Stitching, Cooking, Visitors

It's been a rather unexciting week...but often that's a good thing.

I've been making some progress on a model but also squeezed in a little stitching time on a CEC freebie mitten called Mitten Mitten.

I also finished the Witch and am pleased with how it turned out.  Now I have to decide on a skeleton to stitch for next month.

I took the plunge and ordered the floss for "His Eye is on the Sparrow" by Heartstring Samplery.  I should probably have my head examined for deciding to stitch this one when I have so many other things "going" but I decided to use it to help motivate me to get some of the others done...or at least make some good progress on them.  I'll decide after the floss arrives as to what fabric to use.  I'm even thinking of trying to overdye some myself.  After all, it's good to try new things, right?  If anyone experienced in dying fabrics has any suggestions, please feel free to share.

Nikki at Country Cottage Needleworks released a design for which I stitched the model.  It's called "Seasonal Celebrations-Spring".  It should be available soon at your LNS.

We had a gorgeous few days here last weekend and the beginning of the week.  Our neighbor took a picture of some visitors at our dock.  (The lake level has been very low for several years after several years of drought so our neighborhood association voted to drill a well to pump it up.  This was an "after" picture.  Not only is the lake level better but also the water quality/clarity is much improved.)

Midweek the clouds returned and yesterday a wet and cold front arrived.  I'm glad I took some time to walk when the weather was so pretty.

I'm a "make lemonade out of lemons" kind of girl so took advantage of the "soup weather" to make a big pot of Ina Garten's Ribollita.  I love that stuff and hadn't made it yet this winter.  It takes a bit of chopping and prep time but it makes a lot.  I saved some in the fridge and some in the freezer and save cooking time on other days when we reheat this.  If you're interested, here's a link to the recipe:

Ribollita

I've made quite a few of Ina's recipes...I think she's responsible for some of the extra pounds I carry.

Happy stitching!

Out With the Old....In With the New

Wow!  2014 just flew by!

Here's my last cross stitch finish for the year.  It's a CEC freebie "Cup of Cocoa" mitten.  I'm in a stitching group who will be doing a sal of the mittens for 2015.  We also do a themed bimonthly exchange block and January will be CEC designs...so this little guy will serve 2 purposes.

Today/tonight I'll be working on Texas Snowman by Redbird Designs.  I've stitched it twice but for exchanges so the one I'm stitching now will be mine (ALL MINE!!!!!!).  Here's a picture of one that I finished.  (The little horseshoe charm came with the design and I haven't yet found a replacement the right size for it.  It's cute without the charm too.)  He'll hang on my snowman tree next year.

It occurred to me recently that, despite love samplers, I haven't been stitching enough of them.  So...I'm hoping to make 2015 "The Year of the Sampler" for me.  I'll start off Jan 1 starting "Hetty Child" by The Sampler Company.  I'd also like to stitch (or at least start) "His Eye is on the Sparrow" by Heartstring Samplery.   I can't even think of this one without the hymn playing in my head.  ;-)  I love that hymn so I think it's totally appropriate.

On to food!  As we were finishing the last of the pie the other day, my guys had the "deer in the headlight" look...despite the fact that we still have loads of cookies in the house. Yesterday I decided to bake a pumpkin pie and, since some bananas were getting very ripe, some banana bread too (for the freezer).  DS requested homemade whipped cream too and since we had some cream leftover from something, I made some of that too.  I'm probably high on the candidate list of "Mother of the Year".  What do you think?

It's cool here in SE Texas...bitter cold according to some (but not for us since we've lived in the "frozen tundra" of MI and OH).  I'm enjoying it.  The plan for DH and me is to stay in tonight and snack on appetizers.  We'll decide later which time zone to celebrate the New Year and toast 2015 with a glass of champagne.  We really are party animals! 

Happy New Year!!!

Happy stitching!