Retreat Day

 Hi friends! 💕The Cross Stitcherhood's first ever Retreat Day was a smashing succes! We honored our dear friend Leanne on her birthday. 

Barb baked the delicious and gorgeous carrot cake you see here, that was a favorite of Leanne's.

We can all tell you why!! YUM❣️ You can see us gathered around one of the last samplers that dear Leanne stitched.

Roxanne is missing from the picture as she came later. We had loads of laughter and loads of food too! Ha!

💕The Cross Stitcherhood💕

I designed a pattern for our fist ever retreat day on Leanne's birthday. When I saw the free pattern offered by punochka_stitches a few months ago, I knew we as a group had to stitch it. Then I started thinking even more when we decided to have our retreat day. So I designed the top and the bottom parts. Our group decided they did not want to see this pattern until the actual day. So I stitched mine ahead of time so they could all see it. I passed mine around so they could "sign" their names on mine.

 They will be stitching theirs and bringing theirs to our monthly meetups and we will "sign" our names then. 😊 I have to say I am pleased with the way it came out. Thank you Evdokia for the free pattern. Now I just need RoseAnn to stitch her name. 

This gorgeous sampler, Emma Fisher 1859, from Heartstring Samplery was my new start on Leanne's birthday. 

Everything you see here was gifted to me. 💕💕💕 My friend Anne from IG gave me this entire kit❣️ God bless Anne❣️ And God bless my friend Lisa from my stitch club❣️ She gifted me the 40ct New Castle Champagne linen I am stitching it on. Stitching friends really are the best, right? Right!

I do have a question for you on this sampler. I love it because it is the 23rd Psalm, one I memorized many years ago. I asked our children to memorize it years ago, and I worked with them on it. Not sure they still know it, but.... 

Okay, here is what I plan to do. I am going to stitch my name at the bottom instead of Emma Fisher's name. SO, that means I no longer will stitch the Age 15. What is your opinion on my stitching MY AGE there? Do it? Or no? I sat next to Barb on our retreat day. I asked her as I stitched on this. She said she would not. She said she would get rid of this line all together. She said, "It is none of your business!!" Well, I do not care about my age. I have never been like that. I have never died my hair. So I don't care. I really do care what you think. Please tell me. 

I noticed on August 11th, Brenda Gervais posted on Instagram an antique sampler that she bought because she said, "Aged 51 ~ The listing of her age caught my eye on this sampler dated 1802... a bit unusual." Well that has not left my head. If it was okay with this woman, why not me?

🌊August's Poppy⚓by Cottage Garden Samplings. I stitched this one over two on 40ct lambswool linen with DMC. If you know me by now, you know that I changed the colors a bit. 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.

I will now go back to Emerson's Christmas ornament. It is half done. I would love to get it done by the end of the month. Maybe!

I had my test shots of cortisone yesterday in my lower back to if I got pain relief. I got three shots. They did not work. I never felt pain relief. My pain came on as usual in the late afternoon. This is how I have been suffering for over half a year now. They told me to do my usual activities. I did. The treadmill and sit and stitch. And I made sure to sit for a bit longer to really test it. Well that sucked, because my pain went up to a 7. The shots were uncomfortable. One shot was horrid. He said, Hang on. He kept saying, Picture. And they would light up the x-ray under me and he would check his placement. He told me he probably hit a small blood vessel. Um I did not believe him. I think he meant a nerve. I was praying the whole time. I could not even pray during that time I was moaning in pain. I am now in worse pain today. I am praying that subsides. I have to call the nurse today and tell them it did not work. I believe the doctor wants to see me to discuss other options maybe. I do not even know that there are other options left. I did PT and that is supposed to work. Well, it is not. Positive thinking. mm hmm. 

You know what I do on days like this? I am NOT kidding. Ask Brian or the kids. I have done this for years. To avoid getting depressive, I end up breaking out in song. I will belt out like Little Orphan Annie: "Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya Tomorrow! Your always a day away!

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Psalm 46:1

I hope you have a stitchtastic weekend my friends! Thanks for listening. 😘🤗

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

Retreat Day

 Hi friends! Well tomorrow is our local stitch group, The Cross Stitcherhood's first ever retreat! 😁 The twelve of us are all getting together at a local library for over eleven hours. Well, not everyone can be there the entire time. You can come and go as you are able. It will be such fun. I designed a pattern just for us for that day!  I thought I would share it with you here, as I am going to reveal it to my eleven friends tomorrow morning, and I am fairly certain not one of them looks at this blog. So, here it is.

Now I must tell you, the center portion was NOT designed by me. If you would like to stitch that part you can find it right HERE on Instagram. I must give credit to Evdokia Nikolaeva on Instagram. She gave that free pattern away on Instagram and I knew it was perfect to use with the parts I created to make one pattern for our Retreat Day, so we could all "sign" our names on our very own samplers. 😊 I can't want to surprise my eleven friends with this on the 24th!

Now, it is NOT finished! That is on purpose. And that is BECAUSE....... tomorrow we will all stitch our names around the open spaces. 😊 I thought that would be a fun idea. I told the girls to bring two of their favorite color flosses with them. I hope they think this is as neat as I do!

We are celebrating our friend Leanne on the 24th. She passed away two years ago from breast cancer. The 24th is her birthday. We are all starting a brand new project that day. If you also would like to start a new stitch that day, and happen to be on Instagram, just use the hashtag #leanneslegacy and join in!

Barb is baking a birthday cake. We are all bringing food. 

I am going to teach how to make strawberry pincushions. There are a few gals in our group who do not know how to make them.

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.  1John 5:12

You will hear from me soon all about the fun we had. I am going to wear a mask there. I am still suffering with post COVID asthma. The last thing I want is COVID again with more damage to my lungs!

I hope you have a terrific day my friends! Thank you for stopping by.

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

Jonathan

 Hi friends! I took the advice I received from you all and I stitched up my retreat piece. I am not going to share that quite yet though. 😉 Today I am sharing the birthday gift I have made and framed for my brother Jonathan. 

Jon started a very large vegetable garden this summer, so I thought I would represent that. 😊 He is even wearing his signature overalls and his yellow garden crocs. I stitched this two over two with DMC and VMSS 1795 Tarnished Gold on 30 ct WDW Guacamole.

This is what the frame looked like before.

I found it at Hobby Lobby and paid $4 and change for it. Perfect!

I am now stitching the August monthly pattern.

Well friends I now have asthma. I had COVID last month and my breathing just was not getting better. I had tightness in my chest and shortness of breath after I used the treadmill. My doctor prescribe an albuterol inhaler to used before I used the treadmill. That helped, BUT I still had the tight chest  afterwards all day and into the night. I called my doctor and she prescribed Flovent. I tried that. Oh man! This made me SO dizzy and nauseous! For hours and hours. I am waiting for my insurance to approve another inhaler now. 

Her Mother’s Hope and Her Daughter’s Dream tell the story of four generations of women in one family who are all searching for their God-given place in the world. This historical Christian fiction spans decades and continents to explore not only the sacrifices mothers make for their daughters but also the very nature of unconditional love. Very well written books! Just loved them!

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  John 15:7

I am seeing a pain doctor today. I am still suffering pain in lower right back. I did try the physical therapist a few months ago. She gave me several exercises to strengthen my back, core and abdominals. I am supposed to get up every half hour from sitting. I do these things and I still have this horrid, seizing back cramp, nerve pain thing that happens every day and night in my lower right back. The only thing that takes it away is sleep. I wake up every morning and it is gone. Thanks be to God. I am hoping this new pain management doctor ( my previous one moved to the other side of the state) can help with a shot or a procedure of some type.

I hope you have a nice weekend my friends! Thanks for listening. 

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

State Fair

 Hi friends! Brian, Madeleine, Emerson and I went to the State Fair on Friday. Wow it was hot! We had a good time though.  We ran into my in-laws at the entry gate! We had a very nice day with them.

An excellent historical novel that begins before WWII. Sofie von Meyer Rhodes is married to Jürgen, a brilliant rocket scientist who eventually is recruited by the Nazis once they come to power. The problem is that Sophie and Jürgen are not into the new thoughts and ideas being pushed by the Nazis, even though their children are being indoctrinated by the Nazis. This is definitely a book that shows the complicated side of the average German during this time period. Would you join the Nazis to prevent your own children from dying when their very lives where threatened?

I have finished my cross stitch Jonathan! 😁I have to get a frame for it. I need to get to Michaels. That is my first stop for small frames. If that does not work, then Hobby Lobby. Once it is framed, I will show you.

I am now starting to stitch a very special piece. I designed a special retreat pattern for my local cross stitch group, The Cross Stitcherhood. We are gathering at a local library. A different one than we usually use monthly. We were going to go to Country Sampler for the day and have a stitch day there. Jeanne who owns the shop, changed her mind and no longer made it available for us to do that. The back room is the only place stitchers can sit and stitch. That is where she originally told Barb we could sit for the day. Well, it is filled with merchandise and she does not want us in there with it. 😒 We get that, but are disappointed. So we came up with this idea instead. We are having our own retreat at a local library for an entire day on the 24th. I designed a pattern for us and am giving it to the girls on that day. I told them what flosses and linen to bring. It will be fun. I would like to wait to stitch it until that day, but I think I should get a head start so they can see it. I am telling myself that at least! 😂😛 I really want to start it! And truly I want to make sure one part works out correctly. That's okay, right? Tell me that's right!! I don't want to be a cheater! IF you are on Instagram, that is the day that we are doing a new start in honor of Leanne, Barb's best friend, also our friend who was in our stitch group. Dear Leanne died from breast cancer back in January of 2022. You can also do a new start that day and honor Leanne. 😊 Use the hashtag #leanneslegacy on Instagram.

"But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."  Luke 14:13-14

Are you also suffering hot, hot, hot weather?? YUCK! I think only Marly likes this.

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

Stitching and praying,

Vickie

Heading Into August

 Hi friends! Another hot one today. 🥵 We are headed to the State Fair today. I did look online, and I saw that I won a Fourth Place Ribbon for this guy. Remember him?

I entered him in the Stuffed Animal category. Our State Fair does not have a punch needle category. I will ask Brian to get a picture of me with little punch needle Henry at the State Fair today. 😁

Here is the 🌻August Cubby Shelf Display🌻 Most of these are stitched over one.

🍉🐝🍉🐝🍉🐝🍉🐝🍉🐝🍉

✂️Grandma Annie's Sewing Basket 🍅by our friend Melisa Thank you dear Melisa❣️ 

✂️Needle & Thread🍅I love these both. I knew they would look great in my cubby shelf.🥰 I stitched mine on 40ct lambswool linen and I have never stitched two over two on 40ct before, but I did it this time! I wanted it to stand out in the cubby shelf. I think it looks alright and not messy? I used DMC and VMSS Baby Pink.🤩 I did change almost every color given. I wanted that basket to be the color of my own Longaberger sewing basket. I used the satin stitch for the spools and French knots for the pin heads.

✂️🧵✂️🧵✂️🧵✂️🧵✂️🧵✂️

I am now stitching a birthday gift for my brother Jonathan. I am creating it as I go. It is him in the garden. He started a very large vegetable garden this year. Unfortunately he is not able to finish with the gardening. He has been in and out of the hospital four times since he contracted COVID on Memorial Day. He has permanent lung damage. He almost died two of his four visits to the ER. His skin suffered such a severe inflammatory response, he now has to have IV infusion treatments every two weeks that last 4 hours each time. They are extremely expensive. Jon is on 14 daily medications! Would you please pray for Jonathan? Thank you my friends. I appreciate this very, very much. And I hesitated to do this, but, I will. Jon is very, very active in the bluegrass community. He is part of a bluegrass band and is "The Chicken Man" in the bluegrass world. I am giving you the link to Go Fund Me that the bluegrass community set up for him. If you want to check it out, do so HERE

Linda you are the winner of the embroidery chart. I have emailed you. I will get that out to you soon!

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word.  Psalm 119:114

We have a going away party to attend tomorrow. Our niece Maddie is going to move to Florida to attend college. An outdoor BBQ, and it is going to be 90 degrees. Ugh.

I hope you have a lovely weekend my friends! Thank you for stopping by!

Stitching and praying,

Vickie