Hello stranger ;)

 

Can it really be six months since my last post?!

I’m not sure where the time has gone

Life, work and the pandemic just got in the way.

Posting on Instagram is fun and easy, but I miss my blog.

And I am having trouble with blogger on my desktop computer,

So I am posting from my iPad

Unfortunately, I can’t seem to figure out a way to reorder my photographs, 

so I am sorry that these are all out of order.

If anyone has any tips, please share as I would love to hear them!

My mom, sister and I were blessed to be able to get away for a quick overnight trip for Mother’s Day weekend. The perfect thing for us - spending precious time together 😊

Have you guessed where we went?

Country Sampler in Spring Green, Wisconsin 

With all my favorite stops on the way there and the way home.

And meals in my favorite restaurants, too ;)

And as luck would have it, 

Jeanne, the owner of the Country Sampler, was having a garage sale!!!

So glad that we are fully vaccinated and that we were able to do it all safely too.

This spool cabinet was amazing, but it did not come home with me.

I’ll save my purchases for another post

It felt so good to be in my happy place and to be inspired by all the beauty

Doesn’t it make you want to stitch as fast as you can to stitch all the things?

I apologize for the mishmash of photos,

but hope that you enjoyed them nonetheless.

I promise I’ll be back soon with my purchases 

And to catch you up with a few other fun things that I did while I was away.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

~Philippians 4:6-7

Stay safe and be well!

Blessings, Patti

Los Angeles this winter

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent time in Los Angeles in January and in February.

 I enjoyed the hotel that we stayed at in January so much that I returned to the same in February.

I liked this sweet vignette on the mantle of the outdoor fireplace.

A cool hotel in a great location and a short walk from our son's apartment.

Neat plants every where I looked 

and a lovely wall of flowers by the pool.

We took a great walk/hike at Runyon Canyon

Although it we weren't able to do the entire path and back.

Love the prickly pear cactus!

I spent time on both trips at the historic Farmers Market

So many great vendors

Of course, I love the healthy ones lol.

A few visits and I still have lots more that I  want to try.

On my second trip, I visited one of my favorite restaurants

Coco Curry Ichibanya for some yummy comfort food  -  Japanese Curry

(I recommend the Pork Cutlet)

This popular international chain can only be found in the

Los Angeles area and Honolulu, Hawaii within the United States.

This great view is what my son sees whenever he parks his car at school. 

I could get used to that ;)

The Bird of Paradise flowers always catch my eye.

And they obviously caught the eye of this little fellow.

Hopefully you can see him better here. 

Such lovely flowers in the dead of winter.

We also walked over to The Grove a few times to stroll and window shop.

Good bye Los Angeles, 

I hope to be back to visit soon, but not too soon...

 Hello sweet home Chicago!

I did visit one magical shop in Los Angeles that deserves a post of its own,

that will follow soon.

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth

~1 John 3:18

Blessings, Patti

February Finishes

2017 Collector's Heart

by Heart in Hand Needleart

I love this phrase and it was so appropriate to stitch this year as we became empty nesters in January.

This design came with the linen, button and beads. The colors are so soft and pretty and I wanted a unique finish. It's hard to capture colors in the harsh winter sun.

I know that it has been a month since I last posted. 2020 started off with a bang!

We moved our youngest out to Los Angeles. We enjoyed our visit, but leaving was so very hard to do. I have some fun to post about that trip, just need to find the time.

About a week and a half later, our oldest had surgery. He is recuperating and doing well. Just two days later our youngest had emergency surgery in Los Angeles.  He had only been there for two weeks and was still getting to know his roommates and the lay of the land. I was back on a plane and headed for LA. Through both surgeries and the 4+ hour plane ride, I cross stitched while praying. Cross stitch provided focus and a productive diversion to get me through it all while praying. When fully finished  I'll attach a tag to the back to remind what was going on while I was stitching. I was surprised at how well he was doing when I got out there. He is a strong young man who had been through a lot as young child. It did my heart good to see him and made me more comfortable returning home, although it was still hard. He is back to school and work and hopes to be fully recovered next month.

In the past week, both my husband and I have come down with a bad case of the flu. We are getting better and hope that the first two months are not a preview of the rest of the year, 

but that things will calm down at least a bit.  

After finishing my advent candle wraps, I decided to continue stitching a special project on Sundays.

I've started working through the 2019 Quaint Country Ladies kits.

I finished stitching the first kit and just need to fully finish.

Isn't the backing fabric just perfect?!

I hope that your 2020 has started in a quieter form :)

and I hope to be back soon!

“A new command I give you: Love one another. 

As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

~John 13:34-35

Blessings, Patti

A Prairie Schooler Christmas

when I found this frame, I knew exactly what pattern that I wanted to stitch for it!

The Prairie Schooler #175 Santa's Night

Lucky for me, the ornament would fit perfectly,

so I stitched it right away.

The frame is battery operated and I just love the soft lights!

I think that this frame was made for this pattern!

I haven't packed it away yet and am going to have a hard time doing so...

Since I am sharing my latest Prairie Schooler Christmas finish, I thought it would be fun to share some vintage finishes that I photographed before packing away for another year...

I stitched this over one on black 22 count back in the day.

Still a favorite :)

It's framed as a shadow box with glass and hard to hide the glare of the glass.

This quilt was a gift from my Mom

she personalized it

and signed and dated it

I love the antique mother of pearl buttons in the corners.

Amazingly she made a second one for my sister that year!

My sister and I were both expecting that Christmas and our sons were born three weeks apart a few months later... Such wonderful memories!

Mom also made these for my sons one Christmas when they were little.

Joe loved trains and Alex loved fire trucks - so they were perfect!

Then a few years later Mom made my sister and I matching gifts again!

again signed

and dated!

Aren't they amazing?!

I am so lucky to have such an amazing Mom!

Love you Mom!

I have one more Christmas finish to share in my next post...

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, 

praising God and saying,

 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

~Luke 2:13-14

Blessings, Patti