YOP Week #18 Year 13

 Well, I've been getting a lot done around here but yesterday I evidently pushed the envelope.  My bed is on wheels and on carpeting so I moved it so I could vacuum and put the headboard behind it that I painted probably last year.  The headboard isn't attached I just put it behind the bed and the bed holds it there.  Well, I couldn't get it to stay while I  went to push the bed against it, so I pushed the mattress and then I went to shove the entire bed and I heard or felt or both....a crunching sound from my back.  Yep, I hurt my back but I think it will heal.  I hope so anyway.  I've been taking Tylenol and I have a hard time getting up and down.  That is when it really hurts but it will heal.  I'm pretty strong but I guess at my age I should be careful but who else is going to do  it?  Now I can't so I may call my yard guy this week and see if he could stop by and move my bed under the mattress completely.  Anyway, cleaning and clearing is what I've been up to this week and not much else.  I found my bin of photos and there were pictures in there that I never saw before....wonderful old pictures that I will share another day.

So, the only time I worked on anything was when I took a break.  I did finish an old WIP (work in progress)...........this was a free pattern from somewhere commemorating the 20th anniversary of September 11th.  You could make it into a little pin but I'll just finish into a little pillow or ornament for my patriotic tree..........

Now, this next project is a case in point.  The floss they recommended were over dyed but they had the DMC equivalents which is what I used...........here is the photo on the pattern that I fell in love with and next to it you will see mine using the DMC flosses.................very sad..........

The bird is gray not blue and the yellow beak and breast are bright pink not golden.  Yes, I did notice it before I stitched the beak but I decided to just go ahead and after I finish it I may order the over-dyed colors and see if that would come close to the pattern picture.  I'd heard that some of the "old" colors were changed....why?  Why would DMC change their colors when they know there are 1,000's of patterns out there with those older designated colors in them?  I have been thinking about organizing my flosses by color as opposed to brand and name or number.  I will ensure that the colors I use will match the colors on the pattern!

I continue to work on and enjoy Sally Spencer...........

There was no haul except one book from Thrift books which is a quilt pattern book that I have wanted for quite a while....even though I won't be making it anytime soon..........it includes a cd with all the templates.   The book also contains letters by farm women during the great depression.........

I think we had peak colors last week and now it has been raining for the past 2 days.  I picked some flowers and leaves to bring in before it rained......

I may have to go take a nap now as I didn't sleep very well last night....TTYL!

Happy Trails!!!

Prettiest Fall ever!

 Every day is just beautiful with blue skies and a nice breeze and 70's...perfect!  I've been trying to take advantage of it because  it won't last forever.  I've finally got my plants planted; a rose bush, a lilac bush, a mum, and an azalea.  They all seem to be doing well.  I think they are thrilled to be out of the pots they were in all summer as it was too hot to go out and plant them.

 

I guess I forgot to take pictures of the lilac and the mum..oh well....

The colors are amazing this year.  We have a lot of oak trees here but even they are pretty this Fall......

This is a sassafras tree that always turns very pretty...........

We're not at peak yet but every morning when I look out there is more color....the flowers are doing really well since it's cooled off............

I've been trying to hire a handy man but there are none to be found down here!  As usual, I'll probably have to do it myself.  Yesterday I had the termite guy come for the annual inspection on the house and in the morning I spread 6 bags of mulch.  I thought I'd be sore today but I wasn't.  I've been cleaning and clearing.  I loaded a bunch into the Tahoe to take to the thrift store and I am cleaning the dining room hutch and buffet so I can sell it...along with the table.  There is a guy in Salem that buys stuff and turns around and sells it in his store so I'm hoping I can get rid of some of this furniture of my folks.  Taste wise we were as different as night and day.  Although, I'm sure their stuff is more valuable than mine! LOL!  I like old beat up antiques....rusty/crusty is my style.

That's what I've been up to and yesterday was garbage day and I had lots for those guys!

A little Halloween humor............

 

Happy Trails!!!

YOP #17 Year 13

 From now on there will mostly be cross stitch on my YOP posts as I am packing up my fabric and yarns except for Prism which I will continue to crochet.  When I get tired out from cleaning and clearing I sit down and do a little cross stitch and then it's back to it!

I got started on my 2 new cross stitch pieces.....my new Halloween start...The Quilted Witch by Lori Holt....  

Here's my progress.......I'm starting to stitch that big pumpkin she's holding....

I've worked on Grayson's wolf..........

more progress on Sally Spencer which I love working on......

and then  there's my new small that I started.........Basket of Cherries by Black Bird Designs.......

here's my progress.....I work on this a little bit in the mornings.....the lighting is bad because it was just getting light out when I took these pictures...also there is a hand dyed floss list or you can use DMC which is less expensive.  I chose DMC but in order to come close to the hand dyed floss they sometimes  have you combine 2 different colored DMC threads.  I've never done that before but the effect was really pretty..........you can't tell from this picture......the pink was a combo floss.........and so is the thread hanging down....for the berries.........   

When I ordered my floss for the above projects, I ordered the 2nd chart for the Anniversaries of the Heart series.............

and then because the rule is that "no pattern should travel alone".....I picked up this Lizzie Kate pattern of the 2 pilgrims....so cute!  Miles and Priscilla Standish..............

Here's a little Halloween humor...............

Happy Trails!!!

YOP #16 Year 13

The Covid shot didn't bother me at all...I was amazed!  But Sunday when I went to blog YOP .....I had it all done and all of a sudden the whole post disappeared.  I have no idea what happened but I was so disgusted, I was not going to start over.  It takes a long time to do posts.  So, I am here today to try again.

I've been well but very busy as I am getting ready to put my house on the market.  So, my posts may be spotty as I really  have lots to do and if you saw my house you would agree! LOL!  I have spent the last 3 days organizing and filing all my floss, and patterns. It is a great feeling and I had no idea it would take me that long but it's done now.

I am also working outside since it is just the perfect weather right now.  I have pruning, weeding, mulching, and transplanting that I have been working on.

I finished a small Halloween XS...............a cute little ghost.......he's a little big for an ornament so he will probably be made into a pillow.......

 I've been working on Grayson's wolf but didn't take a picture of it.  I did photograph Sally Spencer though............

I ordered the floss for my next 2 projects.......I will always have a small going and since the ghost is finished I picked up an old WIP to finish.........but after that I will start on Basket of Cherries.........

I will be starting my Halloween stitch for this year........this is a big one.......the floss is supposed to arrive today and I already have the material for both projects...........

From this point on there will no new starts until I finish a project and that will only be from patterns I already own.  I will allow myself to switch out a WIP I am working on for another WIP if I get tired of the one I am working on.  I still don't have my rotation down pat but I think weekends will be a long term project that will get worked on every weekend until done....probably Grayson's Wolf.  The other one I will be working on is Sally Spencer, The Quilted Witch, and Basket of Cherries once the flag one is done.

There is a huge project I will be starting on January 1st 2024....my New Year New Start and I will be working on it with a deadline of December 31st 2024.  It is Anniversaries of  the Heart by Blackbird Designs.  There are 12 pamphlets with 14 designs in all.  I will be working them all on one big piece of fabric.  Each design will incorporate names and dates of family members both here and deceased.  I've seen this done and it is a beautiful heirloom piece to pass down.  You can also attach notes and photos to the back of the frame for further information.  So, I will be spending the next few months collecting the patterns, floss, and material to stitch them on.  Here is the first pattern and the 2nd one should arrive today..........

I've got my Halloween decorations all up, my Halloween stitchery coming today and I have my Halloween book to read.....

From Amazon

"Edie Burchill and her mother have never been close, but when a long-lost letter arrives with the return address of Milderhurst Castle, Kent, Edie begins to suspect that her mother’s emotional distance masks an old secret.  

Evacuated from London as a 13-year-old girl, Edie’s mother was chosen by the mysterious Juniper Blythe and taken to live at Milderhurst Castle with the Blythe family.  

Fifty years later, as Edie chases the answers to her mother’s riddle, she too is drawn to Milderhurst Castle and the eccentric Blythe sisters. Old ladies now, the three still live together as the twins nurse Juniper, whose abandonment by her fiancé in 1941 plunged her into madness.  

Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother’s past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst Castle, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. The truth of what happened in the distant hours has been waiting a long time to be uncovered ..."

I've read several of Kate Morton's books and they are all excellent.....very long....usually about 600 or so pages but they are so good you fly through those pages......... 

 I've also been watching Disney's Halloween movies.....Goosebumps and The Haunted Mansion and more!

Now all I need are some Halloween Treats.....yum!!!

Happy Trails!!!

 

 

 
 

Got my shots........

 Yesterday I went to get my flu shot and I wanted the Covid shot too but they weren't in yet so they called me today and said they got them in so I went down and got my Covid shot.  I'm pretty sure it will make me very tired as it has every other time.  I made sure I had groceries, clean clothes, and food made in case I'm out of commission the next 2 days!

I got my Halloween presents to me in the mail too.  My Halloween project this year is........

It's a big one by Lori Holt...........I need to get it kitted up so I can start on Halloween night.  Then I got this Spooky Delight box from Fat Quarter Shop.  This was part of a club but they had some extras so I bought one.........so glad I did as it is really cute.....

It included.......coupons for FQS,
 

a jelly roll of Halloween fabric...........

some black cat pins..........

some Halloween washi tape...........

a black cat needle minder...........very cute!

and of course the pattern to make the quilt or from the looks of it, a nice table runner

I got my Pumpkin Spice Chobani coffee creamer so all I need now is my creepy book to read and it is coming!  It is Distant Hills by Kate Morton.  I don't do horror but a little mystery and suspense never hurt a girl.

I think I saw, Buddy, the hummer.  I thought he had left but he was on the hanger again and he is the only one that sits up there.  The deer were out there this morning competing with the squirrels for the acorns.....

Here's a little humor...very little......
   

Happy Trails!!!

Treasures came today!!!

 Yesterday was another gorgeous day here.  It was garbage day and after getting that taken care of, I wrapped up the Halloween box for the grands and drove over to the next town to mail them.  But they were closed.....it was Columbus Day!  Duh!  It was on my planner too but it didn't register that things would be closed.  So, I came home and made mashed potatoes and chicken parmesan.  I placed an order to Fat Quarter Shop, watered my plants, made a grocery list, and ordered groceries.  It has been strange lately...there was a bad accident on my way home from the post office, the fact that the post office was closed, and then when I went to order groceries, Walmart online ordering was not available as they were having "technical difficulties".  I finally got my order in about 2 hours later.  Sunday when I went to make treats for the grands the white chocolate mini-morsels wouldn't melt!  But these are all minor issues except for that car accident....I hope the people are all right.

Today, I finally got the Halloween box shipped off, Halloween cards mailed and I went and picked up my groceries. I unloaded and put everything away.  I still disinfect everything.  It's such a habit I just keep doing  it especially since there are Covid cases popping up.  We have no idea how many though and where because they stopped keeping track of them!  I plan on getting my flu shot and Covid booster tomorrow probably.  I wanted to make sure I was ready because it makes me so tired I will probably sleep for 2 days! LOL!  

But on to the treasures!!!  I got my yarn so I can get back to working on the Prism blanket.....this yarn is great.  It doesn't pill and it is so soft....it is acrylic and totally washable and dryable and comes in lots of colors.  It's Lion Brand yarn..........

I also got my floss for the little ghost cross stitch.......

and because you can't just order floss, and no pattern should travel alone....I got these.......the Basket of Cherries I've admired for a long time.....

and this is the first of 14 patterns to be stitched on 1 piece of cloth....I am planning on starting this on New Years and hopefully finish by December 31st.  It is going to be a tribute stitch with each block paying tribute to my relatives on my Mother's side or I could use it to pay tribute to all the wonderful animals I've had in my life....I'll have to decide.  Maybe I'll have to make 2 of them! LOL!  This gives me time to spread out the cost of the floss and fabric required and the cost of the remaining 13 patterns.  I want to ensure I have all of the patterns before I start this project.....they aren't that big but altogether it will be a big piece.........

I also got some mini-charm packs to make some patchwork project bags.........I purchased all of this except the yarn, from 123 Stitch....good prices, sales, and great customer service!

That's all for today....now I have to figure out all the fabric and floss needed for those 2 new patterns! LOL!  Oh, BTW,  there is a great podcaster, Farmgirl Drygoods and she has her own store also.  She lives on a farm in South Central MN where she raises goats.  She has the cutest projects in XS, quilting, and wool applique and many of them are kitted up in her store.  She doesn't podcast very often but when she does you will be glued to the screen!  She also sponsors the Brenda Gervais retreat in the Amanas every year. She's great and be sure and sign up for her drawings as they are great too!

Happy Trails!!!

YOP #15 Year 13

 The heat is on this morning as it is 42 F outside but it will warm up to the 70's as the day goes on.  Perfect weather in my book!  This is my summer down here as it is too hot in the real summer to work outside but now is perfect.  So, I don't get a lot of crafting done as the outside needs taking care of before winter.

But I made some progress.  Unfortunately, I ran out of yarn on my Prism blanket so I've ordered more yarn but it is not here yet.  I could have sworn I had ordered 5 skeins and I've gone through 2 skeins so far but I could not find it anywhere!  My cross stitch small, or rather a medium size, ran out of floss so that is on order and should arrive this week....I was able to do some work on it though......

Sally Spencer is coming along and I really love working on her...........I am trying to set goals and timelines to finish some of my bigger projects and I have her set to finish in 21 days....we'll see....

Grayson's Wolf also got some love this past week.....I need to figure out a schedule for it too as it is a big one.....
  

I got some books from Thrift Books......I taught myself to XS so I thought maybe I would take this "course" and see if I can learn something....I've always found Reader's Digest Books to be very good....

then I got this one...........

and this one too..........

it has some pretty samplers I would like to stitch some day.......

I love this church...it reminds me of the church I attended as a child except mine was white and it is still there.........

 To wrap up this post, I would just like to say...........

Happy Trails!!!