Huge Success

Hi friends! Thank you so much for your kind compliments on my last piece, The Italian Baker. I gave it to the real Italian Baker, and oh my!, what a reaction. He was just speechless. He is 75 years old now. He is celebrating 50 years of being in business now. That is why I stitched that for him. When I came in with Brian to work at 11:30 p.m. he was so extremely puzzled to see me. Brian told him my wife has something for you. He said, "You made this for ME?" Long silence. "My hair is standing up!" "I cannot  believe it!" "Oh, thank you. Thank you."

He then proceeded to invite us to the family 50th Anniversary party on Sunday. We went. There was a lovely table set with two heaping  platters of  many assorted cookies. In the center there was a beautiful three tiered white and gold 50th anniversary cake. Next to this cake was..... my cross stitch on display! I was so surprised. All of his daughters stopped to thank me. The Italian Baker once again thanked me. What a warm, fuzzy feeling I got.😍

Wanna know something fun? The Italian Baker plays the accordion. We went back upstairs, but we could hear him play.😉

Last night after the shop closed, and we walked past with the dogs, what did we see? Oh my! My  cross stitch of the Italian Baker! It sits facing out, towards the end on top of the long counter/display cases. Exactly where I can perfectly look in as I pass when taking the dogs on their daily walks.

Last week I finished listening to a very looooong audio book called The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer. Wow! I loved this book. Thank you for this recommendation Carol.😉
Julie Orringer’s astonishing first novel, eagerly awaited since the publication of her heralded best-selling short-story collection, How to Breathe Underwater (“fiercely beautiful”—The New York Times; “unbelievably good”—Monica Ali), is a grand love story set against the backdrop of Budapest and Paris, an epic tale of three brothers whose lives are ravaged by war, and the chronicle of one family’s struggle against the forces that threaten to annihilate it.

Paris, 1937. Andras Lévi, a Hungarian-Jewish architecture student, arrives from Budapest with a scholarship, a single suitcase, and a mysterious letter he has promised to deliver to C. Morgenstern on the rue de Sévigné. As he falls into a complicated relationship with the letter’s recipient, he becomes privy to a secret history that will alter the course of his own life. Meanwhile, as his elder brother takes up medical studies in Modena and their younger brother leaves school for the stage, Europe’s unfolding tragedy sends each of their lives into terrifying uncertainty. At the end of Andras’s second summer in Paris, all of Europe erupts in a cataclysm of war.

From the small Hungarian town of Konyár to the grand opera houses of Budapest and Paris, from the lonely chill of Andras’s room on the rue des Écoles to the deep and enduring connection he discovers on the rue de Sévigné, from the despair of Carpathian winter to an unimaginable life in forced labor camps and beyond, The Invisible Bridge tells the story of a love tested by disaster, of brothers whose bonds cannot be broken, of a family shattered and remade in history’s darkest hour, and of the dangerous power of art in a time of war.

Expertly crafted, magnificently written, emotionally haunting, and impossible to put down, The Invisible Bridge resoundingly confirms Julie Orringer’s place as one of today’s most vital and commanding young literary talents.

I am stitching on BBD Pumpkin Farm once again.

I appreciate your prayers. The pain has been increasing. The nerve must really, really be getting pinched severely.  I am counting down the days til my surgery. It is on the 15th.

Have a good day my friends! Thank you for stopping by.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

The Italian Baker

Hi friends! I finished the piece I was working on for Brian's boss, the Italian baker. This weekend marks 50 years of his being in the baking business! I came across this freebie a few years ago and it looks so very much like our Italian baker I just knew I would be stitching it.

I am showing you a picture of the completed stitching minus one thing I added. Brian asked if I would stitch his boss' name on the hat. So I did. I did not show that. That is also why you are not seeing the final framed picture. It is framed in a black 8x8 frame from Michael's.

I am actually going in to work with Brian tonight! That will be a surprise alright! I will give the gift then. I just have to go downstairs to the bakery remember. Once the gift is given, then those two can bake bread and I can go upstairs to our apartment and go to bed!

I stitched this two over two on 29ct white linen using DMC 310.

If you should actually want to stitch this for yourself, you can find this freebie RIGHT HERE

Thank you for stopping by today. Thank you for leaving sweet comments. Have a super weekend!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Poodle Stitchin'

Hi friends! I have had to put BBD's Pumpkin Farm on hold for just a bit. I have had a pattern set aside, waiting to be stitched for over a year now. I knew I would be stitching it, I just did not know exactly when. Now is the time!! It is a gift and now there is a time crunch!  I will show you when it is done.

I have two Calendar Poodles to share with you from the SAL. The first is from our friend Vicki
She stitched up the February Poodle. Take a look!

Vicki is going to stitch ALL? of my poodles on one piece of fabric! I like the little addition of hearts Vicki.😘
Here is another February Poodle stitched up by our friend Betsy

Here is what Betsy said:This little poodle looks just like my friend Nita’s little girl, Sophie.  I have been taking care of Sophie while they were on a cruise for the last week. They got home late last night and I gave her this bookmark when they picked Sophie up. She was thrilled. I did have to outline the picture because the fabric I chose has a lot of dark flecks in it and it didn’t show up very well. You can’t see the flecks in this picture. Go figure. Anyway, thank you for the sweet little pattern. I enjoyed stitching it up for her. 
If you also have a Calendar Poodle stitched up, send me a picture, I would love to post it here!

I read a book called Good Soldiers. I am confident no one else here would be interested in it. I read it for the slight bit of information it held about my grandfather's 89th Infantry Division in World War II. I will be honest. I did not read the whole book. The whole title of the book is Good Soldiers: The History of the 353rd Infantry Regiment, 89th Infantry Division, 1942-1945 Well, my grandpa was in the 354th Infantry Regiment. So there is mention of them. They served side by side quite often. I learned some. It was interesting. I just wish there was a book somewhere with pictures OF COURSE of my grandpa's Regiment. I really wish my grandpa did not die when I was just a baby. I am told he adored me. His only grandchild.

Thanks for stopping in my friends. I hope you have a wonderful week! I have thanked God for you.

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

Calendar Poodles SAL

Hi friends! It has warmed up here a bit. Still plenty of snow on the ground!

I am astounded, just amazed at the positive comments AND requests for my little poodle patterns. It NEVER occurred to me that anyone else would want to also stitch one of these poodles. No, never.

Well I have had a few ladies ask if I am having a SAL for these Calendar Poodles. So let's do it! If you want to stitch a monthly poodle with me I will be posting a new poodle pattern to my blog the first week of every month. As soon as you stitch up a poodle send me a picture. I will post it on my blog. If you have it in a post on your blog, send me the link, I will link to your blog post.😊

If you missed the first two poodle patterns Go HERE and HERE.

Here is my February Poodle all stitched up. I stitched this two over two on 28ct linen using DMC.

Thank you for all of your support and prayers with my neck issue and my upcoming disk replacement surgery. I appreciate you guys so very much.The pain has been quite intense lately. I am actually looking forward to the surgery now!

I hope you all have a nice weekend. Thank you for stopping by.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hello Friends! Happy Valentine's Day! I have something really neat to share with you today. I have been saving it for today. A few years ago on our friend Gracie's blog she found a quilted heart. I never forgot that. I bookmarked the link. HERE IS THE LINK

I finally decided last month to make quilted hearts of my own. The idea is to make little hearts, attach a note that says "I need a home."and  put the website info on the reverse side. I noticed that many people put a  "You are loved." note on the heart. My sewing machine has a basic embroidery feature on it, so I decided to stitch You are loved. into one side of every heart.

Well. WELL. I have to say that this becomes addictive my friends.😊 Here are the first three I made.

I use fabric that I have from leftover projects. How perfect is that?! And I live right in the ❤️ of downtown now, so planting these on railings, bushes, tree branches, etc. has been easy and fun! I have put out 20 hearts so far. Every single one has been taken. Only one has been reported thus far to the website/Facebook, but so what? All twenty hearts have a home! All twenty people know they are loved.😘

This takes a chunk of time to make these. More time than putting them out. But I am glad to do it and make others feel loved. I made three hearts for three of my senior friends that Henry and I visit at the nursing home. We did not hide them. Ha! We gave them directly to our friends. This is what their hearts looked like.

It is supposed to be Henry. 

If YOU wanted to do this where you live, there is no stopping you friend! I just jumped right in. I just decided to spread a little love. That is all there is to it. So go right ahead if you feel so inclined. You will find this page of directions to get you started very helpful. CLICK HERE

Let me tell YOU that YOU are loved too!! Not only by me, but by our awesome God.

I want to thank you friends for your OVERWHELMING  support and praise of my little poodle doodles!! I was flabbergasted that you actually are impressed. I mean, really? I did not think ANYONE was interested in my poodles. I thought you all were just humoring me. And then I find out that several of you are requesting the pattern?!? And the patterns to come?! Holy Smokes!! The heat is on now!! wOw! Whoa! I am doodling once again girls. Hang on. Here is the February Poodle.

 Am I professional or what?!🙄 Ya, right! I am trying. Trying for improvement from the first, January scribbles, okay? I mean, I NEVER, EVER knew ANYONE ON THIS PLANET would be seeing my little designs. So I must improve!! This program does not allow the half stitches to be filled in. Blanc or white is listed BUT I DID NOT USE WHITE!!  It insists on listing it! This is little Henry wishing you Happy Valentine's Day. (I have not forgotten that the January Poodle is not charted and on the blog for you! I will work on it!!)

I will be back on Friday friends! Happy Valentine's Day! Thanks for stopping by.😘

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

A Poodle A Month

Hi friends! A little different around here huh? I decided that after six years of the same look on my blog, I wanted a different look. Still pink though!😁 I mean, c'mon. I have not changed.What do you do think?

I have been thinking up a plan for a while now. I was hesitant to put it into action because it required some designing on my part. I do NOT think designing cross stitch is all that easy. I can think up ideas sure, but getting that idea all set up like a chart, um not so easy for me. I know there are free online charting programs. Since I have little, tiny charts planned I went the way I always do, the old school way, graph paper, pencil and eraser. Yep.

I have noticed for years that there are many varieties of cross stitch "calendar cats" available.  Um, hello? How about us dog lovers? I do believe Margaret Sherry has one. No one, and I mean no one has one that I want for the cubby shelf. A Monthly Poodle. Imagine that!😉

I am a bit behind. Here is the January poodle I came up with.

I stitched her on 32ct polka dot linen gifted to me by our friend Barbara. I used Anchor, DMC and Wisper for her pom pom. I stitched two over two and put in three little smyrna stitches in her hat.

White Wisper floss was used for the pom pom
The nose is a french knot in 3371

It is simple and sweet, says January to me, and I am happy.

I am back to stitching Pumpkin Farm from BBD. While I stitch that I will be thinking of an idea for my February poodle. tee hee!


All five of us saw Diary of Anne Frank, put on as a play by our local theater yesterday afternoon. I read this book as required reading in high school and again because I wanted to as an adult. Have you read this book? Our children never had. They were unfamiliar with Anne Frank. I am very glad we went and they know her story now also. Madeleine and I left crying. We were not the only ones in the theater. The performance was excellent! Have you ever seen this play?

I want to share with you a wonderful site I was just told about by my best friend Heather. It is a virtual tour of Anne Frank's House. There are so many wonderful stories and pictures there. I found the site fascinating! The link is HERE


I have been blessed. I have been blessed with the outpouring of love and support and prayers from you my friends. You have reached out to me with personal stories and your encouraging words. Thank you. Thank you so much for caring. I truly, truly appreciate you my friends. I have made so very many special friends. People who truly CARE and show it!! It feels good to have support as I prepare to have this cervical disk replacement next month.


I will be back soon with something else special that I have been working on. Until then, have a fantastic day my friends!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

What's Going Down In Poodletown

Hi friends! Snowy weather here. Hope you have warmer weather by you?

I am stitching on Pumpkin Farm for Jacob presently. I got all the DMC conversions figured out and am making good progress.

I received a sweet Valentine surprise from our friend Angela.

Isn't this fabric just perfect for me?!?🐩

I wanted to share with you my friends a sweet freebie that has just become available from Cathy at Hands On Design. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREEBIE

I recently read A Rare Breed of Love by Jana Kohl.  I will admit what drew me to this book. The cover. Let me show you.

Um, yes! A poodle!
Did you notice however the poor thing has only three legs!! Yes. This is a book about a miniature poodle that was rescued from a puppy mill. This book is all about the horrors of puppy mills. If you do not read this book, then I just want you to know one thing. Just one thing. Do not ever buy a pet from a pet store. Not just a dog! No pet. Not ever.
I am in the process of contacting my elected officials about Wisconsin puppy mills.
When you meet Baby, the first thing you notice is her limp. She only has three legs, you see -- she lost one following years of mistreatment at a puppy mill. But spend a little more time with Baby and her irrepressible "Ma," Jana Kohl, and you'll hear the story of how this gentle creature has gone from puppy-mill victim to celebrity "spokesdog" -- hobnobbing with celebrities, lobbying politicians, and inspiring an entire movement to end the kind of animal abuse she suffered for so many years. Several years ago, Jana decided she wanted to buy a toy poodle. But the nightmarish conditions she was confronted with at a breeder's farm -- hundreds of dogs confined to small, dirty cages for their entire lives until they were killed for the crime of being too old to produce puppies -- opened her eyes to abuses in the world of commercial breeding. There are thousands of puppy mills all across the United States, and most of those cute little puppies in pet store windows are products of such nightmarish places. Jana knew this was a wrong she couldn't ignore. Her first step was to adopt a rescued adult dog instead of buying a puppy from a commercial breeder.And that's how she found Baby, a roughly nine-year-old poodle who had been locked in a cage. But Jana's mission didn't stop there. Soon, Jana and Baby (whose sweet face and three-legged hobble attract attention wherever she goes) found themselves speaking to groups about the terrible conditions at many breeders' farms and urging politicians to change the lax laws that regulate this industry. Today, Baby is the unofficial spokesdog for the Humane Society of the United States on the topic of puppy mills, and she and Jana travel around the country lobbying for reform on this important issue. A Rare Breed of Love contains more than sixty photographs of Baby with many of her high-profile fans, from Barack Obama to Judge Judy to Patti LaBelle, as well as original essays from luminaries such as Alice Walker and Gloria Steinem about the special love we all have for the pets in our lives. In this heartbreaking, compelling, and ultimately heart-warming book, Jana Kohl and Baby offer practical advice on what each of us can do to raise awareness, make a difference, and stop animal suffering everywhere.

I saw the neurosurgeon on Wednesday my friends. He reviewed my MRI with Brian and I. I have a very large disk bulge at C5-C6 and bone spurs there also. The nerve is very pinched. I am going to proceed and have disk replacement surgery. I am still a bit anxious about it. I have exhausted all other options and treatments over the last few years. He told me this will give me back my mobility. I cannot turn and hold my neck to my right for longer than ten seconds. Even then I suffer pain for it. The hope is the pain will be gone. Even the pain that is in my shoulder and arm. Gone. Oh Lord please let it be so. 

I have a physical exam scheduled with my physician in a few weeks. I need one before the surgery. Then the actual "Anterior Cervical Disk Surgery" is scheduled for March 15th.  I am not thinking about it. It is hard to think of him slicing my neck, taking out my disk and putting in titanium, you know?

Okay friends, that's enough for me now. I think I am off to pet a poodle.🐩 Thank you for stopping by. I can use a virtual hug or two. 🤗 I hope you have a terrific weekend!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

The February Wreath

Hi friends! I got the February wreath done right on time for the first day of February. I made it up into a flat ornament and have it on display in my cubby shelf.  Here is my cubby shelf all set up for February.

If you click on the picture you should be able to see it enlarged. I like the Murphy Valentine in center left.😉🐩

I stitched this crocus wreath one over one with the called for DMC on 25ct antique white linen.

I realized something last month. The January wreath was seeming a bit small to me as I stitched it. I just kept going though. I have my 25 count fabric set aside separately since I mainly use it for my cubby shelf stitching. Well I checked when I was done with the January wreath, and sure enough, it turned out a bit small because I must have put a piece of 28 count fabric in there at some point. I did not check before I began in January, I just trusted it was 25 count. Oh well. January's wreath will be a touch smaller than the other 11 months.

If you also would like to stitch this wreath, or any of the monthly wreaths, you can find them HERE

I have the poodle display board all set for Valentine's Day also.

As you can imagine, I kinda like February with all the pink that goes on.😍

I have been sewing for a special Valentine project in between stitching. This will not be revealed until Valentine's Day. It is rather time consuming, but very gratifying. I am bursting at the seams to share with you.

Our 14 1/2 year old Murphy is not doing that great with his left eye. You may recall I told you he has a cataract in his left eye. Well he has gone totally blind in that eye. It is very irritated still though. We took him to the vet this week to make sure he was alright. We have added an oral steroid for two weeks and I have to give him his steroid drops three times in that eye and twice in the right still. He is doing well with that. I still have to pin his head in between my shins to give the drops so he does not bite me, but he lets me do it that way BECAUSE he is WILD for the freeze dried liver treats. Murphy's right eye is not 100% at all, but at least he can still see.

I am now stitching BBD Pumpkin Farm. AotH Pattern # 10. This one is for Jacob!❤️He is an October baby.

I hope you have a marvelous weekend my friends! I have thanked my God for you.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie