Hot, Hot, Hot!! Patio furniture, Stitching, Birthday, and a Books

You know it's hot when you actually use the phrase "cool off to 91 degrees" in a sentence...but that's what we have to look forward too.  In theory it should feel better than the high 90's we've been having but.....

We recently purchased new patio furniture to use down by the lake but once it arrived, I decided it would look better (and weather better) up on the porch where it's semi-protected by a roof.  We moved it up there and moved the old patio table and some chairs down to the lake.  We'll probably get an umbrella to use with the table on the lake.  I also ordered a deck box to store the pillows when not in use to keep them dry and out of the sun.  Hopefully they'll stay nice for longer than if they'd be exposed to the elements.

Hopefully soon it will cool down a bit so we feel comfortable sitting outside!  Otherwise they're pretty comfortable.

(The picture, obviously, was taken before we moved them to the porch.

After stitching a bit on the stocking (and not enjoying stitching on 18 count over 2 and deciding a smaller stocking will work out better), I started over on 28 count fabric.   Luckily I had the right color and count here in my stash.  I've been enjoying this one SO much better.  That is, until I discovered that I was off by a row after stitching the 2 reindeer.  Aaaaarrrggghhh!  (I sometimes find that I make more mistakes on the easy stuff than the challenging stuff.  Perhaps it's a matter of my concentration?)

Before mistake:

After frogging and restitching:

I'm going to splurge and send this one out to a finisher who can, no doubt, do a much better finishing job than I can.  (I'm finishing impaired!)


I also have another small finish for a SAL.  (Shhh!  We haven't had the reveal yet.)  It's designed by Prairie Schooler.  I think I'll eventually look for a cute button or charm to embellish it and not sure how I'll finish finish it.  (Bee designs seem so popular now.  I love them!)

I've obviously been spending too much time inside in the AC.  I phoned in a rather large birthday order to Needlecraft Corner.  A little percentage off (and the promise of 12 freebies) is all I needed.  I carefully planned it this year...a few designs and lots of overdyed floss (for projects I want to start soon).  Our daughter also sent me a design I had on my wish list at 123 Stitch (and the floss for it) for my birthday.

I'm hoping to stitch a small Halloween piece so I can make it in time for the July theme...ghosts.  I finally picked out something to stitch today.

Speaking of my birthday, I just squeaked in being old enough to qualify for the National Parks lifetime pass before the price goes way up so I ordered it today.  (Even after the price goes up from $10 to $80 after Aug. 28, the lifetime passes are well worth it.)


I'm expecting another model to arrive soon and looking forward to working on it.  They've all been so fun.

So...it looks like I'll be busy stitching for a while.  What else can one do when it's this hot outside?  ;-)

I listened to One Summer by David Baldacci this week while stitching.  (I love being able to combine 2 of my favorite things at the same time!)  It's a bit different than many of his books and I enjoyed it. I also started The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah after a friend recommended it.  After a brief start, I'm enjoying this one too.

Happy stitching!