The end of an extremely chilly week!

BRRRR... Do you live in the eastern part of the country that's experienced this late-August cold spell? It was 46° (7.7C) here this morning! Yes, 46!  But, I absolutely refuse to turn my heat on in August so I've been bundled up in long pants and a heavy shirt topped with a fleece jacket most of the day. It did warm up this afternoon, but the house remains on the chilly side. Thankfully, it's going to warm up again for Labor Day weekend. 

I feel like I've had quite a good stitching month! In addition to the two bee-themed pieces that I shared with you last time, I finished two Christmas pieces: my ornament for August and a classic Prairie Schooler design. This sweet little design is called "The Carol Singers" by Perrette Samouiloff and as soon as I spotted it, I put it on my Christmas list last year. My oldest son found it on Creative Poppy website and downloaded it to give me for Christmas last year. (Unfortunately, it looks like Creative Poppy no longer carries Perrette Samouiloff's designs).  I just love these little children! So adorable, aren't they? What I didn't care for were the suggested colors so I changed out every single color in the chart. Basically, I chose colors from Prairie Schooler designs that I've loved for many, many years. I think the changes worked out so well!

"The Carol Singers" by Perrette Samouiloff

I also changed "Merry Christmas" to straight stitches (instead of cross stitches) and added some musical notes on the ends to roughly form it into an oval shape. The finish is very simple using some handmade DMC 223 cording and a small white metallic snowflake. Eight ornaments down for 2025, four to go! This year sure is passing quickly...

My August 2025 ornament (stitched on 40 ct. summer khaki Newcastle)

 

So, do any of you stitch a design more than once? I've done many baby ornaments and small Christmas ornaments more than once, but I think this was the largest piece that I've stitched twice. I originally stitched it more than 20 years ago as a Christmas gift for my best friend. It is from the Prairie Schooler booklet No. 96 called "Woodland Santas." This piece is stitched on 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle with all of the suggested DMC threads. I can always count on PS colors and that is what makes them such pure comfort stitching! I especially loved the little pheasants and bunnies in this piece (although, those bunnies gave me fits--my aging eyes read the symbol wrong and I had to re-stitch two of them!). I'm not sure how I'll finish this one yet as there are three others in that booklet that I'd like to stitch. So I may wait until all four are done and then decide. 

One of the delightful Praire Schooler scenes from "Woodland Santas"

Which one do you think I should I stitch next? I do love all four, but I think I'm leaning toward the Santa with the reindeer  (or maybe the Santa in the sleigh--who knows!). As you can see, I have an older Prairie Schooler cardstock pattern from 2001. It has been reprinted since then, but the quality is just not the same. If you're looking for this chart (or any older PS charts), I suggest paying the extra money for the original cardstock patterns if you can find them on eBay or Etsy--definitely worth it!

 

One of my favorite PS books! Hard to decide what to stitch next!

I'm so happy to let you know that Mister B's first solo visit with us went exceedingly well! No, homesickness at all--in fact the last day of his visit, he wistfully told us he wished he could "stay a couple more days." So sweet! We were tired, but fulfilled at the end of each day. We kept him busy: visiting a local farm market, going to see his uncle and aunt (to visit Spike, their cat, and to play video games--a rare treat!), and having birthday parties in the basement for the stuffed animals that once belonged to my sons. He helped me make cookies and picked tomatoes and fed the koi in our pond with my husband. And on the last day of his visit, we went to the zoo (where his biggest desire was to see cheetahs ("because they're the fastest animals on earth!"). The hot, humid weather of that week had vanished and our zoo visit weather was perfect with highs in the 70s and low humidity. Thorough spoiling (a grandparent's prerogative, right?!) occurred in the form of blue cotton candy, popcorn, and cherry slushies (but don't tell his parents--ha ha!). 

A sunny day at the zoo with lions, and zebras, and ocelots, and Mister B!

 

Did you know ostriches are the fastest two-legged animals on Earth?

The more I read about the intelligence, social structure, and feelings of elephants, the more I want to learn about them. 

At the local farm market, Mister B gets acquainted with a friendly goat.

We would have let him visit longer, but he had to get home to get ready for school--you know all those last minute items on the checklist! Haircut, new shoes, new clothes, new backpack, pencils, crayons, etc. Yes, Mister B--that little baby born during those awful Covid months in 2020, has entered Kindergarten! So far, he's loving it and said he wants to go "every day of the week!" Hope that attitude stays with him... I always loved school, too. I liked the routine and seeing my friends and (most of) my teachers. I loved learning new things (except in math and science!) and adored library time. How about you? Were you someone who liked school?

Our garden is drying up quickly due to the time of year and the lack of rainfall over this past month. But, the tomatoes are still ripening along with some squash. And we were very surprised to find some miniature pumpkins (that we didn't plant) appearing. Did a bird drop a seed? Who knows, but I hope they'll survive so we'll have a crop for fall decorating! 

Miniature pumpkins appeared from nowhere this year! 

We've seen some beautiful monarch butterflies visiting the garden lately, too. Not only are the lovely, but they are excellent pollinators. 

  

Such a regal looking butterfly!

 

The monarch butterflies especially love our pink zinnias this year.

So, do you have any special plans for the Labor Day weekend? I'm seeing lots of  three-month-old baby cuddles and five-year-old bear hugs in my future--hooray! Nothing better in my opinion. If you're traveling, I wish you a safe trip. That's about all for today... So glad you popped in for a visit--thank you for your always appreciated comments, too. And as that wonderful old song goes, I'll "See You in September!" Bye for now... 

Buzzing in with some mid-August finishes

Another month half over... Can you believe it? It's been so, so dry here that our grass is burning out and our plants are withering on the vine. We got a teeny-tiny bit of rain Wednesday night--the first in over two weeks! But, certainly not enough to make a difference. We've noticed the hummingbirds staying longer at their feeder and even some non-hummingbirds stopping by that same feeder to take a sip of the nectar. I guess the poor things are just parched. I've never seen anything but hummingbirds drinking from those feeders before in my life!

August is normally my month to decorate with bees and sunflowers, but I've been feeling lazy about changing out my cross-stitch smalls so I didn't even bring out the whole collection this year. I did stitch two new bee-themed pieces, though, and created a small display using just them. 

My very small bee-themed display for August

The larger framed piece is by From the Heart NeedleArt and is called "Quaker Bees." I used the suggested overdyed threads on 40 ct. flax Newcastle and am so pleased with the final piece. It fit perfectly in this black 5X7" frame that I purchased from Marshall's--love it when that happens! I wish more designers would chart their designs to fit in standard size frames, don't you? It sure would save us a lot on framing (and leave us more money for purchasing charts, fabric, and threads!). 

"Quaker Bees" finish (with some tiny yellow flowers from our garden)

My second bee-themed finish is part of Jeannette Douglas's charming "chubby series"--may I introduce "Chubby Bee." So far she's designed Chubby Fox, Chubby Bunny, Chubby Ewe, Chubby Bird, Chubby Bee, and Chubby Squirrel. Have you stitched any of them? I have the Chubby Squirrel chart which I hope to stitch this fall. "Chubby Bee" is stitched on 40 ct. vintage country mocha Newcastle using a combination of the suggested colors and some substitutions (the greens and the purples) that simply worked better with my chosen fabric. The year was supposed to be stitched in the middle bottom, but I don't like dates my finishes (unless they are samplers), so I simply substituted a few more flowers and vines to round out the final look.  I also added pale yellow Smyrna stitches to the flower centers.

"Chubby Bee" with a few added vines and flowers

To finish it, I created a flat round ornament and then glued it to a larger round form covered with black and beige checked gingham fabric. Then I added gold cording (just glued it on with a teeny bit of Aleene's Tacky Glue on the end of a toothpick) and topped it with a jute bow.The back is covered with a round piece of black felt. This is a very simple finish and if you're interested in trying the round shapes yourself, I highly recommend this tutorial from Pinwheel Ponders. Give it a try--it honestly isn't difficult. At my age, I don't do difficult (if I can help it, anyway :). 

I just love this little chubby guy!

Finally, I stitched yet another "Remy Rabbit" by Brooke's Books ornament for a new baby. This was the fourth time I've stitched this one! I first stitched it back in 2021 and have used the same fabric (40 ct. water green Newcastle which, sadly, is no longer available) for all four. I left off the charted border and added a variety of snowflakes to make it into an oval. Such a sweet ornament for a new baby girl. 

My fourth finish of "Remy Rabbit" for a new baby girl (I've blurred the name out for privacy)

So, what's next? I'm working on my Christmas ornament for August and another Prairie Schooler which is taking more time than I anticipated! Then, I think I'll start something for fall... How about all of you? Have you begun fall stitching yet? Any recommendations? 

More summer fun... In my last post, I shared the birthday celebrations that we held at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland in July. Today, I'll share a few photos of our week-long visit. It was so peaceful there and easily ten degrees cooler as it's in the mountains. We all enjoyed our visit so much! Here are some of the highlights...

The view from the balcony outside our bedroom.

  

This part of the lake was very quiet--perfect for kayaking and paddleboarding. That tiny figure in the front of the kayak is Mister B! He is becoming much more comfortable with the water and really enjoyed his time by the lake.

We all loved this firepit set-up under the tall shady oak trees. It was a perfect place to read, snooze, watch the water fun, or hold Baby N (definitely my favorite activity!).

When we wanted a break from the water activities, we ventured over to  Swallow Falls State Park which stretches over 250 acres. Of course, we just hiked a tiny bit of it since we had two-month old Baby N in tow. We'll just have to go back again to explore more when he is older! It was quite crowded that day, but I'm sure it must be a beautiful park in all seasons. 

Hiking along the creek

  

One of the pretty waterfalls we spotted along our path

Mister B and nature--two of my favorite things!

 

On our drive back to the AirBnb, I spotted these cute musicians made entirely of old farm machinery parts  displayed in a farmer's field. Aren't they clever? 

Back at the rental home, we all kept busy with puzzles, and Legos, and games. Mister B sure loved having all of his uncles and aunts there to play with. I had brought a giant bin of Legos (saved for decades from when my sons were small) and all the guys had a great time creating space bases  with them and having pretend battles. It really warmed my heart to watch them having so much fun together.  

Mister B playing chess with his uncle, adding to his Lego space base, fishing (no luck), and watching the ducks walk up the dock to say hello. When it came time to leave on Friday, he cried and asked his daddy if we couldn't just buy the house and all live there forever. I'm so happy we can create these wonderful memories for him each summer! 

We got very lucky with the weather and it only rained all day the final day we were there! Hope we can return again next year. If you haven't visited the Deep Creek Lake area in Maryland, I highly recommend it!

Such a happy week with family!

Our garden has struggled this year, but we still managed to grow a few pretty flowers and some juicy tomatoes. 

Such royal colors from our glads this year!

 

The sunflowers in our garden always make me smile with their bright yellow and brown heads. The goldfinches love to visit and eat their seeds, too.

Oh, how I love the salmon color of this geranium. I'm thinking of trying to propagate it and overwinter the cuttings--any advice?

My husband is loving this time of year with all the fresh tomatoes. I don't eat them, but he is in heaven!

And that brings me to the end of yet another post. Oh, wait! I forgot to announce the winner of the "Christmas Sampler" chart that I offered in my previous post... The winner of this sweet design is...

Isabel (from Alromasar blog) 

 

Isabel (from Alromasar blog) you are the winner of this chart! Please let me know your mailing address and I'll get this out to you soon!

We are having a sweet little visitor for the next four days! Can you guess who? Yes, Mister B finally got up his nerve to come visit Nonna and Pampa all by himself. Today, we are meeting our son and daughter-in-law half-way to pick him up and then he'll be staying with us until Tuesday. I love seeing his excitement over coming all on his own (each time we chat on FaceTime). We've been working on this for almost two years now, hoping he would become brave enough to make a solo visit. I think he's very excited to be doing something that his baby brother can't! We have lots of fun plans in the works to keep him busy and, hopefully, to keep any homesickness at bay. We'll certainly be tired, but a good kind of tired at the end of each day.

Thank you to all who take the time to comment and say hello after each post--I truly look forward to hearing from you! I know blogging isn't really "in style" these days, so I'm glad that there are a few of you who still pop in for a vis each month. Hope the rest of August is good to you--stay cool! Bye for now... 

Christmas in July

How's everyone doing? Staying cool, I hope? Whew--this heatwave is beyond anything I can remember in all of my 70 years and I'm so very thankful to have air conditioning... Just last evening, my husband said, "I can't imagine this summer without AC." I know it's not common in some parts of the U.S. and many countries internationally. Do you have it in your home? When I was growing up in upstate New York (south of Buffalo), we did not have whole house air conditioning. We had wall units in the kitchen and in my parents' bedroom, but that was it. I remember a few nights each summer just lying in bed unable to sleep due to the heat and humidity. But, that was only three or four nights each year... With today's summer heat, those long sleepless nights would be more like half the summer, I fear.

But, the good thing about the heat? It forces me to sit inside and stitch! Lucky, aren't we, to have this hobby of ours during seemingly endless hot summer days? I got a bit behind on my monthly ornament stitching due to all the time I've been spending with my grandsons this summer, but am finally caught up with my June and July ornaments. I think you'll recognize both of them as Prairie Schooler designs--always my favorite! My ornament for June comes from an old PS free chart which is unnamed so I'll just call it "Santa Paddling His Canoe." It is stitched on 40 ct. R&R Salt Marsh linen (which has a pale sage green hue) using the suggested DMC threads (except I Smyrna-stitched his eye using 3031). 

My ornament for June--an old freebie from Prairie Schooler.

I felt like this piece deserved a rustic finish, so it was back to my camp counselor days (yes, I was a counselor at a Camp Fire Girl day camp the summer I was 19)--time to create another twig frame. I've made this type of frame with two other PS pieces and am so pleased with how this one turned out. I simply went outside to our brush pile and found a relatively straight branch from a birch tree, cut it into pieces, and glued them on to the sticky-board mounted piece to form a rectangle. At the top, I glued on a branch of artificial evergreens, some dried berries, and a corded hanger. The back is covered with a piece of felt. Love how it turned out!

Love the way the greenish spots on the birch twigs pick up the color of the fabric.

Here are the three PS twig-framed Santas... My favorite is at the top, stitched "over one" on 28 ct. black Monaco, that I created way back in 2011. I just love this green-robed Santa with his bundle of tiny logs. You can read about the Santa on black in this post. And the one driving the truck full of Christmas trees can be viewed in this post. 

A trio of twig framed Prairie Schooler Santas--do you have a favorite?

For my July ornament, I chose to stitch the annual Prairie Schooler annual Santa from way back in 1998. He is stitched "over one" on 25 ct. mushroom Lugana using the suggested DMC threads. The only change I made was to omit the giraffe that was hanging from the ark--it looked (to me, anyway!), like he had a broken neck! What do you think--you can see the original chart here. 

Stitched "over one"--so tiny and cute!

I finished this as a simple pillow using green cording and a green and cream gingham bow. Nothing fancy--I like to let the stitching shine when it comes to these handsome PS annual Santas.

The 1998 Prairie Schooler annual Santa is my ornament for July

 

June and July 2025 ornaments

 

As I mentioned in my last post, my entire family met up for a week of celebrations at a rental house right on beautiful Deep Creek Lake in Maryland earlier this month. I don't think I've ever eaten so much cake in my life! My oldest grandson, Mister B, celebrated five years, my youngest son celebrated 37 years, and my husband had the biggest celebration of all as he turned the big 7-0! Yes, he's caught up with me--the older woman! I have him beat by six whole months. 

Mister B originally wanted a Batman themed party, but at the last minute he changed his mind and decided he wanted a Snoopy party. Quite the change for sure! So my oldest son scrambled and ordered some Snoopy/Peanuts gang decorations to decorate the rental house. 

Aww... can you believe Mister B is five years old already? He loved his Snoopy themed party and his excited smile says it all!

Upon hearing about the change to a Snoopy theme, I found a quick-to-stitch design of everyone's favorite cartoon pup online. I think it took me all of two days to stitch and finish it--probably my fastest fully finished item ever! Isn't it cute? I stitched it on 28 ct. dove gray Monaco with three DMC colors: black, white, and 498 for the red. On the back of the frame, I wrote that it was lovingly stitched by Nonna for his 5th birthday and that whenever he looked at it, I hoped he'd remember how much I love him... 

The sweet Snoopy finish that I gifted my grandson on his 5th birthday.

My youngest son didn't mind sharing the Snoopy decorations with Mister B and together they blew out their candles on some tasty cupcakes and a Boston Cream Pie (which is my youngest son's favorite dessert). 

My youngest son and oldest grandson celebrate their birthdays which are just one day apart. I wonder what they wished for?

Two days later, my husband turned 70. Unlike me, when I turned 70 in January, he was very excited and appreciative just to still be here on earth. I need to think more like him :)  I would have loved to bake him a cake, but being away and in a rental house, I decided to just order one from a local bakery. I wanted it to be biking and beer themed--two of his favorite hobbies. I sent the baker a photo of an inspiration cake and, although it wasn't exactly what I wanted, it tasted wonderful and that's what counts, right? It was a carrot cake with vanilla buttercream icing and I think we ate it for the next four nights. A little slice went a long way! 

I asked the baker to design a biking/beer themed carrot cake using various signs that I found online and emailed to her. She forgot to add the spokes on the wheels, but that was still one tasty cake! 

Before we left for our lake vacation, I secretly designed some candy wrappers for my husband's big day using baby photos of him and various birthday greetings. I printed them out using our home printer and then wrapped them around Hershey's Miniature candy bars. For his party, I scattered them around the table--they were a big hit!

The little Hershey Miniature candy bars all wrapped up for the party. Wasn't he a cute little baby?

And here we are--the two 70-year-olds, still smiling after all these years. I've known him for over 50 years now as we met when we were just 19. In fact we celebrated our 48th wedding anniversary just last week--getting very close to the big one! We both feel very blessed to have shared so many milestone moments together...

Celebrating my husband's 70th!

Since this post is already running long,  I'll share more on our family's lake vacation next time. Hope you'll pop in to visit again...

Giveaway time... In the meantime--since this is a "Christmas in July" post--how about a little Christmas-themed giveaway? I actually stitched this pretty sampler years ago (way before I began blogging and back when I was still stitching on Aida). I love it, although I've never framed it for some reason. I'm not crazy about the color of fabric I used, but it is still frame-worthy. I'll have to go down to my bins of thrifted frames in the basement and see if there isn't one that would work. 

My finish of "Christmas Sampler"--stitched nearly 20 years ago!

Anyway, I know I'll never stitch this one again, so who would like to win the chart? It's called "Christmas Sampler" and is from a 1994 edition of "Cross-Stitch Christmas" magazine. If you'd like to be entered in the drawing: 1)Please say so in your comment below, 2) Make sure you leave me your email address (if I don't already have it), and 3) Tell me the name of your favorite Christmas Carol and why you like it so much. Mine is "O Holy Night" which takes me right back to Christmas Eve services in my childhood church each and every time I hear it. Just love it! I'll announce the winner of the chart in my next post--good luck to all! (Please note, I will be folding this chart in thirds to fit in a legal-sized envelope in an effort to save on postage).  

I'm having a giveaway for this "Christmas Sampler" chart. Just follow the guidelines above if you'd like to be entered into the drawing. 

So, here we are--the end of July already. I want to thank all of you for your kind comments on my newest grandson's birth sampler in my last post and for weighing in on what I should do about joining the train cars or leaving them as they are. I'm still very undecided! Perhaps I should just flip a coin :) I truly appreciate your input and all of your sweet comments and emails. Hope August brings each of you lots of stitching and relaxing time. Stay cool out there! Bye for now...

Stitching the summer away

Hello all! How is your July going so far? Ten days in and it's been a hot month here so far... But, I'm not complaining--after the horrible flooding rains in Texas, New Mexico, and North Carolina and the wildfires burning up parts of California,  I feel very lucky to live in a part of the country that rarely has to deal with natural disasters. It's been heartbreaking reading about the girls' camp and loss of so many lives in Texas hill country, hasn't it? Almost beyond belief that this could happen in the age of modern communications, cell phones, and such. That river rose so very fast (26 feet in 45 minutes), that many stood no chance at all. 

I turn to thoughts of my sweet grandsons to bring me peace during these sad, sad times. Mister B just celebrated his fifth birthday this week and Baby N, now two months old, is growing by leaps and bounds. I so look forward to the daily photos and videos that my son and daughter-in-law send--I'm just itching to see those darling boys again. And it won't be long! We'll soon be gathering for our annual triple birthday celebration for my husband, my youngest son, and my oldest grandson--we all look forward to it every year!

I've been busy finishing up Baby N's birth sampler. My plan was to finish it by Christmas, but I should have it framed and gifted by the end of August. I'm actually ahead of schedule for a change! My daughter-in-law chose this vintage-looking sampler pattern for her youngest son, and although that checkerboard border tried my patience, I really loved stitching the little trucks and train. May I present "Fire Engine" by Historical Sampler Company in England. Luckily, I was able to purchase and download the chart from The Fat Quarter Shop which made it quick and easy to obtain. There was a cross stitch alphabet included for personalization, but Baby N's name is too long to fit, so I chose to do a simpler straight stitched and back-stitched alphabet which is one of my favorites. I did make a couple of minor changes, but if you like the look of this font, you can find it right here. 

Baby N's birth sampler: "Fire Engine" by Historical Sampler Company

It is stitched on 40 ct. soft ivory Newcastle with all of the suggested colors. Here is a close-up of the border and two of the trucks. I'm thinking about getting a dark blue frame for this one. What do you think?

Such cute little motifs--I hope Baby N likes cars and trucks as much as his big brother does!

I do have a question for you, though... Look at the train--each car is sitting separately. Should I join them with straight stitches or leave as is? As my husband pointed out, there are two engines going in two different directions so which one is pulling it? I keep going back and forth as to what to do! I'd love to know your thoughts! 

I'm planning on framing this in a simple dark blue frame.

I also stitched a couple of cute designs and made them into birthday cards. The one on the left, "Hello Spring," (by Cherry Hill Stitchery) can be found in the Spring 2023 issue of Punch Needle and Primitive Stitcher magazine. I used 40 ct. soft ivory Newcastle with my choice of threads. For interest, I added little gold beads to the centers of some of the flowers. And the blue bird on the right is from a JBW Designs kit called "Sweet Springtime Songbird. I used most of the suggested colors for this one and stitched it on 40 ct. soft ivory Newcastle (I seem to be using that fabric a lot lately!). Adding some simple bows and pink gingham ribbon to the card fronts helps make them a bit more special, don't you think?

A couple of sweet stitched birthday cards

And! I have another framed finish to share with you today. I had stitched "Fourth of July Picnic" back in 2023, and, for me, a two year wait is not bad at all. I think this is one of my all-time favorite pieces--it's just so charming with that sweet girl, the little brown pup, and the button flowers. If you'd like to read about my finish from two years ago, you can find it right here. 

My framed finish of "Fourth of July Picnic" by Samplers Not Forgotten

 

I ordered the ridged gray and white frame from one of my favorite online stores, Franken Frames, which I've linked to many times before. This isn't a huge piece so the framing was quite easy and I love how it turned out! I always use the framing tutorial that Brenda Gervais offered on her old blog which you can still find by clicking here. It's really not difficult at all--and what a huge money saver it is to frame things yourself! Give it a try! 

The newly framed piece fit in perfectly with one of my patriotic displays in my kitchen corner cupboard.

Due to our over-abundance of rain earlier in the summer and now our very hot temperatures, our garden is not looking all that great. Some of the plants and flowers that my husband planted didn't even come up  and he's had just one lone ripe tomato so far (with very few on the way). Oh, well, some years are like that... There are some pretty flowers blooming in the fenced in vegetable/flower garden, though, which have made for nice cutting flowers to brighten my kitchen. I'm so appreciative that my husband puts in all the effort for us when it comes to flowers. I am just not a gardener :) 

Some of the pretty daisies, hydrangeas, and bachelor's buttons that we cut and bring inside for our table.

We have milkweed growing in the garden in an attempt to lure  monarch butterflies. I was so excited to see one perched briefly on the milkweed (even if I was too slow to get a photo of it).

And, I'd like to introduce you to our two newest residents... 

We so enjoy seeing the spotted fawn twins romping around our yard. They have the best time leaping and prancing as they chase each other around the pond.

Hope you all have a relaxing weekend ahead and can stay cool inside and just s-t-i-t-c-h! Can't imagine my life without this wonderful hobby, can you? Thanks so much for dropping by and taking the time to say "hello!" And thank you for all of the kind comments on my Milan, Italy post last time. I owe several of you emails--hope to get to those soon! I'll be back at the end of the month with my Christmas ornaments for June and July--fingers crossed! Bye for now...