made sure windows and doors were locked, heat was turned down, shades were pulled, etc. When we were just about ready to go, I walked into the kitchen and heard what sounded like a frantic chittering sound nearby. Figuring it was just two of those pesky squirrels fighting over an acorn, I peaked outside, but saw nothing. Then I heard the noise again--this time it sounded like it was coming from our sunroom adjacent to the kitchen.

Cautiously, I walked into the next room and immediately spotted a tiny bird perched on the ficus tree in the far corner! Oh, dear, what to do? Well, as every good blogger knows--the first thing you do is run for your camera, right? (thank goodness it hadn't been packed in the car already!)... The poor thing didn't want his photo taken and immediately began flying around and around the house in a circle between the sunroom, kitchen, and family room. He finally landed on our wicker couch where I snapped this photo. (Does anyone know what type of bird this is? I've never seen one like him before). By then, my husband had heard my cries for help (it's actually a bit scary when a bird, no matter what size, is flying straight at you!) and he came running. He had me open the double doors at the far end of the sunroom while he approached the scared little bird from the back. Finally, we were able to coax him out the door and outside into the fresh air. Now, I ask you, what would we have found if we hadn't heard his scared chirps just as we were leaving for vacation... He would have been loose in the house all week and who knows what mischief he might have gotten into!!

Crisis averted and we were soon on our way to the enchanting mountains in the Asheville, N.C. area... I'm planning on writing a longer post on all that we saw and experienced in the future, but for now, I want to share some of the highlights of our trip with you...

We visited The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.

A little touch of France in the Carolina countryside!

 

We hiked some gentle forest paths...

and also some steep, rocky terrain!

We marveled at the changing colors along 

The Blue Ridge Parkway

And were awed by the view from Grandfather Mountain

 in northern North Carolina. (Yes, that's my husband 

being a daredevil--I held back a bit!!)

We admired some lovely West Virginia quilts...

and wondered at nature's beauty. 

We saw a rainbow of gardens...

and hiked miles to see West Virginia's incredible 

New River Gorge Bridge.

And then we came home...ahhh...There is nothing like coming home again, is there? I am such a homebody and as much as I enjoy traveling different places and experiencing new things, I truly love my time spent at home. But, the road is calling again with another five hour drive tomorrow to visit my parents in New York. I'll do my best to catch up on everyone's blogs very soon. Until then, I hope each of you has a lovely week with many, many moments that make you smile. Bye for now...