June has been busy and hot!

Buttercup turned 5 this month. She did indeed get her American Girl Doll. She tells people she got it, "even though I am not 8 & up!" She celebrated with a mermaid pool party. Both of her "boyfriends" were there, so that was interesting....

Nutmeg told me that when she grows up, she wants a garden as overgrown as mine. Magical things apparently happen in wild, untamed gardens.

We went to my aunt's house for Fathers' Day. We had an indoor cook-out, complete with spaghetti, which my family is never without.
I had forgotten how much energy it takes to keep a 1-year old out of the electrical outlets!

And now it is time to educate the children, do laundry, and figure out what is killing my tomato plants....

Always time to stitch!!

This has been a crazy weekend already! Today, we celebrated Buttercup's 5th birthday with a pool party. I am completely exhausted! I did manage to work on and finish a few things in the past few days. The first is an old freebie from Sheepish Designs named "Here, Kitty Kitty." I added some different stitches and took out some windows. The next design I freehanded inspired by Mary Jenkins book, "House and Garden Samplers." There are not any actual charts in the book except for a few house outlines, but the photos are inspiring.

And this Shepherd's Bush design is waiting for buttons. I may try to stitch a bit on Adam Alone today, so I can move on to the next item in my rotation. Not that the rotation stops me from working on and starting other designs that catch my fancy! I am so tired - will I be able to watch BritComs tonight?

Stitches and Wings

I finshed several WIP this weekend. The first is an old freebie from Sheepish Designs.

This is Plum Pudding by JBW. I changed the plate from white to red and omitted the words "Plum Pudding."

Windy Hill by Brightneedle

This morning, we noticed our butterfly was ready for release. I had collected at large caterpillar from a parsley plant. He turned out quite beautiful, didn't he? I have not decided if he is a boy of a girl. Buttercup tells me that caterpillars are boys and all butterflies are girls. Hmmm....

Freedom isn't Free

I love and hate Facebook. I spend too much time on it, but I get to keep in touch with old friends. I attended grades 4-7 on a military base. Now for the first time, I am reconnecting (superficially at least) with some of those old schoolmates. I have gotten to wish an old friend good luck for job interviews and seen some super-cute kids. I went to college at a military college. Many of my sorority sisters and friends married men in the military. I was a fraternity sweetheart, and many of those men and other school mates are serving in the military. I live in a rural mountain town, where Afghanistan and Iraq are a world away. There is nothing like hearing of the death of an old friend to bring the war into your home. He has a wife, and three young children who will grow up without him. It is so sad, and the story is and has been happening all over our country. We take so much for granted while others are giving their lives for us. All morning, I have been thinking of college days, of sitting next to him goofing off in German class, of "Mad for Plaid" socials with his fraternity and my sorority. I have been "chatting" with old college friends on Facebook all morning. I do feel a bond with those I went to school with in that special place. If you have a chance today, say a prayer for our military, thank a soldier, or hug a military spouse.

Two cross stitches

That was a really imaginative title, wasn't it? I finished Weathered Garden a couple of weeks ago. I love the color combination! I just finished 3 days on Grateful Heart from JCS. I love the colors and the textures!