April 30, 2016

Something I thought would never be

The words me and grandmom in the same sentence.   Little William Geoffrey was born yesterday morning at 10:18 a.m., 8 lbs., 8 oz., 21 1/2 inches long with a healthy set of lungs.

Such joy.  We were making the drive out for (3 1/2 - 4 hours) the scheduled c-section, planning to leave home around 7.  We got a text the she was in labor around 4:45 a.m.   We left a little quicker than intended and arrived to meet our first grandchild.   


Just the whole miracle of life is so mind boggling that two cells join and make this!    This is now my wall paper on my iPad and cell phone.  

OK, I guess I just could continue to gush but I will do my best to suppress it.  Needless to say we are over the moon with little man.   I just wish they didn't live so far away.   I see many a weekend trip in my future.  

To catch up on last weekend, I was at my semi-annual retreat to Salty Yarns in OCMD.   It was another great weekend.   Weather did not allow for stitching on the porch rockers and I really missed that.   However, there was much laughter and fun with friends (24 of us!), great food, good times.   

I picked up my pre-stitching for a Betsy Morgan class in June.   Not much to it and easily doable.    I hope to finish up once I am back home. 
This is the finished piece which I just really liked from the time I saw it on Swan Sampler Guild last summer.  Do I need it, no, but that is a whole other issue.  This will be my first Betsy Morgan class and I have been told it is a real treat to have her as a teacher.   She did speak at my guild earlier this year and I got a preview of her teacher style.   She is a very sweet, talented and sharing lady.    I am looking forward to the June class.




Something else from OCMD.   My friend Diane from Tennessee makes the semi annual trip to meet us at Salty Yarns.  She gifted us with these pretty project bags.  She picked them up at the marketplace at a retreat she attended in Marietta GA.   They are from none other then Faye at the Caroline Stitcher.   I have been a follower of her blog for years.   She does beautiful finishing and  I love the top stitches and embellishments she adds to her finishing.   Each of our bags had different linings and I should have photographed the french seams on the inside.  This present was doubly wonderful to receive.   (Thanks again Diane!  You are the best.)


Finished my second cup of coffee and time to head to the hospital for some more snuggle time with little man. 

April 18, 2016

Hangin in there

I do love Bleeding Hearts.   This may need
transplanting into a shady spot.






  








What a difference a week makes.   Feeling much more in control of my life.  Spring has sprung and it is so awesome to be able to enjoy the seasons!  Let's see if I can be brief with a catch up on what is up in my neck of the woods.

So enjoying the trees coming into leaf.   Camera doesn't catch the variety of greens I can see from my deck.


I did take a time out from the weed pulling to stitch a bit on Saturday.













This would not be one of the gardens I have cleaned up.
It is begging for my attention.
Got a couple or three flower beds done with my divide and conquer method.  Vegetable garden has been tilled and is ready to plant. Last weekend we had three inches of snow, today I was working in the garden beds.  Go figure!  No where near done getting the yard in shape but it felt good to get my hands in the soil.   Feels good except for how dry my hands are.....you know how the soil just pulls the moisture out of them.




I have also been trying to purge my clothes closet.  (I know, I am spreading myself across half a dozen tasks again.)  I have made walking into the closet miserable  because I refuse to throw anything out just in case I drop five or ten pounds.  Well, I been having that argument with myself long about five years.  It is time.  I just see dollar signs when I fold and bag it up.  But the frustration of not being able to hang everything up and the frustration of so many clothes that don't fit now outweighs any thought of the cost.   I am doing a full top to bottom sort of every drawer and every shelf.....it will feel good to have a nice neat closet/dressing area.  It just might take me a couple of weeks.

I am happy to report as of Sunday night I finished Jeannette Douglas My Stitching Treasures.  I made a vow to myself come heck or high water I would get it done this weekend.   I have been a lazy stitcher this winter.....time to get it in gear.  Good thing I'm done because I will be picking up my pre-stitching for my Betsy Morgan class in June at Salty Yarns at the end of the week.

 I am using the beads and charms I have on hand but may 
need a charm or two more from Salty Yarns.  
A few more beads, mounting on backer board and move this to the completed column.

Mr. W. started a fire for me on Sunday night,  What a nice way to end the weekend.   Fire, 
glass of wine, current book I am reading and Simon and Garfunkel playing in the 
background.  It was a refreshing weekend...

Need to start my list and get packing for OCMD.   Have a couple of little things I want to finish and maybe a new Jeannette Douglas start.....which I hope to adapt to the colors of the My Stitching Treasures box.

Have a great week all.   May your stitches be many and your frogs few.

April 9, 2016

Feeling Stressed

Just too much to do and not enough time.......maybe I do need to retire.....but I fear so much time home will lead to too much stash enhancement and too many WIP's across all genres of creation!

I think I am still recovering from all the baby shower prep, house guests and hoopla.   We are on a count down now for baby.  It could be anytime and hopefully not the four days I am in OCMD!   It will be a long ride to western PA from Maryland but I'll do it.

It is work too.....changes in personnel.....and we always go backwards before we go forward.   I seem to be the forever 'go to girl' for every new person and for that matter, anyone with a question.   It just makes me fall further behind on my tasks.  The interruptions.  I don't know who answers the endless questions on days I am out of the office.   Oh yeah, they call my cell phone, that's right.  Sorry, just a bit testy about it.   I like helping but sometimes they know the answer and I am their security blanket.   Time to rip off those covers!

And holy moly! when am I going to get some yard work done?   I know.   Calm down.   It is only  April.   But my calendar is filled with weekend trips and baby and stuff!

Sorry, just venting a bit......too much to do and too little stitching time makes me a grump!  I admit, I need that fix at least several times a week to stop the brain from reeling and to just mellow out.  I want to do it all and had to actually hack a few things off my list today.   I know I can do more than one thing at a time but I have not accomplished being in two places at one time.  So instead of joining my guild for lunch and a tour after our regular meeting, I am heading to Philly for the rest of the weekend to help my daughter as I promised.   We will have fun as we always do.

A lot of paperwork (tax returned and annual filings for my non-profit) and website work (for my other blog - DVHSG.blogspot.com) are behind me and that is a big weight that has been hanging over my head.  I need to do the post for sampler guild right away or before I know it it is the eve of the next meeting and I am beating myself up for delaying.

Sorry to be such a Debbie Downer.   And so nice to have friends I can unleash on.   Thank you Bloggers!


So what have I stitched with the meager few hows I have eeked out?   Well, stitched a Peacock, frogged a Peacock, restitched a Peacock and am happy with the end result.   The floss for the lighter blue was more of a cord-like thread.   When doing the full cross is was lumpy (technical term) and it actually pushed the threads of the linen out of shape.  Not fun to frog the over one but well worth it.



I ripped it out and restitched in tent stitch and I like the result much better.  I am so close and just need a good old stitching retreat with endless stitching in one of those fabulous porch rockers on the boardwalk to help me round that corner of completion!  I also added some extra stitches to the grapes.   They are stitched in a Rhodes stitch and stitched a standard cross in the blank areas.

Grapes before I added extra stitches.
Coming up I need to make my list for Salty Yarns.   I hope to continue to be more selective with what I buy.   I really am doing a hard look at a pattern and asking if I really am going to stitch it in the next year or two.   What if my taste changes?   What if other new and tempting projects come my way?   What about stitch-a-longs or classes that come my way?  I really think a cold hard look at stash can make one a bit in shock after a gander at all the fibers, floss, fabric and patterns just waiting to be played with.   (big sigh)   Such is life.

April 4, 2016

We Did It

I am exhausted but I pulled off the baby shower and rave reviews of course.....



The shower wasn't a surprise but mom-to- be didn't know exactly who was coming.    Anytime she asked about a particular person I told her that person had not RSVP'd.....speaking of which, is the courtesy of RSVPing a lost pleasantry?  32 invited, 16 RSVP's, 28 attended, some of which were not even on the invitation list.....makes it very hard to calculate the food.....At any rate, we had people from Connecticut to Maryland show up and delight my D-in-L.

Most left by 5 on Saturday but cousins stayed until the wee hours of the morning playing cards and board games and mixed in much laughter.  They returned on Sunday for more fun and food.  We  cooked and cleaned from the time my daughter arrived early Friday morning.    I thought I'd be able to get some things done today with the shower behind me but silly me.  I love when they visit but the household swells from 2 to 8 plus two large dogs which upset the cat.  The last guests left at 6:30 last night.  I feel like we are the Bumpus's at these times.  I am out of practice....life in the Thompson house used to be like this every day; now it is much more sedate.   It is no wonder we were all so much thinner when we were younger.....the running around never stopped back then.

It is so good to have them all together no matter how exhausting.  Laundry will wait. That said, I am pooped beyond belief.

 A favorite outfit sent by my dear friend Roxanna.

 One of my son's favorite outfits.

They are so happy and so excited about the baby.

 Aven helping Morgan with the unwrapping.

A boy and his dog.   My D-in-L's son talks a well deserved nap.   Gavin was such a big help with the prepping and clean up.   It's hard work getting ready to be a big brother.

And somehow I am getting there with my Jeannette Douglas piece.  These two sections were partially completed and I finished each one up.

I have been working on the over one in the top section.   It is proving not to be nearly as bad as I had thought it would be.

I've was surprise that I actually have made more progress than I realized when I pulled it off the hoop to take the picture.  Here is where I was at my last post.  It is doubtful I will make the self imposed April deadline but it's all good.  Any forward progress is good.   I am looking forward to putting my feet up this evening to get in my much needed stitching therapy.  Problem is I am sure I will be sleeping in the recliner not much longer after I settle into a comfy position.

And one more thing.....I did sign up for the Betsy Morgan class at Salty Yarns in OCMD in June.   I said self, it is time you do something for yourself!  Have a good week all.   May your stitches be many and your frogs be few...........