Saturday Stitching

Good Morning my Stitching Friends. I am sorry to report it has been another slow stitching week at Nanaland. I have been trying to decorate for Christmas, I had a doctors appointment for my yearly check up with my favorite gyn doc and I was doing some Thanksgiving prep. As an old nurse I have to remind all you ladies to get those regular check ups. I have been going to Dr S for 20 something years. I just prefer a specialist to my GP for GYN check ups. He reminded me yesterday that it is important to keep an eye on breast health, ovarian health and colon health as we age.  I got the orders for my yearly mammogram and will be checking that off the list soon.

I did finish Cranberry Christmas.

I will be making this into a pillow for the dough bowl. I plan to use red and white ticking as the back and I have some cording for the edges. I did change it up a bit and I love the red letters versus the white letters that were charted. I used the very variegated Cupid for the berries so I did not have to change colors as charted. The green is also a variegated color from Colour and Cotton..

I worked on Weatherwise by Prairie Schooler.

I am leaving off the lettering and doing just the harbor scene. I love villages.

Here is an oldie but goody that I stitched many years ago. You saw it on my Thanksgiving post. I noticed that this chart was recently re released. My copy was in a book with lots of scripture stitches. Speaking of re releases. One of my readers, Miss A, let me know that Santa Rides was re released. It was a very popular Prairie Schooler chart in years past.

I did go through my stash to make some plans for 2020. I will be doing a Very Prairie Year. Some You Tube ladies did this last year and I was late to the party so I will try it in the New Year. Each month you stitch a Prairie Schooler design, large or small.  I have a list for the whole year. I will try to share that before the beginning of 2020. If any of you Prairie Schooler fans want to join me I will be glad for the company!

On to stitching from Stash...

I have had this chart for a long time and I have tried to decide if I want to stitch these two separately or stitch them as a happy couple. Thoughts?  This will be a Grimmwood piece.

Oh we have all drooled over this piece that was available only on EBAY until it was reprinted by Blackbird Designs.  I do believe the first reprint of this chart sold out right away. I will be stitching the bunny with the tulip. I do not believe I have seen anyone stitch the basket...everyone is bunny obsessed.

Welcome Spring by Brenda Gervais...one of my new favorite designers.  This has lingered in my stash along with a Mama Chicken that I may stitch for spring as well.

I need to get this stitched for Grimmwood. I might change up the colors a bit.

And finally another Brenda Gervais design....

This Hoop La was released last year but I never got around to stitching it.

We will see if I stick to my desire to stitch what I have. We all know that March will bring all sorts of new things from the cross stitch designers. Will I be able to resist????

Friday Five

 1. One of my favorite gift shops.

Tammy Eddy Antiques and Gifts has the prettiest Christmas door this year!!

1. Mrs Meyer Snowdrop

I switched out my Acorn Spice for Snowdrop this week.

3. My Christmas Gift to me.

I could not resist.

4.Willowcreek

Marvin will not allow me to move his antique clock so I am working with what I have. Our pastor always reminds us that the Wise Men were just getting on their way when Jesus was born, so  I put them on the other side of the clock.

5. My new Christmas ornament.

I love this ornament that has the names of all my grands on it.

Happy Thanksgiving

The Day Before Thanksgiving

Here it is Thanksgiving Eve. I thought you might like to see this pretty early morning photo by Cousin Scott.

I am thankful for people like Scott who capture the beauty of God's creation.

I needed to reflect on this recently. A good reminder that we may never see the fruit from the faith seeds we sow.

  The smells of Thanksgiving are some that trigger so many childhood memories for me....sage, onion, celery, turkey roasting in the oven and all the yummy desserts. Most of all I am thinking of my grandparents and my daddy who have gone on to heaven. I never think about Thanksgiving without their faces coming to mind.  Enjoy the people gathered around your table.

The Grandest Boys

Ok, Nana bragging alert....

Landon and Hudson had fun when it was leaf raking day at the Roberts Casa.

Basketball has started again. Landon is guarding this player who is almost as tall as he is. Elliott will start playing Upward Basketball in January.

And look who is six months old.

I ordered this photo to put in his ornament on Nana's tree. I have a picture of each of my grands as they looked on their first Christmas.  I picked up the ornament at Hobby Lobby...now to pick up the picture.  The tree will go up on Friday!

The Stream

Good Morning...lets give thanks for our friends here in the Blogiverse today as we sit by the stream.

1. Marvin made a trip to Georgia as he had to tend to his bees. When we were there last week, one hive was empty. No Bees at all. We do not know what happened. When they swarm, usually a small contingent stays behind. This particular hive had done so well and it was a sad day to come upon the loss. He is checking the other hive as he is afraid they were affected as well. At this point we are not sure what to do. Marvin says he may take a year off and try again. I told him we should leave one hive intact after cleaning it. If there is a swarm in the area they might come to the box.  He posted his loss on the local bee keepers page on FB and he was not the only one to have this occur recently. One bee keeper encouraged Marvin by reminding him that bee keeping is an art and if it was easy everyone would be doing it.  There was some honey left in the hive so I will process that when Marvin brings it home.

2. Here in Nanaland, I cleaned out the front flower beds. I pulled weeds and tossed old spent hosta leaves. Last week's cold weather killed all the hosta foliage. We really need some mulch and I told Marvin it was time to order it from a local man who does work in our subdivision. Joe is very reasonable and does a great job. He will bring it this week and he will spread it out.  Marvin protested a bit but as I reminded him, we do not want to cause Sciatica to raise its ugly head by doing things that are likely to trigger that nerve pain. I am being reminded that with aging we must make compromise and we are blessed to be able to pay someone to do those chores for us.

3.Marvin and I went to see A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood on Saturday in Huntsville. What a lovely movie about the power of forgiveness. It really spoke to me and encouraged me to be more intentional in my relationships.  As I have said before, I love Fred Rogers. He was a fixture in the Grimm household when my children were little. Ben,Amelia and I always looked forward to watching Misterogers as we waited for Dad to get home from work.  Amelia wants to see the movie so I told her I was up for a second screening.

4. I have been thinking about Facebook this week.  We all have such carefully curated lives there. We show our best pictures, we post all our achievements, the good things we bake in the kitchen and for me the things I stitch.  I am guilty of making life look pretty grand. God has blessed me and I do have a good life but I have my cares and sorrows as do all the people who lead perfect online lives.  It is human nature to compare ourselves to others and feel superior or lacking.  I am going to limit my time on Facebook in the future. Daughter, Amelia seldom posts on FB anymore, preferring Instagram. She says one photo is sufficient and there is not all the drama that goes on at FB. Something to ponder for the future.

5. It is Thanksgiving week here and the children are out of school. Kendall and Landon's Tara is taking vacation time so they will be with their Daddy and their little sisters.  I have a few things to make for our dessert and snack time on Thursday evening. Marvin and I will go to Cracker Barrel for our big meal. Friday will be full on Christmas decorating. This is a great time of the year for people like Nana who are children at heart!

Well the stream is running shallow this morning so I will close. I hope all of you have a good Thanksgiving week.

Saturday Stitching

Well it has been a slow stitching week here in Nanaland. Coming home from the wedding, I had lots of laundry and chores to attend to so stitching fell to the wayside.

I did complete Plum Pudding by Plum Street Samplers.

I changed the flour canister to blue and white because that is what I have in my kitchen. I am thinking of finishing it so it can be attached to a red metal container I have in my collection.  Brenda Gervais designs are of a more prim nature but I am not usually a prim stitcher so I just change things up. I used Cupid for the mouse in the Red Dress in this piece. The green was a Colour and Cotton that I had in my stash.  Dont be afraid to change things up to suit your own personality.

I worked on Henry...

These snow men by All Through the Night are so cute. I love this Colour and Cotton fabric. It is a delight to stitch on each time I pull it out of the rotation. I am working on Cranberry Christmas this weekend. I am hoping to finish up the stitching and get it FFO'd before next Saturday.

I took some time to get out a few things for the Christmas holidays. Being older I have to do a bit each day. This is the dresser in my bedroom.

The dough bowl is not done...these pillows will be going to the big dough bowl in the living room. This Prairie Schooler tree farm is one of my favorite Christmas pieces. The smaller Prairie Schooler framed piece will stay in the bowl but surrounded with some Christmas ornaments or picks. I have not made up my mind yet. The small Christmas trees were picked up at TJ Maxx last year.

This year I am using what I have in my Christmas decor. I will be moving things around to different locations. I have also decided that I will be stitching the charts I have before ordering more. Of course I can say this because my sweet sisters usually shop from my 123 Stitch Wish List.  I think like many of you, I have an overabundance of things and my goal for 2020 is to whittle my possessions down to what I NEED.

I  received so many Thanksgiving cards this week...what a sweet reminder of the relationships I have built here in Nanaland. One of the cards included a Give Thanks chart!! I will definitely be stitching that to add to my Thanksgiving smalls. I hope all my stitchy friends have a very joyful and blessed Thanksgiving.

Wedding in the Mountains

This week I am preempting Friday Five for Wedding in the Mountains.  The Wedding Rehearsal dinner was held in a rustic setting that just said Mountains.

Lots of family and friends were in attendance.

Two Margaret Grimms but after the wedding there will just be one. Margaret Elise Grimm on the left and Margaret Louise Grimm on the Right.

These three cousins were all born in 1978. Benjamin on the left was born in March, Sarah was born in July and Ben was born in December.  Looking good for 41!

Sethand Maggie with Cousins Sarah and Allison.  These pretty girls are my nepehew Stepehen's daughters.

 

Margaux and Gabby became fast friends.  Gabby is our niece so Margaux is her second cousin.

Ben and Margaux ready for the wedding.

Saturday brought the wedding and thankfully the reception was moved to the Rehearsal venue.It was pretty chilly that evening so we were happy to move inside.

The Bride...so beautiful

A lovely view of the mountains.

The Grimm Contingent.

Me and Mar!

A cow photobombed the picture.

The wedding table.

I loved this one.

The Grimm Siblings.

We had a great time in Brevard and all of us want to come back and do all the touristy things.

Tour our Air B and B in Brevard

We stayed at Grace Highland Cottage in Brevard. Located on Caldwell Street we were within walking distance to downtown. It was a cute sage green bungalow and it was perfect for us.

The living room had plenty of seating for our needs.. It was very airy with windows to let it  lots of light.

I loved the leopard print rug.

The cue balls made a colorful decoration on the mantle.

The Dining Room would seat six easily.

A cute hutch in the dining room. I love seeing how people repurpose old wardrobes.

The wine rack held books as well as brochures of the local attractions.

A cozy kitchen with everything you needed to make breakfast.

I loved this little pantry with a frog door pull. It was perfect to hold all the groceries.

Our bedroom

Margaux( Margaret has decided to be Margaux) and Grandpa are ready for the cold weather.

Love this girl an so glad she could come to her cousin's wedding.

Air B and B or VBRO is our choice for four day trips. It is much more comfortable than a hotel and the prices can be pretty comparable. Our host, Carol, was so accommodating and helpful. If we go back to Brevard to visit we will definitely stay at Grace Highland again.

Lunch in Murphy

Thursday morning we set out for the wedding in Brevard. We decided to take the back roads from Chatsworth . We went up 411 to Highway 64....oh my goodness. If you want to take a curvy road then Highway 64 is for you. Let me just put it this way, as we came down the mountain to Brevard I breathed a sigh of relief.:)

Halfway between Chatsworth and Brevard we stopped in Murphy NC for lunch. I had never been to Murphy but I do remember hearing stories about couples eloping there because you did not need a blood test to get married. ( I am really dating myself here.) It is a cute small town and with the help of Trip Advisor we found a local place to eat lunch.

The Red Brick Deli...

That is a picture of the owner on the back of the tees. He was a very nice guy....circulating around the restaurant between turning out sandwiches in the kitchen.

The sandwiches were huge and could easily be shared. We also got some apple pie to share and it was the hit of the deli for me. It was so good.

The owner began talking with us and when he found out that Amy was from the Keys, he gifted us a slice of his home made Key Lime pie.

It was very good and served with home made whipped cream. Turns out Bram had lived and worked in the Keys so he enjoyed chatting with Amy.

So if you are ever in the area, check out Red Brick Deli.

We needed fortification for the afternoon drive because the road only got worse. I am so glad Marvin is a good driver. It was pretty much hair pin curves for 40 miles. I declared that we were taking the Interstate home from Brevard!!

We arrived around four in the afternoon and checked into our Air B and B.  We enjoyed dinner at Square Root restaurant and then spent some time visiting Barbara, William and their children in front of a roaring fire. Maggie and Seth came in and we got some one on one time with the happy couple.