Christmas is coming...

...in 223 days! Although the way I've been stitching anything and everything Christmas this year, you would think it's arriving next month! In my attempt to have some bigger Christmas pieces on my walls by December, I've been pretty much stitching Christmas all year so far. I may just have to take a break and stitch up some patriotic pieces soon, though--they've definitely been calling to me!

So, how is everyone doing in mid-May? It sure doesn't seem like May here as our truly nice spring days are few and far between. We get one picture-perfect day and then a string of cloudy/rainy/gloomy days. And the weekends? I don't even want to mention them! It doesn't really matter to me being retired, but I do feel for all the folks who only have the weekends off and are met with gray, soggy days. 

I've managed to stitch another big (to me, anyway!) Christmas piece. Would you like to see? This is "Christmas is Coming" by Shakespeare's Peddler and it was such a fun piece! I love stitching words and little motifs so this one was just perfect. Stitched on 40 ct. vintage country mocha Newcastle linen with "most" of the suggested colors, I'm so happy with how it turned out.

"Christmas is Coming" finish

How about a closer view? My main changes were to the house portion of the design. The year was supposed to be stitched above the fence, but I substituted five snowflakes. I also changed the color of the house itself to WDW Brick (front) and WDW Havana (side), changed the paint on the door to WDW Charcoal, added muntins to the windows, and added more snow under the house. And do you see the comma and the period? Yep--had to add them to make my librarian's brain happy :) 

In the lower portion, I changed the goose in the box to match the pair of geese above. It was charted as just a silhouette in black, but I preferred a full-color goose. I also added some snowflakes inside the box and to an empty space to the right of it. The long flower had leaves that weren't symmetrical so I changed them, too, and altered the flower's color a bit. I centered that bottom row of holly to match the spacing in the row at the very top. And yes... more punctuation :)

So, I have another large Christmas piece to add to my "to-be-framed" drawer. I need to get busy and place an order for frames soon!

Now to find a frame...

Speaking of frames--I managed to frame one of my Christmas finishes from last year! This finish is actually the result of what I like to call two "happy accidents." Happy Accident Number One: First of all, the "2019 Twin Peak Santa" was not stitched according to the chart. I accidentally started the design off-center so I didn't have enough fabric to stitch the bag of toys that was originally charted. To fill it in a bit, I chose random snowflake designs from various charts and added them along the sides. You can read about my finish of this handsome Santa in this post. I really love how it looks with the pretty snowflakes falling gently down on both sides of the blue-robed Santa. And then Happy Accident Number Two: I placed an order from my favorite online frame shop, Franken Frames, last year. (You can read about the frames I  ordered in this post). Well, the frame you see below on the Santa was in that order, although originally intended for a Prairie Schooler Thanksgiving piece. When it arrived and I held it up to the PS piece, it was way too small. Thinking that the framing company had made an error, I checked out my original order, and sure enough--it was me! I had sent them the wrong measurements. Ugh! But... I just happened to hold it up to this Santa piece and, lo and behold, it was an almost perfect fit! What do you think?

Framed finish of the 2019 Twin Peak Primitives Santa

The color of the wood in the frame perfectly matches Santa's staff and the size was excellent--a bit wider on the sides than the top and bottom, but that's okay. It sure feels good to have a framed finish checked off my list. For those of you who wonder how I do my framing, I'll link to the instructional post by Brenda Gervais that I follow right here.

Giveaway winner... Wow! I was amazed at the number of you who wanted to stitch the "Cycling Santa" chart that I offered last month as a giveaway. I truly appreciate all of your book recommendations, too. I'd read many of them, but did add a few new titles to my "must-read" list. I so wish I could send each of you the chart, but there can be only one winner and that winner is....

Rita H. 

Rita H.--you are the winner of the "Cycling Santa" chart!

Congratulations, Rita! Please send me your mailing address and I'll get this chart right out to you. Hopefully, you can pass it on when you are finished, too, and keep the kindness going. For those of you who didn't win, luckily, the chart is still readily available for purchase. In fact 123 Stitch has it on sale right here for just $7.19!

The ups and downs of May... May used to be one of my favorite months, but that has changed over the past several years. You see, my mom's birthday was May 14th (she would have been 97)  and my mother-in-law's birthday was yesterday, May 15th (she would have been 96). It was always such a fun, festive time of year with Mother's Day falling right before their two birthdays. But, now that they are both gone (mom in 2020 and my mother-in-law in 2022), I tend to get pretty sad. This year it seemed to really hit hard... The fact that none of my boys were able to be here for Mother's Day on Sunday didn't help. The tears were flowing pretty frequently over the past couple of weeks. 

But...

I found a feather this week! Yes, a teeny tiny white feather in the middle of my kitchen floor. As I bent to pick it up, I just knew it was a sign from mom--that she was nearby and watching over me. I felt such comfort the moment I found the feather.

A message from mom? I believe so!

I know a lot of you are probably rolling your eyes right now, but I truly believe in signs and my mom has sent me feathers before. Anyway, I carefully placed it in "her" spot in my Pottery Barn cubby with other special things I've received from her over the years. How about you? Have you received signs from a loved one that bring you comfort and a sense of peace?

The cubby space dedicated to my dear mother

Our Spring flowers continue to dot our green, green yard with brilliant spots of color...

Love the shade of purple in this clematis

And the pink is pretty sweet as well!

Our Korean Lilac bush has never had so many blooms!

The rhododendron bloomed about two weeks earlier than normal this year

And the wildlife... I think I've mentioned (probably many times over the past 15 years that I've been blogging) that we are blessed with a large yard. It's a bit over an acre with a good-sized pond in the back. I thought you might enjoy seeing an aerial photo of it taken by my youngest son with his drone back in 2018. On the left is the pond, in the upper middle is my husband's vegetable/flower garden (which he's since made half the size for easier maintenance) and the garden shed. The little bluish "blob" in the lower middle near the pond is the top of the big bird house that you often see in my photos.

An aerial view of our home and back yard from 2018.

Because of the pond, our back yard is filled with  animals who are drawn to the water. The pond contains probably two dozen koi. The koi are huge--18 to 24 inches long--and are orange, white, black, and a combination of those three colors. During the spring, summer, and fall we feed them special koi food, but when the temperature falls below 52° we stop feeding them for the winter and they survive just fine. You can see a portion of the pond and a couple koi in the photo below, taken last summer in 2023. My little grandson, Mister B, was almost three years old here and looks like he really wanted to jump right in with the fish!

 

"Look, Nonna!"

Here are some of the many visitors we've seen in our back yard this spring...

The blue heron is a frequent visitor hoping to grab a koi. They are simply too big for him, though, so he often flies away still hungry.

 

Can you spot the blue heron flying above the birdhouse near the top of the photo? What a wide wingspan!

This mallard duck couple has been spotted a few times this spring. They sometimes wander up the lawn from the pond and feed underneath the bird feeders. We were hoping they would choose our pond  to build their nest, but I think they've gone elsewhere.

Spot the bunny! And the squirrel and the mourning dove couple! All gather at the base of the bird feeders to enjoy easy-to-get treats.

I honestly can't imagine living in a city... Every time I look out my window, it's like a moving picture of wildlife. From the silly squirrels chasing each other round and round the tree to the mischievous bluejays stealing all the bird seed, to the herd of deer that roams through our yard (eating many of our flowers!)--it's always something new each day. I get so much joy from watching nature!

My husband was on a bike ride for five days earlier in the month and sent this sweet photo taken while biking on Assateague Island. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, Assateague, a 37-mile barrier island located on the shores of Maryland and Virginia, is home to over 150 wild horses which are descendants of horses from the 17th century. If you'd like to read more about them, you can click on this article. I'd love to see them in person some day!

Three of the wild horses on Assateague Island. I simply love this sweet photo of the little foal nursing from his or her mother. A perfect photo for Mother's Day weekend, I'd say!

I always think I don't have much to write about when I first begin a post, but it seems to mushroom as I look through the photos on my camera! I hope you don't mind these longer posts... I'm not sure if I'll be back by the end of May or not. It's going to be a busy time with many doctors' appointments, shopping for flowers and planting them, and a trip to visit my grandson. Just a bit uncertain if I'll even get much stitching done to share with you. As I mentioned, I think it's about time I began a few patriotic pieces. After Christmas stitching, red, white, and blue stitching is my favorite! Hope you all have a great month with lots of sunshine and stitches--and as always, thank you so very much for your kind comments and emails. Bye for now...

Santas and Spring

Greetings on what has been a glorious spring day! The temperature reached the mid-80s today and I loved every minute! Isn't it wonderful to have the windows open after a long winter and hear the birds chirping, the bees humming, and the lawnmowers droning on and on (okay--well, maybe not that last one so much!). Amazing how a nice, sunny day can lift one's mood...

It's been a quiet couple of weeks since I last posted and I've managed to stitch and finish both my ornament for April and another for May. It always feels good to be a bit ahead of the game! On Instagram, the #12in24ornamentstitchalong that I host is going swimmingly. It's wonderful to see so many international stitchers participating this year, too. It's a lot of fun getting to know stitchers from so many countries!

For April, I stitched a Homespun Elegance chart that was so generously passed on to me by Catherine over at "I Love to Stitch." (And, as always, I like to keep the kindness going with charts that have been passed on to me so I'm having a giveaway for this particular chart below). Isn't this guy the most whimsical Santa? There he is, just relaxing on his bike as he pedals through the falling snow. "Avery's Cycling Santa" is stitched on 40 ct. vintage country mocha Newcastle with a mix of DMC and Weeks Dye Works threads. I added burgundy colored beads to the Christmas tree in his sack and a small bell to the end of the stick that he is carrying. 

A Homespun Elegance finish for April

To finish it off, I sewed on two pieces of Woolies flannel with a bit of ecru rick-rack peeking out, topped by a polka dot bow. My husband is a big bicyclist (in fact he's away on a bike trip right now so you know what I'm going to be doing this week--stitching each and every day away!) so he thought this one was pretty cute (even though Santa is not dressed quite properly for biking!). I ended up switching out the silver bell that is shown in the above photo for a tinier gold one--just thought the scale was better.

Doesn't he just make you smile?

 

And for my May ornament, I stitched the 2024 annual Prairie Schooler Santa. Isn't he a handsome fellow? Once again, I used 40 ct. vintage country mocha Newcastle with most of the suggested DMC threads. I did change the belt buckle to gold (used Gentle Arts toffee) and changed all the green to DMC 520. Don't ask me why, but I have  always used 520 on all of the PS Santas along with that signature Prairie Schooler red: DMC 221. I accidentally made his pants one stitch too long so all of the lower tree trunks are a bit elongated as a result. No problem, though--I bet you wouldn't even have noticed if I hadn't pointed it out!

2024 Prairie Schooler Santa finish

I finished the 2024 Santa in the same way that I've finished other PS Santas over the years with a simple cording in DMC 221 and a gingham checked bow. Easy and classic... I really love the back stitching on this one--it's very different and those trees were a lot of fun to stitch! This one is definitely one of my favorite of the PS annual Santas.

My May 2024 ornament

 

Two more for my tree!

Giveaway time... It's been a while since I've offered a giveaway and I thought the "Cycling Santa" chart might be perfect for this time of year when everyone is getting outside and, perhaps--riding a bike. Would any of you like to enter this giveaway? If so, please follow the guidelines below and I'll announce the winner in my next post.

I'm having a giveaway for this chart. Please follow the guidelines below if you want to be included.

To be included in the drawing for the Homespun Elegance chart shown above, please...

1) Specifically mention that you would like to win it in your comment 

2) Be a follower of Stitching Dreams (in my blog's sidebar on the right)

3) Make sure to leave your email address in your comment if I don't already have it

4) Answer the "Getting to Know You" question below.

 

Getting to Know You... For today's getting to know you question, I'd love to know what favorite book(s) you've read recently that you would recommend. I've been doing a lot of reading (well, even more listening to audiobooks) this year. I tend to listen more and more while I stitch as there is just nothing on television these days. That way I can enjoy two of my favorite hobbies at once! Win-win! 

 

Two of my favorite reads so far this year.

Two favorite books that I've read recently just happen to be by the same author, Tracy Chevalier. I so enjoy historical fiction and these both fit the bill. The Last Runaway, (published in 2013) centers around a young Quaker woman who, in 1850, moves to Ohio from England. It portrays her trials and tribulations as she adjusts to a very different culture and way of living. She soon finds herself caught up in helping runaway slaves escape North through the Underground Railroad. The story line and characters are so well done and the scenes centering around the importance of quilts and quilting are especially endearing.

A Single Thread (published in 2019) is set in the early 1930's in Winchester, England. Violet Speedwell is one of the "surplus women"--those women who lost husbands or  fiancés in WWI and are considered "old maids." She moves to Winchester and soon becomes involved with a society of broderers who embroider kneelers for Winchester Cathedral even though she's had no experience with stitching. Both books invoke the feeling of  peace and satisfaction that comes from doing handwork of any kind which is one reason I think I enjoyed reading them so much.

So, now it's your turn... what is a favorite book that you'd like others to know about? I'd love to add some new titles to my "must read" list.

Signs of spring continue to abound now  that it's finally warmed up...

Such brilliant color in front of our home.

This beautiful crabapple tree (hybridized by my husband's grandfather) is something we look forward to each Spring. I only wish the blooms lasted a bit longer!

This little fox was photographed by my oldest son after chasing a squirrel up a tree in my son's yard. The squirrel escaped, but that sly fox appears to still be looking for him!

How can the year be one-third over already? I saw this very relatable Snoopy cartoon (always my dad's favorite Peanuts character) the other day and it is so very true. How I wish time would slow down... 

Can anyone relate?

On to May! It is a month filled with doctor's appointments for me and I'm not looking forward to it at all. (Does anyone ever truly enjoy going to the doctor)? I have my annual physical, dentist, endocrinologist, colonoscopy, and mammogram appointments scattered throughout my May calendar. UGH! I'll sure be glad when they are over. How about you? I hope you have something fun waiting for you in May?  Thank you so much for popping in today and leaving such nice comments. I really look forward to hearing from you... Hope everyone has a wonderful week ahead! Bye for now...

All Creatures Great and Small

We've passed the half-way point of July! Can you believe it? Our summer has been quite nice here in southwestern Pennsylvania--pleasant temperatures (a bit too cool in the mornings for me!) and low humidity. But, that will change this week with some impending storms and very high temperatures on the way.  My husband and I have a nice little anniversary trip coming up which involves hiking so I hope it's not too hot! Yes, on Saturday, July 23rd, we will be celebrating 45 years of marriage.  I shake my head in wonder at how quickly those years have flown by. We met at just 19 years of age--as sophomores in college at a fraternity party. And here we are now, at 67 having raised a beautiful family and having made lots of memories--many, many happy times and a few sad, of course. It's been a wonderful journey and I can't imagine making it with any other man by my side...

Gosh... I got a bit teary-eyed writing that! Better switch over to stitching talk so I can even see the keyboard through all the tears... I have a big, beautiful finish to share with you today and it is all because of the generosity of a fellow stitcher on Instagram. You see this design, "Spring Moon" by Plum Street Samplers is an exclusive to Fox and Rabbit in Australia. The demand for the chart was so great that they are now sold out. I'm not sure if it will be reprinted, but when I admired Sherri's finish on Instagram, she immediately offered me the chart and I have continued the kindness by passing it along to another Instagram friend.  

"Spring Moon" finish by Plum Street Samplers

I'm sure you know what first captured my eye in this design, don't you? Yep... those luscious colors! Oh, how beautiful those blues are! And who doesn't love a giant, leaping rabbit? Add in some buzzing bees, a beautiful border, and a beehive almost as tall as the house and you have one charming design!

I think I need to live in a blue and white checkerboard house!

 

I stitched this one on 40 ct. vintage country mocha Newcastle linen with most of the suggested colors. I did change the rabbit to Gentle Arts "Maple Syrup," though, as the suggested color was just too dark for me. I also made the rabbit's nose smaller and changed up his eye area a bit. And for the reddish brown of the basket, I used Weeks Dye Works "Brick" as I didn't have the suggested color in my stash. I also used Smyrna stitches instead of cross stitches wherever you see the white dots (just to help them show up better on my fabric).

By the light of the silvery moon...

Although the finished size is not huge (it ended up being 7 inches wide by 8 1/4 high on 40 ct. linen), this took much longer to stitch than I expected. There is a lot of dense, solid stitching in that house, the basket and the gigantic beehive. I am so pleased with my finish, though, and will definitely be getting this one professionally framed!

Now, I've moved on to some gift stitching which I really need to finish up and get mailed off! Hopefully, I will have those finishes to share with you next time along with my Christmas ornament for July.

There were many, many entries for the All American chart that I offered in my last post. I put all of the names into a bowl and the winning name picked is...

Shelley Bermingham

Shelley B.--you are the winner of this patriotic chart!

Congratulations to Shelley! Please send me your mailing address and I will get this mailed to you as soon as possible. And for those of you who didn't win... check this space in my next post for another giveaway! 

July is always our busiest family celebration month and this year was no exception. My sweet grandson turned two on July 8th, my youngest son turned 34 on July 9th, and my husband turned 67 on July 14th--whew! Luckily, we were all together to celebrate Mister B's 2nd birthday so we were able to celebrate all three special guys at once.

Mister B ended up having not one, not two, but three parties! His first was just for the immediate family on his real birthday, his second was a neighborhood party for his little friends from the park (and their families) held the following day. 

Mister B on his second birthday! When we arrived, he had his little creatures arranged in a circle and told us they were having a party--so cute! Then he proceeded to sing "Hap Burfday to You" (the first of many renditions of it that he sang that weekend :)

The third party was actually a birthday party for my youngest son that his girlfriend hosted and nicely included celebrations for my grandson and husband. I think this trio will be celebrating together forever! 

The birthday boys prepare to blow out their candles. I wonder what they wished for?

 

My youngest son's girlfriend lives in a beautiful apartment overlooking the Jefferson Memorial right in the heart of Washington DC. Oh, my--the views from her window are breathtaking! And if you look out her window the other way, you can see the Washington Monument, too! The night after we visited her place for the birthday party, there was a crazy thunderstorm. From the window of her apartment, my son captured this amazing photo of lightning near the Washington Monument right at sunset. I told him this one is definitely frame worthy!

Lightning over the Washington Monument as the sun sets

I truly love the Washington DC area and could see myself living there some day. We lived there for just twelve months in the late 1980s (my youngest son was actually born there) and I so enjoyed that special year... Something to ponder for sure!

While down in Maryland for the birthday celebrations, we also took a nice hike at Great Falls National Park. It's one of my favorite spots to visit when we are down that way. If you are ever visiting the area, make sure to check it out!

Great Falls National Park: July 9, 2022

The roar of the water was so loud!

Can you spot the kayakers?

You wouldn't catch me kayaking in those rapids for any amount of money! It looked very scary, but they obviously knew what they were doing.

Can you spy the lone heron surveying the rushing water for fish?

We only hiked about two miles because Mister B wanted to pick up every single stone he found and fling it into the water! It made for a very slow walk, but he was a trooper and did quite well on those sturdy little legs of his. His dad finally had to put Mister B up on his shoulders and carry him part of the way. The biggest attraction for him was this small rock formation (I'm sure it looked like a mountain to him!) which he was bound and determined to climb. Of course, Nonna was holding her breath hoping that he wouldn't fall on his face and break those tiny baby teeth right off. But, he wouldn't take no for an answer and he reached the summit with a look of great pride!

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.” – John Muir

 

Back home again, our yard has been alive with creatures! A pair of sweet spotted fawns has been spotted frolicking around our pond. I haven't been able to get a photo of them, but will keep trying. Seeing them is a bittersweet experience because we know that our flowering plants and shrubs are doomed--those babies seem to be eating all the time! Here are some of the other creatures we spied...

A foot-long snapping turtle making its way across our yard into our pond

A trio of buzzing bees and a Japanese beetle enjoying the milkweed

I'm fascinated by the fine detail in this fuzzy bee's wings!

A big brown bunny wondering which flower he should devour first...

It's been a lovely summer so far and I'm trying to stay positive as the second anniversary of my dear mother's death approaches on the 24th. How can it be two years already? I'm still missing her terribly and tears come easily on some days. But, I know how much delight she would take in knowing that my family is doing well, and I'm still carrying on with the things I love... my stitching, reading, baking, decorating my home, and taking delight in the small, simple things in life. I hope the small things in life bring you comfort and joy as well! Thank you for visiting me today--I appreciate each and every comment and email. Bye for now...

It's the simple things, right? Like watching the wonder in a two-year-old's eyes as he spots a deer casually strolling down the street in front of his home!