Hi friends!

The winner of the 🌼Homespun Collectibles🌼pattern is:

Lynda Ruth!

I have been stitching on a special piece for our beloved priest all week. He will be leaving us soon. 😢 He was with us only to fill in, until the priest who has been called to this position comes soon. His wife has been on total bed rest for over half her pregnancy and was told not to move during her pregnancy. So they have not. After they have their child, they will come here to Wisconsin, and Father Serafim will go back to the monastery where he teaches(Father Serafim is also a monk.). He has been with us almost one year now. He came when Father Dragan retired last year. I am very sad to see him go. We all are. He has been such a spiritual father to me. We go to weekly Bible study with him. He is SO intelligent. He has also personally counselled me, as I still suffer trauma from childhood abuse.

📚🎧I  finished listening to this audiobook by Adriana Trigiani. Oh my friends, have you ever read a book by Adriana and been disappointed?! I certainly have not! I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this story. A multigenerational Italian AND Scottish! love story during WWII.

 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.  1Corintthians 10:13

I hope you all have a wonderful, stitchtastic weekend! Thank you for commenting. I appreciate that. You brighten my day with your friendship.

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

Garden Angel

 Hi friends! 🌼Homespun Collectibles🌼

This is the perfect pattern for my dear Mom. I stitched it for her birthday, which is tomorrow. I stitch my Mom an angel or a cat every year and my Mom is a MASTER GARDENER.🌻🌹🌸🌷🏵️She still gets out there most every day, despite the pain in her body, to tend her garden. I learned the love of gardening from my Mom. 

I received this pattern from my friend Gracie and knew I would stitch it up for my Mom. I used the flatfold tutorial from our friend Vonna. I stitched this with DMC (I changed two of them) two over two on Ice Blue Cashel 28ct linen.

Would you also like to stitch this darling pattern?

 If so, leave a comment telling me so on this post. This giveaway is open to all of my sidebar followers of this blog. I will draw a winner on Friday, May 20th.

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I get to meet up with my local stitch group, Cross Stitcherhood, tonight! HOORAY! Always a fun time stitching, chatting and laughing with my friends. I will be stitching on a birthday present for a friend.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;  1Peter 3:15

It has turned hot here. I hope you are enjoying the weather you have. I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Thank you for stopping by.

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

Winner

 Hi friends! We are this far into May and I have failed to show you my displays! I showed them on Instagram and forgot on the blog. 🙄

💐May Cubby Shelf Display💐Almost every one of these are stitched over one, except the little pillows on top.

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🐩💗May Corner Shelf💗🐩Second picture is the backside of the Mother's Day card I cherish from my Mom from many years ago.💕 No true theme to this month's shelves. I just put out some things that don't always get as much time on display and that make me 😁, because LIFE IS SHORT!

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I am close to a finish on my Mom's angel. I will give that pattern away when I am done stitching that pattern.

I drew a name this morning for the pattern giveaway. This is the pattern I am giving away:

The winner is: Martina! 

Martina, I have your postal address and I will get this pattern out to you this week my friend.🥰

The weather is warming up here! I like the warm weather. Not hot. 

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  James 5:16

I hope you have a wonderful week ahead my friends! I plan to bake some bread and maybe bake a cheesecake too. 😁

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

Little Henry

 Hi friends! I took a short break from working on Mom's angel and created this! 

🤎💕3D Punch Needle Little Henry. I CANNOT STAND THE CUTENESS QUITE ACTUALLY. I have been wanting to create this for YEARS, I finally said this is the week! Would you believe this is a free coloring page I found on google images? Yep. It looks just like my little Henry. AAAHHH! I just finished punching this a few days ago, and waited until Henry was done at the groomer today to get final pictures. I showed Mary our groomer the punch needle. She was in love. She took pictures! 🥰 

I used the tutorial for how to make a stand alone from Doodle Dog Primitives for the finishing. I wish the back looked good. ☹️ I have a hard time attaching the wool at the curves. It looks messy there. Otherwise I would enter Henry in the State Fair! I am SO GLAD he is finally done. I LOVE him❣️

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Do any of you also punch needle? It is honestly very easy. My only complaint is that it flares up tendonitis in my wrist from the repetition when doing larger projects like this one. This took four days start to finish, including finishing, but I worked all day every day on it.

I am now back to stitching Mom's angel.

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.  Matthew 5:11-12

Thank you very much for stopping by. I am so glad you did! I hope you have a great weekend! It is very nice weather here this weekend.

To all of the moms celebrating Mother's Day this Sunday, God bless you and I wish you a wonderful Mother's Day.

Stitching and praying, 

Vickie

April's Daisy

 Hi friends! It is milder here now. Daffodils are blooming in my neighborhood.

April's Daisy by Cottage Garden Samplings☂️🌼

I stitched this one over two on 40ct lambswool linen with the called for DMC and WDW Saffron. I am making flat finishes out of all twelve months and mounting them with a magnet to this finishing piece I got from Hobby Lobby.

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I have begun stitching an angel for my Mom's birthday coming up in May.

I have a giveaway. This pattern was supplied by our friend Robin. 

This giveaway is open to all of my followers. All you need to do is be a sidebar follower of this blog. You need to leave a comment stating that you would like a chance to win this pattern. I will draw a name and announce the winner on Monday, May 9th. 

📚The latest Maisie Dobbs novel, need I say more?!?! Get it! Read it!!

This one centers around ATA girls. The woman ferry pilots during WWII in England/Air Transport Auxiliary. And a very important American guest to England. Mrs. Roosevelt! It brings Maisie and Scott's work together. And little Anna is suffering bullying at school. I cried with this book. I have never done that before in this series. My one and only complaint about this series is the long wait for the next book! 😉😄

I was able to get in to see my pain doctor one more time before he left the practice permanently to go practice on the other side of our state. He prescribed muscle relaxers for when my back gets so very painful by the end of the day sometimes that the TENS unit cannot work, and the pain is so bad, all I can do is cry it out. I was also able to get a prescription of percocet from my physician. I should be good then until I do get in to the new-to-me pain doctor in October. Unfortunately that is the soonest available. The first appointments with the doctors are hardest to schedule for, since they are longer.  I am doing a bit better now, as far as pain goes. I just take it day by day.

I hope and pray you have a good weekend my friends. It is always nice to hear from you, otherwise I do not know you stopped by, and if no one is coming by my blog anymore, why bother keeping it?

It is good for me that I have been afflicted,

That I may learn Your statutes.  Psalm 119: 71

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

Spring String

 Hi friends! It is warming up here. Warm. Cool. Warm. Cool. It is going to be 82 on Saturday!! Now flowers will be blooming all over!

🐰Spring String by Lizzie Kate💐 

I stitched this way back in 2015! 🙄 It has been sitting with the finishing fabrics and the foam cubes the entire time! I forced myself to do it this year. Hats off to Vonna! 👒 I stitched this two over two with most of the original DMC on Belfast Baby Lotion 32ct linen. Tricia, do you remember you gifted me this pattern way back then? 

This WAS my least perfect finish of my five cube finishes I have done.  After I fed the family dinner, I decided I could not live with the finish. I took the cube finish apart and cut and ironed the outer finishing fabric. I re-ironed it and refinished it and am much happier with it. 😁 See me smiling. I was distracted the first time. I do not like imperfection.

I do not know if you can notice a tighter finish, but I sure can!

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 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”  John 11:25-26

Being Orthodox, this is our Holy Week. I may very well not be back until after Pascha/Easter. I wish all of  my Orthodox friends a Blessed Pascha.

Thank you for stopping by my friends. If you would, could you pray for me? My back is in a very bad way. The herniated discs and the nerves are causing me bad pain. I cannot get in to see the pain doctor for a consultation until October. 🥺 Because of that, I asked my doctor if I could go to the physical therapist again. Leigh. The same lady I have seen many times over the years for my back, my hip,  and my neck. She sent a referral yesterday and I hope to hear from them today and get appointments set up ASAP.

Have a great day my friends! YOU are a blessing in my life. Take care now. 💕

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

Peter Rabbit

 Hi friends! The grass is finally green here and the Spring bulbs are shooting up! 😁

🐇Lapin de Pâques free chart from https://pentydeval.blogspot.com 🐇 I am calling him Peter Rabbit. He was shown stitched all monochrome. I decided to stitch his bandana red, and the eggs pastel colors and the flowers red and yellow. I think the overall look is really cute.

I used WDW Palomino for the rest. I stitched this two over two on 32ct Marbled Bunny 🐰. That two tone twine trim is from my stash. I hand sewed it on.🥴I think that turned out pretty good. The backing fabric is from my stash too.

💗❤️💛💚💙💜

🌸🐰April Corner Shelf🐰🌸 I had to wait for the sun to show you my corner shelf, because I could not get good pictures. More bunnies added since last year, and I made a fun button carrot too.

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📚Well I cannot recommend Rhys Bowen books to you all enough! This would be the first book she has co-written with her daughter Clare Broyles I have read every Molly Murphy Mystery book. I highly recommend them. This one revolves around a murder on Ellis Island and the main suspect is the spitting image of Molly! If you are new to this series, I suggest you start at the beginning.

It has been TWO YEARS since our local stitch group has met in person! Last night we finally did in our local library. Oh this did my soul good. We never even met Linda ( the short one on the left 😉) in person. Well Barb had. Linda made these beautiful thread catcher/needlebooks for each of us. And these gorgeous strawberries too.

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

I am going to begin my monthly stitching now. I do not want to get behind. After that I have to create an angel for my Mom for her birthday. What are you stitching right now?

I hope you have a Blessed Easter my friends. We will be celebrating Easter with our children and in-laws at my in-laws this Sunday. 

Thank you for stopping by today! Have a great day! 

Stitching and praying,

Vickie