It has been rather a warm and humid week, but thankfully, our house has central air, so, it was nice to have an excuse to stay indoors and do a little stitching, whenever possible.  'Sweet Baby Sampler' is almost finished.  

I have  made some changes in the design, and the recommended threads and colours, to work more to my taste, and hope that it turns out well.  

                      Love these sweet little specialty bands!

Last week we made a little day trip for some more stitching stash.  If you are anything like me, I could shop in my own closets, but just couldn't resist these two beautiful designs.

                             'Autumn Forest Quaker'
                                                 By
                      Stickideen von der Wiehenburg

I have loved this sweet Victoria Sampler design since it first came out, and was so excited to find it.  I chose a 'Watercolours' thread and Sullivan threads instead of the recommended ones.

                                      'Birds of a Feather'
                                                     By
                                        Victoria Sampler

These beautiful lilies bloom along the walk leading to our front porch.  Aren't they just radiant?  They make me smile.

Where ever you find yourself today, I wish especially for you, that the sun will shine upon your face, and that the dark clouds will have silver linings.

May loved ones and good friends always walk beside you, to add a little joy to every day.  

May you find  peacefulness and contentment  in doing whatever things provide soothing moments for your spirit.

And as I sip my favorite cup of tea, and take those lovely stitches today, I will be thinking of you, and hoping that maybe you are doing the same, wherever you may be.

Our friendship is made all the more special by the bonds of these threads which bind us all together, and I treasure those threads woven into a beautiful tapestry of our shared lives.

Blessings Dear Friends!

                                                                         

Finally!  'Barnwood Buttons' has all of her sweet little button flowers sewn onto the stems!

                Fabric:  Picture This Plus Belfast
                              32 Ct. Barnwood
               Floss:   Weeks Dye Works #1094 Linen 
               Buttons:  From Rosewood Manor


Here a few close-up photos so that you can see all of these wonderful buttons.

Now, to select just the perfect frame!

Wednesday morning stitching group afforded a few lovely uninteruppted hours, with the girls, to work on my 'Sweet Baby Sampler'.

There are some pretty specialty stitch flowers and bands to stitch in the next part, and I can't wait to see how this sweet sampler just blossoms!

Because it was my birthday this week, my very dear friend, Martha treated me to another very special luncheon and tea at Mrs. Bridges Pantry!  The very best present ever!

Of course we just had to tour this wonderful antique shop, just below 'Mrs. Bridges' Pantry'.  Lots of fun!

Every little detail, especially the beautiful teacups, makes this a truly delightful experience!

Our darling daughter and I share a birthday week, and we celebrated her birthday last evening.  Miss Ella decided that a "Winne the Pooh" cake was in order for the occasion!

Made by her Mommy, who loves to bake and decorate cakes. Miss Ella was beyond thrilled!

Dear Daughter & Miss Ella

Miss Ella picked out 'Hello Kitty' plates, for the occasion and laid them all out in a neat little row.

Last Sunday, our son, Kevin, his wife, Gwen, two year old Emerson, and 6 month old Harrison came to help Grammama celebrate a special birthday!  

Sweet little 6 month old Harrison, who is wearing his Daddy's sleep nightie! 

The car is all packed and Emery is getting ready to go!

There is never ending joy spent with our precious children and grandchildren.  We are treasuring these very special moments, as they are the truest and most lasting of all of our family heirlooms.

Blessings to you, dear friends, on this Sunday afternoon.

Stitching, Tea and Good Friends!

On most evenings this week, when I finally settled into my 'stitching nest', I found myself too weary to take many stitches before my eyes began closing.
I did manage to finish the stitching on 'Barnwood Buttons' the other night, and now am ready to sew on the adorable button flowers.  
Here is a sneek preview!

Love this very lacey flower, but it was a bit of a challenge doing the backstitching!

                          Preview of the sweet floral border.

Before sewing on the Barnwood Buttons, I decided that I really must start stitching  on Miss Kyleigh's birth sampler.  It is a small piece, so hopefully it will stitch up quickly, but it does have some specialty stitches in it.

My goodness, where has this week gone so quickly?  It was a busy but very happy kind of week, starting off last Monday with a wonderful trip to Mrs. Bridges Pantry in South Woodstock, Connecticut, for a lovely teatime luncheon with the girls from our stitching group.

Waiting for our tea before luncheon.  Don't you love the sterling silver sugar cube dish, and those adorable little teapot salt and pepper shakers?

                                         A little corner table for two.

                  A sweet little spinach quiche and salad.



To finish off a perfectly lovely day, my friend, Janet took us to visit Whispering Hill Farm, www.whispering-hill.com in South Woodstock, where owner, Donna Swanson, took us on a tour of her home to view her gorgeous hooked rugs.


Donna teaches rug hooking classes in her wonderful antique farm house, which is filled with an array beautiful hooked rugs and antiques. It felt like we were walking through a museum!  Here are just a few of my favorite rugs.

Donna's Antique Sewing Stand.  Isn't it absolutely gorgeous?

               The floral design atop the sewing stand.


Several of my stitching friends, who attend Donna's 'Hook-Ins' are encouraging me to join them to learn how to rug hook.  I am contemplating doing a small project to see if I will be 'hooked'!  


Well, all for now dear friends. One of our sons, his wife and our little grandsons are supposed to be stopping in shortly, enroute from a week long vacation up north at the other grandparents' summer home.  They will spend the night here before driving the long distance home tomorrow.


Have a very lovely weekend and may you have some special time just for you too, doing whatever makes you the happiest and content.


Blessings in Stitches & Friendship!

                           

A Day For Peace and Calm...

What a gorgeous and glorious day it is today!  The humidity dropped last night and we woke up to dew on the grass and sweet cool, wispy breezes in the air at last!


Sundays are always special days when I attempt to quiet my spirit and take time for some very precious and quiet times for reflection, meditation and prayer, to refresh my soul and lighten my heart from all of of its' burdens. 

" I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child, with his mother; 
 Like a child is my soul within me."  (Psalm 131:2)

One of my happiest times this past week, was when a group of  my very dear stitching friends came to spend the day here.  We had a fabulous time, sipping cups of tea, eating, chatting and laughing, while we stitched and stitched the day away!  Oh what joy!  


Happily, I finished stitching Mr. Rooster in this cute knotty piece.

                      
The stitching on 'Barnwood Buttons' is almost complete, and then the really fun part, stitching on the adorable buttons can begin!  I can't wait!

              
With permission from the ladies, I would love to show you some of the unique and beautiful pieces that they were stitching.      

          Janet's lovely knotted flower basket pendant.

             Pat's beautiful, knotted cottage by the sea.

                  Carol's cross stitched house by the sea.

                  Shirley's cross stitched silouhette of angels.

              Janet newest 'knotted' miniature chair seat.

There are absolutely no calories in this deliciously 'sinful' cherry pineapple dessert, which our dear friend, Janet made for us!  It was yummy from the very first to very last bite!


What a wonderful and memorable day, girls!  We just have to plan another stitching day again very soon!


This past week we enjoyed a rather quiet, but happy celebration of The Fourth of July, enjoying especially the wonderful firework displays. 

                    Long may her banner wave!
                             Let freedom ring!
Thank you, Lord for blessing us with so many freedoms in the United States of America.


Until next time, dear friends.....  Miss Ella is coming over in a few minutes with her Daddy, for supper, so I must go!


Have a very blessed and wonderful week!

   

This lovely cool waterfall is in our neighborhood, and oh does it look so welcoming on these very warm and humid summer days.  We are not permitted to go in the water there, but oh, is oh so tempting to take one's shoes off and sit on the rocks with the cool water splashing all around.......

Thankfully, we are having light showers here this afternoon, and hopefully it will cool things down a bit.  I am looking at some pretty dark ominous clouds out there.  

Tomorrow morning my stitching group are coming here for a day of blissful stitching.  Fortunately we have central air, so it will be lovely and cool.  I decided to make some cranberry pecan biscottis to serve with iced tea when everyone arrives.  

The past few weeks have flown by, and I must admit that being a full time nurse to my dear husband, who still is not permitted to weight bear on his operated foot yet, has left me pretty exhausted by each day's end.  Hence, even though I sit down after supper with needle, thread and linen in hand, I often find myself dosing off instead of stitching.  Occasionally, I have managed to stitch here and there, on 'Barnwood Buttons', and hope to finish up the stitching soon, so that I can sew on those adorable buttons!

For weeks I have been searching for the perfect birth sampler to stitch for our newest little granddaughter, Kyleigh, and I am really excited to stitch this beautiful design!  I have chosen different threads other than the recommended ones, but I think that they will look lovely.

I just have to share this adorable photo of Miss Ella with her latest most favorite acquisition........'Hello Kitty'.

Notice that Miss Ella and Kitty are about the same size!  Miss Kitty is even wearing her bathing suit, and she arrived in a pair of matching shorts and pink sandals too, all ready for the beach!  Just tooooooo cute, don't you think?

Well, I am thinking that, since it is 4:oo pm, it is time for my afternoon tea, and definitely a little stitching before it is time to make supper.

Although I am way behind on reading my favorite blogs, please know that you are always in my thoughts, dear friends.  I love visiting with you and always appreciate your wonderful comments so much!

Blessings!