Art By Madeleine

Hi friends! Maybe you noticed I changed my little profile icon last week? I still like the little stitchy me, but I LOVE the new icon you will see next to the comments I leave you. This is a painting our very talented 16 year old Madeleine has made JUST FOR ME!

Awesome or what?!? I call it Cucumber and Pickles. Ha! Inside joke. Madeleine and I come up with cutesie nick names for Mabel and Henry. One of Henry's nick names is Pickles. While she painted this I exclaimed, "Look at Pickles!" She said, "Yeah, what does that make his mom in this painting? Cucumber?" Yep! Isn't baby Henry adorable? Squee!

So yes, Emerson is not the only one talented at painting in this family. We have encouraged art with all three children since they were tiny. I was always artsy. I am so glad they are also. She does not even have art class this semester. She just paints at home for fun. :) Next year she is taking Advanced Placement Art, just as Emerson did his senior year in high school. This gives her college credit for an art class, like he received also.

Madeleine has several paintings in the 80% done state. Drives me wild! Just as the above painting still needs a background! That's okay. The best part is completed. ;)

Here is another she painted a few months ago. Cool huh?

 There are many more! I have permission to share these two. Ha! She doesn't know what it is like to be a proud mama. ;)

♥♥♥

Our friend Christina (who does not have a blog) sent me some lovely pink fabrics. 

She also included that sweet birdie ribbon. Thank you again Christina! I now need only 35 more pink fabrics for my Epic Pink Charm Quilt!

I STILL do not have my Easter stitch completed. sigh. Well I have NOT been up to no good! ;) I have been sewing a few headbands for Madeleine, making more gifts for friends, planting seeds indoors, clearing out garden beds bit by tiny bit and grooming poodles.

No, he cannot! This Cooper's Hawk landed on our back fence.

Have a super day my friends! There are a few of you I am praying for. I did thank God for ALL of you today!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Sweet 16

Hi friends! Miss Madeleine turned 16 on the 31st. :) Oh my! We gave her a record player. We went to a huge antique mall in downtown Milwaukee yesterday. She got some albums. The Eagles, David Bowie, Buddy Holly, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. We had family over for birthday cake on Saturday. This is the cake I made. Madeleine made the marzipan bees.

I have never had help with any of the 51 unique birthday cakes I have made over the years. It was real neat to have Madeleine help. :)

I forgot to post the winner of the Uncle Sam chart by Bent Creek on the 3rd. I have however already told the winner. Annette! It will be in the mail, on it's way to you shortly. :)

I had the full body exam by the dermatologist yesterday morning. I have no other melanomas. I do have 4 atypical nevi. Basically they are odd moles and need to be watched. Because I have many moles and have these odd 4, I am at high risk for another melanoma. In three days I go for the consult with the surgeon. In 6 days I get the tissue surrounding where the melanoma was cut out.

All three of the kids need exams now from the dermatologist. Madeleine had hers yesterday and is all clear. The boys will get in there soon. They will have to get exams every two years for the rest of their lives now.

We are going to the State Fair today. :) All five of us together. We are going with sunblock and hats. New way of thinking. New way of life.

I have not been doing any gardening, other than dead heading. Brian has been watering for me. I have thinking to do. It hurts my heart to cut back, but I have to. I will be making my chocolate garden much smaller. I am not sure I can just get rid of it all together. That is the garden that is too big for me to handle because of weeds. It causes me pain in my hip and I would be outside a lot in the sun. These are specialty plants I have toted from two prior homes to this home. They are all chocolate in color, name and some actually smell of chocolate too.

Oh yes! My hip pain has gone done. The cortisone took about a week to truly help me. It does seem to be helping me though. :) I go to get another two shots in my hips next Tuesday. The day after I get the surgery on my leg!

I have been stitching. I need to do finishing work on a few projects. I have been kinda preoccupied! No pictures of stitching for you today friends.

Thank you for stopping by. Thank you for your friendship. I cherish it. ♥

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

I Got A Poodle!

Hi friends! I got another poodle! Only this one came in the mail. ;) And it is not living. ;) It is a gift from Cindy. tee hee! It reminded her of me and Mabel. I have placed it outside with the Henry statue we have.

Isn't it great? Mabel and Henry together. ♥ How sweet. Thank you Cindy!

I had a gift prepared for Cindy too. I am happy she received it one day after I received mine. She likes LHN, so I sent her the pattern Psalm 145:20. I also made her a bottle cap pincushion and counting pins. Take a look.

Pink foxgloves, pink daisies and pink roses.♥ This was a hard one for me to give away, I admit. I still have not made myself a bottle cap pincushion. Too busy making them as gifts. I enjoy that. =)

Here are pics of the Henry cake I made for Madeleine's 15th birthday party last weekend.

I wanted to show you a picture from 4 years ago too. It is of the Mabel cake I made Madeleine when she turned 11. Unfortunately I cannot find any of our digital pictures. I had to take a picture of this picture.

You cannot tell, but Mabel is laying down and facing us. Too bad this is the only picture we seem to have anymore.

I read the book One Amazing Thing by Chitra Divakaruni. This book was given to Jacob by Marquette University. It is required reading for all incoming freshmen. The freshmen and staff read a fiction book together each year. Then there is a discussion period at the University with the author. So I thought I would read it too. It was okay,not great. Something I never would have read. It opened my eyes to other cultures though.

I do not have finishing to show you. The pain has been nasty for a few days now. I will do the finishing on Snappy Sampler, I just gotta feel a little better first. You can still enter to win the pattern here.

I will be back next time with the winner of the pattern and my little finish of it.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

I HAVE been stitching, Really!

Hi Ho!
How are we all doing?
Unfortunately I have begun to get arthritis in my fingers.  A few months back it was my right index finger.  It stayed swollen, stiff and painful for a week.  Now it is my left index finger.  I pray it goes back to normal in a few days time.  It has been bad for half a week now. It sure slows down any stitching progress.  Gardening is painful also.

Speaking of which, this is the small garden on the side of the garage.  I got it cleaned up.  As you can see, the grass needs mowing.  Not my department!  My husband and 2 teenage boys take care of the lawn.  The peonies and irises and columbine are coming in nicely.  That is foxglove under the chairs and table.  I planted a few purple pansies. :)

spring time in the garden :)

 Do you see the tea cup and saucer I mounted on a copper pipe?  I made this years ago.  Many little birds come each year for a nice drink. :)

Mr. and Mrs. Duck by Madeleine

This sweet little photo of the duck couple was taken by Miss Madeleine on her exploring adventure this weekend.  We have a park with a pond behind our home.  We also have a river a few blocks away.  She took this photo on the river's edge. I thought it was cute how they aligned themselves.

I have been stitching, but do not have pictures to share right now.  Just did finishing  on one project yesterday.  Began a new small last night.  Hard working on black 28ct at night!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

The French Knot Poodle

Happy Saturday everyone!
Hope it's filled with stitching. :)

French Knot Poodle

 I made this little french knot poodle two years ago.  It hangs in our hallway.    I made it to look like our Mabel of course.  I used various grey dmc threads and tweeded a bit to try and match her shading.  She was born black and keep turning lighter and lighter grey slowly.  She even has a few touches of silver to her.   I framed it in a silver 6x6 frame.

Mabel :)

And here she is soaking up the sun.  This picture was taken this month by my thirteen year old daughter Madeleine.

Today  I will not be stitching until I do finishing first.  I must force myself on the finishing part sometimes.  I like to take a little while to think on how to finish a stitched piece off.  I will finally have a small Christmas themed pillow done today.  Then I will be finishing a scissor fob for myself.  I do not have one.  I made one before, that was a gift for my friend Ruth.

While I work on finishing I will be thinking about what to start next.  I am considering a new craft to me.  Or I have a sewing project that is waiting.  Always something right? :)