Happy Independence Day!

Just want to check in and say I hope that each and every one that reads this blog, is having a great 4th! ;)

This weekend has been full of fun, relaxation and meditation, TV watching on the Anthony trial, cozy time with hubbie, cooking for our holiday meal, and at opening day of Larry Crowne Friday night, excited to see the first showing local. I have looked forward to this movie for a long time. I love both Julia and Tom and when they are in a movie together...........wonderful! If you haven't seen it, it's a must-see. Julia is soooooo good in this movie.

We waited in line and with my free spirit, ready for popcorn and the movie! We went after a long day of work Friday night. Got pulled over by the cops for having my bright lights on too much after the movie......that was new one for me. Anyway, I guess I've resigned to driving at night unless it's an emergency as it's very hard to see at night for me.

Ann Hill progess. Right at the round border at the right.

Borders.

I always feel better when borders are done. ;)

Kind of like boundaries. We all have them. Hopefully.

I'm so enjoying my Gingher scissors with this piece.

As with alot of people in America, just waiting on the verdict from the Anthony trial.

We had an invite to watch fireworks tonight at a local Jewish camp for boys; however, it's thundering and pouring rain right now, so much as the electricity is going off and on.

Bodyguard and I cooked a DELISH meal for the two of us tonight.

Grilled filet mignon, marinaded in his famous, secret marinade,

Fresh potato salad I made with some red potatoes.

Fresh, shucked corn on the cob, boiled with butter and salt

cooked carrots

and

deviled eggs.

I've gotten alot more work done in the basement (an ever ending task) with donating piles, and to do piles

and plan on several things to do this week on my staycation.

Well, ready for the fireworks....whether through this lightening storm or the official ones in town.

Hope you had a great holiday. It's a great week for meditating on the positive.

And one of those positives is freedom, which is a true blessing but comes at a cost to so many families.

Happy Birthday, America.

My home, sweet, home.

Stay safe on this holiday,

Jennifer

My day came to a hault yesterday but.......I have a NEW stitching chair

without telling you a long sad story of how my eye got this way........the consequences of domestic violence years past still follow me daily. I've often been told that something will either kill you or make you stronger and through all eye trouble due to being hit in it so much in younger years, I hope I live to see judges REALLY hold domestic violence perpetrators responsible for the sequelae they induce that go on years and years. I'm a surviver, not a victim. As a survivor, I hope one day that real justice is served for men who choose to hit.

However, besides glaucoma, yesterday I woke up with really bad deep eye socket pain. I took some pain meds, went on with the day and it kept getting worse and worse until I called my eye doc to look, I knew something was wrong and losing my eyesight is a fear almost like no other for me. So I drove from work to the eye doc who is fixing to stop accepting my insurance so that's a whole different ball of wax.

The light from the windshied was really increasing the nerve pain but she looked and did a stain test. I knew I had an old scar on my cornea from a certain individaul's rants in the distance past but I tend to sleep with my eyes half-way open so if they become dry it's a problem. So happens to be in the same eye as I have glaucoma. The glaucoma is doing ok with the eye drops to make sure the pressure is lower. But this, a corneal ulcer is not what I expected to happen. Evidently my eyes were so dry that my eyelid stuck to the cornea and ripped off the surface of the scar on the cornea so I had to put meds in and sleep with an eye mask and will have to for 2 weeks.

 Needless to say, I'm determined to keep stitching, reading, writing, but rest my eyes when I can. The pharmacy is getting the med in today at noon. I just had a sample to get me through the night.

HOWEVER, on much better thoughts, I wanted you show you my new stitching chair. It was a find at an antique store for only 60.00. I fell in love with it. It is OLD!. The trim was loosened but Body Guard is going to fix that. He wiped it down good and took the tiny wheels off the bottom so it wouldn't tear up the hardwood floor. It looks low now but it's actually MUCH better stitching position with my needlework stand. And it's comfy for the hiney too. They actually labed it The Cross stitch Chair!
One call and BG brought his truck over and helped me get this beaufy. It looks good in the house and actually better as the other chair blocked alot of light from the window.

Take a looksee:

The really bright sun is not helping cooperate with good pic taking this morning.

I stitched this pillow with my initial back in 1981 (YIKES)

I love it.

I worked a little more night before last on the inner border as well just to get a feel for how Ann Hill would be bordered. If eyes cooperating today, I hope to get more work on her done.

The kit has DMC floss, no numbers, just description, so I put through my Sajou thread card and penciled in the color names as a guide.

And even with eye patch on, I plan to perservere today and work on stitching in this very chair! ;)

And the first person to contact me was Pat M. and she has been notified as I continue to clean out the Aida and old patterns to send. Stay tuned because I may have other things down the road.

I hope your Thursday goes well, you have good "sight", and pleasant company.

And remember. Never, ever, give up.

And the winner of the Blackbird Design giveaway is:

Deborah from MA, Cranberry Samplings, is the winner!!!!!

Congrads!  I know you'll love this sampler and threads. Hope it brings some joy to your week soon.

Just email me your addie and I will send it out this week.

The week has shot by way fast. I started Ann Hill and got the top border lines completed but oh my! to start counting to make sure this border is corrected. I will have to do that about 10 times. I may just start working in the left corner below and go with it in that direction.

This is upside down.  Almost looks like a zipper from a distance. ;)

A small start, but at least a start, for me last night. I haven't had much time this week to stitch like I would have liked. Got way too much going on in the background, but I can do it!

here's hoping your Friday goes well!

Jennifer

What I'm starting new tonight---Ann Hill sampler

The Ann Hill Sampler (from Williamsburg trip)

 designed by The Examplarery

here are the colors

the linen is 35 count, ivory

you can see Miss Abbie swarming at the "snack mat", as we call it, because she knows she gets a snack for being a good girl while I'm working here at the needle stand.

and Miss Flossie Mae has rearranged all the cushions while she supported Barnum and Bailey circus last night on the back porch. She also learned to leap at the sliding glass door high in the air to make thud sounds loudly to make Abbie start getting yacky. Then she runs sideways and hides under the chair and plans her attack to launch again in the air.

And so between the Farmville in 3D that we have going on right now, a diabetic dog, a crazy kitten, and a spoiled Chihauhau, a very pouting male cat, and Ruby who's the matriarch........stitching is a must for my sanity tonight. All the animals are fed, nurtured, petted, given treats, not given treats, shots, and they are alive.

Life is good.

But as I try to hear the Casey Anthony trial in blips in between, I think life could be worse.....so see.....

there's always a bright side to everything  ;)

I get all giddy when I saw this one in my basket, so that was a sure sign to start stitching this one.

It's a biggie though.   A BAP is not what I usually stitch. I like medium, small, or even medium-large and especially since I just finished a larger one......BUT  this one is so beautiful and I got this at a gift shop while I went to Colonial Williamsburg.....or went BY Colonial Williamsburg (I wished I could have stayed longer)

and this one is next.

I still need to sew up the side edges of the material. 35 count definitely will require my bifocals AND the magnifyer with my eye issues but I'm ready for a challenge!

The designer of this beautiful sampler is The Examplarery and Ann Hill Sampler is reproduced from The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Collection 1997

The front gives a little historical info and says that~~~

 "from the seventeenth century to the eighteenth century, the sampler evolved from a long narrow piece---probably not intended to be framed---to  a shorter, more square, non reversible work with decorative borders that could be framed and exhibited as the showpiece of a daughter's needlework accomplishments. British samplers of this period were often characterized by their precise embroidery and symmetrical motifs. Worsted grounds, the use of crowns or coronets and isolated motifs, like those used by the Ann Hill, were quite common. Ann also included what were probably her parent's initials, 'WHEH' in the right bottom corner of the sampler"

This piece was purchased, according to the front in 1930 for the first piece of Colonial Williamsburg sampler collection.

Types of stitches, cross stitch and Satin stitches.

The threads are DMC, included in the kit and includes a very pretty label to put on the back of the framed piece when finished.

Abbie is ready to start snacking now. She sends her love to all today!!!!

She does admit that a new kitty, even if only outside, is challenging her patience with the feline variety of a pac animal.

She is ready for the ORTS to start falling on her from these colors. HA!

And I can fairly say that "Flossie" of this variety has become very content in her new home and was caught on camera here this afternoon fully relaxing and stretched all the way out. I think her back legs have grown in just 3 days.

Till later,

Jennifer