Flowers and Cross Stitch

I just realized that my post title is about two of my very favorite things. The yard continues to get prettier and prettier with more things blooming.  Plus, I'm really having fun stitching "Betsy".  All the different designs were just what I needed. Maybe when I finish, I'll be ready to go back to" Liberty Lane" and the three more houses. I had a wonderful surprise in the mail on Friday.  My frame for the antique sampler came from Valley House Primitives.  I ask them to make frames for my most special designs.  The frame is just perfect.  I'll do a special post to show it to you after we get the stretching done and the whole thing together.  My DH is my stretcher and he never does the stretching until we have the frame.  Today we got the glass and other things he will need to complete the framing.  Plus we made trips to local plant nurseries.  Slowly , we are getting the garden in shape.  It is kind of fun being the planner not the planter! All my physical energy still goes to PT.

 I spotted this at the local garden center last year and knew that I wanted to add it to the garden.  I love the unusual color.  Right now it has 7 flowers blooming on it.  Another 8 seem to be coming.  It is called Magical Encounter.

Our Sambucus nigra is full of buds and several are open. This is either a small tree or large shrub.  It will soon be covered with these pretty pink flowers.

 Rosa Mutabilis with a bee in the center!

 I forgot to mention that I have started my summer decorating(a good sign considering my knee).  I love using the wonderful Woolpets that my DD has made for me.

 My wonderful Crane just fits in my antique fish bowl!

 "Betsy", so far.  In fact, I think I have done a bit more than what shows in this picture.

I hope everyone is enjoying the long week-end.  We will be watching the Memorial Day program on PBS tomorrow evening.  We all need to take time to remember the wonderful men and women who have served our nation on this Memorial Day Week-end!

A Little bit of Everything

Well, it was 4 weeks ago today that I had my knee replacement.  I am so glad this month is over!!!!! ( Every time I think a thought like that , I think of my dear Mom who said it is wrong to wish your life away!!) Sorry Mom, I am GLAD this month is over.  I do PT twice a week at my Dr.'s facility and then on the other 5 days, I do it at home.  It always hurts but I am making good progress and that is what counts. Enough of that!  I have relegated "Liberty Lane" to a WIP and started on "Betsy" that is an older Sheepish Designs chart.  There are still lots of things I can't do and I think I needed my stitching project to have lots of different things going on.  I got a bit bored with the houses in "Liberty Lane".  I do love the design and I'm sure I will go back to it.  In the meantime , I am having lots of fun stitching "Betsy". Plus it is a good patriotic design and I will easily have it done before the 4th of July. I'm also sharing a few garden pictures with you.  Even walking down in my garden makes me feel better. The DH is doing a great job weeding etc.  These are actually things I like to do.  Both of my children were sweet enough to think of me on Mother's Day and I'll show you my wonderful gifts from them.

 The start of " Betsy"

 I have changed a few colors.  I am using more barn red and coral, not so much the pink shades.  Plus I am using my favorite Needlepoint Silks Inc. for the blue colors. More details as I go.

 I love the way it looks but I was just getting too bored with houses and I still have3 more to go!

 My DD, Laurie of Woolpets fame, made this wonderful Steller Jay to add to my bird collection.  I am trying to come up with an idea for sharing all my birds in one area.  I think that will really show them off.

 My son and his family sent me these beautiful tulips!  They were just beautiful and he knows how much I love flowers.

 I love this picture of a chive blossom just beginning to open.

 A dear friend gave me this Itoh Peony 3 years ago.  It was just a baby.  This year, it is filled with beautiful blooms.  This vaiety is called "Morning Lilac."

The ruler shows the bloom to be 8 inches wide.

Thanks so much for joining me and I hope you all have a wonderful week-end!

In Honor of Miss Elizabeth Mary Garbutt

First, I can't thank you all enough for your well wishes.  It means a great deal to me.  Progress on the knee is slow but steady.  I have good news.  Yesterday I finished my copy of the antique sampler.  It was an honor to stitch this sampler once stitched by a little 10 year old girl in England. If you read my blog , you know that I did change colors. Her colors would have not looked at all good in my home and I am a color picky person!!( Sorry Elizabeth) I will explain the only other change we made. 

 Here are the two side by side. 

 On the right side, Elizabeth ran several motifs into each other.  I can't help but wonder why she did this.

 On the left side all was well.

 Here is another close up of the right side.  We ( if you remember, the DH charted this sampler for me on some long cold winter nights 2 years ago) had to decided whether or not to make this an exact copy, to this point we had tried to remain true to her design, mistakes and all.  We decided to separate them just a bit.

 While doing research we found the names of all the children whose initials appear here.  Only one child was born after she stitched this sampler in 1887.

 All Done!!!

 I read somewhere that to age a new house grow vines.  I love old houses so vines were planted.  Here is the Wisteria over the garage.

 Dew on a Hosta leaf.

 This will bloom more than once if you cut it back.  It is called Euphorbia Polychroma.

I hope spring has finally come to everyone!! Have a wonderful week-end! Thanks so much for joining me!

Return to the World!

Well, I decided that it was about time I return to the world!! This has not been the most fun two weeks of my life, but things are progressing along pretty well.  I missed all of you out in blogland and thank you for all the well wishes.  I was in the hospital for 4 days and then the biggest problem was medicine making me feel very sick.  Rather ironic that the meds you need to help you get well, make you sick!!! Oh well, I think that phase is pretty well over.  I have been back to stitching and have done lots of reading.  A book I just loved was called "Whistling Past the Graveyard."  If you like stories about a spunky little girl, this would be a book you would enjoy. I am working on Liberty lane.  I love the color change and I am thinking of putting an alphabet in place of the word Liberty Lane.  I will have to see when I get that far.  I'm not sure how it would fit but I like the idea of it looking more like a sampler.

 I get to wear this lovely leg gear 24/7 for a month or so!

 Here we have a wrinkled Liberty Lane! I am using more primary colors, more like American flag colors.

We have had an unusual warm spell.  I have really enjoyed being able to sit out on the deck.

The Golden Rain Crab Apple is in full bloom!

Thanks again for all the well wishes and support.  I'm so happy to be back in the world!!!!!

A Cross Stitch Update

Thanks to all of you who commented on my last post.  The DH thanks all of you for the kind Happy Birthday wishes.
 I wanted to show you my progress on the antique sampler and show my next (the hospital) project.  We have so many decisions to make -the DH is my color helper- on the colors on the antique sampler that I am not taking it to the hospital.  I wanted something easy and direct.  I will finish the antique sampler as soon as I get home.

 Very close to being finished!

 I think her saying was just charming.

I love this!  We are all so careful.  This was how a ten year old did stitching.

She carried her threads all over the place.

I really like this design.  On the chart, the red and blue look a bit too pastel for me.

So I'm using a deep red and blue, more the traditional red, white and blue.

While I'm in the hospital getting that new knee, I hope to get lots done on this project.

Thanks for joining me today!  Have a great Easter week-end!

What Happens on a 70 degree, Sunny Sunday in the Pacific NW

This was a picture perfect day and it happened on a week-end!  Lucky for all the workers in the area.  Usually this kind of day is on a Monday. We had a wonderful day.  This was the DH's birthday which made it even better.  Our day started with a good Palm Sunday Service at our Church.  From there, we decided to go down to Tacoma and walk on the waterfront path. We had a nice lunch at a little cafe right on the water.  You could see the famous Tacoma Narrows Bridge from the restaurant.  I think it will be best if I just let the pictures talk for me.

 The Narrows Bridge

 Beautiful Mt. Rainier watching over Tacoma.

 Folks were riding ferries!

 Playing on the beach

 Diving

Renting the diving suits( No we did not do this!)

  Looking at beautiful flowers

 Playing on the water in all kinds of boats!

Enjoying the weeds that were everywhere!

 Watching commerce, even on a day like this business goes on.

 Coming home with a Skinny Mocha to enjoy on the deck!  Happy Birthday to my sweet DH!

Just a bit of cross stitch,  the last row shows all the family initials.  Only one child was born after Elizabeth stitched her sampler.  These initials helped us to identify the family.

I hope your week-end was lovely and you have a great week-ahead!!