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Hi friends! I have been doing my overall stitching this week.(If you don't know what I am talking about CLICK HERE). I have 3 1/2 signatures completed. ONLY 27 1/2 to go!!!!! 😲 I am not going to bore you to death with these signatures. These are the two completed this week.

This one was almost done. Just needed another hours work.

Guess what? I have been working on some other "sewing projects for family". Isn't that great? 😶 Yes, it is true. My MIL asked me to repair old Victorian beaded purses she got while on vacation in Florida. I finally finished the last one. I had do some work on the linings and mostly it was work on the beading. I can only find pictures of three of the four. Oh well.

I finished reading Jane and His Lordship's Legacy by Stephanie Barron. This is another book in the Jane Austen Mysteries series. What a good book. I love this series. It tells you so much about the real Jane. I really like historical fiction. Do you? This book had nice little plot twists.

It's with a heavy heart that Jane Austen takes up a new residence at Chawton Cottage in Hampshire. Secretly mourning the lost love of her life, she's stunned to learn that the late Lord Harold Trowbridge has made her heir to an extraordinary bequest: a Bengal chest filled with his diaries, letters, and most intimate correspondence. From these, Jane is expected to write a memoir of the Gentleman Rogue for posterity. But before she can put pen to paper on this labor of love, she discovers a corpse in the cellar of her new home.

The dead man was a common laborer, and a subsequent coroner's examination shows he was murdered elsewhere and transported to Chawton Cottage. Suddenly Jane and her family are thrust into the center of a brewing scandal in this provincial village that doesn't take kindly to outsiders in general—and to Austens in particular.

And just as Jane glimpses a connection between the murder and the shattering truth concealed somewhere in Lord Harold's papers, violent death strikes yet another unsuspecting vicitim. Suddenly there are suspects and motives everywhere Jane looks—local burglaries, thwarted passions, would-be knights, and members of the royal family itself who want Lord Harold hushed . . . even in death. As the tale of one man's illustrious life unfolds—a life that runs a parallel course to the history of two continents—Jane races against time to catch a cunning killer before more innocent lives are taken. But her determination to protect Lord Harold's legacy could exact the costliest price of all: her own life.

This message is for Sara of Copper Fox. I am leaving you comments! I have never stopped. I don't know if they are getting through to you and if you are seeing them?

Well, back to stitching my brother's bluegrass bibs.

I am having a giveaway if you missed that fact. Check out my last post for the details.

Have a super weekend my friends! I am so glad you stopped by.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Hello Spring

Hi friends! I finished the gift for my mom's birthday coming up next month. It features her cat "Cutie".

This is a freebie you can find RIGHT HERE Have a look around the site. There are many freebies available that are not all cat related.  I stitched this one over one on light blue 22count evenweave with DMC. I finished this as a flatfold. I used pale blue crepe from my stash as the backing material and finished off the edges with pale blue satin ribbon. 

Several of you wanted to see my pink pansies. Well here you go!

I have a cross stitch chart to giveaway. Hello Spring by Nicoletta Farrauto of Nikyscreations is a chart that is ripped out of the current Just Cross Stitch magazine. I will be folding the two pages so they  fit into a business size envelope to save on postage. You must be a follower of mine and you must leave a comment on this post telling me you want to be entered into the giveaway. I will draw the name of the winner on Monday, May 1st.

I had planned on going back to work on Forever Be My Always by Emma Congdon.  However, I absolutely, positively MUST work on my brother Jonathan's overalls. I have to embroider those signatures. Have no idea what I am talking about? I don't blame you! I posted about the overalls and the whole YUCKY project a year and a half ago HERE. The last time I posted any progress was HERE. You can see what the embroidery is going to look like on that post. There are 31 autographs!!!!!! I have precisely one and a half done!!!!! Just what kind of sister am I? 😞 This is NOT going to help my headaches. NOPE.

So, unless my head explodes, I shall be back at the end of the week. Take care of yourselves til then my friends! I am thankful for YOU!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

🐤

Hi friends! I finished the little Easter freebie I was working on. It did NOT take one hour to stitch up as the designer suggested, but that is okay. It is adorable, don't you agree?

You can find this freebie HERE. I stitched this one over one on 28ct white Meran linen using DMC of my own choosing.

I am now back to stitching up my mom's birthday gift. It is a freebie with a black cat. I need to think up a way to finish this piece for her.

I have pink pansies!!😊 I only have some of them planted as of yet. I can only get into the garden in short spurts or my headache soars. Even while wearing polarized sunglasses in the shade.

Speaking of pink.... Have you seen this awesome HUGE set of PINK freebies by Maria Diaz? It is only available for a few more days this month. Go now!!! CLICK HERE
What is in the center of it all?!? Oh yeah!! The best!! Woo hoo!! A PINK POODLE!!🐩🐩🐩

Our sweet, little Henry had a dental cleaning this week. He had 5 teeth pulled. The poor boy lost all four of his front and center teeth. 😞 He is on antibiotics and pain medicine. It is common for toy breeds to lose their teeth unfortunately.

Thank you for stopping in today friends. I will have another chart to giveaway next week. I hope you have a beautiful weekend!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

 

Christ Is Risen!

Hi friends! Christ is Risen!

Did you have a good weekend? I did. A weekend filled with church services. Easter lunch at mom's surrounded by family, laughter and lots of food (chocolate). I even got into the garden for a bit. I got out there early before the sun could reach the garden bed I chose to work on. I was in the shade wearing my polarized sun glasses also and I limited my time. That is my only way to avoid getting a migraine.

I finished the stitching and made up the small gift for my friend. No pictures for you. Yet. I then started stitching a gift for my mom. Her birthday is next month. I was working on that for a few days when I suddenly got an urge to stitch a sweet Easter freebie. I almost finished it. Almost. I will share it next time.

I had three people enter to win the chart I was giving away. This chart Laughing In Flowers

I simply wrote their names on strips of paper, folded them, shook them up in my cupped hands and pulled out.... Clare!

I will be having another giveaway soon.

Woo hoo! I read the latest, newest Maisie Dobbs novel!! 😊 In This Grave Hour is a great book! I truly enjoyed it. I think I am getting to know Maisie a bit too well, because I knew who the killer was half way through the book, I knew she was going to be completely attached to this little girl and I will call it right now. She is going to adopt this little girl in a coming book. And I knew Maisie was going back to work, helping her  country during this war. There will be danger coming up for Maisie. Oh yes. Despite this, I love the it all!

Sunday September 3rd 1939.  At the moment Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain broadcasts to the nation Britain’s declaration of war with Germany, a senior Secret Service agent breaks into Maisie Dobbs' flat to await her return. Dr. Francesca Thomas has an urgent assignment for Maisie: to find the killer of a man who escaped occupied Belgium as a boy, some twenty-three years earlier during the Great War.
 In a London shadowed by barrage balloons, bomb shelters and the threat of invasion, within days another former Belgian refugee is found murdered.  And as Maisie delves deeper into the killings of the dispossessed from the “last war," a new kind of refugee — an evacuee from London — appears in Maisie's life. The little girl billeted at Maisie’s home in Kent does not, or cannot, speak, and the authorities do not know who the child belongs to or who might have put her on the “Operation Pied Piper” evacuee train.  They know only that her name is Anna.
 As Maisie’s search for the killer escalates, the country braces for what is to come.  Britain is approaching its gravest hour — and Maisie could be nearing a crossroads of her own.

 I get my next round of Botox shots on Thursday. Please pray these help me. The first shots helped a bit. They said not to expect much with the first round of shots. So I am hopeful for this time. Thank you.💕
***EDIT*** The doctor's office called this afternoon and cancelled my appointment. Doctor's wife is due to have their baby at any moment I am told. They rescheduled me for May 11th. 😣 So, well, carry on as usual with the daily headaches. I just was looking forward to maybe actually getting true relief ASAP!!!
 
I hope you have an excellent week my friends!

Look without and be distressed
Look within and be depressed
But look to Christ and be at rest

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

🐰Easter Treasure Hunt Blog Hop🐰

 
Hello to friends new and old! I am so glad to have you all stop by. Today I am taking part in the Easter Treasure Hunt Blog Hop of 2017, hosted by our friend Jo. You can learn more about this, and find out where the Hunt begins, by going to Jo's blog. Each of us in the Hunt are sharing an Easter or Spring stitched finish with you. Here is mine.

Stitched one over one with DMC 760 and 761 on 32ct Baby Lotion linen

This is an old freebie I stitched up two years ago and have made into a pinkeep for display in my cubby shelf. You can find the freebie RIGHT HERE.

Each of us participating in this Easter Treasure Hunt Blog Hop were assigned a letter. If you visit Jo's blog to find out where to begin, then you can hop from blog to blog, collecting letters as you go. You will end up with the Mystery Phrase. :) My letter is
 
You need to visit Gracie's blog next to continue on in order, and solve the mystery!

I have a GIVEAWAY going on right now that ends on Monday the 17th. If you would like to enter click HERE to go to the giveaway post.

Have a blessed Easter my friends!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

🌼

Hi friends! Did you have a nice weekend? We had lovely weather in the sixties and sunny. We attended a celebratory lunch on Saturday for my in-laws. They have been married 50 years now. It was all very nice.

Here is my April display in my cubby shelf.

I finished A Wish For You last week.

One over one on 25ct cream Dublin linen

I changed the bunny a bit. I stitched him in 612 instead of  840 to make him a bit lighter. I also stitched his tail in Wisper. 😊

I stitched all the house trim in 453 to match my grandparents' house trim. The windows are filled with Ecru instead of 738 because I could not find my 738. Ha!  I left the very upper left space above the house empty and left off the tiny diamond things. I like it a bit plainer like this.

I am now stitching up a pretty, little gift for a friend. So no pictures. I can show you what I began with.

Pretty colors, aren't they? I am not sure you can see the light blue variegation of the evenweave.

I would like to offer this pattern for an etui pincushion, a shaped needlebook, and a scissors fob to anyone who is interested. This pattern is removed from the May 2013 Cross Stitch & Needlework magazine. This giveaway is for the few pages of this pattern only, not the whole magazine. I will be folding this pattern to fit into a business size envelope to save on postage. If you would like this pattern, you need to be a follower of mine,and leave a comment on this post. I will draw a name on April 17th.

P.S. I did not do the finishing I had hoped to do on my cute Spring stitching. boo!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

The Chart Winner

Hi friends! Thank you for the encouraging comments you left me about my work on A Wish For You. I will show you how much stitching I have accomplished over the weekend. I concentrated on the BIG house.

Here is how far Emerson has come on his woodpecker embroidery. You can see that he has been working at it for hours. He shortened the beak, changed the throat, thinned the breast a bit, and changed the tail also. Lots of unstitching! Not fun he tells me. I tell him, "I know!" ;) He has broken two needles in the process.

Not one person who lives in the United States left a comment stating they would like the Kingsland pattern I offered one week ago. Only our dear friend Jo. So guess what Jo? ;) Yes, I am sending it to you. 😊

I will continue on with A Wish For You this week. I need to force myself to take a break though and do a little finishing on a seasonal piece that is so cute, it just has to see the light of day and be made up! See? I am typing this here, so that I now must do it. I am just really, really enjoying A Wish For You.

Little, tiny bits of green are just starting to poke up out of the ground here. I have not one thing blooming. Hopefully soon.

I hope that you my friends have a really nice week! Thank you for stopping by.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie