Roses and Squirrels

Let's see... what have I been up to?
Not decorating for fall or even stitching for fall.
I have been cleaning and organizing and decluttering and thinking and pulling up rose bushes.

Yes, you read that right long time readers. Me, the lover of roses has finally come to terms with the situation. I have been really thinking over the last couple of years about what it means to simplify my life. I have said it many times I am a slow leak when it comes to decisions. I need time to process things and think it through. I have been slowly making some changes and when I have gone slow most of those have proven to be good ones.

I told myself last summer when the roses looked their very worst I would give it one more year. I really don't have the right location to grow the KIND of roses I have. I decided last week that I would pull them up and we would plant something in their spot that was made for Florida's sun and heat. They only looked good for about two months out of the year and I am really not being so truthful with that. Hubby has the side yard as you drive into our cul-de-sac looking so nice. It is planted with things that grow well in our area. I have diligently tried to work against nature right up in front of our house. One day I drove in the driveway and it just hit me. IT was time to give up.

He was surprised, but went to work on selecting new plants. We have a little more to do. It is so dang hot right now that you have to do just a bit at a time.

When it cools off and the new has a little bit of growth I will show pictures.

In the meantime, I am at peace so I know I made the right decision. I hate to give up on any plant.

The upside is that I told the kids now they know what I want for all occasions. They always ask what I want and I say nothing because I don't need a thing. Now, it is roses. I told them not to go buy the kind vases. I have plenty of those, but to just stop at the grocery store and pick up some in the cellophane. I will be a cheap gift but ohh so happy.

Now, for the simplify thing. I have been working on that in earnest the last year. I scaled back my houseplants and my back deck plants. That has been a good thing. I am able to keep up with fewer and have them thriving and me not so outdone.

I am working on it in other areas as well. I am not getting younger, so it is time to realize my limitations.
I do have a birthday this month...maybe that is what got me in gear.

I put a finish on the squirrels.
IT is the only fall decor out and that is because I needed to get a picture.

I just love how they turned out. 

I did finish the other one, but it is real tiny. I think it will just go in a bowl with other fall items. This one is on 28 count and is still pretty small.

I have set a date for putting out fall. September 19th. Yep, a little random, but there is a bit of logic behind it. I will hold off until then. It is just not fall here. Although in the past I have had it up by now and enjoyed it. This year I am not feeling it, so I will wait.

I said I wasn't going to do this, but I did. Remember that I redid the June, July, and August stitches of the months that I did about 5 years ago. My finishing skills are much better, but still improving.

I didn't have enough of the red gingham to make a easel fold like I did for the summer months, so it is sitting on an easel. I do love it and plan to finish redoing them all. Basically, I am just giving them a smaller margin and adding a little trim. They took up so much space with the older finish. I didn't dislike them at all. You can see them all here.

Tucker is getting around too good these days. He was in his walker again today and I put away two  dish towels in the drawer. I looked around and he had opened the drawer and pulled them right back out. Had to smile about that.

I am always saying, "No, No" to Gus. I wonder if he is going to understand it when it is his turn.

That is life here in my circle. 

Sandy

Two Versions of One Stitch

I came home from Auburn all fired up ready to put fall out and it went kaput by Tuesday afternoon. I did enjoy a cooler morning on Tuesday, but the heat is back in full measure. I took the dogs out last night around 9:10 and the heat hit me in the face. Any breeze had died down so I pulled out my phone to look at the temperature. It was 87, but according to the app the real feel was 96. I thought to myself, "Yep! that is about right."

I am going to create fall in the house starting this afternoon. I am going to put out some fall colors in the foyer and a change out a few of my sunflower stitches in the kitchen and just pretend it is fall.

I probably won't pull out all of it until around the 20th or so...just, whatever day around then that I have time, but that will be here before I know it. I don't think the cooler temps will be here by then though.

Let me share some stitching with you. I am still working on my Christmas stockings and that is what I took with me over the Labor Day weekend to Auburn to stitch on. I have three more, so I will share them altogether when finished.
Just before I left I picked up an old October 2015 Just Cross Stitch magazine. This is a wonderful edition. It has tons of fall ones as well as Halloween. These pillows were in this edition as well as the jack-o-lantern I did recently.

In this edition this caught my eye

and I reached in and grabbed a piece of 32 count linen which was called for in the pattern. I didn't have all of the called for colors, but I had the squirrel color and some DMC, so I just looked at the picture and grabbed some colors to match.

I have ended up stitching two of them. The piece of 32 count was so dark. I had thrown it together quickly so I wasn't thinking. I stitched the two squirrels and they seemed fine, but then I reached for the acorns and leaves and began thinking they weren't going to show up so well. I put it aside until I got home. This week in the evenings I pulled out some 28 count lighter and started stitching again. I just kept stitching on both trying to decide which I liked better until I had stitched too far on both of them to stop.

Here is the darker version on 32 count Weeks Tin Roof linen. Up close it looks good, but far away it is a little harder to see the colors.

Here is the lighter version on a 28 count evenweave. The same colors of floss were used.

I can't choose a favorite. I plan to finish both and then use one as a gift. I don't think I will finish them the same way though. The lighter one might get something like the picture in the book, but the darker one will be just a round OR that is what I am thinking.

I need to get busy finishing.

I did get my kitchen light back up.

The picture is right after we finished so no cute scenes in the background. I was just finishing supper and hadn't even finished the dishes, so try to ignore the background and look up!!!

I saved the day because it the light was made for a fan and even though we had found matching chain and a new socket we hadn't counted on the tops being different. I had an old chandelier that I had taken down but saved so we were able to use those parts to hang it anyway. I am good with the results. 

I had our Bible study group over Wednesday night and no one even noticed anything. I guess that means it was only noticeable to me.

Well, that is about all going on here, so I will get busy paying attention to Tucker who is rolling around in his pink walker and terrorizing Gus. Lemony has sense enough to get out of his path. Gus not so much:o)

Enjoy the weekend,

Sandy