The end of an extremely chilly week!

BRRRR... Do you live in the eastern part of the country that's experienced this late-August cold spell? It was 46° (7.7C) here this morning! Yes, 46!  But, I absolutely refuse to turn my heat on in August so I've been bundled up in long pants and a heavy shirt topped with a fleece jacket most of the day. It did warm up this afternoon, but the house remains on the chilly side. Thankfully, it's going to warm up again for Labor Day weekend. 

I feel like I've had quite a good stitching month! In addition to the two bee-themed pieces that I shared with you last time, I finished two Christmas pieces: my ornament for August and a classic Prairie Schooler design. This sweet little design is called "The Carol Singers" by Perrette Samouiloff and as soon as I spotted it, I put it on my Christmas list last year. My oldest son found it on Creative Poppy website and downloaded it to give me for Christmas last year. (Unfortunately, it looks like Creative Poppy no longer carries Perrette Samouiloff's designs).  I just love these little children! So adorable, aren't they? What I didn't care for were the suggested colors so I changed out every single color in the chart. Basically, I chose colors from Prairie Schooler designs that I've loved for many, many years. I think the changes worked out so well!

"The Carol Singers" by Perrette Samouiloff

I also changed "Merry Christmas" to straight stitches (instead of cross stitches) and added some musical notes on the ends to roughly form it into an oval shape. The finish is very simple using some handmade DMC 223 cording and a small white metallic snowflake. Eight ornaments down for 2025, four to go! This year sure is passing quickly...

My August 2025 ornament (stitched on 40 ct. summer khaki Newcastle)

 

So, do any of you stitch a design more than once? I've done many baby ornaments and small Christmas ornaments more than once, but I think this was the largest piece that I've stitched twice. I originally stitched it more than 20 years ago as a Christmas gift for my best friend. It is from the Prairie Schooler booklet No. 96 called "Woodland Santas." This piece is stitched on 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle with all of the suggested DMC threads. I can always count on PS colors and that is what makes them such pure comfort stitching! I especially loved the little pheasants and bunnies in this piece (although, those bunnies gave me fits--my aging eyes read the symbol wrong and I had to re-stitch two of them!). I'm not sure how I'll finish this one yet as there are three others in that booklet that I'd like to stitch. So I may wait until all four are done and then decide. 

One of the delightful Praire Schooler scenes from "Woodland Santas"

Which one do you think I should I stitch next? I do love all four, but I think I'm leaning toward the Santa with the reindeer  (or maybe the Santa in the sleigh--who knows!). As you can see, I have an older Prairie Schooler cardstock pattern from 2001. It has been reprinted since then, but the quality is just not the same. If you're looking for this chart (or any older PS charts), I suggest paying the extra money for the original cardstock patterns if you can find them on eBay or Etsy--definitely worth it!

 

One of my favorite PS books! Hard to decide what to stitch next!

I'm so happy to let you know that Mister B's first solo visit with us went exceedingly well! No, homesickness at all--in fact the last day of his visit, he wistfully told us he wished he could "stay a couple more days." So sweet! We were tired, but fulfilled at the end of each day. We kept him busy: visiting a local farm market, going to see his uncle and aunt (to visit Spike, their cat, and to play video games--a rare treat!), and having birthday parties in the basement for the stuffed animals that once belonged to my sons. He helped me make cookies and picked tomatoes and fed the koi in our pond with my husband. And on the last day of his visit, we went to the zoo (where his biggest desire was to see cheetahs ("because they're the fastest animals on earth!"). The hot, humid weather of that week had vanished and our zoo visit weather was perfect with highs in the 70s and low humidity. Thorough spoiling (a grandparent's prerogative, right?!) occurred in the form of blue cotton candy, popcorn, and cherry slushies (but don't tell his parents--ha ha!). 

A sunny day at the zoo with lions, and zebras, and ocelots, and Mister B!

 

Did you know ostriches are the fastest two-legged animals on Earth?

The more I read about the intelligence, social structure, and feelings of elephants, the more I want to learn about them. 

At the local farm market, Mister B gets acquainted with a friendly goat.

We would have let him visit longer, but he had to get home to get ready for school--you know all those last minute items on the checklist! Haircut, new shoes, new clothes, new backpack, pencils, crayons, etc. Yes, Mister B--that little baby born during those awful Covid months in 2020, has entered Kindergarten! So far, he's loving it and said he wants to go "every day of the week!" Hope that attitude stays with him... I always loved school, too. I liked the routine and seeing my friends and (most of) my teachers. I loved learning new things (except in math and science!) and adored library time. How about you? Were you someone who liked school?

Our garden is drying up quickly due to the time of year and the lack of rainfall over this past month. But, the tomatoes are still ripening along with some squash. And we were very surprised to find some miniature pumpkins (that we didn't plant) appearing. Did a bird drop a seed? Who knows, but I hope they'll survive so we'll have a crop for fall decorating! 

Miniature pumpkins appeared from nowhere this year! 

We've seen some beautiful monarch butterflies visiting the garden lately, too. Not only are the lovely, but they are excellent pollinators. 

  

Such a regal looking butterfly!

 

The monarch butterflies especially love our pink zinnias this year.

So, do you have any special plans for the Labor Day weekend? I'm seeing lots of  three-month-old baby cuddles and five-year-old bear hugs in my future--hooray! Nothing better in my opinion. If you're traveling, I wish you a safe trip. That's about all for today... So glad you popped in for a visit--thank you for your always appreciated comments, too. And as that wonderful old song goes, I'll "See You in September!" Bye for now... 

Another year almost half over!

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

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

"Hannah's Brownstone" waits to be framed

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

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

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

My newly framed "Prairie House Sampler"

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

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

 Milan, Italy

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And yes... Milan has canals, too!

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

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

  

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

Boo! (and Whoo!)

Oh, my... I think this has been the most glorious October ever! Day after day of sunshine, warmth, and blue skies. They are predicting that Halloween will be in the high 70's here--so much nicer than our usual night of trick-or-treating where the children have to wear heavy coats that cover up their costumes due to the frosty temperatures. For my long-time readers, you know Halloween is a bittersweet day for me. In fact, tomorrow marks the ten-year anniversary of my dad's death. So hard to believe that it's been a decade... Losing someone dear to you is especially hard when it occurs on a holiday, isn't it? The way I celebrate Halloween is so different now compared to the years before his death. In fact, this year, I didn't put up a single decoration and my many stitched Halloween pieces remain in the dresser drawer that houses them all year. I do get them out some years, but this year, I just wasn't feeling it...

I still enjoy stitching "cute" Halloween pieces, though, but no gory or scary stuff for me. In my mind, no one does cuter Halloween designs than Misty from Luminous Fiber Arts. I just love her whimsical cats and owls and I knew my four-year-old grandson, Mister B, would, too. So I quickly stitched and finished these cuties and gave them to him when we visited last week. Meet "Boo" the black cat and "Whoo" the wise owl. I mean, even if you aren't a Halloween lover, you have to admit that this pair is pretty adorable, right? For the finish, I covered the larger piece of sticky board with black and tan gingham, glued on the stitched piece that had been attached to the smaller piece of sticky board, added handmade cording and a jute bow, and topped it off with a layer of black and orange buttons.

My finishes of "Boo" and "Whoo" by Luminous Fiber Arts

 

I stitched these on 40 ct. platinum using DMC 311 and 3826, leaving off the charted border. For Boo's bow tie, I included black Smyrna stitches and for Whoo's hat, I used orange Smyrna stitches. I also used two threads to stitch their names so they would stand out more. And I left one orange stitch out of Whoo's eye so it would be more pronounced. So which one is your favorite? You all know me and my love of black cats--I choose "Boo!"

I cover the backs of finishes like these with felt (I simply use spray glue on the felt and then press it onto the back). It is quick and easy and much simpler than making a flat-fold finish. This is the first time I added the small plastic easels (like the ones pictured below) to the backs of my stitched finishes. I got them from Amazon and simply glued them on using Aleene's Tacky Glue. These aren't meant for anything heavy, but, boy, do they work great for light cross-stitched pieces. I know I'll be using them again and again. The ones I purchased (the 4.64 inch size) can be found right here.

How I finished the back of these stand-up flat finishes.

 

Here they are standing up with the help of the attached plastic easels--no more propping things up with vegetable cans like I've done in the past :)

Giveaway time... As I was looking through my older charts, I came across this sweet Diane Graebner chart called "Cats & Quilts" that I thought would be perfect for a fall giveaway. If you are a quilt lover or a black cat lover (like me!), you may just want to enter the giveaway.  Just let me know, specifically, in your comment below that you'd like to win this chart and tell me your favorite thing about autumn. For me, it's the way the light filters in the windows casting such a soft, gentle glow on everything. Very different than in other season. I'll leave the giveaway open until my next post in November, so keep an eye on this space for the winner's name. Good luck to all...

 

If you would like to enter the giveaway for this chart, please follow the guidelines above.

 

So, how has your October been? As I mentioned, we spent last week visiting my oldest son, daughter-in-law, and Mister B in Maryland. It was a beautiful drive down with all of the autumn colors on full display. Coming home, though, many had already passed their prime color. We had such a fun visit--if a bit exhausting. It's tough to keep up with a four-year-old and we pretty much fell into bed very early each evening. I've discovered that white noise is a huge help for me when I sleep and have been regularly using it at home since we got back from Europe. I used it over there to block out street and hotel noise and it worked so well that I began using it here, too. I know you can buy various machines and gadgets, but I simply use the "White Noise Lite" app on my iPhone which comes with many different sounds: the ocean, jungle, thunder, wind, and a variety of rain noises. Personally, I like "Rain on Lake." I just thought I'd pass this along because I know many of you struggle with sleep like I do... Something about a constant background noise like this just seems to help me "turn off" my mind at night so I can sleep! Every night is not perfect, but I'm sleeping so much better than before.

I know I promised that we'd go to France on the next stop of my travelogue, but it will have to wait until a future post. Being away for almost a week set me behind on everything so I'll share my France photos with you in November. I do have one last sweet photo for you... What is better than the joy on a child's face as he jumps into a big pile of crunchy fall leaves? Mister B decided to make a huge pile of leaves when we were at the park just up the street from his house. Soon we were all joining in and gathering leaves of golds and reds and yellows to help him make it "bigger and bigger!"

Ahhh... the joy of jumping in a big pile of crispy autumn leaves!

So, enjoy this last bit of October, my friends! I sure hope our November weather is as delightful as this month's has been. Thank you so very much for stopping in and a special thank you to those of you who take the time to leave such kind comments. I really look forward to hearing from you! Take care now--and happy stitching! Bye for now...