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...