A Dizzying Month

Only three more days and 2021 will be half over--can you believe it? June has been an "interesting" month for me--filled with some nice times, but also some troubling health issues. Things have evened out for now so let's hope I stay on track. More about that later on, though--let's start with what I've been stitching, okay? 

Stitching update... I managed to stay on track and completely stitch and finish my ornament for June and I love it! I'd been wanting to stitch this whimsical Birds Of a Feather design ever since I saw it in the 1998 Just Cross Stitch Ornament magazine. I'm not sure why I put it off so long, but I'm so glad I finally sat down and stitched it. Just look at those big-eyed tots wide awake in their beds on Christmas Eve. Do you think they heard the giant reindeer on the roof or, perhaps, that rosy-cheeked Santa is making too much noise as he lays a pink present under the Christmas tree? The colors in this one are such fun, aren't they?

Birds Of a Feather "Night Before Christmas"

 

I stitched "Night Before Christmas" on 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle with most of the suggested colors. (I did change the eyes from the suggested bright blue to a dark brown because all of them looked slightly possessed when I used the blue thread)! At first, I planned to use white cording to surround the little pillow, but I held up some minty green DMC 369 and knew that  that would be a better choice. I had just enough ribbon in my stash to make a hanger and bow in the same color, too, and I'm so pleased with the final result. It is a small ornament, but is almost solid stitching so it took quite a while! Anyway, I'm happy to say that the stitch along that I started on Instagram (#12in21ornamentstitchalong) has really been keeping me on track this year as far as getting my ornaments done each month. It's so nice to have company and see others' ornament finishes each month, too. Thanks to all who have joined in! If you'd like to start following me on Instagram, too, just click right here.

Such fun retro colors!

 

My only other stitching related news is that I finally managed to sit down and frame this sweet piece from Tralala called "Carré ABC Bouquet." If you've been following my blog for a while, you may recall that I stitched this more than five years ago--yes, in 2016! You can read about my finish right here in my post from April 21, 2016. It was stitched on 40 ct. burch Newcastle using a variety of overdyed threads. The blue thread is Gentle Arts "Crystal Lake"--such a soft pretty color, don't you think?

"Carré ABC Bouquet" stitched in 2016

 

The very detailed, carved frame came from my box (well, boxes, plural!!) of thrifted frames that I've purchased for $1-$5 through the years. Doesn't it look pretty? It is a silvery gold color and I think it accents this sweet piece so nicely.

There is a bit more margin on the top and bottom than the sides, but overall, the fit of this thrift store frame is quite good!

The flowers that lie beside it are from my garden... The blue hydrangea was from the plant that my middle son gave me for Mother's Day this year that we planted outside. The pink coral bells were transplanted from my parents' garden at my childhood home so they are very special to me. And the white astilbe, although only in bloom for a short while, is so soft and delicate, isn't it? Our neighborhood deer have been leaving things alone lately, but we just spied a pair of baby fawns frolicking in the yard yesterday so I fear the plants will be gobbled up in no time...

Such pretty blooms this year!

 

Giveaway winner... I had quite a few entries for this pretty Americana quilt chart! Thank you to all who entered and who told me about your thrift store/yard sale/side-of-the-road finds. It was such fun reading about them and it makes me feel better about picking up things I happen upon that someone has thrown out! The winner's name drawn from the hat this time is...

Faith from Faithfully Stitching

Congratulations, Faith! Please send me your mailing address and I'll get this out to you this week. I'll be having another giveaway next month so watch this space...

 

So, what was I doing the rest of the month? Well... traveling, gardening, baking, and stumbling around like a drunken sailor. Yes, after a wonderful break of 19 years (yes, years!) my vertigo came back with a vengeance this month. Oh, I'd forgotten how bad it feels. The first  time I had it in 2002, I ended up in the hospital and was diagnosed with BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo). The doctor told me then that it would return... thankfully, it decided to give me a long break. But, boy, was I sick with it--violent vomiting and complete dizziness that lasted all day. I really couldn't move at all without getting sick or feeling like the room was spinning. It was so bad that we had to postpone our flight to Florida the following day. We were able to reschedule the flight for two days later and I felt well enough to fly, but the night we arrived in Florida my vertigo returned... I simply sat and felt miserable the entire next day. I tried doing the various maneuvers to ease the dizziness that were suggested online and one of them must have kicked in because I've been okay now for over a week. I'm still not feeling quite myself, but at least I can function! So, who else deals with vertigo--do you have any tips for me? 

Our Florida visit was yet another trip to prepare my in-laws' house for the rental market. We're almost there, I'd say... My husband did the majority of the work because of my vertigo, but I did a few things and we even managed one walk on the beach. It rained (heavily!) every day except for two--I really don't remember such horrid weather down there. Combine that with 90°+ temperatures and it was pretty miserable. I'm not sure if we have to go down again before we put it on the rental market, but, hopefully, things can be handled with phone calls from now on...

One of two non-rainy days in Naples, Florida. The Naples pier is in the distance.

Playing hide and seek--can you spy the little crab peeking out?

 

Our garden has been doing so well this year! It must have something to do with the cooler temperatures and all the rain we had in May, but everything is blooming and extremely lush and green... My husband deserves full credit for the gardening. All I do is pick out plants and seeds and tell him where to plant them. He is really enjoying the extra time in the garden now that he's retired. Here are a few photos for you...

The raised beds in our fenced in vegetable and flower garden

Lots of tomatoes are ripening on the vine

And lots of snap peas, too!

We also grow some flowers within the fenced vegetable garden to keep them safe from deer. That way we can cut them and enjoy them in our home.

Sunflowers, strawflowers and zinnias

Love the various shades of purple in the alyssum!

The calla lilies are very special to me. They came from a plant that my oldest son gave my mother on her birthday two years ago. So glad they've kept blooming--I feel like mom is smiling at me!

A view from the end of our driveway to our back patio--green as far as you can see!

 

June means blueberry season--my favorite fruit! I stumbled upon this extremely quick and easy recipe for "Ridiculously Easy Blueberry Crumble" and went right into the kitchen to whip it up. Oh, my--delicious and super simple... what more could you ask for? You can find the recipe by clicking right here at Inspired Taste. I halved the recipe which was a mistake--my husband and I could easily have eaten twice the amount!

A very tasty Blueberry Crumble

So, what does July hold? Well, believe it or not, my grandson turns one next week! Yes, it makes me want to cry when I think how quickly his first year has gone. He took his first steps earlier this month and we just happened to be on FaceTime with him when that happened so we got to witness that milestone. His dad says he's now walking more than crawling and oh-so-proud of himself! There are six teeth sprouting in his little mouth so he no longer looks like such a baby... more like a sweet little boy. We'll be heading to California for his first birthday and I'm counting the days, as you can imagine. "Baby B" helped us through so much sadness over the past year with the loss of my mom and my daughter-in-law's parents.  He has no idea how very much he is treasured...

This photo warms this former librarian's heart--Baby B loves books! Hooray!

Thank you, as always for visiting me today... I always enjoy reading your comments after each post--thank you so much for taking the time to say "hi!" I'm happy to try to answer your questions, but please make sure to include your email address so I can get back to you...  Wishing you each a wonderful July with lots of stitching time. Bye for now...