Thursday, June 29, 2017

A Finish and More

     Hello to all my dear friends and followers.  I hope you're all doing well and enjoying our summer flowers, beaches, birds and all kinds of good things that come with it.  We have been keeping busy with a few things outside as well as in, and enjoying just about all of it!
     I finished the "Wedding Row" and I must say that it was one of the most enjoyable stitches yet.  The wedding, as you can see, in June 7th.  I had the framer add a pocket on the back of the framed piece so I could insert one of the wedding invitations in it.  Just a little added touch. Here it is! The


letters are actually a very pretty deep sage green color.  A total of 26 hours to complete.
     Here's another picture of the piece I'm working on now.  Loving this and it will become a pillow top once finished.  Have 11 hours into it so far.


     I have completed all of the granny squares for my afghan and now I just need to decide in what order I want to put them together and sew them up.  I just started lining them up on the bed the other night,


and..........  So I didn't get far and didn't want to scoot her away.  I'll get to it again.


     We finally have a pair of bluebirds nesting in one of the boxes, and they're out there every morning, gathering mostly pine spills and bringing them inside for the nest.  I'm waiting to see if they're going to finish it with some moss.  Has to be soft for future babies.
     Enjoying all our summer flowers.  I love this Rose of Shannon. Just a small shrub right now, but


 is loaded with buds! The color is so pretty. I also picked up a few more things to put in yesterday.  I have no will power at all sometimes! Here's what I picked up and I have to finish putting them in tomorrow.

       I mentioned that I was going to have a new kitchen floor put down, and it's all finished.  I love it and it seems to look even better with everything back in place.

 
     Oh! One last thing! Below is the very first stage of all the beautiful stages that the flowers go through on the  clerodendrum  trichotomum  tree that I have.  I call it a peanut butter tree.  I was given two of them two years ago, and I just love them.  They will spread also which is really cool.  Here's stage one.
 
        Now I really must let ya'll go.  This blog seems kind of choppy to me, but I just had so much to tell and all.  Thank you my dear followers for stopping in once again.  I love each and every one of you.  Until next time......be well and safe and remember to "feel the colors"


Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Getting Into the Groove

     Good morning once again, and it's a nice one here in eastern North Carolina.  We may be seeing some rain off and on all day, but those days are good also.  Inside puttering hasn't hurt me yet.  Plus my needlework can start calling my name at any moment!
     After ten years living in this house, and talking about having a new kitchen floor put down, it will finally happen this coming week.  We have done a little here and a little there on this 1960's home and knew from the time of the sale that it did need lots of updates.  So over the years, we've had the bathrooms re-modeled.  A wall between the living room and the kitchen taken down. A beautiful huge screened in porch added on and now the flooring.  So it has been slow but sure but has also been satisfying.
     I think I've been making good use of my time as far as my stitching goes.  Seems I'm in the groove now.  I try to get an hour in at least each morning on my cross stitch and if not another few minutes in the evening, I'll crochet the brown around about four blocks.  My progress on my cross stitch here and I'm loving the colors.
Then the progress on my afghan.  You can see that the stack on the right is shrinking as I crochet the border and move the blocks to the left.  Also a picture of some of the blocks all done.


So I feel good about buckling down and working with my hands more.  This time of year we stay quite busy outside in the garden areas, so it takes away from my stitching.  We do though, as I said earlier, have rainy days and they're blessings indeed.
     My sister has finally gotten over two bouts of pneumonia, and she's feeling great.  So we started our walking together once again the other day, and did five miles.  Down a back dirt road with nature all around us.  Loving it, and with the walking and the Planet Fitness that I do, we should be good to go at the end of March for our Appalachian Trail start.  I do feel like a kid again with the excitement of being on the trail.  Here's a picture of my sister and I below.  Georgia on the right.

     I was checking on my tea herb garden yesterday and realized that I have three different colors of the Monarda! I always thought I had just one out there.  Then I realized this morning that my rose garden out front was in full bloom once again.




It was a must to put this sign out last year.  We have the sweetest little brown rabbit that visits at least a couple of times each day.  I've been putting grapes out for him/her and I'm able to get quite close at this time.

     Now I must let ya'll go this time around.  The morning is young and there are the Hummingbird feeders to change out still.  Ya'll be safe and be well until next time.  I love each and every one of you.  In the meantime remember to "feel the colors".


Monday, June 12, 2017

A Beautiful Day

     Started out the day with an early visit to Planet Fitness.  We go three days a week and we're getting so much out of it.  Then home to start our things inside and out.  Bill is clearing a lot of the woods out back beyond our fence.  We don't have the pretty easy to walk wooded areas in this part of NC.  The woods are full of unfriendly vines and thickets.  Not to mention the spiders and ticks! We can already feel the breeze in our back yard that couldn't get through the wooded area in the past. It's looking great and feeling great as well.
     I want ya'll to know that my newest followers are Mary and RJ from a wonderful blog named stitchingfriendsforever2.  Two very sweet stitchers.  I'm so glad that they stopped in here.  Take a look at the beautiful needlework and the lovely primitive settings where some of the work may be displayed.  Welcome Mary and RJ.
     I have lots of blocks crochet in a simple granny square pattern.  Will be adding brown on the outside edges and then sewing them together to make an afghan for the living room.  Twelve colors total and 48 blocks to make the afghan.  Here are a couple of pictures.  The first when I got the first twelve done to see how the colors would look together.

     I decided they wouldn't look so bad and went for it.  Here are all 48 below.


            Before I forget.....I want to show you how pretty the Mimosa tree is this year.  This is in the back left corner of our yard, and will be one thing that isn't going to be cleared away to open everything up.  We look forward to the lovely flowers every year.  Always makes me think of little ballet dancers.


     I've been working a little each morning, and sometimes in the evening on my stitching and am enjoying  "Love With An Open Heart" from Stoney Creek.  Loving the beautiful colors in it and I'm going to make a pillow out of it for a gift once finished.  Here's a picture of the piece all finished and then another of my work thus far.



A way to go to say the least, but I'm enjoying the stitch.

     Outside my sewing room window I'll see the Hummingbirds stop by.  Busiest time is early morning a evening before the sunsets.  We also have a bunny that visits the yard each day.  I've been leaving him/her grapes.  I love this time of year.
   



 I'm going to let ya'll go once again.  Until next time, ya'll be well and safe and of course don't forget to "feel the colors".  Love you all!


Sunday, June 11, 2017

Another Lovely Giveaway

Over at victorianmottosamplershoppe.blogspot.com is a lovely collection of threads being given away.  Here's a picture of them.  Check it out.  Her threads are beautiful.


Stuff

    Just stuff! Things that keep me from my needlework! ...Doctor appointments! As we're getting older I find there are more and more of...