No stitching, just reading!

Hi there!  It has been a few weeks and UNFORTUNATELY!! I have not a stitch to show!

A couple of weeks ago I pinched a nerve in my neck which has caused my stitching hand to go numb.  I am on a course of meds and HOPE!! that it brings me some relief because I am really really missing my stitching!!

I have been trying to rest as much as I can and although I have become quite adept at using my other hand on the mouse I am trying to limit my typing as it is just frustrating!, so please forgive me for not commenting so much lately.

So instead of stitching I have been catching up on my reading.  Last I mentioned I had started Love in the Time of Cholera.  I finished it a few weeks back, and I give it a thumbs up.  I liked it but didn't love it.  At first I found it so interesting as it was a translated work and I was enjoying the romantic flourish and detail of the story.  Gabriel Garcia Marquez truly has a way of bringing the written word to a new level.  However, and I think mainly due to the way the book was translated and printed, after a while, I started to be at a loss at what time period I was in, it seemed very vague as years were flying by.  And, I did not understand the purpose of having all of the characters named by their full name throughout the entire book?  for those who have read this I think you will know what I mean.   I feel like I have read the names 'Florentino Ariza' and 'Fermina Daza' a ga-zillion times, LOL!  And even if I tried to just read the first name it did not work, in my mind I would read it all.  It started to exhaust me.  Now that I have read the story though I will finally get to watch the movie, which I think will be a good way to reflect back on the book, as well as watch Javier Bardem!

So I am on to a new book, full speed back into the future... Stephen King's Under the Dome...

As only Stephen King can do, I was immediately swept away.  I love getting into his thousand-pagers!! 

The bummer is I just broke my e-reader!!  So now I am reading it on my phone when I am out and about. I had the kobo and was wondering what type of e-readers you all may be using and how you like them??  Since I need to get a new one maybe now is the time to change?  

Hope you are enjoying the Spring weather that seems to have finally arrived!  I hope to be back stitching with all of you soon.  Wishing you miles of smiles!

March Madness!

Hi Everyone!  Are we all happy it is Springtime?!
Yes, I know, doesn't really look like it out my window either!
It feels like forever since I have posted.  I have had such a crazy busy month with work so my March Madness doesn't have anything to do with basketball!
I have had a some chances here and there for stitching, something finally to share with you all.

Here is my SDW, which is on week 21 of our SAL group.  I have lost count as I have not stitched each week and at times, many days in a week so I am just going with the flow...

SDW Sampler
dmc on 36ct flax Edinborough linen

I am SO amazed each time I look at it from top to bottom at how far it has come....

SDW Sampler

Another sampler I gave a few days of attention to is my Permin 1826 Celle Museum Vierlande.  I love how this one is shaping up and hope to devote some more time to it.

Permin 1826 Celle Museum Vierlande
dmc w/ 32ct Platinum linen

I also did some cooking...always a challenge for me!  :)

My Mom has a special dish, a mushroom casserole that we have at all of our family holidays, and since we can no longer get the mushrooms that my Mom would use (she would get a BIG can to make a BIG casserole!) I decided to have a go at it using fresh mushrooms and I think my version is quite de-lish and I hope it will be a BIG success at our Easter celebration!  

It is not all that complicated, just mushrooms with a bechamel cheese sauce with some bread crumbs on top, but the fact that I am trying to make it as my Mom would is a Tall order!  

So that is all the fun stuff that I have been up to in the past few weeks!  

I want to wish you all a lovely holiday with your friends and family!  

Happy Easter and Happy Spring!!  

A Brilliant! Flower Show

This past weekend I took my annual trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show.  This was my third year going and it seems to just get better and better.  The theme was London so everything had a bit of British flair....
From the 'Buckingham Palace' gates.....

           ...... and scenes that seemed straight out of Camelot.....

....to flower markets reminiscent of Covent Garden.....

....crowns of flowers....

....even a Mad Tea Party with Alice!

From vintage and romantic.....

....to modern and fresh....

....and everything in between, there was a rainbow of color everywhere you looked!

The perfect way to chase away the winter greys and get ready for Spring!  

And the main highlight... BIG BEN!  

On the strike of each hour we were treated to a rocking video filled with FABulous British music by the likes of the Stones!, Led Zep, and the Beatles to name just a few.

....oh, and the Queen made an appearance too! HA!

What a fantastic job by PHS, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and the vendors who create these amazing displays.  The imagination is boundless and the inspiration extraordinary.  If you are able to get to this year's show running through March 10th, I say go, go go!!  You will be in for a jolly good time, I can guarantee it!

Enjoy your week and weekend!  I expect to finally have some stitch-y updates to share after the weekend!  

Wishing you miles of smiles!  xxxx

Some Stitching and a Finish too!

Here we are, almost to another weekend.  Since I did not post my stitching progress in my last few posts, I will show you what I have been busy with lately.  I had a rough week and at times my stitching was able to keep me distracted and calm.

Here is SDW, the floral band is pretty much done except for some curlie-cue backstitching to do.

SDW Sampler

Here is my start finally on Manifesto... yes, I have jumped on that train too!  I am starting bottoms up on this one.  I really like how my stitches lay when I work right to left, bottom to top.  And this way I can stitch with the pattern right side up instead of upside down!  Look at all that fabric, oh MY!

The Manifesto

And here is a small finish (well, not that small really!) that I had intended to finish to show you all on Valentine's Day... WELL, I just didn't make it in time!  It is the same pattern that was in the giveaway I did, Stacy Nash Love Pinkeep.  I grabbed some of Nina's fabric and threads from my stash.  I hope Karen enjoys stitching it as much as I did.

Stacy Nash Love Pinkeep
Champagne and Rose Tea threads, 36ct Dusty Violet linen, both by Nina

And here are a few snaps of Gigi. These were taken a few weeks ago after I saw Margaret's Mia enjoying sniffing some coffee.  I was curious to see what Gigi would do so I gave her the empty cup, and YES, she really enjoyed it too, how funny!  She was rolling around quite happy!

Unfortunately, in the past week, she has been a sick baby, limping.  This is where my stress comes in.  Maybe she is doing circus stunts when I am not at home?  Her doctor thinks it is just a sprain so I hope she is on the mend and will be back to herself soon.  

I hope you all enjoy your weekend.  Finally, Oscar weekend is upon us!  I am hoping to see Amour tomorrow so I can see what I think of that one too.  But for now, a few that I am really hoping for are: 

Best Picture - Argo

Best Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis

Best Supporting Actor - Robert DeNiro

Best Song - Adele for Skyfall

Cinematography - Skyfall

Music - Skyfall

Yes, I know.... I see a trend here too.  :D

I hope you enjoy the Oscars or whatever else you have planned for your weekend!  And I hope that it will include some stitching too!  I know it will for me.  xxxx

Sunday funnies

This sure gave me a laugh which I SO needed today!  Just had to share.
Hope you had a fun weekend!  xx

A Valentine Winner!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO YOU ALL!

Today's the day to pick a name for the Valentine giveaway, the Stacy Nash Love Pinkeep and Heart kit.  There were quite a few in the running...  A heart for each of you...

I had my co-worker pick a name........

AND THE WINNER IS.........   KAREN!   CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

I will be spending my Valentine's day evening with Bond, James Bond watching Skyfall and maybe have a little wine and a little chocolate, oh and a little stitching too, of course!  :D

I hope you all have a sweet Valentine's Day filled with lots of love!  x ❤ x ❤ x ❤ x ❤ x

A Valentine Giveaway!

We are only a week away from Valentine's Day so I thought a giveaway would be fun :D   A sweet something for my sweet blogging friends!

It will be for Stacy Nash Primitives Love Pinkeep and Heart set to make.  The kit includes the linen, thread and material to finish both the Love Pinkeep and small floral heart pillow.  To enter is simple, just leave a comment on this post and be a follower of my blog.  

A name will be picked on Valentine's Day  ❤

I hope you all have been having a great week.  Did your team win the BIG game?  Mine did (Gigi wanted the Ravens to win :)), although I was tuned in more for the overall entertainment value.  It was so very sweet to see the Sandy Hook Children's Chorus singing with Jennifer Hudson.

I've been keeping up on my many projects and now I am adding a few more... I know, CRAZY!!  I don't know when it will be fit in but I simply cannot resist.  I have a severe case of start-itis!

First up, I am joining in with the mini-SAL on the Scarlet Letter's The Manifesto.  It has been 'Manifesto Madness' for everyone involved waiting ever-so-patiently or NOT! for chart and supplies.  I got my chart yesterday and have my linen pulled out, but out of the 101 skeins of thread needed I had only 8 in my stash!  I have decided to use a 32ct natural linen which I had a full yard of in my stash.  This is supposed to be a one-day-a-week project... at that rate I may be done in hmmmm, 20 years??  lol!  Hopefully, not that long!

The next one I have fallen hopelessly for is Sarah Harris from Needleprint.  Here is a couple of photos from the Needleprint website of the original sampler.  I am just in LOVE with all the bright colors in this one.  I have more of the thread for this one but will pick out my fabric once I have all the colors in hand and can see how I like the floss toss.

So now I think I may have a project for every day of the week!  I may have to devise a week-at-a-time plan so that I can make solid ground on each of these.

I know, it is all total craziness!

I think I will get some really good stitching time in, the latest snow-cast will be turning this TGIF into a a stitching hibernation!  Yikes!!  15"+!!

Thank you all for visiting and commenting.  And welcome to my new followers!  It is great to meet new stitchers who enjoy the same passion in stitching.

If you are in the North East like me, I hope you stay safe and warm and weather the storm okay.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!   I hope you all get plenty of stitching time!  xxxx