Pinecone Progress

I have something to tell you, and you should sit down to hear it.  I wouldn't want anyone to pass out with shock...

I've picked up Gathering Pinecones to see if it's possible to finish it  and have it framed before September.  Wouldn't THAT be exciting???  FRAMING!!!!  Can't remember the last time I proudly waltzed a finished piece of needlework in to the framer.

I love these little Cretan stitch pinecones in the border:

They look a little funny without their tops on, but don't we all?

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Hope you all are sneaking in some stitchin' this beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon.

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Hugs,

4th of July 'round the house

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Happy Birthday, USA!

A few things I'm thankful for:

• I am so thankful today for all the past, present and future uniformed service men and women who work, fight and die to protect my freedom. 
• I am thankful for the founding fathers and their infinite wisdom. 
• I am thankful for every teacher who leads her classroom in the Pledge of Allegiance. 
• I am thankful for our government leaders and their quest to do what is best for my country.  
• I am thankful for my pocket sized Constitution of the United States of America.  If it's been awhile since you looked over the Constitution, click HERE.   In the current political atmosphere, the word "unconstitutional" seems to come up frequently.  It helps to understand what IS constitutional in order to better understand what is NOT constitutional (aka "unconstitutional"). 
• I am thankful too for my freedom of speech.  I can not imagine living in a world without it.



I am also thankful to have marked many pesky little jobs off my "To Do" list lately.

Like finding napkins, tablecloth and silverware to match new dishes...

(better match in real life)

Making time to get a flower arrangement made for a special vase...

Having a lightening bolt of a great idea for organizing my espresso cups in the kitchen...

Finding appropriate frames for about 20 little pictures...

Hanging the pillow shams (I shared here several months ago) in my stitching room...

Finding an affordable, comfortable, attractive desk chair for my office nook...

!!!!!!!!!!!YAY!!!!!!!!!!

Nothing is quite as good for my mental health as wiping out an extra long To Do list. 

Hope you are enjoying friends, family and a fine cook-out wherever you are.

Guess Who...

You know it's been awhile since you updated your blog when you log in and Blogger says, "Who?  I'm sorry.  No one by that name lives here."

My deepest apologies for dropping off the face of the planet, but two years worth of "I'll get to that later" caught up with me about a month ago.  It all started with "Honey, have you seen the lid to this bowl?".  Which precipitated the emptying out and re-organizing of the pantry.  I threw away tea I bought when I was in college... 20 years ago...

You've seen this movie, right?  The "Git 'r Done" high you get from cleaning out a small area makes you think you are Super Girl and should tackle the closets, junk drawers, laundry room, kitchen cabinets, garage, garden, deck, car and everything else that has been overtaken by "I don't have time to deal with this right now".  Well, yes...that's exactly what I've been doing for the last four weeks, in addition to working very long days, six days a week. 

The Virgo in me is proud to say that as I sit here blogging at something til 2 am, the laundry is caught up, every dish I own is clean, the plants are watered, the fam is fed, the garden has been tended, the decks have been swabbed, the sheets have been changed, the pictures have been framed, car has been washed, oil has been changed, hair will be cut, and on and on...  I'm ashamed to say how long it's taken me to get my round tuit. 

As you may know (if you've been here before), hubby and I were on vaycay all of May.  Then we have June (a.k.a. the month of "Wine and Roses") with Father's Day, Sister's Birthday, Hubby's Birthday and anniversary.  So, as you can imagine, between prepping for our trip, then the actual trip, then celebrating something different every third day, there has not been much time for blogging. 

However, for hubby and me, the Fourth of July is always the marker of the slower pace of summer.  Personally, I can't wait.  I've whittled my "To Do" list down to the bare nubbin's, and believe I can see some serious stitching time in my very near future. 

I know. 

I KEEP saying that. 

:-))

Happy Fourth, friends!