I'm Not Really Sure About This

So, you know I finished The Chase sampler.  Well, that meant it was time to throw something else into the mix.  I've had this pretty thing from a magazine for a while - called The American Sampler.  I have thoroughly loved this sampler for years and had it on my to-do-someday list.  So, I figured someday was here.  I think ultimately, I will get a start on it, but not finish it for awhile.  Explain that in a minute.  Remember I told you all about my new glasses and everything?  Well, this American Sampler has a lot of over one stitching.  I am stitching it on a piece of 32 count Navy Bean by Lakeside Linens.  And you know what you're doing when you're stitching over one on 32 count linen?  It become 16 count!!! YIKES!!!  I can see it, but I can only do that early in the morning when my eyes are real fresh.  Seeing the chart is diffucult too.  So, I decided to digitally enlarge the charts so that would be easier - wish I could do the same with the linen and then shrink it back down!  In the meantime, I was working on Opus Magnusson (that I wasn't supposed to work on until later this month.  I'm sure the needlework police will be out to get me soon.  So here's progress on that . . .

 

Remember I said I was changing some of the medallions because of a mistake I made I mean, I just decided to?   Well, I've decided to eliminate some and double up on others and change their colors as well.  This is the one that was supposed to be red.  But you can see from the larger picture, that it really stands out.  I'm hoping that as I add more work, it won't continue to stand out like a bloody thumb.  Not pulling it out though; already decided on that, but that's where the blog title comes from - that red medallion that I'm not really sure about.

Now for the reason the American Sampler will probably take me some time to finish.  A long, long time ago, Sandy Orton was designing Christmas Stockings in Cross Stitch & Country Crafts. I have all those patterns.  What I've done is make one for each member of my family - a long long time ago.  One for me, one for Hubby and one for each of the boys.  Well, Oldest Boy is grown, married, has a daughter and one on the way.  Less long ago I started designing one of them for my daughter in law.  This was pre-granddaughter mind you, but I never got it done.  You see, I'm not satisfied with just one design, I have to change them, combine them, morph them.  When I made The Boy's I morphed 3 of the designs together.    And now I have a granddaughter and another boy/girl (I'm betting on boy) on the way.  So I think it's time to get on the stick and crank out a few of those stockings.  

A Universe of Stars - made for my father in law

 Also, I've talked to my daughter in law and she is happy for me to stitch the birth announce- ment.  And I'm happy to do it.  I already have one in mind, but I have to wait to see if it's a boy or a girl before I decide.  Then too, I have to make Christmas prezzies for Emma and also a baby quilt for the new arrival - again, waiting on sex.  My mother didn't wait to find out and she made a quilt for my youngest that is pink, green and white.  It's really pretty.  But, it's pink, green and white.  Everyone has always thought that was a little weird.  Good news - when he eventually gets married, his wife will probably love it!  He's very attached to the one I made for him when he was a toddler - it is black and jewel colors and a tropical fish print.  I pulled the jewel colors out of the print.  He still uses that quilt to this day (I made it twin size).  I found my old quilt photos.  His is below.  Above is the Quillow I made for my father in law.  With Parkinson's he spent a lot of time in his chair and it was hard for him to regulate his body temp.  I made it an extra 12 inch square long because my FIL was a tall guy.  So, he really loved having his quilt and mother in law was happy that it all folded up neatly into a package. 

Tropical Fish

Youngest child - also known occasionally as "The Boy" wrecked his father's car yesterday.  He's OK, the car's not.  We're hoping that the mechanical problems will be more easily (and cheaply) fixed.  The body work is either just going to have to wait or never get done.  Looks like hubby's in line for a new car before I am (DRAT!)  What made the whole thing worse was that we were up in Pennsylvania at the time - driving in the car - and the cell service was A-W-F-U-L.  It turned out it was a good thing I was driving, because when the call came in, Hubby went into full panic mode for a few moments until The Boy assured him that he was fine.  I know that feeling though - I wanted to sprout wings on 9-11 to be home with them.  I saw that look in my husband's eyes.  Turned out that The Boy was driving too fast for slick road conditions, lost control on a curve and hit a tree - while sliding down into a ravine.  I swear, he is my lucky child.  I should remind him that he should go out today and buy a lottery ticket.

While we were contacting a tow service from a hillside in Pennsylvania, the police found him and were contacting another tow service.  The Boy finally was able to get back in touch with us (we were actually using two cell phones at one time - looking back it was kinda funny).  So we had to call and cancel our tow service and then deal with the other tow service about paying for the car being pulled out of the ravine - because of course, The Boy didn't have that kinda money on him.  And because no one could talk to us all at one time, we spent about 45 minutes driving from hilltop to hilltop in Pennsylvania searching for better cell service.

When it was all taken care of, The Boy called from home, said that there was a bent tire, but he'd been able to drive it home and it should be "fine".  Hubby and I then arrived at our destination - Lurgan's Greenhouse - and decided to have a nice time in spite of it all.  I needed to buy a replacement male holly for the one that died during our July drought.  We're going to plant it this afternoon.  I got one two to three times the size as the one I bought in the spring - and it was $4 cheaper.  I also found the hens and chicks I was looking for.  Last winter I discovered they make really nice houseplants.  I also found two pieces of plastic pottery; you put them together and they make an urn.  I'll put the hens & chicks in that.  When I get 'em all planted, I'll post a pic.  I plan to spray paint the urn.  These urns would be nice also for Christmas Decor.  The other thing I got was a Meyer Lemon.  I have wanted one for ages and I just could not believe the price - $22 - that they had on it.  It would have been at least double around here - maybe triple in the DC Metro area.  

I really wish you guys had smelly blogs, because these things smell FABULOUS!!!  I got a nice brown marbelized pot to put it in and have snagged a place next to the window for it.  On warm days we'll put it outside on the deck so it can get polinated.  Obviously, that's already happened - fertile little thing - because of the one lemon we've got on it already.  Ummmm fresh lemonade in the middle of the winter - can't wait!  Oh, and if you live within an hour or so of Chambersburg or Shippensburg, you should definitely check out Lurgan's.  Great place!

Once he'd gotten over being concerned about The Boy being hurt, Hubby had a chance to think about the damage to his car.  I kept him as distracted with my shopping as I could, discussing plants and spending money.  But finally we were just driving and he was really sighing a lot.  I decided that he needed CF (comfort food) and found a Sonic up in Chambersburg.  He got a vanilla malt and felt better.  Also, we had hot dogs.  Sonic has new hot dogs on their menu and they're pretty yummy!  I had a bacon & bleu a while back and yesterday had a Chicago.  Not something you want to eat on a daily or even weekly basis, but as a now-and-again treat, it was great.

So finally the reckoning came and we got home.  As soon as he heard the garage door go up, The Boy came trotting out talking about how it wasn't so bad, etc.  Then his father saw his car and looked at me and said "It's a lot worse than we were lead to believe".  The body damage is pretty severe, but, like I said, hopefully the mechanics aren't.  Guess we'll see tomorrow.  To his credit, he was very apologetic.  I just left him and his dad together to work it all out.  I saw it as a good sign that The Boy wasn't bruised and bleeding the next time I saw him.  He does realize that this is going to set us back and that he has some monetary liability in this.  But, he's real pleased with himself that even though it was the police that discovered him, they didn't give him a ticket.

That was all about 2:30 in the afternoon.  At about the same time, at the airport not two miles from my house, the most recent air show crash took place.  I was very sad to learn that one of the Trojan Horsemen had crashed and died.  I understand it was a terrible sight to behold and am really sad for my neighbors - especially the children - that witnessed it.  Roy and I had just watched them practicing early in the morning before the show (the planes always fly out our way and we have a good vantage point up on the ridge) and I'd seen them on my way home on Friday afternoon. Last night as I was working in my office I heard planes flying off to the west and wasn't surprised to learn later that the remainder of the airshow was canceled.