Lots To Share

 Hi friends! I would love to get you caught up on what I have been up to. Let's start with this, a very appropriate stitch for January. 💖Auld Lang Syne💖from By The Chimney With Care by Blackbird Designs 

Woo hoo! I am so SO GLAD to have this done! I want to do these little stockings as my monthlies this year, but I am putting the samplers first as my priority. Since I met my monthly goal and got all the sampler work done, this little cutie got done. It is not perfect, but I am hoping they get more perfect each month. I followed the stocking finishing instructions of Carol Mundle. If you would like these instructions email me. I will email them to you.  It is fully lined and backed with a dark red flannel. I stitched it with the DMC alternatives of 3799 and 221. This is one over two on 36ct cream linen. I did change it up a bit, by making my top band red and the flower red also.

❌✖️❌✖️❌✖️❌✖️❌✖️❌

Don't recognize this? 

Well, yes, it is a BBD sampler! Yes I did take out the charted dogs and put in my own 🐩🐩🐩🐩 This is Our Lasting Friendship and our local group, The Cross Stitcherhood, is doing a round robin with this pattern. Most of us ladies in our group are stitching this together. I passed this off to Margo at our belated Christmas party yesterday. I am stitching this with almost every called for floss on tea-dyed (by me) 40ct linen. I received Barb's sampler this time. I have one month, until our next meetup and swap, to stitch the upper left corner of this sampler.

🐩🐩🐩🐩🐩🐩🐩🐩🐩🐩

🎄Cross Stitcherhood Christmas Party yesterday. Gift exchange. 😊

RoseAnn

Beth

Colette

Linda

Margo

Kathy

Linda

Tammy

Lisa

Kathy

💗Love & Joy💗by Heartstring Samplery. 

This was gifted to me by Margo. Isn't this flat fold fantastic?! 🤩  And the pink floss overload!

 🥰🥰🥰

💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

🕊️Peace🕊️by Blackbird Designs.

 I gifted this to my friend Barb. 💕I am very happy she likes it.

This pattern can be found in the 2013 issue of JCS Ornament Issue. I stitched this two over two on a mystery piece of 30ct linen with some of the called for DMC and CC Toasted Marshmallow.

🕊️💗🕊️💗🕊️💗🕊️💗🕊️💗🕊️

I am now stitching a small Valentine piece. Almost done! Then I will begin Barb's sampler I believe.

I hope you enjoyed today's post. I usually do not have such long posts. I hope I did not lose you! 🙃 I know you may not know my stitching club friends personally, but I thought you you would like to see what we made each other. 

I hope this year is off to a good start for you my friends. I continue to struggle with my daily breathing. Ever since I took that dreaded methacholine challenge test on November 2nd, and had such a terrible "allergic" reaction, I have never been the same. I fear my lungs ARE permanently damaged. 😔 Every, single day my chest is tight and I am short of breath for hours after my morning shower despite opening the bathroom window and running a fan and taking a cooler, faster shower. I switched to a different pulmonologist. The doctor I was with, well I just was not satisfied. I told the nurse my issues. She told me I would just have to put my name on the waiting list and wait for a cancellation. The doctor said he would see me again in four months time. The new pulmonologist has put me on an allergy/asthma pill, a nasal spray and a stronger inhaler. I have only just begun the new inhaler. It is too soon to tell.

Have I mentioned Cally is now a problem for me? Yes. I was allergic to cats as a girl. As in hives. After the methacholine test, my breathing is affected by it. Brian bought an air purifier for our apartment. Madeleine bathes her every other week and brushes her every other day. Brian removed the towel from "her chair" at the table, so she now no longer can or will jump up and spend hours across from me at the table. Brian works at his laptop at home at the table. We sit together. I stitch he works. So she now spends most of her time in Madeleine's room. This helps a lot. What would help me a LOT more is getting rid of her, but those two do not want to do that. If these new meds do not work with this new pulmonologist, yes, she will be leaving our apartment.

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.  Colossians 3:1-4

Thank you for sticking around dear friends. It means a lot to me. 💕

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

Evergreen Lane

 Hi friends! 💚💖Evergreen Lane💖💚

by Blackbird Designs. WOO HOO! I completed one of the six samplers I have on my list for this year to finish!!

This sampler block is in honor of my THREE BROTHERS. Here is a picture of most of us gathered on the day after Thanksgiving.

Michael, Jonathan, Auntie Kathy, Mom, Jacob and Kristen, Me, Emerson, Brian and Madeleine

Here is a picture from a few years ago of just my brothers and I.

Since this is all over one, it was a challenge to fit them and their birth years in there, but by golly, I did it! I really changed the colors of the flowers on this sampler. Wasn't too sure about it, but Brian and Madeleine said it was very pretty and to leave it, so it stays.

I am stitching Anniversaries of the Heart by Blackbird Designs all on one piece of 25ct cream Dublin linen, which requires some modifications along the way. It is stitched with mostly DMC, and some VMSS. I have made MANY color changes to make mine look more like the pattern covers. I have quite a few posts about this sampler on my blog with stories about what each one means to me. Also there are family pictures on those posts to go with "their" samplers. If you are interested, just put AotH in the search bar up on the very top left of this page. That will take you to those entries.💗 

❌✂️❌✂️❌✂️❌✂️❌✂️❌

I am now stitching the inner and outer borders of The Friendship Sampler from BBD.

A new year and I have so many new stitching plans! And not just the samplers. Time. Time. We need more hours in our days to get all the patterns stitched right?

My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.  1John 3:18

Thank you for stopping by today my friends. Your comments brighten my day. I hope and pray you are healthy and well. I hope you have a nice weekend!

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

Julie

 Hi friends! Well I will share how 2022 ended for me first. I finished ⛄December's Holly⛄ by Cottage Garden Samplings.

 I stitched this one over two on 40ct lambswool linen with DMC. I pinked it up! It was a blue house and a snowman with a blue hat and scarf. I now have a lovely pink house and a snowgirl. 😁 Can I just say, all that holly was NOT FUN to stitch? It went on and on. Ugh. Well, it is done now. Whew. And I am done! Yippee! ALL 12 MONTHS!

⛄💗⛄💗⛄💗⛄💗⛄💗⛄

💜✝️💜🙏🏻Our Dear Julie. Oh friends, our dear, sweet friend Julie has gone to be with the Lord. Her battle with uterine cancer is over.

Julie was a HUGE CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE on anyone and everyone she met in person or on the internet. Julie and I were friends for 10 years! We met through blogging. Our favorite color is pink and be both LOVE POODLES AND OWN THEM!

Please pray for Julie's two sons as they grieve the loss of their mother. Their father passed on only two years ago.

Julie was such an excellent example for us all of truly following the Lord and letting others know about Him.

I finally achieved my goal of reading 100 books in a year, and actually surpassed it by 2 books. 🎉

My main focus is going to be samplers this year. Very different for me, that is for sure!

I have three sampler blocks to go on AotH.

Our local cross stitch group, The Cross Stitcherhood, is doing a round robin with Our Lasting Friendship.😊 In January we need to stitch the outer and inner borders.

The Pink Sparrow Sampler. Um, PINK?💗 YES! My sweet friend Lisa gave me this pattern and I have it kitted up and ready to go!

Emma Fisher was a gift to me from my IG friend Anne. 💗

I have a wonderful start on her, but need to get back to her and get her finished this year. 

I will need lots of support from YOU this year dear friends! I am very much a smalls stitcher. I will still be stitching my Christmas ornament gifts sometime during the year still.

So that's the plan Stan!

❌✂️❌✂️❌✂️❌✂️❌✂️❌

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3:2

I hope and pray we all have a Blessed New Year filled with good health.

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

All Wrapped Up!

 Hi friends! I hope you all had a Blessed Christmas? My longtime followers will remember that Brian and I are Orthodox Christians and as such, we celebrate Christmas on January 7th. We do also celebrate on the 25th with the rest of our families though. Twice the worship of our Lord! We had a wonderful time with our families on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Very frigid temperatures here though. It is barely starting to warm up. We will take it!

I did get a chance to bake cookies and make treats in the last few weeks. I baked 'Grinch Cookies'. The recipe is from Katrina's Kitchen This is an old family, favorite that is delicious and cute and a simple recipe too!

I baked these while listening to Christmas music during the ❄️snowstorm. 🌟Wookie Cookies🌟

This is a family favorite. This year's wookies are not my best.😳The ones you see here are the "good looking guys"!! Some of the others are rather obese, or their "fur" did not bake in. Oh well. Never claimed to be a professional folks. I just make these with love for my menfolk mainly.🤎

I call these Bear Claws. 

I think you can see why. I saw them in a catalog many years ago for a lot of 💰and said forget that! I can make these myself for way less! A Nilla wafer cookie, a smooshed caramel, place the cashews, melt and drizzle the chocolate and let it harden! YUM! I had not made them for a few years, and my BIL asked me for them this year. 😊😉Yep! They make very nice gifts! I made them for all my guys.

🎁I received this lovely Christmas card from our friend Georgia💗Thank you so much my dear friend for this pretty pattern!

✨My Christmas Ornament for Father Rade based on "Faith" from Nikyscreations. ✨

 Niky's angel ornament can be found in JCS Christmas Ornament 2014 issue. When I came across it last year, it instantly reminded me of the icon on the ceiling of our cathedral, before the altar. So I used all my own colors in DMC, changed the angels a little bit and removed the heart and word faith and put Jesus in the center. I also added IC XC, which means Jesus Christ in Greek. Unfortunately the cloudy day here does not allow you to see the lovely marbling in the 32ct Silkweaver Belfast linen in French Vanilla Swirl.

I just finished the December monthly piece today. I did not get a picture of it yet though. I am going to work on a lingering sampler until the end of the year. What are you working on right now?

I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. John 10:14-15

Well that gets you caught up on what I am doing. I am so glad you stop by to find out what I am up to! Stitching pals are the best.

I hope you have a great finish to this year. Stay warm! Stay healthy!

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

Blessed

 Hi friends! I have received many gifts from friends.

 Our friend June sent  a sweet bunny stitched card, a pattern for a bookmark and a bookmark she made, and a little pattern for a poodle! Thank you again June!

Our friend Donna made me a beautiful card, which I failed to get a picture of, and she also made me this sweet Christmas ornament!

I received this beautiful ornament from our friend Robin 

This is hanging on our tree with the other beautiful PINK ornaments gifted to me from you in years past Robin. Thank you!💕 And oh my goodness Robin really spoiled me with GORGEOUS PINK flosses! Love, love, love them! Thank you so much!

🎁I received this pretty Christmas card from our friend Martina 💗

Thank you my dear friend! I will be using your stitching, making it into something to display in my "Pink Winter Wonderland".

🎁I received this lovely Christmas card from our friend Carol 💗

Thank you so much my dear friend! I will be using your stitching(and that precious bow), making it into something to display in my "Pink Winter Wonderland".

🎁I received this beautiful ornament from our friend Stasi 💚 

Thank you my dear friend! It is hanging on our tree. And the pink variegated flosses are so pretty!💗

🎁I received this gorgeous Christmas card from our friend Manuela 🌟

Thank you so much my dear friend!🌟 I love this nativity so very much. I knew right away I wanted to display this scene in my cubby shelf.💖💚 I love the way it looks here!🥰

🐩💖💚Christmas Elf Henry💚💖🐩He was not very thrilled with this tiny elf outfit I found at the Dollar Tree. 

It was the last dog outfit in the entire store! When I looked at the pictures Madeleine took of us, I laughed so hard I had tears from the last one!😂 

I think Henry is wondering why a thirteen year old poodle has to be dressed up as an elf??

🐩💖🐩💖🐩💖🐩💖🐩💖🐩

I am stitching on the December monthly chart still. I am not very far honestly, with all of the shopping and wrapping and decorating. 

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”  John 8:12

Thank you for stopping by today my friends! I am so very glad you did! Your comments brighten my day. I am glad we have shared friendship over these many years. 

Don't drive yourself crazy this week! I have cookies to bake, but I want to get that chart stitched up too! Only so much time! Take care now.

Stitching and praying,

Vickie