Mid-January...

~ Welcome Friends ~

to my blog

It's been a couple of weeks or so since my  last post and I can tell you that I have settled into a nice little routine. I try to finish just 4 days of the week and do "Vonna Stuff" the other three. It's nice! I am thanking God for allowing me to work from home - where I love it best. 

At the beginning of January sometime....

I'm a horrible record keeper on starts and finish dates, but I do know it was right after the new year, I decided that after missing this ornament from my tree this year: 

I needed to go through my 1001 magazines and find the design again and stitch it for me. HOWEVER...

as I stitch it I realize that not only did this little sweetie remind me of Katie when she was little (thus why I stitched it in the first place). It reminded me of Ellie when she was little. SO.....dilemma. 

I've stitched on it for weeks (or it seems like it to me...)

and here is where it stands as of today, right now at this minute of January 20, 2022:

The name of this piece is: 

"The Watcher"

and it is found in the: 2001 Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

Cross Stitch Christmas

I loved all those magazines and I always got them each year. I have well....1001 (haha hahaha!)

The reason I missed this ornament from my tree this year is because being that Katie bought her own house and had her own tree, I boxed up all her childhood ornaments that I had stitched for each year and then her own handmade ornaments from school and such and gave them to her as a surprise. (which it really wasn't a surprise because she knew that is what I intended to do when she got to be a big girl and move out.)

Little did I know...

that I would miss these loved ornaments that hung on my tree each year for 24 years. I was doing it for me as much as my kids it appears. And out of hundreds of ornaments on my trees....I still missed the ones I sent away home with her. 

So it appears....

that this one will be Ellie Eileen's ornament and I will retro-date it for when she was 3 years old (that is how old Katie was when I stitched this one for her) and it will hang on my tree until Ellie leaves home. 

Then I will have to stitch it again, this time for me :) 

OR maybe I'll just stitch two this year and that way I have it no matter who leaves! Ha!

I have decided that 2022 shall be:

the year that I keep Christmas in my heart all year long. I am going to focus on the magic I feel at Christmas and keep it with me. 

I also have decided that I need Shepherd's Bush stockings on my mantle at Christmas. I figure since my family is growing by obtaining a new son and a new daughter this year, this year was as good as any to start stitching them. (before I start getting grandbabies - fingers crossed and God willing!)

This week...

the owners of the quilt shop that I used to work at called me and asked me to work a couple of weeks to help them out. They had a family emergency in Washington State so they had to leave immediately. I agreed so have been at the shop all week. 

Since I cannot see tiny linen holes for love or money without my magnifying lamp, I decided to go ahead and pull out my kitted Shepherd's Bush stocking and start on it since I am stitching it exactly as Shepherd's Bush calls for.

In fact....

If you are wanting to stitch these (or I entice you to stitch them) I found the ladies at Shepherd's Bush most helpful. I just gave them a ring and told them to send me two stockings (Oliver and Lois) completely kitted - the whole shebang. That saved me hunting down all the pearl cottons and the linen etc. So I highly recommend just giving them a call should you want to stitch these. The ladies are most kind and helpful!

Here is my kitted Oliver Stocking - which shall be Keith's Stocking

Here is where it stood on Day 1 as I stitched on it between customers:

and here it is after Day 3 stitching in between customers and phone calls on Day 2 and Day 3 at the shop:

It's turning out rather nicely - if I do say so myself. 

I am stitching on 18 ct. raw linen 1 strand of pearle cotton over 2 threads.

I am using the called for flosses which is a mix of DMC and Weeks pearle cottons.

There it is: keeping Christmas in my heart all year long 2022!

I have today off....

and it is COLD here in Indiana, so I plan on: staying in my PJs and stitching away. I am hopeful to get "The Watcher" done and move on to my next ornament. I am trying to stitch ornaments each month. Although Keith says I have enough ornaments - he is sadly mistaken and during the after Christmas sales I bought a 5th tree for next year! 

In quilting news....

my friend Melinda and I are going to do a "friendship swap" of several of these blocks from the Eleanor Burns Book "Underground Railroad" 

I have long wanted to do this quilt - this is an older publication. I have been accruing Civil War prints for several years....so the time is ripe. 

Here are my first blocks.

They are "Jacob's Ladder" and 6.5 inches square. I am doing three...

one for me

one for Katie 

and one for Ellie's hope chest.

You'll notice I am also doing different color ways:

It will be ALL scrappy too. After doing this block Melinda contacted me and decided she was preferring the 12 inch blocks so it looks like I will be doing 4 quilts :) 

My family usually had Sunday dinners all together...

Austin prefers having BIG breakfast on Sundays at his own house, so we moved Pfeiffer Family Dinners to Saturday. Here is our first one in the New Year! I love my family to always be together.

Speaking of Austin and Katie....

did you know they adopted 3 kitties from a local "Feral Friends" group who trap and socialize kittens from feral parents?

Here are the little lovers - Charlie, Gracie and Teddy:

Who would think there would be full blooded FERAL Siamese cats in Bloomington IN? 

anyway.....

The Siamese boy (isn't he gorgeous?!) is: Charlie

The tiger girl is: Gracie

These two were found together at less than 6 weeks old. Gracie was near death and Charlie was protecting her. Their foster mom said that it was touch and go with Gracie at first and everytime she became critical Charlie would wrap himself around her and lick her and comfort her keeping her warm. Gracie pulled through every time and made it to be adopted by Katie (and Austin).

then they decided they still had room in their heart and saw this little scamp and brought him home too! (just 2 weeks later). So gray boy is: Teddy

These little guys have not been without their issues....one of them had cat herpes and so each of them have that - which all that means is periodically they will get gunky eyes and be sort of subdued for a couple of days. Then they bounce back. But the real issue is: they have worms. Apparently rather bad as yesterday morning - Katie called me all freaked out. Charlie has been having vomiting issues and yesterday vomited 2 adult round worms. They HAVE been dewormed 2 times before. 

SO...

yesterday I told her to call the vet and they'd be .able to get dewormer without having to take them all in. She called and just like Mom said the dewormer was ready to pick up in a few hours and I told her to tell them to send enough for a couple of treatments to ensure they killed them all. 

They sent 3 weeks worth of dewormer....

and Katie started cleaning EVERYTHING in her house again. Bleaching litter pans, stripping all beds, washing all floors and places they sleep and sit. It's a job I know, but it needs to be done to ensure this time it the worms are gone for good.

That's a little gross isn't it?

What else have I done in 2022? 

FINISH - I would invite those souls interested in looking through my finishing album for 2022, link in the tabs above. 

Alright folks....

that gets you up to date!

Until next time....

love, Vonna xxxx