Garden is blooming.........

I took a good look at my garden yesterday afternoon and it's doing much better than I expected. All my flowers are having "babies" :) I do need to lay much more mulch down and find some kind of "fence" so the dirt and mulch don't go everywhere when it rains. Here are some of the latest pics of my garden. Oh, don't pay too much attention to the weeding that still needs to be done in the rose part of the garden :)


Rosebud

This one's got like 5 buds on 1 branch thingie!!

More roses!!!

Just one more :)

These mistral delphiniums have impressed me

the most!! Buds everywhere!!

Marigolds gotta couple of babies on the way!!

More of a close up!!

My faithful hibuscus!

Hibuscus unfurling!

Coconut punch dianthus...full of new buds, but

dead ones, too???

Luck is FINISHED!!!!

As you can see, Luck has been finished! I finished it last night and was ecstatic when I made that last stitch in the letter "K"! LOL

I hurried up and put BoINK in the lap frame. I'm going to finish up the black in the last square and along the bottom right corner before putting it back up again.

A gauntlet was thrown a week or two ago in my Yahoo cross stitch group. The deal is to pick up a UFO (sigh.......) and put a few strings in it a week till it's finished. So, I chose an MSAL that we had started in said group from last year. I haven't stitched on it since May 27, 2008! Here's a pic of what it looks like. I just need to finish some minor stitching and the backstitching (yeah, my favorite) and it's done! So, that will be my project in the coming days.

I've been fighting really bad headaches the past couple of days. And I think it's because of my glasses. I never had the script on them changed. When I wear my contacts, I don't get those stabbing headaches. I guess it's time to break down and shell out the money to get my glasses fixed to the right prescription.

We've been having beautiful, spring-summer weather the past week and it's continuing straight through this weekend. I'm thinking of going to hang out on the porch this afternoon before the dreaded, humid weather of summer really comes to stay for the next 5 months.

Hope y'all are having a great weekend!!




Luck by 2009 Cross Stitch Pattern A Day Calendar
Stitched on 28 ct confederate gray quaker linen
Started on 3/27/09, finished on 4/25/09

Luck Update....again.....

OK..........I should truly have Luck finished by now! But it was such a pretty day yesterday that I just had to go hang out on the porch!! The weather was just perfect....warm and breezy! We won't have too many days like yesterday before the heavy humidity and heat descends on the city for the next 5 months or so. Next time you see a picture of Luck it will be finished :)

Did anyone catch the Hallmark Movie on CBS last night? Wow! What a courageous, beautiful woman Irena Sendler was. She helped 2500 Jewish children escape the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII. What a generous, loving heart this woman had. I don't know if these movies are replayed, but if they are, it's a movie well worth watching.

Luck Update

I'm at the halfway point on Luck as you can see. This is part of a series in this year's cross stitch pattern a day calendar. It's chinese sayings/words. Here's the first one I did earlier this year. I'm hoping to complete them....yeah right!!!! LOL One day, one day.........

Luck by Cross Stitch Pattern a Day Calendar

Stitched on 28 ct confederate gray quaker linen

One more finish........

I'm thrilled that I finished Q is for Quilting. I think this is one of my favorites out of the alphabet series. It was fun, quick (at least for me) project :)

Now I'm in a race to finish Luck. Then I need to go back to the BoINK SAL, which is "this" close to being finished, too.

Q is for Quilting by Prairie Schooler

Started on 3/27/09, finished on 4/13/09

Stitched on 28 ct fiddlers evenweave cloth

DONE!!!!!!

Finally finished the Spirit Sampler! I kept putting it to the side because I was dreading those stupid 1/4 stitches in the bands below the pot. So, I decided to stitch those bands like the ones in Faith. So, now it's done!

My weekend was very low key. I finished the garden area where the hibuscus bushes are. I still need to tackle the part by the rose bushes....sigh....... I'll start on it sometime this week, I suppose.

I'm also almost finished with Q is for Quilter. I should be posting the finished pic tomorrow.

My Easter was quiet. I was wanting barbecued ribs for some strange reason. So that's what I made yesterday. They came out very tender, but they didn't taste like I wanted them to taste. I wanted them to be a tad bit sweeter. I think next time I'll play around with the sauce and see what I come up with. The family enjoyed it though so that's what counts :)

Spirit Sampler by Imaginating, Inc.

Freshly planted......

OK, so I broke down, went to Lowe's and actually bought flowers to put in my garden. The seedlings are not growing nearly fast enough for me so I needed something pretty to look at when I pulled into my driveway. Oh and I bought a hoe for the first time! What useful tools those hoes are :)

Impatiens


Mistral Delphinium

Danthus Coconut Punch


Marigolds


Petunias

Update time....

Sunday I started working in the garden. Sigh........ Why do I want one of those things anyway??? I was tired after just going to Lowe's to get the top soil and mulch! LOL Last year I had put down that black netting stuff that's supposed to control the weeds. Ummm....yeah, right! So, I pulled it all up Sunday. Well, on the front part of the garden where my hibuscus are, I did. I still need to get to the rose bush part later this week and pull it up there. But I must say that the soil underneath the black netting is pristine! Rich, dark soil.

I really didn't have anything to plant just yet especially since a damn cold front came through that night! I will be heading back to Lowe's this weekend for some pretty, colorful flowers to put down. I can't wait till my seedlings start sprouting! LOL Although the sweet peas are ready to do in the ground. I'll take pics of the garden when it's more or less show worthy :)

I know it's been awhile since I've posted a stitchy update. I haven't been much on the stitching lately, no particular reason for it. Just wasn't in the mood, I suppose. Till now!

A friend and her husband made this gorgeous lap stand for some of the ladies in our Yahoo cross stitch club. As soon as I got it, I knew that I had to try it out! Wow! The lap stand makes a world of difference! They're wonderfully made and sturdy. The wood is so smooth and it's lightweight! Just perfect.

Q is for Quilt by Prairie Schooler
Started on 3/15/09
Stitched on 28 ct evenweave fiddlers cloth


Luck by Pattern of the Day Calendar 2009
Started on 3/27/09
Stitched on 28 ct confederate gray Quaker Linen

Speechless...........

Oh, my!!! These beautiful finished projects were waiting for me when I got home from work yesterday. My friend, Linda from Iceland, outdid herself on my stitched pieces. I've been waiting with baited breath for almost 2 weeks to see these beauties!! And can I tell you that it was WELL worth the wait!!

Honey, you have outdone yourself! I cannot thank you enough for these gorgeous finishes!!




Needlebook






Inside of needlebook

Close up of needlebook

Closeup of the cute button she used for the needlebook

Mattress Pinkeep

Back of mattress pinkeep

Close up of pin keep

Inside of bourse

Outside of bourse

Close up of bourse

Bookmark

Adorable beads on the bottom of the bookmark