Olympic Challenge

It has been a crazy August so far, Summer Weather, Work and Family have all contributed into making this a great summer and one filled with great memories.

However, I have found less time to stitch, and even less time to blog or post about the stitching.

I joined the Stitch Maynia Olympic Stitching SAL. I have been able to do most of the daily stitching, but the posting of the progress has not happened. Instead I am posting it here.

New Start 1 - I worked on this piece August 5 (Stitch blue), and 10th Specialty stitches.

This is Music Amongst the trees - Samplers Not Forgotten - Not sure if you can see this picture but there are Blue stitches in the band across the top and Rice Stitches at the bottom.  I love stitching on this - first experience with Gloriana  Silks. Its a treat. I was able to complete a lot of this on Day 1, I know very little blue, but - I worked on this Friday night at my Stitchers Retreat Every Other Month !st Friday Night Stitch in,so it was about 5 hours of stitching time.

Day 2 - International Theme - I finished La D Da Peace on Earth.  I sort of looked at this a little different figured Internationally we could all work on Peace. (Very happy)


August 7 (yellow), August 9 (black) and August 11 (green).  This was a New Start I was able to finish working on this for three days.  Glory Bee's Free Summer Chart






I did not stitch August 8, Water or August 12 Triathalon - three pieces  ( I did not stitch at all either of these two days.

August 13 (red) and August 14 Equestrian - I started and finished JBW Hobby Horse - I did this as a Christmas Ornament - I stitched this with Sulky threads Blendables Vintage Holidays.  This was a 12 weight - so one strand is the same as 2 - it is a very different feel.  But I really liked this thread and bought it on a whim and just had to use it.  I would be picky about what I would stitch with these threads because of the look and feel, but I do like it.




So I haven't decided what I am working on from this day forward.  But I am sure I will find something.

The Wedding quickly approaches for DD#3.  I really need to get a dress - I haven't even looked and the wedding is September 3.

Guess I really should stitch some sort of Wedding Sampler?  Maybe?

Small SAL July and other Stitching News

Here is my Small for July.  Ink Circles - Just CrossStitch Christmas Preview issue 2016.  I did this in the DMC colors and I just love this.  My kids are going to laugh when they see this - they always tease me because my trees are so tiny -- This is so perfect for me.  Thank you Heather at Stitching Lotus

Extra Extra:  My LNS has announced their 2017 Retreat.  I am so excited!!!!Simply Spooky (Designer Isi Abbatti Primitive Hare)   The 10th of March 2017.  I am putting my deposit down very soon.  I can't wait to see what she has planned.  I love my LNS.

Speaking of wish, I visited her today.  Just went to chat with the owner, Jan, and of course pick up some new stuff.  I rarely share my purchases, because I am off the hook when it comes to chart purchasing but today, why not.  I hope you can see them - Road Trip by Bent Creek, 3th of july bird by Heart in Hand - Saw this one over on Carols Stitching Dream  and I ordered it right away, and it arrived.  Also there is the New Reflections of Scotland - Ink Circles - have ordered the fibers - and really want to do this one, and last but so special by Samplers Not Forgotten - Tis Near Halloween, and it has my favorite - When witches go Riding !

Two more finishes - This little frog is from the SAL KLT Charting  I am doing these as single frogs - no lily pads - This little guy is on Silkweavers Solo 32 ct luguna - 1 x 1.  with Fiberlicious Yummy Fibers Midnight Forest.  Not sure if I will do all these frogs - but I really do like frogs at night when camping while they are croaking.  These frogs are a great way for me to try out some of my new threads from Fiberlicious and Jodyri Designs

And then there is my Summer Sampler.  Love it, and now I just have to create the wall hanging for my daughter by August 1.  I am so excited.  This is one of my favorite things I stitched this year even though it has some French Knots ---- And I did make them - they are all different sizes and a little off.  Thank you Floss Tube for doing your best to help me master.

It's Almost Christmas

It's almost Christmas and all is well.  I am ahead of schedule on all counts.  Presents are wrapped and all that is left are those few things I leave on purpose for Christmas Eve.  Seriously, I don't know why, but I love the last minute Christmas Shopping.  

This is my first year without a child - since I moved and left my two youngest daughters in the large family home, into a very tiny - one person size house (one of the many memories of 2015) this is the first time in 40 years it will be just me and a dog.  Me moving was the only way it seemed I could get that "Empty Nest"  Someone was always moving back home - so!!!.  It was funny trying to fit all the Christmas decorations in my new home - so I had to leave several of them - that was sad.  But the over all peace of living alone was well worth it - now this is me - Having had six kids, and now 10 grand kids - Peace and Quiet is good. 

New Year, New Traditions:

Christmas eve will be with my sister and friends.

I will travel Christmas day - dropping off the presents at each house - all my kids are local, That will be fun to see all the presents at each home and individual attention to each family.

I am having a open house on New Year's day.  And I have invited them all - fingers crossed they stagger their time of arrival and departure, because there is no way everyone will fit in this house at the same time.  But I do have late and early risers so I am pretty sure we will be fine.  Just soups and chili - so it will do well to the eat when you get here thing.

Book Club:  

Last finish - A Room with A View - I loved this read.  After I finished I watched the movie.  I usually don't like love stories - but this one I did.

Next Book:  To Kill a Mocking Bird.  That is the CNY Book of the Year for 2016, which is why our Book Club is reading it.  I have read this book I bet about 5 times - the last time was only in the fall, One of my favorites,  

Stitching News;

As everyone else it's been limited so I am a little far behind with my December goals - but that is pretty normal for me - so at least with the holiday season I have lots of good reasons.

First up - My WIP from a Crazy Cross Stitch Start I did in 2013 The fabric is black and this is a terrible picture - I hope the next shot will be better.  I have a 2016 goal to finish three more of those I started in 2013 This is from a Leisure Arts Magazine - February 1993.  That has been a very long tine on my todo list.  The thread is DMC 3844.  I really like the blue with the black.  Below is a new start - Trilogy - Winterology. The 2nd in the series I am doing - hope to finish this and Spring and Summer in 2016.  I am blogging from home so no picture editor and my WIP is as you can tell standing up and it should be lying down.  

Final note:  I do celebrate Christmas - it represents a big part of my Faith.  It is a time of Good Will towards ALL and my wishes for peace and joy are not based on how I worship, or what this day means to me - I only hope that we call all find a way to celebrate all of our neighbors, and keep kindness and love in our hearts.

Saturday Mornings

My Stove Top Percolator

Saturday mornings without errands to run are my favorite.  I get to have the best cup of coffee of the week.  Ground up the beans and percolate.  This is a percolator I purchased from a flea market for little cash.  I was looking for one for a very long time - a memory.  It is perfect - makes about 4 cups of wonderful coffee and it makes that wonderful sound of coffee percolating.  Is that the right word?  Smells great - tastes great and the anticipation while waiting for it to finish is great too.  I finally perfected the grounding of the beans so they are coarse enough not to spill out into the coffee.    Now if I can just get a rotary dial wall phone with an extra long cord -- I will be content....

We also in Central New York had a crazy warm week - in the 70's -- unheard of -- three days in a row.  I have added pictures of my stitching below.  November is the month of the year I start looking towards setting my stitching, reading, home improvement, health goals for the upcoming year.  December is way too busy for me to wait.  So I grabbing another cup of coffee and publishing this post to work on my goals.  Enjoy today...

Stitching Finishes

After Stitching is Completed 

Back after stitched together

Front of Pin Cushion

This project has been on my list to complete for awhile.  I have been doing more stitching lately of things not to frame.  This was also different because there were lots of new special stitches I had to learn, which keeps the brain functioning...  This design was published in Cross Stitch and Needlework - January 2011 - one of my favorite publications.

Christmas Ornament Before Finish

Peace Ornament Found in here

 New Starts For November

December - As I started Late when this is finished
will be working on January

This Welcome is found in CSN  January 2010.
 With m y latest needleminder  Nutcracker Uncle Sam

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A Little Christmas Decorating.

Here are my Christmas Decorations - lots from my mom, and the ones
 I have gathered over the years.  I am a Snowman, Cardinal, Gingerbread person -
and I am a Dollar Store, Christmas Tree Shop Shopper....



This is my front porch- it's a quick look, where you can really
see the train and the white tree, my moms,
and the Dollar store snowmen and gingerbreads. 
The lights are a little wacked of course - but they work for me. 



This is a close up of the 2012 tree in Clinton Square,
my daughter-in-law, takes her kids every year to this event.
 This is a picture she took on Friday. 

This is my grandkids (2nd son) at the Christmas Tree Lighting
- as you can see, they close the streets off in downtown for the people.
 A lot of the shops are open late. 
This picture shows Malik, who missed Christmas Craft Day. 

I decorated the blog too -- the picture is also another one of my front porch - I am so not Better Homes and Garden, or Country Living but  I am specially blessed to be comfortable in the way I celebrate this season. 

No Work until Tuesday

But so much to do.I am lucky, I am not cooking Thanksgiving dinner and my family is happy about it.  I am really a terrible cook - the only thing I can do correctly is the Turkey - but forget the rest, so my kids are taking over. Well I also make a breakfast in the Crock Pot -and pies - so the kids come over for breakfast and pie - then they all go home - and I travel around to their houses - eating like three times. 

  I do have to make my special Snacks - family recipe passed down from my mom - it is a fun snack mix, I make it, my sister, my brother - and we all use the same recipe, but they all taste different... It has curry and garlic in it - so the smell of them cooking is vivid, and it only comes once a year - you only make them at Thanksgiving - Christmas, it marks the beginning of the season.


 Tomorrow I am off to the craft store - I have to get the materials for Grandkid craft day - even though I do have a bin full of things, but need to pick up a few things.

Instead of shopping on Black Friday - I take all the grandkids for the day, so their parents can shop, and we do Crafts for Christmas.  It is a wonderful tradition we do - the first of the Christmas season.  Some of the kids will then go to the Christmas Tree Lighting in Clinton Square.  Not me.  I will start to decorate for Christmas - I can't wait to put up the Christmas, and take down the Fall.

Lots of pictures coming soon

So blessed the window on the Truck is fixed - the wonderful repair man cleaned the inside of my truck WOW...  So blessed to have so many Christmas Family traditions and the season is starting soon

Okay, So I am not winning the gold

But I have completed one more Christmas Ornament.   I should be sharing the Magazines I find these in, but right now, I can't seem to remember.  This was also a fun stitch - and it is on Aida 18.  Any ideas about the animal to the left?  I was thinking it was a rabbit, but you know, it looks so very big for a rabbit...  Loving it just the same.