Nearly May and it's a countdown....

 ~ Greetings and a Warm Welcome to my blog ~

Well....

I don't even know where to start, so I'll start with recent happenings first and move through my mind to what I can remember (with ain't much nowadays...😂)

Yesterday on April 27, 2022....

Keith and I celebrated our 26th Wedding Anniversary.

I think we look better older :) Which is a good thing I suppose - all that clean living! 😁

We were both *almost* 26 when we were married and today we are *almost* 52.

I have always wanted a big stack of Shaker boxes....for our 26th anniversary, my dear, sweet hubby purchased these from Joe or the "Oval Box Man" who is from Connecticut and was featured (I think like in 1996 or at least late 1990's) in the Early American Life Magazines. I had pulled his article out and put in my "dream book". Keith found him and ordered this beautiful 10 stack of maple Shaker boxes. They are absolutely gorgeous!

The big thing going on around here is: 

PREPARATIONS FOR KATIE'S WEDDING....

Oh my word....

SO Keith and his brother, Randy, made all these box trays to my specifications.

Last weekend....

what ended up taking a complete 12 hours....I painted them using 

Americana Acrylics "buttermilk", I wanted to have them done last weekend, but....

This weekend I'm going to antique them with Briwax and rub them to an old patina. 

They are going to be perfect.

To me just looking at them...

I know I could figure out exactly what they were for, but it seems a large population on social media thinks I'm silly for doing all of this and can't figure out why I am making them. 

As you may or may not know...

I collect Antique Ball jars - the real ones from the early 1900's to late 1950's. Ball is not only an American made product, but it also is a Hoosier made product, manufactured right here in good 'ol Indiana! Since my early marriage I have picked up these aqua colored jars because they "used" to be very cheap in junk/antique stores. In the past few years they have become in "vogue" so the prices have risen almost stupidly. 

Here you can see a portion of my collection (this was at Christmas time so they have snow and trees in them) but after winter they are empty. 

So any way...

we are having a country/rustic/dressy casual wedding.

The boxes are going to be used like the one on my dining room table (also made to my specifications by my dear Husband about 3 years ago) here above.

They will each hold 3 of my ball jars. In the middle will be a jar holding hydrangeas (blue and ivory are her colors) the outer ball jars will hold lit candles and I have frosted eucalyptus to surround entire entourage on the inside. I can see it in my head...it's going to be gorgeous.

We are getting down to the wire so a LOT of my time is being spent on the wedding preparations - I am doing everything myself. We are expecting 200 guests or perhaps a smidge more.

This weekend I will:

finish the table boxes, make the bouquets and boutonnieres for the attendants - I want all fresh for the bride and groom, and I also wanted fresh for the parents. So thankfully I just opened my pocket book for those and paid to have them made. Well I guess, I also opened my pocket book for the flowers for the whole deal - ha ha ha! But you know what I mean. 😏

I am using my "finishing" business profits to help take the stress off of our family finances by paying for the wedding using my work profits. It makes me proud to be able to help my child in this way so she doesn't have to worry and I'm proud to be able to help my hard working husband in this way too. I have a budget and since I'm the one buying and doing everything - I know exactly what I have spent to date and I am way under (hugely under) my budget of 10K. 

THAT makes me proud too. Keith and I worked hard and have socked money away for college tuitions and weddings since our first child was born. Looking back on life, I think about how we didn't have big fancy vacations, big fancy cars...we do have a large beautiful home in which we have raised our family, but we cut all corners on going out to eat/vacations/ luxuries....and you know what, I'm glad we did because now as the chicks fly, we can loosen the straps and cut loose in our "golden years". We owe a lot of our success to Dave Ramsay and the class we took before we got married. What he teaches you works. We have been largely debt free our entire married life because of his classes and books we read. So there you go - go out and read all his books, subscribe to his podcast - because what he teaches is real!

Well got off track a bit...

ya'll don't care about the wedding finances ha ha!

Here we go with what I have been stitching since last we talked:

Katie's Wedding Sampler

"Heirloom Wedding Sampler" by Stoney Creek

As you can tell from the above photo, I need to stretch it yet, but I couldn't wait to see what it looked like after I went and got the custom frame - so this is the Stoney Creek specialty mat I purchased from Stoney Creek, and then the frame I got made custom at Michael's I will stretch and frame it myself. SOON..... It will be at the wedding as a decoration item. 

I finished a 2022 ornament for my tree:

I found an old WIP I had buried....

Pulled it out and finished it just in time for Easter!

"In His Hands" by Dimensions

The Custom Frame is ordered - I will frame myself.

stitched on kit 16 count aida using kit floss 2/1

Close up to critique my stitches...

I finished "Brown Swiss Dairy" by Told in a Garden - Marilyn Leavitt Imblum

I personalized it to have meaning to me...

we live 30 minutes Northeast of Odon, Indiana which is home to several Amish families. We get our meat from them and when we drive there we pass this little Amish Dairy and this piece reminded me of that so I put Odon, Indiana on mine. I LOVE IT!

Custom Frame Ordered - I will frame myself.

Stitched on 28 ct. Summer Khaki 2/2 using DMC as called for

In solidarity with the Ukraine - 

I started "Sunflower Snowman" another Dimensions Kit

Here is where I am:

stitching on white evenweave 28 count 2/2 using DMC

This is what it looks like finished: 

*this is not mine - I just pulled it from the internet to share what it will look like*

Finally....

I am sure you have noticed that my tastes in stitching are changing a bit. I find with social media and YouTube watching that I get tired of seeing the same sampler over and over and over or the same smalls over and over and over. I have a huge stash. I bought these things for a reason. I loved them! I thought they were beautiful! My life is entering a new season - one where I am not sitting in parking lots or have to fret about a baby/child eating needles or spilling chocolate milk on my projects. So I find that I am drawn to larger, more intricate stitches. 

With this being said: 

I started my "Lady of the Flag" by Mirabilia - Nora Corbet

I'm stitching her on 30 count "Constitution Fabric" by The Primitive Hare

using called for DMC 2/2

Close up so you can critique my stitches

With me starting this piece...I have fallen in love *again* with the BIG LADIES of Mirabilia and Lavender and Lace. I have a lot of their patterns and you can put money in the bank you will see several started over the next few month.

My stitching is changing and I am enjoying it MORE THAN EVER!

Another recent thing that happened at our house is:

Ian (my oldest twin) moved out. He too will be getting married in October of this year. He moved into an Apartment to be a big boy for a few months until his marriage. 

So.....

that meant that a bedroom was OPEN for business!

Jacob moved out of his room into Ian's empty room which left Jacob's room open and my sweet dear husband told me it was time for me to move on up to the second floor!!!!!!

He painted the room in a very soft buttermilk white that we have other places in our home. It is an old Historical Register Paint by Valspar called "Woodrow Wilson White"

I bought a hutch off of Facebook Market place and stripped, fixed the hinges, painted the pulls, and painted the whole thing "ice cap white" and we set up my new "Lair" no longer a cave as I have beautiful double windows!

I cannot be MORE HAPPIER thank I am with my new Lair...

it is a PLEASURE to go to work each day!

OK friends that's enough from me...

I will not be back until after the wedding...

but I will have lots of photos (I'm sure) to share with you then. 

In the meantime....

I have started back up sharing my stitching on YouTube @vonnapfeiffer

You can always catch me on there once/per month *hopefully* 

And you can follow me on FLICKR where I upload all of my finishes and several life happenings (including Ellie's Art) again Vonna Pfeiffer there

And of course I try to keep a daily update of my life/stitching/finishing when I have it on Instagram @vonnapfeiffer

So if you want to be in the "Vonna-know" there is where you'll find me! 

~ All my love to you all! ~

Until the next time....

keep a smile in your heart and one on your face and you just can't go wrong!

Love, 

Vonna xxxx