Calendar Poodle SAL

Friday, March 31, 2017

A Wish For You☘️

Hi friends! I hope all is well with you. Murphy is all better and sleeping his usual 10 or 11 hour nights again. Thank you for your well wishes and concern. He recovered right after my last post. He had zero internal parasites, so I am quite sure it was the Slim Jim that did not go well with his tummy. No more spicy food for Murphy ever!

Here is a picture of the progress I have made on A Wish For You.
The solution I came up with for the very large house, that I want to be white like my grandparent's home, is to stitch the first part of each cross stitch (this part //// ) DMC B5200. Then I am going over each of those with this part \\\\ using VMSS Baby Pink and White. This is giving me a very pale pink house. I like it.😍 How many of you guessed I would be stitching the house in pink?! tee hee The two greens I am using are DMC 522 and 320. I barely got their names to fit. Yikes!

Here are my Grandma and Grandpa Kehoe at one of their daughter's weddings (my Auntie Kathy).
I finished reading In Farleigh Field: A Novel of World War II by Rhys Bowen. I liked this book very much. I knew nothing about M 15 Secret Intellegence Service for the United Kingdom, and there is a bit of that in this book.
World War II comes to Farleigh Place, the ancestral home of Lord Westerham and his five daughters, when a soldier with a failed parachute falls to his death on the estate. After his uniform and possessions raise suspicions, MI5 operative and family friend Ben Cresswell is covertly tasked with determining if the man is a German spy. The assignment also offers Ben the chance to be near Lord Westerham’s middle daughter, Pamela, whom he furtively loves. But Pamela has her own secret: she has taken a job at Bletchley Park, the British code-breaking facility.
As Ben follows a trail of spies and traitors, which may include another member of Pamela’s family, he discovers that some within the realm have an appalling, history-altering agenda. Can he, with Pamela’s help, stop them before England falls?
Inspired by the events and people of World War II, writer Rhys Bowen crafts a sweeping and riveting saga of class, family, love, and betrayal.
Thank you for stopping by today my friends. I am so glad you did. I welcome my new friends! I wish you all a splendid weekend!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Monday, March 27, 2017

😴

Hi friends! How are you? I am dragging. It has been 6 nights of interrupted sleep for me. And Murphy. He has been getting up 4 times a night, every night, for 6 nights in a row now. Brian works third shift and Murphy is definitely MY dog, so it is me and Murph. He has this weird mucousy poop happening. We took a sample in to the vet on Saturday morning to be tested. They send it out, so we don't get results until today. I am not so sure he has internal parasites anyways, but we must rule that out. The night this started, Madeleine gave Murphy a tiny piece of a Slim Jim that day. I think this old boy cannot handle such a thing and his digestive tract got whacked out. I am just guessing. We are waiting to talk to the vet today. I have yet to tell the vet of the Slim Jim. Murphy is acting fine during the day. Eating and drinking fine. He still naps a LOT during the day OF COURSE! Wish I did!!!😪

I took another picture of the Forever Be My Always pattern picture from the Cross Stitch and Needlework magazine for you. It has been a long time since I have shown you this. Some of you thought I was almost done. I have a ways to go yet. This will get pulled out and worked on again late in April.
 I am working on A Wish For You. I am dedicating this block to my Grandma and Grandpa Kehoe. Here is a picture of the pattern with the 4 different choices of  DMC recommended to stitch up the shamrocks in the border.
Now do any of those look like the correct color to you? It is probably hard to see, but the shamrocks are more of the kelly green color. I just went through my DMC til I found two that matched the cover photo to my liking.

The next HUGE change to this sampler is the house. I actually started stitching it with the dark red for the bricks. I had to stop. It bothered me way too much. You see, my Grandma and Grandpa's house is still there in West Allis. It unfortunately left the family in the 1980's, but it has ALWAYS and is STILL a white sided house. Now I know all of these homes in each sampler of this AotH series are not necessarily representative of  our families' homes. But this big,dramatic brick house was just too different. And I want this block to be for Grandma and Grandpa Kehoe with the Irish shamrocks. Soooo.. I pulled out the dark red stitches. I stitched B5200 for a bit. I do not believe this is going to work. It is just too light on cream Dublin linen. So I will be pulling out these stitches now and figuring out the correct color floss to use.

Here is where Emerson is now on his woodpecker embroidery.
Looking great isn't it?!

Here is the chart I am giving away.
 I am sorry, but due to postage, you must live in America to enter this giveaway. You must also be a follower of mine and leave a comment on this post. I will announce the winner on Monday, April 3rd.

That's all for me today my friends. I will have a picture of A Wish For You on Friday. I hope you have a great week!

Stiching and praying,
Vickie




Friday, March 24, 2017

🍎

Hi friends! Here is an update photo on how far I have gotten on Forever Be My Always by Emma Congdon.
 I now have this tucked away, and have pulled out the next sampler chart by Blackbird Designs in the Anniversaries of the Heart series, which is A Wish For You. This one I am dedicating to my mom. I have been having fun (yeah right!) finding correct colors for the flosses, since many of them do not look anything like the ones on the cover photo. Also I am once again changing things just a bit.

Madeleine came home a few days ago from her university art class with a needle felted McIntosh apple she made me. 😊 This is my favorite kind of apple.
I have been looking through my stash and found some charts to giveaway. I will have one to giveaway next time.

Well I hope this weekend is a lovely one for you. Thank you for stopping by and saying hi!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Monday, March 20, 2017

🌷Happy Spring!🌷

Hi friends! Happy Spring! Take a look at this.
This is not my work. This is the handiwork of Emerson. Yes, it is true. He asked me two weeks ago how to embroider a woodpecker on his Levi's denim shirt pocket. I pulled out my 1929 Samplers and Stitches  by Mrs. Archibald Christie and we began a few lessons. His progress is slow but sure. Emerson is a carpenter. He works full time during the days. Once he unwinds at night, he has lately been spending a little time with me at the kitchen table, where we both take up our needles.😊

Here is a progress picture of my work on Forever Be My Always by Emma Congdon. I am enjoying stitching a bit more pink into the design.😁
In other news, I am still coughing and of course taking my antibiotics. I barely feel improvement. I am halfway through the course of antibiotics. I will give it two or three days more, then give my doctor a call and ask if I should be rechecked by her for this sinus infection and the bronchitis. Maybe I will need to be on the antibiotics for a longer amount of time than 10 days.

Thank you for stopping by to say hi. I hope you stay away from sick germs! Have a stitchtastic week now!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie


Friday, March 17, 2017

🍀Happy St. Patrick's Day !🍀

Hi friends!
How are you? Better than me I hope! I have been coughing for almost exactly a month now. I went to a doctor last week. He said my lungs sound clear and to take an allergy pill, use over the counter nasal spray and use cough syrup. Nope. I went to my doctor on Wednesday and I have bronchitis and a sinus infection. She gave me antibiotics and told me to use the nasal spray, and I should be all fixed up.

Here is a progress picture on Forever Be My Always by Emma Congdon.
 That is about it for me for me friends. You are all so sweet with your kind comments. Thank you.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie







Monday, March 13, 2017

❄️️Whoa With The Snow Already!! ❄️️

Hi friends! What is the weather like by you? Are you having crazy amounts of snow? As I type this post we have 12 inches of snow now, and it is still coming down.The snow started coming last night. I tried to get a picture of the three poodles in the snow for you, NOPE! They did their business quick like. No messing around in this stuff. So here ya go.
Yep. Picture that times three. ;) Looks just like them.

Here are my monthly pieces on display in the cubby shelf.
I have been working on Forever Be My Always by Emma Congdon. Here is my update photo.
Brian, Madeleine and I went to an antique mall last week. The one and only thing we purchased was this.
I spotted this POODLE immediately. Now you may not think it is a poodle. Brian did not initially. Madeleine doubted for a moment or two. It was labelled as an alabaster and marble spaniel, but people, I ask you. Do I know poodles? Yes. Yes, I do. I checked on the internet when we got home and it is a poodle and worth more than double than what we paid. And I do not see any with a pink marble base anywhere. tee hee!! Mine! Mine! Love!


I have finished reading Jane and the Ghosts of Netley by Stephanie Barron. This one left me stunned. I am not saying more, in case some of you decide to read these Jane Austen mysteries. I really like all of these Jane novels by Stephanie. The storylines are based on the actual events in Jane's life. I only find myself wanting to shove her into romance that is not going to happen as we know. :(  You can read more about Stephanie and her techniques to creating "Jane" HERE.
In her seventh captivating adventure, Jane Austen finds her crime-solving mettle put to the test in a confounding case of intrigue, murder, and high treason. Among the haunted ruins of an ancient abbey, Jane is drawn into a shadow world of dangerous secrets and traitorous hearts where not only her life is at stake—but the fate of England.
As Jane Austen stands before the abandoned ruins of Netley Abbey, she imagines that ghosts really do haunt the centuries-old monastery. But the green-cloaked figure who startles her is all too human and he bears an unexpected missive from Lord Harold Trowbridge, one of the British government’s most trusted advisers—and a man who holds a high place in Jane’s life.Trowbridge tells Jane about a suspected traitor in their midst—and the disastrous consequences if she succeeds. But is Sophia Challoner, a beautiful widow with rumored ties to Emperor Bonaparte, really an agent of the enemy?

Dispatched to Netley Lodge, Jane sets about gaining the confidence of the mysterious and intriguing lady even as Trowbridge’s grim prediction bears fruit: a British frigate is set afire and its shipwright found with his throat cut.It’s clear that someone is waging a clandestine war of terror and murder. But before Jane can follow the trail of conspiracy to its source and unmask a calculating killer, the cold hand of murder will fall mercilessly yet again—and suddenly Jane may find herself dying for her country.

Elegantly intriguing, Jane and the Ghosts of Netley is a beautifully crafted novel of wit, character, and suspense that transports Jane and her many fans into a mystery of truly historical proportions—and a case that will test the amateur sleuth’s true colors under fire.
Thank you for stopping by today my friends. YOU are a blessing in my life! I hope you have a super week!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie



Friday, March 10, 2017

Jesus Prayer

Hi friends! I have worked all week on the Bonus Chart and have completed it. You will notice I have replaced the center with the Jesus Prayer, instead of the alphabet and numbers that were charted. I also added a cross at the bottom.
I made two color changes to match the pattern photo better. 642 instead of 3011 and 3740 instead of 3781.
I am now stitching on Forever Be My Always by Emma Congdon again.
I read another book by Jacqueline Winspear two weeks ago. This one is NOT one from the Maisie Dobbs series. It is a FANTASTIC book! I loved it! The Care and Management of Lies: A Novel of the Great War was such a good read and not what I expected.
The New York Times bestselling author of the Maisie Dobbs series turns her prodigious talents to this World War I standalone novel, a lyrical drama of love struggling to survive in a damaged, fractured world.
By July 1914, the ties between Kezia Marchant and Thea Brissenden, friends since girlhood, have become strained—by Thea’s passionate embrace of women’s suffrage, and by the imminent marriage of Kezia to Thea’s brother, Tom, who runs the family farm. When Kezia and Tom wed just a month before war is declared between Britain and Germany, Thea’s gift to Kezia is a book on household management—a veiled criticism of the bride’s prosaic life to come. Yet when Tom enlists to fight for his country and Thea is drawn reluctantly onto the battlefield, the farm becomes Kezia’s responsibility. Each must find a way to endure the ensuing cataclysm and turmoil.
As Tom marches to the front lines, and Kezia battles to keep her ordered life from unraveling, they hide their despair in letters and cards filled with stories woven to bring comfort. Even Tom’s fellow soldiers in the trenches enter and find solace in the dream world of Kezia’s mouth-watering, albeit imaginary meals. But will well-intended lies and self-deception be of use when they come face to face with the enemy?
Published to coincide with the centennial of the Great War, The Care and Management of Lies paints a poignant picture of love and friendship strained by the pain of separation and the brutal chaos of battle. Ultimately, it raises profound questions about conflict, belief, and love that echo in our own time.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend my friends! Thank you for stopping by.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Friday, March 3, 2017

🐩

Hi friends! I have been stitching on the Bonus Chart for AotH this week. This is how far I have gotten.
one over one on 25ct cream Dublin linen
I am not going to stitch the alphabet and numbers as charted. I charted out the Jesus Prayer and will stitch that in after I have worked the border. If you are not familiar with the Jesus Prayer and would like to know more you can CLICK HERE.

I have  a cold with a nasty cough. It just won't go away. I cough so much that by the end of each day the headaches go up. 🙁 By the way, since the Botox injections the headaches are reduced. They are milder, but still there every day. The problem is that I have a second kind of headache also. Menstrual migraines.😱 Not good. Not good at all. Pain. For one week before my periods begin, it is like a man is pressing his thumbs into my eyeballs nonstop. The doctor gave me a prescription for it. Nope. Does not work. So I have another prescription to try next time. I am hoping!

I am hoping YOU have a great weekend! I am so glad you came by to say hi.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie