Monday Morning Musings

Well I will share a few interesting things going on here in Nanaland.

Last week, Landon and Kendall were at their Mimi's house and guess what they caught????

A small parrot!! It actually flew up onto Landon's shoulder so they think it has to be someone's pet. It was very tame.

The pictures were made on Landon's iPad so pardon the quality.  Landon said they named him/her Polly and carefully caged her to see if they could find out if anyone was missing a parrot.  This was an unexpected occurrence and one the kids will always remember.

Elliott was so bored with quarantine that he learned to ride his bike without training wheels.

I love the look of concentration on his face.  He told his Mom that he thought bike riding would be his everyday activity.

I was supposed to meet with my North Alabama stitchers group but with Covid 19 we had a virtual meeting instead. We all got online to post what we were stitching on and then at the end of the day we reported our progress.

Let Freedom Ring by Abby Rose Designs. I got my flag done as well as some of the house and the bunting.  Oh and I must tell on myself. Remember on Saturday stitching when I reported the disappearance of the farmers wife on Farmyard Parade? Well I ordered a new copy only to find that the wife was on the BACK of the chart of the farmer!! I felt so foolish! But my mistake is your gain. Come back on Saturday for a chance to have your own Farmyard Parade. I do not need two copies.lol

One of my favorite local stores posted this picture on Facebook...

She would gladly bring your purchase to your car at curbside. Oh how I love blue and white. Tammy Eddy has the best gift shop/antique store in Decatur. And Tammy herself is just the nicest lady! I have to stay out of this store even when I am not in quarantine.

Sister Leta has been cleaning out closets etc as she cannot go to her teaching job right now. She found this picture of my daddy and Charles at the pond many years ago.  We never dreamed that one day Grimmwood would set just across the pond from where Charles is fishing.  Sweet Memories.  I thank God for all He has done for me over the years and will continue to do!

Have a good day...stay safe and healthy!!

Saturday Stitching

Back to a Rotation this week.....I am enjoying it after all the monogamous stitching.  Here is a little WIP parade.

One white house is complete. 

I added  quilt stars and  leaves to Easter Parade.

I started Susan's Colorful Cats. I did manage to finish the border after I took this photo.

 September Word play. It was so strange stitching back to school when schools are cancelled here for the rest of the 2019 2020 year.

I got some happy mail today. I am thankful for online shops this week.

Here is the Kringles chart and the small package   contains the flosses minus called for Silks. However I will not be using silks so I will substitute with floss from my stash.

The called for fabric is Parisian Gray 30 count. Thanks Ann and Company at Shepherds Needle in Little Rock Arkasas.

I ordered some special Aida from Jen at Jen's Stitching Niche. I really enjoyed stitching Lantern Lane on Aida.

Ok....here is my chart from Jen. I had this chart and I was working on the Farmer's wife when I lost my chart. The Farmer was in the project bag but his wife was no where to be found. I think I must have left it at the retreat in Huntsville in January. That is the last time I remember stitching on it.  So once the farmer's wife is finished, I will be passing the stash.

And finally from Needle Case Goodies....

By Brenda Gervais. I have some buttons from my Stitching Friends Forever box that I will put to good use in the button jar. 

Lots of designers are doing freebies as a gift for stitchers during the quarantine.

Here is one I printed off...Easter Delivery by Shannon Christine Designs. It is so cute. Check it out on Shannon Christine's Facebook page. Her designs are so whimsical! 

Happy Stitching Ladies!

Friday Five

Well it is rather hard to come up with a Friday Five when we are home pretty much 24/7 but I will try!!  Oh and let me say Happy Birthday to bestie, Deborah. For the first time in YEARS we will not be having lunch to celebrate her big day. Fortunately I had my shopping done early so we will make it up to her when this is over.  On to the Five...

1. Happy Birthday to Baylor

It is hard to believe that Baylor man is nine years old. He celebrated on Tuesday with his family. Balloons and cupcakes were the order of the day even in quarantine.  And look at that face on Elliott. That boy...which leads me to this...

2.

While exploring nooks and crannies while bored, Elliott found the Elf on the Shelf that mommy had hidden until he should come out at Christmas.  So Katy decided some levity was in order so the elf is up to his usual naughtiness while everyone is home for the duration. The kids enjoy finding the elf in the morning to see what he has been up to during the nighttime hours.

3. Holly Hobbie

A FB friend was posting some old nostalgic photos from the 1970s. I love Holly Hobbie and all the sweet memories she brings back.

4. Canton Grimmlins

Charles says that all the sibling bonding the last two weeks has been good for Joshua and Audrey. Joshua has always adored his Nuna( Korean for sister) but Audrey was still a bit jealous of all the attention he got from Mom and Dad.She is warming up to him!

5. One for all of us this week.

Let's all send that Knee Mail this week!!

Thankful Thursday

I don't usually post on Thursdays but I think we can all use some encouragement today.

Marvin and I are trying to take a walk each evening after dinner. I took this picture of my neighbor 's dogwoods. He lives across the highway from our development.

Dogwoods always encourage me. I also appreciate this older neighbor whose property is always so well kept. In the summertime I sometimes see him out on his riding lawn mower, keeping the landscaping up.

We call these snowball bushes here in the South. These are just about ready to turn white. Again a neighbor whose property abuts our townhome community. I love the way the evening sun is shining down on this bush.

Thank you God for the beauty that you give to us each day. Help me to have a grateful heart.

Reflecting

With all the anxiety in the world over this Covid 19 situation, it made me pause to reflect on the things that went on when I was a child.  There will always be trying times, it is our response to them that shows our character.

1. The Cuban Missile Crisis.    I do remember being scared to death over this crisis. We lived in Georgia and if the missiles came from Cuba, they might hit us. I remember the public announcements on television informing us of what to do in case of an attack. Shelters were available but not out in the country in North Georgia. I can remember one afternoon when my parents and their best friends were discussing building a shelter but their conclusion was, " Would we really want to live if every one else was gone?"  Again, no one seemed to worry about what all this talk was doing to children.

2.. Death of President Kennedy.   As children we literally saw footage of Lee Harvey Oswald, shooting the president in the head. And it was replayed over and over. I often wonder if the newspeople at that time wondered how that would affect children?  I do remember school was out and the only thing on our black and white television was coverage of the situation. I can't remember my parents saying much about it to us. They probably did but I do not remember.

3. Death of Martin Luther King Jr. Again we saw this right on Television. And we wondered who would be next. We did not have to wait long as Robert Kennedy was also assassinated. I was about 13 when this happened. In addition to all of this, the Viet Nam war was going on as well as coverage of the Manson Murders in Los Angeles.

4. The Gas Shortage. I was a teenage driver when the gas crisis hit and I remember putting three dollars worth of gas in to my parents car.  Everyone was worried about what would happen if we had no gas. That meant no driving to jobs, no truckers to bring supplies etc.


As I thought about these things, I was encouraged that we made it through those things and we will make it through this time as well. My parents had a strong faith in God and they passed this on to me. I love the Bible Verse, What Time I am Afraid, I will Trust in Thee. Psalm 56:3 KJV  It is a good one for right now!

And as for the people hoarding Toilet Paper. Oh my goodness....we did not even have an indoor bathroom until  I was in first grade.  My mother related that she did not even SEE any toilet paper until she went to school at age six.   As a little girl we would visit my great grandparents, Mama and Papa Swanson on occasional Sunday afternoons. I loved to to to their house because they had indoor plumbing. I always made it a point to go to the potty at their house.:)

Marvin and I stopped by the nearby Publix to pick up a few more groceries for this week. There was NO self rising flour or plain flour.  Now that is an emergency for me as I was planning on having my favorite comfort food, biscuits and gravy!! I do have some plain flour but I love White Lily Self Rising Flour for my biscuits. But as the song says, Country Folks Will Survive. I am a city girl now but I have those country roots.

We had a reminder that in the midst of this time, life goes on. People struggle and some lose dear ones. Some good friends of ours lost their 49 year old daughter unexpectedly yesterday. And they are faced with putting off a memorial service until people cane gather to mourn and remember sweet Pam.  It puts a lot of things in perspective. Pam was a vibrant single mom to two boys who are attending school at Auburn. She lived locally and cared for the needs of her parents. We first met them when we attended church with us when we first moved to Huntsville. In fact she was our first babysitter for the children when we would go out occasionally. She will be missed. I appreciate prayers for the Campbell family.

Old Movies

Lots of us are spending more time watching television these days. Thankfully, Marvin and I have a nice collection of DVDs that we are enjoying.  I thought I would share three of my favorite old time movies.

1. Meet Me in St Louis

This movie is set in St Louis at the turn of the 20th century as the city prepares for the World Fair. The Smith Family is comprised of four daughters and one son. It is rather a comedy of errors as the young people are all flirting and enjoying life.

Esther( Judy Garland) and her little sister, Tootie ( Margaret O'Brien) entertain at a party at the Smith Home. Who can beat Judy Garland at singing and dancing.

And she was so beautiful at the Christmas Ball

This movie introduced Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. That is one of my favorite seasonal songs and Judy sings it beautifully.

2. The Women

Norman Shearer is one of m favorite OLD Time actresses.

This movie is all about women and you will not see one man in the whole film.

Joan Crawford plays the bad girl in this movie and Rosalind Russell plays the frenemy. The Women made its debut in 1939 ...a year that also gave us Wizard of Oz and Gone with The Wind.

3. My Favorite Wife

I cannot resist Cary Grant.

In this movie the widower, Cary, has remarried only to find the wife he thought was dead was stranded on a desert island for many years. She shows up on the very day he has married and it is the shock of his life. She pretends to be his cousin while he sorts things out.

Of course all works out in the end....and we see Cary dressed as Santa Claus in the last scene.

Many of these films were made during hard times so they are pure escapism. I don't know about you but a little escapism fits the bill for me.

Saturday Stitching

Girls I have been stitching monogamously for two weeks on Lantern Lane.

 I did make a few changes.  The roof is Pecan Pie by Gentle Arts. The red is Cupid by Classic Colorworks and Green with Envy by Gentle Arts is the green I chose for this project. The gold in the planter is a limited edition in my stash from Classic Colorworks. The fabric is 14 count Ivory Aida gifted to me by Judi, a North Alabama Stitcher. I did not add the border of greenery at the bottom as I felt it was unnecessary. The gate and the wall is a nice finish on its own. I changed the block that gives the year this piece was stitched because I ran out of green with envy and  I just wanted to mark this one off my list. Being in quarantine we use what we have so I made it work. This will forever remind me of my quarantine during the Corona Virus.

I did receive two sweet notes in the mail this week. I will add them to my stitching notebook for this year.

Since I don't have a lot of photos to share I thought I would do the Know Your Needleworker Tag today.

1, Where do you live?

Decatur, Alabama....we are about half way between Nashville and Birmingham on the I 65 corridor. We are less than two minutes from the interstate so if you are ever coming up this way, let me know. Huntsville Alabama is about 30 minutes east of us. Lots of people like to visit the Space and Rocket Center.

Our beautiful Grimmwood is in Eton, Georgia.. We are located in the valley of Fort Mountain and Grassy Mountain. Dalton, Georgia which is known as the Carpet Capitol of the World is 20 minutes west of us. Atlanta is about 90 miles south of us.

2.What do you do for a living?

Retired now but I was an RN until I had my children and I became a stay at home mom. But once you are a nurse, you are always a nurse according to  a physician I know. When my children were teenagers I worked as a preschool teacher. I had the two year olds and there was never a dull minute. The last children I taught are off to college now.

3.Do you have children?

Three...Ben, Amelia and Charles

4. Do you have pets?

No . I grew up on a farm with lots of farm animals and dogs and cats. I am not a fan of inside pets.( Dont hate me) It was just the way I was raised.  We do have a lovely doggie friend named Maggie Grace who lives next door. We get to love on her. If I could have a dog like Maggie, I would have an inside pet. Maggie Grace is a black lab and she is getting to be an old lady.

5.What are your other hobbies besides stitching?

Reading, baking and genealogy.

6.What is your favorite movie? That is a hard one but I am going to choose Steel Magnolias. It is one that I could watch over and over.

7.What is your favorite tv show? Jeopardy! Marvin and I watch it every night. We were sad that they halted production due to the Covid virus but we have to watch out for Alex because of his compromised immune system.

8.What is your favorite book? I have many but one of my favorites is In this House of Brede by Rumor  Godden.

9.What is your favorite music? John Denver is still my favorite artist to listen to, just ask my kids,lol They used to hide my John Denver tapes.( Remember those?) I found one in the freezer once!  If I am in the car I listen to classical music as it calms me down.

10.Who is your favorite cross stitch designer?  Prairie Schooler

11. Favorite fabric?  I enjoy stitching on Lugana but I have to say I have been stitching on some lovely soft 14 count aida and  I have enjoyed it immensely.

12. Favorite Floss ? Everyone knows that Cupid by Classic Colorworks is my favorite to stitch with. I love Red. But for most projects you cannot beat DMC.

Now that I have completed Lantern Lane, I plan to get back to my rotation. Check in next week.

Here is a laugh for all you needleworkers.

Friday Five

1. Our Baylor Man

Baylor's teacher caught this photo of Baylor at play at school.  It is such a good picture of our sweet boy. Those BLUE eyes just make Nana's heart melt.

2. A Friday Chuckle.

Landon playing Golum with the Toilet Paper. Amelia said he was saying, "My Precious" as he cuddled the Scott TP. For you Tolkien fans, it will be funny the rest of you think the Grimms are a crazy bunch!lol Grandpa said Landon even had Golum's facial expression down pat.  When they stopped by to pick up the TP, Grandpa was being funny and put the handles of the shopping bag on the broom and passed it out to Landon on the doorstep.  We have to find things to make us laugh in this scary time. Landon got a big laugh at seeing Grandpa with the broom.  Sweet Grandpa had also purchased a bag of Doritos for Landon and a bag of Lays Kettle Chips for Kendall. He knows what his grands needed during quarantine.

3. My new Bates Bedspread from Vermont Country Store arrived and I got Marvin to help me put it on the bed.

I was tired of a sloppy bedskirt and decided to go old school. I have always wanted a Bates Bedspread and this one is the Abigail Adams. I kept my nice blue pillows from the comforter set and I am happy with the results.

4. A Picture of Grimmwood

Sister Leta was taking  a walk on Tuesday as she is off from her subbing duties at school for the moment.  She took this shot from Marvin's footbridge. I would  have liked to stay there for this two week quarantine but we thought we might be needed to help with the grands.  Just looking at this photo calms me.

5. My Christmas shopping is all done for the year!

Thanks to my friend, Melinda, for a chuckle this week.  No opening until December 25th!

Wonderful Wednesday

Well I am trying to stay positive in this time of uncertainty. As the British say...Keep Calm and Carry On.

A young cousin who is an ER nurse at Murray County Hospital posted an excellent guide on Facebook yesterday. She reminded us that some people will get it but it will not be worse case scenario. She suggested all the usual precautions and reminded us that God is in Control  What a balm to the soul that is in these anxious times.


One of my big probmes is keeping my hands away from my face. I tend to sit with finger on cheek while reading. I need to stop that!

I did make a grocery run early Monday morning at Publix. It was mostly older people there....not me of course as I am not elderly.:) I tried to keep my distance and I wiped my buggy down on arrival. Once arriving home I did a thorough hand washing and I did something that Marvin laughed at! What could that be you wonder?

 I set up a Listerine station. I have read that the virus lives in the throat for approximately three days. Now that is just what I read in an article about the virus and I am not sure if it is correct but the article recommended drinking lots of water to flush it out. As a nurse, I had a lightbulb moment. Why not gargle with Listerine after being outside of our home? It could not hurt. So I purchased little cups and a big bottle of Listerine. I was surprised that NO ONE has made a run on it as it could even be used as hand sanitizer in a pinch.  So we will be drinking water and gargling!

Now on to Wonderful things.

 Publix had bunches of flowers for 3 for $12. I picked up two bunches and now I have three bouquets in my home.   Daisies are such a cheerful flower stated Kathleen in You've Got Mail, which we all know is one of my favorite movies.  I put these by my sink.  The mixed bouquet is on the secretary in the living room. I had to purchase some green carnations for St Patrick's Day tomorrow.

I caught this picture of Marvin feeding the fish the other evening at Grimmwood. I was just using my new iPhone...no fancy filters or anything. I just love it.

One of our Canadian Geese was swimming on the pond on Sunday morning. We spotted him as we were packing up to leave. He did not even leave as we were making noise. He must like us. Usually there are two of them that are always together so we were a bit concerned about his/her mate.  You can see the footbridge that Marvin built over the creek. It allows us to get to the other side of the pond.  Again, just using my iPhone. I am thinking I may need to get some canvases made of these two pictures.

And for a  chuckle....

We picked up toilet paper in GA for us as well as the Roberts family. 

Now if this picture doesn't make you smile...well check to see if you are still alive! Sister Leta posted this on Facebook the other day for a friend of hers and it made me think of my dear friend, Diane, who is a Westie owner. She and her husband have rescued several Westies from Puppy Mills.

Have a blessed day dear friends. Let's all do our best to stay well.

Saturday Stitching on Monday

Lets try this again!! Not sure what happened with Friday and Saturdays Posts but as I was at Grimmwood and had only my phone,  I was helpless.

Today is a WIP parade....a few of my WIPs are missing as I have not worked on them in a while, that being Riley's Harbor( Kathy Barrick) and Let Freedom Ring( Abby Rose Designs).

This is my WIP basket...full at the moment.

I refuse to have more than twelve WIPs in this basket. I saw online that one stitcher said she has 91 WIPs. That would make me nervous as a cat. Because, lets face it...I like to finish things.

I have started on the Grands Christmas ornaments. Here is Hampton's in progress.

I love the vertical initials...they will make a cute ornament.

I did start Summer Breeze for my Prairie Year, April May and June.

It is living in my Alabama Project bag made by stitching friend, Kay Kirn. I am using Ribbon Red and Pecan Pie for the lettering. I am bringing Prairie Schooler into the 21st century.

Easter Parade is coming along....I hope to work on it this week.

This was my unicorn chart. I am so glad Blackbird Designs released it again.

I could not help but start Two White Houses by Little House Needleworks.

 I am using the called for colors and many are a very light orange but I hope it turns out as pictured. I tend to like really ORANGE pumpkins.

I did a monogamous week stitch on Lantern Lane....

I took it to Grimmwood and I have almost  'built" my house. Once the house is done the rest is easy!

I also kitted up some projects.

Since seeing this drum stitched and finished at The Shepherds Needle in Little Rock last summer( Hi Mary and Ann!!) I knew I had to put it on my wish list. I am stitching it on Weathered Shingle as suggested by Jen at Jen's Stitching Niche. The called for color was not available in 36 count so I had to substitute. They are very similar in tone so I am sure it will be beautiful. Fingers crossed I can get it put together well.

Bestie, Susan, asked if I would stitch this Candle Mat for her. I kitted it from my stash.

I was not familiar with this designer...I told Susan I was going to leave the dragon flies off as they do not really add anything to the project and from a distance they look like larges X's. I will stitch the yarn balls and the mice. Any clue as to why the dragon flies would have been added? I think just for filler but it is really unnecessary in my opinion.

Another Word Play is kitted.

It is living in a project bag from Brenda's Minders and More...you can find her on FB.  I kitted this from stash using a lot of my Colour and Cotton Stash.  I tend to like brighter colors so my word plays would not qualify as Prims as Brenda Gervais designed them.

Have a good week friends. As we are socially distancing ourselves due to COVID 19, you will find me stitching away. One good thing about hobbies, they come in handy at a time such as this!