Hello out there.....

Do you ever wonder what has become of some of our blogging friends? Do you contact them to see what is going on in their lives? I have noticed a few blogs that have not appeared on my radar recently and when I look back they have not been active in a long time. Time certainly gets in the way of blogging, family issues, health or other reasons. I think I may try to reach some of them that I miss reading about. Just the thought of my earlier morning.... now I am on to the laundry, the umbrellas and stitching.

This is my yesterday start..... it is from Crossed Wing Collection No. 15. It has been one of the ones bought and forgotten about...until Mr H spotted it on the wall in The Attic a few weeks ago.and said how it liked it. So, I finally pulled it out the 45 or so DMC colors and dyed the fabric a light blue a week or so ago, and sat and stitched on and off yesterday. I also have pulled a few Christmas ornament patterns and fabric so I can get started on them. Speaking of fabric, how do you store your fabric for cross stitch? I decided awhile back to iron and roll and tag and place in a basket...

this way they are at the ready except for the edge stitching. I use a small zig zag for the edges. The only fabric in the closet is that which is still in the packages, have not gotten around to that yet. And I do not keep the basket outside...the light was better there for the picture! Although, it does look nice by the vinca vine.
The morning is already quite warm at 91 and will be hotter soon. My glass is filled with ice and Gatorade Rain so I will be off now. Glad you stopped by and thank you for the kind words. Enjoy your day.

Clematis in full bloom

A wonderful relaxing day yesterday. Thank you Julie and Anne for giving me permission to sit and stitch instead of doing chores! Must admit, it did not take much pushing for me to do so.

The morning light is still soft so the linen is not showing white, but the colors are nice. The outlining was more work than the stitching due to the way it is printed, but I managed to get it done.

I like the way the vines look....and the detail to the blooms is nice....there I took some liberties as I could not distinguish some of the line placement. All in all, it will look nice framed. Today I will look for a frame at Jo Ann's when I go in to work. I may frame this myself. The finished stitched area is 10 1/2 by 5 1/2. I think simple will look good. Since I will not be stitching this again...it is up for grabs.Anyone interested?
I am already thinking of the next project, or I should say 3 projects. If my upcoming work schedule is like this past weeks, I will surely enjoy some good stitching time.

This angel has been with me about 20 years now.... She gets to stay outdoors here in Arizona year round, but during the winters in RI she stayed inside. I see her each morning when I look out my kitchen window.... Love having Angels and Faeries in the garden. There are many interesting things in our garden....
As always, it is so nice to share my time with you. Thank you for your kind words and I hope you have a good day.

Just one of those days

There are days that are bright and sunny, and not just outside. There are days that are very productive even when you think they will not be. I have been awake and stitching since.... well, very early this morning.

All I have left is the back stitching on the leaves and the connecting vine..... I am glad that I am finishing this and look forward to getting it framed. As busy as I have been this morning, I have no ambition to do what needs to be done....  I have not yet opened the colors (the umbrellas) yet.... need to brew more hummingbird juice.... laundry is not going to wash itself..... no, I do not feel like doing any of it.
Found this lovely delicate bloom, it is one of the Guara flowers. Love it's shade of pink.
 I do want to continue on Clematis since it is so close to being finished. I am eager to start another project and I did receive my #3 Round Robin name. I should pull out some magazines to find the right stitch for Heather..... I always enjoy looking through my magazines... sometimes it is like I have not seen them before! I also should start planning my Christmas ornaments. For now, I will brew a cup of tea, pull out the magazines, and set up for stitching on Clematis. It has been so nice having you to chat with today....thank you for your kind words and friendship..... hope you have a wonderful day.

Summer Postcard and a finish

Jo always finds something for us to participate in. This time it is the Summer Post Card Blog Hop and I am the first to get a "post card"...From Marcy at Stitching Plus

This is what Marcy has to say about her garden..........

"My garden adds life and color to my yard. I'm always thrilled to see the butterflies, birds and other critters that visit (except for the Japanese beetles, them I could do without).  Every spring a pair of chickadees moves into the bird house and has a little family.  I love it.  Makes me smile every time." 

I wonder who will get mine?

I also finished Litha: Summer Solstice, a design from The Primitive Hare....

I decided to finish it as a door hanger. I used several different paints to get just the color I wanted... but of course, it is difficult to see in the picture. I added a dimensional bee to the hanger. I love the way my coffee dyed fabric turned out. I found the fabric in my stash and used the listed DMC colors.  I dropped everything to stitch this...except Saturday when I found it, was a work day so I stitched this on Sunday. This morning is our monthly stitch group.... always look forward to catching up with the gals and seeing what everyone is working on. I will take Clematis to work on.Well, my dear friends, I love having you visit and your kind words warm my heart. Hope your day is wonderful.

A beautiful morning in the garden

I sat outside for about an hour before it felt too warm for me. It is 86 right now but the Arizona sun always feels hot. The Resident hummingbird spent lots of time chasing away 2 other hummers.... they are very territorial and he does not want to share the feeder.

 This little female got a few sips before He shooed her away. I never tire of watching thee tiny birds.
 So, I put a second one out and I am sure it will not be too long before they discover it. Hopefully he will not think both belong to him!
I began to stitch a must have design from The Primitive Hare...just had to start it as soon as I saw it. I love the way my coffee dyed fabric turned out ...

I plan to stitch on this today...Clematis has waited since 1999 to be finished, a day or two won't be too long. We are so lucky to have such talented designers to tempt us daily! So often they share a freebie. I am so glad to spend time with you today....hope you day is grand.

Arizona Bound
2004

It is somewhat overwhelming... the house sold in just 2 days, for the asking price! My packing and organizing the boxes is going better than I hoped.
The yard sales, well, let me put it to you this way...never more. People asking if they could have instead of buying! To be fair, it has been going well. Some people asked for more than what we put out..."Do you have something more in the house?" We did, and we sold off the walls, out of a room... not bad. Our plan to travel is scheduled for July 20th. I have already made arrangements for a 15 foot Penske truck.  As I look around my lovely home, I will miss so much of it. Dennis is beginning to question this move! What is he thinking?! I have made it clear, we are going, or at least I am. He can have his pug Zoe and find a place to live here, but Sherlock and I are moving! This was his idea in the first place and he convinced me, so there is no going back now.  Everyday he comes in from work and looks at the boxes..... he usually mumbles something... I tune it out. The dogs are very curious. I am increasingly curious on how they will handle a 6 day journey in a moving vehicle.... must get papers for them from the vet.... must gather all our medical info... I bought a file box to take along. The lists continue with every one I cross off as done. Just about a month away now.....