Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe Pattern Giveaway

Hi friends! My wrist pain is slightly less, so I have been stitching in small increments.Guess what?! I got a call yesterday from the neurologist's office. They had a cancellation and got me in. So that was moved up two weeks. I am glad it is over. Let me tell you, you don't want to have an EGM test. Yowza! Pain. I was handed a patient information sheet describing what would happen while I waited for the doctor to come in. "This test examines the electrical activity of muscles by the placement of small needle electrodes into various muscles." WHAT?!  o_0  NO ONE told me about needles!! "There is a modest amount of discomfort associated with the test." HA! Liar liar, pants on fire! Are you kidding me?! Modest! phhtt! I did not look during any of this. So he sticks you with a needle in various places. One of them was the base of your thumb. Then he kinda holds your thumb down and tells you to lift your thumb straight up towards the ceiling. Yeah, against the needle pressing in. WOO BABY! The other test he did, yes that's right he did another!!! This was called NCV. "This tests nerve function with electrical stimulation at various points in the arm. The test is performed by delivering an electrical shock to the nerves of interest."  WHAT?! This was not fun, but way better than the needle thing.

Our friend Maggee sent me pink fabrics and I sent her a wee thank you gift.

Our friend Nancy is such a HUGE blessing to the stitching community. I recently won her Favorite Things Giveaway. She sent me pink flosses. :) And she gave me a chart of my choice too! I also made her a wee thank you gift.

And here is the pattern I chose from Nancy. I stitched it up this week.

Isn't this adorable? I changed one color, the darkest brown, to a slightly lighter shade.

I chose to stitch this one over one on 26ct cream mystery linen using DMC.

Now that I have finished this gift pattern, I would like to send it on to another friend. I am so sorry friends, but at this time I must send this off to only American friends. It is the postage. puh! If you live in America, are a follower of mine, and would like to own this pattern, please leave a comment telling me so. I will announce the winner on Friday November 6th.

Here are the two, last pictures I took of my Autumn Adventure Mystery SAL progress. You can find the free SAL RIGHT HERE.

I have just a few gladiolas barely hanging on. The weather is so cool now. And rainy and dreary. :( Over half of them will never get the chance to bloom this year. Oh well. I will dig up the corms and save them for next year.

Thank you for stopping by today my friend. I am so glad you did!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

"I like Murphy's new bed very much, thank you!"

Autumn Adventure

Hi friends! Thank you! Thank you so much for your kind words and sweet welcome to Murphy.

I got two tiny gifts stitched and made up and sent along their way to two friends last week. I also stitched on a SAL I am participating in. It is called "Autumn Adventure". It is a small  40x43 finished piece. You can find the SAL RIGHT HERE. It is not too late! This is my progress thus far.

Sandra you are quite right! You guessed it! I now have to stitch up Murphy for my kitchen sampler wall as well. ;) I will wait a bit to do him, as I need to begin Christmas ornaments. I am behind already. And this wrist will really slow me down.

I have a question for you my friends. Do you know of a floss color that is like a light black? Or a very, very dark grey. I have all the options for DMC, and I am still not happy with them. You see, Murphy was a black poodle. Since he is an elderly gentleman, he is sporting quite a bit of grey in that black coat of his. I took my time getting the colors right for Mabel and Henry. I want to do a nice job for Murphy as well. Any suggestions are very much welcomed. Thanks!

Can you guess what I am stitching up for all three of the kids' ornaments this year?! ha! ;)

Maija, I have been sending you emails on the other email address of yours that Sari gave me to use. I hope you are finding my messages?

I am currently reading Where I Am by Billy Graham. Wow. A truly amazing book. He is filled with much wisdom. I would love to sit and talk with him!

Just a little bit of stitching going on around here. I continue to have persistent wrist pain.

I hope you have a blessed week in the Lord my friends!

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

Oh Me. Oh My. Oh Murphy!

Hi friends! I have a surprise for you!!! hmm. Where do I start? Remember how Henry and I visit the elderly at a nursing home monthly? And perhaps you have noticed I have a HUGE  HEART for poodles? Well over the last several months I have been pondering a problem out there in the world of the elderly. Many older people own a pet and then they have to go live in a nursing home, or perhaps they die. Then the care of that pet falls on the adult children. Many times these adult children do not want the pet. Sometimes these adult children lie to their remaining parent and tell them the pet died, and then actually give it to the humane society.

I looked somewhere I should never look. Petfinder.com Um. Yep. You are figuring out where I am going with this. Remember how I LOVE toy poodles. I KNEW I would never own anything but a toy poodle. Yessiree. Only toy poodles for me. Well, want to say hi to Murphy?

Murphy is a miniature poodle. He is built in the same way as our little Henry. Henry is 6 pounds and all legs. Murphy is almost 10 pounds and all legs. He needs to gain a little weight. He had a rough time. His elderly owner went to a nursing home. This woman's adult daughter did not want to keep Murphy, so she took him to a shelter, who transferred him to our local humane society. Murphy began straining to urinate there. The veterinarian determined he had bladder stones and needed surgery to remove them. He had his staples removed last month, and just finished up his antibiotics. He was so confused. He is 12 years old my friends.

Brian and I discussed Murphy multiple times.Once we met the dear, sweet, little, old man, it was over. Our hearts just melted for him. :) He gave us both kisses. We have had Murphy for over four weeks already. Yes! I was not allowed to show him on the internet until we officially adopted him, which we finally did yesterday! Our humane society has a program called fostering-to-adopt, for animals that have special needs. Since he was recovering from surgery(we got him 3 days post-operation) and he needed medicine daily, and we brought him back for the vet to take his staples out, we cared for, or fostered him until his lab report came back on his bladder stones. We now know what kind of food Murphy needs to eat the rest of his life to prevent bladder stones from forming again.

All three poodles got along from the start. Murphy truly prefers people to dogs, but that is because he was an only dog of one elderly woman. Henry has figured out that Murphy allows cuddling. :) Murphy loves to sleep on your lap. When I read in the recliner, Henry and Murphy are both with me. We take turns letting one on my lap and one next to me in the recliner. We switch the next time I sit to read. ;) It is a good thing Mabel does not prefer lap sitting!

When I stitch at the kitchen table using my table stand, he sleeps at my feet in his bed. He watches JEOPARDY with Brian and Madeleine nightly. ;) He probably knows the answers. tee hee. He sleeps on Emerson's lap as well when he knits in a recliner.

I did make him a bed before he even arrived home with us. He promptly adopted Mabel's pink flower bed instead. ha! She gladly took over his grey and white plaid bed.

Are we crazy? Well, I am!

Just one look into this precious poodle's gentle eyes, and well.... we can say we love him. ♥ I am so glad he is in a loving home for the rest of his days.

Reading, and stitching, and praying,
Vickie

A Wee Bit of Stitching

Hi friends! I did get into the doctor. She wants me to have an EMG, a nerve test. Unfortunately, I can't get that done for a month! I am on a cancellation/call list with this neurologist. The doctor said she wants me to see the neurosurgeon, but he always wants an EMG done first. She thinks I may have carpal tunnel syndrome going on. She said the nerve test and the neurosurgeon will be able to determine if it is the wrist or something pinched in my neck. I have pain and tingling that does go up my arm and shoulder into my neck almost daily lately. I believe it starts with the wrist. I showed her the slight lump on my right wrist compared to my left.  She said it could be a cyst causing the carpal tunnel problem. So now I just wait. sigh. And take tylenol. That is it. puh! I do wear the brace to sleep, and occasionally during the day and it feels much better in the morning. But the pain increases during the day, every day.

I weaned myself off of Mobic. It was for pain(with my SI joint), but I recalled the pain doctor told me it was truly for rheumatoid arthritis. That could have been helping me with my wrist pain for a while. The doctor agreed. She also agreed with me that the headaches, upset stomach and the night leg cramps from Mobic are NOT worth it for me. So I have removed another prescription! Yay! By the way, my hip pain remains low mainly. Rainy weather brings the pain up.

Today I began STITCHING, yep!, a gift. It is very small and I am not pushing it with my wrist. Just stitching 10 minutes at a time. Let me tell you, I am not getting much done with this method! It is frustrating to not be able to stitch freely at this time. I have gifts I want to make!

I read The Choosing by Rachelle Dekker. A good book! It was her first. She is the daughter of my favorite author, Ted Dekker. It is obvious someone grew up reading her father's stories. There is a dark and twisted character in this book. It seems she does not have her father's awesome ability to give you a total surprise ending though. I figured out what would happen in the end very, very quickly into my reading. That is always a little disappointing to me. However, I still enjoyed this book. I look forward to the continuation of the story when the next book comes out in the spring.

My two latest reads. Father and daughter authors!

I have a BIG, HUGE SUPRISE! Oh! I am bad! I am making you come back to read my post tomorrow. ;) tee hee! It will be worth it my friends!

Thank you for stopping in today my friends. I know I have not really had stitching to share with you. I appreciate that you still stop by to "see ME". :)

Reading, stitching and praying,
Vickie

Going Crazy Without My Stitching!

Hi friends! Our weather has cooled down. We have had two frosts. Brian covered my dahlias and the gladiolas that finally bloomed! These are my pink, bargain plants I bought this summer. Not sure if the rest are going to bloom now. It will be warmer the next several days, but it is not summer any more. Too bad. There are at least 5 different shades of pink gladiolas ready to bloom. Here are pictures before the frost.

My wrist is improving slightly. I see the doctor tomorrow.

Know what is in this project bag from Barbara?

14 rows of tumbler blocks! I have 14 rows done, so 602 tumblers are sewn into rows, waiting to be joined together. I still need 215 different pink fabrics if you can believe it. Yes! I figured it all out correctly this time. For real. When this Epic All Pink Tumbler Charm Quilt is done, it will have 817 total different pink fabrics. Whew! I keep buying new, pink fabrics as they roll in to JoAnn. As you can imagine, I have put quite a lot of money into this quilt already!

I forgot to get a picture last week, so here ya go now. Emerson has a pair of socks. ;) (And a few others.)

I read Southern Living Magazine. I check it out from our library. I found a good recipe in the August issue. Approved by the family, and it used up our last eggplant. Crispy Eggplant, Tomato, and Provolone Stacks With Basil
 
Reading and praying,
Vickie

Flashback Friday

Hi friends! I am resting my wrist. It is still hurting. Brian ordered me a wrist brace off of Amazon. We will see how this helps me. I am wearing it a lot. I am also wearing it when I sleep at night. A few of you friends advised this. Thank you for your advice and prayers.

I checked out two good books from the library. I had been on a waiting list for both of them. They are new. Excellent timing that they came in for me now, when I need to take a break from stitching. I finished the first book last night. A.D. 33 by Ted Dekker is awesome! I highly recommend this book. Then again, I recommend ALL of Ted's books. ;) I will now begin reading The Choosing by Rachelle Dekker. Yep! His young adult daughter wrote her first book! So cool. Can't wait to begin it!

So since I have no current stitching to share with you, how about an oldie? I stitched this Gloria & Pat Design back in 1989. It is simply called "July", it is from pattern book 22, God's In His Heaven. Aida and DMC.This piece hung in Jacob and Emerson's bedroom when they were young.

I have shown you once before the piece that hung in Madeleine's room for many years. I stitched this one in 1988. It is called "May".
 
Many years after I stitched these up, I got to thinking it was so very neat that we eventually had two boys and a girl. I was 18 and 19 years old when I stitched these two pieces.

Thank you for stopping in with me today. I appreciate your friendship! I prayed for YOU today!

Reading and praying,
Vickie

Henry

Hi friends! I finished reading The Photograph by Beverly Lewis. Another great read. I recommend it!

I followed a pattern all weekend long. Do hand and wrist exercises, stitch 15 minutes. Do hand and wrist exercises, take a break doing something else. Do hand and wrist exercises, stitch 15 minutes. Do hand and wrist exercises, read. REPEAT. I realize it would be best to not stitch at all, but..... At least the pain did not elevate to horrid levels this weekend, as it did mid-week. I believe the true key for me is going to be no more long periods of stitching nonstop. I do notice a small improvement in my wrist and hand.

Well, I was met with success despite the limited stitching, and unstitching I had to do last night.  I finished Henry!

I reversed the pattern so that Mabel and Henry will face each other on the wall once hung. :)

I stitched this two over two on 32ct Blue linen, using Anchor, DMC and GA Simply Shaker Lambswool.

Forgiveness accepts the fact that our actions have consequences on the lives of those around us. The refusal to forgive is a radical separation of ourselves from others. Forgive. Forgive everyone for everything.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Craft Club Update

Hi friends! I am so very disappointed that I did not finish stitching up Henry this week. I just cannot. My wrist and forearm hurt. I continue to do the hand and wrist exercises. I am reading The Photograph by Beverly Lewis instead of stitching.

Please remember our dear friend Cucki in your prayers. She needs them very much. She is suffering in pain STILL 5 months after her car accident. Her back is injured.

Here is an update on our little craft club of three. So with my wrist keeping me out of stitching action, I have been piecing the pink tumbler blocks together. I will have a picture for you next week of my Tumbler Quilt progress. AP Art is keeping Madeleine painting. I bet you thought Emerson put knitting aside since he began carpentry school. Nope! Now I do not know how to explain this correctly. I will try. As you may recall, Emerson has taking a liking to knitting socks. The first one was a grey tube sock. It looked great, but he thought it seemed a bit tight and he wanted to do the flap and gusset sock next. So he did. He made another grey sock, with the heel, but again, it was tight. hmm. So you guessed it, he made another grey sock. This one he made a touch bigger. He also discovered while watching yet another online knitting video, that the problem was that he was inserting the needle in the front instead of the back of the stitch. Or something like that. I think you knitters may know what he means. The difference is that the way he WAS doing it gave NO stretch. The correct way he is now doing it, gives stretch. So guess what happened? sigh. The poor guy. That grey sock turned out for a giant's foot!!! But it has stretch! ;)

Finally! A sock that fits very well.

So.... yes, another grey sock. This one is with a different yarn. A thicker,darker grey, mohair yarn. He decided to go with his own measurements. And... it fits!

And now? A much needed second, matching sock! ;)

I still have flowers blooming. Here are three pink ones.

The vegetables are still growing too. This eggplant is growing out sideways. :)

I plan to finish my book this weekend. I also plan to stitch on Henry. I have two gift pieces I would love to get started stitching on!

I hope you have a very nice weekend my friends! Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate you!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Here In Poodletown ;)

Hi friends!I have made progress on my Henry stitching, just not all done yet. Should be this week. My darn right wrist is still hurting. I found some hand exercises online. They seem to help actually. If you have wrist or hand pain from lots of stitching, you too can check out THIS LINK.

I need to force myself to get some autograph embroidery done for my brother's overalls. THAT is not going to help my wrist feel better!

Have you seen the October issue of Country Living magazine? I check this magazine out from our library, and this month's issue really caught my attention. The cover shows two cross stitched pumpkins! ha!

Now I never thought of THAT! I read the directions. They used fake pumpkins. ;) You carve a hole in the bottom and use an awl to make your holes.

I finished the book, The Story Keeper by Lisa Wingate in three days. It is a long book, but it was a great story. I checked The Photograph by Beverly Lewis out from the library. I have yet to be disappointed with one of her many, many books. I just need to find time for it.

I gave Miss Mabel a haircut. Isn't she a pretty, grey poodle? ♥

Here is another painting by Madeleine. Thank you for indulging me on this. I know I am a bit proud of her. ;)

Giving thanks acknowledges that our lives are not the products of our own efforts, but a gift from God. Give thanks always, for all things.

Have a blessed week my friends! Thank you for stopping by.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Go Pack Go!

23

Hi friends! I got a surprise package in the mail Wednesday! Yippee! Our friend Angela made me a lovely, pink box! Take a look.

Isn't the fabric she lined it with gorgeous? Thank you Angela. So kind of you! I will find a special use for it. :)

This is where I am at on stitching Henry.

I have had to do less stitching this week, as my right wrist has been hurting. I have been reading The Story Keeper by Lisa Wingate. I just happened upon this book at our library. It is a very good read thus far. I can tell you I will be reading more books by this author. So glad I found her. I continue to read the Holy Bible daily. What a blessing this is to my life. I am also reading many spiritual writings. Lots of reading!

Brian and I celebrate our 23rd anniversary tomorrow. We went back to Hartford, the town we lived in almost 8 years ago now. My idea. I thought it would be simple and nice to go back to a great bakery there, a few thrift shops and then lunch at a great coffee shop we went to once in a while when were lived there. We had a nice time together. Here are some pictures I took on our country drive north. These were all taken less than 20 minutes from our home. (We didn't move that far south. ;)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend my friends!

Kindness places the other ahead of ourselves. Be kind.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie