A LONG Post of Stories

Let's catch up! 

I have been a bit busy inside with the August heat.

I was lamenting the other day about how hot it is!!!

I was trying to throw myself a good pity party. I was thinking how I have always had a love/hate relationship with this month. For many years I held onto summer with all the gusto I had in the first part of the month. I should really say I held onto the summer vacation. August meant back to school and the carefree days of life would be over. 

I remember one particular August when the school district was doing the wishy washy school start time thing that happened about three times in my 31 years as teacher. This particular year, it was decided we would start late in August again. I actually changed schools that year. I would be teaching at the school my kids attended so as a family we were ecstatic. I was giving up a school working at to be with them which was way more important. On the last day before the first day of teachers returning to work, I tossed caution to the wind and the kids and I headed to the beach with all the nonworking Mamas. I had already been working a week to get my new room in order.

It was one of the best beach days of the summer. The waves were super calm which meant we actually got in the Gulf. (Now, that is a whole other story about how I don't get in the Gulf.)

We rode the waves on floats and stayed all day. It is one my favorite memories with the kids...not the nonworking Mamas of whom I was extremely jealous of and really didn't have a whole lot in common with. That is another story of the things we do to each other...nonworking vs working Mamas. 

Anyway with August in the south, life needs to be slow since SITTING  (and I do mean sitting...no moving other than breathing) on a porch or on a beach is about the only thing fun to do. The roses and geraniums are begging for relief for heat. You see I was complaining in my mind to the high hills!

Then, I read this and I got a kick in the seat which was much needed. Many times it is all about perspective. Here, this Mama was seeing the good things about August. 

Anyway, now that you have survived this story we will catch up with the needle and floss.

I completed all of the carols and 

am about to start some finishing of things.

Once I cut the carols apart, they seemed so much smaller than when I was stitching them. 

I also have continued with some Christmas stitching. 

Another story....

Last Christmas, we were at a friends house and Jeff fell in love with their stockings on the mantle. They have an extra large fireplace which was needed to hold lots of stockings for a blended family. No couple has ever blended their families as well as Mike and Cindy. There were 16 stockings. Every kid, spouse of kids, and grandchild had a stocking. They hung on the wood of the mantle. There is no way to describe the mantle, but it has pieces of wood that stick out almost like antlers which made the perfect holding place for the stockings. They were a neutral stocking and had colorful names on them. She had ordered them and had them done.

Now, let me tell a little backstory on stockings at our house. I hope you like stories, because I love them.

I never had a stocking growing up...maybe no mantle or the fact that I am an only child were contributing factors, but they weren't important to me. When Lindsay was born, she got a really cute pink gingham one and I hung it on our mantle. Along came Paul Allen and Mom found a a green and red patterned one and that is what we went with through elementary school. A refresh on school supplies and candy were items put in them for Christmas morning. When we moved in our current home the kids were in middle school and we were at Lowe's one evening and found some with a  chalkboard. That became the new tradition that are hung with toothpicks in some holes in the stone since there is no mantle.

When Tyler was added to the family, I found a fish for him.

Then along came Katie. So, I tried to just let them die away. Paul Allen who does not like change was not happy about that. Jeff wasn't too happy about it either, so when he saw the ones at our friends house, he was after me to find some new ones. Oh and now the stockings hold candy and scratch off lottery tickets.

One day while on Instagram, I came across this picture.

Source: Instagram

Now, I adored the picture, but I really thought and thought on it and knew that I could not stand that much color and pattern with a ton of stockings. I even have some fabric like that. I was really drawn to that letter and pattern though. 

I realized with lots of stocking I needed something neutral and calm with so much Christmas red. I find that too much red in the house affects my mood. It makes me a little anxious. Probably should do a study on that. I promise it has nothing to do with alabama as a team. Promise, cross my heart!!!!

I thought about this picture... and how much I love everything about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.nineandsixteen.com

This would have been easy to do with store-bought and having them monogrammed, but I could not get that cross stitch pattern out of my head. AND if they were going to be special at our house, they really should have some cross stitch on them.

Months later, I bought some stockings on Amazon that have a burlap top. I knew that I could stitch on it. I ordered extra for a hopefully growing family. 

Then, y'all that is where I got stumped. I could not find anything like that picture. I stitched so many letters and ripped them out.

One day while watching Misty Pursel on Flosstube... the heavens opened.

She shared a book of a designer that is all over Pinterest but I never really could find a good book in English with her work. It was promptly ordered even though I was really trying to be good on ordering any new "stash." 

It is so wonderful that I feel totally good about the purchase. Besides having the lettering pattern that was just so perfect, every other page of the book has something that I am dying to stitch for Christmas.

I WILL BE USING THIS BOOK FOR YEARS TO COME.

Here is a stocking which I will add some ribbon to pretty it up.

Another one...

Hoping to do two a week until I get them all done...8 total.

Then check out some of the pages of this wonderful book.

I see some ornaments for Tucker in the future.

I have seen some of these stitched by  the ladies in my sidebar and they are so pretty.

All those numbers are for the cutest Advent calendar idea. Maybe one of those for Lindsay and then another for Paul Allen if he ever has kids. Stitching until I am 100 years old.

Weeellll if you are still here, I guess I will close this post. I can't seem to get my blogging mojo going ...maybe it will be better in the fall.

I once blogged about so many things...trips, day to day life, thoughts rolling around in this old noggin, and home decor. These days all I am doing is stitching.

I guess stitching friends like it, but I have probably lost any other readers. 

I am sorry!

Question for you that are still reading... do you want the other stuff or should I just stick with the stitching when this busy season of life is over. This could be viewed as a test if you are still reading😂

Tomorrow is another day. Until then I will be trying to keep a positive attitude in the heat.

I almost passed out while tending to my flowers the other day, so it is real OR I might just be getting older.

Story telling is over. (Today I acted like those little kids who start telling a story in class and go on and on and you keep trying to gracefully interrupt them and get things moving along.)

Sandy

Stitching Away

While I was waiting for my floss to come so that I could finish my Christmas carol stitching, I finished up a stitch that I wanted to do for fall. Cotton is beautiful in the fall months in the south. On the drive from here to my hometown just across the state line of Florida / Alabama you will see beautiful fields for miles. It may grow much larger a little farther north, but not prettier.

 

The pattern was found on Cross Stitch Stash. It is stitched on 14 count Aida.

Here is a photo I took a few years back.

I am not a photographer so you can't tell much from my photograph, but trust me it is gorgeous.

I have no clue how I am going to fully finish it. I don't know if I will look for a frame or make it into a pillow or a flat fold. I really haven't had a lot of time to contemplate it just yet.

When I finish the carols, I will have  quite a bit of finishing to do. I still haven't even made an ornament yet out of the chickadees.

Now, about the carols. I have finished 6 ...

and purchased some wonderful velveteen for the backing and some beautiful ribbon. I ordered them from the lady that the pattern suggested although the pattern suggested chenille, but I think I plan to ruche the ribbon. I ordered the same color as the called for chenille. It came from an Etsy shop called lady dot creates. It was a so pretty and arrived quickly.

Took this photo late in the day and it does not do justice to the color.

I have two more carols to stitch and am now working on number 7. I will share them when I am finished with all 8.

Until then, football season is just around the corner and Tucker is already fitting into the outfit I got him the other day in Auburn, so who knows if he will even be able to wear it for long.

#growinglikeaweed

Happy stitching,

Sandy