Two of my favorite things: stitching ornaments and relaxing in nature!

Happy August, everyone! I had high hopes of doing one more post in July, but, what can I say? Life just got in the way... I hope you are all doing well and surviving the heat. I will truly miss summer when it ends, but I know, for many of you, it's just been much too hot and humid. The past couple of weeks have been worrisome on my end as my little grandson was diagnosed with Covid... Unfortunately, his fever spiked so high that he had a seizure and his parents rushed him to the Emergency Room. According to the doctor, these febrile seizures aren't that uncommon in young children with high fevers, but it was still extremely scary for my oldest son and daughter-in-law to watch him experience one! Thankfully, the fever was brought down and they released him later that night (why do the scary things always seem to happen at night?). Of course, he shared the virus with his mom and dad and all three were stuck in Texas (where they were visiting my daughter-in-law's family) for two weeks. All are recovering now and have flown back home to Maryland. I think it's so much worse being sick away from home, don't you? We are thrilled that all are doing better and we're planning a trip to visit them in Maryland very soon. And we are hoping and praying that Mister B's seizure was just a one time thing...

Stitching has helped calm my nerves as usual and I have a few finishes to share with you today. The first is my Christmas ornament for July for the #12in22ornamentstitchalong which I am hosting on Instagram. I love how this crescent-shaped Santa turned out! Not the easiest finish as he is very small being stitched "over one" on black 28 ct. Monaco, but I just sewed very slowly and the moon shape came together very nicely. 

My ornament finish for July

I used all of the suggested colors for this one except for the green which I changed to DMC 3362.

It's hard to get a good photo of the entire ornament, but the cording is done with the same shade of blue as Santa's robe.

 

Love how tiny and delicate he looks!

This is actually the second crescent-shaped Santa that I've stitched from that booklet. His yellow-robed companion was done way back in 2010. Aren't they a handsome pair? 

Although the yellow finish looks larger, they are both stitched over one on 28 ct. black Monaco. I think I left more of a border on the yellow one and I wasn't making my own cording back in 2010 so the thicker store-bought yellow cording makes the ornament appear much larger.

And, baby boys have been popping up right and left in my circle of family and friends! Three new little ones greeted the world in June and July so I made each of them his first Christmas ornament. You longtime readers will recognize this design as it's one I've stitched before--many times, in fact! I've now given nine of these ornaments to newborn baby boys over the years. At this point, I think I could stitch the design in my sleep! What is the most you've ever stitched the same design?

A trio of JBW Designs gingerbread cuties

The chart is from JBW Designs and is called "Baby's First Christmas." I stitched these on 32 ct. black Belfast linen with most of the DMC colors that were suggested. I did use DMC 167 for the gingerbread boy's body and filled in his entire body instead of just outlining it as was charted. I also added a mini white pom-pom to the tip of the cap and three red beads were sewn to the holly branch to serve as berries. In place of the words "Baby's First Christmas," I stitched the name of each boy. I just love how these turned out and the parents seemed pretty happy, too! 

All ready for three little boys' first Christmases!

I'm still slowly working on a larger summer piece, but, at the rate I'm going, I won't have it finished by summer's end! What are you stitching this month?

Giveaway time... I want to offer another giveaway to my readers! Isn't this "Summer Time" chart (by New York Dreamer) adorable? It captures summer time life so perfectly with the words "sunny," "ice cream," "beach," "fun," and "sand castle" scattered about the beach scene. I want to thank Janet in Texas once again for providing this chart to pass on to my readers--I so appreciate your generosity, Janet!

If you would like to win this chart, please follow the guidelines below...

To be included in the drawing for the chart, please...

1) Specifically mention that you would like to win the chart in your comment 

2) Be a follower in my blog's sidebar (to the right)

3) Make sure to leave your email address in your comment if I don't already have it--(this is very important as I have no way of getting in touch with the winner if you don't)

4) Answer the "Getting to Know You" question below.

 

Getting to Know You... Today's question is a fun one (it's too hot to think about anything serious, right?!). The question for today is: "If you could eat only one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?" My answer came to me immediately--a hot fudge sundae! I can just picture it: a large scoop of vanilla ice cream, covered in thick, chocolatey sauce,  piled high with whipped cream, and sprinkled with peanuts or toasted pecans. Oh--and don't forget the juicy, red cherry on top! Am I making you hungry? YUM!! I've enjoyed hot fudge sundaes since I was a small child and never tire of them. Of course, I can't eat too many any longer, but I still sneak one in from time to time. What would be your dessert of choice? 

Anniversary trip... In my last post, I mentioned that my husband and I were heading off on a short trip to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary. Where did we go? Well, not wanting to fly or be around too many people with the heightened Covid warnings currently in place, we drove just over 3 1/2 hours to a beautiful spot I never knew existed until a co-worker told me about it nearly six years ago. We drove to southeast Ohio to Hocking Hills State Park and, oh my, if you ever get the chance--GO!! The spectacular rock formations, waterfalls, and miles of hiking paths can all be accessed for no charge. I'll let the photos do the talking--we truly loved visiting in the summer and hope to go back in the fall one of these years. (If anyone would like more information, you can click on the names in the photos below).

The very modern Airbnb that we stayed in. There were five cabins of various sizes located on a 19 acre lot. All were very private and so well appointed!

The interior (beautiful, but a bit too dark for those of us with "old eyes!" We actually had to use the flashlight on our phone to find the outlets to plug things in!).

Beginning our hike to Old Man's Cave

Dwarfed by the rock formations--the whole area had a very primeval feeling.

Three beautiful swallowtail butterflies relax in the sun along the creek.

A balancing rock! We quickly moved on by!

This area is known as "Devil's Bathtub." Legend has it that it goes straight down to hell, but, in truth it is only several feet deep.

A closer look at Devil's Bathtub. Swimming and wading are prohibited as it is extremely slippery and dangerous.

The massive horseshoe shaped structure known as "Ash Cave" was one of my favorite spots.

Behind the waterfall at Ash Cave

The beautiful view from "Rock House," the only true cave in Hocking Hills State Park.

The interior of Rock House worn smooth by water. It was inhabited by early Native Americans as evidenced by the "hominy holes"--small recesses in the walls which served as baking ovens. It was so dark inside that we used our iPhone flashlights to guide us! And no, I saw no bats--thank goodness!

A selfie from the inside of Rock House.

Walking back down to the comfort of our Airbnb after a long, hot day of hiking! I can't tell you how much I love using hiking poles!

We also took a little sidetrip on the way home which was very meaningful to me--I'll tell you about that next time!

The beauty of nature never ceases to amaze me. Enjoying time in nature and relaxing with my needle and thread are two things I simply can't do without. I thought you'd enjoy these final photos of some of the magical sights that I've enjoyed right outside my own back door this past week...

Now that's what I call a rainbow! My husband took this photo right across the street after a brief rain shower.

We were thrilled to see a monarch butterfly caterpillar munching on the milkweed that my husband planted earlier this year in an effort to attract them.

What on earth??? I have never, ever seen this sight in all my 67 years--bald cardinals! Apparently, after nesting season, cardinals shed some feathers and, although rare, some may shed all the feathers on their heads at the same time. This poor couple looks like they have vulture heads on cardinal bodies, doesn't it? But, they should regrow their feathers and look "normal" very soon!

Whew... another long one! I hope at least some of you are still with me. I'd like to welcome all of my new followers and say a special "thank you" to you lovely folks who take the time to leave a comment or send an email. They mean so much to me and I truly love reading each and every one! I'll plan to be back later in the month with my August ornament finish--and, if all goes as planned, my finish for September's ornament, as well. If you would like to enter the giveaway for the Summer Time chart, please follow the guidelines above and I'll name the winner in my next post. Take care now, everyone! Bye for now...