June Hands On Design

Hi friends! Madeleine is a high school graduate! :) It was a wonderful ceremony on Saturday. It seems bittersweet to have no more children in high school.

I had time to finish the June pattern in the Year of Celebrations from Hands on Design. This pattern can be found in the July 2014 issue of Cross Stitch & Needlework Magazine.

I stitched this one over one on 25ct New Khaki linen using DMC and WDW. I could not find the DMC conversions for Capri or Terra Cotta online anywhere, so I chose 347 for Capri and WDW Straw for the Terra Cotta.

I finished reading The Calling by Rachelle Dekker. This is the second book she has written, and it is the second book in The Seer Novel series. I did not enjoy this book as much as the first. I still liked it.

Remko Brant had never been so sure of anything as escaping the Authority City with Carrington Hale. But bravado comes easy when you have nothing to lose. Now a husband, father, and the tactical leader of the Seers, Remko has never had so much at risk.

As he and his team execute increasingly dangerous rescue missions inside the city, they face growing peril from a new enemy. Recently appointed Authority President Damien Gold claims to be guiding a city shaken by rebellion into a peaceful, harmonious future. But appearances can be deceiving. In order to achieve his dangerous ambitions, Gold knows he must do more than catch the rebels―he must destroy the hope their message represents . . . from the inside out.

With dissension in his own camp―and the CityWatch soldiers closing in―Remko feels control slipping through his fingers. To protect those he loves, he must conquer his fears and defeat Gold . . . before one of them becomes his undoing.

I am now finally stitching  Palko's free May pattern from last year. I had not forgotten for one minute to stitch it up, I just wanted to get at least two of my three monthly pieces stitched and mounted in the cubby shelf for June before the kid's graduation party preparations get too hectic.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Fresh As A Daisy

Hi friends! Check out this smile.

Yes, I am talking about little Henry. He is smiling in sweet relief. I took this picture of him on Wednesday, right after I finished giving him his haircut. I am so happy to say my headache did not increase in intensity from it either. Yay! I am also smiling because now all three poodles are clipped and looking good.

I am stitching away on the June Hands On Design, A Year of Celebrations pattern for my cubby shelf. I will share that finish with you next time.

Miss Madeleine is at graduation practice this morning. Real thing tomorrow morning!! I am bringing my tissues. ;)

Thank you for your friendship. Have a super weekend! I plan to!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

June SAL

Hi friends! How are you? It has warmed up here. The garden is finally beginning to bloom. So I have been weeding a bit daily with the poodles helping out.

I finally completed the June SAL from Snowflower Diaries.

I stitched this on mystery evenweave which I thought was 25 count. I am amazed this is the first counting  mistake I made in these eleven weeks of headaches. I have been experiencing blurry vision, mostly in the mornings and at night. It turns out the evenweave is NOT evenweave, but UnEvEnWeAvE. Ugh! Of all the times to run into this!!! The way I had it mounted in my Q-snap frame was 24ct going up and down and 28ct going side to side. :(  I started to notice something was very odd about one week into stitching it. The good news is that it still fits in the cubby it was stitched for. That is what is important. So it is all good.

The fabric is kind of an oatmeal in color.

I used DMC and VMSS one over one. I made a few changes in color: 3346 instead of 3362, VMSS 1795 Faded Sampler Red Light instead of 3777,and 932 instead of 931. I wish I had changed the colors on the bear to match the picture on the chart. She is too dark for me.

I am going to work on another June stitch for the cubby shelf next.

Unfortunately the headaches go on and on. I remain at a 3 or 4 on the pain scale daily. Unless I get outside. The sun and the heat affect the headache in a baaaaaaaad way. Ice helps, but... only so much. The pain goes up, but not really, really high. I am only supposed to take Imitrex if the pain goes really, really high(like a 7 or higher on the pain scale). So in the mean time I can take Extra Strength Tylenol, but only up to 12 days a month maximum. Rules, rules, rules. Headache please LEAVE!!

Thank you for your kind comments on my last post. I am so glad you stopped by today. I hope you have a good week! Miss Madeleine graduates high school this Saturday. I  may not be back until after then. Take good care of yourself!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

RAK

Hi friends! I have been stitching only a little bit these days. Very busy times. Emerson has graduated and is now a working man. ;) Miss Madeleine graduates high school in a week and half. Then we will have a graduation party for the both of them together in June. Plus the garden is calling! And the headache is still with me for 10 weeks straight now. I am thankful it is a 3 on the pain scale most days.

I received a RAK today from our friend Kim! I am one of the SIXTY, YES SIXTY RAKS she is making and sending out this year in celebration of her sixtieth birthday!! Yay!

Pink and poodles!! Weeeee! Awesome! Look at the lovely scissor fob Kim made me. See the two sweet poodle buttons, and pink floss? Brian quickly came into the room because I was loudly saying, "Oh, this is so very sweet!" when I found the pink poodle fabric, which Kim used in making the fabulous poodle needle book.

This pattern is called "Poodle Love" she tells me. Perfect, don't you think?! :) Kim, I thank you! What a kind, generous thing you have done. God bless you!

Thank you everyone for your kind words on my mom's gift. She loved it. I knew she would. She is crazy for her cat. ;)

I hope you have a wonderful week. Thank you for stopping in with me today.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Here is Mr. Murphy sporting his new haircut in the sunshine. He does appear awfully grey. He does still have some black to him, but the sun really makes him look lighter than he is. I will get an indoor picture next time. He is 12 1/2 years old now.

Kitty Love

Hi friends! I have been doing alright. Basically dealing with 3's or 4's on the pain scale for the headache daily. So I was able to complete the stitching and finishing on my mom's birthday gift. Here it is.

The pattern is called Kitty Love. You can find it HERE. I check this site daily actually. They offer one free chart daily. After one day though, if you want that chart you must pay for it.

If you looked at  how the original cat is charted, you can see I did my own thing with colors. I stitched this one over one on 28ct white evenweave. I have a small stash of "Cutie" charts to pick from when I need a gift for my mom. Her cat, Cutie, is black with a bit of white. I chose this chart at the beginning of May when I was on the barbituates thinking this is a simple chart. I can do this. Well, yes. It is simple. It is not quick however. Not when you are doing it one over one on 28 ct. The pattern is 75x80. So on I plodded. And on. Boy that is a lot of red!! Isn't that a wonderful ribbon with the hearts? This was gifted to me by Nienke.

Now I did not get the crisp oval shape I wanted because I forgot to use interfacing and am not taking it apart and doing it again. I blame the forgetting on the headaches honestly.The wonderful thing is mom always, always enjoys and appreciates and displays my stitching. We will celebrate her birthday and a late Mother's Day Sunday at her home.

Saturday(tomorrow) we are attending Emerson's graduation. He has completed his schooling for carpentry AND.... he has a job!!!! He begins Tuesday! He will be working for the premiere builder of luxury custom lake homes in southeastern Wisconsin. They have four carpenters. Now a fifth. Kind of. He will be more of a gopher for a while. He will drive the company pickup truck and run to the mill, run to the hardware store, etc. He will also do small amounts finish carpentry work. You have to start at the bottom. ;) This is just an amazing opportunity for Emerson. If you could see these homes! They are multi-million dollar homes. He is excited to learn some amazing skills. We are so happy for him and proud.

I got Mabel groomed! Yay me! Yay Brian! He paid to have Murphy groomed. I think my head may have imploded if I attempted Murphy with this headache. Two poodles down, one to go. Henry the screamer. Oh boy! o_0

I have begun the June Snowflower Diaries SAL. Isn't it cool? So neat!

Thank you for stopping in tonight. I am so glad you did. You encourage me so much with your comments.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.Romans 8:18

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Snuf

Hi friends! I received the most wonderful package in the mail all the way from the Netherlands. Our friend Carolien is the sender of this package. How privileged I am indeed to have her as a friend. She is a caring friend you can count on to pray for you in time of need. Thank you Carolien.

How very curious that these two floral wrapped packages stick together by magnets?

Aha! Now we see why! Look at these most gorgeous, Italian made, finely tipped scissors. And a lovely white and pink tulip needle minder. A perfect gift from my Dutch friend, wouldn't you agree?

What do we have here? I wish that were my pink bicycle with a basket overflowing with pink flowers on that card Carolien sent me. ;) But look! Look at the special gift in front of the card.

Here is a closer look.

This precious, little pink pillow was created by Carolien just for me. She lined it with a beautiful pink fabric as well. :) You can see she used a long pink ribbon, and added pink beads. And who do we have here? Well this is Snuf! He is the little silver poodle charm from Carolien's childhood. Yes, she gave him to me! She wore him about her silver charm necklace with other silver charms. She felt he would have an excellent, happy home here. She is right! I love him. I am so touched. I asked Carolien for a little Dutch boy poodle name. Her Aunt had a black poodle when she was a girl named, Snuf. So, you guessed it, this is Snuf. Want to see where he lives now here in Wisconsin, USA?

Yep! Right up there with many of his friends. He won't lack for poodle pals here. ;) Thank you once again Carolien for your many prayers, your encouragement, your gifts and your friendship.

Speaking of small(kind of) black poodles. Guess who is laying on my lap as I type this? Yes, Murphy. He has come to believe he should be a lap dog while I am on the desktop computer. I am afraid I am to blame. See he used to lay in that nifty, cozy bed I made him. Right at my feet. Well,  this computer is in the basement. With a family of five adults, you can imagine there is a lot of laundry to do. He has become afraid of the washing machine noises. So he begs to come into my lap. I gave in once. It only took once. This guy is PERSISTENT. He will paw and claw your leg forever. So here I sit with my 14 pound awkward lap dog. :)

I am still stitching my mom's gift. Trying so hard to hurry,hurry.

Please pray for our friend Jenny. She had a mastectomy yesterday. Visit her blog at the link to learn more and to leave words of encouragement if you like. Thank you!

Thank you for stopping in. I am so glad you did. I appreciate your friendship.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

The BIG HEADACHE That Will Not Go Away

Hi friends, I took myself off of the barbituates almost two weeks ago. It was too much. My skin was starting to peel!(A nasty side effect) Besides being zoned out all the time, you cannot stay on these drugs, on high doses, it is not good. So then, my pain soared. I mean WHOA! kind of soared. Nasty, horrid, feels like your skull is being crushed. I begged the doctor for help. I was put on a medicine that took the pain down to a six on a 1 to 10 pain scale. After two days,  I was put on Imitrex. I took it Thursday evening. It took the headache down to a 4 1/2 on a 1 to 10 pain scale. I was then able to take another one 2 hours later. This took the headache pain down to a 3. That it is where it stays a lot of the time.Every day it will go up a bit for some time also. Maybe it will stay this way until those steroids wear off from my neck injections 2 months ago? No one knows for sure. If that is the case, I may have 2 more months of a headache to deal with. I want a ZERO on the pain scale of course, but I will take a 3 instead of the skull crushing 9(10?) I had sometimes. Thanks be to God!

This Imitrex is used to knock out the headaches(kinda). I do not have migraine headaches. The neurologist tells me I have what are called Intractable Tension Headaches. Yay! NOT!

Thank you for your care, friendship, and prayers.

Have I been stitching? Yes. It was not possible for a while. But now I am. I am working on a Mother's Day gift for my mom. Her birthday is this Friday, so we will get together this weekend to celebrate. So glad to have the extra  days to work on it.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOTHERS!!

I finished Jane and the Man of the Cloth by Stephanie Barron. What an excellent book! Loved it! I highly recommend it to anyone who loves mysteries and Jane Austen. :)

Jane and her family are looking forward to a peaceful holiday in the seaside village of Lyme Regis. Yet on the outskirts of town an overturned carriage forces the shaken travelers to take refuge at a nearby manor house. And it is there that Jane meets the darkly forbidding yet strangely attractive Mr. Geoffrey Sidmouth. What murky secrets does the brooding Mr. Sidmouth seek to hide? Jane suspects the worst—but her attention is swiftly diverted when a man is discovered hanged from a makeshift gibbet by the sea. The worthies of Lyme are certain his death is the work of "the Reverend," the ringleader of the midnight smuggling trade whose identity is the town's paramount mystery. Now, it falls to Jane to entrap and expose the notorious Reverend...even if the evidence points to the last person on earth she wants to suspect...a man who already may have won her heart.

 I have been forced to take it easy. I don't want to! We have a household of three shaggy poodles! Ugh. That means a rough time grooming them coming up. :( Well, I shall persevere. It will get done. I just could not do it before. I could not.

So what have I been doing, besides reading? I have been slowly working in the garden. Bit by bit. I am nowhere near done. Not at all. But what am I to do. I tell you,  when you are truly debilitated, you just learn what is important. I have also learned how many true friends I have. Thank you my friends. ♥

Apple Blossoms

Volunteer Labrador Violets

Once again, I want to thank you for sticking with me. Thanks for dropping by today. I am so glad you did.

 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Psalm 103:1

Stitching and praying,

Vickie