Two new Valentine finishes and an unwanted visitor

Happy Valentine's Day, my friends! Half-way through February already--how can that be? For a short month, it's already been a busy one here. I've been stitching away on a couple of sweet Valentine's pieces and just finished the second one  yesterday. I try to add at least one piece to my Valentine's collection each year and was very pleased to get two finished this year. Now, looking at these, you might think I'm a pink, lace, pastel type of girl... Nope--not in the least, but, for some reason, I do enjoy making these sweet little treasures when February rolls around each year. 

My first pretty-in-pink finish is by Erin Elizabeth Designs and is called "Valentine Tier." Just look at this adorable tiered tray! There is so much detail in this one and it took me longer to finish it than I expected (even though the final stitched piece only measures 3 inches by 4.25 inches)! It's stitched on 40 ct. burch Newcastle using the suggested DMC colors. But, I didn't always use the colors where they were suggested... For instance, I stitched a gray roof rather than the suggested brown.

"Valentine Tier" by Erin Elizabeth Designs

The main change I made was to the flower centers. I had the entire thing stitched with the suggested black flower centers, took a good look at it, and ripped them all out! They just looked too dark to me for a sweet Valentine's design. So, I replaced the black centers with the palest pink color. I also used Smyrna stitches for the birds' eyes, the doorknob, and the sprinkles on the cookie and on the whipped cream topping on the mug of cocoa. My final change was to add straight stitches for the birds' long skinny legs rather than the charted cross stitches. What do you think? It just makes me smile each time I walk by it!

I changed all of the flower centers to pale pink.

My second February finish is a wonderful freebie by The Drawn Thread called "All You Need is Love." You can find the chart right here along with a number of other great free designs! It's stitched on 32 ct. white Belfast linen, but I chose my own colors as I didn't have any of the suggested Gloriana Silks in my stash. I went with Dinky Dyes silks instead and used the following colors: Dandenong, Wild Cherry, and Raspberry Ripple (using the light pink for some of the hearts and the darker pink for others). And for the light green leaves, I used Needle Necessities 142 (the lighter portion of the thread only). 

"All You Need is Love" by The Drawn Thread

What I loved most about this piece were the specialty stitches; on this small design there are at least a dozen specialty stitches! Below is a close-up so you can see them a bit better. Rather than my usual corded edging, I chose to do a beaded edge with the palest pink beads. I find beaded edges to be so lovely, but, for me, they take so long to complete! My go-to tutorial can be found right here on "Snippets and Stash" blog. 

I love the specialty stitches!

Unfortunately, I've been so busy this month, I never did get any of my other Valentine's stitching out on display! Shame on me... All those hours of making little pink and red x's through the years and I left them sitting in the drawer. Oh, well--I'll be sure to get them out next February. At least I have these two new pieces to brighten up the day!

So many shades of pink...

I also stitched a card for a friend who is going through some health issues. This is called "Buttercup" by Nickyscreations and can be found in the April 2017 issue of Just Cross Stitch. I used 40 ct. platinum Newcastle with the suggested DMC thread (although I changed the birds' legs to DMC 420 and the centers of the flowers to DMC 832).  I sure hope it brings a little sunshine into my friend's day!

A cheerful card for a friend

So, I mentioned an "unwanted visitor" in the title of this post. I'll bet most of you can guess what it was, can't you? Yes, Mr. Covid reared his ugly head and visited my husband on February 2nd. He's quite sure he got it on the plane ride home from Florida at the end of January because he tested positive just five days later. Thankfully, it was a mild case and he only felt bad for a few days. And, even better--I avoided getting it! We slept in separate bedrooms, used different bathrooms, and pretty much stayed on opposite sides of the house during the daytime. This was the second time he had it--and I escaped contracting it both times. I'm sure I'll end up with it at some point, but so far, I've been very lucky! How about you? Have you had Covid yet?

 

My uncle playing Santa

 

My last remaining uncle by marriage (he was married to my dad's sister),  passed away last week at the incredible age of 101. What a life he led--definitely part of  "The Greatest Generation!" He survived the Battle of the Bulge during World War II (during which 90,000 Allied soldiers were killed) and was the last remaining WWII veteran in the southwestern New York county where he lived his entire life. I grew up in the same small town as all of my dad's siblings and their spouses and this particular uncle was the one tasked with playing Santa each Christmas Eve for my Grandparents' 21 grandchildren! Down the stairs he would come, sleigh bells jingling, with a big sack of gifts--one for each of us. Even in my late teens, I still looked forward to that annual tradition. My siblings and I still get a big laugh about the hilarious (somewhat scary, truth be told!) Santa costume he wore each year. So, here's to my uncle and all the other brave veterans out there! Thank you all for your service...

My youngest son and his girlfriend, otherwise known as the "world travelers" of our family are visiting Oman for ten days. Oman?! I had to look it up on a map to know exactly where it is. I knew it was in the Middle East and, of course, immediately went into "worried mother mode," but my son assured me it is one of the safest countries in that part of the world. He's been treating us to some breathtaking photos and I think you'll agree, the scenery is stunning. I'm sure I'll never travel there, or to many of the places they've visited over the past three years, but it sure is fun traveling vicariously through them! 

Just a few of the stunning photos my son has sent from Oman

And my little grandson did a bit of traveling of his own as well... he and his mom and dad went to Disney World for a few days. I thought he was a bit young to be going, but he did pretty well. He was scared of The Haunted Mansion and the interactive "It's Tough to be a Bug." But, he adored the roller coasters and the costumed characters. Here he is getting acquainted with Goofy at an Animal Kingdom breakfast (my daughter-in-law reported that it was the most expensive meal the three of them had ever had together!). Next time they go, we hope to go with them!

Mister B meets Goofy!

So, what has been keeping me so busy this month? I've been working on redecorating two bedrooms! And the large one (ours) involves removing wallpaper. Ugh! Never, ever am I going to put up wallpaper again! We hadn't done anything to update our bedroom in over 25 years so it was definitely past time. So far, we've removed the wallpaper border and some of the wallpaper below the chair rail. We also decided to purchase a king-size bed so we've been shuffling beds around as well as other furniture. The new mattress arrived and we love it! Right now, it's just placed on the floor as our new king-size bed frame hasn't arrived. Hopefully, soon! There have been a lot of trips to various stores, searching online, returning things that didn't work out, etc. But, it will be so nice to have things updated when we're all done. We're in no hurry--I haven't even picked out paint colors or linens yet. But, we'd like to have it mostly finished by the time spring rolls around. 

Hope each of you has a wonderful Valentine's Day! I'm hoping for some chocolate later on--hint, hint to my dear husband. Maybe I'll make a special dessert, too. Thanks for stopping by today--and a special thank you to those of you who take the time to leave a comment. I truly appreciate your support! Bye for now...

♥♥♥ Happy Valentine's Day ♥♥♥

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...

The patriotic Pottery Barn cubby

Happy July! It's the beginning of the July 4th weekend here in the United States. Do you have any special plans? It will be a quiet one here as my husband is still testing positive for Covid. The red line is much, much lighter and he is feeling just fine now, but I guess the virus is still there to some extent. And believe it or not--I didn't get it! That still amazes me, but I just read an interesting article online yesterday that said blood type may possibly play a part in whether or not you end up with Covid. Apparently, folks with Type O blood seem to have slightly more protection from it. Oh, they can still get it, but not as easily. And I have Type O, so who knows? If you'd like to read the article from Men's Health you can find it right here. 

In my past two posts, I've shown you several little patriotic pillows that I stitched and finished to fill some of the vacant spaces in my Pottery Barn cubby. I've since filled it up and just love how they all look displayed together. Would you like to see?

Lots of red, white, and blue fills my July cubby

Of course I'll share some close-ups with you, too...

 

As you can see, I have some of my larger patriotic pieces displayed on top since they won't fit into the smaller holes. I chose to fill one of the openings (below on the right) with a sewing theme: vintage red, white, and blue spools of thread and an old tomato pincushion (complete with tiny strawberry) as well as my maternal grandmother's gold thimble.

 

 

Do you wonder how I make the pillows stand up? Well, I steal my grandson's wooden blocks (shhh... don't tell him!) and place them behind the little pillows for support.

 

I've really enjoyed this display and plan on keeping it up for most of the summer.

As always, my mom's silhouette occupies the center position because she was forever the center of our home. I decorated her space with two vintagey looking pinwheels and some baby's breath inserted into the pair of white ceramic shoes that were part of her childhood shoe collection. I'm sure she would be delighted with my seasonal decorations of "her" cubby space!

The center space honoring my dear mother

Which one do you like the best?

Above is one final look at the patriotic cubby. Do you have a favorite? I think I am torn between the Liberty pillow in #11 and the Chessie & Me pillow (with the trio of houses and the ship) in #7. But, honestly? I love them all!

I also had a chance to finish one of the patriotic charts that my Instagram friend, Trinka, so generously gave me. I love stitching words so I really enjoyed this one! The design is called "All American" by Primrose Cottage Stitches. Love the way the colors pop on the 40 ct. vintage country mocha Newcastle linen! The red I used was Classic Colorworks "Ribbon Red" because I didn't own the called for overdyed thread, but I think it made a great substitute.

"All American" finish

 

If you have stitched this one already, you'll notice that I made a few changes (of course!).  As you can see, I added white polka dots (in the form of Smyrna stitches) to the word "Blue." I also added white stripes to the word "Stripes!" It just made sense to me and I love how it turned out. (The color of the fabric is much more accurate in the photo above).

Love those colors!

So, in the spirit of keeping the kindness going... who would like to win this patriotic chart? I'll pick a winner and announce the name when I post again (hopefully in a couple weeks). 

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.

 

In today's "Getting To Know You" question, I'm wondering if you are an early riser or a night-owl? Are you one of those people who loves jumping out of bed and getting right down to the business of the day? Or are you more like me--a "lounge in bed for an hour or so reading emails, browsing blogs and Instagram, and catching up on the news type of person?" I so wish I was an early riser--I always feel much more accomplished when I do get up early. But, more and more, I've been staying up until almost midnight stitching the evening away... How about you?

And that's about it for today! Happy second half of  2022 everyone... I hope you have a relaxing weekend doing whatever makes you happiest. With my husband being quarantined with Covid, I've gotten in a lot of stitching and reading time, believe me! I'm sure by the next time I post, he'll be fully Covid free and our normal life can resume. It really feels odd living in separate halves of the house...

Take care now--thank you for your visit today and your sweet comments! If you do want to enter the giveaway for the Primrose Cottage Stitchers chart shown above, please read the guidelines very carefully. So many of you don't include your email address (just a gentle reminder). I hope everyone who is celebrating the 4th of July in the U.S, has a fun, but safe holiday. Bye for now...

My lone June post...

Hi everyone! Gosh, it's been a while, hasn't it? No excuses, just pure procrastination when it comes to sitting down and composing a new post. So, how is everyone's summer going so far (all three days of it!)? It's not been the best start to our summer as my husband tested positive for Covid on Monday morning--ugh! Last Friday, he came home from getting his hair cut and said that his barber was coughing and sounded sick and had just flown from New Orleans. I knew in my heart it was Covid... My husband began feeling a sore throat coming on Sunday evening and sure enough, Monday brought the news we had been hoping to avoid for the past 2 1/2 years. He's had a tough time of it and doesn't hesitate to tell me that it's much worse than the flu! Terrible sore throat, fever, congestion, joint and muscle aches, and extreme tiredness.

I'm feeling a bit like a sitting duck here, just waiting to get attacked, but, so far, I'm feeling fine. We are basically living in two different sides of the house and when we are in any common areas (hallways, kitchen), we wear masks and try to not be in the same place for very long. We are also keeping the windows wide open (and believe me on the steamy 95° day we had on Wednesday, that was no easy feat!). Anyway, we are anticipating that he will be feeling better soon (and really hoping and praying that I can avoid it). 

I've been doing more patriotic stitching lately--it always seems to call my name at this time of year. Interestingly, all of the finishes I have to show you today are from Italian cross stitch designers! First up, is this darling trio from Mani di Donna called "Sounds of Freedom Pillows." I used most of the suggested overdyed threads, substituting just a couple with DMC colors. 

"Sounds of Freedom Pillows" finishes

 

Here is a close-up for you...

This photo shows the true color of the fabric much better.

 

I stitched these "over one" on 25 ct. vintage country mocha Lugana--love how tiny they came out. They will be perfect to use in my patriotic Pottery Barn cubby (which I'll show you next time--still haven't photographed it!). I finished them all the same way except I chose to use different colored stars on each--gold for "Let Freedom Ring," blue for "Stars & Stripes," and red for "Land of Liberty." The other change I made was to just stitch a simple star outline on each flag rather than using the called for French knots. Much, much easier! The backing fabric is the gold-starred burgundy fabric you see underneath.

 

More patriotic pillows for my Pottery Barn cubby!

 

My other finish is from the top right portion of the Madame Chantilly design called "Celebrate 4th of July." You can see the entire design right here. I just love each of the tiered trays she has designed and have purchased almost every one. Just look at all the charming little motifs! I would really like to stitch the entire design for each holiday and season, but have to be realistic that that probably won't be happening. So, why not stitch the sweet motifs individually?!

Hmmm... which tiered tray design should I choose next?

This eagle is so regal looking, isn't he? I used overdyed threads and added a little star charm hanging from his beak. And because I wanted an oval finish, I added the little white doo-dads (not sure what else to call them!) around the perimeter to help shape it. The fabric I chose was a new to me 40 ct. Newcastle linen called Stormy Night--I love the subtle shading on this wonderful gray color.

A patriotic finish from "Celebrate 4th of July"

The blue flannel shown in the background is from one of my husband's old shirts. I used it to back the ornament and to make the little bow. For the bow, I simply cut off a long, thin piece of the shirt, frayed the edges, and applied Dritz Fray Check to the entire thing to stiffen it up a bit and keep the fraying to a minimum. The blue cording is the same color as the blue star and I also added little gold pearl-tipped pins around the edge. I just love it!

Loved the mottled gray fabric on this one!

 

And look at this wonderful surprise which arrived from Instagram friend, Trinka (bluebonnettexas on Instagram). Oh, my! Two beautiful charts, some charms, patriotic colored floss, and a darling scrappy handmade star. Thank you so much, Trinka! I am working on the "All American" chart right now and will definitely pass on the kindness when I am finished with it. Honestly, what a generous, kind community we stitchers are blessed to be a part of!

Goodies from Instagram friend Trinka in Texas!

And now for something I hadn't done in nearly 50 years--I finally got up my nerve and put in a zipper! YAY! I am so pleased with the little pouch that I made for my grandson's upcoming 2nd birthday. I found a very easy tutorial on Apple Green Cottage for a simple rounded bottom zipper pouch (you can find the tutorial right here). I also used this video tutorial on YouTube which was very helpful at the end of the process. It contains some excellent tips on clipping the curves and pressing the seams before you turn the project right side out at the end. I still recall my home-economics teacher's words from 8th grade: "It's all about the pressing!" She was right--a good pressing makes such a difference to the final look of a sewing project, doesn't it?

A little dinosaur pouch for my grandson's 2nd birthday!

I don't think I had put a zipper into anything since I was in high school back in the early 1970s! I used to do a bit of sewing then, making myself a few skirts, halter tops (remember those!!!???), a couple dresses, etc. Nothing fancy, but I really didn't have a fear of putting in zippers when I was younger. I was so scared to try it again after all these years, but look...

Yep! I put in a zipper :)

And it even works!

I did it! It works smoothly and looks really nice with those cute zipper tabs on each end. As you can see, the green checked fabric in the zipper tabs is also the lining--another repurposed man's shirt to the rescue! 

I can't wait to give it to my grandson with these little toys tucked inside. And I can't wait to see what treasures of his own, he'll add! I really enjoyed stitching it and can see more of these in varying sizes in my future.

Can't wait to see what other goodies my grandson fills his little pouch with!

 

Giveaway winner... I had several entries for the cheery "Spring Time" chart by New York Dreamer and the winner's name pulled from the hat is...

ISABEL (in Spain)

Isabel in Spain--you are the winner!

Congratulations Isabel! Please send me your mailing address and I will get this chart in the mail to you as soon as possible! And for those of you who didn't win--check back again. I often have chart giveways in this space.

Thankfully, I have a lovely yard to enjoy as my husband and I continue to quarantine. Here are just some of the things I spotted on my recent nightly strolls...

I personally find moths kind of creepy, and this was, by far, the biggest moth I've ever come across. He was just laying on one of the stepping stones in our fenced-in garden. Notice how well he blends in with the stone? This is a Carolina Sphinx Moth-- fascinating, but I hope he doesn't cross my path again!

And for the first time, we are growing blueberries! My husband has put netting over them in hopes of keeping the birds away--I'll keep you posted.

The hydrangeas are beginning to pop out--oh, how I love them!

Lots and lots of green in my husband's vegetable and flower garden right now. The tomatoes are getting huge and we have milkweed (in the lower left corner) for the first time in hopes of attracting those lovely orange and black monarch butterflies.

 

And finally, I'll leave you with the most beautiful sight (of this month, anyway)! Have you ever heard of "mammatus clouds?" I hadn't either, but we had them in the skies over southwestern Pennsylvania last Thursday evening. The skies were absolutely magical as these puffy white clouds appeared (after a threatening storm passed) right at sunset. Oh, my--the colors! My middle son said the photos look like something out of a video game... I honestly gasped in awe as I admired the pouch-like clouds that looked like they were falling from the sky. It was something I had never seen in all of my 67 years and I love the fact that nature still manages to surprise and delight me with its beauty!

A most magical sight!

No filters or color changes; just nature's beauty as its finest!

Mammatus clouds in our backyard: June 16, 2022

I hope your day is filled with things that make you gasp in wonder! Take the time to look around you--they are there simply waiting to be discovered... Thank you all for visiting today! I hope you enjoy the rest of June--please stay safe and healthy. Bye for now...