August Wreath

Hi friends! I finished the August wreath for the cubby shelf.

Isn't this one lovely? Poppies and forget-me-nots. What a pretty combination. I have already made this up into a pinkeep finish for the cubby shelf. This was stitched one over one with the called for DMC on 25 count Zweigart white Dublin linen.

If you also would like to stitch this gorgeous wreath you may find the pattern HERE

I have been busy thinking up the August poodle.😁I am very happy with her. Oh so cute!! I have pulled my linen and my flosses now I get to stitch her and see if this all works out. Ha!

Who won the Chessie & Me pattern?! Well now. I had a new situation. I never had friends enter the drawing BUT ask to put another's name in the hat INSTEAD of their own name!!  Two of our friends asked for Jenny to have their place instead, so our dear Jenny got entered three times.😊 So you guessed it, our dear Jenny is the winner of the Rose Cottage Sampler pattern. Jenny the pattern will be in the mail to you soon my dear!❤️

Please keep praying for Scott & Jenny my friends! Your prayers are totally helping!! Scott has an appointment with his surgeon on Tuesday at the City of Hope. Let us keep praying and hoping things move quickly and smoothly for Scott and Jenny. Scott needs this cancerous kidney OUT! Thank you!❤️

I hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with stitching! Thank you for stopping by and thank you for taking time to comment.

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.  Johh 15:15

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

Super Bridget

Hi friends! Well I have Super Emma, or as I call her Super Bridget all done. I went and bought a white 5x7 frame and I just had to trim up the linen a bit and lay the finished piece in there. I did not have enough linen on each side to properly lace it as I usually do when I frame a piece. So this piece it just laying in the frame, but it looks great. You cannot tell. SO I am pleased.

Here she is, Super Bridget, my physical therapist.

What do you think? I wonder what Bridget will think?! I have been going to Bridget for therapy for 4 months! Can I tell you, I will actually miss her! She is such a nice person. She is just 6 years younger than me and we get along great. I will gift this to Bridget at my last session on the last day of this month.

This is stitched two over two on 32ct white linen using the recommended DMC except that I did not use sparkly purple, I just used the plain DMC purple. And I changed the skin tone to match  Bridget's. I also changed the eye color and hair color.

I got rid of the big needle that Super Emma is holding and made up a fist for Bridget. I added in this verse. I thought it needed a little something.

This is the original Super Emma chart from DMC. Thank you once again Montse for saving this free chart and sending me a copy!

I am stitching away on the August wreath for the cubby shelf.

I have been remiss in showing this lovely gift given to me by our friend Gracie. I am so sorry Gracie. Here I had this pretty ornament sitting right by my laptop on purpose for a week to remind me!

Thank you once again Gracie for gifting me with one of your beautiful creations!

We are still having the hot, hot weather here. My neurologist increased my Topomax yet again. It appears to be helping. I am not having the horrid squeezing headaches daily. Then again, I am NOT outside at all.😥The neurologist's goal is for me to be able to get outside this summer. To be honest, I am scared to do that. It has not worked for me since I got the stupid steroid shot over two years ago in my neck that caused these nasty headaches in the first place! I figure I will just go out when I have to only, and keep the headaches away.

If you missed it in my last post, I am having a giveaway of a Chessie & Me chart. Click HERE to enter.

Thank you for your prayers for Scott & Jenny! Let's keep on praying for those two shall we?💕 They need it! Scott is waiting to go to City of Hope to have surgery. He needs to get his cancerous kidney OUT!🙏

I am really thankful for you all my friends. Truly. If any of you have any need, if you need someone to talk to, I am here for you. You can reach me through my email. If you want someone to pray for you, I am here for you. God  bless you my friends. May you be blessed every minute of every day this week.

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all.  1Chronicles 29:11

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Chessie & Me Giveaway

Hi friends! Are you surviving the heat? I am by staying inside in the A/C.

Thank you for your sweet compliments on Madeleine's Cowboy Murph pattern.

YES, I am done stitching Super Bridget. NO, I am not sharing a picture of her here today. I will next time once I have her framed. Wanna know why? I am frazzled!🤪 She turned out fine. The saying I stitched turned out fine. I DID NOT CUT MYSELF ENOUGH LINEN TO START WITH FOR THIS PROJECT!!! I have barely  a border left. I am getting creative with framing. I will show you when done. I am going to Michael's today to have a look around. OF COURSE THIS IS A VERY ODD SIZE FINISH! Today is the only day that is not scorching heat.☀️ It is still hot out though. I am hoping to not suffer terribly with a horrid migraine from venturing out.

I have begun stitching the August wreath for my cubby shelf.

A HUGE THANK YOU  to all of you sweet friends for your thoughts and prayers for Jenny and Scott. They need more and more prayers please!! Scott has seen the oncologist, who is working on referrals to get Scott to City of Hope to get his kidney OUT and his follow-up treatment there also.

I was going through some charts of mine and realized I will not be stitching this cute one anymore. I would love to give it to a friend of mine who actually wants to stitch it. Would that be you? I only ask that you be a sidebar follower of mine and that you leave me a comment on this post telling me you would like to stitch this. I will draw the name of the winner on Friday, July 13th. This giveaway is open to any of my friends anywhere.😘

I got another round of the purple orchids. These were given to me by my mother when I got melanoma. I know a lot of you are out in the sun a LOT this summer. Did you know skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States? Over 5 million cases are diagnosed in the United States each year. In case you want information about skin cancer, you can look HERE  I never gave it a thought, until I had that mole that I KNOW the Holy Spirit pressed me to go get checked. It was the tiniest mole. I just had this feeling that would not let go of me for weeks. And so I went to the dermatologist and yes, it was melanoma. Protect your skin. Check your skin my friends.

I am so glad you stopped by today. I hope you have a great weekend! Til next time!

My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.  Psalm 34:2-3

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Could You Please Pray?

Hi friends.  Our friend Jenny's husband Scott needs us. Scott has been suffering terrible pain with his back for many weeks. Well Scott had to go to the hospital yesterday. They found a large cancerous mass on his kidney with nodes in his lungs. Friends, do you recall that our friend Jenny has been fighting for her life for three years?! Yes, that is right. Jenny was diagnosed with breast cancer in July three years ago and is still fighting it. SHE IS GOING TO BEAT THIS!  Will you join Brian and I in prayer for Scott and Jenny? They dearly need our prayers friends? Please? God bless you. Thank you.



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

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Cowboy Murph

Hi friends! Thank you so much for your sweet comments on my last post. I greatly appreciate them. And YOU!😊

We have had nothing but really hot, hot, hot weather here for days! I have been hiding out inside in the A/C as much as possible to avoid migraine headache spikes.

Here is Cowboy Murph all stitched up!

How do you like him? He is a bit different than the rest of my poodles, right? That is because he was designed by Madeleine.😃How did she do? I, of course think she did GREAT!!

I love this cartoon of Murphy she drew over a year ago, and keep it hanging on our refrigerator.

So for July I asked her to PLEASE create a Cowboy Murphy in cross stitch if she could. The hard part is that it has to be tiny to fit in the designated cubby square. She did it didn't she?! A different look, but he does look like our Murphy, and he does look like a cowboy.

If you should like to stitch him for yourself, here is the pattern.

Backstitch with 310 Murphy's mouth.
See stitched piece for placement of b5200 in kerchief, as it does not show up well on chart.

I am still stitching Super Emma. Or as I am calling it Super Bridget. I am gifting this to my physical therapist whose name is Bridget. She looks very much like "Emma". Except her skin is darker. I spent ONE HOUR! figuring out her skin tone, if you can believe that! It is true. I am still not totally happy, but it is the best solution. I also redid her hair. I made that up as I went along.  I am putting in a phrase at the bottom. I will let you see when it is done.😉 Do you chart out entire lines of words when you put in such things? Or do you wing it? I must figure it all out AND  chart it all out. If I don't I will mess it all up. Every time. I will get it off center still sometimes! I am terrible with these things.

I am going to tell you about TWO BOOKS I listened to here since they go together and they were both recommended to me by our friend Carol.  The first one is The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Frye and the second is The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy: A Novel both by Rachel Joyce. I really enjoyed LISTENING  to these. Rachel Joyce is a British author. The narrators were British. Such fun listening. This American learned new vocabulary. The only problem I had with these stories was "certain language"!😮I was NOT expecting such words and repeatedly. Especially in the second book. There was an old woman who needed her mouth washed out with soap!! The stories were great though.
Meet Harold Fry, recently retired. He lives in a small English village with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everything he does. Little differentiates one day from the next. Then one morning a letter arrives, addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl, from a woman he hasn’t heard from in twenty years. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye. But before Harold mails off a quick reply, a chance encounter convinces him that he absolutely must deliver his message to Queenie in person. In his yachting shoes and light coat, Harold Fry embarks on an urgent quest. Determined to walk six hundred miles to the hospice, Harold believes that as long as he walks, Queenie will live. A novel of charm, humor, and profound insight into the thoughts and feelings we all bury deep within our hearts, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry introduces Rachel Joyce as a wise—and utterly irresistible—storyteller.

A runaway international bestseller, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry followed its unassuming hero on an incredible journey as he traveled the length of England on foot—a journey spurred by a simple letter from his old friend Queenie Hennessy, writing from a hospice to say goodbye. Harold believed that as long as he kept walking, Queenie would live. What he didn’t know was that his decision to walk had caused her both alarm and fear. How could she wait? What would she say? Forced to confront the past, Queenie realizes she must write again.

In this poignant parallel story to Harold’s saga, acclaimed author Rachel Joyce brings Queenie Hennessy’s voice into sharp focus. Setting pen to paper, Queenie makes a journey of her own, a journey that is even bigger than Harold’s; one word after another, she promises to confess long-buried truths—about her modest childhood, her studies at Oxford, the heartbreak that brought her to Kingsbridge and to loving Harold, her friendship with his son, the solace she has found in a garden by the sea. And, finally, the devastating secret she has kept from Harold for all these years.

A wise, tender, layered novel that gathers tremendous emotional force, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy underscores the resilience of the human spirit, beautifully illuminating the small yet pivotal moments that can change a person’s life.

You are such dear friends. I have had so many of you asking after Brian. He is healing well. He is doing his day job of  currency trading but still cannot return to the bakery, as he cannot lift more than 10 pounds yet. He still cannot lie down flat in our bed. It hurts. The mesh that is in the muscle in his abdomen from the double hernia surgery causes this pain. The doctor said it may take months. He sleeps in the recliner every night.

I hope you have a super week my friends! Thank you for stopping by today.

But my eyes are upon You, O God the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute.  Psalm 141:8

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Madeleine's Summer Murphy

Can Ya Help Me?

Hi friends! How are you all today? How glad I am that you stopped by. You left such nice comments last time. Thank you!

The sampler I began for myself last week came to a screeching halt!! I always begin my stitching in the center of my linen. Well this time I started in the upper left corner. I THOUGHT I measured in enough and down enough. NO, I DID NOT! BOO!😖 I scrapped that and started all over again. Good thing it is a small sampler. Still, I was a quarter done with it! RATS!

Here is a lovely  bouquet Brian brought home for me just because.

I check out quite a few magazines from our local library. Quilt Maker is one of them. In the May/June issue I did a double take when I turned the page to read a story completely about cross stitch! The article is titled Teaching Miss Baby by one of the regular quilt designers, Wendy Sheppard. She talks all about how she has been teaching her young daughter since an early age to cross stitch. The article shows a few of her daughter's finished pieces.

If you have access to this magazine, read it! Or you can check out her blog HERE
UPDATE! UPDATE! 
ONCE AGAIN OUR FRIEND MONTSE HAS SAVED THE DAY! SHE HAS STITCHED THIS CHART HERSELF! SHE SAVED THE SUPER EMMA PDF AND EMAILED IT TO ME!!! HOORAY FOR MONTSE!!
Does anyone out there have this pattern?

It was a freebie two years ago from DMC. I cannot find it online anywhere to print any longer. I was wondering if anyone printed it? Can you send this to me if you are done with it? Or you do not need it? I want to stitch it!! Super Emma looks just like my physical therapist Bridget. I am almost done seeing Bridget. Please can anyone help me?!

That's it for today my friends. I am back to hiding out. Me and summer do NOT agree. Increased medicine does not even work for these migraines, so hiding from sun and heat is the best thing. PREVENTION!

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:23

Have a beautiful week my friends! YOU are LOVED!❤️

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Pumpkin Farm

Hi friends! I have finished Pumpkin Farm for Jacob.

I showed you the pattern cover here on the right so you can see the changes I had to make. Not only color changes, but design and placement changes. Things have to change when you are stitching this whole AotH series one over one!! As long as I get the name and birth year to fit in each block, I am happy.😊

I made many, many substitutions of the called for DMC.  The suggested DMC does not look at all like the pattern picture.

This is all stitched one over one on 25ct cream Dublin linen.

The next block to stitch in this series is Evergreen Lane. I spent almost two hours yesterday trying to find the right flosses!!🤪 I am still not happy with the house colors.

I am now stitching a small sampler for myself that I have wanted to stitch for months. I plan to hang it in my kitchen.

Here is one more of my poodle planters filled with pansies. I thought it just had pink ones. The yellow was a surprise. The picture is dark. Sorry, cloudy day.

I have been eagerly awaiting The 49th Mystic by Ted Dekker, one of my favorite authors. Are any of you Ted Dekker fans? I do not recall any of you mentioning that you enjoy Ted Dekker books. Anyways, I received the audio book from our library and immediately listened to this. While I did enjoy this, I must say I did not find it super awesome. For all the hype it received, I thought it was going to blow me away. I was surprised it did not. First time I was slightly, and I do mean slightly disappointed in a Ted book.
Some say the great mystery of how one can live in two worlds at once died with Thomas Hunter many years ago. Still others that the gateway to that greater reality was and is only the stuff of dreams.

They are wrong. In the small town of Eden, Utah, a blind girl named Rachelle Matthews is about to find out just how wrong.

When a procedure meant to restore Rachelle's sight goes awry, she begins to dream of another world so real that she wonders if Earth might only be a dream experienced when she falls asleep in that reality. Who is a simple blind girl to have such strange and fantastic dreams?

She's the prophesied one who must find and recover five ancient seals--in both worlds--before powerful enemies destroy her. If Rachelle succeeds in her quest, peace will reign. If she fails, both worlds will forever be locked in darkness.

So begins a two-volume saga of high stakes and a mind-bending quest to find an ancient path that will save humanity. The clock is ticking; the end rushes forward. 

Ready? Set?

Dream.

I am almost done with the oral steroids from the neurologist. I have been tapering down with those. He has my Topomax increased now. My headaches are now very low. I hope they go away like they were for several months. Maybe that is only to be during he wintertime for me. I am scared to try out the sun again.

I am so glad you stopped by for a visit today. Your comments brighten my day. Speaking of comments! If you need help fixing the comment mess on your blog, our friend Jo had a post the other day letting us know all about the fix to this! Just CLICK HERE FOR HELP  Thanks again Jo!

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.  Hebrews 4:12-13

Stitching and praying,
Vickie