Alternate Route Needed

I made a dilly or two  or ten mistakes in my stitching for Land That I Love and guess what, I AM NOT frogging it.  I am not even wasting time to look for it.   My order of stitching was down the left side and about one-third across the pattern.   I then decided to stitch across the top border and work down.    Somewhere along the way I thought it a brilliant idea to stitch the dividing bands across - and in retrospect - it is a darned good thing I did.    As I worked down from the top border, I realized I don't have enough space left to stitch the eagle and the vase for the flowers above the first dividing band.....I did find a two thread error on the left but I think I am more like 6 threads off.  Since I knew I wasn't going to rip it out but rather compensate my back side off.....I stopped looking.    No one will know the difference except me and the blog-o-sphere and oh yes, there is my EGA group that I blabbed to.    Deep breathe, calming thoughts.   Decision made, I am over it and moving on.    It has been in time out for two weeks and it is time to refocus on this piece and get to compensating!

It seems after over a year of nothing, I have had a couple or four busy weeks with what seems like something to do every day which always means something is getting neglected.  Sometimes that is housework, sometimes it is gardening and sometimes it is needlework and sometimes it is just as simple as down time.    I took a day last week to do nothing.....well not really nothing.   I did some necessary EGA work, I did some necessary computer work, I balanced my checkbook, I paid my property taxes and than I was done for the day.......and it was only 1:00 .....I spent time in my hanging egg chair on the deck, listening to the sounds of summer, stitching, reading and NAPPING!    It was heaven.   I don’t know about others but I get myself all wrapped around the axle when things I am neglecting seem to take a life of their own.  It felt good to check a few things off my to do list that I had been avoiding.    Note to self, learn to say NO to others and have a me day at least one day a week.

I just finished the Indigo Girl which I enjoyed.  It is a historical fiction novel based on Eliza Lucas Pinkney of Charleston, South Carolina.  A place I need to go back to.    I enjoyed the book and the epilogue even more when the author shared all the  acclaims for Eliza.    I also finished The Old Girls Network.   It was a light, cheery read about two sisters in their 70's that don't get along.   One comes to stay with the other to recover after a health issue.    Their lives are turned upside down and changed forever when I stranger comes into their lives. 

I finished the stitching on the EGA plaid spider.    Early on during this stitch that I thought it was not going to turn out right because I used stash and not the called for colors.   Once I started the  vertical stripes and the plaid formed, I could see it materialize before my eyes. He will be sitting in the bin of finishing that I hopefully get to by fall. 

Other things going on for me......I have the need to lock up my credit card.  I have been on a spending spree for sure.   I ordered new furniture for my family room.....get this.....10 months until delivery......due to Covid related shortages and the bad weather in Texas...apparently Texas is the sofa stuffing producing capital of the world.   

Also ordered new blinds.  Mr. W wanted to know what was wrong with what we have.....um, they are twenty years old, more than a couple of the cloth cellular blinds are torn from the demon cat, and even though I clean them, they are graying at the top.

.....and I broke the news I am getting a contractor to paint the room.   Again this room hasn’t been painted in 20 years  and I promised myself when I stood on scaffolding and painted the cathedral ceilinged room  back then that the next time it needed to be painted I was hiring someone.   It was not fun when I was 20 years younger so now I know it would be really ugly.   

......lastly to round old my spending purchases, I bought new deck furniture....this order has  an eight week delivery.  Mr. W was ok with this order since it will be delivered at no cost and he won’t have to make  a couple of trips to Lancaster County, Pa to pick it up.   ....for these  new chairs, I went for whimsy and ordered turquoise!   

They will match the new mailbox and welcome sign I picked up in Lancaster.  Wait til Mr. W. finds out I am ordering new rugs for the family room when the furniture arrives.   Let’s not even venture the reaction I get from him when I tell him I need his help to repurpose and bring into the current century our 40 year old coffee table.  It's a good thing are opening up again because I think I could  Number 1, drive Mr. W around the bend with my projects, and Number 2, bankrupt myself via the internet if I am locked up much longer! 

 

In other stitching news, I have spend a teeny tiny bit of time on these two designs.   For WinterRose Manor, I finished one page of the page albeit the page with the least amount of stitches.   I started working on the next page which is the right side of the house.    Also put in a few stitches on I Crow.   I am alternating these two pieces at my needlework groups as my take along pieces.  

Another week or ten days and there will be nothing to do in the yard but pick flowers and I will be able to dedicate afternoons to needle and thread.   Hmm,  I keep saying that I am done but I keep finding things to do in the yard and gardens.  On the flower front, I planted all my pots and again  I over brought.   Need to make a note of that for next year.  

Loving walking around my yard and seeing and smelling all my pretties.  Above, picking strawberries this weekend right in my own yard.  Below, my sitting area in my "back 40" project.

Spending time with the grand babies.    Looks like one spoon for Raegan and one for Damma.

Next up, I am diving into the abyss of the Medicare rabbit hole.  I am trying to understand the options and make the right decisions...........I'll send up a flag or fire a warning shot if I am going down for the count....

Thanks for stopping by, stay safe and keep on stitching.

Time Away

Put your feet up and get ready for this catch up post........

Omgosh, as I packed for OCMD I realized how tired I was from the "days of Willy".  They started on Thursday and lasted until Monday and I loved every minute but needed a rest up for sure.  All my children were here for the first time since December 2019.  We celebrate with just my son's family on William's actually birthday and then again on Saturday at a family party.

The birthday festivities were great and it was so good to see family and friends which we have not been able to get together with for so long.  We spent a lot of the time outside.  Now that everyone is vaccinated, we all felt more comfortable. 

We had a 'smash' cake for Raegan since
her 1st birthday was via Zoom

Legos are always a winner!

 

What?   I didn't touch your cupcake.

I did end up waking with nagging sciatic pain on Sunday morning which means I had shirked my responsibility of daily morning stretches that keep back issues at bay.  By Tuesday, it was bearable and with walking the boardwalk on the horizon, I made sure I did extra stretching to try to get it under control.   Aleve always helps too.  This getting old crap is not for sissy’s for sure.   But really, can’t complain, I am in good health just not good shape.....but that is a whole other story.....

 

 

 

 

For OCMD, I had the big decision of what was I going to take to work on.  You know we always take more than we ever could possibly work on and it is not like there isn't a store just steps away to buy something.   

It wasn't hard to wakeup to this view.....we had an apartment on the third floor right on the ocean.   Trust me, the climb up was not fun, especially when we checked in and toted all our stuff up.  I kept telling Stacy, eat the food, drink the bottled water, drink the wine....less trips we have to go up and back down.

I struck to my original plan and prepped two finishes for the hand sewing into fully finished pieces but only got to work on one.    I was able to stick to my small list for Salty Yarns.   I needed some random flosses that were missing from a couple of kitted future projects and I wanted the Stacy Nash Be Kind Sampler.  I got the fabric, chart and fibers but a start on this is not even on my radar yet.  

Due to Covid, we were divided into three stitching rooms of only twelve stitchers in each.   We had assigned dinner times with our 'room' to maintain social distancing for Sara's famous lasagna and scrumptious desserts.   Stacy and I ended up having the entire stitching room to ourselves because the others wanted to stitch in their rooms.   We could unmask, spread out, turn on the TV.  We ate at one table, did some guild computer work at another table and stitched at yet another all while we watched the ocean out the wall of windows.  

I did make a bit of progress on Land That I Love.   I really want to stick to this being my focus piece.  But no promises.   I find that whenever I layout a plan of attack, I don't follow it.   I am the master of my own disaster.   I do hope to finish each row as far across as the top three and then move to the little bit left before the right border.   And what did I just say about making plans?   OMGosh, I am such a  ninny!  Sorry for the wrinkles.  I am trying to stitch in-hand which is new to me and  I seem to have a death grip on the fabric while I stitch.

This is a small project  I took with me.   The fabric is called carnival and I am not 100% sure it will work for this design but I plan keep at it.

I spent an entire afternoon on this canvas-work piece.   It is an EGA project and I have the wire cupcake holder to finish it with.  I wanted to get as far as starting the vertical stitches so I could see the plaid start to form.

I was able to fully finished L. Genders from With Thy Needle and Thread.   At first I thought I might UNfinish my by-hand finishing  and redo it by machine instead but.....I think I might just leave it as is.

View from the Route 50 Bridge walking to The Bad Monkey for breakfast.  

Stacy and I went out for Cinco de Mayo....I mean the Margaritas were calling us.  We walked the boardwalk each day; one day we walked all the way to west OCMD for breakfast.  We walked to Springfest at the inlet which was filled with crafters, food, music and beverage tents. 

Since Stacy has had a condo in OCMD forever, she knows EVERY ONE and EVERY WHERE to go.   Last year, due to Covid, she stayed away from going out.  This year, vaccinated and masked up,  she was ready to socially distance with her OC friends in person again and took to me to some of her favorite haunts for drinks and to watch her different friends' bands.  Not my usual view of OCMD but it was great and she has some fabulous friends for sure.

The weather was great but cold, we had great food, great fun and the days flew by.  For now I need to unpack, do laundry and add my new floss and pattern to my inventory so I need to get myself in gear for a busy week ahead.  

Thanks for stopping by, stay safe, be happy and keep on stitching....