One Last Post for June

Two posts in two days...

I decided I had complained in the last post which really though is the truth of what goes on around here sometimes.

In between all that chaos I read three books this month. I have one to mention. Back at the beginning of June, Diane at Lavender Dreams mentioned the book Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger.  She wrote, "If you only have time to read one book this summer, read this one. It is amazing. You'll never forget it."

So I normally look at the library, but after reading about in on Amazon, I ordered knowing if I liked it that it might be one to pass onto my son. (It was written in 2014, so good chance it is at the library.) My son, daughter, and I are all readers and I usually can tell if they will like something as well. I am the most eclectic reader of the bunch.

Back to the book...yes, it was one I am still thinking about three days later. I enjoyed it and she made a great recommendation. For those of you who know me...it has some strong language in a couple of places but are not cast out there lightly like everything these days. They are part of the character and story.

A couple of months back I purchased a new decorating book. Y'all know my love for those, but I don't buy them lightly these days and this one did not disappoint. I am just now getting around to mentioning it. The book Enduring Southern Homes by Eric Ross is just that...beautiful classic, not trendy homes.

Here a few of my favorite pages...

He is on Instagram and one to follow if you love home decor like me, and I have been thinking I should share it for months. Now, I have:)

Onto other things...

I really really really need to stay off of Instagram period. I have two things I saw on there that are in some form or other showing up in Jolly July stitching, but first....

If you don't read or follow Judy at Halland House Gifts, you are missing a treat. You simply must go and see her finished "Sarah B" Hands Across the Sea Sampler. Simply marvelous, beautiful, amazing, and every other fantastic word you can think of will describe it. Vonna and the Fiber Talk guy have been talking about it for quite awhile on Youtube, but Judy has put the final stitch in it and I am so inspired.

If after July and my Christmas stitching that I have picked out I can stay away from being swayed by all the adorable smalls, this ole girl is going to be a stitching machine on some larger pieces and then just maybe one day I will do a Sarah B sampler.
Go see it!!!!
Then come back for some of my plans.

I have three larger projects that I have kitted up which really when you see here is way more than three.

Here is what I am up to...

Right after this past Christmas, I ordered some patterns that had birds. My plan when I ordered them was to eventually stitch them and make a wall in the master bedroom with these. I had been so inspired by all the botanical prints making up walls on Instagram and I though these would be my version of that. When they arrived all those months ago, I sort of put them on the back burner thinking maybe I had been wrong. They were not true pictures like, but maybe cartoonish. That is really not the word I am looking for, but I second guessed myself, so I stuck them back and started something else even though I had been all about them.

THEN, along came that inspirational lady... Carol at Stitching Dreams and lo and behold she had stitched one of them and I knew then I absolutely had to do at least some  of them, but which ones and how many?! After all, I don't think they will be that quick to stitch. So, I am finally getting through with some things I had started and put together a plan. I will do Faith, Hope, and Love first. If I never get to 8 of them, at least these three will look good together. I have 8 patterns, but two more have come out since I purchased them. They really need a mockingbird and then I will be in business:)

I plan to do all on the same linen.

Have Faith has been started and the colors are so pretty.

I definitely want to do my roses stitch that I have started and I simply must do two more from my space book...one of the Apollo 11 landing and then one of Voyager. I can so see myself starting the moon landing one on the 50th anniversary this year on July 11th.

I will stitch on the roses and the bluejay Sunday and then it is onto Christmas. I will be back soon for that plan!!!


In the meantime, I simply must not buy anything else, cuz wait to see you Christmas plans.

Overly ambitious,
Sandy