♣ ♣ ♣ Seeing green ♣ ♣ ♣

Hello all! How are you enjoying March so far? We've been extremely blessed with many sunny, warm days here in western Pennsylvania lately (even though it rained here today). My husband is thrilled as he's been able to get out on several bike rides with his biking buddies after a long winter of being cooped up inside. Exercise can be such a mood lifter, can't it? I've been slowly ridding the house of all things snow and winter related and have spent time brightening up my decor with lots of green and lighter colors. Another instant mood lifter! We were also able to escape to Florida for a few days at the end of February/beginning of March--a real treat as the last frigid days of  winter wind down here in the northeast. 

I try to add at least one new piece to my St. Patrick's Day stitching each year. As soon as I saw this charming design in the monthly newsletter from Primrose Cottage Stitchers, I knew it would be my piece for 2025. Even better--it is a freebie! You can sign up for their monthly newsletter right here to get the free designs and see what is going on in their shop. Just scroll all the way down and click on "Stitching Newsletter" to have it delivered via email. They've generously offered so many cute free designs in past newsletters!

My finish of "Happy St. Patrick's Day" by Primrose Cottage Stitches

I didn't have any of the recommended threads so I chose my own and am very pleased with the outcome. My color conversion is as follows if anyone is interested:  

Dark Green: WDW Lily Pad

Black: CC Black Coffee

Gold:  GAST Gold Leaf

Lettering: GAST Chamomile

The fabric for this latest St. Patrick's Day finish is 40 ct., but I'm not sure what brand as it was just a scrap. I used two different accent fabrics on the front and joined them with a decorative stitch. Just popped on a large black button topped with a polka-dot yellow bow to finish it off. I really love the way Primrose Cottage Stitches does their lettering--so whimsical and fun!

And below is a photo of most of my St. Patrick's Day stitching together. I used my grandmother's old dough bowl to display them this year--a quick, easy vignette to pull together! If you would like close-ups and more information on each finish, you may want to click on "St. Patrick's Day" under "Labels" in my sidebar. Do you put out a display for St. Patrick's Day? I love how it brightens up our kitchen side table--even though it will only be out for another week or two when the Easter bunnies take over. 

All shades of green appear in my March stitching

 

I had one other wee finish this month--a small, but sweet birthday card. I stitched this sweet design called "Bird and Strawberries" which I had pulled from a British stitching magazine (unfortunately, I forgot to record the name and date of the magazine). This was stitched on 40 ct. white Newcastle linen with most of the suggested colors. I did have to darken the bird's belly so it would show up better on the white fabric. I also added another "swirly" motif on the left side to fill in the otherwise empty space. Hope the recipient loves it!

A simple birthday card stitched for a friend

So, I'm wondering how all of you store your printed off freebies and downloaded PDF designs? I've been struggling with them as they seem to multiply overnight and are difficult to sort through. I finally decided to put the freebies I've printed off into magazine boxes organized by holidays and seasons and to place my nicer Etsy PDF charts in plastic three-ring report folders (similar to these). I add photos to the front of the report folders to easily find what I'm looking for. I think this will help ensure that I actually stitch these and that they don't just end up in a stacked up pile somewhere. I need to go through my old Etsy downloaded print-outs and put all of my nicer PDF charts in more plastic folders soon!

I'm using these plastic report folders to organize my special Etsy PDF purchases. Hope to get all of these stitched this year!

As I mentioned above, we flew to sunny Naples, Florida a couple weeks ago for a few days of fun with the extended family. My entire family was there (except my middle son and his girlfriend) along with two of my husband's brothers and some of their family. There were 20 of us in total. Some ventured off to the annual Naples craft beer festival, but I had an even better time staying right at our AirBnb and playing with my grandson. While the others were gone, Mister B and I played many games of the card game Uno, colored, did puzzles, built Lego creations, and waded in the pool (I didn't dare take him swimming by myself as I'm not a strong swimmer). Another day, we all enjoyed some beach time and explored the Saturday morning farmer's market. And, of course, we ate lots of delicious food at our favorite restaurants. It was a wonderful five-day visit and everyone seemed to love the feeling of the warm sunshine on their faces.

Mister B in the airport as he heads to Florida (with his brand new Spiderman-themed roller bag in tow)

 

Mister B and my husband watching the boats come in

My grandson loves animals of all kinds--even this sheep statue!

My niece's friends own a helicopter and did a fly-by on Naples Beach as we waved them on! 

Love this nighttime silhouette

When I got home, I began putting away the snowmen and winter decor and pulling out St. Patrick's Day and spring pieces--fluffing the nest so to speak. One of my favorite things to do! Here a couple of photos of spring scenes around my home...

I found a new large round tray at Marshall's--perfect for our round dining table. The blue design on the bottom looks great with the new blue color on our walls and I'm having fun decorating it for the seasons. The stitched piece is "Robin's Wreath" by Just Nan which I stitched as a gift for my dear mother on her birthday way back in 2008. She was always so proud of my stitching and such a wonderful supporter of my blog.

This little shelf in my kitchen corner cupboard always brings a smile. The framed print at the back says "My favorite weather is bird chirping weather."

In an effort to eat healthier, I've been making most of our bread this year. I've shared this recipe with you before and it is my go-to for a nutritious loaf of bread with little effort. I do use my bread machine which makes it quite easy. The recipe for this Multigrain Bread can be found right here if anyone is interested...

I can't resist fresh, warm homemade bread, can you?

 

Is anyone else watching the bald eagle cam in California? I've found it fascinating and I so admire the eagle couple (Jackie and Shadow) as they sit protecting their tiny eaglets through howling winds and the snowstorm that recently dumped two feet of snow in that area. Sadly, one of the three babies has died...  The snow is melting now and I saw the remaining two being fed pieces of a freshly caught fish by one of the parents today, so I'm hopeful they will be okay! If anyone wants to take a peek at them, you can find the live feed on YouTube right here: Bald Eagle Cam Live .

The Bald Eagle Cam in Big Bear, California is so interesting to watch!

I had planned on continuing my travelogue of our trip to Italy, but I just didn't feel like sitting down and going through the many photos while the weather is so nice. We'll get back to that in my next post. I hope the second half of March is good to you! Thank you, as always for stopping by and saying "hello." I do appreciate the fact that you take the time to visit and read my little stitching blog. Take care now, my friends--and happy stitching! Bye for now...

♣♣ Wishing you a Happy St. Patrick's Day ♣♣

Stitching of the green

Top 'o the morning to you, my sweet stitching friends! How are you doing on this fine St. Patrick's Day? Are you wearing your green? Are you preparing any special Irish foods for dinner?  Are you feeling especially lucky today? I always thought I had no Irish blood, but after my middle sister dug a bit more into our family history, she discovered that indeed we do have a tiny bit on my maternal grandmother's side. That might explain why I love stitching with so many green threads this time of year. Or, perhaps, I just enjoy the many shades of green that represent the rebirth and blossoming of nature after our long winter here in the northern hemisphere. Whatever the reason, I have some cute new St. Patrick's Day finishes to share with you today!

I've stitched three new pieces for my Pottery Barn cubby and my favorite of the trio is this wee leprechaun. Isn't he darling carrying his giant clover--he looks like he's going to topple right over from the sheer size of it! This is called "Clover of Clovers" and can be found only in kit form from Bent Creek. I was lucky to be able to borrow just the chart from a stitching friend. Using all DMC threads (which I did change up a bit from what was suggested on the chart), it is stitched on 40 ct. woodland brown Newcastle linen. I also gave the little fellow a pair of green socks rather than the charted black. The three golden yellow buttons represent some of the gold he's just found at the end of the rainbow. I thought the polka dot yellow ribbon was a perfect accent at the top.

Bent Creek finish: "Clover of Clovers"

 

Next up, is this very sweet design by Luminous Fiber Arts called "Gathering Clover." I just love Misty's series of birds which you can see right here. I think I'll be stitching "Gathering Honey" next for my summer bee display. Anyway, this piece marked a first for me! It was the very first time I stitched on 56 ct. linen! I just love how teeny tiny the stitches look and how small the piece came out. I used white 56 ct. Kingston linen with Gentle Arts "Green With Envy" thread. If you look at the button you'll see that I repeated the clover motif found in the birds' mouths. Yes, I made a little covered button and glued it onto the satin ribbon in the left corner. I really love how this one turned out and I'll definitely be trying other designs on the 56 ct. linen.

"Gathering Clover"--such a sweet design!

 

Finally, a finish from a new-to-me designer, Mamaida Pattern, on Etsy. This design caught my eye because it was so unusual--I don't think I've seen any St. Patrick's Day patterns similar to this one. It was only a couple of dollars and if you'd like to buy a downloadable copy for yourself, you can find it right here. This was also stitched on 40 ct. woodland brown Newcastle using DMC 311 and 905. I finished it off very simply with some handmade cording in the same shade of green and added a couple of stacked buttons tied into the middle. A very fun and different finish for the holiday!

"Clover" cross stitch design by Mamaida Pattern

 

As you can see, I'm quite an eclectic stitcher! Are you, too? Or do you tend to stick with one theme or type of stitching? Below you have the cute Bent Creek, the sweet Luminous Fiber Arts, and the more modern looking Mamaida Pattern...

Such varied shades of green in this month's finishes! Which one do you like best?

I don't have that many St. Patrick's Day finishes for my Pottery Barn cupboard, but I still managed to create the fun display shown below for March. What do you think?

My March 2023 Pottery Barn cubby

I'll give you some close-ups and link to my finishes just in case you have any questions about what's what... Just click on the title of the stitched piece and it will take you to my post with all the information on that particular finish.

At the top is a lovely card from Robin in Virginia and two merry Irishmen from the book "Un Air de Fête" by Perrette Samouiloff. Below is:  "Basket O' Luck" by Pineberry Lane (in #1) and "Erin Go Braugh" by Pineberry Lane (in #3), "March--the Lion and the Lamb" by Rainbow Gallery (in #6) and Prairie Schooler's March finish from "A Prairie Year" (in #7). The sweet hand painted dish and pitcher (in #2) were from my maternal grandmother and I found the little green stein (in #8) in a thrift shop in Ohio last fall.

 

On top is With Thy Needle and Thread's "Holiday Hoopla St. Patrick's Day. Below is Mamaida Pattern's "Clover" (in this post above), Lizzie Kate's "March Stamp Flip-It," and Bent Creek's "Clover of Clovers" (in this post above)

Blue Ribbon Designs "Leprechaun Lodge" (in #14). The little clover cups in #19 were also a thrift store find.

The green bunny pitcher was a Goodwill find! My dear mother's silhouette in cubby #13 is adorned with a little shamrock bow for the occasion. "Two Wee Lassies" (in #17) and "Little Shamrock Girl" (in #18) are both by Pineberry Lane. "St. Patrick's Day kitty" from Embroiderbee's Primary Hive (in #22) and "Gathering Clover" by Luminous Fiber Arts (in #23) in this post above. The darling embroidered hankie (in #22) was one of my maternal grandmother's, too!

I know I'll be stitching more green-themed designs to add to my cubby next year. So, there you have it... another year of St. Patrick's Day stitching in the books! Do any of you have anything fun planned for the day ahead?

The impatient patient!

Surgery update... First of all, I want to thank all of you who sent positive thoughts and prayers for my husband's shoulder replacement surgery. It appears to have gone well, but we'll have a better idea after we visit the doctor today and get his evaluation of things at the first post-operative check-up. My husband is normally an extremely active man (biking, going to the gym, gardening, house repairs, etc.) so this having to rest and take it easy makes him a very impatient patient. I've actually had to get upset with him a few times and tell him to take it easier. You just can't rush the healing process after such a complicated surgery! It's been a long two weeks--let's just put it that way :) Thank goodness, my stitching is always waiting to help calm me down... I've been able to stitch a lot in between helping him shower, cutting his food, helping him get dressed, icing his shoulder, etc. With one arm in a sling, he is  limited, but he is hoping to be rid of the sling in another couple weeks. We aren't sure yet when he'll be allowed to drive again.

My husband received a number of sweet get-well cards and phone calls, but the nicest gift came from my youngest sister and her husband. If you ever want a gift that offers pure comfort, check out this nice box of goodies that came from Spoonful of Comfort. It's a wonderful gift for a far-away friend or family member who could use some tender loving care after an illness, a death in the family, or for someone who needs some cheering up.  It's rather pricey, but oh, my--the soup, rolls, and cookies were all so very tasty and they provided two meals for us at a time when we truly needed them. The cute silver soup ladle was also included and I loved how recyclable the packing materials were. This will definitely be on my list to give future loved ones who need a lift!

This gift of comfort food from my youngest sister and brother-in-law couldn't have come at a better time!

So, now it's just physical therapy and hard work to get back to normal for my husband. He's still having some pain and numbness now and then which is concerning, but hopefully it is normal after such a major operation. We'll find out more today...

As the weather forescasters predicted, March has been a colder month than February. So many ups and downs! Just last Saturday, I spotted this beautiful bluebird (which we rarely see here in my yard so I was super excited!) dining at the suet feeder.

♪ Bluebird, bluebird at my window ♪

 

And then just three days later, this was the scene out the back window of our house! Yes, snow--but not much and it melted the following day. It was just beautiful and made me wish we had had just a bit more snow this year. According to the National Weather Service we haven't had a winter with this little snow (only about 14 inches all winter!) since 1931!

We often get one last snowfall in mid-March and this year was no exception.

 

I hope you enjoy this last half of March and that your spring flowers are soon popping up all over your yards. Our daffodils are about to burst open--perhaps next week which is about the earliest I remember seeing them. Thank you all for your kind comments and emails. I know I have a few emails to respond to--I just haven't been on my computer much since my husband's surgery. I'll try my best to catch up with all of you over the coming week! Take care, everyone. Bye for now...

♣ Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!♣

♣♣♣ Seeing green ♣♣♣

Hello, my friends! Everywhere I look, green is popping up and I love it! I honestly think St. Patrick's Day with its accompanying green theme comes around at the perfect time of year. The days are longer (hooray!),  thoughts of Easter and renewal are on our minds, and gardeners are beginning to see tiny green sprouts popping up from the brown dirt. (Well, I won't dwell on the fact that we were hit with over 7 inches of snow on Saturday! The good thing is that it will melt quickly as our temperatures are going to be in the 60's this week). Green is everywhere and guess what you're getting in this post? Lots of green--hope you like that color!

I talked about falling in love with the sweet Perrette Samouiloff designs in this post from 2019. Those little children just capture my heart and when I saw this St. Patrick's Day design I couldn't stitch it fast enough. I mean--how cute are those little Irishmen? I have to say that is the first time I ever stitched a mug of beer! Or a fiddle!

My latest St. Patrick's Day finish

 

This one was stitched on 40 ct. Woodland Newcastle (have you noticed how often I use that fabric?) with DMC colors. I used most of the suggested threads, but moved them around a bit and added a few more ferns and plants to fill out the bottom. I had the frame in my stash ($3.00 from Goodwill) and I originally was going to chalk paint it white. However, I ended up leaving it just as it was and I'm so glad I did. I love the little gold band around the inner edge. I added the ecru colored ric rak to just the top and bottom of the finish to even out the margins of green gingham a bit--love how it turned out! 

 

I love the endearing designs of Perrette Samouiloff!

Here is a better photo of the piece before I mounted and framed it... Isn't is charming?

Looks like they're in for a fabulous St. Patrick's Day celebration!

 

Unfortunately, I believe the chart is only available in the book, Un Air de Fête by Perrette Samouiloff, which I purchased on Amazon a few years ago and no longer see listed... Those of you living in Europe may have a better chance of finding a copy of the book, though. It is a darling book with charts for celebrations throughout the year. 

 

Even more green stitching appeared in the form of this sweet chart by Carol Hodge in England. The chart is available in her Etsy shop called "Samplers and Stitches" which you can find right here. Isn't it sweet? She has designed a chart for each season so I plan on purchasing the others soon! I used the suggested overdyed colors for some of it, but substituted DMC threads for the word Spring, the vine, and the yellow flowers. Can you spy the tiny chick popping out of his egg in the bottom middle? Just...too...cute!

My latest Spring finish from "Samplers and Stitches" Etsy shop

I stitched this one on 40 ct. white Newcastle linen and added mini pompoms to the bunny tails. Doesn't it look sweet in my kitchen corner cupboard? I've been gradually decorating for Easter and this was the first shelf I finished.  Bunnies and chicks and lots of bright green and yellow really brighten my kitchen!

Those pretty pastels are such a treat after a long winter

 

In other stitching news... I'm almost done stitching the special Christmas piece that I've been teasing you with! Hope to share it with you in my next post. I've also been working on my Christmas ornament for April and another special project using Aurifloss threads by Aurifil which I'll tell you more about next month. I will give you a hint though--shades of blue. 

Giveaway winner... I had quite a few entries for the cute Lizzie Kate Sampling Easter chart. Unfortunately, many, many of you forgot to include your email address. I need your email as I have no way of contacting the winner if you don't already have a blog. Anyway, the name pulled from the hat as the winner of Spring Sampling is...

CATHY H. (from Arkansas)!

Congratulations to Cathy H! Please contact me with your mailing address, Cathy, and I'll get this cutie to you as soon as possible!

 

Imagine my surprise when a reader (and now a new friend!), Janet from Texas, emailed offering to send me some charts that I could use in my giveaways. Not just some--but a giant box of over 60! I was gobsmacked (I love that delightful British expression!) to say the least. She said she just couldn't bear to give them to Goodwill and she had no local friends to share them with. Just look at what came my way...there are so many cute designs--something for everyone's taste, I'd say. Thank you so very much, Janet--that was incredibly generous and kind of you! I know my stitching friends will be so appreciative to have a chance to win these over the coming months and I'm sure they will keep the kindness going by passing them along to other stitchers.

An abundance of charts from my new friend, Janet! Thank you again from the bottom of my heart!

So, why not start spreading the kindness right now? This sweet "Spring House Trio" chart by Waxing Moon Designs was one I received from Janet. Who would like to win it? To enter the giveaway 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.

To enter the giveaway for this sweet spring chart, please follow the four guidelines listed above.

Getting To Know You... Today's question is: Are you a saver or do you like to clear things out? Have you saved anything from your childhood or your children's? My answer: The only things I own from my childhood are my (slightly) creepy looking Santa doll, a little prayer book from the early 1960s, my beads earned from my time as a Camp Fire Girl, and a lovely handmade ceramic heart made by one of my maternal grandmother's dearest friends on the occasion of my birth. I do have the baby book where my mom recorded a few of my milestones and some old photos, of course. 

 

A few remaining treasures from my childhood

 

As for the second part of the question--yes! I've saved many toys and books from when my sons were little and I'm so happy I did! Mister B loves playing with the toys and reading the books when he visits--in fact he'll be here for a visit later this week and I can't wait. My sons actually love seeing the old toys and books come out of the attic, too, and reminiscing. If you have the room, I highly recommend storing at least a few special books and toys for possible grandchildren. Being a retired librarian, I kept three very large cardboard boxes full of books from my sons' childhoods, of course :) 

Mister B (enjoying the snowfall in Maryland on Saturday) is coming for a visit this weekend! These cars and books (and more!) will be waiting for him. He hasn't played with the cars yet, but when we showed him this basket filled to the brim with vehicles of all kinds on FaceTime, his eyes grew wide and he exclaimed, "Wowwww!" 

Baking... I'll leave you with one of my very favorite recipes which I've been making for years: Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. 

One of my favorite cookies ever!

The plate I have them on is so cute and I thought it was perfect for St. Patrick's Day. I got it from the "free" table at the library when I worked there many years ago. 

Look at the festive dancers surrounding this plate--so darling--(along with the lady milking her cow and the man plowing his fields). I absolutely love this plate.

Here is the recipe if anyone cares to bake some! Don't skip that first step--I truly think that's the key to the wonderful taste of these cookies...

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I've gone on far too long, as usual! I hope you enjoyed this "green" post and if any of you are celebrating St. Patrick's Day, I hope you have a wonderful day. I have a tiny bit of Irish in me according to my middle sister who has dug up some genealogy that we were unaware of, but other than wearing green, I won't be doing anything special on that day. 

A gentle reminder... I receive so many comments with questions that don't include your email address. Unless you have a blog, I can't reply to you. Please, please, please make sure to include your email if you would like a reply!

I had hopes that peace talks would be achieving some success in Ukraine, but things are still so tragic and terrifying. My husband and I have made donations to humanitarian causes including World Central Kitchen, Unicef, and United Way that I hope bring at least some comfort to the refugees and those trapped inside a country at war. I wish I could do more... those images shown on television of the innocent children bring me to tears every time. Hoping and praying for a peaceful resolution--and soon. Bye for now... 

♣♣♣  Enjoy Your Day! ♣♣♣

"May you always have... walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire." ~ Irish Blessing

A busy two weeks and two new finishes

Whew! It's been a busy first two weeks of March for me... I think I've left my house more over the past two weeks than I did over the entire past year! (Well, not really, as there were trips to visit my mom and my grandson last year, but you get the idea). This was my "self-care" time of the year when I schedule all the doctors'  appointments that I can manage into two weeks. I went for my annual physical, my eye appointment, my dental check-up, my mammogram, my bone density scan, and had my blood and urine tested at the lab. Throw in a much-needed haircut and color and it was a productive, if tiring, couple of weeks. Thankfully, all my appointments went well. (Although when you suffer from osteoporosis like I do, the results of my bone density scans are never what you want to see... In spite of all my exercise, my bones continue to grow weaker. For me, it's genetic, both mom and grandma had severe osteoporosis, too). 

I have had a bit of time to stitch--though not as much as I would have liked. As you can see below, my St. Patrick's Day display has been brightening up the kitchen. Although I have no Irish blood, I really love the cheery green of these pieces--they just say spring to me and they're a perfect transition from frosty snowmen to frolicking bunnies. I purchased the little pitcher and two matching cups adorned with shamrocks at Goodwill over a year ago (BC--before Covid). I thought they would be a perfect addition to my Irish-themed basket. And do you see the green checked "placemat" that everything is resting on? It is an extra-large men's shirt that I also purchased at Goodwill to cut up and use in finishing and in my displays. Since all the shirts are the same price, why not look for the "extra-large" size, right!?

Lots of green goodies in my St. Patrick's Day display

For those of you who are new to my blog, I thought perhaps you might enjoy reading about each of the cute green finishes in my tiered basket... You can click on the highlighted name of each piece and be taken to my blog post with details about each finish. The piece peeking out in the back right corner is from Prairie Schooler's Book No. 13 "A Prairie Year." In front of that is "Wee Lassies" from Pineberry Lane's "Little Shamrocks" chart. Over on the right is a freebie from Erica Michaels called "The Lion and the Lamb." And in the very front is another freebie from Remy at Embroiderbee's Primary Hive. Love that black kitty as he reminds me of our old cat, Shadow.

Love that black cat finish!

Moving on down to the lower basket, you can find "Basket O' Luck" from Pineberry Lane's "Little Shamrock's chart in the back left, "Erin Go Bragh" from the same chart in the middle, and the Lizzie Kate March Stamp from the Flip-It Series on the right. In the very front is "Leprechaun Lodge" by Blue Ribbon Designs. The freebie for this design can be found right here.

My newest St. Patrick's Day finish is in the frame on the far right

 

One of my favorite St. Patrick's Day finishes is this little cutie called "Sweet Clover Girl" by Pineberry Lanes. It, too, can be found in the "Little Shamrocks" chart. She is resting on an old hankie from my maternal grandmother--look at the delicate clover lace edging on it. I treasure this so much! 

Love this embroidered handkerchief that belonged to my grandmother!

 

But, wait--I missed telling you about one finish... On the far right of the display is my latest in the Holiday Hoopla series--"St. Patrick's Day" by With Thy Needle and Thread. I used 40 ct. Woodland Newcastle linen and the suggested colors. I did add a few extra ecru "doodads" to round it out a bit more and surrounded the circle (which is glued onto a square of fabric covered sticky board) with ecru covered cording. I am using the same frame for all of my Holiday Hoopla finishes. You can see the Valentine's Day finish right here and the Easter finish in this post. I really love how this one turned out! I want to thank my sweet friend, Vickie, for passing this wonderful chart on to me! And to keep the kindness going, I'll be giving it away today... Just follow the directions below if you are interested.

How cute is this sheep wearing his Irish hat?

Stitchers really are the kindest people and I have three wonderful friends to thank today. First of all, my friend, Ginger S., on Instagram who sent me a very special chart a while back. You see, Ginger lost her mother last year, too, and her friend, Joy, sent her the wonderful Plum Street Samplers chart called "Remember Me" so she could stitch it in memory of her mom. As soon as Ginger was done, she kindly passed it on to me and now that I have finished, I have passed it on to another stitching friend who also lost her mother in 2020. We are hoping to keep this kindness going for as long as possible. 

"Remember Me" stitched in memory of mom

 

My finish of "Remember Me" was stitched on 36 ct. Sand Edinburgh linen by Picture This Plus. I did change several of the colors, the font for my mom's initials, and if you look closely in the photo below, you'll notice a tiny addition to my version. I added a wee hummingbird--can you see him stitched "over one" in the upper right? I am no artist so I'm thrilled that he resembles a hummingbird even a little bit!

I added a teeny hummingbird to the design

Why did I choose to add a hummingbird? You see, hummingbirds were "mom's bird"--she loved them. She had them on her china, on coasters, drinking glasses, stationery, and ornaments. There is even a hummingbird etched above her name on her gravestone. When I see one in real life, or even a drawing of one, I always think of my sweet mother. In the photo below you'll see my parents after my dad's graduation from medical school (just a few months after I greeted the world in 1955)! I've been taking a lot of comfort in looking through these old black and white photos of my parents looking so young and whole and in love. That is how I like to imagine them together again...

Mom and Dad in 1955--oh, how I miss them!

Another lovely gift came all the way from England from my friend, Linda G. She recently got in touch with me after many years and said she was still enjoying reading my blog. She asked if she could send me some gold plated needles to thank me for "all the joy" that my blog posts bring her. Isn't that thoughtful of her? Well, just look at this fancy box of needles that arrived from The Cross Stitch Guild in Great Britain! Oh, my--I feel like royalty! The needles are wonderful and they truly do glide through the fabric. I will treasure your gift, Linda, and I truly thank you!

A lovely set of the best needles from my friend, Linda G., in England

 

A third gift arrived as a complete surprise from my young friend in Germany, Amara, whom I first "met" on Instagram (her name on IG is "xstitchingmakesmyheartlight" if you would like to follow her). Amara wanted to thank me for always being so "kind and supportive." I was truly touched when I opened her package to see a beautifully stitched bunny ornament and a lovely Easter card. Isn't this darling? I love the bunny girl bearing a bouquet of spring blooms. And the blue cording and ribbon finish it off perfectly, Amara! Thank you, my friend!

A sweet Easter gift from my Instagram friend, Amara

 

Giveaway winner... So, to keep the stitchy kindness going, I want to first announce the winner of my giveaway from my previous post. Many of you entered the drawing, but there can only be one winner of the pretty "Love Grows" chart and that is...

Darlene J.

Darlene J.--you have won the "Love Grows" chart!

Darlene, please contact me via email or Instagram and send me your mailing address. I'll post the chart as soon as possible. Hope you enjoy stitching it!

Giveaway time... And, guess what?! I'd like to send one of you the "Holiday Hoopla St. Patrick's Day" chart. Who is interested? If you are, please 1) Specifically say so in your comment, 2) Make sure to leave your email address if I don't already have it and 3) Answer today's "Getting To Know You" question below.

If you would like to enter the giveaway for this St. Patrick's Day chart, please follow the instructions above.

Getting To Know You... I so enjoyed reading about your place in the family from my last post. As I predicted, many of you are firstborn children like I am. For today's question, I'm wondering if you collect anything? Some people are big collectors and some aren't. I've gone through various phases in the 43 years that I've been married. At first I collected gnomes, then I moved on to Lizzie High dolls, then to David Winter Cottages, and then to Dedham Pottery (the reproductions--not the pricey genuine pieces). It's been about fifteen years now since I've collected anything, though. I think I'm beginning to slow down as I get older and simply enjoy the things I already have. Now, it's your turn--do you collect something special (or have you in your younger days)?

I'll be taking a bit of a blogging break for a few weeks as a certain eight-month-old bundle of  baby boy will be occupying my time. I'll still try to read your blogs, but it's very hard for me to comment from my phone so I'll just have to catch up with you all in April at some point. If you follow me on Instagram (which you can do by clicking right here), I'll still try to post a few photos during my blogging break so look for me there. In the meantime, I'm so glad you stopped to visit today! Welcome to my new followers and a big thank you to all of you who take the time to comment or email me. I always enjoy hearing from you. Wishing you a blessed Easter and hoping that more and more of you are able to once again hug your families. Bye for now...

♣ Wishing each of you something to smile about on St. Patrick's Day! ♣