A Stitching Finish.....Almost!

Hi, It's me again! Don't faint! I know, this is highly unusual for me, but I wanted to share my "almost" stitching finish!

It shows up bluer than it is. This is the Blackbird Honeysuckle Manor reproduction sampler that Barb Adams named after her great great grandmother Hannah Lovina Joslin. The chart is from the Honeysuckle Manor book.

I had a hard time deciding who to dedicate my sampler to. At first I thought of my maternal grandmother, Ina Gertrude Leive. I adored her, she always made me feel so special. I've tried to be the same kind of grandma to my grandchildren. Well, she wasn't a very "flowery" woman. Don't get me wrong, she liked flowers, but she wasn't much for adornment or flowers in her house and I thought that maybe this didn't look like her. I'll find something more fitting to her, probably an Anniversaries of the Heart piece.

Then I thought of my paternal great grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Langhofer. She passed away before I was born, and thanks to one of my aunts who wrote a book of that side of the family, I do know about her and have her birth yr. Hmmm, but, her name was just too long to fit in the space. And you know me, over one is DEFINITELY out of the question! See a previous post!

So, I decided that I was going to dedicate my sampler to my other paternal great grandmother Etta Alice Rock. I did know her, and always thought that she was a sweet lady. My dad was especially fond of her too. And her name should fit. However, I don't know her birth yr so I'm waiting for that information from my aunt. Then I'll be ready to graph the name and birth yr and complete it.

I love this sampler and the way it turned out, but I must warn whoever wants to stitch this..... the border is very time consuming and has a lot of color changes. But I think it turned out in the end and was well worth it!

It's Fall Festival Time!

Hi and Happy Fall!

It's finally here..........cooler temps and soft breezes and an occasional rain!

With fall comes the fall festivals and shows! Such fun! Janet, my DH, and I went to one today! It's an annual event and we manage to find such interesting treasures there every time! It's a bit of a drive for us, but well worth it. Our excitement grew as we parked on the side of the farm lane and walked in to the craft booths. Some are lined on the side of the gravel drive, some are in an old building and some are in a barn! There's pumpkins and gourds for sale also, the ones that came home with me are above!

Here are my goodies, things I "Had to Have", treasures that "I Couldn't Go Home Without"!


As you can see, I purchased quite a variety of things! I adore little pincushions so the little kitty had to come home with me, and the crow and pumpkin ones on the ceramic insulators too! Another thing I like are old wooden bowls and this one is a great size. Inside it are little handpainted gourds! They will be adorable on my Halloween tree! The little ceramic piece by the kitty pincushion in front is a bell..... when I picked it up I said, "Oh, it's a bell!" And my witty DH said, "Isabelle!" So we named her Isabelle on the spot and of course, I HAD to buy her then!

Three Stitchin' Finishes

Hi, Dear Readers!


I have some finishes to share! The first is by Little House Needleworks. It is Winter Sheep, one of the monthly ornaments. He was fun to stitch!






Next is my pumpkin block for an online group I belong to. I chose to stitch a Halloween piece by Pine Mt. I love the kitty's tail! Think I'll stitch this one again for me!

Lastly, the finish I'm most proud of! This is a Blackbird Design called Spring's Messenger. It was the project from Heartland Camp when Alma and Barb were the guest designers in........ 2003! Can you imagine? It's been a UFO all this time and I was determined to finish it this year! I must give credit to my friend Janet who stitched the over 1 purple motif on the right side, by the weeping willow tree. I have an aversion to over 1! She graciously stitched it for me, thanks so much, my dear friend!

Back to School!

It's back to school time! And I'm back too! What a crazy busy summer!

Yesterday was the first day of school for all 5 of our grandchildren! In fact, the first day of Kindergarten for two of them! Altho an exciting time for all, it was also a melancholy time for me. It marks the end of taking care of grandgirls on a regular basis, several days a week. We will still be available for unexpected events or days out of school tho.

But time marches on and I know that now I will be able to turn my attention to my house, and more of this.........

and this....


and this!

Red, White and Blue!

Hello, Dear Readers! Are you still out there? I certainly hope so! I apologize for my absence and hope to get you caught up on the happenings from the past two months in my next posts. From our DGD Kelsey's dance recital in May, to our Mediterranean cruise, family reunion and camping in June to now, July! Wow, no wonder I'm tired!

Anyway,I hope everyone had a safe, fun and relaxing Independence Day! We had rain showers off and on all weekend which put a damper on some of the fireworks displays around here.

To catch up on the past months, I'll start with a few pictures of Kelsey and her dance recital. These are from their dress rehearsal, Kelsey is the blond in the middle in the first picture. They tapped and sang to "Take Me Out to the Ballgame", were they ever cute!






Here's pictures her grandpa took at the recital:




And afterwards, a tired little dancer!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! I hope you are all enjoying a great day with your families.


Where did April go? And here it is almost mid-May! I'm sorry that I haven't posted in so long and I really don't have an excuse except that life got in the way.


We took our RV to the Ozarks in mid-April and I celebrated my birthday while we were gone. It was the first long trip we'd taken with the RV, and only the 3rd outing. DH got some practice in backing, as had to back down a road and into our campsite!


Last weekend we spent at The Elms in Excelsior Springs. MO. http://www.elmsresort.com/ Our two daughters had given my DH a gift certificate for a stay there when he retired...what a lovely resort! It has quite a history as was where President Truman stayed when he was awaiting election results. There's a spa in the resort and I opted for a "Rejuvenating Hand Treatment"! The massage was wonderful as was the paraffin wax treatment. I have arthritis in my hands so the treatment was really a treat!

Now to the stitching: I finished another Little House ornament design..........Pear Tree. It was a fun stitch!

This next picture is of the block I received at my stitch group exchange. It's a design by primitivebetty. I want to finish it into a pincushion someday!

Until next time, I wish you Happy Stitching!

Two March Finishes

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Day! We enjoyed the day with our two daughters and their families. Our youngest daughter Sarah and her husband Dave had a delicious brunch dinner. The grandkids enjoyed the egg hunt in the backyard and we all were delighted with the sunny altho windy day!


Before we get further into April, I want to share a couple of cross stitch finishes I had at the end of March.

The first is a design by primitivebetty. I used a piece of PTP Ancient fabric and the recommended DMC flosses. I love the way it turned out and will get it framed to add to my Quaker wall. Oh, it's called Olde Primitive Letters!

Blackbird's Bluebird stitched up very quickly. I used Gentle Arts Midnight on Cafe Kona fabric. I'm going to add some old buttons and finish it into a pincushion.