It's Been a While!! (and Halloween!)

Dear Stitching Friends,

I have been a bad girl, and not doing much blogging for a while!  I really enjoyed my break...Summer was busy and HOT!  But our weather has broken now, and we are enjoying cooler weather for a change!

I have missed out on some wonderful stitching by all of you!  I'm going through blogs now and seeing what's been going on!  I did participate in an exchange, and I really enjoyed that.  I'm catching up on all of your news and I'll be trying to comment and respond! I had to re-sod a part of my yard--my only two year old sod!  Believe it or not, it got chinch bugs and they ate and destroyed a big path through my formerly beautiful grass!  It was dreadful, but I just bit the bullet and called the sod man and now it's looking great again!  I hope this is finished.  I will not be doing this every other year!!!

It's almost Halloween, so I have done some Halloween decorating!  I love my beautiful concrete lion that sits at my front door.  It was my mother's and I brought it to my house so I could enjoy it after she died.  She had the little mask for him, and I put a fluffy bow on him, so he could participate in the Holiday Festivities!  ha!

 

I also put up my Halloween tree, which I adore!  I think the bright orange and black is so much fun, and it makes me smile!  In addition to the little clear lights that came on the tree, I add little "candy corn" lights that make it even more festive!  They don't really show up too well here, but they are cute in reality!

 

I've actually done a little stitching and that's been fun.  You don't realize how much you miss it until you pick it up again!  I hope to have some finishes to show soon!

I can't do a post without including my two favorites.....Precious Omar is always ready to pose!  He approves of my new chair and is always happy to strike a very becoming pose!

Darling Zoe is just growing too fast!  My son wanted to go to Buffalo Wild Wings, (I didn't particularly!) but we went and she loved her little buffalo hat! ha  Apparently those fries are pretty good, too! ha

Thank you for visiting!  If you are reading this, then you are one of my very few readers that I still have!  oops!  I will try to work on that!

I hope things are going well for everyone, and that you are anxiously awaiting the Holiday Seasons that are upon us!  I will do my best to make another post in a reasonable amount of time! ha

Frances

HALLOWEEN!

Well, time just keeps flying by!

It was 35 degrees here a couple of mornings ago!  That is surprising!  But it warms up during the day so we have no complaints!

I am finally showing my Halloween tree, since the day is here!  Each year it looks a bit similar!
But it's a fun tree and I enjoy it!  This isn't the best photo, but all I came up with!

You all know I have my sweet granddaughter Zoe!  I was looking in a store at Halloween costumes-of course I wouldn't buy one--that's for her parents to do!  But I saw some precious ballerina, princess, and other "girly" costumes.  I thought she would be so cute in them.  When I got to their house one day, they said they had gotten her a costume, even though she is only 9 months (almost 10).  They selected a devil!!!  I couldn't believe it!  Not what I had envisioned!  But she sure is cute in it!!  haha  I think the tail is the cutest part!

 

It looks like she's aware of how cute she is!!  I brought her to my house for the afternoon and she grabbed Omar's tail...he squealed and turned around and hissed at her!  Oh  my!  We will have to have some friendliness sessions!  (for both of them!)

I hope everyone has a big Halloween!  I will be at All Saints Vigil Mass, so I will miss the candy et al!  I hope to have a longer post soon!  Plus, I'll be putting up the Thanksgiving tree shortly!

Thank you for visiting-please come again soon!

Frances

Many shocks!

Dear fellow bloggers:

I know you're reading this with your usual shock at seeing a post from me!

Things have been rather busy, but all is good!

I really don't have any stitching to show right now, but I will soon!

I was in charge of a wonderful organ recital last week, and it went so well!  We had a guest artist to come and play.  It was very well attended and the priest and I were so pleased!  I have two more recitals scheduled-one in December and one in January!  I am very excited about that!

First shock:  My Halloween Tree is already up!!  I have been so tired of Summer....it's still a little bit hot here, but that won't be for long!  The weatherman says that it will be around 80 degrees by Friday, so that's certainly positive.  I decided to put up the Halloween Tree, to make it seem more like the Fall!  haha    I will show you a photo on my next post!

Second shock:  I have started feeding the birds!  It is a huge shock, even to me, but something I've wanted to do for a while.  A good friend gave me a lovely handmade bird feeder, several holidays ago!  It is beautifully shaped and so smooth and pretty.  I didn't hang it up for a while. Then, I finally got a handyman to do the honors when he was here to complete a long list of other things.  It's on the eave of my house, outside the breakfast room bay window.  Ok--feeder up, but no food.  I routinely forgot the food and would remember it about midnight!  I looked out one day and a sweet little bird was sitting in it, looking at it with a pitiful face.  I got in my car and went to Kroger for food!  They really liked that!  Then, my church was selling candles, etc, and there was a seed bell in there, so I got 2 of those.  There was another hook out there already, so I hung one.  All the birdies were so very happy.  I knew the bell would break eventually, and it did.  SO, back to Kroger for a long plastic feeder with 6 perches!  Everyone is elated!  I have never had any experience with hummingbirds-never had the desire.  BUT, I looked out and one was circling the seed feeder looking forlorn, so when I was in Lowe's later that day, I got a hummingbird feeder and the "juice" and a hook!!  The handyman was back, so he hung that one, too.  Now everyone is happy!  I love to watch them.  Omar gets on the kitchen table (a no-no) and watches them while trembling and slapping his tail around!  He has really enjoyed them, too!  Beth from Garden Grumbles has no worry that I will ever have as many feeders as she, or as much knowledge!  I would like to, but that would require that I hire someone to handle it all!  But it's certainly been fun and I try to look them up in a book to identify them!  I'm doing pretty well with that!  Here are the most amateur photos you will ever see!  But, I will work on that in the near future!

I always show a photo or two....

Omar is my happy cat!  He loves to get my shoes and roll on them.  I guess they have my smell and he just loves to be on them!

I can't make a post without including sweet Zoe!  She was all dressed up for a football game! She has learned to clap!  She also can sit up by herself and is beginning to crawl.  She is 8 months old!  

Thanks for your visit! I will post my Halloween very soon!

Frances

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to everyone!  I hope to have a new post soon!

I'll be fixing my Thanksgiving tree shortly!

Shocking, isn't it??

Dear Blogging Friends,

I know you must be in total shock to see a post from me!  I have thought about all of you often. I hope you are all doing well!   It took me this long to just sit down and make a post!

As you know, my life has turned upside down lately, but I am progressing and getting used to my new way of living.  I wish, so much, that things were different, but they aren't, so I am determined to forge ahead and try to enjoy life!  I'm pretty much finished with all the paperwork and financial things I had to do, so at least that is behind me now!

During the past year or so, we let our yard take a back seat to everything else, which wasn't a good thing!  After this Spring, the grass was almost non-existent in places!  We had dead limbs hanging in our trees, and a some trees that looked like they were on the way out!  After reviewing everything, I had four trees taken out and dead limbs cut from every tree!  I also had St. Augustine sod put down in the entire yard.  Some overgrown bushes were removed and replaced with new ones, but not all.  I had to stop somewhere! I am pleased with the end result, and now I'm in the process of watering until I could scream!!!  But I have to do that for the sod to live!  I did not put in a sprinkler system because I spent a small fortune on all the trees, landscaping and sod.  Maybe in the future!

It looked so sad with all the grass scraped off & utilities marked....

Then, tons of sod magically appeared at 6:30 AM and change began!

Now I have a yard full of sod and some new stepping stones, so I don't step in gooey dirt while watering all day long!!!

Sometimes, I think I must really be a genius!  Since I have been watering all day long, I decided to take advantage of the water that goes on the driveway, and parked my car there to get the dust rinsed off!!!  And yes, I did turn it around and get the other side, too!  

I have put up my Halloween Tree, and I'm really pleased with it!  I love all the fun colors and I have located such cute little bought ornaments to fill in with!  

I finally have a finish to show!!  I know some of you might need to sit down with that news! 

This is a little Prairie Schooler freebie card that I had stitched up quite a while back.  It's on hand dyed linen and I think it's really cute!  I even had some BOO! ribbon to use on it! This is one in a stack of things that must be finished, so maybe I'll have more to show very soon!

Just a little lesson I learned...never think anything is ever completed and over!  I walked out on my patio and noticed this in my yard.  I thought it was a big limb and couldn't believe it!  I live next to a creek, and there is a small strip of common area between my house and the creek.  I do not own that land.  My tree people were so kind, that they went on and trimmed up the 2 trees on that common land so they would look nice by my yard.  And then they left.  And the the yard was done.  And then...this very tiny but tall tree that grew beside the larger tree got tired and just fell over.  It didn't crack.  It just drooped. Right on top of my new camellias and gardenia bushes.......I was able to slide it off my bushes and on to my new sod!  hahaha  But, I called the homeowner association and they came and cut it and took it away!  I guess I just live for drama!

Thank you for reading my blog.  You know that the past few months have not been the greatest, and I appreciate any of you who are reading this post!  I am back in the swing of things and I will be posting some additional finishes very soon!

Frances

Another post!

Hello stitching friends!  I hope you are sitting down when you see this, because I have done three posts very close together!  It's been a long while since I've done that!  haha

I am busy taking down Christmas trees, etc.  I always wait until after Epiphany, so that gives me a few extra days to procrastinate!  And it's never as much fun to take down as it was to put it up!!!

I thought I'd show these beautiful beaded Christmas balls, before they go back into their storage box. My mother made these back in the 1960s.  I remember it so vividly!  Since I grew up in SW Mississippi, we went to Mardi Gras each year on Fat Tuesday--for the Rex parade.  It was so much fun!  We had TONS of beads, and my mother got crafty and started using them for craft ideas.  She made these beautiful beaded Christmas balls and hung them on our mantle for years.  I guess you'd say they're made from vintage Mardi Gras beads, even though it doesn't seem like I should remember anything that can be called vintage!!!  I brought them to our house earlier this year, after she died, and I didn't know what to do with them this year, so I just plopped them on a silver tray and let that be it for now!  But they really are pretty, and I will think of something better for next year!

She was very exact in her colors, using ribbon and fabrics, and she even used some tiny silk poinsettias on one of them!  Aren't they fun?  My mother was extremely thrifty, and when those beaded kits came out, she wanted to use her beads and went and bought some longer pins and styrofoam balls at our local TG&Y!  (Do you remember TG&Y?!?!?!)

I've done some stitching!  I did finish this little Prairie Schooler freebie Halloween card!  I always seem to be "off" on Holiday stitching!  haha  It's on a scrap of some hand-dyed linen.  I think it will finish up really cute!

I also finished this precious little music ornament!  It was a little gift from our friend Annette and I just think it's so cute!!  It was a tiny Janlynn kit!  Love it!!   It's on the tree by a precious little felt snowman made by my dear friend Janie!  I love all my treasures!!!

Today would have been my mother's 86th birthday!  I cannot believe she has been gone eight months. Some days it seems like she was just here yesterday, and some days it seems like forever since we've seen her.  Time is so funny that way!
This is a sweet photo of her with our son.

I have joined a SAL from The Snowflower Diaries  You know I have no business trying to do 12 ornaments!!  HAHAHA  But, if I get only part of them done, it will be worth it!  When I saw this cute little fox, I just had to jump in!   AND, on Facebook, there is also a SAL for the 2015 JCS Ornament Issue!!!  I get that magazine each year, and I jumped in on that one, too!  HAHAHA  But, I have to give it a go!

Well, I guess that's all for now!  I hope you have a wonderful day and I also hope I can show some progress on my SAL adventures!!  Thanks for stopping by and do visit again soon!
Frances

Lots going on!!!

Dear blogging friends,

As usual, I'm hopping from here to there, and everywhere in between!!!  But I still love reading your blogs and hope to get more posting done on my own!

We took a quick trip last week, and had such a good time!  We went to New York and spent a few days, enjoying the fun and the big city hustle and bustle!  I love to visit New York--been there many times and I never get tired of it!  We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria, and this was the wonderful view from our room:

We always take a Gray Line Tour--it's the best way to see the sights. This time, we took a harbor cruise, too, and that was fun.  It's been years since I've done that.  Here we are, enjoying the sights on a really windy day!

This is a great view of Lower Manhattan, with the new Freedom Tower.  I love the tiny little red helicopter in the upper left--

Because I'm a church organist, no trip would be complete without visiting St. Patrick's! This is the gorgeous and huge organ there:

On the tour, we stopped and saw Strawberry Fields, a memorial to John Lennon in Central Park.  I've seen it several times, and I still feel sad when I visit.  It was decorated for Halloween, and people are always there, singing, crying, and taking pictures.  Sad.

Night time is beautiful in New York--here are the lights at Rockefeller Center, near the skating rink. The flags around it are so beautiful.  I really love New York, and we had a wonderful time!

I actually did a little stitching on the plane!  I am almost finished with this little Prairie Schooler freebie card--a Halloween design!  I'm always stitching on the wrong holiday! But at least I'm stitching!  I am making a solemn vow to start stitching on a Prairie Schooler Santa!  I have all of them and have never stitched a single one!!  That is really too bad because they are so lovely!  I also want to stitch those wonderful freebies from Plum Street Samplers--The 12 Days of Christmas!  I really like those, too!

You may remember that I have been having some work done at the house--I have gotten back most of the upholstery!!!  They were SUPER fast!  I am loving all of it!  Here is a tiny peek of the kitchen chairs...I love leopard!  These were oak chairs with sorta flat bottoms--they puffed them up and they are so comfortable now!  These were at my mother's and had rust velvet seats--I'm not sure what she would think of the leopard--but she'd probably be glad we're enjoying them!  I will post bigger photos when the room is finished!

This week I started my new organist job at the cathedral, and so far it's been good!  (Ha--that's funny because I haven't had to play yet!!)

Thank you for visiting and please come back again!  I still have a small stack to finish, but I don't think I have any Christmas things ready at the moment!  It's time to get the Thanksgiving tree up, so I'll be showing that soon!  Even though I haven't been posting regularly, I've enjoyed seeing what all of you are doing!!

Frances

It finally feels like FALL! *Edited*

Hello Blogging Friends!
I'm making a big effort to try and post more often!

Since my last post, I went with my husband to one of his annual engineering meetings.  It was at the Beau Rivage, on the Mississippi Gulf Coast--a beautiful hotel/casino.  We've stayed there several times, just for something to do and a place to get away for a night. Anyway, one of the spouse activities is always BINGO.  They budget money for lovely gifts, and a door prize or two.  Various committee members go and select the gifts.  There are usually really fun prizes and it all works out great.  Except, sometimes I haven't won a prize......and that's not so much fun!  Hahaha!  This year was different, however!  The stars were aligned, or something, and I did manage to make a BINGO!  You go to several gift tables and select what you want!  In reading all of your blogs, I see that many of you have Vera Bradley bags of various sizes and styles.  I didn't have one, so I was lucky enough to capture this one:

It's a wonderful tote bag and the color is perfect for Fall!  I'm so pleased to be a winner!!! YAY!  Then, at the end of BINGO, they draw for door prizes, which can be anything.  This year there were three and the big one was a spa session at the hotel.  There were also two $100 bills.....and I won one of those, also!!!  I have never won the door prize there! So I can keep my $$ in my Vera Bradley bag!  This made it a fun little get away!!!

Below is another photo of my new kitty, Omar....he loves to sit on this rug!  Isn't he a pretty boy?

I think I have told you that I have a designer coming to help me get my house in order.  I have been frantically cleaning out and purging.  It is hard to do, but is really getting easier!  I am so glad to see things shaping up!  I didn't think I was going to do any re-upholstery, but I guess I am!  haha  These are my fabrics, all of which I love!  I can't wait to get it done and finished!  It has been a lot of fun.

I finally got my Halloween tree put up, and I love it!  Halloween ornaments are fun and cheerful!  (At least the ones I get are--I don't enjoy the scary ones!!)  This is one thing I edited!!!  I kept looking at the tree and thinking it looked ok, but something was different. THEN, I found the orange and black bow that I put at the top--so, I removed the other photo and put this one!!  haha

I have a good selection of cross stitch and bought items.  It's such fun, and this is a fun time of year.  Thanksgiving and Christmas follow, and I even have some New Year's ornaments that I made after January 1st.  That will be a new one for 2016!

 

My other edit is that I went in and tried to identify the various ornaments, and added a few other phtotos.  In the left photo, the top cute owl is designed by our friend Jacquie and was a freebie on her blog at one time.  The sweet "BOO" black cat is a Waxing Moon chart called #129 Black Cats' Halloween.
In the right photo is a cute little freebie called Halloween Delight! by La Chatelaine Designs.  It is so cute with the little black cats and beaded edge. I love the little "if the shoe fits" freebie.  It is several years old and I cannot locate it anywhere--does anyone recognize it??  The purple and black ornament is by Lizzie Kate "My Other Car is a Broom"!

On the left is a freebie from The Sisterhood--Boo! It's done on lavender Aida and I used Purple bat fabric and ribbon.  The cat and pumpkin is a French freebie from Nathalie and found on her blog.  It is backed in black velvet and the bottom features flat sequins.  Next is a sweet freebie from Homespun Elegance and I used some printed Halloween ribbon and backed it in the same fabric you see on the front.

                                          

Here's another freebie--but I can't find it online.  I have had some of my freebies for a while!!!  Sorry!

                                             

This cutie was in 2010 Just Cross Stitch Annual Halloween Issue,  It's by Casey Buonaugurio and is stitched on orange linen.

                                            

This little pumpkin freebie is by Judi Utter and can be found at Cyberstitchers.  Isn't it cute??


I have one little thing I'm working on for Halloween!  I must get on it fast--I don't have much done!!! I'm using a hand-dyed scrap of linen for a different look.   It's a little Prairie Schooler freebie card.  So cute, and working up sorta fast! I have a lot of those little cards and should make all of them because they are fast and too cute!

Thank you for stopping by and please come visit again soon!

Frances

I'm here!!!

I have been so behind in EVERYTHING!  I really hate that my blog has suffered, but I'm back on it now and hope this much time won't pass between posts again!

Well, everyone has talked about the heat--and it's still hot here.  We haven't had rain since July 4th, so our yard is brown and crunchy.  But I do know it's that way in a lot of places.  Here's another photo of my dashboard temperature....wow!!

I have noticed the sweetest little birds with red heads out on my patio.  I haven't taken the time to look them up, but I think they are so cute!  Perhaps Beth will see this and can tell me what it is!

We went to the MS Gulf Coast for a couple of days this week--was nice to get away.  We stayed in Biloxi and relaxed and ate!!!  This weekend is the 10th anniversary of Katrina. Most people are aware that New Orleans suffered greatly.  However, the MS Gulf Coast was destroyed in many places--and hasn't all come back.  There are vacant lots all across from the beach.  Beautiful antebellum homes lined the beach.  I remember them from my childhood.  Now there are so many vacant lots with those historic markers that describe the home that used to be there.  So sad. Beauvoir, the home of Jefferson Davis, is there. It was heavily damaged, but has been repaired and is open again for tours and visits to the museum located there.  Here is the view from our hotel.

I have been stitching some and have done a little finishing.  I was supposed to get with my dear friend, Janie, to finish ornaments.  I had to cancel because I was having pain from my precious kidney issues.....I had to see the Doctor when I was supposed to visit with her.  He said I'd have to "tough it out" and gave me some rather effective pills!!!!  I slept for two days!  I wanted to blog but I couldn't focus my eyes or think straight!!  Oh my!!! But it's all fine now!!  Never a dull moment at our house!

In sorting through my mother's things, I found this blue jay cross stitch that my brother's ex wife had stitched for my father many years ago.  (My sweet Daddy has been gone for 29 years, so you know this is OLD!)  Anyway, it was framed in a very plain oak frame--nothing special.  I haven't seen her in almost that many years, but I just thought it would be wrong to throw away cross stitch.  I didn't want to hang it on my wall, so I decided to cut it up and make an ornament!  Yep!  I did!  And I actually like it very much!  I'm pleased with the outcome!

I also had this little pansy on some of that country-styled Aida with green designs around it.  It was large (probably intended for pillows) and I didn't want it hung up, either.  So I cut the printed border off and made another ornament.  Fun!!

 

I'm so glad to do something useful with these older pieces.  It's been fun to re-style them. I still have those three shells I showed earlier--they are next on the list to re-style.

I also stitched a cute little Halloween owl!  This is a cute freebie from Jacquie and I had such fun stitching it.  At first I really didn't like my thread choice...variegated orange. However, when I started putting the finishing fabrics with this, I think it turned out well! Jacquie is so talented!  She can stitch, quilt, and do all sorts of things--in addition to designing! She's not been feeling well lately, and I hope she improves soon!

I hope to be posting more finishes very soon!  I have a stack of things to finish, but I'm plodding through them!  I have missed blogging but I have tried to quickly check in on your blogs, to see what fun you've been having!

Thank you for stopping by and please come back soon!

Frances