Vacation

I had taken off the last two weeks and we were suppose to see my sister in North Carolina.  

I even planned to go the Sassy Jacks (don't know if she's moved yet) but, plans changed when Bob's eyes started having problems.  

We didn't go so I only took last week off.  

We took a ride to the property we have about 45 minutes from here.  

The trees are starting to change colors so I took a few pictures along the way.  

We stopped at the Cooks Run Cedar Mill to get some cedar boards 2 x 8's to build a new bed in the backyard.  

We have to move our peonies because they are no longer able to get enough sun in the front yard.  

The place smelled amazing of fresh cut milled cedar.  

When we got to the property, the power company was there putting in the electric lines underground.  

We now have power ready for when we build the cabin.  

Some more pretty pictures along the way.  

We stopped a thrift shop in Iron River Michigan.  

I found a bunch of standard size wood frames for a dollar a piece.  

It is getting harder to find inexpensive wood frames.  

This is an old frame that is 11 x 15 and has a gold leaf band around the inside and lacquered.  

I would like to get rid of the shiny finish on it and maybe just use some wax.  

I'll have to do some research to see what to do.  

I think I maybe able to find a sampler that would fit in it.  

I got a lot of stitching time in on Hannah Pepper.   

I got the right side done and the trees on the left side done for Sampler September Soiree.  

I decided to put it down for now because I'm antsy to work on some fall pieces.  

I think I may just pick it back up after the holidays.  

It really is a wonderful piece and I don't want to stop but, fall is calling me way to loudly.  

Close up of the side I've been working on this month.  

I have gotten some stash lately.  

Got my monthly install of Color and Cotton floss, the Primitive Sampler line.   

Thanks to Kristy at Daisy Kay's Primitives I downloaded the PDF of  Harvest I Grow by Homespun Primitives by Lori.    

I kitted it up yesterday and had all the thread after searching for DMC 975. 

While on her website, I also found  Harvest Baskets that is super cute and looks like it will be fast.  

I was also noodling around Etsy and found these from Threadwok Primitives.  

I love the tombstone and kitted this up too.  

I plan on doing it on Confederate Grey with some of the new Color and Cotton thread.  

I think the grey and the green are pretty perfect.  

I found this too and had to have it.  I kitted it up and had all the thread for that.  

I think I'm using Vintage Mocha.

I started working on La-D-Da A Murder of Crows.  

Don't you just love the name.  I know its a Murder, like a herd, gaggle or hutch.  

I just love it .  

I have made some good progress on the first crow.  

I have gotten a few things done around the house.  

I decorated for fall, swapped out my summer sweaters for fall sweaters and nursed my sick Shih Tzu.  

If you follow me on Instagram you know about this but, I'll tell the story here.  

Buster will be 13 in January, so he's getting up there even for Shih Tzu's.  

He started on Tuesday walking around kind of funny, sort of hunched up.  

I thought that maybe he hurt his back jumping up and down off the furniture.  

He was eating and drinking fine but, not acting quite right.  

He wouldn't sit, he would just lay around.  

On Thursday, I let him out before breakfast and he seemed to poop just fine.  

When he turned, there was something all over his back end.  

I carried him in the house and hollered for Bob to come and help. 

We got him in the laundry room to clean him up.  

When I started, there was blood on the wash cloth.  

As soon as the vet opened and I called and they were able see him at 9:15.  

We really thought we weren't going to be bringing him home.  

We thought it was probably a tumor.  

The vet examined him and figured it was an infected anal gland that had ruptured out.  

It was pretty gross.  

He wasn't running a temperature so that was a good thing.  

The vet some ointment in the wound and gave us some antibiotics and anti inflammtory.  

He is doing better every day.  

Just hope it keeps up.  

That about sums it up for the week.  

Back to work tomorrow and not really looking forward to it.  

My dad always said don't go wishing your life away but, I'm sure thinking retirement would be excellent right now.  

Work has just been so busy and I'm sure I have complained multiple times about  how awful the documentation system is.  

There are much better systems out there, I don't know they feel they need to re-invent the wheel.  

It has been a huge waste of time, money and energy to get this hunk of junk to work...I'm done.

Hope you have a good week!

Stay safe!!

Keep on Stitching

Monica  

 

Just Not Enough Time

Where did the weekend go?  

All of the sudden it is 6 pm??

I have been really busy.  

Last week work was total chaos.

It was a short week to begin with, made even shorter with a trip to Milwaukee to the Eye Institute with Bob to meet with a surgeon for his cataracts.  We still don't have a date and the poor bugger can barely see by the end of the day.  

I only was at work two days because of the holiday and the day off and I don't work Thursdays.  

I had 22 of 32 hours I normally work done in two days.  

Needless to say, I'm getting too old for these shenanigans!

And just didn't have that much time to stitch either  

I thought I had the border done on What Remains is Love from BBD.  

Then I noticed I was off two stitches and that was going to bother me if I didn't fix it.  

So I spent a couple of hours ripping it all out.  

Then, Sampler September started.  

But, wait....it was Labor Day and I wanted to kit some fall stuff up.  

Laura the Serial Starter enable me on this one:  October's Party.  

The called for threads and 40 count Parchment 

Then there is Stacy Nash:  Jack's House Pinkeep with 36 count Natural Linen and

House on Pumpkin Hill Pinkeep with 36 count Weeks Twilight

This could be what I work on at the Stitching Bee Retreat.  

While I was working on this, I was watching on Youtube Abandon Nashville.  

Love the Urban exploration videos.  

Another favorite is Bros of Decay in Europe.  

Buster was snoozing on the sofa and then Bob wandered in to see what I was doing.  

He then got caught up in it. 

La D Da's Murder of Crows with called for thread and 36 count Mocha (I think)

I often forget to keep track of the fabric.  

I'll be getting from the Stitching Bee Butternut House Pinkeep from Stacy Nash

One of my clients brought me some purple potatoes and I roasted some last night.  

The before picture.  

The recipe I used  had you boil them four minutes then I wedged them, coated them in olive oil, fresh garlic, salt, pepper and rosemary. 

We grilled chicken and had a fresh salad with Romaine, tomatoes and mandarin oranges.  

I started Hannah Pepper I think two Septembers ago.  

I don't think I worked on it last September....maybe I did....I should go back and look.  

I really do love working on her and she is beautiful.  

I should be working on her beyond September but, as you can see I have a lot of stuff I want to work on in the near future.  

I may pick her back up in January....who knows.  

Got to stay away from those SAL.  

I overdyed a piece of fabric for this. 

I initially had a great piece of fabric but, cut it wrong....stoopid, stoopid, stoopid. 

The next piece wasn't grungy enough for me so I overdyed it.  

What I've been working on.  I have the pot and the greenery done since I took this photo.  

I was suppose to be off the next two weeks and we were going to drive and see my sister and her husband in NC.  Since Bob's eyes are really not doing well enough to drive unfamiliar roads, and I didn't want to drive all that distance myself, we decided to postpone the trip until later.  

I'm really disappointed!  I so wanted to go to Sassy Jacks but, is she in the new building?

I decided to work this week because it so wacky the last week and I'll take off the week after.  

I will probably be taking days off when he has his surgery because of the distance and he will need to be seen the following day.  

Well that sums it up.  

Stay safe, get vaccinated if you haven't and wear a mask indoors.  

Have a great week!

Keep on Stitching

Monica