Clown in Repose returned

Okay it is hot...and there is not really too much difference from yesterday at 109 and today will be cooler at 104 ...trust me, there is little difference. My outdoor time is limited to checking the pond and garden, an errand or two then back home. I so miss sitting outside in my garden or front porch. The last of the baby Doves left the nest. I really should take apart the nest as The Brother Alan sasd to do. I do not really want another pair moving in.
I had to go to the Post Office to pick up the package; it was Clown in Repose returning to me...…

I stitched this crewel work piece back in the 1980s sometime. When I moved out here to Arizona in 2004 Eva P the mother asked to hang it in her apartment. Now, with her nursing home placement I asked sis Lynowl to return it to me. Carefully Lyn removed it from the framework and here it is waiting to be cleaned and reframed. As it was not under glass it is a bit soiled...lightly but soiled. If anyone has any ideas on cleaning it by all means let me know.

I quickly learned how to do and like French knots with him....a zillion make up the hair and accents throughout. I tried to have clear definition between areas...you see, this was my first real crewel work piece.

This was a Bucilla kit. I probably will have it framed instead of doing it my self...maybe. I had originally framed it and did a so -so job as I had no idea of how to properly frame any needlework. I forgot how much I really like  him.
I did finish the beaded bauble that I posted in progress yesterday. Of course I started another one. Really enjoying these ornaments. I just mailed out the first one which will arrive at it's new home on Tuesday.
I am just having my morning coffee and need to get some clothes swishing in the washer so off I go. Your visit has been so nice. Thank you for your kind words and for your friendship. 

My slow morning

Well, finally feel as though I will get through this morning. The reason being that last evening I took the med for my restless legs...of course if a med has a side effect most likely I will experience it. Lightheadedness, blurred vision (already have some of that) and tired. Did I mention the lack of concentration? So far I have started several adventures around the house and left all of them mid task. One of those days.The good news is that I slept through the night and not once woke until 6 am from 9 PM. So, I guess I need to weigh the choice of sleep and morning of being very slow to restless broken sleep and feeling tired for most of the day.

Most likely little will be accomplished today but the bed is made and the Bissell walked around so that is not too bad. Not sure were the Swiffer got left! The garden will not get swept due to the winds again. Following doctor's orders I will limit my outdoor time during the windy time so my asthma/allergies will behave. The sounds of my buoy bell and chimes are relaxing to me and they certainly have gotten a work-out recently. The days have moments of very gusty winds.
Yesterday The Brother Alan and I talked on the phone for 3 hours! We chatted about so many things and made so many plans and I could go on and on...let me just say I miss him and glad he will be here in September.... don't worry I will not be starting the official countdown yet! Usually these long type of conversations are with the sis Lynowl. There have been times that she and I talked more than once a day for long times. Now we Skype....that is another story ...I will say it is fun with her.

As my hand allows I try to work on the French embroidery ... but....The last 3 lines around the piece which I did as broken lines are suppose to be solid! So....yes, I guess I will be back stitching to make them solid. Not today though! Not with my concentration where it is. Wonder about my reading.....

These 3 are on my table now. I have been reading Sherlock Holmes and started James Comy's book but not yet the other, Everything Happens for a Reason. I do read from my tablet but to be truthful, I really enjoy having the book in hand and feeling the turn of a page. At the rate of my morning so far I think breakfast is the only thing I will start and finish right now.
Yesterday I received an email from a friend Jeri....I was not aware she reads my blog each day. I was not aware that ladies from a group which we both ( and I have been absent from) belong ask about me and she lets them know how I am....what a nice feeling that is. Thank you Jeri for caring and reaching out. Glad to chat with all of you... glad you take time to visit and listen. Thank you for the kind words and your friendship.
I am off to conquer the day!

I am feeling chilly....

When the temps fall after many days of high 80s and even the high 90s I find there is a chill in my air. It is only 55 right now and that is chilly. The sun is still very low so there is no warmth coming from it yet and the high today should be around 87. Hopefully the winds have quieted down. I have thought about getting the leaf blower out.... that really is  task better left to the pros, believe me.
Last week Glenda found me another footstool....

I could not believe my eyes! It is exactly like the first one we found! I have added a thick foam top with new fabric. See, it opens up....now I do not have to take the one from the bedroom out to the living room when I sit in the rocker.
I was asked if I am okay....I know, I have not posted since Wednesday. I am doing fine. I am just on the roller coaster as Glenda refers to it. I have kept busy with this and that. Last Wednesday I was visiting with Dianna and Bobby and he made us hamburgers on the grill... and yesterday Glenda and I went for lunch after we bought my area rug...

this is in front of my bed. I love the soft colors. The room rug is a beige so this gives me a pop of color. I was lucky to have a 15% off coupon so I saved a bit too. The walls will be repainted when I find a color and the temps are not hot so that means this winter.
I did manage to tat.....

this is Gillian form Jennifer Williams snowflake book. I thought this time I would use blue for the beads. It is one of the small ones measuring only 1 3/4 inches at the widest point. My hand felt rested enough.  I am accepting that the hand will be more of an issue than before....why? I have no idea, but I will adjust and if this is just one of the few limitations I am experiencing, then I am luckier than some. The hand embroidery using sewing needles is a little more difficult at times. I am not complaining just stating a fact for me. For so many years my over all health has been just fine so with these little problems I need to learn to make adjustments. Do what I can when I can.
I made Pizzelles the other day and today I will be making what we Italians from Rhode Island call Spinach Pies...which are very much like a calzone and not at all like a pie. Always wonder how foods get their names.
So, that is what I have been up to. It is time for that second cup of coffee and some breakfast. A few chores then time to read and maybe work on a project. I once again want to thank you my dear friends for the caring words you send to me and advice too. Thank you so much for your friendship.

Busy weekend

I thought I was going to sit back, but there was still shelves to move

First they had to be painted, then a lesson from Don on drilling, how to put in a molley and then attaching to the wall. Glenda directed from the chair with coffee in hand. Poor Don a wife, a friend and tools. The people on the shelves are not exactly where they will be but it was time to get them out of the basket in the closet. I needed to stop as my hand is once again swollen and sore. So besides the right leg not the right hand! Did I mention the needle in the foot?

As I strolled through the living room a sharp pain in you guessed it , my right foot. This needle is what I pulled out. The problem with carpets is that sometimes when you drop something you do not know you did until... Not to worry, it did not require any tools to pull out. It will be added to my Festival of Needles.
A surprise package arrived on Friday and a new mailperson.

Cousin Janice in Rhode Island sent me these delicious cookies...oh my goodness.

Each cookie is individually wrapped and just perfect; not sweet but flavored just right. These are Sweet Olive Oil Tortas with anise. Their name is Ines Rosales. Thank you sweet Janice for thinking of me with this treat.

 I have been slowly stitching on Alice. I am not fond of this motif so it is taking forever. Not much more to finish it so I will push on today with it as much as my hand will allow. This represents the tea party.
I think I may have found the fabric to redo the footstool. Just deciding between two that I had in my stash.  Oh before I forget, did I mention The Brother will be here next week?
On Saturday morning around 10 am I thought I saw someone looking at me through the large living room window...I did ...it was a young coyote! I could not grab my camera quickly. The window is to the floor so he had an easy view in. The lanai hummer is busy already this morning patrolling the back yard. I had a restless night so I did not get out there early enough to sweep so it will wait until tomorrow. In the meantime, I will make the bed wash my coffee cup and cereal bowl then settle to stitch. Thank you for visiting today. Than you for the kind words and friendship.
Happy to report the friends I have in Florida are all safe. 

It's all about the curio today

Last evening came the pouring rain and a bit of thunder. I do not like these storms! Today is beginning with very overcast skies and muggy. Actually there is a light drizzle falling. Now I have dirty rain water in the pond...and that means another morning (not today) cleaning it out and I better finish the cleaning this time and get regular water back in so this will not happen again. I am hoping that the waterfall connection is clear and I can figure the rock formation so that it will fall properly. For now, I may have to just put it back as a fountain. Two steps forward and one back. But, what I want to show you is my new curio

Doesn't it look lovely next to my chair? On Saturday Don took me to get it  and yesterday Glenda  (they are a team) and I arranged this and that for the shelves.

It is a perfect size; 59"x32"x13". This is the top of the curio. Both the angel and the dragonfly piece at the far right have a battery candle. So very pretty at nighttime. The stitched piece of violets  and the ornament is a piece of turquoise and copper.

 Remember to ignore reflections...mirror backing can be difficult! This is shelf one with angels, fairy and angel wings with a piece of tatting. On shelf 2, is my Cinderella...a couple of glass blown pumpkins as well as the coach and glass slipper and the Disney glass coach pin. Of course my stitched coach too.  In front of the Angels is a glass ball sitting on frogs. The front left is a Lenox dragonfly and sitting on the velvet slipper pillow is a beautiful hand painted needle box that I received as a gift from KimM.

On the third shelf is my needlework doll and the two Victorian ladies that Mr H bought for me when I first visited Arizona. They look lovely with the mirror to reflect the intricate back of their clothing. I decided to put the rose trimmed mirror here to help preserve it. In front of the ladies is a lovely dish with raised roses around the top from Italy. It was given to me 47 years ago ...a gift from Denny's cousin Tootsie that I treasure.  On the bottom of the curio are two Faeries sitting pretty and in the center is a fairy  atop a glass bubble. So pleased with this curio purchase as well as how Glenda and I filled it. Totally feels feminine with my treasures.
This weather has me feeling tired. I was ambitious yesterday morning and I made delicious Pizzelles. Today not ambitious at all. Maybe some teddy bear sewing as it all ready for the machine. Right now I need to finish my coffee. So glad to chat with you today. Thank you for the kind words and for your friendship. Let's have a good day.

keeping busy....

I have been alternating on the projects at hand...the scarf, the ornament and getting some fall into the house and of course my Hawaiian quilt piece.

I love hand sewing so this is a pleasure to work on. I am hoping that by the end my needle turning will be better, but for now it is okay. I have been reading up on the history and such and some of the quilt pieces use a small tack stitch and I was taught to use the invisible stitch. So we shall see and maybe the next one I will try the tack stitch. Oh and the scarf is growing...a bit slowly, but it will get there. My ornament is looking good...

now you did not think it would be in focus did you. I m not sure if my niece reads my blog so I want to keep it a surprise right now  how it looks. I will tell you it is cute! I would like to make a few other ornaments so I am trying to work ion this  a little more each day. This will be my 3rd ornament for Natalia. It really does not feel like Autumn here in Arizona but I started to get the look at least in the house....

I really looks nice at night on the mantel. I is not complete but then again we are still in the 90's most days so it is not easy feeling like Fall! the overnight temps are not too bad and the early morning is nice....then the sun rises higher and boom! it is in the 90's and hot. We have had a bit of rain these past few days but not enough to fill the draught here in the desert. I just finished a laundry and hope to sit outside for a short time. I went for lab work yesterday morning and my left arm/elbow is a bit sore today. The gal who did the drawing of 3 vials was really gentle and I do not have any bruising. Limited handiwork today I think. I am still waiting on Alice from The Attic. They have not placed the order yet...I may try one of the other shops out of Arizona. Not that I am in a hurry you understand to begin her, but I just want her in my house. I have realized that tomorrow is September...my goodness these months are just flying by. With that thought, I best get stitching. It was so nice to have you stop by and welcome to my new friends. Thank you for your friendship and kind words. Have a great day.

Bee Happy is finished

Sat and sewed yesterday and managed to complete this project. I like the way the canvas tote absorbed the coffee dye. I hand stitched the cross stitch piece to the bag so that if I had to wash the tote I can easily remove the piece. Although I wanted it to be simple, I found the black lace piece and decided to add it.

The lining is just the way I wanted to dyed piece to look. I kept this part simple also; no pockets or fancy lining. I am really happy with the completed look. I would like to find a bee charm to add to the inside...just for fun. I should have and could have accomplished more yesterday but to be honest I got caught up with coverage of the 9/11 . Truth be told, I watched far too much and it did stress me a little. Today will be different. It is a cooler start to the day and it is expected to be around 100 but with some humidity. My mind is racing with projects that I want to start....embroidery, stumpwork, punch needle...where to begin?  I even want to do a bit of quilting. I saw a program with Dresden plate sunflower that looked nice. See? I am overloading my mind! I did steam my couple walking punch needle....

now just to think of how to complete it....I do like the colors now.  I may just mount it on a cutting type board to hang. I know that I do not want it on a box top....maybe a basket front. We shall see. My blogging anniversary will be coming up shortly... 6 years...who would have thought. I have noticed since I started blogging that some seem to have fallen by the wayside....or simply changed where/how they post, and how often they post. Life does make us change I suppose. Anyway, I am happy that my enthusiasm has remained and that you choose to visit with me. Thank you for your friendship and kind words....hope you have a great day.

Chestnuts found!

There are certain foods that I can not find here in Arizona that I really miss Rhode Island for. One is chestnuts when in season. Some years they are here and affordable some not. This year my dear cousin Janice sent me some ...but I needed more. We did find them but even the grocery store had to toss out their supply after we bought some and they were all moldy inside. Then I found them but they were $14.99 a pound! Finally I found them at Sprouts yesterday...for $4.99 a pound

so now I will have them for Christmas....just a tradition to have chestnuts roasted for Christmas. It does not take much too much to make me happy. So many of you did just that yesterday with all the birthday wishes for my guy....he thanks you very much. The doctor removed the staples on Tuesday afternoon..he did wince a bit...I could not look.  He had therapy yesterday and they increased his time to 1 hour and he is doing very well with it. Mr H is walking much better and hopefully the thigh pain will subside. We did not have a birthday cake...

instead we enjoyed pastry; Lobster tail filled with whipped cream and custard filled cream puff. I figured it was a special day...cake just does not mark the 70th like pastry does. It was good to see that he is up to going shopping with me.... I am not used to doing lots of things let alone by myself...very spoiled am I. Today I hope to spend time starting my baking and working on my new project....

I am starting on band 5 and forgot just how much I enjoy this type of project. I just needed a break from regular cross stitch. I do find that I need to stop after each band to rest my hand, but that is just fine. There are 2 more projects in this book but I am not sure if I will do them or look to another book. I do have several in the bookcase.The one thing I need to do is get another scissor for thread cutting...like in Hardanger. My wonderful scissor broke and I have yet to buy another. I will probably look to Nordic Needle for one. Just need a tiny and sharp point. Right now, I need a cup of coffee while I wait for the laundry to finish. I thank you for the birthday wishes for Mr H and for your wonderful friendship. Your kind words make a wonderful day for me. Hope you enjoy your day.