A spring finish and a new baby to love!

Hello, hello! It's been a while hasn't it? Gosh, I last posted almost a month ago. Spring is such a busy time of year around here as we attempt to banish all signs of winter and welcome more light and sunshine. This month has not been the most cooperative, however. We've had so much rain and so many cool, gray days here in the northeast. Memorial Day weekend came and went and it felt more like late-September weather rather than late-May. But, things are looking up for next week--that warm, sunny weather which I crave appears to be on the horizon. Hooray!

How do you select what pieces you want to stitch? Is it the theme, the size, the designer, the season? In the case of my latest finish, it was the colors that drew me in--oh, how I loved the hues in this charming design! "Flower Garden Sampler" is filled with blues and browns and I've always thought that combination to be so pretty. This is my very first finish by "Artful Offerings," but I loved it so much that I have already purchased a couple more of Karina's designs. This was stitched on 40 ct. soft ivory Newcastle using all of the suggested DMC threads. Just eight colors are used in this piece making is a joy to stitch--definite comfort stitching!

My finish of "Flower Garden Sampler"

In addition to the colors, I also fell in love with the whimsical bird couple proudly guarding their nest of blue eggs. I mean how cute are they... him with his little blue bow tie and her with her trailing dark blue scarf? Adorable!

Aren't they the cutest couple?

The long gray stripes in the middle of the design are meant to mimic a vintage grain sack towel and I'm debating about how to frame this one. I think I'll frame it so the stripe touches the edge of the frame on the two sides and then leave a border of fabric showing on the other two sides. What do you think? I'm still puzzling over this one! On 40 ct. fabric, this piece ended up being about 8 1/2 inches wide by 8 inches high so I'd classify it as a medium sized finish (for me, anyway!). Absolutely love it!

I would have had this piece finished about three weeks ago, but we had a bit of a surprise in our lives! For those of you who follow me on Instagram you already know what that surprise was... A certain little baby, our second grandchild, couldn't wait to see what this big wide world was all about and arrived 15 days early! Oh, my... we were all so surprised when my son texted us to say our daughter-in-law was in labor and they were heading for the hospital! That was about 11:30 at night (why do babies always seem to arrive at night?) so of course, I coudn't sleep! I spent most of the night packing my suitcase and cleaning the house so we could leave early the next morning as we planned to stay with them and help out with the baby and Mister B for at least two weeks. 

The baby couldn't wait until we got there and arrived around 5:30 AM the morning of May 6th. So by the time we got our first look, the little sweetheart was about 9 hours old.

Our first peek at our newest family member!

So, I'm sure you all want to know the answer to that burning question... boy or girl? Well...

      * my husband and I have three boys

      * my husband is one of four boys

      * my husband's father is one of two boys

      * we have one grandson already

So, of course...                                     

A darling cookie bouquet sent by my sister

Yes, Mister B has a little brother, Baby N, and we couldn't be happier! He is such a proud big brother and is already telling his mom and dad that he wants another baby brother or sister. Hmm...

 

We had the honor of moving right in with them for two weeks and, although exhausted, we enjoyed every single second. To hold a sleeping newborn is probably the best feeling in the world, isn't it? Especially when that helpless infant is your very own grandchild. All the cares in the world just vanished as I held the little fellow in the rocking chair and softly sang to him. All those sweet baby noises and funny sounds and facial expressions... I think, as a grandmother, I have the time to treasure those little things even more than when I had my own babies.  A lot of people on Instagram asked me if he has Mister B's dimples... no sign of them so far. He's a beautiful little boy who bears some resemblance to his big brother, but is his own sweet self. He seems to be very easy-going and relaxed in the three weeks he's spent in this big new world. We are all feeling very blessed!

Sweet dreams, Baby N!

Our new grandson received the most beautiful gift--this soft, pale yellow blanket (pictured below) knit so lovingly by one of my blog readers (and friends!), Barb R. in Michigan. I can't tell you how much I was touched by your thoughtfulness, Barb. Second babies are often not remembered with gifts or cards so this meant so much to me and to Baby N's parents! Thank you, thank you, my friend... it will be treasured!

I think Baby N loves his cuddly new blanket from my friend, Barb!

It was so hard to say goodbye to everyone when we left on May 21st (baby's original due date!). I have to admit I cried a bit. But, they're planning to come for a visit in just a couple weeks and we are so looking forward to that. 

New start...  I asked my daughter-in-law to pick out a birth sampler for Baby N and she chose this vintage looking design by Historical Sampler Company in England. It uses just nine DMC threads and I'll be stitching it on 40 ct. soft ivory Newcastle. I hope Baby N loves trucks and cars and trains as much as his big brother does!

The birth sampler I'll be stitching for my newest grandson--that checkerboard border is going to try my patience, but he's worth it!

Since we've been home, I've been catching up on spring cleaning, trying to restock our freezer (I had made seven meals ahead of time and frozen them to take down for the baby's arrival), and have spent time stitching a couple of gifts before I start the birth sampler. We've also been treated to a variety of unusual birds visiting lately--the Great Horned Owl below was a special treat!

All winter long we could hear the hoots of two Great Horned Owls in our nearby woods. This spring our neighbor nicely called us over to see the two baby owlets that had hatched in a tree on their property. The owlets fledged a few weeks ago and this one took the time to land on our patio table to say "hello" on Thursday. Such a magnificent looking bird!

 

We often have Great Blue Herons visiting our pond in search of fish, but this was the first I've seen one simply striding up our side lawn.

 

My first ever sighting of a "Rose-breasted Grosbeak"--such a beautiful bird with his rosy breast and splotches of white on his very black back.

So, that wraps up my one and only post for May! I hope it's been a good month for you and that you've had a couple happy surprises along the way, too. I'm really looking forward to June with its warmer weather and the chance to do some porch stitching. Thank you, each one of you, for visiting today and taking the time out of your busy schedules to read my little blog and leave a comment. I so appreciate hearing from you! Take care and happy stitching! Bye for now...