🤎Quaker Acorn by The Workbasket🤎

 Hi friends! I finished the autumn piece I was working on. Quaker Acorn by The Workbasket🤎

I have had this freebie in my stash for years. I started it last year and stopped and set it aside for this year to finish when I needed to begin Christmas stitching last year. I am very glad to have completely finished it❣️ 

This is stuffed with wood shavings. I will only use wood shavings if I have backed both my linen and the backing fabric with interfacing. That way the wood shavings stay put, and do not work their way out. This is stitched two over two on 28ct raw linen with WDW Havana and Palomino. It is not perfect, but as good as it is going to get, since I stitched it and finished it while enduring a horrible migraine that goes on and on.

I am fitting one more small autumn stitch in. I hope I do not regret it with my Christmas stitching schedule. 😬 Are you stitching autumn or Christmas right now?

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  2Corinthians 12:9

Have a wonderful week my friends! Thank you for stopping by. I am very glad you did. Have a super week! And you know what? Make someone smile today. 😊

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

Folklore

 Hi friends! I now have two Christmas ornaments completely done. Hooray for me! 

🖤❤️💛 This pattern is from Zweigart's pattern booklet No. 273, entitled "Folklore". Our son Emerson has been diligently studying the German language for a year now. He had a trip to Germany with his high school friends planned just weeks ago. The pandemic cancelled that for him.😌 The second picture shows the backing fabric I used.🎄 

I stitched this one over two on 40ct mystery linen with DMC.

I am stitching Madeleine's Christmas ornament, but only when she is gone at work, so it is slow going. During the day, I am finally back to stitching my Autumn piece, as the WDW flosses finally arrived from 123stitch. 

Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!  Psalm 24:17

Our stitch group met via Zoom on Wednesday night. Not the same as being together at all, but better than nothing. We are doing a Christmas ornament exchange. 😁 This will be my first time doing one of those. I picked out what I am doing. I had one ornament planned, but after our Zoom meeting, I got to know my exchange partner a bit better. I picked an ornament that is more "her" I do believe. Something I am hoping my exchange partner does for me?? Like a big PINK Christmas poodle?! 🐩💗 This is why I am trying to push and stay organized with the Christmas stitching! It seems like I am ahead, but we all know how that goes. Time has a funny way of slipping on you at this time of the year!!

I thank you for stopping by today my friends! I do hope you have a lovely weekend. Thank you so much for your encouragement and wonderful comments. They mean so very much to me.

Stitching and praying, 

Vickie

Toby

 Hi friends! I have been busy stitching, it just has been gift stitching, so it has been secretive! This is Toby.

He is my best friend Heather's little dog. I have had this French freebie printed off and saved in my "to be stitched" pile for years for Heather! 😳Shameful, I know. I finally told myself, "THIS IS THE YEAR!" 

I stitched it for her birthday. It was a surprise gift. 😁I am happy to say, she was overjoyed to receive this.💖 I truly wish I had the link to the freebie for you my friends. The link is not on my printed page, and I no longer remember where I got it. 

Stitched two over two on 32ct red Belfast linen with DMC

I have since stitched Emerson's Christmas ornament and Brian's too! I am now working on the finishing for Emerson's. Next up is stitching Madeleine's ornament. 

📚Okay friends! THIS AND BOOK ONE are my favorite books of the year❣️ I highly recommend LISTENING to them! Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim make up the Thursday Murder Club. What a bunch of characters they are!😂 They are senior citizens who live in a posh retirement village and enjoy figuring out real-life murder cases. Joyce is truly my favorite. I struggled with telling you more. I held back. I will not wreck it for you. TOO fun! Just read it. You won't regret it.

I decided I had reached my limit with my EXCRUIATING migraine when it had reached ONE MONTH WITHOUT ONE DAY OF EVER BREAKING. I had gone to urgent care over three weeks ago. The doctor there put me on methylprednisone and gave me a shot of toridol. It did not do much of anything. I was advised by my gynecologist that if it just gets too bad, go right to the hospital's emergency room. They have much better drugs there. So Brian and I went there last week Monday. Sad to say, they gave me IV medications and were only able to knock the migraine down to half. What the heck??

I called my neurologist's nurse and told her I was not willing to wait until my December appointment to talk about the possibility of me going on the injectable migraine medications, as the nurse and the doctor had suggested I wait to do. I wanted to pursue going on them with insurance NOW. The steroids were doing nothing for me. She told the doctor. She got back to me. He tapered me off the steroid very quickly. He put me on Indomethacin, a NSAID, that I noticed in the paperwork reduces inflammation or heat. I am totally suffering from internal body heat during this menopause. It is helping me so far. He also got me the prescription for injectable Emgality. I gave myself the initial two injections in my thigh last Tuesday. They did bring my migraine down to a 1 by the next morning, BUT we have rain here almost every day this season. My head is affected by, you guessed it, rain and humidity! I can't win. So the Indomethacin and the shots work together for me it seems. And my Topomax. And if it gets real bad, take Naratriptan! I cannot wait til menopause is over!!!! At least then I will be done with hormonal migraines. My gynecologist said that my be another four years worst case scenario though. 😭😩The neurologist does not ever think I will be rid of the migraines caused by the incorrectly given steroid facet injection in 2016. The good news is that today my pain is a 1.

I am afflicted very much; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word. 119:107

I do hope you have a blessed week my friends. Thank you once again for stopping by. Take care now.

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

October

 Hi friends!  Here is the 🍁September Cubby Shelf Display🍁 

These are all stitched over one. Except the little October pillow on top. You may notice my Hands On Design, A Year Of Celebrations October pattern looks quite different! I created my own. We do not celebrate Halloween. That was the reason I thought about not stitching this series back in 2016, from the 2014 Cross Stitch & Needlework magazines. It is SO cute, I just had too. 😊 I was able to keep the basic layout. I just came up with an Autumn theme instead and I love it.

And here is the 🦔🍄October Corner Shelf🍄🦔 

Very similar to the September Corner Shelf, but hey, 🤷‍♀️, I honestly did take it all down, dust it and reassemble it slightly different. Maybe you can spot a few different cross stitch pieces and 🐩 from last month.

I am now stitching an autumn piece I found while digging around getting organized for Christmas stitching. It is partially stitched. I started it several years ago and tucked it away and forgot about it! I do believe I have time to get this one done. I hope I do not create more stress for myself here. Probably!

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  Matthew5:11-12

I hope you have a wonderful week my friends. Thank you for stopping by.

The migraine is still nasty. Still going nowhere. Still on the daily steroid from the doctor. Unbelievable. 

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

September Ric Rac Row

 Hi friends! Here is my final finish of September. 📚September Ric Rac Row by Pine Mountain Designs🍎 

This was stitched one over two on 36 count white linen with DMC. I have owl fabric AND alphabet fabric that both would have worked for this finish, BUT they are PINK OF COURSE!💗 I just really want to use fabric from my stash, so these are the best I could do. Solids. It works. 💛❤️🤎 In case you are are wondering, the little prayer book, is The Pocket Key of Heaven. It belonged to my long ago relative, that no one can trace unfortunately. I found it in my Great Aunt Ethel's attic after her death, when Mom, Auntie Kathy and Auntie Patsy and I were clearing out the house. Inside the cover is written in pencil Anna Marie Pritzlaff with Josephine underneath. (Her confirmation name?) Dec. 3rd 1904 Milwaukee, Wis. 

Hmm. I am going to have to remember to do some online research on her. I have done genealogy research on my family in years past. It has been quite a few years though. I set it all aside. Why? Have you done it?! It takes SO MUCH TIME, THAT IS WHY! My goodness! You are on the computer researching one relative, back and back and back. One thing leads to another. And then you look elsewhere, and you find something else that you MUST check or you will NEVER find it again, and I really am NOT exaggerating on that! And the next thing you know, several hours have past and you should have gotten dinner prepared!! Oh yes, I was on quite the family research kick years ago. I got the paternal side done going back to Poland. I know the little town where we are from and I found the second cousins in Illinois who immigrated here in the '80's and even spoke with "my cousin". We exchanged Christmas cards for one year. That was it. Oh well. My Mom's side is a LOT more complicated. VERY melting pot.

I must ask you? Have you researched your family tree? Do you also find it addictive?

📚✂️🧵The Beginning by Beverly Lewis I have found a book about a cross stitcher for us my friends! 😁 The main character is twenty-two year old Susie Mast, who lives with her widowed Mom and younger sister. The sisters both work in the family shop selling baked goods and Susie's CROSS STITCHED FAMILY TREE'S❣️ I have read every one of Beverly's novels over the decades, so I very much enjoyed this one, but it was great fun with the addition of cross stitch in the story too! There is a plot of course. Ha! Beverly's stories always involve love stories and they are always clean reads.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,  while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.  2Corinthians 4:16-18

Friends, I have not shared this with you before today, but I simply must. I have been suffering with the strongest hormonal migraine I have ever had in my life for over three weeks now. I have gone to the urgent care with it already and received a shot of toradal almost two weeks ago. It did little to nothing. I began steroids at that time also. I am still on steroids for this. It is simply not working yet. I have been on steroids for bad migraines about once a year in the past and it has worked. This is horrid. Squeezing, crushing pain every, single day and night.  I am telling you this, to ask you if you would pray please. Thank you. I am desperate for relief.

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

Autumn in the Heart

 Hi friends! I changed my mind. The little autumn pieces that were stitched and waiting to be fully finished, were just begging me to sew them up first. So I did. 😊

🦔🍄Autumn in the Heart by Lacomtesse & Point De Croix 🍄🦔 

I chose my two favorite motifs from out of the entire free pattern offered on September 15th, and stitched them with DMC of my own choice one over one on 35ct tea dyed linen. 

I already knew I wanted to make tiny, little pincushions with this sweet fabric from my stash. 

I never seem to make time for just Autumn stitching. Do you?

NOW I am back to stitching on September Ric Rac Row.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Have a great week my friends!

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

Penelope & Peeps

 Hi friends! Here is my Easter piece. 🐰🌼Penelope & Peeps by Brenda Gervais 

I chose not to stitch the word Easter in this pattern, just adorable, little Penelope and the little chick at her feet. This was stitched two over two on 27ct yellow linen from my stash. The fun trim is from my stash, but I must admit, I do NOT enjoy sewing it in.🥴

I have sewn two tiny Fall pieces. I need to work on making them into little pincushions. I want to get my September Ric Rac Row stitched first though!

I am still battling on with the weight loss. I use the treadmill three times a day and try to do a short low impact cardio routine daily also. I have been trying to cut back on sugar daily also. I have not kept track of my weight in any of this. That stresses me out too much. I just know by the fit of my jeans and pants. I can tell you I fit into the jeans and pants now when I did not four months ago. I don't know what any of you do, who yo-yo a bit with weight over the years, but I hang onto the different sized jeans and pants. I just pop them into Rubbermaid storage bins and put them away. Then when they are needed, I pull them out. I mean did I want to gain weight??!! OF COURSE NOT! That is why I am trying to lose it! But it is a heck of a lot harder to do so after menopause! I did not have this hard of a time losing it even two years ago!😠 For the last month I have now been doing intermittent fasting as well. Depending on the day, I either go 15 or 17 hours without eating. Is this helping? I am not sure yet. 

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15

I hope you have a wonderful weekend everyone. Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I do appreciate your friendship.

Stitching and praying,

Vickie