Spring Has Sprung!

Hi friends! Spring has sprung, Theotokos is done. Well, the cross stitch anyways. Now the beading is left to do.

I bought this pattern on ebay. It is from 2006. It was open, but they stated that everything was there. I did some checking on the internet this weekend. It seems that the patterns come with directions in 6 languages. Well not mine. It is only in Russian. I am unsure if I should use one strand of the wool or two to attach the beads. I emailed Riolis over the weekend. I hope they respond and let me know soon.

So since almost all the snow is melted, the weather has been milder, and I can see a few plants beginning to peek out of the soil, I will now accept that Spring is here. ;)

I was looking for a poodle chart this weekend and came across this one.

I bought this pattern at a thrift shop. It has a few notes in pencil inside from the previous stitcher, so it is not in mint shape. But I know I will never get to stitching this. Would you like to stitch it? If you would like it, you need to be a follower of mine. AND... just for fun, you also need to answer this question correctly. :) If more than one of you get the correct answer, I will draw a name. I will draw a winner on Monday, April 7th. Here's your question: What is my least favorite spring time chore?

I finally finished reading My Heart's Cry by Anne Graham Lotz. I really liked this book a lot. I am glad it is my book, as I have pages marked off to go back to again and again. Simply put, this book is all about saturating your life with Jesus.

Well, if someone has a Riolis kit, and wants to tell me if I should use one or two strands of wool for attaching the beads, please tell me! Or maybe you just know, please tell me! I would love to begin today. Otherwise, I may be taking another break with a small stitchy project. :)

Have a super dee duper day!  Ha! Did your kids watch Barney over and over too?! Some of the songs are stuck in my head FOREVER from kid's programs.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Spring Poodles

Hi friends! How are you? You haven't heard much from me, because I have been plodding along on Theotokos. I am very close to being done with the cross stitch. Then on to beading! Yikes!

I needed a break from Theotokos, and we are giving the front room a bit of a different look. Nothing major mind you. Rearrange some furniture, and take out one arm chair and put in a wonderful rocking chair. I have had 5.75 yds of lovely home decorator fabric sitting for years. I made a new slip cover for our footstool. We purchased the foot stool a few years ago. It is like new and nothing is wrong with it. I just wanted it to coordinate with the rest of the front room. The walls are cream. Our accent color was denim blue. It is now chocolate brown.

I will be using this same home dec fabric to make valances for the front room also. Soon. And then a few table runners. Always something.

You might remember my concrete Mabel and Henry statues that sit on the front porch? Well they needed a bit of Spring. So I stitched some pretty tulips for Mabel and two cute bunnies for Henry.

These motifs were taken from this sweet freebie right here. I made Henry's bunnies brown. :) His bow tie is stitched on 18ct cream wired aida ribbon. Mabel's bow is a burlap, wired ribbon. I bought both of these ribbons on clearance at JoAnn last year.

All five of us saw Muppets Most Wanted on Sunday. It was a fun movie.

That's it for today. I am thankful for you! I am praying for a handful of you with specific needs. If you ever want someone to pray for you, just ask me! :) Have a super weekend!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

5

Hi friends! Today is our sweet Mabel's 5th birthday!
 
Last year was a rough year for her. She now has 7 slipped discs. Last spring we thought we would be euthanizing her. Thank God we did not!

She cannot enjoy the walks we used to take. She goes on about two mini walks a week. We learned last year, that if she gets frequent walks, her back flares up and she is in pain.

She has not had any disc related issues for half a year now. She has gained weight, from the meds she was on, and not getting much exercise. But we still love her of course. :)

This is what we are looking forward to! Beautiful weather! We still have snow and ice here. yuck! BUT, Ispotted our first robins yesterday! Yay!

Still stitching away on Theotokos.

Have a super weekend my friends!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

St. Patrick's Breastplate

Happy St. Patrick's Day friends! I thought I would show you a sampler I made 3 years ago.  I stitched this for my youngest brother. We are only 1/8 Irish, but he is the most into it. ;)

I used a portion of St. Patrick's breastplaste. I do believe this is the more uncommon version of the verse. It rhymed well and looked good for what I wanted. The full prayer of St. Patrick, called St. Patrick's breastplate, is this:
I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,
The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
The virtue of His coming on the Judgment Day.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the love of seraphim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the hope of resurrection unto reward,
In prayers of Patriarchs,
In predictions of Prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faith of Confessors,
In purity of holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I bind to myself today
God's Power to guide me,
God's Might to uphold me,
God's Wisdom to teach me,
God's Eye to watch over me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to give me speech,
God's Hand to guide me,
God's Way to lie before me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.

I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,
Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.

Christ, protect me today
Against every poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort,
Christ in the chariot seat,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

Yeah, that makes a pretty long sampler doesn't it? ;) Sadly, my brother has never hung it. I have not seen it since. I am glad that I took that picture. I framed it myself. I stitched it two over two on 32ct white linen I believe. I got the border and shamrock from the pattern shown on the cover of the March 2011 issue of Cross Stitch & Needlework.


So that is all I had to share for today. Things are going well. Jacob had a week off of University last week after mid-terms. Brian and I took him to see The Lego Movie. :) Emerson had seen it with his friends. Jacob wanted to see it, so why not? Madeleine didn't care about it. The boys were lego fanatics when they were young. It was an innocent, fun movie.

I am stitching away on Theotokos. Trying to stay motivated on it. The bottom is completed now. I am working on the top now.

Hope you have a lovely day my friends. Thank you for stopping by. Your comments warm my heart.♥

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through the confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the Judgment Day.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to save me
From snares of demons,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/prayerplainandsimple/2009/07/praying-st-patricks-breastplate.html#gDP2oucq7xymBPrx.99

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through the confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the Judgment Day.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to save me
From snares of demons,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/prayerplainandsimple/2009/07/praying-st-patricks-breastplate.html#gDP2oucq7xymBPrx.99

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through the confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the Judgment Day.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to save me
From snares of demons,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/prayerplainandsimple/2009/07/praying-st-patricks-breastplate.html#gDP2oucq7xymBPrx.99

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through the confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the Judgment Day.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to save me
From snares of demons,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/prayerplainandsimple/2009/07/praying-st-patricks-breastplate.html#gDP2oucq7xymBPrx.99

RAK For Me

Hi friends! It has been mild here. The snow is slowly melting. :)

I left a comment on Kim's blog the other day, telling her how awesome her new poodle thread keep is. She comes up with designs and her talented husband uses his new scroll saw to make beautifully crafted thread keeps. Well Kim emailed me back. She told me she would like to send me it! She and he made it for me! What?! Well my gifts arrived yesterday from sweet Kim. Take a look.

Isn't the poodle fabulous?! This is my first wooden thread keep. :) You can see Kim also gifted me with the JBW Designs French Country Poodle. Yay! And pink floss for it too. Yay! I did not have this poodle pattern. Do you also see the Journal of Gratitude Kim gave me? She wrote it! Yes, Kim is also an author. I am amazed at Kim's many talents. There are some photos of her paintings in the journal too.

Thank you once again Kim for your friendship and kindness!

I have finished stitching the bottom border of Theotokos. I will now roll it up to the top on the scroll bars and stitch up the top portion.

I am trying harder this Lent to focus on God. More than I ever have before. I hope to improve every year. I have given up hot chocolates and tea chai lattes (I do not drink coffee), meat, and chocolate for the whole duration of Lent. I have eliminated these foods, not because they are somehow unclean or sinful, but because human beings when content and satisfied, find it much more difficult to focus on God. Jesus did not say, if you fast. He said, when you fast. Fasting is part of the spiritual life. I find it kinda hard. I am hoping to strengthen my spirit through this.

Have a wonderful day my friends! Thank you for spending a little time with me today.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Baby Stitching

Hi friends! It has been warming up a little around here. It is nice to have some of the snow melt. I have been stitching a gift for a young couple at church. They are expecting their first baby very soon now. The pattern is one that I have had in my stash. It is by JBW Designs, 'Learning To Count'.

This is charted for 2 over 2 on 28ct, but you know me by now right? ;) I stitched this one over one on 32ct white linen. Now this did cause me to make some alterations. The pattern calls for 5/32" buttons. I skipped the buttons. The kitty has different whiskers, as the whiskers where charted to come out of the sides of kitty's head at eye level. Didn't care for that. I made the whiskers come out at the nose. ;) The ball of yarn is a big french knot instead of a button. The bunnies have one x for each tail, instead of buttons. The puppies have french knot balls, instead of buttons. I also gave the two smaller puppies noses. They had none charted. :( I reconfigured the sheepies posteriors to give them one x for a tail instead of a button. The ducklings had random buttons scattered, not on mine. Hey other than that.... I followed the chart exactly!! ;)

I notice from this picture the linen may have shifted. I will double check. Want it to be perfectly straight again. I found this frame at TJMaxx for $5.

Now that I have that done, back to Theotokos.

I read Let The Hurricane Roar by Rose Wilder Lane. This is a fiction book about pioneer life. She used the names of her grandparents, Charles and Caroline, as the main characters. It contains a few actual events from her grandparents pioneer life on the frontier. I wouldn't have recognized all the true events if I had not read so much about Laura and Rose previously. This book was written in 1932.

I hope you have a splendid weekend my friends! Thank you for stopping by. Your kind words warm my heart.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Giveaway Winners

Hi friends! Thank you for your compliments on my poodle lipstick holders and the tiny finishes. You are so kind and encouraging. =) I have been stitching on Theotokos. Here is a picture of the middle of it completed.

All the unstitched spots you see will get beaded. The finished width of this piece is 11 1/4 inches. Custom of course. ;) I had a feeling. I was not sure of the completed size, as this pattern is completely in Russian. We will see what the finished height will be.  I will now move the piece on the scroll bars so I can complete the bottom.

Today is the day to draw the names of two winners for my Second Blogversary Giveaway.  Michelle won the Heartstring Samplery pattern. Melody won the Carriage House Samplings pattern. I have emailed you both. I will mail those out as soon as I have your mailing addresses. =)

I hope you find joy in what you do this week. Thank you for visiting with me today!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie