Fantastic Weekend and A Finish

Happy 80th Birthday Uncle Lou!!

Sometimes life gets in the way of stitching.  This weekend I had a stitching day planned and had to cancel because my husband  said we had no plans.  We attended my uncles 80th Birthday party/Family Reunion in New Hampshire.  The weather was hot and humid and pretty uncomfortable.  My cousin and I grew up very close and haven't seen each other in years.  (Basically because he lives in Hawaii)  This was the 2nd time that our children have met and they really hit it off.  It was almost as if they met part of themselves that they were missing.  Anyways,  my husband volunteered to take my cousins children home with us so the boys could spend more time together.  They went fishing and boating.  Unfortunately that meant cooking and cleaning for me, no stitching. 

A fishing day with our Hawaiian cousins!

After the dust settled,  I got some stitching time in Monday night.  I was able to finish this Italian Floral Tile piece.  It is a pattern from JCS Magazine.  I believe the Ornament preview issue from last year but it might be from the year before.  I have subscribed to this magazine for many years and I feel a sense of pride that I actually stitched something from the magazine.  I will eventually get around to making a pillow but I wanted to post my finish ASAP!  This is a stitching blog after all.

You'll notice that in my haste,  I didn't iron the piece and that it is turned on its side but when I was photographing it I couldn't tell because it was a symmetrical piece.  This played very well into my type A personality.  Anyways,  I love the colors and look forward to having a pillow real soon.  The last pic is one that my son Ben is working on.  He wanted to start his own blog but I won't allow that because of his age.  I taught him how to stitch 2 years ago and he has done it off and on but recently discovered that he can stay inside if he is stitching.  HMMMM!!  I may need to reevaluate this but for now he is doing a great job.  I had to teach him half and 3/4 stitches so he did have a little help!

Just letting everyone know!

Amy's giving away a gift certificate today on her blog to the on-line shop Down Sunshine Lane.  This is a great way to win some stash.

TGIF!

It has been a very busy gardening week.  I have spent most afternoons weeding and harvesting.  The only problem with that is that it leaves little time for stitching.   This week we harvested lots of beans, lots of yellow squash, zucchini, watermelon radishes, lots of cucumbers, and 1 lonely red tomato.  I have said this earlier but everything seems very early this year. 

We did have one pepper ready for picking, while I was harvesting the squash I heard a pop!  Yes, you know it, Jessee the wonder dog took that pepper right off the plant and took off running with her treat.  So much for fresh pepper in my salad.  The pictures below show our harvest from Tuesday.  I picked more on Thursday and should have done the same today but it rained so I will have to get to it this weekend. 

I hope to get back to stitching this weekend.  I have a stitching day planned with my Celebrations stitching group.  I don't typically get much done because we are too busy chatting and snacking.  We have been known to crack each other up with childhood memories and end up rolling in laughter with tears in our eyes.  I can't wait.  I hope you all have a very good weekend no matter how you spend it.  Thank you for all of your lovely comments.  I look forward to each and every one.

Giveaway at Blog It

Sherry at Blog It is giving a chart away.  A Mind Independent and Free by CHS.  Stop by, leave a comment, and good luck.

No Sew Fleece Blanket

Avery and I decided to put together a fleece blanket for Grampa.  He is a John Deere lover and winter can get pretty cold in that old Vermont house.

First, we cut off the excess and placed our two pieces of fleece together so they matched in size.

Then, Avery very carefully cut the fringe for our blanket.

I began knotting the fringe!

Voila!  A new cozy fleece blanket for Grampa.  It only took a little over an hour to complete which fits the attention span of most children.  While we were making this together, Avery looked over and said, " Mom, I love you.  You are so patient.  You always let me help you with crafts."  Aawww!  How sweet is he?

Introducing my furry friends!

 Yes, Jessee I know it's hot.  As the heat continues in the 90's puppy girl decides to take matters into her own hands.   I don't think she could park herself any closer to that fan.

 As the temperatures started to drop yesterday afternoon, Jessee decided to park herself in the shade.

 This is Maycee aka Baby Kitty.  She is a little over a year old and very sweet.  She was a kitten that we kept from the first Mommy cat that we fostered.  My son and I volunteer at the Shelter and occasionally we get a pregnant mom and we foster her until the kittens are born.  After the kittens are adopted out we wait for momma to find a home.  We have fostered 2 litters and everyone was successful in finding a loving home.  This has been a very rewarding process.

 This is Gracee.  She is the oldest of our kitties.  She is now 10.  She has always been the type of cat to hide under beds and in closets.  At her last vet appointment I mentioned that she was hiding alot more than usual and the doctor recommended senior vites.  I said, Why not give it a try.  Well let me tell you,  she is a new cat.  She now only hides from strangers and is out and about and very vocal during the day. 

Here is mommy's boy, Cosmo.  He is my stitching pal!  He can be found where ever my stitching stuff is.  He loves to rest on the armchair of my favorite chair.  He has been known to lash out at some designs due to the moving needle and thread.  I do have to hide him when I am beading.  He likes to bat at my lap desk to see the beads role everywhere.  And when I say everywhere,  I do mean EVERYWHERE!  Well, that's it for now.  I'm taking my stitching outside to the screen house.  There is a breeze starting to role in and it's cooler out there than in here.  Happy Stitching!

Too Hot to Stitch?

I am sitting here pondering on whether or not it is too hot to stitch.  Today, with no AC and no breeze it was quite unbearable.  I tried stitching earlier but I could not get comfortable.  I decided to take some pics of my vacation finish.  I stitched it while away and I think it's funny that it says Made in the USA when I actually stitched it while visiting in Canada. (LOL)  I haven't put it together yet but I plan to make a patriotic pillow out of this design.  It was a kit offered by Becky Boo Designs from many moons ago.  I did some stash digging for a quick patriotic stitch to take on our trip.  It came in a really cute tin which I have on display.

Another Great Giveaway

Check out Jan's giveaway at Belfonte Notes.  It's a Vera Bradley Cosmetic Bag filled with threads, scissors, and so much more.  Good Luck to all who enter!

Vacation Pics . . . Part 2

Our travels continued into Canada.  We stayed in Niagra Falls for 5 days.  We really enjoyed taking in the Falls and everything the region had to offer.  We started with walking the boardwalk along the falls.  Then we participated in the Maid of the Mist,  we got so wet we were all laughing.  I think that it was a welcomed wetness being that it was near 100 degrees with a humidity above 70%.  HOT!   After that, we ventured Behind the Falls and got a birds eye view of the volume of water passing over this massive Horseshoe Falls.  My only recommendation when visiting this area is to bring ALOT of cash.  Starbucks charges 4.92 for an Ice Tea which is more than double what we pay here.  Needless to say I broke my habit while vacationing.

Next we visited the Niagra Regions Farms and Vineyards.  We stopped at a local farm to pick cherries.  Sure wish I was home so that I could have baked these beauties up.  We ended up snacking on them as they were. DELICIOUS!

One of the most fascinating spots was the Butterfly Conservatory.  We got to watch thousands of these graceful creatures fly about our heads.  I always felt that they were magical but when you see so many at once it takes your breath away.  The boys had fun spotting the many different kinds and having them land on their heads and arms.  We were also able to view some hatching into butterflies from their chryssalis.  Fascinating!! 

Not the best pictures, but these show the Illumination of the Falls which happens every night from 10-12p, and the fireworks over the Falls.  Not the most spectacular display but still fireworks on the 4th.

The last stop before heading home brought us to a friends farm in Creemore, Ontario.  It was quite a drive but well worth the visit.  The boys got to meet Tempo's newest fowl.  They also got to swim in the swimming hole which they were more than willing to do because of the temperatures.  And of course for my mechanical son, the ATV.  Boys will be boys you know.  We had a wonderful visit and thoroughly enjoyed exploring her farm.  From there, long ride back.  We drove to Montreal and down through Vermont to drop our oldest son off at GMCC which is a conservation camp where he serves as a Junior Counselor.  Then onward to home.  I was sooo happy to drive into our driveway on Saturday evening.  There is nothing like home!

Vacation Pics. . . Part 1

 First stop on our road trip was Howe Cave NY. We visited Howe Caverns. It was quite impressive to see that all of this was lying underground. The boys enjoyed learning about stalagtite and stalagmites and how they are created.

We moved on to Cooperstown, NY home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. I loved this town. It felt so American with the flowers, flags, and patriotic decorations. I would love to go back again when we can stay a little longer. The boys loved the Hall of Fame. They were able to find lots of names they recognized and enjoyed searching out the Red Sox Articles that made it into the Hall.

We then visited the Corning Museum of Glass.  I know, many of you may be wondering, 4 boys, glass museum, YIKES!  Believe it or not, we made it through without breaking anything.  The boys learned about glass firing, fusing, etching, and blowing.  It was really breath taking.  The above pics are two of my favorites.

The lost stop before arriving in Niagra Falls was Letchworth State Park in NY.  It is known as the Grand Canyon of the East.  This park was beautiful.  The falls were really something to see.  They also had a large area for picnics and running.  This was a hidden gem.  It was very peaceful and serene, with lots of walkways along the edge of the falls. A great place to take a break from all of the driving.

Plum Street Samplers Giveaway!

Visit Plum Street Samplers and enter her giveaway.  She is giving away a $60 gift certificate to CSN stores. 

Another Great Giveaway!

Just wanted to let my fellow readers know of a great giveaway at Thread Gatherer.  This blog is lots of fun!  Check it out, leave a comment and enter to win.

1850 Miles!!

Just got back from a VERY long road trip with my boys.  We covered 1,850 miles in one BIG loop!  It is SOOO good to be home.  I have kissed all the kitties and watered the gardens.  It always seems that we do a bunch of work before we leave, over extend ourselves while traveling just trying to fit it all in, and then play catch up when we get home.  I have lots of pics to share but I am itching to get stitching since I am in severe withdrawal.  I will post a recap of our vacay this coming week and a WIP I started while away. Stay tuned!

Happy 4th!

No picture today as I am posting remotely.  Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy 4th.  It's a great time to spend with family, friends, and even a little time to stitch.  Update on the beetle,  I believe it is a May beetle.  Donna maybe you can let me know if that is right?  Creepy, and now living outside where he belongs!

A finish and an unusual beetle

 Here is LHN August Monthly Sampler stitched on  Mushroom (un)evenweave.  I played with the colors a little bit.  It's hard to keep the colors true to Diane's design because there are 5 of us stitching these in our stitching group and I always feel the need to make mine unique.

  At stitching group yesterday we got into a discussion about eyelashes. What we wouldn't do to get them.  We talked about a product that is available via prescription called Latisse.  Last night, my hubby called from the other room saying he found someone that got into the Latisse.  Low and behold,  a beetle with the longest "lashes" on his antennae.  We were hysterical and then it doned on me that it was a giant BEETLE in my HOUSE.  AAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!!!

Lastly, I harvested some squash from the garden for dinner.  Yumm-O!

Missy's Giveaway

Hi, wanted to let you know that Missy aka Birdy from EatStitchLove is giving away a pair of Gingher Embroidery Scissors.  The design is titled MIA.  Leave a comment on Missy's site for a chance to win.