Well, it's been a long time again, hasn't it? I feel very out of touch with you all after spending most of the past three weeks caring for my mom and helping her get stronger. But, today, I have one word for my life and that is grateful--I am truly filled with gratitude. Just two short months ago, mom was on the very edge of leaving this world. And, last Friday, guess what??? She was released / kicked out / graduated (whatever you want to call it) from hospice! Yes, she no longer was deemed ill enough to be under hospice care so they could no longer provide their services. The hospice nurse was so happy as she said that is not something she sees in her profession very often. She credited the tender loving care and support that mom received from her family with her truly miraculous recovery. I am so filled with gratitude that I get to spend more time with her and very hopeful that she'll live to see a few more family milestones--even at the ripe old age of 93!
Therefore, my latest finish (which I began way before mom got so ill), is especially meaningful to me. I put the last stitches in it while sitting with her on her couch as we chatted away... This is "Heart Full Of Gratitude" by Cottage Garden Samplings. Stitched on 40 ct. pearl gray Newcastle with the suggested overdyed threads, this has to be my favorite one of the Songbird's Garden Series so far... The colors are just luscious, aren't they?
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| "Heart Full of Gratitude" finish |
And the details... all so beautifully designed and thought out by Vinniey, the designer at Cottage Garden Samplings.
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| Little pink houses (for you and me!) |
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| The handsome Dark-Eyed Junco |
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| The stunning shades of pink, mauve, and crimson in the roses |
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| One word: GRATITUDE! |
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| Can't wait to get this framed and hanging on my wall! |
Here are all three that I've stitched so far. I plan on stitching at least three more, framing each one with matching frames, and hanging them together.
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| Wisdom, Love, and Gratitude--three traits we should all strive for in our lives. |
I've stitched my ornaments for May and June, too, but they're not finished yet so I'll wait to share them with you. I did finish a little gift for a friend on Instagram which I'm hoping she'll like. She likes red and samplers so I thought this little pillow fit the bill perfectly! This is from the book "Cross Stitch Antique Style Samplers" by Jane Greenoff and was stitched on 40 ct. Woodland Newcastle using DMC 221. I omitted the border and made it into a tiny pillow. After I added the cording, I wound two miniature spools with the same red thread and added them to the bottom of the cord. Hope my friend likes it!
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| A little red sampler gift for a friend |
The only other needle and thread related thing I've done is make two more masks--one for my husband and one for me. I used one of his dress-shirts--a no-wrinkle one that he'd barely worn as it was always too large. The pattern I used fits so much better than the pleated kind I made previously and there is a pocket for a filter as well as a casing for a nosewire. If anyone is interested in the tutorial, check this site and the video that goes along with it can be found here. I think more are in my future as I fear we'll be wearing masks for quite a while.
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| Our new, better-fitting masks |
And speaking of masks--I saw this on Instagram and loved it. I am in the mask-wearing camp--really would hate to pass on any germs to anyone if I can help it! You don't wear a mask to protect yourself--you wear it to protect others so please be considerate...
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| Please wear your masks when around others! |
Father's Day was Sunday here in the United States and I wanted to make my husband a special dessert. I'd bought an entire bag of lemons last month with the intent of making a lemon meringue pie, but after the drive home from my mom's on Saturday, I found myself just too tired to whip one up. So, I found this quick and easy (and very tasty!) recipe for "Best Creamy Lemon Bars" online. They taste almost like a lemon cheesecake--very tangy and sweet at the same time with a delicious homemade graham cracker crust at the bottom. I copied the photo on the blog and accented the bars with a bit of whipped cream, slices of lemon, and sprigs of mint from our yard. For the recipe, just click here. I sure wish I could learn to photograph food the way the professionals do! My colors are always a bit "off" for some reason. But, they probably have fancy cameras and lighting equipment, whereas I simply take photos with my phone.
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| Creamy (and tasty!) Lemon Bars |
So, it's time for Getting To Know You! Thank you to all who participated last time--it's nice to know that a lot of you consider yourselves shy and would like to change that. At least I'm not the only one out there! My guess is that a lot of stitchers are on the quiet side and enjoy solitary activities like stitching, reading, etc. For today's question, I'd love to know...
1) What type of area did you grow up in? Was it a large city, a suburb, a farm, small town, house in the country, or did you move around to a lot of different environments? Although I was born in a large city, my parents left there when I was just five and moved back to my dad's home town--just a tiny village with (back then) only one traffic light! It was a wonderful place to grow up in--the kind of place where you really knew your neighbors and everyone looked out for each other's kids. It was the kind of place where kids would stay out until dark playing games like "Kick the Can" and "Spud." You could walk to the local candy store, school, library, post office--anywhere! I loved it, although I probably couldn't move back to such a small town now after living near a big city for the past 43 years. But, I lived there from the time I was five until leaving for college at age 18 so it will always be a very special place to me... Now, it's your turn... I'd love to get to know you better by hearing about where you grew up!
So, with mom on the mend, I'm feeling like I can breath again! Thank you, one and all, for your well-wishes and prayers for her. She (and I!) appreciate each and every one. I'll be around to visit your blogs after a very long time away. Although I read a few when I was staying with my mother, I can't comment on them easily on my phone so I may have visited you, but not left a comment. Will try my best to get around to visit all of you soon...
♥♥♥ I just want to leave you with a thought that I think is so timely with everything going on around us these days... Please think before you speak--you may say something that hurts deeply and can never be forgotten or repaired. Take good care my friends! Bye for now... ♥♥♥
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| Pause before you speak... |