Stitch along update ..... More metallic stitching

 There may only be one more Stitch Along update on Santa. I am hoping that in three weeks I can do a happy dance that all the stitching is complete. This is how the Winking Santa stocking looked three weeks ago.

I have since completed all of the cross-stitching and am now adding the bling and backstitching. Here is where I was on Friday. I had added all the beads to the furry brim of Santa's hat and outlined his face and mustache.

This is where I am as of yesterday.

 I was muttering a few choice words when adding the metallic backstitching to the bow. I also had to search my stash for some extra metallic thread as what was provided ran out due to the constant shredding. Yes, I used short strands and also ran the floss through bees wax. There is only one little bit of metallic stitching left where the ribbon goes down the gift box below the gift tag. I think I will have just enough gold metallic floss to finish it. I still have some black backstitching to complete on the rest of the stocking as well as more beads, but it is all going quite quickly. I can't wait to show you a finish and what I will be working on next!

Thank you to Avis at Sewing Beside the Sea for hosting this Stitch Along every three weeks and sending us the needed posting reminders. 

Grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea and take some time to visit the other talented bloggers below who are part of this stitch-along. There is a wide variety of stitching projects. These talented stitchers are from all over the world so please allow for the time differences and check back for each post. 

Avis, Claire, Gun, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret,

 Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, 

 Sharon, Daisy, AJ, Cathie, Linda, Helen, Connie

Thanks for stopping by!

Flowers and stitching

 I bought a whole lot of flowers to plant in pots a couple of weeks ago and I have been slowly doing just that. First the pots that go on my front porch.

I always plant geraniums with another flower or two as the porch faces south.

I planted some tomatoes and lettuce for the back deck.

I always plant marigolds with my food plants.

Hubby had yet to find my tomato cages when I took the photo above.

I bought a couple of new plant stands this year as my old white ones were rusty beyond repair.

I am trying dahlias for the first time this year. They are the center flower in each of these planters along with petunias and creeping jenny.

The irises in my garden are beautiful this year.

The salvia is just beginning to bloom. 

I have planted some other pots, but it is raining today so I can't get more photos.

I have been steadily working on the backstitching and beads for Santa.

He is looking more finished each day.

I have been working on the kitty bib a little bit each day when I visit my mom. 

I started working on the green shirt yesterday when I was with mom, but didn't take a photo. 

Please keep all the families in Buffalo, NY (my home state) and Uvalde, TX in your prayers. I truly wish there still was a ban on assault weapons.

Keep the people of Ukraine in your prayers also.

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

Thanks for stopping by!

A notable birthday

Those of you who regularly follow my blog know my mother's dementia story by now so I won't rehash it, but Thursday was my mother's 95th birthday. I took the day off from work and made a lemon meringue pie from scratch for her.

 I also went to the fish store and bought some flounder. I made her flounder and mashed potatoes for her birthday dinner. She ate almost all of it which is quite an accomplishement these days. 

I had previously contacted as many of my cousins as I could and requested that each of them send her a card for her birthday. She received a total of 12 cards from family and friends. 

One of her aides bought the balloons to hang around her bedroom to make it festive. The flowers are from me. She seemed to enjoy her special day. 

I am still working on the cross-stitches on Santa. I finished the first border and my son-in-law's name. I ran out of one of the colors in the middle of the name so I had to make a stop at Michaels. I am now working on the final border.

 The metallic floss again gave me fits. I have purchased the bees wax and definitely see a difference, but one time the floss shredded as I was bringing it through the beeswax. Really!? 

Our son is visiting us this weekend as he had a course to attend for work in Connecticut. He traveled to Long Island via the ferry on Friday. 

Yesterday, we went to Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park in Oyster Bay for an "Art in the Park" event that unfortunately wasn't all that interesting. It was more like a glorified craft fair. Don't get me wrong, I love craft fairs, but that was not what I expected. It was nice park with pretty views of Oyster Bay.

From there we went to Sagamore Hill, Theodore Roosevelts's home that is often known as the "Summer White House". It was a hot day, and we weren't looking to tour the home, but rather enjoy the nature trail.

There were a whole lot of ferns along the path.

The path ended at the bay where Teddy Roosevelt used to play with his children.

The views were pretty.

We were hot and sweaty, but glad to be together.

At home, my lavender azalea is in bloom.

One rhododendron is starting to bloom also.

I am joining Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching. Pop on over to her site to see what other bloggers are stitching. I am going to try to finish that upper border on the Santa stocking while Hubby and son go golfing.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stitch Along Update

It is a good thing that this week is a stitch along update as Santa is the only craft that I have worked on this past week. Three weeks ago was the day after my son's wedding and I was still in California. You can see some photos of the wedding here and of our adventures here.  

Here is how Santa looked for the last update three weeks ago. 

Oh my, I didn't realize that I hadn't even finished the cap's furry edge. Wait until you see where I am now!

Santa himself is completely finished as is the bottom border. I have to stitch my son-in-law's name and the top border. Then it is on to the embellishing.

I don't think I ever shared the hanging basket that Hubby bought me for Mother's Day last week. It looks great against the hedge that is behind it.

One of my azaleas has bloomed finally. It's color is similar to those in the hanging basket.

Thank you to Avis at Sewing Beside the Sea for hosting this Stitch Along every three weeks and sending us the needed posting reminders. 

Grab yourself a cup of coffee or tea and take some time to visit the other talented bloggers below who are part of this stitch-along. There is a wide variety of stitching projects. These talented stitchers are from all over the world so please allow for the time differences and check back for each post. 

Avis, Claire, Gun, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret,

 Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, 

 Sharon, Daisy, AJ, Cathie, Linda, Helen, Connie

We are so glad that Connie has returned to the stitch along to share her pretty stitching! I, for one, am looking forward to seeing what she is working on.

Thanks for stopping by!

Lots of crafting!

My crafting mojo has been high. I have been stitching away! 

First, I have to show you the progress I have made on Santa.

I have finally finished all the cross stitch on Santa himself. 

There are still two borders and my son-in-law's name to cross stitch. Then it is on to backstitching and beads. The end is closer. 

When I sit and visit my mother, I often bring this maroon/beige baby quilt to work on. I have marked some of the borders and I get quite a few stitches put in each time I visit. I am just about to turn the corner on this first border.

I have also added some embroidery stitches to this sweet little bib. Isn't she just adorable. 

The bib is so soft that it is a breeze to stitch on. I am enjoying watching the picture take shape.

It is Mother's Day here in the US.

I will visit my mom for a bit and enjoy a quiet day adding stitches to Santa. I just realized that all of the stitching that I am working on has a mom link. Santa is because I am a mother-in-law, the quilt was pieced by my mom, and the bib is for my future granddaughter. 

I posted the second wedding post yesterday. It has pictures from our adventures in Carmel, CA. You can see it here. 

This little bunny has been visiting our deck. It is very curious.

It even climbed in one of the pots.

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!

Wedding Trip Part 2

After a six hour flight, we arrived in California on the Wednesday prior to our son's Saturday wedding. We picked up our rental car after waiting on a long, long line and then picked up our daughter and son-in-law from their terminal at SFO airport. From the airport we drove down to Santa Cruz to check in to our rooms at the Inn at Pasatiempo. The inn is literally around the corner from the wedding venue. 

We rested the rest of Wednesday except for going out to dinner at a local brew pub.

Thursday morning our son and his then fiancee arrived late morning. First we had to pick up his and hubby's tuxes and then we could enjoy some vacation time. 

We took a ride to Point Lobos Nature Reserve in Carmel, CA. It was a cool, windy, cloudy day, but we enjoyed the sights nonetheless.

There was the threat of rain, but we stayed dry.

The water was churning and swirling. It was beautiful.

There were a bunch of sea lions out on this rock. We could hear them, but they were just little dots to see.

What a view!

Hubby and me.

The rest of the family.

There were a few flowers to see.

These views!

Sometimes the path took an interesting turn.

But again....the views!

There were cormorants in this cove.

They are an aquatic bird that fully dives under the water. It was fun wondering where a diving bird would emerge. 

After this we drove into Carmel and walked around that pretty town. There were seveal small art galleries to view and a walk down to the ocean.

Finally some blue sky!

We stopped for dinner at Pepe's Little Napoli restaurant and had a wonderful meal.

That's it for Part 2 of the wedding trip. I will share Part 3 in another post.

Thanks for stopping by!