Stitching Group

Every once in a long while I am able to join my local stitching group. Since I had this past week off from my daytime job I was awake enough to join this week. This is a group of needle-pointers, cross-stitchers, knitters and crocheters.

I brought my secret stitching to work on and made some good progress. Since I can't share what I am working on I thought I would share what everyone else is doing.
First a pretty nubby green sweater by Nicole. When I first met this young woman she was spinning wool.

 Jennifer is the young daughter of one of the members....and she just started working on this needlepoint piece.

 Her mom Helene is working on the calming piece...

 as well as this great sign. Aren't most moms chaos coordinators.

 Cheryl has this great patriotic piece that will be turned into a little box. you can see the lid on the right-hand side.

 Kim is stitching this crab. The claws have great patterns.

Randi W is making this handsome sweater for her son. 

 Stacey is working on this great shawl. What a great pattern!

This is a blanket that Michelle is making. Can you see the heart?

 Randi M is making this needlepoint for her grandaughter, Lily.

Judie is making this oh-so-soft scarf. You just have to feel it to realize how warm and wonderful it is going to be.

There is another Kim who has just started crocheting this scarf. Another great stitch is being used.

I hope you enjoyed all these great projects. 

I am hoping to get to the meetings more often once the university semester is over in mid-May. 

I did get to work on my secret stitching yesterday and I hope to do some more today.

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!

Spring Flowers make me smile

Don't you just love seeing the tulips, daffodils and hyacinth in bloom in the Spring? My MIL gave this basket of tulips to me for Easter.

 They are such a pretty color.

Hubby gave me this lily. It has less of a scent than the typical Easter Lily.

Several of my tulips have bloomed.

I may have to move these purple tulips as they are sort of hidden by the tree.

I like this multi-petaled tulip, but it doesn't grown very well.

My hyacinth are a little sparse also.

At least my daffodils put on a show.

There are a few white ones also.

As you may know I am an Adjunct Professor at a local university. Each year they have a tulip festival. The founder was Dutch so this makes perfect sense.

Here are some pictures from my walk on the campus.

You can see that many of the species are labeled for the festival.

So many varieties and colors. I love this two-toned tulip.

There are even some daffodils.

Finally, although I didn't take any family pictures on Easter....no one was interested, I did take a picture of Ruby.

Isn't she adorable!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Easter

Change of plans

I was planning on writing a post late on Sunday to tell you about all the fun things Hubby and I did this weekend with our son. We haven't been to visit him in PA in a long time and we were way past due. We packed and set out on our way on Saturday morning. We were about 2 hours into our drive and about 40 minutes away from our destination, when I received a call from my mom's neighbor that mom's house alarm was going off for several minutes. It turns out mom had fallen (she is fine) and managed to push her medic alert button for help. Needless to say we drove to the next exit and turned around. In all we spent almost 5 hours in the car to make a big u-turn. Thank goodness for her neighbors who stayed with her to make sure she was settled and also checked in on her again until we were able to get home. I now know that I must arrange for 24/7 care for Mom whenever Hubby and I want to go away for a day or two. Our son was extremely disappointed. I know he spent a lot of time preparing for our visit. It was especially upsetting as we had to cancel our visit a few weeks ago due to my back problems. 

During the drive, prior to the phone call, I did manage to make progress on the Bear's Bridal Outfit. I have just started the skirt. 

I was happily surprised that I was able to complete this much without any real pain in my thumb and wrist. I hope I can keep working a little bit each day.

Today I will concentrate on buying some of the food that I need for Easter dinner. I might as well be productive. I think I will also spend some time working on my secret cross-stitching. Of course, I will be checking in on Mom.

My daffodils are in full bloom. These look beautiful around this tree.

I can see them from my kitchen and living room. Some of them have dark orange centers. They just make me smile.

Some of the centers are the same color as the petals.

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!

A Sneak Peek

Spring has sprung and is giving us a peek of warm weather. Hubby and I decided to take a walk through the local preserve on Saturday. It had rained a lot Friday night so the stream was really running.

The ducks were enjoying the day too.

It was a beautifully sunny day.

I had the epidural injection for my back on Wednesday (there has been no improvement in my back/leg since then) and spent a good part of the rest of the day cross-stitching. I got to a part where I thought that I could give you a sneak peek of my secret cross-stitch. 

It isn't enough of a look for anyone to know what it is, but at least you know that I am truly stitching.
My daffodils are starting to bloom one by one. I love the bright orange centers of this particular variety. I think they came from an Easter plant last year.
I am glad they bloomed this year.

I am joining Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching. Pop on over to her site to see what other bloggers are stitching. I plan on sitting on my front porch in the sun and stitch today as it should warm enough.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blooming

The first daffodil of Spring has bloomed! I made sure to take a picture, so I could believe that Spring is really here. 

It has been so very cold and windy at the end of March this year. I only decided to put my wool-blend work pants away for the season as I can't bring myself to wear wool in April. Some of my Spring-time work pants are still a little too light-weight though for April . 
Last weekend our son came to visit and we went to Belmont Lake State Park.
In all my years living on Long Island, I have never been there. 

 The ducks and geese were enjoying the lake.

We walked all the way around the lake. There were lots of families and dogs. I actually learned something about the area also.

 It was weird seeing cannons at the park

I am starting to get my Easter decorations out. It will be here before you know it. I bought a new wreath for my front door. Usually I craft a wreath, but the last one that I made I wasn't happy with and I realized that my lack of time would not result in a new one that I would be happy with. This wreath works just fine.

Hubby and I have been looking to update our 16 year old carpeting. In the process we decided to finally purchase a carpet runner for our staircase. We have always wanted one, but just never got around to looking. Well it is finally done and we both love it. 

We have noticed that we surprise each other a lot now though as we can quietly go up and down the staircase.

I will be getting an epidural injection in my back this week. My back is feeling better, but my leg is still numb and starts to ache at the end of each day. I am hoping to feel well enough the day of the injection to spend some time cross-stitching. I will be finishing the second corner of my secret cross-stitch today.  A bout of frogging limited my progress last weekend, but I made up for it yesterday morning. 

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!

Spring is Here!

It is Spring, but it certainly doesn't feel like it here on Long Island. Friday and Saturday were cold and very windy. The plastic containers that should be in our recycling bin were all over our backyard. Today it has made it to the 40's, but it is still not outdoor weather. My daffodils are showing their leaves and will probably bloom over the next few weeks. 

Hubby and I made the trip to Boston for my daughter's first try-on of her wedding gown. It fits like it was specifically made for her. All it needs is to be shortened and bustled. That will all begin happening in June. She also picked out a beautiful fingertip length veil to complement the gown. Her wedding is now less than 6 months away. Wow!

I started crocheting the Bridal Bear outfit. 

This is actually the second start as I realized that I had made a mistake in adjusting the pattern about 6 rows in. I need to write out the changes so that the pattern works out correctly for my smaller sized bear. I think I have the correct idea now.

I am joining Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching. Pop on over to her site to see what other bloggers are stitching. I will get some secret stitching done today. Although I can't share it, I can tell you that I am almost done with the second corner of the chart. The fourth corner is the same as the second and the third corner should be fairly quick to stitch. I am pleased with my progress so far. 

My back problems are status quo for right now....no better, no worse. I will say that my back no longer hurts, but my leg is still numb and often has a burning sensation down the side. I am going to therapy and doing my exercises at home. I had an MRI this past week and will meet with a pain management doctor this week. I have good days and bad days, but I am doing okay.

Thanks for stopping by!