Going on vacation

This will be my last blog until August 10-12. We are off on vacation. We have a wonderful rustic cottage in Northern Ontario that we spend some time at each summer. Our children, grandchildren and other family come to visit us while we are there. We have many lazy days and quiet nights. We have no telephone service and very few neighbors so it is wonderfully peaceful. The water is very cold but very refreshing. Most years the fishing is good. It is the one time of the year I indulge my joy of fishing and we usually catch our limit of bass and the odd pickerel (walleye). I love catching bass because they always give you a run for your money. I don't eat them but I do a big fish fry for the rest of the family who salivate while I pan fry them.

I have packed my stitching bag - well two bags - full of supplies and ideas. How many I will actually get done is anybody's guess but I do have two RR's to do. I hope to have some progress photos when I return.

Snowflakes

I have been working on snowflakes. My first snowflake was a freebie from Nordic Needle and my quick stitch is now into it's third day. The pattern was not very clear and much of it has been done by guess and by gosh. I have pulled it out many times. I am using a Danish flower thread and it frays very easily so I have had to use short pieces. Not my favorite stitch but I will persist until it is done. The second snowflake is a lovely snowflake from Silver Thaw Designs. It was a delight to stitch and done in an evening.

I have reposted the photo of Celtic Banner from my last blog in a separate post. Apparently, the link did not work. You will find it directly below this one.

Link for last blog

I don't know what the problem was with my Celtic Banner link so will try to do it again.

Some finishes!

This is the very first piece of cross stitch I ever did. I can't tell you where the pattern came from or the date. The saying under the striped cat is "You are what you eat." It was a very dusty piece hanging in obscurity, so I took it out of the frame, washed it and stitched it into a little pillow. The fabric on the back is black with little paw prints. New life for an old piece.

The two baby samplers are for my two new great nephews - Benjamin in April and Kody in July. The two mothers are sisters. They were stitched but waiting for names, dates etc. and they are now framed and ready to give to the new parents.

And last, but not least, my Celtic Banner finished and hanging on the wall. Barb, from our Thursday stitching group at Ann's came by and gave Beatrice and I her valuable assistance in backing and and finishing our banners.

If you look close you can see the painting I did in my kitchen. The cupboards are painted (this is the color I have chosen for Paradigm Lost), I painted the tiles on the blacksplash and painted my kitchen countertops. It is definitely an improvement.

A different kind of blog

I am going to write a different blog today. There will be no stitching updates. I wanted to share a very special little girl with you. This is my granddaughter Drew. Her photo was in our local paper today. She raised $420 to buy Canine kits for police dogs. She dyed her hair pink and then shaved it all off to raise $200 for cancer. She has also adopted ,through World Vision, a little girl from Africa. When her parents told her she was old enough to get an allowance she told them she did not need the money and wanted to use the money to adopt a little girl instead. Drew is an only child and on her maternal side is also an only grandchild and niece. She is one of the most giving and unselfish children I have ever known. I am not just bragging because she is my granddaughter. I just wanted to acknowledge how truly wonderful she is. I hope you agree.

Snowman Mitten

Here is the latest from the General Ornament Round Robin. This is Ursula Michael's Snowman Mitten from 2005 Just Cross Stitch. It was a pleasure to stitch. I love her snowmen. They always have such sweet faces and character. I am now finished with my round robins until the next one arrives in the mail. The debate becomes - what shall I pick up next? - my neglected wreath of flowers, my cursed Christmas tree or that blasted 18 count navy Christmas stocking. You can tell I am not really enthusiastic about any of them but they do need to be stitched. Maybe I can look for something new or maybe I should try this rotation business and that way I need only work on each one a short time.

A very special day

I have some good news to share. On Saturday evening , we added a new member to the family, a grea nephew. Kody was born to Michelle and Malachi weighing in at 6 lb. 8 oz. His big sister Maya is delighted. We are happy and proud to welcome him. You may remember the teddy bear and balloon baby sampler from my earlier posts. Now, we have all the necessary information to add to it.

I thought I would share with you my most special piece of cross stitch.

When my DH and I decided to full time RV for a couple of years our granddaughter Drew was worried what she was going to do without us. I did the Lavender and Lace Fairy Grandmother for her and her mother hung it over her bed. I told her anytime she needed me the fairy Grandmother would be there in my stead.

This piece also has a framing nightmare. When I took it to be framed in some small town, they were not conversant with needlework - unbeknownst to me. When I went to pick up the piece they had it framed up into the right hand corner and had cut off the tip of her bottom wing. They did not write down my instructions and made their own judgement as to how to frame it.

When I let them know that was not how I wanted it framed they said no problem. They would reframe it. A short time later I got a phone call saying they had ripped the fabric trying to remove it. I was devastated and stood in the middle of the store crying. Our only solution was to add the mauve mat and change the frame. When you look at her, you don't see that she is not framed properly and my granddaughter just loves her Fairy Grandmother. So, she is my favorite piece and my most heartbreaking as well.