THANKS, CAROLYN!

Thanks to Carolyn at her Stitching Chatter blog. She awarded me a One Lovely Blog Award. I love it. Many, many thanks. She awarded it to all of us in the Friendship RR who have blogs.


Now I get to award it, too. So......I choose Autumn, Nancy, Candi, Ann, Siobban, and Gwen. Good job, ladies.

BRAGGIN' RIGHTS!

Yesterday my son sent me the latest photo of my grandson,

Bradley Michael Harden.

He will be 12 on August 11 and has been doing tae kwon do since he was 6, 7 or so. He's very good at it.

He looks just like his dad John, super intelligent ( heredity, of course!), big Harry Potter fan. All those other things that grandmothers brag about!

SOME CATCHING UP TO DO....

Here is "Quaker Christmas" in its new home-over the mantle in my bathroom. The clock belonged to my parents and is quite old. I still haven't decided what else to put on the mantle. Maybe a small plant? The bottle that says Bath Waters actually came from Bath, England. It came home with me from one of my trips to England.

It's the full moon, so it's time for a Totally Useless SAL report. I had lots of ords and thread wrappers from kitting "A Summer Ball" and "Chaplain's Garden". There's also a Belle Soir and some GA papers.

And here they are. All tucked away in their glass balls. They're growing! Had to change bowls. This one is an antique Japanese dish. I'm going to have to find a very BIG bowl by the end of the year.

And work is progressing on "Chaplain's Garden". I've ordered its companion "Murrle House". It's here but I haven't picked it up yet.

And my favorite: "A Summer Ball". I usually have a piece handy for traveling or sitting for a while so that I can just fill in and not have to refer to the chart. Looks like this one is it. I am going to change the white in the yellow dress to a pale yellow (instructions call for white). I just think it would look better.

My friends are doing well. Diane came thru her surgery well and Deanne is receiving her first infusion today. Thanks for prayers!

OBSESSIONS!

Well, I guess my mojo is back. I'm obsessing with The Summer Ball. I've finished the two left women (except for some back stitching and filling in). It's been a long time since I've worked on aida and I had forgot how quickly it stitches. I've never had any trouble with half crosses so no problem there. I'm going to change some colors: there's even one figure that's going to have my red hair! And Chaplain's Garden is coming along, too. A lot of ords for my Totally Useless SAL this time.

Siobban is getting me started on my next obsession. She did a piece and did a feature on it on Stitch Bitch's site. I've looked it up and am going to add it to the old stash in the next few weeks. The only source I've found is Volarium. The sampler is called Le Marquoir de Justine. It's just lovely and has a great story behind the sampler.

My friend Diane Guillory at my LNS, Cross Stitch Corner, had a pacemaker installed yesterday and is doing great. Lots of kind thoughts go out to her. And to my friend Deanne Webb, who is going to begin some experimental therapy at MD Anderson beginning Tuesday. Deanne is proof-perfect that God answers prayers. She has melanoma of the liver and needed this treatment. Her insurance company was a little hesitant to cover the costs. After a lot of prayers from our church and friends, it's going to be covered. And if you all will, say a prayer or two for her-and Diane's- quick recovery.

And I'm a happy camper. Saturday, when I had my little collision, I was on the way to a lab to have some blood work done. I got the results Wednesday and it couldn't have been better. As most of you know, I have heart disease and sometimes blood chemistries aren't always great. Well, this time they were: no diabetes, no bad liver studies and great cholesterol levels. Haven't been this low in a long time. PTL.

I'm still going to take those photos and I have a great recipe to send along. But I'm going to take the afternoon and see the new Harry Potter film.

BASTILLE DAY, SATURDAY BAD LUCK, MORE STITCHING

Just checked friend Ann's blog (With My Needle) and she gave me a gentle reminder that today is Bastille Day. It's remembered here because of Louisiana's (and especially New Orleans') French heritage. There was a celebration in the Crescent City and Ann and hubby went down. He does a great imitation of Napoleon. She has some photos on her blog.

Some days I should just stay in and stitch! Saturday morning, after many days of postponing, I decided to go get the blood work done that I've needed to do for a month or so. I left home about 8 , backed out the driveway, switched gears and proceeded to run into my neighbor's mailbox. All the boxes in our subdivision are alike: cast iron, of course. Result: I tore the mailbox off its stand (bolted on, of course) and removed my side mirror as well as managing several deep grooves down the side of the car. Oh, yes. A dented fender, too. We had the mailbox replaced yesterday: $300. And got the estimate on the car this morning: a touch more than $1800. Thank goodness the deductible is only $500 (that doesn't sound right, does it?). I've got a prescription for some driving glasses. Guess that's next. When I had cataract surgery I had lens implants so bye bye glasses and contacts. But sometimes the old astigmatism just kicks in.

On the sewing front, I'm still working on Chaplain's Garden, The Summer Ball and the Loose Feathers SAL. And I'm actually doing some framing. I still need to make some photos and when I finally settle down a bit, I'll take them.

Well, Bones is on the telly so I need to go lust after Boothe. Wonder what kind of mailbox he has????

Well, here I sit on my fat backside, not doing much of nothing and am watching "Tora,Tora,Tora". Love that grammar! I'm stitching on and off and am really enjoying the Marty Bell project.
Sometimes it seems to be going slowly then, at times, I can see progress. I'll take a photo in the next couple of days. I'm also getting ready to start another large piece called "Summer Ball". I'm going to do it on aida, also, like the MB. Less confusing and easier on my eyes. Just a few more skeins of thread to collect.

I have two pieces framed but haven't hung them yet. "Quaker Christmas" is sitting on the mantle in my bathroom-I originally did the piece to hang there-but am still not sure that will be it's final home. I also framed a little piece.I don't have the chart handy, but it's the one about what your hands find to do. I'll get photos of them, too.

The ceiling is finished and the bedroom is back together, so hubby decided we should shampoo the carpets on that side of the house. Guess what that involved! There's one bedroom and the hall left to do, but I have to say he did a great job. I got to clean the rooms beforehand and put them back together afterwards.

I spent yesterday glued to the TV. I wasn't going to do it, but we both ended up watching the festivities from LA. David watched about half of it and then left. I actually thought it was pretty good, so I stayed until the end. I wasn't a fan of Michael Jackson but I recognize his talent. I am so sorry he never had a childhood or an adulthood. He lived in Neverland and will be there forever now. I wish the best for his three kids. His daughter almost ripped my heart out yesterday. And what his brother Jermaine did had to be so very difficult. God bless them all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!