Time for a recap

First and foremost, I count my blessings. Retirement is good; life is good.   Secondly,  it amazes me how fast the time flies.  Equally amazing is  all that has been accomplished/happened in one year’s time.  This time last year I had no idea my grand babies would be living so close to me and I would be seeing them at least once a week.  

I’ve been keeping up on others blogs until I get frustrated when Blogger won’t post my comments.   Some thing’s don’t change over the course of a year.

I am slow to catch on but have finally realized it is pointless to make any project specific stitching plans for the coming year.   I’m just going to do me!  I have committed to two Stitch-a-longs in 2022 that I am looking forward to.   First the i-Stitch Denim Band Sampler.   I have stitched other patterns from Carol R. but this is first of her band samplers.  I just hope my floss arrives in time.   I also have signed up for a sampler SAL with my guild starting in February.    As long as I can see progress with my projects I will be happy.

I spent an afternoon this week updating my entries in the X-Stitch ap.  I did this while I was flipping through my stash and making an honest effort to cull my patterns.  I may still like a particular pattern but I honestly don’t see myself ever stitching it so into the eBay pile it went.  I further categorized my projects as “Started”, “Kitted”, “Finished”, etc. in the Journal section of the X-Stitch ap.  Boy oh boy, I didn’t realize I have so many fully kitted projects.   Other than my SAL’s, I’m going to stitch what speaks to me at the time.   Hopefully I won’t end up with even more UFO’s at the end of 2022.

I am not making any far-fetched promise to NOT buy new patterns in 2022.  Considering I have three different weekends in OCMD in the first three months of 2022  already on my calendar, I’d be silly to think something won’t come home with me.  

UPDATED - At last count, I did manage to complete 29 projects in 2021, eight of which were on my UFO list.  Win/Win.  Here are my most recent completions, from Hands on Design, The Cookie Exchange SAL.   Cathy Habermann just has a great way with color.

Terri Bey Lotus Box, an EGA project.   This was a WIP.  It is far easier to stitch and finish than one would expect.

Lastly this quick New Year’s Eve stitch and finish that was part of my Advent Exchange.

In the last month, I made progress on Christmas Rules.  Originally I thought I would finish by this Christmas but…..    I’m working on the word “stockings” now and once completed, I will be half-way.

Progress was made on this class piece, Winter Wonderland,  from a retreat  a couple of years ago in Cape May with The Primitive Hare.   Sorry it is sideways.   I’ll jump on my laptop later and correct it. 

I am happy to report my son and his family are settling on a house after the first of the year.  Their move will put them 15 minutes farther away but it will still be better than a 4 hour drive.    One small hiccup is that each day they send me five or six houses in their new neighborhood that they think we should buy.   William wants me to buy the house next door and wants pop-pop to install a sliding board from the roof of one house to the other or maybe pop-pop can dig a tunnel underground between houses so we can visit each other without going out in the bad weather.   What an imagination.     For me on the moving front, I think it is inevitable but I am just not ready to tackle as yet.    Everything in my house is the way I want it and I really don’t feel like doing all that again.    I can tell you though that ride up I95 and the good old Blue Route a couple of times a week is getting old.   It is a good thing I like audio books.  That brings another thing I have accomplished this past year….

I have read or listened to over 50 books this year!   I set my goal at 24 and wahoo, I passed it by a bit.   Not only do I listen to books while I drive, but those ear pods go in when I am working in the garden too.  I think my favorite book this year was The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah followed closely by Firefly Lane also by Kristin Hannah. I also enjoyed Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewel; The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave; The Guest List by Lucy Foley; Northern Spy by Flynn Berry; The Rose Code by Kate Quinn;  Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer; My Sister’s Lies  S. D. Robertson…….and I could go on. 

I have only one home improvement project I want to  accomplish in 2022.  I REALLY do want to FINALLY finish that wallpaper removal on the stairway. (Can you hear me laughing at myself?) All is done in the upstairs hall and what remains in the angled walls of the stairway.   I know I can get it done if I just commit  a week to ten days to it.  Unfortunately there is always something else I would prefer to do than climb the ladder armed with solvent and a scrapper not to mention the mess of the itty-bitty paper pieces everywhere. 

I plan to start the new year with a new start on New Year’s Day,  just not sure which project it will be.     I should be good and finish a close-to-finished and start that list of finishes in 2022.

I wonder what changes the new year will bring.  Hope they are good ones for both you and I.  The future is unknown and I am not going to waste my imagination of what may never happen.   I’ve spent my lifetime planning to the last possible detail and ‘what if’.  I want to live in the moment! I am hoping we can all put Covid in our rear view mirror once and for all.   Who would have predicted this time last year we would still be dealing with it?  Wishing you all a joyous, happy and healthy New Year.   Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.

November (c)rush Day 9

After checking into our room, we had time to walk around the Main Street area and visit several of the shops.   We walked to the train station and criss-crossed the blocks around the area.   I had a great Bourbon Glazed Salmon  Dinner at The Depot Grille; Stacy, not so much. Her’s looked like the top came off the oregano and gave her more than a heavy dusting across her pasta. It really was bad and definitely needed to be sent back.  

If walls could talk, I wonder what stories this one would have.

 Augusta County Courthouse, completed 1901, still in use.

I think I must have been an architect in a former life.   This kind of work amazes and fascinates me.

Our room was part of the Frederick House Hotel. It is a 20-room inn situating in 5 historic houses in walking distance of historic downtown Staunton.  The current owners, Ross and Brooke bought the hotel in  2017.    As I said, our room was adorable.   Here is the link to our room, Bowers 20.    

The staff was so friendly and I truly would recommend this place to anyone.  One word of warning, our room was on the third floor and no elevators.   Thank goodness at this point we were using overnight bags.

And breakfast was fantastic.    I did not realize I booked us at a B & B when I made the reservations.   I was just looking for a stop about half-way home.    Look at their menu.  It was on the coffee mugs.    It was a toss up but I went with the Apple Raison quiche.  Delicious.  I would definitely stay here again.

So up and atom for our ride home.   We scoped out some places to stop and break up the trip.   First up was Cross Stitch Station.  Like we needed another cross stitch store at this point but…….want and need are two different things when it comes to cross stitching.  Here’s a heads up, don’t go by their address on the internet.   They have moved.   Give them a call for the new location.   It is still in Waynesboro and only a mile or so away from their old location.   That said, the store may have been small but it was packed with models, and patterns, and floss and notions.   The owner was so pleasant and patient with us as we ‘auditioned’ fabrics and flosses.I actually spent more here than at the Merchant Mall at the retreat.

Next up, we were zooming up 81 and there was a big old sign for the “Largest Fabric Store in Virginia”.   Blinker on and we exited the highway.   The store, Patchwork Plus, was gigantic.    It not only had quality fabric but the way the store and the displays were laid out you knew it was a great shop.  There was any kind of fabric you wanted in every color.   There was wool and wool appliqué, cross stitch and floss, notions, and gift ideas.   It was fabulous and dangerous to the pocketbook for sure.

Look, Jamie Fraser was spotted on the next aisle.  Picture is not so good.  It was a life size cut out and I should have walked back around and taken the full on kilt shot of him but there was so much fabric to look at. Sorry Jamie.

I just fell is love with this pattern and had to buy it.  Now, will I ever do it?  I hope so.

I bought fat quarters to add to my stash.   The holiday prints had me and I could have said…one of each please but alas I would not have had room for all of it.

And look at the cute quilt charm stapled to my receipt.   I didn’t find it until I was home and unpacking.   Made me smile.

So back in the car and north to the Quilt Museum of Virginia.  It is in Harrisonburg, home of James Madison University.  Unfortunately we were not allow to take photos of the quilts; copyright issues.   

 

I did take a photo of the machine room.  Sewing Machines, floor to ceiling on all four walls.

I did have some other purchases at the Merchant Mall that I forgot to share.  This is the cutest project roll.   Pin cushion on one end, a drawstring storage pouch on the other end.  I did manage some stitching while way. Christmas Rules which I started stitching at the Prim Retreat.

I bought this wrought iron easel for my kitchen.  Look at all the uses I have for it.  That’s me, I always like versatility in accessories.

I bought this little tree in Weaverville.    I think this is when I started to get that Christmas spirit flowing, or at least I got thinking about Christmas.

I also made progress on Winter Wonderland from the Primitive Hare.   All I had done before this trip was “onderland”.  I had great visions of completing both this and Christmas Rules by Christmas 2021 but let’s say more likely Christmas 2022.

Ok, thanks for bearing with me on my trip to North Carolina trip diary.   Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.  

November (c) rush Day 8

 We said goodbye to Asheville before 7 a.m. heading north to Staunton, Virginia for the night.   We wanted to be in Staunton in time to visit the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library for the afternoon tour. 

It was a great museum.  Approaching from the back the first thing you see if the tiered garden area.   Due to a Boxwood blight a few years ago, all the plantings needed to be removed.   But it was not a total loss;  it allowed for archeological digs which turned up artifacts from the 1700’s. 

 

This is the view of the back of the home.

This is the home Woodrow Wilson was born in.   He lived here until he was about three at which time his father was offered a new position in a church in Atlanta.

This is the museum which is located to the left of his birthplace.

Look at this 1919 Pierce Arrow.   It was Wilson’s Presidential car.  It is still used today for local parades.

See the “AAA” on the front?   Wilson never had a driver’s license but felt it was important for the President to be a member of AAA.    

Look at that dashboard.   Just the essential gauges.  After his death, his long-time driver drove the Pierce Arrow from Washington DC to Staunton, VA.

It was kind of eerie to be in the Museum on Veteran’s Day and seeing this display in the basement.

There was a very realistic display you could walk through complete with sound 

effects.

 

In the house, linens of the period are laid out for pressing.

The chair above and the bed below are in the cook’s room.   The cook, being the most important person in the house as really a chief cook and bottle washer jack of all trades worker, had a room in the house.   The ‘contract’ with the cook allowed her to keep processions given to her.   The chair above is the original chair the cook had.   It dates to the late 1700’s.

Mary Baldwin University is on the opposite corner from Wilson’s birthplace.    This University played an important part in why Staunton, VA was not raised on General Hunter’s  march through the Shenandoah Valley.   The story goes that Hunter was told to destroy everything in his path.   When he came upon Staunton, Virginia, he sees an insane asylum, a school for the blind and  Baldwin Univeristy which was at the time a school for wealthy girls from both the north and the south.  He decided it would not look favorably towards him to attack the blind, the insane and the daughter’s of wealthy families.   He decided to march on to Lexington with there was a military school feeling it was a better target.   Because of that many buildings and homes pre-dating the Civil War are still standing.  

After visiting the Museum and home, we checked into our B & B.   I’ve got to tell you that the one night in this hotel was better than the week we spent in the Crown Plaza.   The Frederick House consists of five historic buildings that have been converted into rooms.   It was so adorable and I regret I carried my stuff up and dumped it out before thinking to take a picture.  More on where we stayed and the rest of the trip in my next post.

Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.

November (c) rush Day 7

Retreat was over and we headed out to visit the Biltmore Mansion Wednesday morning after sending Diane on her way back to Tennessee.    

Biltmore is a beautiful place and we had the most beautiful weather to be there.   It is hard to conceive it was a home for ONE family.  The size of what the property originally was is also hard to wrap your head around, something like 250,000 acres.  Present day they still have a 3 and a half mile driveway from when you entry the gate until you reach the house.  I sure am glad I am not the one to have to shovel that driveway!

Our audio tour took us upstairs to the third floor and down to the basement and lasted  a little more that an hour.  If you have been to Ellis Island, you will see a similar ceiling.   The same architect did both ceilings.

The dining hall is just that, a hall…..seating 24.

From the upstairs hallway, windows open to the dining hall below.

A view of the dining hall from a different angle later in the tour.   You can see the windows on either side of the three hearth chimney

A smaller dining area, the Breaekfast Room.

Two original Renoir paintings

Views from the Library Terrace

The two story library with some 8,000 volumes of books.  Many of them rare.   And the beautiful ceiling pictured below.

Trees, trees everywhere.

The four story chandelier in the entry hall.

And who doesn’t have a swimming pool and complete with diving platform in their basement?  Unfortunately the pool current leaks and is not being filled with water.

 Across the hall from the pool is the well appointment fitness room.

Giant Gingerbread House in the main kitchen; below the original stove

Good thing there were dumb waiters to carry that food upstairs to the dining hall.

Staff dining.  I was getting my Downtown Abbey vibe on.

Table linens laid out in the laundry room.

And then we went outside. Beautiful view from the terrace. 

Although it was fall the gardens still held some beauty. 

The conservatory was equally beautiful with miniatures of the main house and the conservatory   

A garden bed

I found a a beautiful place in Antler Village to sip an evening coffee before heading into the winery for our wine tasting.

Beautiful place, beautiful weather, beautiful visit.

Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.