Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Christmas Creations and Curious Creatures

A very chilly good morning to you, my stitching friends! Yes, we got a bad frost here last night--in mid-May! It was only one degree away from the record all-time record low temperature for May 14th--can you imagine? So, how is everyone? Have you wondered if I would ever post again? I know, I know--it's been three weeks since my last post--at this rate I'll be down to only posting once a month. I wish I could say I've been spending all my free time stitching, but that just isn't the case. In fact, I just can't seem to sit and stitch for more than 45 minutes at a time without getting distracted by something else and then completely abandoning my needle and thread. I used to be able to sit for a couple hours at a time and happily stitch away, but not lately. I hope I get back to being able to do so, but for now, all I have to share with you are two little Christmas ornaments and a new start.

I just loved this little snowman when I saw him on Melanie's blog and she kindly offered to lend me her chart. Isn't he the cutest with that miniature snowman perched on his nose? This design is by Midnight Stitching and is called "Heartstruck Friends." I used the suggested DMC and overdyed threads and stitched it on 40 ct. flax Newcastle linen. To finish it off, I simply combined two coordinating fabrics, a bit of lace, some white cording, and topped it off with a tiny white snowflake charm. Thank you so very much, Melanie, for sharing your chart with me--I really enjoyed stitching him!

"Heartstruck Friends" by Midnight Stitching

The snowman was my monthly ornament for March (yes, I'm way behind!) and for April I chose this cute freebie by Madame la Fée called "Candy Cane." If you're not familiar with her free designs, you're in for a treat! You can find this one and many others by clicking right here. I thought the candy cane would really pop on black so I used the suggested DMC threads on 32 ct. black Belfast linen. I finished it off as an oval with white ruched ribbon and pearly red pins... So, now I just need to stitch my ornament for May and I'll be all caught up!

"Candy Cane" by Madame la Fée

I also began a new piece of what I call "my comfort stitching."  Yes, a new Prairie Schooler design called "Summer" from Book No. 50: Prairie Seasons. I've already stitched Spring and Autumn which you can see here and here. I'd forgotten how "stitch intense" these pieces are! At first glance, it looked like I'd be able to finish this up fairly quickly, but there is so much solid stitching that it will probably take me another two weeks. I find myself completely relaxing with PS designs--there are no surprises; no specialty stitches, no odd colors to deal with, just beautiful designs in pretty hues. What is your "comfort stitching?"

 A new start: Prairie Schooler's 
Summer from "Prairie Seasons"

CURIOUS CREATURES... Now on to the second part of my post title. We've certainly had some unusual animal sightings around our yard over the past few weeks. In addition to the typical deer, bunnies, great blue heron, and groundhogs that we normally see, we've been entertained by a host of other visitors.  When we returned from our Florida trip last month, we reached our front door to find a real mess. There was mud and straw and grass scattered all over the "Welcome" mat and even the door itself! Well, just look who had been visiting our home while we were in the sunny south...When the humans are away, the birds will play!


Don't see anything unusual? Just a pretty spring wreath? Well, let's take a closer look...


Do you see the nest? A mama robin had painstakingly built a nest right on my front door wreath! When we first saw it, there were no eggs and we planned to remove it after I had taken a photo for my blog. But, lo and behold, when I went out a few days later to photograph it--there were three eggs in that glorious shade of blue! So, of course, I couldn't remove the nest, could I?

 A trio of robin eggs

Unfortunately, something must have happened to the mother because the eggs remained unattended and then they began disappearing (probably stolen by a blue jay or some other mean bird!) and now there is only one remaining. I've been checking on it periodically and imagine my surprise when I went out last week and found this: 

 Now there are two nests on my wreath!

Look carefully...Another tiny nest was being built right next to the first! Crazy birds!! It is perched so precariously I know it won't last long, but the bird gave it a good try. Anyway, I guess we'll leave the nest up until we take the wreath down in the fall. I'm not sure I'll be able to salvage my poor wreath--it is quite mud-spattered at the moment!

We also spotted this huge hawk sitting on top of our Martin house. Was he possibly surveying our pond for his next meal? We have koi, catfish, bluegill, and minnows in our pond which I'm sure he would enjoy getting a taste of! Or maybe he was just visiting the birdie condo trying to make friends with the many new birds that have recently moved in... I think he's just a bit too large to fit in those holes, don't you?

Hawk on the Martin house!

Here is a close-up--isn't he huge? Does anyone know what kind of hawk he is? I think he may be a Broad-Winged Hawk, but I'm not positive.


And just look at this creature! Smack-dab in the middle of our yard we discovered a snapping turtle. How he got there is a mystery; there was no trail through the long grass or anything!  But, look how muddy he is--he must have just crawled out of a hole in the ground or something...

Snapping turtle

In our attempt to be good samaritans, we decided to move the poor lost thing to our pond, but how to pick him up was another matter! Oh, was that turtle mean... My husband tried picking him up on the sides of his shell, way back by his tail, but the turtle's head immediately stretched way out, swiveled around, and snapped viciously at his bare hands.

 All ready to snap!

After several attempts, my husband finally got a shovel, turned the snapping turtle over onto his belly, and carefully lifted him across the yard to the safety of our pond. 

Ahhh...back to the water where you belong...

Well, after seeing that rather unattractive reptile, I thought you might like to see some prettier things... How about these lovely tulips that I cut from our garden in the prettiest shades of pink? We have to grow them within the confines of my husband's fenced in vegetable garden because, otherwise, the deer would be feasting on them. I just love tulips, don't you? Sure wish they would last through the summer...

Tulips from our garden

And then there are the stunning flowers that my sons gave me on Mother's Day. Aren't they lovely? Thank you, guys, for the flowers, chocolates, and iPad keyboard... But, most of all, thanks for being such kind, young men--I'm so proud and lucky to be your mom!

Mother's Day flowers from my sons

A MOST SPECIAL DAY! I also want to wish my dear mother a very ♫♪♫ Happy Birthday ♫♪♫! Yes, 86 years ago today, this sweet baby entered the world. Just look at her in that darling antique wicker baby carriage being adored by her older brother and sister. Mom, you are my hero and my best friend... You've been through so much over the past few years and I'm in awe of how well you've dealt with some very dark and difficult days. I've been truly blessed having you for my mother and I love you dearly.

My mom in 1927...
a beautiful new addition to her family!

Well, I think that's about it for today's post. I'll try not to wait so long until I post next time...In the mean time, I sincerely want to thank all of you for the wonderful comments on my last post. It means so much to me that you take the time to leave a comment because I'm sure your lives are just as busy as mine! Until next time, I hope your days are filled with things that make you smile. Bye for now...

81 comments:

Bruna Aguiar Melo said...

Your stitches are gorgeous!
Love the little snowmen!
And your new visitors on your front door??? So cute!
Can't wait to see some new pictures!
Have a nice week!
xoxo

blue star stitcher said...

How cool that you had birds building nests right on your front door. The photo of your mother as a baby is just precious.

Libby said...

What a lovely spring post. I can't wait to check out the Madame Le Fee freebies. Too bad you didn't have some baby robins to watch up close and personal. The hawk...I suspect...is looking for lunch right there in the bird house. Sometimes they dine at our feeder(not on seed, either)...leaving the remains right on the ground under the feeder. Yuck. Darn snapping turtles. Hope you don't have any baby geese or ducklings living on your pond. That's Mother Nature, I suppose.

Happy May.

Pam

Barb said...

I love all of your stitching - it is always so special.

All of the different critters around your home is so interesting. Thanks for sharing those, too.

Happy Birthday to your your mom! I can imagine what a very special lady she must be!!

cucki said...

Wow your stitching is so cute..
I love the cutie snowman..nd super sweet visitor at your front door..
Big hugs x

Margaret said...

Happy birthday to your mom! She sounds like a special woman indeed. I can't believe those birds built their nests on your porch! Wow! Sad about the eggs. Love the two ornies you made! Love your PS start too. I guess my comfort stitching is classic repro samplers. lol! Weird, huh? A good border to work on, motifs to go to in the middle. Hope you feel able to sit and stitch for long periods again. I get that way sometimes too. For me, a good audiobook always helps me to concentrate. Beautiful flowers from your boys, and from your yard. Yes, I love tulips! Sounds like you had a good Mother's Day too!

Nicola said...

Carol, your Christmas ornaments are really lovely, Great to see you're stitching a PS design, they are my comfort stitching too. Chances are when you've stitched one you still have the same colours of thread picked out for the next, makes kitting up so much quicker.

I love your spring wreath, it's so pretty, and what better place for one or two birds nests?

Dawn said...

Carol, beautiful stitching as always. Love the bird nests on your wreath. What a lucky mom you are!

The picture of that buggy is beautiful.

Shelly said...

Things are certainly busy at your front door! Super finishes, as usual:) love the pics of all your wildlife!

Christina said...

I love that cute snowman ornie Carol - especially how you've finished it - so lovely.
Wow, your front porch has been a hive of activity! Those eggs are such a pretty colour. What a shame they'll never become beautiful birds. I wonder what species built the second nest?
What an AMAZING picture of your mum. My nanna was born in 1922 and I don't have any photos of her before her wedding day. She was born prematurely and thought that her parents didn't take photos because she was an 'ugly duckling'! My poor nanna - I find it difficult to believe because she grew into a stunning lady.
Your lillies are beautiful. They are my second favourite flowers...after irises of course! ;0)

Angela said...

I love both of your ornament finishes Carol especially that Snowman, it's too cute :)

Wonderful pics of the wildlife in your own backyard. Tulips are my favorite flower too and don't last nearly long enough.

Prairie Schooler designs are always so comforting to stitch, they are my Mum's favorite too. I always think they look so much nicer when stitched up and agree that they are usually a lot more stitch intensive than they first appear. It's worth it for the end result though :)

Belinda said...

We've had very cold weather here too Carol, today was the day I really noticed the freezing temperatures.

Lovely stitching as always Carol. That snowman sitting on the snowman's nose is very cute!

What gorgeous photos of those animals, especially the beautiful nest and vibrant eggs. That turtle looked very unimpressed. Haha..
The photo of your Mother as a baby is just beautiful, happy birthday to her.

Elizabeth Ann said...

Love your snowmen ornament! I love the picture of your mom - 1927 I think your mom has seen so many wonderful things develop and change in her lifetime! Please tell her Happy Birthday from me and next time your together give her a big hug!! Praire Schooler charts are just full of stitches.....

Vickie said...

Happy Birthday to your dear mother. What a wonderful picture!
We also had a sparrow build a nest on my beautiful winter wreath. I left it in place and we even avoided opening that door. One baby fell out and died. :( My wreath is wrecked and thrown out!

Tricia T said...

Hi Carol! I love your tulips!! They are so spring like and beautiful. And the flowers from your sons as well. Precious!

The nest in your wreath is lovely. I know it probably ruined it, but it really looked like it belonged there! : )

Have a blessed week, and thank you for sharing your stitching. You always inspire me!

Tricia

Melody said...

Hello Carol! I've missed your absence! What beautiful ornaments you have finished again! I may have to stitch up the candy cane. I know I have printed it off. The snowman is very cute also.

I'm glad you had a good Mother's Day. What a lucky robin to have a nest in your pretty wreath. But sad that she abandoned her eggs. We see hawks around here quite often, and yes they are large birds. Mike likes the challenge of capturing them with his camera.

And, yes, Prairie Schooler is one of my comfort stitching designers, even though they take longer to finish than you would think.

Robin in Virginia said...

Sending birthday wishes to your Mom! Hope her day is a truly special one!

Your ornaments are wonderful; while I like the candy cane one, the snowman is my favorite of the two! Great start on your PS piece (and you know how much I love them)!

Robin in Virginia

Vicki said...

Carol - the little snowman is so cute, my daughter collects snowmen and I thought of her when I saw him. But I have to admit, the candy cane is my favorite! The colors are so vibrant and just pop off the dark fabric.

Annie said...

Totally cute ornaments as usual. And I know what you mean about only stitching in short bursts...story of my life for a while now.

I can never feel relaxed when I have to stitch those large solid color blocks and PS has a lot of that. But small/medium designs that only have a few colors and no back-stitching are comfort stitching for me.

Those blue eggs are amazing! I don't think I've ever seen that in real life before. I just bought a dress in a robin's egg blue, but it can't hold a candle to those eggs! I can't believe all that wildlife, even a killer turtle!

Birthday greetings to Mommy -- such a great treasure of a photo!

Poussy Stitches My Love said...

thank you for the beautiful pictures !
bisous from FRANCE

The Inspired Stitcher said...

Oh Carol, there's always something fun going on at your house! How about all those creatures?! I'd have to agree about the "comfort" stitcing and PS designs. I find myself gravitating to them too. Have a good week!

butterfly said...

Such another pretty post, love all your stitching, snowman one is just too cute.
Your new start is also looking fab.
How lovely the robin made his nest on your door how exciting. Lovely flowers for mothers day . many hugs my friend , hope it will be warmer for you soon.

BrendaS said...

Carol -- What beautiful finishes! I admire your discipline to stitch an ornament a month!

Great new PS start. My comfort stitching is Blackbird Designs or PS. Just plain cross stitch - nothing fancy:)

Happy Birthday to your Mom! Hope things are going well with her:)

Take care my friend.

marly said...

Happy birthday to your mom. What a precious photo! Beautiful finishing on your pieces, as expected! Loved the entire post.

priscilla said...

Such pretty ornaments Carol ! Your Prairie Schooler piece is wonderful as well :) You know how much I love Prairie Schooler ! Geez, the wildlife you have :) You sure you aren't living in a zoo ? LOL ! Yikes on the turtle and the hawk ! Happy Birthday to your Mom , and Hope you had a wonderful Mothers Day !

Cole said...

Beautiful ornaments Carol! You've sure have some interesting new friends hanging around your place, the turtle would have been exciting!

And Happy Birthday to your mama, I love that picture of her & her siblings, so very precious!

Hilda said...

Dear Carol,
so lovely Christmas Ornaments again - they will complete your collection perfectly!
And I love the new start. I do also owe the chart and have already stitched Autumn. I can remember how long it lasted me to get it finish.

What a wonderful wonderful story of the nests on your door-wreath. You and your house seems to be very attractive to many kind of animals ;-).

Have a nice rest of the week with hopefully warmer weather!

Hugs
Hilda

passionfruitprincess said...

Happy birthday to your Mom! What a sweet picture of her as a baby!
A robin's nest on your door? No, two...that's so cool! I love it! Too bad the mama was not able to take care of it :(
Your finishes are lovely! The snowman one is darling. And your flowers are beautiful! The pink tulips are my favorites.
I wish you a wonderful week and more time to stitch.
Hugs,
Ana Paula.

Solstitches said...

Your two ornament finishes are beautiful Carol.
Lovely new start on the PS piece too.
I think the little nest looks perfect on your wreath LOL. How amazing is that?
Hugs,
Margaret

Dani - tkdchick said...

Carol I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble settling down to your stitching. I get like that sometimes, I just can't settle down to any one thing!!!!

As usual Carol the most beautiful ornaments!

The Knitting Cross Stitcher said...

The colour of the robin's eggs is absolutely gorgeous Carole. You cannot beat nature for true colour.
Lovely stitching,especially your candy cane, I love it.
All your other pictures are really lovely too,I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post. The picure of your Mother is so special.

msmartello said...

Happy Birthday to your mom! and I hope you had a wonderful Mother's day. Love your ornaments and I can see why you haven't been stitching too much. There's a lot of action to watch outside. LOL!
maureen

Charlene ♥ NC said...

Great to hear from you, Carol. Sweet ornaments, and beautiful flowers. I stopped having ferns on the porch because of bird nests. As sweet as they are, there's no working around them. Your mom is only a couple of months older than mine - July,'27. Have a great week, and hope your stitching mojo gets back to normal.

valerie said...

Happy Birthday to your mom Carol! I love that photo. I have stitching ADD too. I get so easily distracted but managed a good stitchin this past weekend. Love your ornie finishes and start on your PS piece. I can't believe a robin built a nest in the wreath and that blue is just stunning! Nature can be amazing. I wonder if the remaining egg will be ok. That hawk is scary! Keep it away from the nest! Your DH was very brave to move that mean turtle. Love your tulips! I treated myself and bought some peonies...they're my favorite! I hope to take a photo when they open up a bit. :)

Laurie in Iowa said...

I don't think my hanging baskets were on the front porch for more than 24 hours before a bird built a nest in the basket.

Lovely stitching as always.

Catherine said...

Beautiful post, Carol!! Love your stitches and finishes ~ inspiring as always!! What an interesting bunch of visitors you have had lately! We too had a nest on a front door arrangement a few years back. The boys had to remember to knock on the door before opening so the momma would fly away ~ one time I forgot, and when I opened the door, the momma flew into the house! She flew around and eventually landed ~ worn out. We used my boys' butterfly net to gently place her back outside and all was well. Happy Birthday to your mother!!

Friendship Crossing said...

Wow! How exciting for you~two birdie's nests and a big mean turtle!! LOL
Love the new snowman pillow Carol and your sweet birds in the header~ how cute they both are!

Beautiful tulips~ one of my very favorite flowers!

My MIL's b'day is today too! She's 75 today. We have lots of May b'days! Happy b'day to yours!

I can't seem to get back to blogging much either!

Hugs,
Tanya

Fiona said...

I enjoyed reading your post. The Robin eggs were a beautiful shade what a pity their mummy disappeared and they got stolen. You certainly did have a lot of weird visitors.

Pam in IL said...

Beautiful stitching and a Happy Birthday to your mom! Seems to be alot going on around your house.

We had heavy frost the past few nights and today it's like summer -- upper 80's!

Ellen said...

Beautiful ornies! Love your PS's start, it's going to be another beautiful piece!

Wow, you sure have many visitors in your garden! Really love those gorgeous tulips and that beautiful bouquet from your sons!

Happy Birthday to your mum!

Hugs,

Linda said...

Congrats on the great ornament finishes as always Carol. Love your new start. I started one of those years ago. Love the pics of your outside visitors.

Linda

Jackie's Stitches said...

Loved seeing the birds nests. I'm always amazed at how brilliantly colored some eggs are against the color of nests which are so drab.

Melissa said...

Hello, Carol! What a lovely post! Happy Birthday to your sweet mom!

Love the sweet ornaments. I do like that snowman, very cute.

It's too bad the Robin mommy didn't come back! Seeing the nest with the eggs was just too cute.

Beth said...

The birds nest is so perfect that I thought it was just part of the wreath and aren't the eggs lovely? Too bad that it was abandoned. I enjoyed seeing your snapping turtle too - he looks quite ill-tempered. Always enjoy your finishes Carol - each is unique.

Barb said...

Carol, that is an adorable photo of your Mom! Your stitching, as usual, looks wonderful. And the flowers, such great sons!! I so enjoyed all the wildlife. We had a nest in our hanging basket last summer. We could not water it for fear of hurting the babies! By the time they flew the nest, the flowers looked awful.

Gabriele said...

Hi Carol, what a wonderful post.
Happy birthday to your mom.
Your stitching is as always wonderful. And the birdstory... lovely.
At my PiL house, we wondered who is going for the birdfood and it was a wellfeeded raccoon!
Have ahappy day!

Lois said...

What a lovely photograph of your mum, Carol and I hope she had a lovely birthday. What a darling finish that snowman ornament is - it's just the cutest thing - you come up with such lovely finishing ideas. I love the candy cane too! I can't believe how close to the house the birds built those nests and it's a shame that the eggs were left. Poor Mama bird, I guess something must have happened to her. Some beautiful flowers and I always enjoy seeing what wildlife turns up at your house as we would never see anything like that here!

Bekca said...

Beautiful stitching Carol, I think the candy cane looks wonderful on black fabric. Such a perfect finish too.
I think my comfort stitching would be anything stitched on aida. I have to concentrate a little harder when working on evenweave or linen, so aida allows me to relax a bit :)
Thank you so much for your kind comment on my post. Isn't it crazy how quickly time flies? It only seems like yesterday that I was starting Uni! I've got a summer of crafty goodies to enjoy before heading back for my final year :)
Happy belated Birthday wishes to your mother! Thank you for sharing such a charming photo.
Best wishes.

Chris said...

Hey Carol!
I love your recent ornament finishes. I completely understand the not being able to settle down to stitch for more than 45 minutes.
So sad about those beautiful robins eggs. That is one scary turtle.
Happy Birthday to your Mom!!

♥ Nia said...

ohhhh such a sweet snowman =) adorable finish! ( I also love your head banner!! )

Really?? I saw the nest on your wreath, I thought that was made by you! :D hahahah A real bird made a nest there? How wonderful is that?? :D And with eggs!!!! hahahah I'm amazed! I'm a city girl, I've never seen anything like that! :D
thank you for sharing this pics with us, made me smile so much right now :D

I hope mama bird will come again soon!! Her baby needs care =)

Christina said...

Great job on your finishes. The little snowman is too cute. The birds in header are adorable. I thought the nest in your wreath was meant to be there. Looks like you get your fair share of fun critters.

Happy Belated Birthday to your mom.

Julie said...

What a post full of love and adventure Carol. You've certainly had a lot of visitors to your homestead. Your door wreath looks so beautiful.
Hapoy birthday wishes to your mum, hat truly is a lovely picture of her with her older siblings.
Your ornaments are superb as always, I didn't get one done for April so really need to do 2 this month, but May seems to have its roller skates on and is whizzing past me......

Shirley said...

Hi Carol,
Love the pictures of the bird's nests on your door wreath. We have a swallow's nest under the eaves of our house but nothing this low down.
I love Madame la Fée charts and have a couple on my to-do list.
take care,
Shirley

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri Malinovich) said...

What a great post! Well worth the wait. :-). Happy birthday to your mom! That's a great pic of her siblings admiring her in the beautiful carriage.
Love your snowman finish - he turned out great as did the candy cane finish! Both will be great additions to your Christmas collection.
Love the birds best in your wreath. So sad the eggs didn't make it. Wonder what happened to momma?
Awesome nature shots! Great start on your PS piece. They are fabulous designs!

Mylene said...

Belated happy birthday to your Mom!
Such beautiful pictures and love your recent finishes, perfectly made into ornaments!!

Mary said...

What a beautiful post Carol. Your ornaments look great! The snowman is adorable. I love the candy cane on black fabric, too.

I know well about a stitching slump but your efforts and concentration have been focused on other important things. The good news is, your mojo WILL return and it will be good as new....
I agree that PS is comfort stitching....simple designs and straight stitching yielding adorable finishes.

The birds' nests are amazing on the front door. Obviously, the mama birds felt secure there....at least for awhile! The robin eggs are such a beautiful blue.
Hopefully, that snapping turtle will stay put where your husband left him.
Your yard is home to a variety of interesting wildlife!

Looks like you had a wonderful Mothers Day with your beautiful flowers, gifts and visits from the boys.

Happy Birthday to your dear mom. The picture is precious and such a keepsake.

HUGS and Happy Stitching, my friend

Shari said...

loved catching up with you, via your blog! Aren't Marianne's little snowmen the cutest?? I have stitched quite a few of these.
Love the bird nests in the wreath!! Spring is in the air!!
We had a very cold snap like you....Mother's Day weekend was bitter!!!

Valma said...

I love love love this post =D
Amazing story of the nests , excellent
Are you getting in through the window now ?? =D
I love the fellows in your beautiful garden
and your ornaments...lovely, very pretty
I never imagined that to stitch on black fabric would be so pretty
well done on both
happy belated birthday to you mum, the picture you are sharing with us is a treasure
big big hugs
xxxx

Carin said...

Congrats to your mom.

Your ornaments are beautiful as always. Love the birdnest on your front door !!

Lesleyanne said...

Gorgeous stitching Carol I especially love the snowman one. Lovely photos of the wildlife in your garden. I can't believe where birds will build nests! Gorgeous picture of your mum and your flowers.

Teresita said...

Muy bonito!!!

Mavi. said...

Carol, felicita a tu madre en mi nombre, por su 86 cumpleaños. Mi madre cumplirá 85 en octubre.
Precioso hombre de nieve y perfecto cojín y bordado, me encanta.
Tus extrañas criaturas de jardín son impresionantes. El nido me llama la atención a mi que me dán miedo los pájaros, con el alcón, habría sufrido mucho.
Un beso grande.Carol, congratulates your mother on my behalf, for his 86th birthday. My mother Turning 85 in October.

Beautiful and perfect snowman embroidered cushion and I love it.
Your garden strange creatures are awesome. The nest I am struck to me that I'm afraid of birds, with alcón, would have suffered greatly.
A big kiss.

Wanda said...

Hi Carol! I was so taken with the birds nest in your front door wreath I had to show my husband - and then to have two nests! Great pictures of the turtle and hawk as well.
A beautiful birthday tribute to your mom and a wonderful picture of her as a baby.
Your snowman and candy cane ornaments are gorgeous as always.
Thanks as always for sharing, Wanda

Myra said...

Oh Carol, your house is like mine - never a dull moment. That turtle is huge and I love the pics of the birds nest and the hawk. Your stitching is beautiful, I love the candy cane on black, so striking. I enjoyed the tribute to your mom and hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day.

Keeper of the Crowes said...

Your finishes are just the absolute best, Carol! I always look forward to seeing them. I'm smiling about the nests on your wreath. I just paid a pretty penny for a wreath with fake nests on them, lol!!! Happy Birthday to your mon. Wishing her many, many, more.

Vicky L said...

A very beautiful post, I lovef reading it. So many animals in your yard. The flowers are beautiful. I love tulips too and they were my mother's favorite too. Your ornaments are very beautiful too.

Melanie said...

Ooo, I love what you did with the little snowman!! He looks amazing. I'm so glad you were able to enjoy him. :)

That is quite the saga with the wreath and the nests. It's like a regular soap opera going on. I feel so bad about the eggs though. The poor things. Guess it wasn't meant to be. :( I have a pair of hawks nesting RIGHT over my driveway/by my bedroom window. Wow, is it NOISY all day long with them chattering back and forth to one another. There is a LOT less squirrels around though. Heh. :)
Don't you run into troubles with the snapper! I knew someone who had one even bigger than that in a tank. In his HOUSE. Sucker was mean too.

Love the flowers!!! So pretty.

Kaisievic said...

Fantastic post, Carol, I loved reading all your news. Love the birds nest on your front door wreath and such a great photo of your mum as a baby!

Anonymous said...

Love your ornaments! Beautiful work. Thanks for the all the info you posted with them. Love all of your wildlife as well. Annoying, but lovely.

Anne said...

Happy Birthday to your mother! It's so nice to have your mother somewhat close by so you can see her. Moms are the best!! Your little snowman is too cute! I've seen this pattern around and you've finished him perfectly! Love your candy cane ornie too! PS designs are so relaxing and pleasurable to stitch. Looking forward to seeing you finish the summer one! Oooh robin's eggs! Aren't they the prettiest?! So funny that they built a nest in your wreath. Too bad they disappeared. You have quite the wildlife sanctuary in your backyard...birds, turtles, deer, etc! Must be so much excitement to see all of the animals around your house!!

Hugs!

Kay said...

Love all of your stitching as always, beautifully done! The tulips from your yard look so beautiful, and the flowers you got for Mothers day is divine! Glad to hear you had a great day. That is cute about the birds nest in your wreath, it is a shame that nothing came of it. Happy belated birthday to your mother

Karoline said...

Your ornaments are lovely, congratulations

Nice new start on PS Summer.

Annette-California said...

A very Happy Birthday to your mother. Loved your wonderful photo of her. How great you can still get to see her. I couldn't believe the nest and eggs in your wreath. They look so pretty.I thought it belonged there:) Yes sad indeed about the eggs. Love your ornaments Carol. I have to stitch the candy cane and Thank you for the link too. Oh I love how you finish and decorate your ornaments. Beautiful gifts from your sons. love Annette

Sally said...

A wonderful post Carol. I love your finishes and your new start.

Love the photos of the nest! They do build in the strangest of places at times!

Happy Belated Birthday to your Mum.

Anu said...

How pretty Christmas ornaments! I love your spring wreath, especially with the nests and eggs!!!
Happy Belated Birthday to your Mum. My Mum also celebrates her birthday in May...
Best wishes, Anu

Lillie said...

What a lovely blog post. Lovely finishes and beautiful WIP of PS.
Your garden visitors are amazing and the birds nesting on the wreath is just so cute.
Thank you for sharing the picture of your mom. What a treasure!
Have a good week, Carol.
Hugs

Brigitte said...

The two new ornaments are so nicely stitched and perfectly finished as we are used to see it from you. Just beautiful.
PS designs are really comfort stitches, no matter if they are small or bigger. You can just stitch away on them and in the end you always have a beautiful piece. PS has been my very first love when I started stitching and still is.
I hope you will soon be able to stitch as long as you want to and to your heart's content.

Annette said...

I'm good, just got back from our vacation to Africa.. school and work started again.. tomorrow.. I will craft again...
Happy!!

When i hoping Summer will come fast you showing Winter/cold/snow pieces..
Are asking for Winter again????

But I really must say. you did a awesome job..
I also love the pattern.. very beautifull.
And then your finish off.. so many beautifull fabric/lace/ theads charm al toghter and then so darn pretty!!
I'm in love

Your April piece is also wonderfull..


You already made a big progress with your new..I really don't have a comfort stitching... (yet)..hihi

The birds really have bleu eggs??
I love them.. really beautifull..
Hiw great .. and how cool

it a really beautifull hawk wonderfull

omg that turtle is so sweet!!!! I love love love it!!!.. too cool...

beautifull floers all!!!! wonderfull.

Happy mothersday... the pic of your mother is wonderfull

Debora said...

Bellissimi!!!!!

Parsley said...

Beautiful finish and start. I always get ideas of what to try when I visit.

Nancy M said...

Finally you have stitched something I have!I did the candy cane one several years ago. My comfort stitching as you can imagine are my Mystics. No overdyed threads, all filled in, no back stitching! What a great array of animals. I'm just trying to attract some frogs too our small pond! Gorgeous tulips and flowers you had to enjoy. I cut my first roses of the season today to enjoy inside.