Have I Got Stuff!

It has been a busy week, working more than I care too!

I am hoping things will be back to normal and I can understand the nuiances of the new computer system.  I'm thinking my memory just isn't as good as it use to be.  

Not only picked up extra hours but usually I have Thursdays off so, I make my appointments.  

It was a week of extra appointments.  

I had a physical on Thursday which meant I had blood work on Tuesday.  

My Aunt Helen also asked me if I could go with her to a doctors appointment.  

She had an echocardiogram and the doctor's office highly recommended someone come with her.  

Her children are all out of town and I was happy to go.  

We called kids when were at the doctor's office so they could hear the news.  

My aunt had an old Echo result which the doctor was happy to see.  

It confirmed that her anneursym had not significantly changed in four years and was no near a place for intervention.  

The weather yesterday was pretty crummy and over night we got snow.  

I am really hoping this is the last snow of the year.

We got about three inches and much of it has melted today and the rest will be gone tomorrow.  

Just another reason to belly ache

Even though it is annoying, it is beautiful.  

I don't need anymore beauty like this. 

I got some of my stuff from the Market this year I had ordered from The Stitching Bee.  

I needed some thread and since the VMSS debacle I can always use fabric.  

The fabric is from Needle Bling Designs....I guess she just started dying fabric and this is called Shrekie's Tan.  

It is a tan with goldish green mottling.  

Sorry for the glare off the one:  Stacy Nash:  Be Kind Sampler, Spring Flower Pinkeep and Rose Cottage Sampler Pinkeep.  Oh my!  These are all really beautiful

I love the colors of Liz Matthers Dutch Sampler Collection.  

I got the PN$&PS Spring becaise of the Red House from Teresa Primitive Stitching.                             

I got La D Da Elizabeth Charnely, A Scarlet House that has been on the radar There's No Place Like Home and the 2021 PS Santa.  

I have been waiting for so much stuff to come.  

There have been so many issues with the supply chain.  

I did get my last 2020 School Girl Sampler Club installment from County Sampler in Spring Green.  

Margaret Croft from Needlework Press.  

The colors are an absolute delight.  

The cow is quite lovely too. 

I am making progress on Pet All the Dogs.  

I got my dogs finished last night and posted them on Instagram.  

I customized them.  

I did the initial of each dog that has been a family member over one and tried to get the color of the dog close without deviating too much from the patterns colors.  

Buster is in a red and cream checked sweater.  

Henry's brindle is a lighter grey than our first GWP Huck.  

The little dog on the end with the initials FD is for Future Dog.  

The dog over the 123 is Huck our first German Wirehaired Pointer.  

The black dog was Jake, our first dog and a boneheaded Labrador Retriever.  

He was stubborn but and excellent dog....could tax a saint. 

Great with babies and yound children.  

I am expecting a box from the Attic this week.  

I got noticed it was sent.  

I am hoping it has the floss I was missing for the Smith Sampler, my sampler of the month for January and the Sampler of the month that is not like anyother sampler I have seen....but who kinows.  

I hope you had a good weekend and the weather was nice.  

Those floods in Nashville look awful.  

I lived there back in the late 1980's.  

Take care, stay safe and keep following the precautions.  

Its prudent

Keep Stitching

Monica

 

Spring Cleaning Took Over

I was going to go through more stash and re-organize projects that are already kitted up but, we did some spring cleaning.  

We have ceiling fans in the great room and because this includes the kitchen, the fans need to be cleaned twice a year.  

Since we had the started with the fans, that lead to the kitchen cabinets.  

We have an open top of the cabinets and those get dirty.  Of course there are baskets and platters on top for decoration and those get really bad from cooking grease and dust.  

That lead to taking down the shower curtain in the guest bath and washing that and it needed a little repair. so did that.  

It all kind of snowballed but, that is a good thing.  

Bob will not want to help once the snow melts and the ground dries out, he'll want to be at camp.  

Once that happens, all bets are off.  

Before we got started, I made a Blueberry Buckle from my Betty Crocker.

That was an excellent way to fuel up before all this hard work.  

I did get some stitching done on Pet all the Dogs and may be getting close to finishing, 

I have to stitch the dogs and the numbers at the bottom but, easily I'm three quarters of the way done  

Well, looking at this full picture, way more than three quarters.  

I have greatly enjoyed this stitch.  

Perfect for any dog lover.  

Or cat lover since I think there is a cat conversion.  

Too lazy to go and look....LOL

We did have picture perfect weather this weekend.  We hit 60 degrees both days.  

Today wasn't quite as sunny but, pretty close.   

We only have a little ice on the north side of the house and shed and will probably be gone soon since we are suppose to have a couple of days of rain and that will finish off our snow.  

Hope you had a good week and weekend.  

I have one more really busy week and then hopefully will be back to normal. 

Stay safe and keep being careful with the Covid.  

Bob got his first vaccine so we are close!

Keep on Stitching 

Monica

 

Organization

I got some organization done this weekend.  

I'm part of the Attic 100/3 Au Ver a Soie silk club .

My sister got me a nifty case for the thread last year for my birthday but, since I got the Dream Box, I decided to store them in the narrow drawers on one side of the cabinet.  I would have to have bought several more of the cases and this may be easier storage.  I got some round stickers that fit on the end of the spool to write the number to see it easier when looking for a specific color.  

These clubs are lagging because of supply.  The Attic doesn't charge until they ship.  

I was part of VMSS fabric club.  

I continued to get invoiced every month through PayPal and she posted she was getting fabric and dyeing but, nothing since last November.  

I had emailed them and asked to be removed from the club.  
I keep getting invoiced and have since contested the charges and have had my money refunded through PayPal.  

I understand the supply chain issues but, they should have stopped the invoices.  

It did make me very sad to do that but, I work pretty hard for my money.  

Just another view.  

I was visiting Ed as I organized thread yesterday as he was over trying to get out Roku and streaming figured out.  

We weren't sure if it was our internet or Roku.  

We have been fighting with this to try and get the streaming services straightened out.  Our Netflix cuts in and out. 

I'm still not so sure that Spectrum isn't messing with us to try and get us to spend more money with them.  

Now I'm sounding like a conspiracy nut.   

I ironed up Pet All the Dogs.  

I had the iron out to press a pair of pants I just hemmed.  

I just may power through this one.

I don't know if I said this, so forgive me if I have, this one is kind of Christmasy.

The angel over the house is quirky with a unibrow.  

The house took some time and some thread.  

Good thing the red is DMC 221

Got another crazy week ahead.  

My coworker's father has not been feeling well.  

She decided to take him to a hospital in Green Bay after arguing with him.  

She got him there last Thursday and tomorrow he is having five bypasses.....YIKES!

Don't know when she will be back to work.  

I usually have Thursdays off but, have worked last Thursday and will work this week too.  

Ugh, and then the time change will make it even more difficult.  

Everything will be fine, just probably won't get much stitching done.  

Hope you had a good weekend and have a wonderful week.  

Keep wearing those masks, social distance, hand sanitize.  

When its your turn, get your vaccination....I did, no issues!

Keep on Stitching!

Monica

 

Back to Pet All The Dogs 🐕

Back to Pet All the Dogs by Teresa Kogut, my Christmas Day startd.  It kind of has a Christmas look.  

I have to finish the window pains and the house minus the roof will be done.  

I thought all the red would make the house a little onerous but, when you're tired it is the perfect evening stitch and since it was  DMC 221, it was fast.  

I reversed the colors on the door by accident.  I figured it wasn't worth ripping out.  No one will know unless you read this blog.  

I finished perusing SANQ and really didn't find what I was looking for but, found other good stuff.  

I kept a little notebook of things I liked and noted the verse, size and a little description.  

If I really liked it, I printed it and took a picture and printed it with my Sprocket

This is a super sweet Adam and Eve.  

I love Adam and Eve Samplers and someday will have an Adam and Eve Sampler wall.  

I have a mini one going on in the sewing room but, not really picture worthy.  

Mary Hannah Gibsone 1836

Below is Ann Hall also 1836 and a Adam and Eve.  

She truly beautiful and an awesome sun  left of the Tree of Knowledge.  

There is just not enough time.  

 Sent my order to the Stitching Bee for the Needlework Expo.  

My list:

La D Da:  Elizabeth Charnelay

Hello Liz Matthews:  Dutch Samplers Collections

Prairie Schooler:  2021 Santa (of course)

Brenda Gervais:  Sampling 1 and 2 and Hannah Ann Wallace 1850

Stacy Nash:  Be Kind Sampler (my favorite)

Scarlett House:  Sarah Jackson (I might dye my own fabric)

Last week at work was a killer, as I knew it would be, we moved the clinic.  

I have been organizing and packing  for weeks. 

I'm old school and have some adequate computer skills however, it is easier to have home exercise programs printed and in a file cabinet than having to print it every time I need one.  

I am usually an extremely busy therapist and don't sit at my desk much during the day.  

That being said, I don't have time to mess around with searching for exercises.  

I just want to be efficient.  

Anyway, there are lots of little stuff when working with hands: bandages, things to control swelling, strengthening, coordination and other functional activities.   There were a lot of boxes and then putting it away so it made some sense.  

It was a very busy day on Friday and by the time I got home, I was sore, hungry, tired and thirsty.  I had a hard time getting into the house because my back, hips and knees were sore.  I've been a therapist longer than 75% of therapist and staff  have been alive.  I am going on 40 years in healthcare.  

Did I say I would love to retire?

I guess I'm done.  

Hope you have had a wonderful week since you last visited.  

Stay safe and hopefully vaccinations are headed in everyones way.

Keep on Stitching 

Monica

 

Down a Rabbit Hole

I have several issues of SANQ and I have the CD.  

I've been on the hunt for a Quaker Sampler to see if I would like it with the chicken egg colors.

In the meantime, I fell down a rabbit hole and have spent several hours quickly perusing issues. 

I have been keeping notes.  

Some have really grabbed me.

Ann Hicks 1820

Volume37

Margaret Ure 1794

Volume 49

Queen of the Sea (not an antique)

Volume

JaneThomlison 1851

Volume 25 

(The other side of the sampler was on the next page)

Sarah Lee 1806

Volume 39

Mary Oldfield 1806

Volume 41

Quaker Medallion Sampler (not a reproduction)

Volume 21

I thought I finished the Tree of Life on Martha Dawson but, noticed

I missed an apple on the top left branch.  

I'll fix it after dinner before I get too far on a berry bowl.  

Taking Brenda and the Serial Starter's advice I ordered a thread winder from 

rnrwoodworksky.  

I ordered a cherry finished with varnish.

It works so great for winding the DMC for thread drops.  

My colors from the chicken egg match are ready for when I find a pattern.  

Here's the eggs and the floss.  

The dark egg is with 400 but I may use 301 instead or maybe both...who knows. 

So pretty!!!

This week could potentially be horrible!

We are suppose to be moving into a new clinic....don't get excited

We were sold to a rehab company in August.  

The new company has a building that they were only using half of.  

Rather than gutting it, they decided to remodel half and and front office.

So it will most likely look like two different clinics which is not exactly conducive to blending two staffs.  Like a couple with kids from seperate relationships be married but, having everyone on opposite sides of a house.  YIKES!!

There are design issues too, like the cabinets are too high and too low for me.  

I'm 61, with one knee replacement so I don't kneel and I'm 5'3" and these cabinets are made for people six feet tall. 

UGH!  I just want to retire but, insurance is keeping me working.  Double UGH!!

Enough complaining.  

Hope life where you are is good and you have gotten lots of stitching time.  

May you get a vaccination soon if you haven't already.  

Until then wear your mask, hand sanitize and social distance.  

Keep on Stitching

Monica

 

Inspiration Strikes

You never know where inspiration is going to strike.  

Yesterday, it was some home grown eggs I got from someone at work.  

The colors were absolutely beautiful.  

We had some for breakfast but, I wouldn't let Bob crack the blue egg.

A photograph really can't show you the real color.  

I got my floss book out to try and match the colors to DMC.

I think it would be incredible.  

It took a while and more attempts but, I think I pretty much nailed it.  

I may take some more pictures later with the floss next to the egg.  

They aren't exact matches but, pretty doggone close.  

Not sure what I'm going to do with them.  

Looked through a lot of things today.  

I do have a floss winding tool coming to cut the right length for floss drops.  

Thought I might do a sampler and found this one in SANQ but, I've been watching Jacob from Modern Folk Embroidery and he had a really brilliant idea.  

I've been looking at Quaker Samplers and may cut the thread into lengths and just pull one and mix it all up. I could do that with the sampler too.  

My mother in law is in the nursing home and will be staying there.  

She fell and broke her pelvis in two places and can't stand for six weeks from the break...about three weeks ago.  If it heals she'll be in the right place for rehab but, who knows what will happen.  She was living in an Assisted Living and my husband and his brother aren't holding it any more.  She just turned 92.  

Bob and I went there yesterday to start packing up  her belongings.  

My mother in law wasn't the easiest.  Is anyone's MIL easy?  

It is very sad to be doing this.  

I brought home a piece I stitched her in 1988 after Bob and I were married for Christmas.  

Used Aida and DMC and it may have been a Leisure Arts design.  

Not sure where I'm going to put it.  

A close up on one side

I remember working on this and it was a lot of fun.  

I wouldn't do it now but, it is beautiful  

My taste has changed.  

Another thing I found was a box of beautiful linen handkerchiefs with crocheted lace.  

When Katy was a little girl she shook down all the grandma's for handkerchiefs.  

She had a passion for them and liked to iron them.  When I saw these, I thought of her.  

Excuse the butter dish...:)

My update on Pet All the Dogs.  I made a lot of progress this week.  

Now I'm putting it away for a few weeks to work on Martha Dawson.  

I think our cold snap is done.  We are back in the 20's but, then what usually happens, is it snows.  

I feel so bad for the people of Texas and hoping all is well.  

I don't know if any of you have been in one of Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe clubs, I was in the linen club.  I know she has had health issues and supply chain issues but, I haven't gotten an order since November and had contacted her about it....I have had to since last summer.  Today, I had to escalate it to PayPal to try and get my money back.  I feel really bad and had hoped to just get the fabric.  I have emailed her about this a few times and gotten no response, just kept getting an invoice.  

I am hoping, I'll be able to get my money back.  I know there are a lot of people out there who are waiting.   I was watching Momma Loves You G and she is giving her a little more time.  Like I said I feel really bad because I really enjoyed her fabric but, need to cut my losses.  

I hope you are having a good weekend, have power, water and heat and you're on the short list for a vaccine. 

Wear your mask, wash your hands and social distance.  

Keep on Stitching 

Monica

 

Kitting Up Some Projects

The infection rate has gone really down with only a few new infections a day.  

Don't think we have had an up tic in any of the variants just yet.

It was the middle of the week so Bob and I decided to take a little shopping trip to Escanaba, about 50 minutes away to go to Hobby Lobby and Meijers.  We haven't been there since last April, the last time we strayed from home to shop.  The only place to shop here besides grocery stores is Walmart (puke).

While I was in Hobby Lobby, Bob went to Harbor Feight for a few things.  We were home within a few hours but, got a lot done.  

I probably have enough kitted up but, I did get some DMC floss for projects.  

I have talked about Esther Benson from HATS.  I can't believe how beautiful the colors are.  Haven't decided on a fabric.  Whatever I pick, I will probably grunge it up some before stitching.  

I saw someone working on this a while ago.  I have  the SANQ dvd but, did have a subscription for a while.  This is a 2002 Rhode Island Sampler.  There is also a small Adam and Eve in this issue I'm going to need to do.  These colors are gorgeous too.  Haven't decided on fabric for this either.  

Henry Ford has a girlfriend.  My friend Jan has a GWP too and she sent him a valentine bandana.  

Henry asked me to help him send her something.  We printed up his picture with the Sprocket to make a card.  We also made her some lovely hair bows.  

Included a little snap of Buster.  Ignore the glare on the lower picture.  

Making progress on my latest pair of socks, going to Katy.  

This is wonderful self stripping yarn from Opal.  Love the colors. 

Finished  the second tree on Pet All the Dogs.  Working on some of the small motifs.  I really love the colors in this piece.  There are alot of stitches in this piece. 

 

It was -11 this morning with a windchill of -31.  It has been really cold for the last ten days.  It will gradually be warming up a little every day and a high in the 30's by next weekend.  

Dinner is nearly done:  chicken, sweet potatoes and green beans.  That means it is time to go.  

Hope you are warm and safe.  Remember wear your mask (we do), hand sanitize and social distance.  Now is not the time to let your guard down.  We were very cautious and didn't dally.  

Have a wonderful week and Keep on Stitching!

Monica