A letter to Lucy

The young ambitious girl, who stitched her first design
through all my samplers had never before, entered in my mind.

But you my dear were different, and gave me such a fight

I knew there was a reason, so I gave it all my might.

Could I complete a large design without setting it to flame?
There’d be no excuse and if I fail, only myself to blame.

Temptation reared to taunt me, that fire glowing bright
but I held fast and stitched ahead, much to my delight.

Did Mom meet you in heaven, and whisper in your ear

it’s time for me to learn patience, in this my 60th year?

Some say that family also stitched and completed this for you
were you trying to tell us that the story isn’t true?

 Or maybe if you failed to finish, you came to sit with me
and encouraged me to the very end, so completed it would be.

Why ever I was chosen, the reason will never be quite clear
but what I’ve gained from your devilish help, I’ll always hold so dear.

A vision of a giggling girl, tall with dark brown hair
was happening so frequently we soon became a pair.

For this you taught me Lucy, have patience, don’t live in haste
To rush through life without a pause would truly be a waste.

I thank you for this Lucy and was honored to be worthy
I’ll miss you and I wish you well, in your eternal journey.


Love,
Marlene

Spinning in circles

Hiya.  No Lucy.  Since the numbness subsided, the dizziness began!  My balance is going right of center....well....more like way off center.   Nothing serious, just annoying, and thankfully infrequent.  Much better today and stitching resumes.  This post is to let you know of 40% off at MMIJA.  They are unfortunately closing at the end of June.  I've ordered from them before and don't know if anything would be of interest to you, but they have quilting supplies, pattern packs, and fabrics, some Stacy Nash, Blackbird Designs, Carriage House's Hawk Runs, Country Stitches (Brenda Gervais) punchneedle designs, Cameo, wool applique, Amy Butler, and on and on.  The shipping may not be worth it depending on how large the order, but there's a lot of stuff left to grab at 40% off.  Check it out!  Talk to you soon!

Back in that big saddle

Greetings!  Hope you all had a wonderful week.  I was in crying jag mode for days!  Memorial Day hit me hard this year but I was even bawling when I heard babies crying!   Well, I usually do anyway.  That always bothers me especially when an idiot child mother is telling her baby to shut up.  Moving on.....I was at the greenhouse picking out flowers when I stretched to take down a heavy hanging basket from over the display.  That did it.  The loose vertebrae in my neck must have moved a little because the arms and hands were tingling for several days.  No stitching, that's for sure.  But I'm much better today and I'm tearing into Lucy.  I did finish that vase and all those wonky stems and flowers, the fence, lettering on the left, and border around the second house.  I guess the break did me some good because I am so anxious to stitch now.  I'll show you Lucy tomorrow, but I wanted to tell you how my frustration sometimes leads to good things! 

My galvanized tubs are all over the place and after tripping over one, I picked it up and slammed it over a shepherd's hook.  Voila.  Love it.  All you need is the tub, a low hook, and a 10" hanging basket with hanger removed.  I plan on moving the wheelbarrow from the front door and setting up this display instead.  You could also just load it with dirt and plant several varieties.  This got a little heavy after watering so I stuck a rock under it for support.  I didn't like it on the higher hook.

 

Wiring the handle to the hook would help with swaying from the wind.  You probably have already seen this done or done it yourself, but it's new to me and I like it!  I was able to get set up at the garage with a few items,

get my rusty paint cans planted with some sick looking impatiens,

 and we finished laying the barnstones to complete the area around the concrete, which no one showed up to do.

It's not as hard to do heavy chores with tingling arms as it is to do detailed work.

And a final note of embarrassment.

I was rushing (as usual) to get a few groceries and stop at the nursery for a few shrubs.  Couldn't decide which shoes to wear since the gravel is hard to walk on and usually muddy.  Both pair hurt but I wouldn't be gone long.  Which look better with my varicose veins?  I slipped on one of each, and then answered the phone.  Distractions are not good.  I went for groceries first.  When I walked into the outdoor nursery, I looked down to make sure I wasn't stepping in the mud and saw this..

I'm a frequent customer of this business, so they dared not mention this.  If I could keep flip flops on my feet and not walk right out of them, I would have gone to the Dollar store and purchased a pair to complete my errands.  The numbness must have been traveling a little too far up the arms. 

So to sooth my ego, I went home and made nalaesniki.

Sweet cottage cheese filled crepes, topped with sour cream and a sprinkle of sugar.  So there you have it. 

 *******

Hopefully tomorrow I will return with my Lucy girl!

Hello and welcome to new followers - you made me tingle even more!

Thank you all for visiting - enjoy your day!

Remember

The story of how Memorial Day came to be ..
US Memorial Day.org.

This song makes me cry every time, but it needs to be listened to.  Sometimes we go about our lives and don't think about so many young people making sacrifices every day. 

 If you can, consider donating or becoming a member of the Wounded Warrior Project. 

Take a minute to listen and remember.  If you've lost a loved one, my deepest sympathy and gratitute to you and all who have grieved for them.  If you haven't, try to imagine what these families endure.  

I'm sure you've all heard the story of this loyal dog named Hawkeye, who wouldn't leave his Navy SEAL Jon Tumilson's side.

Have a safe Memorial Day, in large part because of these souls.

 

Lydia's new owner

Hello people.  Lydia will be going to live with ....

Linda in NE Iowa.  Please send me your email and snail mail address so I can get her to her new home.

Thank you everyone for participating and for all the touching compliments.  You made me feel really good!!  After this weekend I am finished driving my sister around.  Her second cataract surgery went well...MUCH better than the first and she is able to see pretty darn good!  We stopped at several nurseries on the way home from the early doc appointment and I still don't know what I want.  By the time I figure it out, the flowers will be sold.  I love to see colorful flowers decorating homes, but I also like it stark and with objects instead of flowers.  This year, I am in the middle. 

As for Lucy, I am still plugging away and I said I wouldn't show her until she is finished but she loves attention so here is the brat.

 

I had quite a bit of trouble with the stems and just have a few other colors to add to finish this area.  The houses are not filling in as quickly as I expected and frankly, I'm tiring of this project and afraid of an oncoming slump.  I do know that the next projects will be the BOAF Gold Santa and one of these Nash designs, probably Malabar.

I did a little cleaning organizing roaming in my sewing room and cleaned organized looked in the craft closet and found a book called The Liberty Collection.  It's our Constitution, Bill of Rights, Gettysburg Address, and such on beautiful sheer parchment. 

I'm going to look for plain black frames and hang the set in the stairway. 

I plan on using a red/taupe/blue bunting draped under the handrail which I think would be appropriate with these, but until I find it, I hung these pip berries which I also found.  I'm not a fan of these but when using the stairs and looking down at the steps, it's really nice to see some

focus and decorating that low. 

And here's the batch of raccoons that I am having a problem with.  They are lined up eating the deer's bread and corn.  I can't feed the cats with them around and since the cats are wild, they won't come into the garage or house to eat in peace. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful long weekend, with thoughts of those that so bravely and selflessly honored us with their service.

I got a little hot with my cousin's son who told me that he learned in school that all wars are fought for profit of big companies, and that the United States KNEW that Pearl Harbor was going to be attacked, yet let it happen in order to make money.  His insistence bothered me quite a bit.  He was not presented with facts and allowed to form an opinion.  He was made to believe that this was fact, not just the teacher's opinion.  Things have certainly changed since I was in school.

Enjoy the weekend, stay safe, and thank you very much again for participating and for your comments, compliments, and visit!

Baskets on my mind

Hi all.  Did you ever start thinking about an item and then get nutsy about it?  I found a cache of baskets in the attic, some are just ordinary baskets, and some are from many years ago at the shop where I sold items.    They carried only one source - Basketville.  The lady that painted the needlepoint canvases also painted the tops of picnic baskets and I think that's how it started.  I'm assuming the quality is the same as it was, all ash, and very sturdy.  If you're interested in a good picnic or pie basket, or any other style, check their site here. 

The little one in the first photo is from their site and it's their Treasure Basket.  Adorable. 

The mail basket is perfect for a small sampler display.  I have a wide variety of their styles and some I don't see offered any more, such as these lunch bucket or purse styles. The pie and picnic baskets are great for storage.  I planned on staining or painting them and never did.  Big surprise.  But in a way I'm glad I procrastinated because my choice of finish and color is different than it would have been years ago.

The garden styles are also very sturdy and the large size is where Fanny lives for now.

Picnic baskets make great wedding gifts as do many of their styles for any occasion, especially for those who have everything.   These are basic utilitarian styles, not the Cherokee Comb and other fabulous designs we see from basket makers. 

The Putney Spoke bottom is closest to these old ones but the ash strips look narrower.  I've clicked on each category and found quite a few styles that I would like to order.   Think I have a problem?  See?  I told you I was nutsy.  Sometimes you are so used to seeing items that you forget to really look at them and admire their form.   I guess you could say I love these baskets.

This week is one of early rising.  Today at 5:30 am,  I finally caught the wild male cat we call Bud.  He is at the vet's right now getting a work up along with the latest little girl my brother found. We have to pick him up at 4.   She will be going to Petco and if not adopted in three months, he will take her back.  Thursday I have to take my sister for the other eye's surgery at 6 am (even though the first eye did not have good results at all), and then follow up Friday at 6 am.  I cut back on my chocolate intake and whenever I do, my flashes get more severe and often which doesn't allow for a good sleep.  Just the opposite of how it should be.  Good excuse for continuing the dark pleasure but it has to stop.  I'm tired of getting out summer clothes each year with the expectation that THIS year, they will fit.  They don't.  In fact, they get smaller every year. 

I worked out my kitchen cabinet plans and only have a few things to tweak.  This guy was kind of excited when I showed him what I planned and is anxious to work on the project which means I got the right guy!   He told me what the hourly rate per man is and although I expected it to be high, I was quite surprised at how high.

Remember, if you're entering the Lydia offer, it is for the finished piece, not the chart. 

Have a great week and if not sooner, I'll be back Friday!

Thank you so much for visiting!