Friday, August 29, 2014

My lone August post...

Hello, hello! Did you miss me? I've missed you! It's hard to believe a month has passed since my last post. August was a bit of an up and down month for me--the first part was very busy with work and extra doctor's appointments to deal with some weird health issues. The second part has been more relaxing with a week at the beach and a string of sunny, non-humid days--absolutely the best weather we've had all summer--finally! I've done a bit of stitching along the way, but seem to really have more time to sit down with my needle and thread in the winter months. So, would you like to see what I've been up to?

I was delighted to see the 2014 Prairie Schooler Santa this year--he's a caroler! (Yes, I'm a bit partial to carols and caroling for some reason--I wonder why?). The newest PS Santa was my beach stitching this year. Although I tried to stitch in the car on the 10-hour drive down to Corolla, NC, I didn't have much luck. I'm not sure if the road was too bumpy or it was just too hard to deal with the 40 ct. fabric without better lighting. So, this Santa got stitched over a number of days while I was away on vacation--usually just an hour or two each morning. What a great way to start my day!

2014 Prairie Schooler Santa

I used the suggested DMC colors on 40 ct. flax Newcastle, but I had to substitute the green color with DMC 500 since I had no 501. I did make a few changes, though: I gave Santa a green and white striped scarf instead of the solid green, made his mouth more of an oval shape instead of the square shape that was charted, changed the color of the wording and border to DMC 844, and changed the ribbon on the top package from red to gold. The ornament is backed with the plaid fabric you can see in the lower right corner of the photo below. I'm so pleased with how he turned out...


Before we left for the beach in mid-August, I made a birthday gift for my dear friend, Lois, in Northern Ireland. I was thrilled to hear from her that it only took one week to arrive--now that is great mail service on both sides of the Atlantic! This is what I stitched for Lois as I thought she would enjoy the colors and the sampler-like motifs. It was my first time stitching the Spider Web Roses and I'm so pleased with how they turned out.

Ewe and Eye and Friends "Petite Exemplary No. 2"

This piece is called "Petite Exemplary No. 2" by Ewe and Eye and Friends and is stitched on 40 ct. flax Newcastle using the suggested DMC threads. I really enjoyed all the specialty stitches in this one--they add such interest and dimension to a tiny piece. Here is a better look at the Spider Web Roses: 


I wasn't quite sure how to finish this one for Lois, but finally decided on a scissor fob. I used DMC in the darker color of the house to make the cording and the pretty floral fabric shown to back the fob. Lois loved my gift and I just want to wish her a very "Happy Birthday" once again!


I was looking through my drawer of "unfinished/finishes" the other day (you do all have those, too, right?) and found a little Santa that I had stitched way back in 2009--the year I began my blog! Oh, the poor thing--he's been shut up in the dark all these years. Time to pull him out, finish him up, and get him ready to hang on the Christmas tree in December. This is from the Cricket Collection's "Woolen Mittens" chart. The backing fabric is the cute black and white polka dot that you see underneath the ornament. In some ways, I'm glad I held off on finishing him because I've gotten more confident in my finishing skills over the past five years and I think he looks better now than he would have looked had I tackled him back in 2009!

Cricket Collection "Santa Mitten" finish

I'm also working on a larger piece, but have run into a snafu! I think I'll show you that next time and get your opinions on just what you think I should do...

BEACH WEEK 2014... Well, this year marked the 30th year that we have traveled down to the Outer Banks of North Carolina with my husband's entire family... How the group has grown! I think there were only 12 of us the first year, but now with added grandchildren and great-grandchildren, our group numbered 25 this year! Only my middle son and my niece's husband were unable to make the trip due to work responsibilities. (Don't feel too bad for my middle son, though--he just returned from two weeks in Japan!).  Since we rented the same house as last year, you can click here to see photos of the giant beach house where we made our home for the week. Here are some photos I took this year, including a day trip to Currituck Beach Lighthouse.

The view from the gazebo at the beach house

Looking down the beach at Corolla, NC.

The Currituck Beach Lighthouse

Another view of the lighthouse

A view from the top of the lighthouse

Gazing down at the lighthouse keeper's home

Looking down through the winding 220 step lighthouse

It was quite a relaxing week overall, although with 25 people at dinner each night, things got a bit  loud for me! I don't know about you, but I really enjoy my quiet time and with that many people in a house, you don't get much of it... I did manage to walk on the beach several mornings which seemed to agree with my plantar fasciitis. My heel felt much better down there than it has since I got home! 

But, I so needed that time away... As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I had a couple of odd health issues to deal with in early August (an emergency root canal due to something called "External Root Resorption." Ever hear of it? Me either! And a diagnosis of Schamberg Disease as a result of some odd pinprick rashes that have been popping up on my legs and thighs. Don't google photos of it--mine looked nowhere near that bad and have disappeared--for now! Apparently, there is no cure, but I'm just hoping mine remains a light case).  Neither of these are horrible--just rare and weird. The doctor who did my root canal was so thrilled to see a case of External Root Resorption that he called his 18-year-old son in to witness the procedure... And the dermatologist exclaimed excitedly that she hadn't seen anyone with Schamberg Disease in over two years! Apparently, I'm a rarity--ha ha!!

I hope those of you in the United States have a fun and relaxing Labor Day Weekend... Do you have any special plans? I'm just hoping this spell of lovely weather continues on through September. We sure could use it before winter sets in. Thank you all for stopping by today and a warm welcome to my new followers--so glad you're here! Bye for now...


77 comments:

Vickie said...

Good for you all! Such a wonderful thing for that many family members to get away and enjoy a vacation together.
Your finishes are great Carol. I love the one you made for Lois. Are spider web roses fun?!

Belinda said...

Lovely stitching Carol, I love the forgotten Santa, he's sweet! Glad to hear you enjoyed some hot weather and a nice holiday, what a big family affair!! Glad to hear the health issues are under control too.

Hilda said...

So wonderful to read you again, my dear friend! And right that day, where I have some time for blogging and reading and commenting ….
Thank you for these lovely beach photos - the only thing I missed this summer, was the sea (and the beach). I am really pleased to read of your wonderful holiday in NC.
And I love your finishes. Your TPS-Santa is really amazing. Those little things you changed make him so much more personal!
Dear Carol - you ARE a rarity indeed - even without these weird health issues.

Have a nice rest of summer!
Hugs
Hilda

Margaret said...

OMG, doctors can be so weird when it comes to rare cases. lol! What a bummer for you in both cases!! My son's ENT was so thrilled with my son's rare case as well -- he still talks about it with every visit.

Love seeing pics of your vacation. 25 people -- wow! I need to go check out the house. My father is talking about getting the whole gang together for Christmas! Love your stitching finishes too. It figures you would already be finished with the 2014 PS Santa. I still need to order my copy. lol! Lovely gift for Lois, and lovely finish for your neglected Santa too!

Fun blog post! I hope your heel feels better. And that your rash doesn't get worse!

chickenchupacabra said...

Love your alterations on the 2014 Santa! I'm going to steal your thread change ideas :)

Gabi said...

Good to hear from you again and that you had a nice vacation. Thanks for sharing these wonderful beach photos.
Wonderful stitching and finishing.
Greetings from Germany

Mii Stitch said...

Wonderful finishes as always :)
I must admit I've fallen head over heels for the little scissor fob, it's just so sweet!

butterfly said...


Beautiful stitching and finishing .

So happy you had a lovely holiday.

Lovely gift you made so pretty.

Wishing you a lovely weekend and no more health problems, hugs.

Nancy said...

Glad you had some relaxing time Carol, and your beach photos are beautiful as well as your stitching! Hope you have a good weekend!

Robin in Virginia said...

What a lovely area for a vacation! Your stitched pieces are fabulous, Carol! Looking forward to seeing the big piece you are working on! Enjoy your weekend!

Robin in Virginia

Elizabeth Ann said...

Your ocean is so very pretty! Our ocean water is, well lets just say is cold and not very pretty...
Love your Santa, can hardly wait to stitch mine. I like the fabric that you used too. The little scissor fob is absolutely beautiful!
I hope your foot gets better very soon, you might need some of those shoes that I saw! Enjoy your nice weather.....

Vonna Pfeiffer said...

Oh my Carol...I hope your tooth and all is much better now :( dental issues, scare the daylights outta me! Your trip photos are gorgeous...although I'll admit 25 people in one house...oh my! I bet there are a whole lot of personalities to deal with :) Your Santa is gorgeous. I want to get mine all stitched up ASAP! for my tree this year too! Stunning stitching and finishing as usual! Have a great weekend and a stunning September!

The Inspired Stitcher said...

I'm glad you are doing better, dear friend. I enjoyed seeing the finishes and most especially your beach trip pictures. Makes me want to be there too. How fun to have that much family. I can count mine on one hand now.

Tricia said...

I'm glad you had some time away after such a stressful health month. I'm glad things are clearing up! Your stitching is lovely as always. I'm always so impressed with your finishes. They are so professional!! Thanks so much for sharing!

Tricia

The Queen Bee said...

Sepecial...Carol...we call it 'special' now. Just kidding because you are a rarity and special.

Lovely looking place to spend a week. I also visited a lighthouse. Tybee Island, GA. So much fun but my vertigo prevented me from climbing the sprial stairs. I tried.

Lovely finishes.

Pam

Melissa said...

The photos of your beach stay attest to why you had a lovely week, and at least it was just a week with all the noise 25 people can make! Glad it was a nice end to the summer for you!

Love the stitching. The PS Santa looks great. The EEF piece you stitched for Lois is wonderful. Those spider roses! And the Santa mittens look great!

Lynda Harrison said...

Hiya Carol!
I am so glad you enjoyed your much-needed break - your photos look lovely! Your stitching as always is terrific - I love it all, especially the Prairie Schooler Santa.
Thank you so much for you lovely e-mail - I will reply soon.
Take care of yourself and have a wonderful weekend!
Much love,
Lynda.

Ele said...

My dear friend Carol,

thanks so lot for visiting me and for your heartwarming words on my blog.
I was so very happy to read and see here from you again.
It is a great happiness to unite a large family, but I can I also understand if it was you sometimes too loud and a little too much for you. Your beach photos are so beautiful.
I'm sorry to hear that you have health problems. Since one year I have many problems with my heel to, it's a plantar fasciits, like you have.

Your Christmas ornaments are so cute, as all your lovely works.
You did right, when you changed the pattern of TPS a little. Santa looks perfectly in this way!

So I wish you good health,
sending many greetings and hugs

Gabriele

Julianne said...

Hi, I love the little prarie schooler Santa,where could I get the pattern? Its a darling ornament.

Gillie said...

Dear Miss Rare and Interesting......! I, of course, have NO stitched but not finished pieces tucked away in drawers and if you believe that I can sell you a palace in the UK, lol! Gorgeous finishes and neat changes to to the chart. Spent a week in Duck many years ago and loved it. Glad you had a good time.

Nicola said...

Love, love, love that Prairie Schooler Santa! Can't wait for him to make his way across The Pond to the U.K. ONS's! Yours is finished so beautifully too.

Beth said...

A post well worth the wait! Love your CC Santa mitten finish - perfect backing fabric and cording as always. Really like the Ewe & Eye & Friends and PS as well. Looks as though you had a wonderful vacation.

Annie said...

Very cute PS Santa and Santa mitten blast from the past. Love your little fob with the spider web roses too. I've done a few but they didn't come out as nice as yours.

The photos looke so great. Cool one of the winding staircase.. very arty of you to capture that one!

So you get to join me in rare crazy disease-land! I felt like freak when I first heard about mine, and then I decided I was just 'special'. So you are doubly special, but we all knew that already.

Девушка с пяльцами said...

Yes, Carol, we've missed you and your wonderful stitchings! Santa is wonderful!

The Knitting Cross Stitcher said...

A lovely catch up Carol,beautiful finishes and great holiday photos.Your posts are always worth waiting for:-)

msmartello said...

Hi Carol,
Great finishes! The little santa mitten, I think I have that pattern. He looks adoreable all stitched up. Your vacation looks fabulous. There is nothing more relaxing then a vacation on the beach.
Take Care

Maureen

Blu said...

Such lovely stitching!

Barb said...

Stitching and finishes are just lovely, as usual!! Those spider web roses are so pretty. I love the lighthouse pictures. When I went on family events with my DH I had the same feelings as you did, not quite enough quiet time. He has 8 siblings! I grew up with only one.

Jane said...

Love this post Carol, apart from the health issues and do hope they do as they're told and stay away!
Such beautiful stitching and your finishing is always so professional.
Never seen or heard of Spider Web Roses and need to go check them out pronto ~ that stitch is so so pretty.
Your beach photos have me drooling, have so missed our trip to The States this year but after your pictures I can feel the sun and hear the waves ~ thank you.
Take Care and don't go AOL again!!!
Love Jane x

Unknown said...

Your blog is na inspiration, Carol. I love your finishes. Visit my blog, it is: andreiareginasarmento.blogspot.com


Hugs

AnaCristina said...

good weekend!

Jackie's Stitches said...

I've never seen a spider web rose before! You stitched your two beautifully.

Really love the flax color linen with the stitching on the PS piece. All of your ornaments are always gorgeous.

It sounds like you've provided the medical world enough excitement for a long time! Hope you are feeling good!

Linda said...

I so love your stitching and finishing Carol. Gorgeous as always. Great vacation pics.

Linda

Heather said...

Your stitching and finishing are gorgeous! What a lovely place to visit. I am a quiet loving girl my oneself. :-)

I am sorry that you have had a couple of health issues!

I hope that you have a lovely weekend!

Annette-California said...

YES I missed you:) Love all the pretty changes you made on a great finish of Caroling Santa! Your spider roses look fantastic and love how you made it a sweet lovely fob!
Awe cute find - Santa Mitten.
Great family reunion and so happy you were able to get medical help you needed. Hope your feeling much better. love Annette

Kay said...

Love the Santa, this is really fun and the way you put him together is lovely. Yes, we do all have unfinished bits and bobs. I am determined to finish a Winnie the Pooh design I have just taken out of my drawer that I began making for my daughter when she was a baby, she will be 18 at Christmas!

Sheryl said...

Love the singing Santa design and the beautiful spider web roses. Lovely stitching.

Hazel said...

Beautiful PS Santa and love the changes you made. Lovely other finishes too. Glad you are okay even with your rareties. Lol. X

Natasha said...

Well well look at you with your "special" ailments LOL I am glad to hear that are not as bad as they could be. Wishing you good health in the future!

what a beautiful trip you had, anytime spent at the beach is a good time.

I love the spider roses! Those are so pretty I hope to tackle them one day.

Mary Ann said...

Wonderful finishes(as always), Carol! My favorite is the cute little "forgotten" Santa Mitten!! I really enjoyed seeing photos of your family beach vacation--25 people(oh my!), but I am sure it was fun and filled with lots of memory-making moments!!

Shirlee said...

Lovely finishes, as usual, & I enjoyed seeing your vacation photos! Sorry about the odd health issues though. Will email soon : )

Sally said...

Such beautiful finishes Carol. Love your Cricket Collection Santa. He is so cute! And yes we all have one of those unfinished finishes drawers! Lol!

Lovely photos from your holiday. Looks so beautiful.

Hope your health issues are sorted.

Enjoy your long weekend :)

Julie said...

I hope your health issues are a thing of the past Carol and you can enjoy and uneventful autumn.

Lovely pics of your time away with family.

Super finish for Lois, that's a cutie. This years PS santa is a sweetheart too, great changes you made to him and he's finished so lovely.

Friendship Crossing said...

Great to hear you got to relax a bit at the beach ~ how fun! We have always been big on lighthouses and have seen quite a few over the yrs. while on vacation. They are all so different, but filled w/such history.
Love your new finishes ~ they are always so sweet and cute!
Hope your holiday wkend is a great one! It has gotten hot/humid here this wk.

Hugs,
Tanya

Anonymous said...

Hello Carol

Beautiful finishes, you are so good at finishing.
Looks like you had a great family vacation.
Hope your health picks up too.

Cindy's Stitching said...

The finishes are just adorable Carol. The lighthouse is adorable. How nice you had time with the family. Doctors getting excited about odd things you have, well doesn't make you feel special. :) And into september we go my friend.

Wanda said...

Hi Carol! It is always great to see a post from you. I am so glad your vacation went well. I am sure dinners were eventful with twenty-five people! What a wonderful tradition.
Your finishes are beautiful! I also have such a soft spot for the PS Santas. I have not done the Spider Web Roses but I recently saw them on one of Shakespeare's Peddler blog for her 'Sweet Temper' sampler. You did a beautiful job and such a cute fob! It is impossible not to love the Cricket Collection mittens.
I am so sorry about your health issues. I had not heard of either of them (but of course I had to google them)! I hope that's the end of health issues for you.
Thanks as always for taking the time to blog and for the ongoing joy and pleasure that you inspire.
Wishing you health, quiet time and stitching time!
hugs,
Wanda

priscilla said...

Love that Santa, Carol ! I am stitching him too ..he is so cute ! Glad you had a nice trip ..so sorry about the health things ! Hope you are doing better ! Can't wait to see your big piece you are working on ! Hope you are having a nice Labor Day weekend !

laceystitcher said...

Love, love the beautiful stitching and finishing!! Thank you for sharing pics of them as well as your vacation - gives me a glimpse of a place I wouldn't otherwise see. Glad you are posting again; always enjoy hearing from you!

Pam in KS

Karen said...

Love the Prairie schooler finish and also one of my favourites is cross eyed cricket! Beautiful work all around!

Mylene said...

Haven't been on blogs for a couple of months now, just crazy busy here..
hope all's well with you.
Lovely finishes as always.

Sherri said...

Hi Carol. As usual, I love seeing your finishes. The PS Santa is adorable. As far as the beach, you can never go wrong with southern beaches. Sadly, beach week seems to speed up time wise. Sorry to hear about your rare and weird health issues. Root canals must be the hot item right now, I just had one last week. Happy Labor Day to you!

Karoline said...

Gorgeous finishes, especially Lois's fob.

Great photos from your holiday, it looks a lovely place.

I shall be keeping my fingers crossed that there are no more health issues for you

Meari said...

Beautiful finishes, Carol. Just beautiful. :)

Thanks for taking us on an armchair vacation to the beach with you. I always enjoy going on trips with ya.

No plans for the holiday weekend. Just hanging out at home.

Lillie said...

That's a lovely PS 2014 Santa. Loved all your stitching and as always beautifully finish.

The beach is so inviting. Thanks for the great photos of your holiday. Here's wishing you good health.

Anna Zont said...

Wonderful holyday and beautiful stitching (as usual:)))

Christina said...

Oh Carol, welcome to my world. I can never have a straightforward trip to the doctors. I always have something weird and wonderful wrong with me! ;0) On a serious note, when we lost our baby girl, the condition she had was a 1 in 100,000 occurrence so lots of doctors wanted to be present during the scans I had. I did feel like a guinea pig at times, but if it means that families don't have to go through what we went through, it doesn't seem like too much of an imposition.
Your holiday looks fabulous. We haven't taken a family holiday abroad since Iris was 5 months old. We are going to be brave next year and book a holiday to Malta. It's a home away from home for me and I feel bad that the children have never visited the island.
Love your finishes. I am always in awe of your finishes on 40ct. The santa on black is so adorable.

Michelle said...

What lovely photos Carol so glad you were all able to spend some quality time together. Where is this year going? Love your stitched pieces xx

Melanie said...

I totally noticed you hadn't posted in a while AND missed you. :)

40ct stitching in the car. Aren't you CUTE. Ha! All of these pieces are fabulous. The spider web roses in particular are PERFECTION. I just love those. Sounds like a great vacation.

Oh my goodness, neither of those ailments sound like much fun. :( I hope that's the last of that sort of thing.

Krista said...

Love the new finishes you have done! The fob is so very pretty. It is hard to believe that it is September already! Looks like you had a lovely vacation.

Angela said...

Lovely finishes Carol but I especially love the PS Santa :) Looks like you had a lovely vacation in a beautiful spot. Take care :)

Elia said...

Hello Carol
Good to hear from you again and that you had a nice holidays.
Wonderful photos,
love your finish, are so nice,

I dont hace to much time now, with the new proyect
but its true
I miss you too !!

kisses
eLia
^^

Kay said...

Love your PS Santa!! Wonderful photos from your week at the beach, looks like it was a lot of fun spent with family! Hope you are feeling much better now, it sounds like you had some bumps in the road healthwise this summer. Hope you had a good Labor day!

Lumiruusu said...

Thank You for visiting my blog :)

I really get inspirataion to start to plan some Christmas ornament stitching again. I have one ornament as aslow WIP and really would love to start one from the last years issue of Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments.It is called Peace on earth by Niky's Creations :)

Andrea said...

Thought you must of been away as I hadn't seen a post from you in a while. It looks a lovely place where you stayed.
You have created some beautiful finishes, especially the PS Santa. However the Ewe and Eye piece is just wonderful, the colours are gorgeous, pink and greens ... yummy.
Sorry to hear you have not been well, there is always something isn't there. :) Hopefully the warmer weather will bring a bit of joy to your days before the Autumn/Winter season.

diamondc said...

Carol: Love all your vacation pictures so lovely.
I am like you I am pulling out finished projects and finally doing the finish work.
The Prairie Schooler Santas are so sweet.
The Santa mitten is adorable.
all your finishes are wonderful.
I love scissor fobs.

Catherine

Dani - tkdchick said...

carol I'm sorry to hear some of your summer was taken up with health issue! So frustrating!

As usual you stitching and finishing are both sublime! Those roses turned out perfect!!!

I just love your lighthouse pictures especially of the spiral staircase. That's a shot I would take!

Judy said...

Hi Carol, I've been away for 10 days and returned to find your post. Your PS santa ornament is perfect. It makes me want to start decorating for that season (but not what else goes with it!) I am impressed with your first try at spider web roses. Again a perfect finish. And such beautiful beach pictures. I agree with you about quite time. It must be so very special to spend that time with family in such a beautiful place. Hope you are doing well. Until next time...

Judy Heartland stitcher

Brigitte said...

I know how it is to be away from blogging and blog reading . It's good for a while but when you start missing to hear from all these people it's time to come back. I have been away from the computer since my last blog post but since today I'm back, too.

Your new ornaments are so gorgeous, particularly the new PS Santa. He's such a sweet guy and it's the first time that I see him stitched. I even haven't bought the chart. Yet. Like you I finish all my PS Santas with some red cording, I like them best this way. And yes, you are not the only one with a huge box full of unfinished stitched pieces. I had to give up stitching for a while if I tried to finish my pieces in a row, lol. I'm looking forward to seeing what you will pull out of that box next. Btw, your roses on Lois' scissor finder are so perfect. Great job.

Thanks for sharing all these wonderful pictures from the family get-together in North Carolina. What a wonderful place this is. Everyone must have felt like in paradise.

I'm sure that you could get along great without the fact that you are a rarity concerning your health problems, lol. I hope that the rash will stay away for as long as possible and that your next root canal is a normal one - or let's hope that you won't have one anymore.

Anne said...

Beautiful finishes Carol! All of them! I still have to get that cord winder at some point. Makes life easier doesn't it?! Glad you took some time to go and have a vacation. Lighthouses are amazing to me and I love seeing the variety of lighthouses around the world. I really hope your health issues go away. They don't sound very common and no, I won't google photos! That's usually the worst thing to do! Take care my dear!

hugs

Pam in IL said...

Beautiful stitching and finishing! Your spider web roses look great. I think that's one of my favorite stitches (although I'm terrified of spiders). Glad that your weird health issues aren't horrible.

How wonderful that you get to spend a week with family at the beach. I wish my family could do something like that.

Mavi. said...

Carol your embroideries are beautiful as always. Embroidering on count 40 for my free magnifier is impossible, try it in the car is impossible. Beautiful photos of the beach. 25 people for dinner for several days is a lot of work. I had not heard of this disease you mention, I hope that despite being rare, you recover your plantar fasciitis and leave you walking.This lighthouse is very pretty and has lots of stairs, the top views beautiful
Take care of yourself.
Many kisses.

Chris said...

What a lovely vacation away. It looks like you had a great vacation. As for the wierd health issues, I am so glad that they have been dealt with and you are on the other side.
Lovely finishes as always!

Nancy M said...

Wonderful finishes, as always. I'm catching up on my favorite blogs and came across yours. It was a coincidence that I just purchased this PS Santa this weekend. I have every one although they aren't all stitched! Those spider stitches look perfect! Sorry about the medical issues, I'm a hygienist, although only do Ortho for 30 years and I can say I've heard of external resorption, but haven't seen it. Hope you are all recouped by now!

Maggee said...

You certainly made up for not blogging more in August! Cute Santa ornies you have! Finished as gorgeous as always. And it looks like your trip to Corolla was a great one! Wish I could get to a beach and relax right now... Glad your health issues are not major for you! It's NO good to have major stuff going on... takes a LOT out of you and your family, as I can attest right now. I am way behind in reading blogs, so am mostly reading and not always commenting... Til next time, Hugs!

Jennifer said...

Stitching on 40 ct. in a car? Are you crazy, woman? LOL But starting off the day with stitching sounds just lovely, and perhaps makes up just a little for the crazy dinners? I do like the changes you've made to the piece. I like personalizing pieces to make them unique - nobody else in the world has exactly that same piece.

LOVE the spiderweb roses - specialty stitches may sometimes be tedious and tricky, but they add such interest to a piece.

Glad you were able to visit the Currituck Lighthouse. It was one of our first stops on our OBX honeymoon and it's such a beautiful, peaceful setting. And I even found a cross stitch chart in the gift shop that we brought home as a souvenir.

Leave it to you to have rare and exotic health issues. :-) Hope you're feeling better by now!

designing services said...

You certainly made up for not blogging more in August! Cute Santa ornies you have! Finished as gorgeous as always. And it looks like your trip to Corolla was a great one! Wish I could get to a beach and relax right now... Glad your health issues are not major for you! It's NO good to have major stuff going on... takes a LOT out of you and your family, as I can attest right now. I am way behind in reading blogs, so am mostly reading and not always commenting... Til next time, Hugs!