Another long overdue post...

So much for trying to get back to my goal of twice a month blog posting! I think about posting often and then tell myself: "Oh, I'll do that tomorrow." And then the next day I repeat those exact words again--and again the following day! I always thought that I'd get things done in record time when I retired almost nine years ago, but instead I find myself procrastinating more than ever. Sometimes, I truly believe that I got more accomplished when I worked because I knew my free time was limited. Oh well... at least I've stitched a few things this month which I'll share with you today.

I'm finally caught up on my Christmas ornaments for the #12in26ornamentstitchalong that I host over on Instagram.  My finishes for July and August are by a new-to-me designer, Shannon Christine. Although I've had the chart called "December Christmas Club" in my stash for a long, long time, I'm just finally stitching the duo. Isn't this the cutest pair? 

My ornaments for July and August are finally finished

Stitched 'over one' on 25 count black Lugana, they are so small! The finished stitched area is 2 inches square. They will be perfect for the very top of my tree. When I was growing up, my mom always told us kids to put the tinier ornaments at the top of the Christmas tree and the larger ones on the bottom and I still follow her advice. I used all of the called for colors except for changing the suggested Kreinik gold braid in the stars to DMC 729. I made a twisted red and white cording and hung little silver jingle bells from the very bottom. Here are a couple of close-ups for you.

 

I love to bake--especially cookies! So this was a perfect choice to stitch for my July ornament.

 

These are the first Shannon Christine Designs that I have stitched--love how they turned out!

I can hardly believe that there are only four months of ornament stitching left for 2026...  Time--please... slow... down! Every year I tell myself I'm not going to stitch another dozen Christmas ornaments for my tree, but I can't seem to stop--I'm addicted!

All ready for Christmas--which is four months from today!

Have you ever had a piece flow so smoothly that you felt sad when you were all finished? One where you loved everything about it from the colors to the motifs to the fact that not once did you have to rip out stitches? Well, this sweet design was that rare "perfect piece" for me. The Scarlett House designed "Simple Sampler Series #1" and I truly enjoyed every stitch. I stitched this on 40 ct. woodland brown Newcastle (sadly discontinued) with most of the suggested colors. I did change the gold of the hives and bees to Classic Colorworks "Queen Bee" (perfect name for a bee-themed piece of stitching, don't you think?) and GAST "Baby Spinach" for the green grass, stems, and leaves.

Aren't the colors lovely in this piece?

It is not a large piece, but I'm thinking a simple black frame might show it off nicely. I had hoped to find a frame the right size in my stash, but--no such luck! So, I'm on the hunt for the perfect one. This second photo is a truer representation of what the fabric looks like--I love how well white shows up on it.

Another bee finish for my collection

My six-year-old grandson, Mister B, visited us for a week earlier this month and we had a great time in spite of a lot of rainy weather. We played games (he and I played an endless game of Star Wars Monopoly--he is a major Star Wars fan), went to the zoo, visited a local farm to pet the goats and get some delicious locally grown corn and peaches, and went to my middle son's apartment in the city for pizza, video games, and a visit with Spike, the tuxedo cat. My youngest son (Mister B's uncle) was visiting us that same week and he and Mister B built the best space base and spaceships out of the old Legos that I had saved from my sons' growing up years. I'm not sure who had more fun... 6-year-old Mister B or my 38-year-old youngest son! 

Fun times at the zoo with Mister B! He was fascinated by the pair of cheetahs in the lower left photo. And that is a young wallaby in the lower right. 

 

My favorite animal was this anteater. Such an interesting color pattern and my, was he ever busy searching out ants and termites to eat. Did you know their tongues can measure up to 2 feet long?!

We took another outing to a local farm market where Mister B got to pet the goats. He was a bit hesitant at first, but quickly warmed up to feeding and touching them.

The corn we got at the farm market was locally grown and oh-so-tasty! I can't say the same for our homegrown corn... It was the first time my husband had attempted to grow it and let's just say, it's a "work in progress." The ears were so tiny as you can see displayed alongside the ruler below. The largest ear was just three inches long and the taste--well, let's just say I'm not sure I'd even feed it to cows! I think my husband might try growing corn again next year--we'll see. Do any of you have any tips to pass on? 

Okay... try not to laugh! This was our corn crop. Luckily, we didn't expect much since this was my husband's first attempt at growing corn :) 

Our tomato crop, though, was a whole different story. When I say "our," I actually mean my husband's--he gets all the credit! He had a bumper crop this year with plantings both in his fenced-in vegetable garden and in this large planter next to our house. Just look at how tall these tomato vines got... They would have grown up and over the roof if he hadn't cut them off! He actually had to climb a ladder to pick the tomatoes at the very top.

Sadly, I'm not a tomato eater, but my husband's tomato crop was certainly robust this summer.

 

Looking so pretty after a fresh rainfall.

 

Is it silly to cry over a tree? Well, if so, then I'm very silly. Please tell me I'm not the only one who cries over trees... We had to cut down a 55-year-old tree that had brought so much joy over the years. You see, it was growing much to close to our garage. The huge roots were causing the driveway and sidewalk and foundation of our house to heave upward bringing cracks and uneven surfaces. Cracks were even starting to appear at the corners of windows in our nearby family room. So, out it came... But, boy, did I cry as I sat at my bedroom window and watched the tree cutters dismantle it branch by branch. I think that it represented so much more to me than a simple tree--it meant change. And I don't like change. And I know that in these next ten or fifteen years even more major changes will be coming to our lives as we age and have to think about leaving this wonderful house we've been blessed to live in for the past 42 years. In every season, this old poplar tree on the far right in each photo brought joy. I truly miss it.  

Spring of 2021

 

Summer of 2019

Fall of 2023

Winter of 2020

What remains is a large pile of wood chips, a torn up driveway from the tree's damage to a drain pipe which had to be replaced, and a big vacant spot--both in the landscape and in my heart. We will be installing a new concrete driveway this fall (something my husband has dreamed of for years) and then working on the landscaping next spring. 

And today 🙁😢😔

I was going to take you on a tour of some more of our Italy trip, but I think this post is already long enough! Next time :) I'll leave you with a couple of family photos that make me smile--I hope you'll enjoy them, too!  Wishing you a September filled with sunshine and just warm enough to make for some special last days of summer 2026. Thank you all for visiting, for saying hello via email and your sweet comments, and just for taking the time to read my little blog! Bye for now...

My oldest son with Baby N on his very first visit to the Atlantic Ocean in early August. He absolutely loves the water!

  

This may be my favorite photo from my youngest son's wedding back in June. Baby N (then 13 months) with his big brother Mister B (almost 6). Baby N was with a babysitter most of the time, but he did join us briefly after the ceremony for a few photos.  Is his little outfit with the cap and tiny black shoes not the cutest?

Another year almost half over!

Wow! June sure passed by quickly! In just four days, 2025 will be half over--can you believe it? And here I am again, with one lone blog post for an entire month. I'll blame it on my grandsons who came for a weeklong visit and nicely shared their colds with me right before they went back home. So, almost two weeks went by with no stitching, no finishing, and no desire to blog. But, that's okay... I so enjoyed every minute spent with them, especially holding my sweet new baby grandson. Wouldn't trade that time for anything, and yes, it was worth getting sick! I'm happy to report that Baby N is growing like a weed (oh, those sweet chubby thighs and arms!) and Mister B is proving to be one fabulous big brother. Thank you all for your words of congratulations and well wishes that you left on my last post!

I did manage one finish and that is this beautiful summer design by The Scarlett House called "Hannah's Brownstone." Not a huge piece--in fact, on the 40 ct. burch Newcastle linen it ended up being just over 6 inches by 5 1/2 inches. But, I'll tell you--building that stone house sure took a while! I used the suggested overdyed threads along with DMC 935, but did change the blue in the flag to GAST Freedom. Unfortunately, the burch Newcastle seems to no longer be available here in the U.S. Why is it that all the fabrics that I love keep disappearing? So frustrating!

"Hannah's Brownstone" waits to be framed

I love the slate blue in the door, don't you? Such a pretty house with a very historic look to it. I like to think that it holds many memories of happy family times. I plan on framing this piece--hopefully, sooner rather than later. 

Lots of stone and mortar went into building this pretty home.

Speaking of framing, I do have a newly framed piece to share today. I ordered this pretty rustic blue/gray frame from Franken Frames online and was so pleased to see how well it picked up the colors in "Prairie House Sampler" by With Thy Needle and Thread. I finished stitching this sweet design back in 2022--and for me, three years between finishing and framing a piece is actually pretty good :) If you'd like to read about my finish, just click here. It was a bit fiddly to frame and while I got the top and bottom lines reasonably straight, it wasn't until I had it all done that I realized the lines under the alphabet are a wee bit wavy. Oh well--better to have it out and on display rather than hiding away in a drawer, right? 

My newly framed "Prairie House Sampler"

I'm nearly done stitching my baby grandson's birth sampler... I ran out of one of the main DMC colors in the border, though, so I have to make a special trip to Hobby Lobby to pick up a new skein. And I'm almost done with my ornaments for June and July which I'll share with you next month. What are you working on? Summer/patriotic things, Christmas in July pieces, samplers? Or have you moved on to fall stitching in hopes of bringing on cooler temperatures. The 90-95° days that we've had this whole week have been tiring, but I can't imagine how awful it must be for the folks who endure this kind of heat and don't have air conditioning.  I just stay inside and I'm fine, but I know some people don't have that luxury. Hope you're all staying cool!

My European adventure concludes... So, here I am--nine months later--finally concluding my posts on our Rhine River/Switzerland/Italy trip that we took last September. Honestly, I'm so glad to be writing this last one--these travel posts take a lot of time to gather up the information and select and edit the photos.  But, I hope you'll sit back and relax and enjoy my final stop in the city of... 

 Milan, Italy

All I can say is that I'm so thankful that we traveled with my youngest sister and her husband who are very seasoned travelers. They helped us take the train from Como to Milan and without them, we probably would have ended up in Siberia! I have absolutely no sense of direction and my husband isn't a confident traveler either. But, we made it, and although, Milan wasn't my favorite stop on our itinerary, I'm still glad we visited.

 

The heart of the city is the Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral), one of the largest and most visited cathedrals in the world. It's construction took thousands and thousands of workers over six centuries to complete and it can hold up to 40,000 people.

 

Just a few of the over 3400 statues showcased adorning the cathedral. 

The front central door of the cathedral is the largest and features scenes from Mary's life.

My husband and me with my sister and brother-in-law outside the Duomo di Milan

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is actually Italy's oldest shopping arcade and was built in the 1860s. It houses many of Milan's upscale fashion and jewelry stores. And no--we didn't purchase anything :) 

The stunning ceiling at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Although damaged during WWII bombings, it has been refurbished and was absolutely breathtaking.

More scenes from the shopping arcade. Notice the lovely tile mosaic floor in the lower right. 

Castello Sforzesco (Sforza Castle) was built in the 1400s as a medieval fortification. It now houses art collections and several museums. 

The days when we visited Milan happened to fall during Milan Fashion Week 2024 so, of course, we fit right in. NOT!! We are not fashion plates in our family, preferring to dress nicely, but casually--no high heels or designer clothes for us!  The Pinacoteca di Brera (above) was a venue for one of the fashion shows. Do you see all that white stuff that looks like snow? It's simply soft, white floor covering that had been rolled out for the event. Even the benches were covered! They had just started to remove it, as you can see by the darker slate floors in the right corner. Unfortunately, we were unable to see the paintings that are normally displayed there due to the fashion show.

A glimpse into one of the many charming courtyards in Milan.

My sister found this wonderful hotel for us, Hotel Gran Duca di York. The location and rooms were just perfect for easy walking to the main sights of Milan.

The view in the pretty hotel breakfast room. I kept thinking of my mom (who adored wallpaper) each time I sat down to eat one of the scrumptious breakfasts.

The Vertical Forest buildings were fascinating. Each unit has two trees, eight shrubs, and forty plants, which help with shade thus lowering air conditioning costs. If you'd like to read more about this creation of Stefano Baeri, you can do so right here. 

As you can see from the architecture above, Milan is not all about its history. This very futuristic looking building, The Unipol Tower, was just completed two years ago. 

And yes... Milan has canals, too!

For lunch that day, this amazing charcuterie board was a treat to both our eyes and our stomachs.

Of course, we still "forced ourselves" to partake in some of these yummy pastries. And let's not forget the gelatto--Italy had the best I've ever tasted!

  

After dinner, as we strolled around the city, we happened upon the ancient Columns of San Lorenzo. It's speculated that these were moved to this location sometime in the 4th century and are Roman ruins dating back to the 2nd or 3rd century.

 

The Biblioteca Ambrosiana (Ambrosian Library) is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. Begun in 1609, it is open to the public five hours a day. It contains a 12-volume collection of Leonardo da Vinci's writings and drawings in addition to many other rare and historic documents.  

It was the final night in Europe for me and my husband... Our journey had come to its end. In the morning we would fly home and I couldn't wait! Although I loved our travels and the many countries we'd visited and sights we had seen over the previous 2 1/2 weeks, there really is no place like home for me. My sister and her husband were traveling on to Sicily for another week, but for us, it was time to leave. While I was packing up for our flight home, my sister took one last walk around Milan and captured this lovely photo of the Duomo at night.

The stunning Duomo di Milan at night (photographed by my sister)

 

And there you have it--the final post of our Rhine River/Switzerland/Italy adventure from last fall. Did you have a favorite from the destinations that I wrote about? I can't say that I had a favorite place, but rather favorite moments... 

*The feeling of being within miles of the tiny village in Holland from where one of my father's ancestors came to America way back in the 17th century.

*The wonder of climbing the stairs at Anne Frank's hiding spot in Amsterdam--the very same stairs that she and her family descended one final time as they were rounded up by the Gestapo in 1944. 

*I'll never forget the stinging ice pellets of that epic hailstorm we experienced in Strasbourg.

*The awe of exploring one of the underground fortresses along the Maginot Line imagining what life must have been like for those French soldiers in WWII. 

*Memories of our frigid, snowy visit to the top of Mt. Pilatus in Switzerland and the sweet tinkling of the sheep bells as we rode the gondola back down the mountain will always make me smile. 

*I'll remember the honesty of the young woman who returned my brother-in-law's lost cell phone in Lugano.

*And the taste of those sweet jelly-like candies that my sister and I kept helping ourselves to each time we passed the reception desk in our Milan hotel. 

*The realization that we are all just tiny specks in this universe filled with so many spots of beauty and wonder.  

The scenery, the history, the experiences were all so special as was the extended time I got to spend with my youngest sister--probably the most  since we were teenagers living in our childhood home.

If any of you have questions regarding the river cruise itself, I'd be happy to answer them for you. Just leave a comment and include your email address so I can get back to you! 

Hope you all enjoy these last few days of June! Thank you, as always, for taking the time to stop in and say "hi!" I always love to hear from you--your comments mean so much! Take care now and I do hope to return to my normal twice a month blogging schedule in July. Bye for now... 

Some late summer finishes and my Big Panama Experience (Part One)

I'm back! Did you miss me? A few of you faithful readers emailed me to ask if I was okay and that was so kind of you... I've simply been away from home more days than I've been at home this month. The first week in August found me relaxing at the (very rainy!) beach in North Carolina with my husband's family for our annual reunion. And then we were home for only five days (while I did laundry and repacked our suitcases) and jetted off to Panama! Yes, Panama--quite an adventure! If you'd like to "travel along with me," I'd love to have you... But, first, let's begin with what I've been stitching, okay?

This was the very first piece I've stitched by The Scarlett House, but it won't be my last. I truly loved everything about it (even if I did have to rip out that bottom border twice to get it right!). Isn't it sweet with that many-windowed white house framed by giant strawberries? And the huge birds and the tiny kitty (or puppy!)... I wanted the strawberry color to look like that shown on the front of the chart (which is called "Strawberry House) so I chose to use Classic Colorworks "Clay Pot" as the skein of the suggested GAST "Pomegranate" that I had was just not right. I love this pinkish-peachy color so much!

"Strawberry House" by The Scarlett House

To finish it up, I used Vonna's "Mounted Flat Ornament" tutorial and simply framed it. Really love the result! And that frame is very special, because it is one that my middle son picked up for me during one of his thrifting adventures. He is always on the lookout for small, older frames for me (especially square ones!) and he found this. I painted and distressed it and am really pleased with how it turned out. What do you think? Now I just need to find the perfect place to display it...

All framed up in a painted/distressed frame from Goodwill

I also have a new bee finish to share with you. I know you've seen this one many times and perhaps some of you have stitched it yourselves. But, have you seen it stitched "over one?" So tiny and I made it into another sweet pillow for my bee bowl. This is "Honeybee Sampling" by Little House Needleworks stitched "over one" on 28 ct. mushroom Lugana using DMC threads.

Little House Needleworks "Honeybee Sampling" stitched "over one"

It is a mere 2 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches in size! After sewing it, I added some cording in DMC 420 and topped it off with a black and white gingham bow. I photographed it next to a pair of scissors so you could see the true scale of it. Cute and tiny--just how I like my finishes :)

Another bee finish for the summer of 2018

I have a couple other bee designs almost finished so I'll share those with you next time. That may be it for my bee stitching this summer. I'll show you all of my 2018 bee creations when I'm done for this year. I do plan to keep up the bee stitching next summer, too--so many of you sent me the most delightful bee charts and I really want to stitch them all! If only I had more hours in my day!

So... let's go to Panama! Have any of you visited? It certainly wasn't a country that was on my "must visit" list, but when you have a son who lives all over the world, you get to visit some pretty interesting places. He's inspired us to visit Seville, Spain in 2011 and then travel to Buenos Aires and Patagonia in Argentina (with a side trip to Uruguay!) in 2015. Our youngest son has been living in Panama since March of this year and will wind down his duties at the end of September. I can tell he is having very mixed feelings about returning to the daily "rat-race" that he experiences in Washington, DC. Life in Panama is much more easy going and laid back. People simply seem more relaxed and I hope my photos will help you get a feel for the country. So, grab a cup of coffee or tea (or, in my case, hot cocoa!), sit back, and please join me for a visit to the most modern of Latin American countries!

My son has been living in the beautiful Intercontinental Miramar Hotel in Panama for nearly six months now and, in a way, he has become a fixture in the place. The staff knows him and goes out of its way to help him out and make him feel at home. We decided to spend one night in the same hotel before we moved to the Airbnb we had rented for the week and this is what greeted us when we arrived...

This raspberry-chocolate dessert was waiting for us in our hotel room at midnight! Did we save it for the morning? No way!!

We arrived in the dark, but the next morning we opened the curtains in our 25th story room to reveal this spectacular sight! This is the view my son gets to enjoy every morning (just two floors below!).

The view from Panama's Intercontinental Miramar Hotel

Below is a view from his bedroom window looking up the coast the other way. As you can see, this is a city of high-rises that houses almost 900,000 people (1.5 million in its metropolitan area). It has a very Americanized feel to it (think Miami!) due to the presence of so many Americans living there from the time the Panama Canal was being built in the early 1900s until the control of the Canal was fully turned over to Panama in 1999.

Panama City, Panama--one skyscraper after another!

My son knows me well and knows I am not really a "city" person, so he suggested we rent an Airbnb in the Casco Viejo section rather than stay in the busy city. This charming historic district was settled in 1673 and was named a "Unesco World Heritage Site" in 1997. After the original location of Panama City (now know as Panama Viejo) was virtually destroyed in 1671, the remaining inhabitants moved to this more protected location on a narrow, rocky peninsula. Casco Viejo is an area of contrasts--you will find a beautifully renovated home right next to a dilapidated ruin with trees and vines growing out through the windows.

The contrast of new and old side by side

Casco Viejo thrived until the 1930s when its wealthier residents began moving away from the narrow streets and older architecture to the more automobile-friendly, modern suburbs. The area fell into disrepair and despair--and, by the end of the 20th century, it was filled with not much more than weed infested, crumbling buildings inhabited by vagrants and squatters.

Shells of some buildings are still standing waiting to be remodeled and given a second chance at life.

There was a kind of beauty even in the old ruins

Fortunately, the designation of the area as a World Heritage Site in 1997 brought new hope and, that, along with some government tax incentives, have helped the area begin to turn around. Today you can find beautifully restored examples of French, Spanish, and American colonial architecture on display. Casco Viejo has now become the hip new neighborhood in which to live, filled with many restaurants, shops, and clubs.

Beautifully renovated homes in Casco Viejo

Just look at all of the gorgeous architectural details in this one!

Of course, the blue house by the sea was my favorite.

Big and beautiful doors were everywhere!

This is the part of Panama City where you will find many of the monuments and older churches...

The statue of Simon Bolivar who liberated much of Latin America from Spanish rule

Relaxing in Plaza Bolivar

Iglesia de La Merced (built in 1680)... it is said that the front facade was carried piece by piece from its original location in Panama Viejo!

La Compañía de Jesús was a Jesuit monastery and the site of Panama's first university

If you peek inside the former Jesuit monastery, you'll notice many little snail-shaped niches which were built to honor the wealth of marine life in Panama.

This was originally the barracks of the Spanish troops, but it was made into a monument to honor the many Frenchmen who died in their attempt to build the Panama Canal.

And speaking of the Panama Canal--you really can't visit Panama without stopping by to see one of the world's most amazing engineering marvels. The path to finishing the 51 mile long strip of land into a navigable waterway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans was begun by the French in 1881. However, due to huge loss of life (over 20,000 men died during the building of the canal due to accidents, tropical diseases, snake and insect bites, etc.) and engineering problems, the United States took over the construction in 1904. By 1914, the canal was open, saving weeks of travel time for ships that formerly had to pass around the tip of South America to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and vice versa. 

Unfortunately, we didn't choose the best day to visit the canal! Who knew it would be school visitation day?! Hundreds of very (very!!!) excited children ranging from kindergarten through high school age were there with us. I wish I'd taken a photo of them in their colorful school uniforms! The noise level made it impossible to hear what the announcer was saying as we watched a huge ship pass through the canal. Luckily, we were able to watch a film and walk through the museum to learn more on our own.

The Miraflores locks that allow ships to pass from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean and vice versa

A huge freighter enters the left side of the locks and the water level is raised.

And here it is after going through the locks on its way to the Atlantic Ocean

Whew! This is getting way....too....long! I will share three more photos with you and then continue my Panama tour in my next post.  Below is the Airbnb where we stayed in Casco Viejo--a wonderful location within walking distance of so many little shops, tasty restaurants, and interesting sights. My oldest son and his wife went with us, my youngest spent a few nights there (a nice change from his long hotel stay!), and there was a third bedroom for us. I love the Airbnb experience and find it so much more relaxing (and less expensive!) than hotels for a family like ours.

We stayed in an Airbnb apartment in this building in Casco Viejo

The view from our balcony--can you spot the skyscrapers of Panama City in the distance?

One of the glorious sunsets as seen from our rooftop deck at our Airbnb

Thank you for hanging in there 'til the end! I plan on two more chapters to my "Panama Experience." Next I'll talk about the wildlife and hikes that we went on (one of which I feel lucky to have survived--truly). And the final part will showcase more of the history, culture and traditions of this small country. They are very proud of their homeland--as they should be! Wishing you a wonderful stitch-filled week, everyone--thank you all for following my blog, reading my way-too-long posts, and leaving all of your heartfelt comments. I truly look forward to each and every one. Bye for now...