More angels and a visit to mom's past

Good morning, all! How is everyone feeling on this final day of August? Me? I'm a bit down--I will miss summer, especially those longer periods of daylight. As I walk in the garden, I can't help but feel a sense of sadness as the blooms fade and the plants begin to wither and die. The leaves on some of our trees are already turning brown and falling--it seems way too early, but I suppose the hot, dry summer we've experienced has a lot to do with that. The older I get, the more I seem to need the sunshine and carefree days of June, July, and August. The nights are creeping in earlier and earlier and, I have to admit, it makes me dread the coming winter. I know fall is the favorite season for many of you, but I'd love summer to last forever!

I've finished up the remaining two angels from the Birds of a Feather chart "Christmas Angel Ornaments." This chart was lent to me by a most generous Instagram friend and I can't thank her enough! I truly enjoyed every stitch of these little cuties!

Charity and Love angels ready for my tree

"Charity" is my ornament finish for August--absolutely love that shade of green in her dress. I used Weeks Dye Works "Dried Sage." I also made her a brunette rather than a blonde as I wanted all four angels to look similar. The words were supposed to be done in gold metallic, but I honestly think I like them better stitched in the same colors as the angels' dresses. (Plus the less time I have to work with metallic threads, the better, in my book!). I had a perfect green polka-dot ribbon in my stash to top off the cording. And can we talk about those little legs dangling out of her dress--precious!

To make the word "charity" fit into an oval shape, I had to eliminate the spaces that were charted in between the letters.

And last, but not least, comes the "Love" angel which will act as my September ornament. Isn't she pretty in her sweet pink dress adorned with mauve hearts? The dress is stitched with GAST "Victorian Pink" and the mauve is GAST "Pink Azalea." Again, I gave her hair a dye job--I hope she likes her dark brown hair! I had trouble settling on a bow color, but finally chose to coordinate it with the darker mauve color. What do you think?

The little heart she is holding is also surrounded with gold metallic thread like in her halo and wing.

 

And here are all four together! Which one do you like best? I am still partial to the "Peace" angel--just love those colors in her dress and the soft grey dove carrying the olive branch in his mouth. 

A quartet of the sweetest little angels!

I certainly wish BOAF would reprint this one--I know it would sell out in minutes. I am beyond grateful to my Instagram friend for lending me this sweet chart--thank you again! Can't wait to see these on my Christmas tree in December!

So, who is putting out their autumn decor? I just can't quite get there yet, so I've pulled out my bees and sunflower stitching to act as a transition to the fall decorations (which will probably appear in late September). After all, fall doesn't really begin until September 22nd! I found this very small (it is only 12 inches high) woven tiered tray at Target (for only $5.00!) earlier this summer and thought it would be perfect to showcase my tiny bee and sunflower creations. 

Bees and sunflowers now occupy the side table in my kitchen

 

Here are a few close-ups for you... If you would like more information on each finish, just click on the description and the link will take you to my blog post with more details on that particular piece. 

Front hive and pink flowers, alphabet with hive, white birdhouse with sunflowers, round bee and hive

 

Front long pillow with two crows; six hives; sunflower; pink corded bee pillow; lone bee in back was a gift; crow and hive on right

Round bee piece on black; hive in black frame

Pillow on far left with crow and sunflowers

 

GIVEAWAY WINNER... There were a number of entries for the pretty "Summer Time" chart, but there can be only one winner. If you didn't win this time, please keep an eye on this space as I will definitely be offering more charts in the future! The winner's name pulled from the hat is...

EVELYN L.

Congratulations, Evelyn! Please send me your mailing address and I will get this chart off to you as soon as possible!

I want to thank all of you for your well-wishes for my little grandson and his family. Mister B has fully recovered from Covid and is back to his old self... Well, not quite as he has definitely entered the "terrible two" stage! Oh, my! His favorite word is "NO!" (said loudly and with great force). He is wanting to do everything himself and seems to love testing us. (His molars are coming in, too, which is probably adding to his discomfort). But, in between those trying moments, he is just the sweetest, most entertaining little boy! We were down visiting him in Maryland last week and he (along with his mom and dad) are coming today for the long weekend. He hasn't been here since April, so I know he's very excited to see all of the toys and books at Nonna and Pompaw's house that we share with him on FaceTime each night!

Thank you, also, for your nice comments on my photos of our Hocking Hills anniversary trip that I shared with you last time. While we were there, I realized that we were just a half-hour away from my mother's college alma mater: Ohio University in Athens, OH. I knew we'd never get another chance to visit, so we decided to stop there on the way home and I'm so glad we did. 

Ohio University where my mother went to college from 1945-1949

I know this will sound strange, but I honestly felt like my mother was there guiding us as we explored the campus. I wanted to find the School of Journalism where my mother, a journalism major (like both her mother and father had been), would have spent much of her time. After a bit of digging, I found that, at that time (in the mid-1940s), the School of Journalism was in the basement of Ewing Hall. As my husband and I sat in our car in a random parking lot, he put "Ewing Hall" into his GPS and excitedly said, "Carol--it says it's right there!" We looked up and could actually read the sign on the building from our car. Thanks, mom!

Ewing Hall sign where I assumed my mother's School of Journalism was. Nope! It actually was demolished in 1974 and this Ewing Hall is now a residence hall.

We got out of the car and began walking across the college green. I took great comfort (and got a bit teary-eyed!) knowing that my mom had once walked these grounds, too. She loved her four years at college and I can see why. It is a lovely, lovely campus and the setting reminded me so much of western New York where she (and I) grew up!

The beautiful rolling hills that surround the campus are so reminiscent of where my mom, dad, and I grew up!

 

Ohio University buildings and landmarks

After we walked the campus a bit, we decided to get in the car and drive into the town of Athens where the university is located. I was so excited when I spotted this cute, old theater as I just knew mom had spent time there when she was a student. 

The Athena theater has been operating since 1915 and is today owned by Ohio University. "Miracle on 34th Street" came out in 1947--I wonder if mom happened to see it here?

As we drove down a side street, we were suddenly stopped by construction that had blocked the road so we had to turn around. We parked the car on the side of the street and I told my husband I wanted to try to find my mother's sorority house where she had spent so many happy days. I found the address of the Chi Omega house online and my husband, once again, plugged it into his GPS. He said, "It says we're already here!" I looked out the window to my right and (yes, I had shivers at this point), the sorority house was right there--literally right outside my car window! I was so excited as I got out of the car to take a photo. If I had been a braver soul, I probably would have walked up the stairs and knocked on the door, but...

My mom often talked about how much she loved sorority life in this house (except for freezing in her attic room during the winters when she was an underclassman!)

We drove on and I said to my husband, as we were stopped at a traffic light, we can go home now, but I'd just like to find one last building with Ohio University  inscribed on it so I can get one final photo. Just then, the light changed to green and as I looked up, I saw this...

Haning Hall was originally the Athens Post Office, but was acquired by the university in 1964. Surely mom walked those steps as she mailed letters to family and friends back home.

I truly felt that mom was there guiding us as we stepped back into time on her college campus. It gave me such a sense of peace as I pictured her there young and happy and full of life. I'm so glad we drove out of our way a bit to get a better sense of her life during those four special college years. She graduated in 1949 with a degree in Journalism and went on to work for a magazine in Cleveland, Ohio before she married my dad four years later. A real career girl at a time in history when most women didn't attend college, married young, and immediately started a family. She never stopped loving the written word and, until her eyes failed her in her late 80s, she was an avid reader. She will also be fondly remembered for those epic poems she wrote each of her nine grandchildren on their 16th birthdays!

From the top left: Mom (sitting on the left) reading with her sorority sisters; Mom (in the middle) wearing typical 40's fashion with the bobby socks, loafers, and saddle shoes--and don't forget the string of pearls; in the lower left is mom with the all-male editorial staff of her college newspaper. I'm sure she felt right at home since her dad owned and published a small weekly newspaper where she was put to work during the summer.

I know many of you won't be that interested in the above account of my side-trip to mom's university, but I treat my blog as a bit of a personal journal, too, and I'm so happy to have all of these special memories written down to look back on!

I'd like to share one more special photo that I took this month. I've been having a great deal of trouble waking up in the middle of the night and being unable to fall back asleep for hours. On this special night, though, I was glad... Just look at the sight that was outside my window! This was taken at 2:59 in the morning of August 13th. I know--it looks like daylight! The moon was so brilliant and spectacular and the cross formation took my breath away!

It was the middle of the night, but the moon shone so brightly, it illuminated my entire back yard!

Well, that winds up another long post! I hope you all enjoy your month of September and find more stitching time as autumn approaches. I feel like I haven't done nearly as much stitching as normal--part of it is that I haven't been home as much and part of it is getting distracted by other projects (like cleaning out the attic!!).  Enjoy your Labor Day weekend, everyone! Bye for now...

Two of my favorite things: stitching ornaments and relaxing in nature!

Happy August, everyone! I had high hopes of doing one more post in July, but, what can I say? Life just got in the way... I hope you are all doing well and surviving the heat. I will truly miss summer when it ends, but I know, for many of you, it's just been much too hot and humid. The past couple of weeks have been worrisome on my end as my little grandson was diagnosed with Covid... Unfortunately, his fever spiked so high that he had a seizure and his parents rushed him to the Emergency Room. According to the doctor, these febrile seizures aren't that uncommon in young children with high fevers, but it was still extremely scary for my oldest son and daughter-in-law to watch him experience one! Thankfully, the fever was brought down and they released him later that night (why do the scary things always seem to happen at night?). Of course, he shared the virus with his mom and dad and all three were stuck in Texas (where they were visiting my daughter-in-law's family) for two weeks. All are recovering now and have flown back home to Maryland. I think it's so much worse being sick away from home, don't you? We are thrilled that all are doing better and we're planning a trip to visit them in Maryland very soon. And we are hoping and praying that Mister B's seizure was just a one time thing...

Stitching has helped calm my nerves as usual and I have a few finishes to share with you today. The first is my Christmas ornament for July for the #12in22ornamentstitchalong which I am hosting on Instagram. I love how this crescent-shaped Santa turned out! Not the easiest finish as he is very small being stitched "over one" on black 28 ct. Monaco, but I just sewed very slowly and the moon shape came together very nicely. 

My ornament finish for July

I used all of the suggested colors for this one except for the green which I changed to DMC 3362.

It's hard to get a good photo of the entire ornament, but the cording is done with the same shade of blue as Santa's robe.

 

Love how tiny and delicate he looks!

This is actually the second crescent-shaped Santa that I've stitched from that booklet. His yellow-robed companion was done way back in 2010. Aren't they a handsome pair? 

Although the yellow finish looks larger, they are both stitched over one on 28 ct. black Monaco. I think I left more of a border on the yellow one and I wasn't making my own cording back in 2010 so the thicker store-bought yellow cording makes the ornament appear much larger.

And, baby boys have been popping up right and left in my circle of family and friends! Three new little ones greeted the world in June and July so I made each of them his first Christmas ornament. You longtime readers will recognize this design as it's one I've stitched before--many times, in fact! I've now given nine of these ornaments to newborn baby boys over the years. At this point, I think I could stitch the design in my sleep! What is the most you've ever stitched the same design?

A trio of JBW Designs gingerbread cuties

The chart is from JBW Designs and is called "Baby's First Christmas." I stitched these on 32 ct. black Belfast linen with most of the DMC colors that were suggested. I did use DMC 167 for the gingerbread boy's body and filled in his entire body instead of just outlining it as was charted. I also added a mini white pom-pom to the tip of the cap and three red beads were sewn to the holly branch to serve as berries. In place of the words "Baby's First Christmas," I stitched the name of each boy. I just love how these turned out and the parents seemed pretty happy, too! 

All ready for three little boys' first Christmases!

I'm still slowly working on a larger summer piece, but, at the rate I'm going, I won't have it finished by summer's end! What are you stitching this month?

Giveaway time... I want to offer another giveaway to my readers! Isn't this "Summer Time" chart (by New York Dreamer) adorable? It captures summer time life so perfectly with the words "sunny," "ice cream," "beach," "fun," and "sand castle" scattered about the beach scene. I want to thank Janet in Texas once again for providing this chart to pass on to my readers--I so appreciate your generosity, Janet!

If you would like to win this chart, please follow the guidelines below...

To be included in the drawing for the chart, please...

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

2) Be a follower in my blog's sidebar (to the right)

3) Make sure to leave your email address in your comment if I don't already have it--(this is very important as I have no way of getting in touch with the winner if you don't)

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

 

Getting to Know You... Today's question is a fun one (it's too hot to think about anything serious, right?!). The question for today is: "If you could eat only one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?" My answer came to me immediately--a hot fudge sundae! I can just picture it: a large scoop of vanilla ice cream, covered in thick, chocolatey sauce,  piled high with whipped cream, and sprinkled with peanuts or toasted pecans. Oh--and don't forget the juicy, red cherry on top! Am I making you hungry? YUM!! I've enjoyed hot fudge sundaes since I was a small child and never tire of them. Of course, I can't eat too many any longer, but I still sneak one in from time to time. What would be your dessert of choice? 

Anniversary trip... In my last post, I mentioned that my husband and I were heading off on a short trip to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary. Where did we go? Well, not wanting to fly or be around too many people with the heightened Covid warnings currently in place, we drove just over 3 1/2 hours to a beautiful spot I never knew existed until a co-worker told me about it nearly six years ago. We drove to southeast Ohio to Hocking Hills State Park and, oh my, if you ever get the chance--GO!! The spectacular rock formations, waterfalls, and miles of hiking paths can all be accessed for no charge. I'll let the photos do the talking--we truly loved visiting in the summer and hope to go back in the fall one of these years. (If anyone would like more information, you can click on the names in the photos below).

The very modern Airbnb that we stayed in. There were five cabins of various sizes located on a 19 acre lot. All were very private and so well appointed!

The interior (beautiful, but a bit too dark for those of us with "old eyes!" We actually had to use the flashlight on our phone to find the outlets to plug things in!).

Beginning our hike to Old Man's Cave

Dwarfed by the rock formations--the whole area had a very primeval feeling.

Three beautiful swallowtail butterflies relax in the sun along the creek.

A balancing rock! We quickly moved on by!

This area is known as "Devil's Bathtub." Legend has it that it goes straight down to hell, but, in truth it is only several feet deep.

A closer look at Devil's Bathtub. Swimming and wading are prohibited as it is extremely slippery and dangerous.

The massive horseshoe shaped structure known as "Ash Cave" was one of my favorite spots.

Behind the waterfall at Ash Cave

The beautiful view from "Rock House," the only true cave in Hocking Hills State Park.

The interior of Rock House worn smooth by water. It was inhabited by early Native Americans as evidenced by the "hominy holes"--small recesses in the walls which served as baking ovens. It was so dark inside that we used our iPhone flashlights to guide us! And no, I saw no bats--thank goodness!

A selfie from the inside of Rock House.

Walking back down to the comfort of our Airbnb after a long, hot day of hiking! I can't tell you how much I love using hiking poles!

We also took a little sidetrip on the way home which was very meaningful to me--I'll tell you about that next time!

The beauty of nature never ceases to amaze me. Enjoying time in nature and relaxing with my needle and thread are two things I simply can't do without. I thought you'd enjoy these final photos of some of the magical sights that I've enjoyed right outside my own back door this past week...

Now that's what I call a rainbow! My husband took this photo right across the street after a brief rain shower.

We were thrilled to see a monarch butterfly caterpillar munching on the milkweed that my husband planted earlier this year in an effort to attract them.

What on earth??? I have never, ever seen this sight in all my 67 years--bald cardinals! Apparently, after nesting season, cardinals shed some feathers and, although rare, some may shed all the feathers on their heads at the same time. This poor couple looks like they have vulture heads on cardinal bodies, doesn't it? But, they should regrow their feathers and look "normal" very soon!

Whew... another long one! I hope at least some of you are still with me. I'd like to welcome all of my new followers and say a special "thank you" to you lovely folks who take the time to leave a comment or send an email. They mean so much to me and I truly love reading each and every one! I'll plan to be back later in the month with my August ornament finish--and, if all goes as planned, my finish for September's ornament, as well. If you would like to enter the giveaway for the Summer Time chart, please follow the guidelines above and I'll name the winner in my next post. Take care now, everyone! 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!