May stitching and celebrations

Gosh... it's been three weeks since my last post! Where has the time gone? May, as always, is a busy month for us. I'm never happier than when I'm with my dear family and we were fortunate to all be together for both Baby N's first birthday and Mother's Day earlier this month. With two of my sons living in the DC area, it's not often that we are lucky enough to see everyone at once, so this month was extra special, indeed. Before I fill you in on our get-togethers, I'll share my tiny bit of stitching/finishing for this month. 

For my April ornament, I stitched this charming Tralala design called "Pluie d'étoiles." Although I had one year of college French, I had no idea what that translated to. It turns out that it means "shower of stars"--a perfect name for this cute design. It is stitched "over one" on 25 ct. black Lugana with a mix of overdyed and DMC threads. I ended up choosing most of my own colors to work better with the black background. For Santa's coat and hat, I used Weeks Dye Works "Blue Jay." That sweet deer is stitched using Gentle Arts "Apple Cider."

My April ornament: Tralala's "Pluie d'étoiles"

To finish this one, I simply added some handmade cording and tied a bow and hanger at the top. The pretty blue wool flannel fabric shown on the left is what I used on the back of the piece. As you can see, I'm still behind on my monthly ornament stitching! Part of the problem lies in the fact that I tend to be drawn toward very "stitch dense" designs... If I ever want to catch up, my next few ornaments will have to be less complicated. I'm bound and determined to catch up by June--bring on the Prairie Schooler Santas!

I also managed to frame Baby N's birth sampler which I shared with you back in this post in 2025. I ordered a dark blue frame from Franken Frames online and am so pleased with how it looks with the finished stitching. I was determined to give it to my grandson for his first birthday and I'm proud to say I got it done! 

The finally framed birth sampler for Baby N! All of those little cars in front were ones I had saved from my sons' childhood years (along with an entire basket full of even more!). Mister B has had a grand time playing with them over the years and I hope Baby N will, too.

This is "Fire Engine" by Historical Sampler Company and is stitched on 40 ct. soft ivory Newcastle using the suggested DMC colors. The font that I used to personalize the sampler with his name, birth date, weight, and length can be found right here. It's called "Child Memory Sampler Alphabet" and is one of my favorites which I use quite often to personalize baby gifts.

Framed "Fire Engine" by Historical Sampler Company

It's not easy to frame pieces with such distinct straight borders, but I feel like this came out quite well. If you remember from when I first shared this finish with you (in this post), I didn't know what to do about the spaces between the train cars. They weren't connected and there was an engine on each end! After a lot of back and forth, I simply decided to insert a stitched x in the middle of each space between the train cars and I think it works well. We were so busy with Baby N's party and Mother's Day that we neglected to get a photo of him with his new sampler--we'll have to make a point of snapping a few pictures very soon!

Framed just in time for Baby N's first birthday

But, I do have some photos of the new one-year-old to share! Still can't believe how quickly the year has passed. He's a huge boy (almost 28 pounds!) and I can barely lift him. He'll stand up in the middle of the floor on his own, but has shown no interest in walking. That will come... He babbles and laughs constantly, loves music, and adores entertaining all of us. He's just such a happy little boy--and the interesting thing is, I could tell from the day of his birth that he would have that easy-going, laid-back personality.  He's been a joy!

"I'm one!!" Baby N celebrating with some of his stuffed animals!

My daughter-in-law cooked a wonderful Mexican feast for all 70 of the party-goers (yes, 70!). She loves to cook and my son has been just a bit spoiled with all of her delicious meals. For the party, she prepared carnitas, beans, rice, and marinated some chicken for tacos. (Well, my husband did grill the chicken so I need to give him some credit!). For the dessert, she ordered a plain white frosted sheet cake from Costco--what a great idea! It saved some money and I had fun decorating it with Mister B. 

Mister B helping me decorate his brother's birthday cake

Mister B told me where to place the round dollops of frosting on the top and this is the result... What do you think? The cake topper that my daughter-in-law ordered didn't arrive in time, so we just placed a large Number 1 candle in the middle. Simple, but cute!

In addition to this cake, Baby N had a little "smash cake" all of his own on his real birthday on May 6th. We were able to enjoy his glee (and mess) via FaceTime.

Of course, a Mexican themed party had to include a piñata, and all of the kids had such fun whacking away at it trying to get it to open up and shower them with candy. In the end, after the kids took two turns each, my oldest son had to hit it really, really hard to get it to open up. And then came the squeals of delight from the children as they rushed to scoop up the candy treats.

Mister B sure loves piñatas (and especially the candy that pours out of them)!

This photo of my two littlest loves is one of my favorites. My daughter-in-law bought this little ball pit at Aldi (yes, Aldi!) a few months ago and it has turned into Baby N's favorite plaything. He crawls in and out rolling around in the balls, leaning back and falling into them, and throwing them everywhere. Such fun!

My two sweethearts: Mister B who will be 6 in July and our new one-year-old, Baby N

The day after Baby N's first birthday, we celebrated Mother's Day. My sons and husband prepared a wonderful brunch for me and my daughter-in-law complete with scrambled eggs, bacon, blueberry pancakes, fresh fruit, mimosas, and orange juice. I received some beautiful flowers, a cross stitch design for Charleston's "Rainbow Row," gift cards for a local ice cream shop and bakery (which I will not be using until after the wedding so I can manage to still fit into my dress!), and a vintage crock to add to my growing collection (from my middle son).  

Mother's Day flowers from my youngest son

 

Mother's Day flower's from my oldest son and daughter-in-law

It was a very special weekend for all of us and I can't wait 'til we're all together again for my youngest son's wedding next month!

Giveaway winner... Thanks to all who entered the drawing for this cute Lizzie Kate patriotic chart! I enjoyed reading about your favorite patriotic pieces and was happy to hear from readers who are new to my blog. There were quite a few entries and the winner's name picked from the proverbial hat is...

CINDY B! 

 

Congratulations to Cindy B! Please send me your mailing address and I'll get this in the mail to you as soon as I can. I'll be having more giveaways in the future so keep an eye on this space!

Farewell to a wonderful designer and friend... Many of you know that our stitching community recently lost a very special designer. Sadly, Nurdan Kanber of Twin Peak Primitives recently passed away leaving her beloved twin sister, Nursun. Such kind and gentle souls--so very generous in every way. I first got to know Nurdan and Nursun many years ago as Nurdan used to have a blog where she would often share her beautiful work and designs. Not long after, the twins began their own designing business which is now based in The Netherlands. Have any of you stitched a Twin Peak Primitives design? I have to say, I think Nurdan was among the most prolific designers around--simply one beauty after another. Such creativity and talent. My heart goes out to Nursun--I can't imagine losing a sister, let alone a twin and business partner. 

Nurdan will be truly missed by this wonderful stitching community of ours... I thought I'd share some of my favorite Twin Peak Primitive designs that I've stitched over the years in honor of her. (If you would like more information on any of these, just click on the link below each photo). And if you'd like to help support Nursun in her time of grief, please consider making a purchase from her Etsy shop (here) or from many  stitching shops. May you rest in peace dear Nurdan...

Patriotic Olde Truck

 

"Stitcher's Soul Journey"

"Snowman's Joy"

2019 Twin Peak Primitive Santa

When my oldest grandson was born, Nurdan and Nursun sent me this darling knitted monkey to give to him. So very thoughtful and a gesture that meant so much. That's just the sort of person that Nurdan was and that Nursun is...

The sweetest little monkey sent to me by the generous sisters of Twin Peak Primitives, Nurdan and Nursun, to give to my oldest grandson when he was born. 

So, yes... another death. They seem to be coming more and more often as I get older. I know that's to be expected, but it's still difficult to accept.

Ten days left in May... hard to believe. I'm working my hardest to get my Christmas ornaments for May and June all finished up by the end of the month. I know I won't have any stitching time at all in June with my son's upcoming wedding! Yikes... so many little details to still track down: earrings, shawl, etc. It seems never-ending for an event that is over within hours, doesn't it? But, I know the day will be a joyful start to a wonderful life together as husband and wife... We can't wait! Take care now and I hope everyone enjoys the rest of May. Bye for now... 

January musings

Well, this has certainly been one frigid month, hasn't it? I'm hoping that when February arrives the tide will turn and things will begin to warm up... It does make for good stitching weather, but I've found it hard to settle lately. The world seems to be spinning out of control lately and even my stitching doesn't  seem to be helping relieve the stress. So few stitches have been added lately...

The finishes I'm going to share with you today were all stitched and given away as Christmas gifts in December. Thankfully, all arrived safely and in good time. After much thought, I've come to the decision that I won't be exchanging stitched gifts any longer. To be honest--I'm simply getting older and my eyes are as well. I just don't stitch as quickly as I used to and what extras I do stitch, I'd like to be for my family. I truly hope everyone understands--and may even be a bit relieved! I've received so many wonderful gifts over the past 17 years since I began blogging--from all over the world: the U.S. and Canada, of course, but also England, Ireland, France, The Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Germany, The Czech Republic, Austria, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa! Amazing, how a simple hobby like cross stitch can draw us together. We may not speak the same languages, but we speak the language of needle, thread, and fabric--one tiny thread  on a blank canvas that starts out as a single stitch and grows into a beautiful design. I'm so thankful for each of the gifts my fellow stitchers have sent me since I began my blog on January 24, 2009 (17 years ago tomorrow!). But, I'm even more thankful for the friendships!

Many of these designs are ones I've stitched for myself in the past, including this first one. I'll post the details on each finish in the caption underneath the photos...

"Joys of Christmas" by The Drawn Thread stitched on 28 ct. dirty linen. Love the two-colored cording and teeny buttons on the snowman!

 

"Good Tidings to You" by The Sampler Girl (found in the 2011 Just Cross Stitch Ornament magazine). I stitched this one "over one" on 28 ct. tea dyed Monaco with DMC threads (I changed the red to DMC 221).

 

Prairie Schooler's "A Christmas Visit" (Book No. 48). I stitched this sunflower Santa on 40 ct. vintage country mocha with the suggested DMC threads. 

 

This cutie gingerbread boy card is by Crocette a Gogò from the chart called "Christmas Green Chic." I also stitched this one in 2024 and made it into an ornament which you can read about here. 

 

Peace and Noel from Hands on Design's "Oh, Christmas Three" chart made into greeting cards. They're both done "over one" on 25 ct. black Lugana.

 

A trio of charming cardinals, stitched on 40 ct. vintage country mocha are from "Christmas Advent Calendar" by Crocette a Gogò. She also has some wonderful free charts on her website right here.

 

For my 5-year-old grandson, Mister B, I made this cute dinosaur sporting a Santa cap. He is stitched "over one" on 25 ct. black Lugana with the suggested DMC threads. The chart is one I found on Etsy (right here) by MaxStitchesArt and is called "Christmas Velociraptor."

 

And I know you'll recognize this gingerbread boy ornament--I think I must have stitched it at least 10 times now! It is from the JBW Design's chart called "Baby's First Christmas." I changed up the colors a bit and stitched it on 32 ct. black Belfast linen. This was for my youngest grandson and is always my go-to gift for new baby boys.

  

 

Shoulder replacement surgery update... Thank you to all who wished my husband well on his right shoulder replacement surgery which took place on January 5th. The surgery itself was supposed to last 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When the 3rd hour wrapped up, I was beginning to worry that I hadn't heard from the doctor yet! About 15 minutes later, the doctor finally appeared in the waiting room to say everything was fine. She explained that it took longer than normal because "the component was larger than expected." WHAT?! I can just picture them scrambling around to find the "right size component" for my husband's shoulder! Anyway, he's been home recovering for over two weeks now--and, like most men, he is a very "impatient patient." At times I feel like I'm having to tell a toddler "no!" "No, you can't go shovel the driveway," "No, you can't do a spin on the exercise bike," "No, you can't lift that heavy pan!" You get the idea... 

He received some much appreciated and extremely thoughtful gifts during his recovery. For those of you who are looking to do something special for someone who is recovering from surgery, any of these would make fine gifts. It looks like a lot of food, but my youngest son had driven up from D.C. to assist us that first week and he certainly helped gobble everything up very quickly! 

The dried fruit tray on a bamboo cutting board was a gift from his old office and came from 1-800-baskets.com. The wonderful fruit and chocolate tray came from a former coworker from Edible Arrangements. And the containers of chicken noodle soup and yummy rolls and cookies came from my youngest sister and her husband from Spoonful of Comfort. All were just wonderful! 

Another trip around the sun... Yes, I'm a year older! After all that worrying when I turned 70, I'm happy to say I survived my first year in my '70s just fine. My 71st (how can that be?!) birthday on the 16th was very quiet this year since my husband was recovering from his surgery. My middle son came over that evening and picked up pizza on the way so I wouldn't have to cook. I received some wonderful cross stitch charts and linen, gift cards to a restaurant, Etsy, and 123 Stitch, and a box filled with a dozen tasty chocolate-covered strawberries. But, the very best gift of all (in my eyes) was the fact that my dear husband, one-handedly, made cupcakes so I would have a sweet treat. Now, in our nearly 49 years of marriage, I don't think he's ever baked a cupcake--and for him to do so while recovering from shoulder surgery truly touched my heart. They were so good--chocolate (made from scratch!) with peanut butter frosting (I did make the frosting and decorate them for him as he couldn't use the mixer or pipe the frosting with one hand). For me, it's always been the simple gestures like this that have meant the most in our marriage. How about you? 

My 71st birthday and still smiling :) 

The best thing about growing older has been experiencing being a grandmother. The joy that Mister B and Baby N have brought me is almost indescribable. They just love me for me! Even if I appear on FaceTime with rumpled bedhead hair still in my pj's--they still smile and seem excited to see me and my heart just melts. 

Grandma stage--the best stage in life!

Time does pass by way too quickly in our older years, doesn't it? As kids, we were always anxious to get to our next birthday or next milestone, but when you're older, you only wish for time to slow down. I'm still in awe of the many changes a baby goes through in that twelve month period before the first birthday. From helpless blobs to rolling over to sitting to crawling to standing to those first hesitant steps. It's quite a miracle, really. I'm so blessed to still be here to witness these sweet boys growing up!

Baby N turned 8 months old this month

 

Mister B instructing Baby N in the fine art of car racing!

So, what's on my agenda for the last week of January? Would you believe I still have my Christmas tree and outdoor lights up?! That is a new record for me, for sure. I've so enjoyed the light from them this month, but it's time... I'm not going to turn into one of "those" neighbors :) So, after the last bit of Christmas is tucked away, I plan to do some cleaning out of closets and drawers. Who am I kidding that I'll ever wear those clothes from fifteen years ago that no longer fit? I hope you enjoy this final week of what always seems to be a long, dull month. Take care now--especially those of you who are in the path of the ice and snow storm that is forecast here in the U.S. A foot of snow is expected in our region--we'll see how accurate the weather service is this time! Thank you all for stopping by to say "hello!" Bye for now...

Christmas in July

How's everyone doing? Staying cool, I hope? Whew--this heatwave is beyond anything I can remember in all of my 70 years and I'm so very thankful to have air conditioning... Just last evening, my husband said, "I can't imagine this summer without AC." I know it's not common in some parts of the U.S. and many countries internationally. Do you have it in your home? When I was growing up in upstate New York (south of Buffalo), we did not have whole house air conditioning. We had wall units in the kitchen and in my parents' bedroom, but that was it. I remember a few nights each summer just lying in bed unable to sleep due to the heat and humidity. But, that was only three or four nights each year... With today's summer heat, those long sleepless nights would be more like half the summer, I fear.

But, the good thing about the heat? It forces me to sit inside and stitch! Lucky, aren't we, to have this hobby of ours during seemingly endless hot summer days? I got a bit behind on my monthly ornament stitching due to all the time I've been spending with my grandsons this summer, but am finally caught up with my June and July ornaments. I think you'll recognize both of them as Prairie Schooler designs--always my favorite! My ornament for June comes from an old PS free chart which is unnamed so I'll just call it "Santa Paddling His Canoe." It is stitched on 40 ct. R&R Salt Marsh linen (which has a pale sage green hue) using the suggested DMC threads (except I Smyrna-stitched his eye using 3031). 

My ornament for June--an old freebie from Prairie Schooler.

I felt like this piece deserved a rustic finish, so it was back to my camp counselor days (yes, I was a counselor at a Camp Fire Girl day camp the summer I was 19)--time to create another twig frame. I've made this type of frame with two other PS pieces and am so pleased with how this one turned out. I simply went outside to our brush pile and found a relatively straight branch from a birch tree, cut it into pieces, and glued them on to the sticky-board mounted piece to form a rectangle. At the top, I glued on a branch of artificial evergreens, some dried berries, and a corded hanger. The back is covered with a piece of felt. Love how it turned out!

Love the way the greenish spots on the birch twigs pick up the color of the fabric.

Here are the three PS twig-framed Santas... My favorite is at the top, stitched "over one" on 28 ct. black Monaco, that I created way back in 2011. I just love this green-robed Santa with his bundle of tiny logs. You can read about the Santa on black in this post. And the one driving the truck full of Christmas trees can be viewed in this post. 

A trio of twig framed Prairie Schooler Santas--do you have a favorite?

For my July ornament, I chose to stitch the annual Prairie Schooler annual Santa from way back in 1998. He is stitched "over one" on 25 ct. mushroom Lugana using the suggested DMC threads. The only change I made was to omit the giraffe that was hanging from the ark--it looked (to me, anyway!), like he had a broken neck! What do you think--you can see the original chart here. 

Stitched "over one"--so tiny and cute!

I finished this as a simple pillow using green cording and a green and cream gingham bow. Nothing fancy--I like to let the stitching shine when it comes to these handsome PS annual Santas.

The 1998 Prairie Schooler annual Santa is my ornament for July

 

June and July 2025 ornaments

 

As I mentioned in my last post, my entire family met up for a week of celebrations at a rental house right on beautiful Deep Creek Lake in Maryland earlier this month. I don't think I've ever eaten so much cake in my life! My oldest grandson, Mister B, celebrated five years, my youngest son celebrated 37 years, and my husband had the biggest celebration of all as he turned the big 7-0! Yes, he's caught up with me--the older woman! I have him beat by six whole months. 

Mister B originally wanted a Batman themed party, but at the last minute he changed his mind and decided he wanted a Snoopy party. Quite the change for sure! So my oldest son scrambled and ordered some Snoopy/Peanuts gang decorations to decorate the rental house. 

Aww... can you believe Mister B is five years old already? He loved his Snoopy themed party and his excited smile says it all!

Upon hearing about the change to a Snoopy theme, I found a quick-to-stitch design of everyone's favorite cartoon pup online. I think it took me all of two days to stitch and finish it--probably my fastest fully finished item ever! Isn't it cute? I stitched it on 28 ct. dove gray Monaco with three DMC colors: black, white, and 498 for the red. On the back of the frame, I wrote that it was lovingly stitched by Nonna for his 5th birthday and that whenever he looked at it, I hoped he'd remember how much I love him... 

The sweet Snoopy finish that I gifted my grandson on his 5th birthday.

My youngest son didn't mind sharing the Snoopy decorations with Mister B and together they blew out their candles on some tasty cupcakes and a Boston Cream Pie (which is my youngest son's favorite dessert). 

My youngest son and oldest grandson celebrate their birthdays which are just one day apart. I wonder what they wished for?

Two days later, my husband turned 70. Unlike me, when I turned 70 in January, he was very excited and appreciative just to still be here on earth. I need to think more like him :)  I would have loved to bake him a cake, but being away and in a rental house, I decided to just order one from a local bakery. I wanted it to be biking and beer themed--two of his favorite hobbies. I sent the baker a photo of an inspiration cake and, although it wasn't exactly what I wanted, it tasted wonderful and that's what counts, right? It was a carrot cake with vanilla buttercream icing and I think we ate it for the next four nights. A little slice went a long way! 

I asked the baker to design a biking/beer themed carrot cake using various signs that I found online and emailed to her. She forgot to add the spokes on the wheels, but that was still one tasty cake! 

Before we left for our lake vacation, I secretly designed some candy wrappers for my husband's big day using baby photos of him and various birthday greetings. I printed them out using our home printer and then wrapped them around Hershey's Miniature candy bars. For his party, I scattered them around the table--they were a big hit!

The little Hershey Miniature candy bars all wrapped up for the party. Wasn't he a cute little baby?

And here we are--the two 70-year-olds, still smiling after all these years. I've known him for over 50 years now as we met when we were just 19. In fact we celebrated our 48th wedding anniversary just last week--getting very close to the big one! We both feel very blessed to have shared so many milestone moments together...

Celebrating my husband's 70th!

Since this post is already running long,  I'll share more on our family's lake vacation next time. Hope you'll pop in to visit again...

Giveaway time... In the meantime--since this is a "Christmas in July" post--how about a little Christmas-themed giveaway? I actually stitched this pretty sampler years ago (way before I began blogging and back when I was still stitching on Aida). I love it, although I've never framed it for some reason. I'm not crazy about the color of fabric I used, but it is still frame-worthy. I'll have to go down to my bins of thrifted frames in the basement and see if there isn't one that would work. 

My finish of "Christmas Sampler"--stitched nearly 20 years ago!

Anyway, I know I'll never stitch this one again, so who would like to win the chart? It's called "Christmas Sampler" and is from a 1994 edition of "Cross-Stitch Christmas" magazine. If you'd like to be entered in the drawing: 1)Please say so in your comment below, 2) Make sure you leave me your email address (if I don't already have it), and 3) Tell me the name of your favorite Christmas Carol and why you like it so much. Mine is "O Holy Night" which takes me right back to Christmas Eve services in my childhood church each and every time I hear it. Just love it! I'll announce the winner of the chart in my next post--good luck to all! (Please note, I will be folding this chart in thirds to fit in a legal-sized envelope in an effort to save on postage).  

I'm having a giveaway for this "Christmas Sampler" chart. Just follow the guidelines above if you'd like to be entered into the drawing. 

So, here we are--the end of July already. I want to thank all of you for your kind comments on my newest grandson's birth sampler in my last post and for weighing in on what I should do about joining the train cars or leaving them as they are. I'm still very undecided! Perhaps I should just flip a coin :) I truly appreciate your input and all of your sweet comments and emails. Hope August brings each of you lots of stitching and relaxing time. Stay cool out there! Bye for now...

Whew! A busy, but fun month!

I really didn't mean to be gone for four weeks! July has been one of the busiest months ever and I'm so ready for a quieter August... Before I show you my stitching or give family updates, I really, really want to thank all of you who commented on my last post. I simply haven't had time to get back to most of you. But, I truly appreciate each and every comment--thank you!

I did manage two simple finishes this month, both of which I've already shared on Instagram. First up is the charming Plum Street Samplers design called "Summer in Nantucket." Who has visited Nantucket? Not me, but it's definitely on my list! I just love the photos I've seen of the most beautiful hydrangeas blooming against the weather-beaten gray background of the seaside houses (although in this scene, the house just happens to be red!). I love the whimsical details--the whale weathervane, the seagull as big as the roof, and who doesn't love a flag-bearing, whale riding mermaid? I did make a few changes to the colors in this piece--mainly to the red and green. For the red, I used Gentle Arts "Weathered Barn" and for the green, I substituted Gentle Arts "Baby Spinach." The fabric is one of my favorites: 40 ct. stormy night Newcastle. It's such a great fabric for summery piece, snowy designs, or even spooky stitching!

"Summer in Nantucket"

Luckily, I had a perfectly sized frame in my stash of thrifted frames (this one was $3.00!). It started out as a gold frame, but I knew that wouldn't do at all. So I gave it three coats of a creamy white paint (FolkArt matte finish acrylic paint in 515E "Vintage White"), distressed it a bit, and had an instant finish!

The shells are ones I've collected on my travels

Another change I made to the design was to add a few little bubbles for the fish--it seemed to give the piece some movement. I'm thrilled to have another true summer-themed piece all ready for display as I have so few. Most of my summer finishes are either patriotic or sunflower/bee themed.

I do love that mermaid sailing through the sea on the white whale!

Having very little time to stitch my monthly Christmas ornament, I had to choose a simple and quick design. As I was looking through my notebook of possible ornament charts, this little cutie popped out at me. With only four DMC colors and a simple to follow snowflake, I had this one stitched and finished in just a couple days. This is called "Bird and Snowflakes: Chickadee" and can be found in the February 2020 issue of Just Cross Stitch Magazine. There are two other alternative bird designs included: a red cardinal and a little robin. I love the way the beads were added to the lattic design in the back. Once again, I used 40 ct. stormy night Newcastle for the fabric.

A sweet chickadee for my July ornament

I turned it into a simple round ornament, bordered it with a gray and white cording, and added a double layer of gauzy white ribbon to the top. It's so delicate and sweet, isn't it? Seven ornaments down, five to go for 2024!

Sometimes a simple finish is best!

I've turned to stitching a cute bee-themed piece for August along with my latest Christmas ornament so I hope to have those to share with you soon. 

Giveaway winner... There were quite a few entries for the "Americana Sampler" that I offered in my previous post. I really enjoyed reading about where you purchase your cross stitch supplies and have to say I'm envious of those of you who still have local needlework shops. Sadly, there seem to be fewer and fewer of them! The lucky winner's name drawn from the hat is...

GAIL L.

Gail L.--you are the winner of this patriotic chart!

Congratulations, Gail L.! Please send me your mailing address (my email is in the right sidebar--just click on my profile) and I'll get this in the mail to you next week. I hope you enjoy stitching it as much as I did and will pass it on when you're done. And for those of you who didn't win... keep an eye on this space. I'll be offering more giveaways in the near future!

So... which do you want first? The good news or the bad? Let's get the bad out of the way. My dear husband now has Lyme disease. He began having some muscle pain and asked his doctor for a Lyme test and, sure enough, he tested positive. So, he's on doxycycline for two weeks (the same antibiotic I was on a few weeks ago). He's had no other symptoms, so we are hopeful that the medicine will clear it up with no lingering effects. I'm considering getting tested myself as I've been having some unusual symptoms lately. Although my tick report came back positive for Lyme, I was not tested for it and was simply put on the antibiotic. So, I may just have it, too... For those of you living in Pennsylvania, you can send the ticks to the Pennsylvania Tick Research Lab for free testing. I would imagine other states have similar programs, but I don't know for sure. Anyway... Lyme disease and ticks are terrible problems in this part of the country and they will certainly spread to more and more states and countries. We are now paying to have our yard sprayed for ticks (many neighbors already do so because they have pets)  and I'm hoping that helps. Stay safe out there and always, always check yourself for ticks after being outside in grassy areas!

Much of my time this month was spent with my grandson which was wonderful! In early July, we drove the four hours to Maryland for his very first overnight stay alone with us. The first night was a bit difficult for him and he cried and cried for his parents at bedtime, but the remaining three days and nights went well and we had such fun! Since we were there over the 4th of July, a parade was, of course, in the mix. The neighborhood Mister B lives in has such wonderful community activities at holiday times. This time they held an event in the park where the kids could decorate their bikes and scooters, get temporary tattoos, and even have their photo taken with Uncle Sam before they participated in a short parade. And, what would the 4th of July be without an ice cream truck?!

Mister B and Uncle Sam on the 4th of July

Our patriotic tattoos (somehow, I put mine on upside down!)

Mister B turns 4! We drove home on Monday, July 8th and then back down on Saturday the 13th for Mister B's 4th birthday party. Like most little boys of that age, he is totally into superheroes so his mom and dad went all out and had a Spider-Man themed party for him. Since they are relatively new to the neighborhood, they also invited many nearby neighbors so there were close to 50 people there.

Spider-Man ruled the day at Mister B's 4th birthday. There was a bouncy house, Spider-Man piñata filled with candy, Spider-Man cake and cupcakes. The birthday boy is posing with his new Spider-Man sunglasses as his dad (my oldest son) looks on.

 

It was such a fun party! Until... about two days later. One by one, we each began to get sick. Yep--the birthday party was a "super-spreader" event! Not Covid, thankfully... "just" colds, sinus issues, headaches, coughs, etc. Almost everyone in our family got sick with it! My worst symptoms were fever, cough, and neck pain. And, unfortunately, the surgery that was scheduled for my oldest son a few days after the party had to be postponed because he was one of the sickest. Sigh... You'd think a summer party would be safer. But, I guess there is some nasty virus going around as I've heard of many folks having similar problems. 

We came home to recuperate and then my oldest son and grandson were here for a four day visit last week (my daughter-in-law was on a girl's trip with a friend). What fun we had--visiting local parks and a community garden, going to a bike event where he was thrilled to go up and down some small ramps on his balance bike, feeding the koi in our pond, exploring his grandpa's garden and relishing all those juicy red tomatoes, and playing with all of the wonderful old toys that I'd saved from the 1980s when my sons were small. He cried when he had to go home on Sunday... It warms my heart to know we're creating such fun memories for him of visits to Nonna and Pompa's house!

I can't believe Mister B is now four years old... Where have the years gone?

We've finally gotten a bit of rain this week--thank goodness! Our lawn is brown and crispy and some of the leaves have already dried up and fallen. It's been one hot, dry summer here and I actually found myself dreaming of cooler, snowy days last week. (WHAT?!? Snap out of it, Carol!). The pictures of the flowers taken here were from early July when everything wasn't as dried out. My husband grows all of these flowers (except for the hydrangeas which we treat with an anti-deer spray) for me within the confines of his fenced in vegetable garden. 

Snapdragons, sunflowers, zinnias, and hydrangeas from our garden--my husband deserves all the credit for growing them!

This is the best year for hydrangeas we've ever had. I read it was due to our mild winter and all the rain we had in the spring.

So, that's a wrap on July... I am truly hoping August will be a bit cooler and a lot less busy. I think all of you know what a homebody I am and I've missed just puttering around the house and sitting quietly with my stitching or a book. Then again, I would never give up those memories spent with my family during our busy July! Hope each of you has a wonderful new month. Bye for now...

Mister B spies a young male deer right outside our basement door. One of my favorite things is watching the awe in his expression as he  enjoys the wonders of nature.