Calendar Poodle SAL

Monday, June 5, 2017

🎂

Hi friends! How was your weekend? Mine was great! I had chocolate birthday cake AND strawberry cheesecake yesterday at my mom's.🎂 😊Tomorrow I turn 48!

I would like to offer this large Adam and Eve Reproduction Sampler chart by Robin Laukhuf as a giveaway for all of my follower friends.
This is a chart that is ripped out of an old Cross Stitch and Needlework magazine. I will be folding the four 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. This giveaway is open to any one of my followers anywhere. I will draw the name of the winner on June 19th.
Agent M: The Lives and Spies of M15's Maxwell Knight by Henry Hemming is the book I finished last week.  It was not what I expected. While I found his life story interesting, I was hoping for more stories of the spies and their missions. I am not going to lie. I ended up skimming a lot of the information after I got halfway through reading the book.

Maxwell Knight was a paradox. A jazz obsessive and nature enthusiast (he is the author of the definitive work on how to look after a gorilla), he is seen today as one of MI5's greatest spymasters, a man who did more than any other to break up British fascism during the Second World War -- in spite of having once belonged to the British Fascisti himself. He was known to his agents and colleagues simply as M, and is rumored to be the inspiration for the character in the James Bond series.

Knight became a legendary spymaster despite an almost total lack of qualifications. What set him apart from his peers was a mercurial ability to transform almost anyone into a fearless secret agent. He was the first in MI5 to grasp the potential of training female agents.

Agent M is about more than just one man however. In its pages, Hemming will reveal for the first time in print the names and stories of some of the men and women recruited by Knight, on behalf of MI5, and then asked to infiltrate the most dangerous political organizations in Britain at that time. Until now, their identities have been kept secret outside MI5. Drawn from every walk of life, they led double lives -- often at great personal cost -- in order to protect the country they loved. With the publication of this book, it will be possible at last to celebrate the lives of these courageous and selfless individuals.

Drawing on declassified documents, private family archives, and original interviews, Agent M reveals not just the shadowy world of espionage but a brilliant, enigmatic man at its shadowy center.
When ALL hormonal headaches have past and are out of me, my headaches go way down. THEN on those days I am able to go out into the garden in the evenings.
I will have an updated Pink Hill Manor picture for you next time. I am trying to finish it. I am sure I will since I will be inside this week. It is hot and sunny here lately, so I must hide inside to avoid headaches.

Have a wonderful weekend my friends. Thank you for stopping by!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie





32 comments:

Stasi said...

Your garden flowers are so lovely! I hope you have a wonderful birthday---wishing you a day filled with all the things/people you love!

Mii Stitch said...

Glad you enjoyed the cakes!
Great giveaway too.

Angela Tucker said...

Oh, Happy One-Day-Until-Your-Birthday!! Cake and cheesecake? You are my kind of woman. And I like that you stretch out your birthday celebration...good idea. LOL

Your flowers are BEAUTIFUL!! Is that a magnolia? I love their smell, but don't see them around here much. I don't think that they like the "dry heat" of Central California. LOL It's been in the 90's for a few days...my flowers go from pretty to dried in about 5 hours. LOL

I love that sampler, but just don't have the time to stitch it...please give it to someone that will do it justice. SMILE

Have a wonderful day, sweetie pie!

Robin in Virginia said...

What beautiful flowers in your garden! Happy early birthday, Vickie! I hope you have a truly special day from beginning to end. Thinking of you!

Stitchy Mc Floss said...

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Vickie, Happy Birthday to you!!! :)

I am super thrilled that your head aches go way down like they do...Praise God, that is just awesome. Yay!

I am looking forward to seeing your stitchy update. I seem to have fallen down the well of doing cross stitch again.

Awww look at that little Murphy, he's such a sweetie looking out the window. He is truly a sweat heart. Where are the rest of the gang? I love seeing them, they always make me smile.

Blessings to you always sweet friend ((hugs)).

Halland House Gifts said...

What beautiful flowers. Happy Birthday to you, Vickie. Your celebration desserts sounded wonderful. I know someone is going to be very excited to win the pattern. The center motif reminds me of His Eye is on the Sparrow. I'll probably order the linen for that one in a few months, but for now there are a couple of other projects I need to finish first.

Kerryp77 said...

Happy birthday Vickie. Have a lovely day.

Vicki said...

Happy Birthday! Sounds like the celebrations are off to a good start. Your flowers are gorgeous my favorite is the Iris - such a lovely color. Enjoy your day!

Manuela said...

I wish you a wonderful birthday tomorrow.
So beautiful flowers.
Best wishes Manuela

laceystitcher said...

So happy you were able to be in the garden. Your flowers are absolutely gorgeous! I finished all of the Maisie Dobbs series and I totally loved it. Then I re-read the Francine Rivers series, Mark of the Lion, since it is always a good read to me. It is hot here as well, so I am like you and I stay by the air-conditioning; you can't get it too cool for me. I don't do well in the heat and humidity which is what we have here in Kansas. Hope you have a good week. Happy stitching and reading...............

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

Happy Early Birthday!
Glad that the garden still looks lovely in the evenings when you can get out there.

Barb said...

I'm so glad you get enough relief to go into your garden in the evening. That is such a lovely time to be in the garden.

The Knitting Cross Stitcher said...

Lovely pictures of your flowers Vickie.It is good to hear you can enjoy your garden some evenings.
The chart you are offering is gorgeous. Good luck to everyone who enters your giveaway.
I hope you have a very happy birthday tomorrow.

Julie said...

Beautiful blooms in the garden Vickie.
Wishing you Happy Birthday wishes for tomorrow, have a wonderful day.
xx

butterfly said...


HAPPY BIRTHDAY my sweet friend.
Yummy cake how nice .
Your garden looks beautiful love the Iris .
Hugs and Kisses for your big day.

Maggie said...

Happy Birthday! I hope you had the most wonderful day.x

Your garden looks full of beautiful flowers and lovely colour :-)

Christina said...

Happy Birthday!! Have a wonderful day! I bet your cakes were delicious. Glad your getting relief from your headaches. Your garden looks good. Pretty Iris, mine didn't do well this year and are gone now.

Lili said...

Happy birthday, Vickie! Have a wonderful b-day!!
Your giveaway is great! Beautiful flowers!!
Hugs,
Lili

Mary said...

Happy Birthday!!! Your flowers are beautiful,so glad your headaches are lessening, have a great Birthday Week, Mary

RJ said...

Happy Birthday Vickie!!! Hope your day was as special as you. I'm spending 5 days at the beach but was lucky enough to see this on my friend's computer. Your flowers are so pretty. Happy stitching! RJ

Meari said...

Happy Birthday, Vickie!!

Christina said...

Wishing you a very happy birthday! Hope you have a lovely day.

cucki said...

Happy birthday my dear friend
I love you
Big hugs x

Carol said...

Your birthday sounds positively delicious, Vickie!! Chocolate AND cheesecake--you must have been a very good girl this year :)

So happy to hear you are out in the evenings enjoying your garden--I'm sure your plants are happy to have your attention again--they look lovely!

Happy Birthday to you (a day late!)♪♪♪

Margaret said...

Happy belated birthday! Glad you had some nice early celebrations. It's good that your nonhormonal headaches are better. I wish those menstrual ones were too though. :( Love the pics of your garden!

Mendy said...

Happy Birthday! I would love the sampler. Awesome give away!

Beth said...

Hope you had a lovely day!

Von said...

So sorry I missed your birthday, but looks like you got a nice start on it! I'm glad you're able to get out into your garden sometimes in the evening hours. Do you have good viewing of it from the house? Do take good care of yourself and keep celebrating!

Brigitte said...

Happy belated birthday wishes are winging their way over to you., Vickie. I hope you had a wonderful day.

Maggee said...

Well, better late than never in wishing you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I am sure it was a good celebration for you, with all that yummy cake! Your flowers in the garden are delightful to see. My ONE spot of flowers, that I think are Coreopsis, has started to bloom now. No others ever took off anyplace else... Thanks for sharing with us!

Hilda said...

Dear Vicky,
happy (very) belated Birthday, my dear friend.
As you noticed I was away from blogosphere for a while, but today I am taking a big walk throug my most favorite blogs and am very happy to read about you.
I chose your birthday post to say "hello again". Hope you are enjoying a (painfree) Summer. I love all the stitching I saw on your last posts ....

Sending all the best wishes your way.

Hugs
Hilda

Astrids dragon said...

Oh my, see what happens when I'm not caught up on reading blogs?! I hope you had a most wonderful birthday, I'm sorry I missed it!
Your flowers are so lovely.