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!

The end of a busy (and bit painful!) month!

Good morning on this final day of May, my dear stitching friends! I'm sure your month has been just as busy as mine, hasn't it? So much to do at this time of year and I've been trying to manage everything with some sort of hand / thumb tendonitis going on. Not fun at all--in fact, downright painful at times, but I'm hopeful that it might be improving. I've been wearing a brace on my left hand at night and faithfully doing thumb exercises hoping to keep it from getting even worse. I'm a bit behind in commenting on your blogs as typing is one of the many things that aggravates it (stitching is another, sadly)... I think the tendonitis began due to general overuse of my hand, and unfortunately, I do believe stitching is a prominent cause (along with holding my phone, typing, gardening,and lifting my light weights--basically anything that involves a gripping, repetitive motion). I've pulled back on all of these activities and hope that I'll be back to normal in 4-6 weeks.

I do have three small finishes to share with you this month. Many of you have seen this one on Instagram (if you wish to follow me, just click here!) and I was thrilled with all the sweet comments I received. This finish, called "Berries In a Basket," is a design by one of my Instagram friends, Jenny, at Homestitchness and is available on her Etsy shop right here. You all know I have a very special relationship with cardinals that began soon after my dad died so the minute I saw this darling piece, I knew I had to stitch it. I love that both the female and male cardinal are featured as you so often see them as a couple in nature. The basket of berries just says "summer" to me so I added the gold cording and red gingham bow to reflect that. I have it hanging in my kitchen now and it always makes me smile when I spot it!

The fabric is closer to the color in this second photo below. I used 40 ct. vintage Cedar Plank by Lakeside Linen and although I love the color of it, the holes must have shrunk during the dyeing process as they were very tiny and close together... In other words--it was very hard to stitch on! But, I persevered and ended up with this lovely summer finish!

In my last post, I mentioned how far behind I am on my monthly ornament finishes! Well, I did manage to get two finished... For March (yes, March--I told you I was behind!) comes one of my very favorite Prairie Schooler Santas from way back in 1999. I stitched him for a friend at the library years ago and I'm so happy to have one for my own Christmas tree this year.

I just love the quartet of gingerbread men and that cute gingerbread house he is carrying don't you? I kept the finish very classic as I really think he should be the star of the show--just added some handmade cording and a simple gingham bow at the top. I've been using 40 ct. vintage Country Mocha Newcastle linen for the yearly Prairie Schooler Santas for the past few years and just love how well the white shows up on it. The called for DMC threads were used except for the green which I substituted DMC 520. I think I'll be finishing all of my yearly PS Santas this way from now on.

My April ornament is another Prairie Schooler design. For this one, I stitched only the top third of Book No. 190 called "Happy Christmas." It is very tiny as I stitched it "over one" on 28 ct. black Monaco. I did make a few changes to the colors--used DMC 221 for the red and stitched the reindeer and tree trunks in DMC 610. Let me tell you, stitching that lettering over one was not an easy feat! But, look how cute it turned out!

The finish was fairly quick and easy--I simply surrounded the little pillow with DMC 221 cording and hung a quintet of rusty bells from the bottom.

Unfortunately, I was not able to finish my May ornament (although it is stitched!) due to my wrist / thumb pain. Hopefully, I'll have that to share with you in June!

Giveaway winner...  I'm happy to announce the winner of the pretty hummingbird chart is...

MINI !!

Congratulations, Mini! Please send me your mailing address and I will get this chart to you as soon as possible... And for those of you who didn't win, keep an eye on this spot. More charts will be given away in the near future!

So, what kept me busy in May? Well, I mentioned our trip to Washington, D.C. to visit our youngest son in early May in my last post, but I wanted to share a few photos with you. I absolutely love visiting the D.C. area as we lived there for a year back in the late 1980s; in fact, my youngest son was born there! I always feel like I'm "going home" when we drive down I-95 and into the city. As many times as I've been there, we did two things on this trip that we've never done before. One, was to see the monuments at night. It was a beautiful, warm spring night--the perfect evening to enjoy those special sights by moonlight.

The beautiful Lincoln Memorial--can you spot Abe sitting inside?

The Washington Monument, at just over 554 feet, is the tallest building in Washington, D.C. and the tallest obelisk in the world!

The World War II Memorial is especially striking at night with its 56 pillars, fountains,  and arches of water.

Of course, I had to locate the pillar for Pennsylvania!

If you look closely to the right of the Washington Monument, you can spot the dome of the U.S. Capitol in the distance. It really is quite an inspiring vista!

The other place we visited during our Washington, D.C. trip was a hidden treasure that I had never heard of and I know we'll be going again. Far removed from the tourists and the hustle and bustle of the monument area is a delightful gem known as the National Arboretum. Have any of you visited? Oh, what a wonderful surprise this was--over 400 acres of gardens and paths and special features located right in the District of Columbia. We only saw a fraction of it (and walked nearly 10 miles while doing so!), but we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. If you visit, try to go in the spring... The azalea garden had already bloomed, but we still saw so many gorgeous spring flowering plants and trees.

Scenes from the National Arboretum all dressed up for Spring!

Some of the beautiful dogwoods in bloom

The peonies were at their peak when we visited and made me want to rush out and buy some peony bulbs to plant at home.

But, the highlight for me was the beautiful National Capitol Columns... These 22 Corinthian style columns were once part of the United States Capitol built way back in 1828. These stayed in place until they were removed in 1958 in order to build an addition to the Capitol. In the 1980's, the columns were brought to the National Arboretum where they now stand like soldiers watching over the gardens. Apparently, there were originally 24 columns, but 2 were damaged and lie somewhere on the grounds of the National Arboretum's Azalea Gardens. It was really quite a sight to see these giant sandstone columns in the middle of a flower-strewn meadow like this--they almost looked like ancient ruins!

The National Capitol Columns on a cloudy D.C. afternoon

Don't they look majestic?

The intricately carved sandstone columns rest on a foundation of steps once used on the east side of the U.S. Capitol

The reflecting pool at The National Capitol Columns

My husband and me taking a breather!! If you visit the National Arboretum be advised that a lot of walking is involved!

After our trip to DC, I went up to my mom's in New York to help her celebrate her 92nd birthday.  Just look at all the cards and flowers she got! The pretty calla lily was sent by my oldest son and daughter-in-law. And her friends at her senior living community had her all decked out with a light-up crown and a bright lei for dinner one night to help her celebrate. She felt very much loved--which she is!  Thank you all for leaving such sweet birthday wishes for her on my last post. She enjoys reading my blog (especially the comments!) and I know she appreciates your kind words.

Happy 92nd, dear, dear mom!!

I wasn't home for Mother's Day this year so I saw none of my sons. To be honest, it felt a bit lonely, but they each remembered me with a phone call and some wonderful gifts--trekking poles for our next hiking adventure, ranunculus bulbs to plant in my garden, and this sweet reading rabbit statue which I adore.

Could this be any more perfect for a former librarian who loves bunnies?!

Memorial Day was quiet with none of our sons home so we did a lot of gardening. I'm not sure if it is all the rain or what, but our ferns are going crazy and are now nearly as tall as me (which isn't hard as I'm only 5'1"!). They just keep growing and growing. For some reason, I seem to be taking more of an interest in my garden this year--not sure if it's because I have the time now that I've retired or what. My husband has been faithfully spraying the plants with "anti-deer" spray (horrible smelling stuff!!) and it seems to be working. For the first time in years, my hydrangeas are absolutely covered with buds...

If only our gardens could look this lush and green year round!

We transplanted some of the giant ostrich ferns to individual planters and placed them on our patio.

A view out to the garden shed and the vegetable garden beyond.

I've put my patriotic stitching on display for the next few months and am so happy to see all the red, white, and blue again! I'll probably leave it up through July and then begin to switch to sunflowers and bees for the rest of the summer.

Honoring all those who served our country on Memorial Day

And, just like that, another month is over... unbelievable! Thank you so much for visiting me today and a special thank you to those of you who take the time to say "hello" in your comments. I truly appreciate each and every one of you and love reading your comments. I know blogs are not the "in" thing these days as Flosstube has taken over, but I so treasure you faithful friends who are still hanging in there with me! As always, if you have a question about a finish of mine, please, please leave your email address so I can get back to you. I have no way of responding to your questions if you don't. See you in June! Bye for now...

Snowmen, Sheep, and Something Slightly Strange!

Hello there, my stitching friends! How is the merry, merry month of May going for you? Our lovely April morphed into a dreary, rainy, cool May and this weekend is looking particularly gloomy. Oh well, not much I can do outside in this kind of weather (even though the weeds are taking over!) so why not spend my time stitching away inside? Thank you all for your kind comments on my last post... Although  a few of you liked my bright blue "Cookie Monster" loaner car, most of you were in agreement that you would rather be driving something else. Unfortunately, after six weeks, I'm still driving it and have already put over 1200 miles on it! Looks like it will be a while before the airbag on my Honda CRV will be replaced...

So, what have I been stitching this month? Well, snowmen and sheep! As you know, my monthly Christmas ornament theme for 2016 is snowmen and I've just finished Mr. April and Mr. May. April's design is from The Drawn Thread's "The Joys of Christmas" chart. 

"Joy" snowman by The Drawn Thread

I used some sort of dark 32 ct. mystery linen that I had in my stash (love how the white shows up on it) and an assortment of Dinky Dyes and DMC. I had to substitute some of the Dinky Dyes because the suggested colors looked nothing like those on the front of the chart... Isn't he a cutie? This one stitched up very quickly and there are five more "Joy" themed designs in this wonderful chart that I know I'll be stitching, too. Here is my final finish, all ready for my Christmas tree in December.

The Drawn Thread: "Joy" snowman finish

For May, I returned to my favorite comfort stitching designer--Prairie Schooler. This snowman  is part of the "Evergreen" (Book No. 202) chart which has eight additional designs. Don't you love his little grin? I did change a few of the colors on the broom, his nose, and the red color. I also stitched the cardinal holding the berry branch rather than as part of the border.

Prairie Schooler "Evergreen" snowman

My May snowman is stitched on 40 ct. Country Mocha Newcastle--a great mottled fabric as you can see in the photo above. This is another good fabric to use when stitching with white. For the finish, I combined three fabrics, a wooden button, and some mini black ric rak. Really love how this one turned out!

"Evergreen" snowman finish (Prairie Schooler)

So, I'm caught up with my monthly snowman challenge--only seven more to go. Still can't believe how quickly this year is flying by!

My friend, Robin in Virginia, celebrates her birthday on May 14th so I sent her a little stitched pillow. This sweet Little House Needleworks chart was free with the purchase of three Classic Colorworks threads: Prairie Grass, Shabby Sheep, and Sugar Plum. I wish my photo was better (a gray day is not conducive to good photography!)--the floss colors are so beautiful in real life. I stitched the sheep with the Shabby Sheep thread in a sort of swirly pattern rather than straight across--really like the final look...

Little House Needleworks "Welcome Spring"

This one is stitched on 40 ct. antique white Newcastle  with the suggested Classic Colorworks threads. I wanted the sheep's head and legs darker so I chose DMC 3371 and I substituted DMC 729 for the gold in the flower centers. I also omitted the five charted stitched bees and added a single bee charm. Robin loved her gift and I want to wish her a wonderful year ahead!

"Welcome Spring" pillow finish

More Birthday greetings! Robin's May 14th birthday is very special to me because it is also my mom's birthday! Happy 89th, Mom--I love you so much!! My siblings and I pooled our money and bought her a lift chair to help her stand up easier, but I still wanted to send her some money so she could purchase some pretty flowers for her balcony. Rather than just stick a $50.00 bill in an envelope, I found this easy video tutorial for an origami dollar bill in a fancy heart shape.  Isn't it cute? The hard part will be unfolding it to actually use it! Anyway, I hope your birthday is special for you mom--you always made my birthdays so great by letting me choose my favorite meal (spaghetti and meatballs and Tunnel of Fudge cake!). The older I get, the more I appreciate all my mom did for me--thanks, mom!! I treasure you so very much...

Happy, Happy Birthday dear Mom!! XXXOOO

My sons thoroughly spoiled me for Mother's Day. The youngest couldn't be here as he was busy writing his final paper to complete his Master's program at George Washington Univeristy.  Luckily, we were able to visit him the previous weekend (more about that further down). He knows I love my sweets and sent this tasty sampler of goodies from Georgetown Cupcakes. Which would you choose? I had to eat that fluffy coconut creation first, followed by the chocolate peanut butter. My husband chose the lime and the carrot cake and the rest were taken to my older sons' apartment for Mother's Day dessert after dinner on Sunday.

Bet you can't eat just one!

My two older sons (with help from their girlfriends!) prepared a tasty eggplant parmesan dinner for me followed by some lovely gifts. From the oldest and his girlfriend came this beautiful bouquet (along with a gift certificate to 123 Stitch--yay!!!).

Such a beautiful color combination

And my middle son presented me with some chocolates and this lovely pink hibiscus plant for my patio. I really enjoy getting potted flowers and plants as gifts--they have such a long life (well, depending on how well I care for them!). 

Pretty in pink hibiscus from my middle son

And I spoiled myself a bit on Mother's Day, too! I "needed" a few more snowman charts for my monthly ornament challenge and while shopping online for them, these other goodies mysteriously hopped into my shopping cart! I just love buying the Moda charm packs with their tiny prints to use for my ornament finishing. I also found these wonderful little wool squares to use on some winter designs. 

Washington, DC trip... As I mentioned earlier, my husband I took a road trip (just a 4 hour drive) to Washington, DC in early May to visit our youngest son. The weather was quite chilly, but that didn't stop us from making the rounds and seeing some of the monuments...  I am always so impressed with how clean that city is--honestly, with all of the tourists and traffic, you would expect lots of litter, but, no, it is amazingly litter-free. Although we've seen the monuments many, many times (we lived down in the DC area for a year in the late '80s), I never tire of them.

The Lincoln Memorial

View from the Lincoln Memorial of The Washington Monument

The White House on a gray day

The U.S. Treasury Building

We also spent time at the Renwick Gallery and marveled at their awe-inspiring "Wonder" installations. There were nine rooms filled with jaw-droppingly beautiful works. This rainbow colored work by Gabriel Dawe was one of our favorites... It should have special appeal to all of my stitching friends, too, as it is made up of 60 miles of embroidery thread! Yes, can you believe it? If you want to read more about this beauty, click here. 

In an exhibit that reminded me of the hoodoos  we saw on a visit to Bryce Canyon national park back in the year 2000, Tara Donovan used approximately one million index cards to create 10 towering spirals that filled an entire room. Can you imagine the hours it must have taken to build each little "mountain?"

Here is a close-up for you:

I'm not going to show you each exhibit, but I couldn't leave without sharing my photos from the most unusual art installation I have ever seen in my life: Jennifer Angus's "In the Midnight Garden." At first glance, you think you are entering a pretty pink room with unusual wallpaper, right? 

But, take a closer look--each motif is made up of insects. At first I assumed they were fake, but no--these are real giant insects from Malaysia, Thailand, and Papua, New Guinea. The artist uses farmed insects whenever possible and re-uses them in different displays. This exhibit is bound to bring up debates on the ethics of using once-living things as art; you can read the artist's take on the ethics of her insect art here.

None are endangered--they are actually quite abundant. For those of you who are brave enough to take a peek--here are some close-ups...

I found these guys especially creepy!!

I don't think I'll be traveling to Thailand, Malaysia, or Papua, New Guinea any time soon!

Even under the wainscoting, a pattern of giant locusts adorned the pink wall...

Just look at the long legs on these fellows--yikes!!

In the center of the room was a hive and an old wooden chest with drawers filled with dried insects. The whole whole exhibit was fascinating (but, just a bit creepy, truth be told!).

I am continually amazed at the imaginations of artists.Those who can fill our minds with that feeling of wonder like the exhibitions I saw at the Renwick Gallery are truly inspirational...

I hope you enjoyed my post today--another long one, that's for sure!  I do hope to be back with my Patagonia trip photos in a couple of weeks. I keep procrastinating in editing them for some reason!

Thanks so much for taking the time to comment--I know what a busy time of year this is for all of you...  And for those of you who have asked me questions on previous posts,  please, please include your email address. I have so many of you who comment and ask questions, but I have no way to get back to you without your email address. I'm not being rude--I just can't reply unless you include your contact information. Bye for now...