Final Rubber Ducky Gift, PTL!

I am FINALLY finished with the Rubber Ducky gifts. This one has aged me by about five years. The straps were a real pain to get even. I took it along to my small group to have one of the smaller ladies try it on to see how the straps worked out. They were WAY too long! After pinning and unpinning them about ten times, I think they will work for Kristin; at least I'm praying they will. I'd hate to think about doing this over. For better or worse, here's the picture.

Rubber Duckie Baby Gifts

I have been trying to get out of my funk and finish up the baby gifts for our niece's baby. Here are the things I just finished, with one more project to go! Yeah, Yeah, I've been procrastinating on the bath towel, but I will finish it soon. I know the penguin isn't a duck, but Mommy likes penguins. What can I say?

Morgan Girls' Blankies

My friend and neighbor is going to New York State to visit her former foster daughter's three young girls on Friday and asked me to make a fleece blanket for each of them. She wanted them to have each girl's favorite animal on a piece of fleece in the girl's favorite color. Their mom is no longer in the home, so it has been a traumatic time for them. The blankets will hopefully afford them a bit of comfort when they are sad.

Alivia's and Samantha's designs are from Eliza at Stitch It Cheap; Lani's is from Nita O'Keefe.

A prayer of Sir Francis Drake-circa 1650

I have been cleaning up my sewing room/office to prepare for a big embroidery session and found this prayer by Sir Francis Drake. It is just as relavent today as it was in 1650. Pray it with me if you dare.

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves,

When our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess

We have lost our thirst for the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,

To venture on wilder seas where storm will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.

We ask You to push back the horizons of our hopes;

And to push us in the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.
This we ask in the name of our Captain, who is Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Cake Pops

I almost forgot...

Another fun project I made and paid dearly for it in pain in my hip were these Cake Pops. DH had eaten some when he was visiting a friend and searched diligently until he found the pans to make them. I had a blast baking and decorating them (also made a glorious mess of the kitchen counter!) and they tasted like brownies on a stick. Yum!

A few Summer Projects

Where has this hot and humid summer gone? It is a wonder any of us have survived to tell the tale! Fall is coming, just not fast enough.

My sewing room is NOT air conditioned, but I'm thankful for the fan I have going most of the time I'm in here. It seems that I get one foot forward and then fall back two. I've been trying to make some bias binding for a project for our niece for her baby before we leave on vacation, but I have now managed to mess up two quarter-yard pieces of fabric. Maybe the third try will work.

Here are a couple of projects I managed to finish, even though I have been fighting deep depression and the heat. One is a little sippy cup I found at Hobby Lobby embroidered with a sweet little ducky. I am trying to make Kristin baby things with a rubber ducky theme and this is the first one I have completed.

I also embroidered an apron for my friend and neighbor Marie. She was with me when I was at Hobby Lobby and mentioned that she could use an apron when she is working in the kitchen. Here is the one I gave her.

Flowers & a Monkey

I haven't been very productive during the past month, but I did finish another hoodie towel for my dear SIL to give as a gift. I guess I have now become her personal assistant. 8-D

The flowers are blooming all around the house. Here are two pictures of a gigantic pink peony and a Knockout rose bloom. The peony was about 9" across! I wish you could also smell the springtime air here in Lancaster County. The past several days have been like the dog days of summer, but today is more like late spring. I wish spring could last all year!

I will leave you with this thought, one I should try to remember:
Women of adventure have conquered their fears and know how to live exciting and fulfilling lives right where they are. They have learned to reinvent themselves and find creative ways to enjoy the world and their place in it. They know how to take mini-vacations, stop and smell the roses, and live fully in the moment. —Barbara Jenkins

I did two more fleece blankets for Project Linus before I went to our quilting bee last Saturday. Here are pictures of them. Both blankets were dark gray. I especially like the little soccer player with the slingshot. I pray they will be loved by a couple of young boys and that they comfort them in whatever trial they are going through.

2 blankets for Project Linus completed

I am finally feeling a bit better so I stitched two blankets for Project Linus. The purplish one I messed up a while ago and finally decided to do something with it. The colors don't show well, but in person it is kind of cute. The blue blanket is a purchased one that I embroidered that is soooo soft and comfy. I hope some young fisherman will love it. The design didn't stitch out well and I have no idea what happened to make the outline stitches go so far off on the right side. I guess if a person doesn't know what to look for, it won't be too noticeable.

I also got some fabric cut out for a little quilt top for PL. I hope I will remain feeling better so I can finish it up before too long. Pray that it is so.

I haven't been a complete sluggard the past week or two. I actually made some black raspberry jelly and embroidered an apron for a friend who has been feeding my DH quite a bit on Sundays the past few years. I adapted a design I used for my SIL at Christmas since they both love to bake. Here are the pictures to prove it. 8-D

I wish all of my friends a blessed Easter season. He lives!

Kithcen is finished! & more embroidery projects

The kitchen is now officially finished for all intents and purposes. There is still some touch-up painting to finish, but the hard work is done, PTL!!! Here is a picture of the south wall with the crown moulding. It makes a huge difference!

After many weeks and being airlifted to Baby Lock's "Johns Hopkins" hospital in St. Louis, my Big Ellie is finally home and working again. After I finished up my Christmas stitching, she sent a message that maintenance was needed. She goes to the shop at least once a year, so she was due. When Caleb, my go-to guy for sewing machine repair, took her apart he found an unusual issue that needed repair and, thank the Lord, was under warranty. It took some time for the repairs and cleaning, but she is now working just fine. Here are photos of my first projects since her return. They are a little outfit for my SIL's grandbaby and a little hooded towel for one of her young friends.

Until next time, happy trails to you!