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...