Rocking out in Boston and Philly!

Hi All!

I hope you are enjoying the start of summer!

I have not been getting much stitching in lately.  The last couple of weeks I did some traveling instead!  First off I went to Boston for a few days.  Even though the weather wasn't the greatest the sun did finally come out the last day so I could get some sightseeing in!

I was so lucky to see this beautiful double rainbow!!!  So all that rain was good for something! :)

Boston is definitely a walking city.  I made the mistake of trying to drive around and it was just total frustration!  The subway T is the easiest way to go.  I came across this great farmer's market and Faneuil Hall Market area, lots of shopping and a great place for just chillin' out...

 

And there were great old buildings and pubs, and cobblestone roads...

Then I made my way over to the harbor and found a tall ship....

It was wonderful to see so many greens and parks everywhere I went....

And it seemed no matter where I went I saw this clock tower, it seemed to be following me!  lol!

It was great to see some of the city although the main reason I was there was not so much for the sightseeing but for another reason entirely.  Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that I am a BIG Rolling Stones fan, so when they announced their recent tour I jumped in in a big way!  I just never know if it could be the Last Time so I wanted to see the greatest Rock 'n' Roll band and all my Stones buddies yet another time.  

So the challenge was 4 concerts in 10 days!  Could I do it?!   I certainly planned to get my Stones fix!  

The first two shows were in Boston.  The Stones were nothing short of AMAZING!   Lots of great hits: Get off of my Cloud, Brown Sugar, Tumblin' Dice, Honky Tonk Woman, Satisfaction, Jumping Jack Flash, Miss You!

Mick's energy is endless.  He just goes and goes and goes like the energizer bunny!!  lol!

With this being the 50 & Counting Tour, each show was a bit unique, had some guest stars and even Mick Taylor (one of the original members) joined them on a few songs each night.  One of my favorites they did in this tour was Emotional Rescue, Love that song!!  Here is one of the special guests, Gary Clark Jr. - he sure knows how to play some awesome blues!

 

 

So after Boston, I headed to Philadelphia for two separate nights the week after.  The ride to Philadelphia is sooooooo FAR!!  (and traffic is INSANE!!) but worth it once the show starts!  At each show there was a local choir to sing back up for You Can't Always Get What you Want. 

ABSOLUTELY MAGICAL! 

The energy the Stones put on that stage is incredible, I don't know how they do it!!  

It was a crazy, fantastic time, and I am thrilled to have seen them again and all my friends.  I do hope it is NOT the last time!  

So now that I am thoroughly exhausted!! I am looking forward to relaxing this weekend and getting back into the stitching swing while watching some great Wimbledon tennis.  

Have a rockin' week!! and happy stitching!!  xxxx

Stay-cation Stitching

Happy Friday!!!

I wanted to post this up on Monday, after my stay-cation, but this cute bird took a little longer than I expected.  I finished off the row of flowers and squirrel, and love this proud peacock!

SDW Sampler

And when I saw Shannon from Love to Stitch - One Stitch at a Time working on her Birds of a Feather Le Printemps, Springtime girl, I decided it looked like a fun stitch so I pulled out my L'Ete in the series, Summer and decided to stitch a long with her!

I ordered up some 36ct hand dyed Sandcastle linen and using some WDW and GAST threads I got started and finished up one of the birds.   I love this pattern so much with the water and boats, reminds me of both being by the lake and being by the ocean.  

L'Ete

This is a fun stitch with all the outlining, only a few hours shows quite a bit of progress! :)  If anyone else would like the join in doing these Birds of a Feather series, the more the merrier!

So during my stay-cation a lot of my time was spent Spring cleaning!  Fun stuff!  not so much!

But I did finally get to my favorite place for lunch by the lake, which is now open for the season...

It was a perfect day with a nice breeze off the water.  I could have sat there for hours looking at all the boats and ducks.  This cute guy was very brave... I think he was hoping someone would share a snack with him!  

I also snapped a pic of this pretty pink Iris, it was such an unusual color I don't think I have ever seen one this shade.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and happy stitches!  xxxx

BlogLovin

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I've been seeing lots of buzz in blogland about BlogLovin'.  Seems the word is that Google Reader is going away and this is a new platform to keep track of all the blogs you enjoy reading.  I was never a google reader user as I started up with blogger in more recent times.  I see all the blogs I enjoy reading  right there on my blogger.com page.... which I hope is not going away!

BUT, it is always a good idea to have a back up plan!  :)

So I am now linked up to BlogLovin' if you choose to use this platform and I have put the link in my sidebar ---------------------------------->

I also have a link to subscribe by email if you choose ----------------------->

Whichever way you choose to follow, I hope you do!

Have a great day!  Happy stitching!  xxxx

IHSW stitching and more hiking!

I had fun working on SDW for this IHSW weekend!  Another row down and I have started on some new motifs, nice to now stitch something other than letters!  The last row of letters was supposed to be a row of numbers, so I started out with a 10 and then stitched the first initial of all six of the stitchers working on this SAL.  Nicola came up with this idea on hers and I decided to follow suit.

And this past weekend I went exploring yet again!  

This time I went to Southford Falls State Park in Southford, CT.  

The park begins at Papermill Pond, a beautiful expanse of water with fields on both sides for picnic-ing. 

The lilies were almost ready to POP!

Then I came to the top of Southard Falls.....

...and followed down along the side....

...and spotted the falls all along the way.  I got some pics along the way without, thankfully, falling over the edge! lol!

And finally got to the bottom of the falls where Burrs Arch covered bridge spans over the falls.  

The arches in the interior of the bridge, seemed a unique architectural detail....

....and the view of the bottom of the falls from the bridge.

It was such a serene place and I LOVED the sound of the water rushing and falling over the rocks.  It was another beautiful day with the sun shining through all the trails.  

Thanks for coming along on this hike with me!  :)  

This week I think I will give some attention to the neglected Vierlande sampler.  

Hope you all have a fun and stitch-filled week!  xxxx

A Finish of Flowers!

Yes, I am doing a happy dance!!!  I have finished the SM1678 sampler from European Reproductions.

SM1678
dmc w/32ct antique white Belfast

This sampler was such a joy to stitch!!

I especially loved the rose and the detail in the leaves.  

And also what I believe is a pear and apple tree?  All beautiful colors!  

It feels good to have a finish amid all the large BAPs I am working on because sometimes I felt like I was stitching for months and not getting anywhere.  Nice to have one at the finish line!  

I highly recommend that you check out Sabine's website if you love reproduction samplers, she has so many beautiful patterns at European Reproduction Samplers.  There are definitely a few more on my list to do!  

Thanks so much for all the great comments about my last post of Lover's Leap State Park.  It is wonderful that the weather is perfect for heading outdoors finally!

Enjoy your weekend!  Wishing you all miles of smiles and happy stitches!  xxxxx

Stitching and Hiking...

First, a bit of stitching :)

So it seems that my stitching mojo is back!  Each night this past week I was actually looking forward to stitching, something that has not been the case for weeks.  It feels good to be back in the stitching groove!  I decided to get back to my SM 1678 WIP, the German floral sampler.  It was a nice little break from SDW since it is on 32 count and a bit easier on my eyes.  Here is some of my progress from the week.......

SM 1678

This one is very close to a finish that I hope to share with you all soon!

And now for hiking... 

Those that know me will say 'ReaLLy?! Hiking?'  LOL  Not normally my thing.  I have passed the sign of a local State Park many times, Lover's Leap State Park in New Milford CT.  I have always been intrigued by the name of the park, it seemed both romantic and tragic.  

Today, I finally decided to explore and find out more...

Lover's Leap State Park is a beautiful 160 acre park situated by the Housatonic River.  The 'Falls Bridge' iron bridge was originally built in 1895.  

Fall's Bridge, Lover's Leap State Park

The bridge was refurbished in 2004-2006.  How perfect that it is red, the color of love.

Housatonic River

I found some interesting mushrooms along the way....

And trekked up to the top to the precipice.  Based on Indian legend, the daughter of Chief Waramaug, Princess Lillinonah canoed to her death into the Great Falls when her white lover did not return to her.  Upon his return, he saw her in the rapids and leaped to his death from this precipice in an attempt to save her.  Legend is that both are buried here.  This is where the Housatonic meets up with Lake Lillinonah.

So after taking in the gorgeous view, I began my trek back... down, down, down...  

I am just loving all the trees with the bright spring color.  Everything seems to have leafed out almost overnight!  

Wishing you all a wonderful TGIF! and weekend!  Thanks so much for visiting!  Happy Stitching! xxx

A Stitching Update!

Well, hello there!  How are you all??

It has been a while and I am still struggling with problems with my fingers, but I have improved enough to be able to stitch a little!!  Yay!   I have been plugging along with the SDW Sampler SAL and was happy to finish thru the alpha bands this evening.

SDW Sampler

I think this is about the 2/3 mark, although I will have to back track and do the fill-in on the church.  I am amazed at the size of this stitch and happy that I have taken this journey with the SAL group.  It will be very special when completed.  

This afternoon I watched one of my favorite movies, The Seven Year Itch.  

It is such a fun movie and easy to stitch and watch at the same time.  One of my favorite lines in the movie is when Tom is asked about having a blonde in the kitchen, he says 'Wouldn't you like to know, maybe it is Marilyn Monroe!'  Cracks me up every time :D

Hope you are enjoying this taste of summer we have been having, at least here in the Northeast it is feeling like summer already!  

Have a wonderful week with miles of smiles!!  

Happy stitching!  xxxxx