Slow Sunday Backstitching

I finally finished the cross-stitching on my Halloween Topiary. I am so glad to be done with the glow-in-the-dark floss. You have to use very short lengths of floss, because it frays as you are using it. It really does glow in the dark, but I can't get a picture of it with my point and shoot camera. You will have to take my word for it.
Here is where I am on the topiary.

I plan on finishing all the back-stitching that is left today. I have done one ghost and all three bats. There is still another ghost to back-stitch (can you find it?), the cat, tree trunk, pumpkin and a spider-web.  

I never mind back-stitching, because I think it makes a piece really come to life. It certainly allows you to see those ghosts. Wish me luck in finishing it today.

I also want to share a pretty table runner that my mother made in 2012. 

I was getting out her Fall decorations and I knew that she had some Autumn place-mats that she had made. In the same drawer I found several table runners that she had made when she was part of a church quilting group. This is all hand-pieced and quilted. The only machine sewing was done by me to attached the binding to the front of the runner before she hand-stitched it to the back. Isn't it beautiful.

I will be joining Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching. Pop on over to her site to see what other bloggers are stitching. 

Halloween Stitching

I was able to get a bunch of stitching completed on my four-day weekend last week. I have to stitch the ghosts and the back-stitching and of course complete the finishing. The ghost right above the pumpkin is started, but difficult to see in this picture.

I am hoping to finish the ghosts today and maybe start the back-stitching. I would like to complete the finishing on Wednesday when I have another day off for Yom Kippur.

I am so glad that I decided to finally stitch something for Halloween.

I have been adding a few rows here and there on my sweater. The color is off in this picture. It is really a dark maroon.

I really like the pattern. I am a little worried about the sizing. I seem to be okay width-wise, but I have too many rows for the gauge. I am hoping that I will be able to adjust when the pattern gives you inches for length. Otherwise, I may have to visit my yarn shop for advice. I am hesitant to do so as I didn't purchase this yarn at the shop. I am using yarn from ACMoore.

I am joining Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching. Pop on over to her site to see what other bloggers are stitching.

Thanks for stopping by!

And now some photos!

My daughter is now a married lady! I haven't worked on any craft projects in a while, but I have participated in a beautiful ceremony and a great party! Here are some pictures from my daughter's wedding last Saturday!

On Friday we helped set up the venue. This is the building where the reception was held.

There was a decorating crew to hang the chandeliers and the strings of lights. That is the maid-of-honor, groom and a bridesmaid in the pic below also helping set up.

My daughter and her now husband made the centerpieces, painted the table numbers and made the limoncello that was the favor. Those flowers are made of a thin balsa wood. She found them on Etsy from Stella Designs Shop. 

Hubby and I strolled down the lane to the water during one break in set-up and I took some pretty pictures.

There is a nice walkway along the water in this small private community in Rhode Island.

That afternoon we had the rehearsal in the chapel nearby. This is a candid shot that the maid-of-honor took of the happy couple. Katie used the bow bouquet from the shower in her practice walk down the aisle.

On the big day, the bride, bridesmaids and both mothers had hair and make-up done in the bride's hotel room. 

We set up the bridal bear and the bridesmaid's bouquets for a little picture. Yes, those flowers are all made of wood.

Finally, the ladies were on their way to the limo.

The ceremony was wonderful in a little chapel just around the corner from the reception venue (and across the street from the groom's parents' home).

It was a beautiful ceremony.

Here is the whole wedding party after the ceremony outside the chapel.

And here you can see some of the pretty chapel.

The happy couple had their first dance.

Father/daughter dance.

Mother/groom dance.

Cutting the cake.

And some pretty shots of the bride and groom.

Sunset.

Finally, another beautiful shot from the photographer  - Shannon Matos Photography - on the lane leading into the private community.

It was a beautiful day and a wonderful party.

I am joining Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching and to share my joy. Pop on over to her site to see what other bloggers are stitching. I will be getting back to stitching on this four day weekend from school. (We get off for Rosh Hashanah here on Long Island)

Thanks for stopping by!

We had a wedding!

There will be pictures to follow once we get home.

Thanks for stopping by!

Slowly

I am slowly adding leaves to the Halloween Topiary. I have managed to finish the right side and I am hoping to finish the top and start the left side. 

I had the wild idea that I would finish all of the leaves last weekend, but alas that was not to be. I use the needle minder to hold up the cloth on the left side so I don't get it dirty while I stitch....I use my left hand mostly to stitch.

I have been adding one or two rows to my sweater on a couple of evenings when I am not too tired. I am so happy with the way this is turning out. The pattern is so easy to follow and I think it looks great. Somehow I think the wedding day is going to be too busy for me to manage any knitting. LOL

I am hoping to get a bunch done in the car ride to our daughter's wedding at the end of the week. Maybe work on it during some free time before the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner too. 

I am gathering items to bring with us. Katie wants the crocheted bear at the wedding as well as some of the decorations from the shower so they are waiting by the front door until we pack the car later this week.

I can't believe the wedding is almost here already. Wow!

I am joining Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching. Pop on over to her site to see what other bloggers are stitching.

Thanks for stopping by!

It got better!

I am talking about the book I was reading. 

I finished it and I have to tell you that just about a third of the way through I began to really enjoy this book. I didn't want a book with angst as well as marriage and family strife, but the book evolved and became a really thoughtful book about couple and girlfriend relationships. I was hooked and I will definitely read more books by this author. I am very glad that I stuck with it.

Last weekend we celebrated my MIL's 86th birthday. 

That's her with Hubby and our son, Matt. She is looking good after a recent health scare.

I made some progress on the Halloween Topiary last weekend. 

Not much has been happening with it since then as school started this week and I have been exhausted. 

The only crafting I have been really doing during the week is knitting my sweater as I can just complete one or two rows here and there even if I am tired. 

I think it is looking very nice. The pattern is easy to follow and I think it is pretty.  I am looking forward to wearing it. Right now it seems like it will be the correct size.

I am joining Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching. Pop on over to her site to see what other bloggers are stitching. I want to add more leaves to the border of Halloween Topiary today.

I am also planning on making a bunch of food that we can just heat and eat this week for dinner. We are eating dinner at 8:30 and 9 o'clock or later at night, because we work late. really don't want to come home and cook at that time, so I will be making some Spaghetti Sauce with Sausage and Meatballs as well as Red Cabbage Slaw and Tomato and Mozzarella Salad. I want to make a big batch of mashed potatoes too, because I can keep some for us and also give some to my mom to heat up during the week. I might cook up some Chicken Tenders to heat up also. I don't want us to be eating junk food just because we are tired. This past week Hubby made Scrambled Eggs and English Muffins on our first late night and boy did that taste wonderful. I really want us to have some real dinners most nights though I am not averse to breakfast for dinner.

Thanks for stopping by!

Where did the summer go?

It is the first of September. Wow! My summer vacation went by so quickly. Tuesday starts both my day job as a Math Teaching Assistant at a local high school and my evening/night position twice a week as an Adjunct Professor of Mathematics at a local university. I can't believe both start on the same day! Ugh! Usually I get one day of the day job before having both. I am going to be exhausted Tuesday night that is for sure. 

Now on to more pleasant subjects. I have made a lot of progress on my Halloween Topiary.

I have completed the brown part of the border and now I am adding the leaves. Once this is done I will go back and add the moon, last two satin bats and the ghosts. Since I stopped working on the satin parts, the stitching is much more fun.

I frogged the sweater I was making for Hubby. It was going to be too small and when I measured it against a couple of his other sweaters I found that he had two heavy maroon sweaters. He didn't need another and he really didn't want me to make him one. I really liked the pattern though so I may make him this sweater in the future with a pretty blue yarn. He doesn't have a blue sweater and the color looks so nice on him.

I was really enjoying knitting though so I found a pattern for myself called Sangria, where I can use the yarn that I had bought. 

It is quite an easy knit and it doesn't bother my wrist/thumb. The pattern is pretty too.

I am also reading what will most likely be my final book of the summer.

This is another new author for me. I am about halfway through. I almost stopped reading this book after the first chapter. It isn't bad, but I really am not into books about cheating husbands and marriages and families falling apart. It is quite easy reading though so I have stuck with it. I still can't say that I really like this book, but it is too late in the summer to start something new so I will find out how this ends and hope there is something uplifting at some point in this book. My mind will be too busy with math come Tuesday to get immersed in another book unless I decide that I need something to read before bed.

I bought a whole bunch of Italian Prune Plums at a farm-stand last week and whipped up my Aunt Alice's recipe for Peach Cake, but I substituted the plums.

The recipe makes two cakes like you see above. It came out quite tasty if I do say so myself. I gave half of a cake to my mom and the other half to my MIL. Hubby and I have been sharing one of them. Yum!

I am joining Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching. Pop on over to her site to see what other bloggers are stitching. I will spend some time on my Halloween Topiary today.  

Thanks for stopping by!