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.