YOP Week #48 Year 11

 The last time I posted was last Sunday...where does the time go?  I've spent a lot of time running between the rain drops!  Finally the sun came out and it looks like it is going to stay dry for awhile.  I had to cancel the vet appointment for Grace as there were trees down, power lines, and flooding.  Oh, and we lost power...again.  I finally got a grocery order in and picked that up yesterday.  

I've finished Stitch Maynia 2022 and accomplished my goals for it.  I finished one cross stitch project each week and more.

Here's the one I finished this week....it will be a scissor fob eventually...........

I also pulled out a patriotic WIP and finished it..........I'll probably frame it but it isn't one of my favorite XS projects.  It was a SAL (stitch along) and I should have used a darker fabric so the white would show up better.....oh well.....it's a finish.........

Yesterday I started back on my regular rotation for XS and it was Blackbird Saturday............almost done....just need to finish the thumb.  I think this will be a pin cushion...maybe...............

Today is Sabbath Sunday so I'll be working on my God Bless Our Home.  I need to revisit  my rotations and there is a project that I want to finish that needs to be brought out again.

I did get some "haul" this week..............Lori Holt's crochet project bag panels.  I have her other one.  I need to get busy and make project bags....I need them and they are too expensive to buy in MHO.

I couldn't resist this charm to go with it.........

My yard is like a wildlife refuge...............last week the mother deer and baby who still come through every day.....then of course we have the bunnies..............

and this week we had another surprise visitor.....a groundhog................when I first saw him he was standing up on his back legs...too funny...my neighbor said he came right up to her patio door and looked right at her as if he wanted to be invited in.........NOT!

That's all for this week.  I've been working on my laundry room getting it cleaned out and I am moving a litter box in there for Grace with her own food and water.  I read that they don't like to share litter boxes or food and water.  She and Miss Peeps do not get along at all.  So, that may be why Grace is going outside her litter box.  They say you should  have a litter box for each cat and 1 extra.  I do have 3 but was hoping to eliminate one but I guess not.  Grace will go to the vet next Monday and get groomed (haircut) later that week.  I also bought some spray to keep her from going back to her old "spots".  Did I say..."no more pets"?  Cleaning litter boxes is my least favorite job and is a real "back killer" for me.  

I'm also starting to clean the craft room and organize it plus still packing up more stuff for Salvation Army.  I hope you have a great week ahead and tomorrow is Memorial Day here in the states where we honor those that have given their lives so we can be free.

Happy Trails!!!  

YOP Week #47 Year 11

 I'm a little late to the party but we had a real "frog strangler" of a storm with a tornado warning that got canceled. Yet,  there was a resident here that got a photo of a tornado so the weather people are not doing so well in our area.  We had 70 mph winds and I was praying my big trees wouldn't topple and they didn't PTL!  Lots of branches to pick up but no damage to trees or house.  The storm was Saturday night and 1,000's were without power including me.  It came back on this morning.  There are lots of trees down here and in neighboring towns but thank God no one was injured!  We have more storms coming tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday with flood warnings out already.  I was going to Missouri to the vet on Wednesday but I canceled this morning.  When we have storms here...you best hide! LOL!

So, with no power I was not able to post so here I am on Monday.........I was able to finish my week #3 project for Stitch Maynia.  It was the July folk art ornament.............

I started on this week's little scissor fob...........

I picked some daisies as the storm bent their stems.............they're gorgeous!

I've been working on my craft room and organizing things.  I ordered these containers from Amazon and I am storing yarn in them in my little "cubby hole" book case.  I ordered beige as I plan on painting this book case.  I got it at a garage sale years ago and I still haven't painted it.......there were 6 cloth containers for $23 including tax but one would not fit on the top shelf.  I will find a use for it though.

In cleaning my craft room, I ran across this old project.............can you guess what it is?  It's a neck tie!  I started making these for the grand boys...good for t.v. watching as it is all garter stitch until you decrease around the neck and then more garter stitch to the end.  I'm about halfway on the child size for Grayson and since Sam is so big I am making him the adult size.  At 14 he is taller than his Mother!  His Dad is 6' 4" so I imagine Sam is taking after him in height.

That's all for this week.  I hope you are all safe from storms and crazy weather.

Happy Trails!!!

Busier than a one-armed paper hanger!!!

 Well, Monday I went to Mountain home and thankfully  the weather cooperated!  It was a beautiful day for a drive.  I wish I could take a picture of the scenery and Norfolk Lake when I cross the bridge.  I used to be so scared to drive across it.....it's huge and high! But it's amazing what you get used to. When my parents first moved down here the only way to get across the lake was by ferry.  I first went and dropped off a full Tahoe load of stuff at the Salvation Army, then it was on to Lowes for plants.  I discovered that they are not any cheaper at Lowes than at my local grocery store.  I was just grabbing stuff willy nilly and when I went to check out it was $85!  Whoa Nellie!  I guess I'll be starting seeds next year!  But I did get all I wanted and of course, a little more.  I got them all planted today..........a big pot of Gerbera Daisies...............

a cherry tomato plant especially for containers and a banana pepper plant....I couldn't resist...I love both of them........

I planted my strawberry jar with dill, 2 basil plants, cilantro, Italian parsley, rosemary, thyme, and oregano..............there's still room for more!

here are 2 geraniums with a lavender plant in the middle..............

Speaking of plants......my lawn guy cut down my dead sugar maple.....it was never happy here in Arkansas but lo and behold a sassafras tree started growing in the same spot and they are native to Arkansas so it should do well.  I have another very old sassafras tree on my property and it is a nice tree and is colorful in the fall......

My climbing roses are really prolific this year and they grow right up into my Rose of Sharon (also called a hibiscus tree).............

 Here they are way up in the tree..........

I got my water color paints last week and forgot to show them so here they are .....unused so far.......not because I didn't want to but like I said...it's been busy here.........hopefully Saturday or Sunday or on a rainy day.....

I saved the best for last.........look what was in my yard this morning........so precious!!!

I hope you are well and happy!

Happy Trails!!!

YOP Week #46 Year 11

 Welcome  dear friends!  I hope you had a great week.  I did as I got a lot of work done on my Swedish Death Cleaning and I have a whole Tahoe full of stuff to take to the Salvation Army tomorrow.   I have my "wellness" doctor appointment in Mountain Home and it looks like the weather is finally going to cooperate.  We had a great storm the other night and we might have one tonight too but tomorrow is looking clear and sunny!  I'm hoping to stop at Lowes and get some plants and maybe Hobby Lobby for whatever....I'm sure I need something there.

I still managed to get some cross stitch done and I am meeting my Stitch Maynia goals of  one finish per week during May.  The first week was the folk art bird and this week was the alphabet sampler.  It was supposed to be a pin cushion but I think it's a bit large for that.  I'll be looking for a bright red enamel apple pin/charm to add to it and if I do make a pillow out of it I will be adding some red rick-rack to the edges.

I then started the July folk art ornament..........

People say they have a hard time stitching on black but I don't have a problem which I'm glad of since I prefer the black fabric to the charcoal gray...........

I work on my Giant Granny Square blanket every evening and it is now bigger than the other one.......not sure when I will call it "finished".....for now I'll keep going............

While I was cleaning I found my Mary Englebreit Cross Stitch book and inside was an ornament that I had started..............

Here's what the finished ornament looks like.......I was making it for me since it was representative of what I looked like as a little girl...........

Here's how far I had gotten............unfortunately, it was just stuck in the book so I have no clue as to what colors I used but I will look at the pattern and see if I followed the suggested colors and go from there................

I'd like to put ornaments in my rotation as a regular project.

My Smilax vine bloomed this week.............there are several but here is a picture of one of them...such pretty and unique flowers...............

I hope to finish the July ornament this week and I need to order some trims for some final finishes I have planned.  I also need to start planning YOP 2022-2023 not that I ever stick to them but maybe I will this time! LOL!

Have a great week!

Happy Trails!!!

I couldn't upload last night for some reason............

 But I'm here today!  I have so many flowers in vases....now I know why I save vases........I cut the blooms off of the hyacinth and tulip plants........

and then I took the plants out and planted them in the horse trough.............I've got my solar butterflies out there too but one is missing...it will turn up eventually............I also put soil in the trough first from all the plants from last year.............and I planted seeds from my mums.......

Luther and his wife came last night and did the lawn....what a treat and they do a better job than I ever did.  Of course, they weed whack which  really makes a difference!  When I went out this morning to water the trough I noticed the peonies were blooming!  I can't see them from the house so I cut them and brought them in....they smell so good!

Also, much to my surprise, the raspberries which were always in the woods have now migrated into my yard so I will have no trouble finding them nor will I get ticks on me from going in the woods!  Although, I've already had 2 on me and they spray my yard....but it has been so wet and that's what they love.  I forget to spray myself before I go out.....deet is the only thing that repells them that I know of.

The Iris are blooming too...........I have Japanese Iris out by my mailbox but I forgot to take a picture of them..........

I did do some painting Sunday but just a test page for wet on dry watercolor painting.  I have primary colors and I'm not very good at mixing so I bit the bullet and ordered the set she recommended with the colors that she uses for the pictures.  They should be here this week!

I dug out some patriotic fat quarters I got at Walmart years ago and a few patriotic finishes that I hope to final finish this week...check back on Sunday to see if I kept my word!

I received my new Brita pitcher in the mail!  Ta Da!  The other one lasted me about 16 years except for the filters.....that's pretty good!

Yesterday was garbage day, I washed a load of clothes, made egg salad for lunches and pork chops and gravy with green beans for supper.  It was a full day but a good one.  I hope your week is going as planned.

Happy Trails!!!

 

YOP Week #45 Year 11

 

and to add to that just remember...........

Not much crafting done this week as I was monogamous on one cross stitch piece and I'm almost done..........this is a Prairie Schooler pattern of monthly folk art ornaments.....this is June.  I know I said I was going to work on Hands On Design's May but I changed my mind......I'll finish this up today and then tomorrow I'll start a new XS design.....a little alphabet pin keep........the bird has been a really fun stitch!

I'm still working on my Giant Granny Square in the evenings.....it's growing!

This morning I made myself a nice breakfast and after I post this I am going to start my watercolor painting.  By next week I should have a masterpiece to show you! LOL!

I received a lovely card from the Iowa gang yesterday........

Here's a little Mother's Day humor...

Happy Trails!!!

April showers bring May flowers!

The clematis is blooming like crazy this year!

 I went up to the Dollar General and they had these flowers 2 for $6 so you know I had to buy them!

This afternoon I made an apple cobbler........

I did buy ice cream to go with it too!  On holidays I forgo eating healthy.....anything is permissible!

Happy Trails!!!