Three small finishes and a giveaway

Hope all of you have had a good April!  To be honest with you, I'm extremely happy to bid this month farewell--it's been a tough one for some of our dear friends and extended family members. We're fine here--our hearts just hurt for their pain. We're simply taking things one day at a time and doing our best to be supportive. Stitching has helped a bit--I don't feel that I was very productive this month, but I do have three small finishes to share with you today.

My March ornament is this charming Soda Stitch Design piece that I purchased on Etsy for only a few dollars. (You can find it right here, if you're interested). I like my ornaments on the smaller side, so I stitched it "over one" on 25 ct. black Lugana using most of the suggested DMC colors. The only changes I made were to substitute DMC 3345 for one of the shades of green and to use DMC 3799 on the roofs of the teeny houses. I just love the sleeping Santa as he cradles the little town in his long, flowing beard. This is called "Santa Village" and, for the finish, I surrounded it with red handmade cording and topped it with two different bows and a silver bell. The red and white snowflake fabric in the back is what I used on the other side of the ornament. I'm so pleased with the final look!

My finish of "Christmas Village"

And, I stitched two Christmas ornaments for two new babies! Both will look familiar, especially the first one as this is the fourth time I've stitched it! Sadly, the chart is no longer available since the death of designer Brooke Nolan of Brooke's Books fame. It is called "Remy Rabbit" and I'm so glad I printed it off way back when it was first offered. Just a reminder--print off those freebies while you can! So many are removed from websites after a few years and are then no longer available. I used 40 ct. water green Newcastle and some of the suggested DMC colors along with a few of my own choices. Quite a few snowflakes were added to shape it into an oval and I added the baby's name underneath. The new mom told me it brought tears to her eyes when she opened my gift...

"Remy Rabbit" for a sweet baby girl

My second baby ornament finish (arriving a bit late as this baby girl is turning one in June!), is this cute piece by Tiny Modernist  called "Snow Much Fun at the North Pole." I also used 40 ct. water green Newcastle for this one (my last tiny scrap of this wonderful fabric). I changed up the colors for this one using pink and gray along with the black and white that were suggested in the chart. I then stitched the baby's name at the bottom of the snow globe, glued a miniature white pom-pom onto the penguin's hat,  added  pink and white cording, and topped it with a perky, pink polka-dot ribbon at the top. The backing fabric is the pink gingham fabric on the left. You can find the chart for this cute design in the 2017 Just Cross Stitch Ornament magazine. 

I've always loved pink and gray together and thought they worked especially well for this little girl's ornament.

 

If the above ornament looks familiar, I also stitched it for my oldest grandson's second Christmas back in 2021 using different colors. As you can see, I used the more traditional Christmas red and green for his. This is such a sweet design and you could personalize it with many different color combinations. 

The same ornament stitched in different colors for Mister B for his second Christmas in 2021.

I'm nearly done fully finishing my ornament for April so I'll share that with you next time! What are you stitching these days? Or are you too busy with gardening this time of year? Our gardens are going to have to just limp along this year as my husband is still not able to do any heavy lifting or digging since he's still recovering from his shoulder replacement surgery in January. But, that's okay--I'd so much rather he fully recover before he does anything that might cause problems. 

Giveaway... As I mentioned in a previous post, my sweet friend April (in Virginia) gifted me with a wonderful assortment of small charts to share with you as giveaways.  I thought one of you might like to stitch these classic Lizzie Kate patriotic charts if you haven't already done so. I actually stitched the one with the tall, skinny house way back in 2009 and I'm thoroughly embarrassed to admit that I never fully finished it! Maybe this year? 

If you'd like to win this LK chart, please follow the guidelines below:

If you would like to throw your name into the hat to win the above Lizzie Kate chart (both designs are included in this one chart!): 1) Please specifically say so in your comment, 2) Be sure to leave your email address if I don't already have it, and 3) Tell me the name of your favorite patriotic design finish and why you like it so much. Mine is "Fourth of July Picnic" by Samplers Not Forgotten--just love the old-fashioned look of it, the button tree, and that cute pup!  I stitched it back in 2023--you can read about my finish right here. I'll pick a winner for the Lizzie Kate "Land That I Love" chart and post the name next month. Good luck to all!

My favorite patriotic finish: Fourth of July Picnic

 

Statin update... I want to thank all of you who weighed in on your experiences with statins for cholesterol control. I'm pleased to say that I "think" my body has finally adjusted to the increased dosage. My cardiologist doubled it from 5 mg. to 10 mg. back in January and I was truly thinking about going back to the 5 mg. dosage due to increased muscle and joint soreness. But, all of a sudden... things seem to be almost back to normal. I had my lipid panel blood test last week and all of the results were good so I'm happy! Hope they stay that way!

It hasn't been the best year for our gardens as I mentioned above. Many of the cherry blossom trees suffered from the black knot fungus this year and the crab apple trees barely bloomed, possibly from apple scab fungus. So, not the prettiest of springs. But we did manage to get a few colorful flowers...

Aren't these tulips beautiful? I'm so thankful that may husband planted the bulbs last fall for me to cut and bring inside this spring!

The little plant that could... My middle son brought me this hibiscus plant last year for Mother's Day. Because we were down in Maryland helping with our newborn grandson for two weeks, he set it out on our patio table not thinking about our neighborhood deer. When we got home, the poor plant was bitten down to nothing--the deer loved it! We never dreamed it would survive, but we brought it inside and nursed it along all winter. Lo and behold--it's blooming again! Aren't these orange blossoms stunning? I'm planning on keeping it indoors this summer and safe from the deer!

Love the combination of the orange with the beautiful potted hydrangea plant that my husband gave me before Easter! Blue and orange were the colors of my oldest son's October 2017 wedding--such a lovely combination! 

Random thoughts for the month...

*Believe it or not, my younger grandson, Baby N, turns one year old next week! How time flies as we've watched in awe all the changes a baby goes through during those first twelve months.

*I just finished listening to a book that I gave a rare 5-star rating to called "The Sunflower House"--the debut novel by Adriana Allegri. Have any of you read it? Set in Nazi Germany, it deals with the notorious Lebensborn program where young women of "pure" blood were placed in houses specifically to give birth to future Aryan children, thus perpetuating the "master race." Over 8000 babies were born in this program in Nazi Germany.

*Only another six weeks 'til my youngest son's wedding. I'm trying not to stress, but it's just in my nature. I did find a dress which looks fairly decent on my 71-year-old body. I think I'm going to be the oldest person attending the wedding--now that is really something to make you think!  

*My youngest son visited us last week for a few days and, boy, did we need his positivity and cheerful demeanor. You see, my husband lost his second biking friend in less than two months in mid-April. There was a core group of five guys and now only three remain. We always joked that the guys saw more of each other than they did of their wives as they biked at least three times a week for hours at a time. You just never know when your time is up, do you? Their biking community is still in shock after losing two such special friends so close together. That really makes you think about how to live your life, doesn't it? Surround yourself with positive people and treat yourself to beloved hobbies, travels, and new experiences while you can.
 

And, on that note, I'll say goodbye for this month. On to May! I want to thank each of you for popping in and saying "hello" whether in your comments or via email. I love hearing from you. Have a wonderful new month, my friends! Bye for now...  

Buzzing in with some mid-August finishes

Another month half over... Can you believe it? It's been so, so dry here that our grass is burning out and our plants are withering on the vine. We got a teeny-tiny bit of rain Wednesday night--the first in over two weeks! But, certainly not enough to make a difference. We've noticed the hummingbirds staying longer at their feeder and even some non-hummingbirds stopping by that same feeder to take a sip of the nectar. I guess the poor things are just parched. I've never seen anything but hummingbirds drinking from those feeders before in my life!

August is normally my month to decorate with bees and sunflowers, but I've been feeling lazy about changing out my cross-stitch smalls so I didn't even bring out the whole collection this year. I did stitch two new bee-themed pieces, though, and created a small display using just them. 

My very small bee-themed display for August

The larger framed piece is by From the Heart NeedleArt and is called "Quaker Bees." I used the suggested overdyed threads on 40 ct. flax Newcastle and am so pleased with the final piece. It fit perfectly in this black 5X7" frame that I purchased from Marshall's--love it when that happens! I wish more designers would chart their designs to fit in standard size frames, don't you? It sure would save us a lot on framing (and leave us more money for purchasing charts, fabric, and threads!). 

"Quaker Bees" finish (with some tiny yellow flowers from our garden)

My second bee-themed finish is part of Jeannette Douglas's charming "chubby series"--may I introduce "Chubby Bee." So far she's designed Chubby Fox, Chubby Bunny, Chubby Ewe, Chubby Bird, Chubby Bee, and Chubby Squirrel. Have you stitched any of them? I have the Chubby Squirrel chart which I hope to stitch this fall. "Chubby Bee" is stitched on 40 ct. vintage country mocha Newcastle using a combination of the suggested colors and some substitutions (the greens and the purples) that simply worked better with my chosen fabric. The year was supposed to be stitched in the middle bottom, but I don't like dates my finishes (unless they are samplers), so I simply substituted a few more flowers and vines to round out the final look.  I also added pale yellow Smyrna stitches to the flower centers.

"Chubby Bee" with a few added vines and flowers

To finish it, I created a flat round ornament and then glued it to a larger round form covered with black and beige checked gingham fabric. Then I added gold cording (just glued it on with a teeny bit of Aleene's Tacky Glue on the end of a toothpick) and topped it with a jute bow.The back is covered with a round piece of black felt. This is a very simple finish and if you're interested in trying the round shapes yourself, I highly recommend this tutorial from Pinwheel Ponders. Give it a try--it honestly isn't difficult. At my age, I don't do difficult (if I can help it, anyway :). 

I just love this little chubby guy!

Finally, I stitched yet another "Remy Rabbit" by Brooke's Books ornament for a new baby. This was the fourth time I've stitched this one! I first stitched it back in 2021 and have used the same fabric (40 ct. water green Newcastle which, sadly, is no longer available) for all four. I left off the charted border and added a variety of snowflakes to make it into an oval. Such a sweet ornament for a new baby girl. 

My fourth finish of "Remy Rabbit" for a new baby girl (I've blurred the name out for privacy)

So, what's next? I'm working on my Christmas ornament for August and another Prairie Schooler which is taking more time than I anticipated! Then, I think I'll start something for fall... How about all of you? Have you begun fall stitching yet? Any recommendations? 

More summer fun... In my last post, I shared the birthday celebrations that we held at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland in July. Today, I'll share a few photos of our week-long visit. It was so peaceful there and easily ten degrees cooler as it's in the mountains. We all enjoyed our visit so much! Here are some of the highlights...

The view from the balcony outside our bedroom.

  

This part of the lake was very quiet--perfect for kayaking and paddleboarding. That tiny figure in the front of the kayak is Mister B! He is becoming much more comfortable with the water and really enjoyed his time by the lake.

We all loved this firepit set-up under the tall shady oak trees. It was a perfect place to read, snooze, watch the water fun, or hold Baby N (definitely my favorite activity!).

When we wanted a break from the water activities, we ventured over to  Swallow Falls State Park which stretches over 250 acres. Of course, we just hiked a tiny bit of it since we had two-month old Baby N in tow. We'll just have to go back again to explore more when he is older! It was quite crowded that day, but I'm sure it must be a beautiful park in all seasons. 

Hiking along the creek

  

One of the pretty waterfalls we spotted along our path

Mister B and nature--two of my favorite things!

 

On our drive back to the AirBnb, I spotted these cute musicians made entirely of old farm machinery parts  displayed in a farmer's field. Aren't they clever? 

Back at the rental home, we all kept busy with puzzles, and Legos, and games. Mister B sure loved having all of his uncles and aunts there to play with. I had brought a giant bin of Legos (saved for decades from when my sons were small) and all the guys had a great time creating space bases  with them and having pretend battles. It really warmed my heart to watch them having so much fun together.  

Mister B playing chess with his uncle, adding to his Lego space base, fishing (no luck), and watching the ducks walk up the dock to say hello. When it came time to leave on Friday, he cried and asked his daddy if we couldn't just buy the house and all live there forever. I'm so happy we can create these wonderful memories for him each summer! 

We got very lucky with the weather and it only rained all day the final day we were there! Hope we can return again next year. If you haven't visited the Deep Creek Lake area in Maryland, I highly recommend it!

Such a happy week with family!

Our garden has struggled this year, but we still managed to grow a few pretty flowers and some juicy tomatoes. 

Such royal colors from our glads this year!

 

The sunflowers in our garden always make me smile with their bright yellow and brown heads. The goldfinches love to visit and eat their seeds, too.

Oh, how I love the salmon color of this geranium. I'm thinking of trying to propagate it and overwinter the cuttings--any advice?

My husband is loving this time of year with all the fresh tomatoes. I don't eat them, but he is in heaven!

And that brings me to the end of yet another post. Oh, wait! I forgot to announce the winner of the "Christmas Sampler" chart that I offered in my previous post... The winner of this sweet design is...

Isabel (from Alromasar blog) 

 

Isabel (from Alromasar blog) you are the winner of this chart! Please let me know your mailing address and I'll get this out to you soon!

We are having a sweet little visitor for the next four days! Can you guess who? Yes, Mister B finally got up his nerve to come visit Nonna and Pampa all by himself. Today, we are meeting our son and daughter-in-law half-way to pick him up and then he'll be staying with us until Tuesday. I love seeing his excitement over coming all on his own (each time we chat on FaceTime). We've been working on this for almost two years now, hoping he would become brave enough to make a solo visit. I think he's very excited to be doing something that his baby brother can't! We have lots of fun plans in the works to keep him busy and, hopefully, to keep any homesickness at bay. We'll certainly be tired, but a good kind of tired at the end of each day.

Thank you to all who take the time to comment and say hello after each post--I truly look forward to hearing from you! I know blogging isn't really "in style" these days, so I'm glad that there are a few of you who still pop in for a vis each month. Hope the rest of August is good to you--stay cool! Bye for now... 

A spring finish and a new baby to love!

Hello, hello! It's been a while hasn't it? Gosh, I last posted almost a month ago. Spring is such a busy time of year around here as we attempt to banish all signs of winter and welcome more light and sunshine. This month has not been the most cooperative, however. We've had so much rain and so many cool, gray days here in the northeast. Memorial Day weekend came and went and it felt more like late-September weather rather than late-May. But, things are looking up for next week--that warm, sunny weather which I crave appears to be on the horizon. Hooray!

How do you select what pieces you want to stitch? Is it the theme, the size, the designer, the season? In the case of my latest finish, it was the colors that drew me in--oh, how I loved the hues in this charming design! "Flower Garden Sampler" is filled with blues and browns and I've always thought that combination to be so pretty. This is my very first finish by "Artful Offerings," but I loved it so much that I have already purchased a couple more of Karina's designs. This was stitched on 40 ct. soft ivory Newcastle using all of the suggested DMC threads. Just eight colors are used in this piece making is a joy to stitch--definite comfort stitching!

My finish of "Flower Garden Sampler"

In addition to the colors, I also fell in love with the whimsical bird couple proudly guarding their nest of blue eggs. I mean how cute are they... him with his little blue bow tie and her with her trailing dark blue scarf? Adorable!

Aren't they the cutest couple?

The long gray stripes in the middle of the design are meant to mimic a vintage grain sack towel and I'm debating about how to frame this one. I think I'll frame it so the stripe touches the edge of the frame on the two sides and then leave a border of fabric showing on the other two sides. What do you think? I'm still puzzling over this one! On 40 ct. fabric, this piece ended up being about 8 1/2 inches wide by 8 inches high so I'd classify it as a medium sized finish (for me, anyway!). Absolutely love it!

I would have had this piece finished about three weeks ago, but we had a bit of a surprise in our lives! For those of you who follow me on Instagram you already know what that surprise was... A certain little baby, our second grandchild, couldn't wait to see what this big wide world was all about and arrived 15 days early! Oh, my... we were all so surprised when my son texted us to say our daughter-in-law was in labor and they were heading for the hospital! That was about 11:30 at night (why do babies always seem to arrive at night?) so of course, I coudn't sleep! I spent most of the night packing my suitcase and cleaning the house so we could leave early the next morning as we planned to stay with them and help out with the baby and Mister B for at least two weeks. 

The baby couldn't wait until we got there and arrived around 5:30 AM the morning of May 6th. So by the time we got our first look, the little sweetheart was about 9 hours old.

Our first peek at our newest family member!

So, I'm sure you all want to know the answer to that burning question... boy or girl? Well...

      * my husband and I have three boys

      * my husband is one of four boys

      * my husband's father is one of two boys

      * we have one grandson already

So, of course...                                     

A darling cookie bouquet sent by my sister

Yes, Mister B has a little brother, Baby N, and we couldn't be happier! He is such a proud big brother and is already telling his mom and dad that he wants another baby brother or sister. Hmm...

 

We had the honor of moving right in with them for two weeks and, although exhausted, we enjoyed every single second. To hold a sleeping newborn is probably the best feeling in the world, isn't it? Especially when that helpless infant is your very own grandchild. All the cares in the world just vanished as I held the little fellow in the rocking chair and softly sang to him. All those sweet baby noises and funny sounds and facial expressions... I think, as a grandmother, I have the time to treasure those little things even more than when I had my own babies.  A lot of people on Instagram asked me if he has Mister B's dimples... no sign of them so far. He's a beautiful little boy who bears some resemblance to his big brother, but is his own sweet self. He seems to be very easy-going and relaxed in the three weeks he's spent in this big new world. We are all feeling very blessed!

Sweet dreams, Baby N!

Our new grandson received the most beautiful gift--this soft, pale yellow blanket (pictured below) knit so lovingly by one of my blog readers (and friends!), Barb R. in Michigan. I can't tell you how much I was touched by your thoughtfulness, Barb. Second babies are often not remembered with gifts or cards so this meant so much to me and to Baby N's parents! Thank you, thank you, my friend... it will be treasured!

I think Baby N loves his cuddly new blanket from my friend, Barb!

It was so hard to say goodbye to everyone when we left on May 21st (baby's original due date!). I have to admit I cried a bit. But, they're planning to come for a visit in just a couple weeks and we are so looking forward to that. 

New start...  I asked my daughter-in-law to pick out a birth sampler for Baby N and she chose this vintage looking design by Historical Sampler Company in England. It uses just nine DMC threads and I'll be stitching it on 40 ct. soft ivory Newcastle. I hope Baby N loves trucks and cars and trains as much as his big brother does!

The birth sampler I'll be stitching for my newest grandson--that checkerboard border is going to try my patience, but he's worth it!

Since we've been home, I've been catching up on spring cleaning, trying to restock our freezer (I had made seven meals ahead of time and frozen them to take down for the baby's arrival), and have spent time stitching a couple of gifts before I start the birth sampler. We've also been treated to a variety of unusual birds visiting lately--the Great Horned Owl below was a special treat!

All winter long we could hear the hoots of two Great Horned Owls in our nearby woods. This spring our neighbor nicely called us over to see the two baby owlets that had hatched in a tree on their property. The owlets fledged a few weeks ago and this one took the time to land on our patio table to say "hello" on Thursday. Such a magnificent looking bird!

 

We often have Great Blue Herons visiting our pond in search of fish, but this was the first I've seen one simply striding up our side lawn.

 

My first ever sighting of a "Rose-breasted Grosbeak"--such a beautiful bird with his rosy breast and splotches of white on his very black back.

So, that wraps up my one and only post for May! I hope it's been a good month for you and that you've had a couple happy surprises along the way, too. I'm really looking forward to June with its warmer weather and the chance to do some porch stitching. Thank you, each one of you, for visiting today and taking the time out of your busy schedules to read my little blog and leave a comment. I so appreciate hearing from you! Take care and happy stitching! Bye for now...

Stitching gifts as summer begins

Has it really been a month since my last post? I never planned on being away so long, but, you know... life! Thanks to those of you who have checked on me. As I mentioned in previous posts, my month of May was filled with doctors' appointments (mostly good results, although there may be a follow-up appointment or two in my future). Right now I'm dealing with a random attack of hives on my arms and I have no idea of the cause! They're fading and most of the itching is gone, but it was not a fun two weeks...  I did manage to get some small gifts stitched, but that's about all since my last post. Our weather is finally warming up and I'm sure that next week (when it gets into the 90s), I'll be kicking myself for complaining about the cold. But honestly--it was down in the 40s a couple nights  this week and our heat even came on. In June! I just love 80° weather with no humidity and today has been exactly that sort of day. 

Two blogging friends, June and Vickie, both have June birthdays so I managed to stitch a couple of sweet designs to make into cards. 

A pair of stitched birthday cards

 

For June, in England, I stitched a pair of bunnies by Brittercup Designs from "Bunnies Galore." Aren't they sweet? I forgot to note the fabric that I used, but I think it was a 32 ct. white linen or evenweave of some sort.

♥ Bunny love ♥

 

And for Vickie, I stitched the little "Hello Spring" design by Primrose Cottage Stitches. This one was stitched "over one" on 28 ct. white Lugana with a variety of pastel colors. I thought it might make a nice addition to Vickie's cubby that she changes out monthly.

Such a cute design for Spring

A new baby boy was born into my middle son's girlfriend's family so guess what I stitched? Yep! The cute JBW Designs gingerbread boy from the "Baby's First Christmas" chart.  This marks the tenth time I've stitched this little cutie; in fact, I stitched it for this little guy's big brother just two years ago. The parents are always so happy to receive a personalized and unique ornament! I used 32 ct. black Belfast linen with DMC threads and added a white pom-pom and red beads along with the candy cane colored cording. I wonder if I'll be stitching any more of these for baby boys in the future? I certainly hope so!

A Christmas ornament for a new baby boy (the name is whited out for privacy)

And this next one came as such a surprise to me! My best friend sent a photo of the little "Welcome" piece that I had stitched and given her years and years ago. It is so old, I don't even recall stitching it! She took a photo of it to show me that it is now hanging in her daughter's home and I was so touched. My friend downsized her belongings when she moved away and gave each of her five children a piece that I had stitched. I'm honored to think that my work lives on in their homes. Unfortunately, I have no idea where the chart came from, but it may have been in an early Just Cross Stitch magazine from the 1980s or 90s. If anyone knows, could you let me know?

This piece is so old, I can't even remember the source or when I stitched it!

So, I've turned my attention to patriotic stitching and am almost finished with a cute piece that I'll share with you next time. I'm very behind on getting my patriotic stitching out and on display this year. I usually like to have it out by Memorial Day, but I just wasn't motivated to take the Spring stitching down. Finally, I pulled out my patriotic finishes today and hope to get them on display tomorrow which is Flag Day here in the U.S. A perfect time to get these out--there sure are a lot of flags in these pieces, aren't there? I think you all know that Christmas stitching is my favorite, but after that comes patriotic themes. I just can't resist a good red, white, and blue design!

Can you tell I love patriotic stitching?

Here are a few close-ups for you...

.

 

An unexpected visitor arrived in our yard a couple weeks ago. We saw some sort of blob out in the middle of the grass and it turned out to be... a large snapping turtle!

Our pond's newest resident

We believe he was heading to our pond from the creek across the street. That is quite a distance, but "slow and steady" wins the race as they say. This fellow looked like he was in pretty rough shape. He had a small notch out of his shell toward the back and was so muddy. We tried to give the turtle something to eat, but he wasn't interested so we left him alone and watched as he ever-so-slowly made his way back to our pond. I did see him sunning himself on the pond's bank a couple of times since,  so I'm hoping he's found himself a welcoming new home!

Can you spot his very dark eye?

New flowers are blooming, adding their pretty colors to all the green, green grass in our yard. 

Love the wispy catmint!

These elegant white calla lilies with their dappled leaves are some of my favorites this time of year.

Our purchased flowers waiting to be planted. The yellow dipladenia on the left was a Mother's Day gift from my middle son and his girlfriend

Okay--this is a strange one! I was given an amaryllis bulb as a gift back in December and it never bloomed. The stalks  grew about 4 inches tall and then just stopped. So last month, I asked my husband to take it outside and plant it--never dreaming it would actually bloom. Surprisingly, two weeks later we had these bright red flowers!

 

In early June we visited my grandson in the D.C. suburbs and had a grand time! The main purpose of this particular trip was to take my middle son's old bunk beds down for him. Oh, my! He'd been so excited about moving from his toddler bed into bunk beds and talked about it for weeks. On the day we put them up in his bedroom, he was almost jumping out of his skin. He wants, so badly, to sleep in the top bunk, but, for now, his mom and dad are limiting him to the bottom. In addition to that big event, he helped me make some very tasty banana bread and helped plant the very first garden in his new house. I just love this photo of my husband holding the carrot seeds as Mister B carefully places them in the ground. He proudly announced just this week that the carrots were already sprouting! I've never seen a kid love vegetables the way he does, so I'm sure all the tomatoes, peppers, carrots, and cucumbers that were planted won't last long once they ripen!

My sweet grandson patiently planting some tiny carrot seeds

This coming Sunday is Father's Day here in the U.S. Do any of you have special plans? We are going to my middle son's place for dinner (which is also a gift for me since I don't have to cook for a change!). It's kind of a bittersweet day for all of us whose fathers have passed, though, isn't it? I do hope to be back for a visit again in a couple weeks and return to my twice a month blogging schedule. Thank you, one and all, for visiting today--hope your summer is off to a great start (yes, I know summer doesn't officially start until June 20th, but I've always considered it to start on Memorial Day!). I really appreciate each of your comments and emails--you stitching friends are the best! Take care now and enjoy your weekend. Bye for now...