Rainy, Chilly Day

I finally finished the "Scottish Companion Sampler" published in The Gift of Stitching (digital) magazine. I changed the green and the brown. I just could not resist doing this when I saw the boating scene at the bottom!

I started and finished this a couple of days ago. I don't know why really, probably because it was designed by Darlene O'Steen. It was in an older JCS ornament issue. I kind of like it and kind of don't. And now I see I haven't quite crossed all the stitches.

WoooHooo! Look at my amazing progress on "Far, Far Away" by Shepherd's Bush! I started it last night, but really I feel to yucky with allergies to stitch. I also want to stitch the next band to hide my threads under, but did not have that color.

Last, but never least, is Merlin. Can you guess what that is hanging out of his mouth? Look at the bottom of my last post for a hint! ;)

Will She Like It?

Well, I finished "Williamsburg Lady" by Historic Stitches. I personalized it with some of the highlights of a friend's trip. I also filled in some spaces with BBD stars and a Tennessee sampler dog. (Now I wonder if I should have made the BBD stars yellow.) Mommylaywer, let me know if you hate it, or if it is not your style - I won't be heartbroken if I get to keep it! ;)

I bought a small bag of buttons at a "junque" shop this week. I have them in mind for a design by Cross-Eyed Cricket. I have spent a lot of time arranging and rearranging them, and it occurs to me I should stitch the design first!

I'll close with a shot of our kitty-witties. You know, I love my sister, but she has to clean her own ears!

W'burg Lady and My Ladies

My in-laws left about an hour ago, and I am trying to get the girls back to Latin and math. It is not going so well, so I thought I'd escape to the blogosphere! I made some progress on my version of "Williamsburg Lady" by Historic Stitches. I stitched some a couple of evenings while we introduced my in-laws to the "Foyle's War" detective series.

Yesterday we went antique/junkin'. This is how Nutmeg goes Junkin'!

On Monday, we all went to Brasstown Bald, which is the highest point in Georgia. The visitors' center has some really nice, informative displays, so this was definitely a homeschool trip!

The wedding was beautiful, although it was swelteringly hot! I am rather proud of this picture of Buttercup and my niece, BabyCakes.

Well, I need to go "put the grip" on Buttercup, as my parents say.

On another note, our 14-year old dog, Ursa, is having a terrible time. We are vegetarians, but we of course feed our obligate carnivore pets regular pet food. Ursa is half deaf, half blind, and half crippled, but wave a bit of the rotisserie chicken (we got for my in-laws) - and she can haul some tail across the house! Who knew that it could work such wonders! I guess I will be buying rotisserie chicken now!

Today

How was that for a snappy title? Really, it should have been titled "This Minute," because that is as far ahead as I can think. If I thought any further ahead, I would be confronted with the facts that today at 5 I have a long-overdue eye exam, at 6 the girls need to be at my cousin's wedding rehearsal, at 7 we are invited to the rehearsal dinner, tomorrow is the wedding, and on Sunday my in-laws are coming to stay for several days. Other facts: my house is a mess, my yard is scary, Nutmeg has not finished her math, and Buttercup has been in a MOOD ever since she woke up, and right now they are fighting over which one gets to use the bathroom first, because of course they want to use the same one. So, rather than deal with these daunting realities, I have choosen to dust off my camera and blog.

I have finally finished something - CHS Be My Love! I also started another mermaid design my CHS. I am again fascinated by the color combination!

None of my friends in-real-life read my blog, so I am going to post a piece I am stitching for a friend. She and her family are taking Colonial America trip. Yesterday, I saw my "Williamsburg Lady," and I thought it would be perfect! I do not know if it is her style, or if she will even want it. So I plan on giving it to her for Christmas - like next week. If she does not want it, she will be getting another cookbook for Christmas! I have shifted and added and otherwise adjusted the design. In place of the alphabet, I have stitched "Williamsburg" and "Jamestown" across the top. I plan on stitching "Yorktown" down the right-hand side. I changed the colors to DMC, because stitching with silk stresses me. I think I may add a dog/cat/rabbit on the right side of the lady, and perhaps a little something under the bird.

Hmmmm....I always get my best stitching/cooking/crafting ideas when some unrelated deadline is approaching!

Come Live With Me...

I started "Come Live With Me and Be My Love" by Carriage House Samplings. Did I all ready tell you all that? My head is still not on straight! We went on a whirlwind trip to Louisiana to visit Louisiana Man's great aunt who was recently diagnosed with inoperable thyroid cancer. She is 92 and sharp as a tack, as they say. It was good to visit with her, but also very sad. We drove down on Monday, visited on Tuesday, and drove back on Wednesday. No, we did not have any seafood. We ate at an Indian restaurant twice though.

I did not get any stitching done on the trip, nor did I (read: "nor was I allowed to") find any stitching stores. Ah, well.

I am stitching this piece with good old DMC, and I really like the colors. It must be that "born-in-the-70s" syndrome flaring up again! The colors are calming, like the fleeting promise of fall in the air here today.