Just One More Thing

The lovely etui and accessories came with one more gift.  I saved the best for last on a day when I can savor it. 

It is this delightful homemade plum jam.  It was made earlier this year and looks marvelous and tastes delicious with these biscuits.  The only thing that might be lacking is some real Devonshire cream. 

Stitching Progress

This is my newest stitching project.  It is not necessarily what I would choose to to right now but more a case of must.  It is not that I do not like it because I do, just that I would rather stitch something else.

I actually moderate the Christmas in July Exchange.  Wouldn't you know it?  It is not certain that one of the participants will successfully complete her exchange responsibility.  It happens more often than I like to think.  I always feel very bad about the participant who is left out so I prepare a consolation gift.

This time the participant finally checked in after the due date and said that she is behind.  Well gee, we already knew that because it is past the due date.  Prior to hearing from her, I had begun a consolation gift.  Because I do not have complete confidence in this person, I will continue to stitch until I know that her giftee has received her gift.

This is the project, Pink Carnations from The Sweetheart Tree.  If the original person comes through, I will have this to decorate a fabric pocket for a friend.

Cannot Wait to Show You

Please take a minute to look at this lovely etui and stitching accessories.  Do you remember the silk covered box with the poppy on the lid?  That was my gift in a Christmas in July Exchange.  This is what my giftor gave me.  The stitching and finishing are exquisite.  It is such a treasure. 

We Ate the Whole Thing

Last night we ate the cauliflower.  We served it with shrimp in dilled cream sauce.  We also had a cucumber fresh from our garden.  We served cucumber slices in sweetened vinegar with dill.  Summer dining seems so extravagant with so much fresh produce from our garden.

I have been a little busy today.  I continue to experiment with the project bag idea.  I like the appearance of this mesh. 

 

Cauliflower and Broccoli but Primarily Cauliflower

Roger planted the cauliflower.  I told him that if he wanted nice heads he had to pull the leaves up and cover the heads with the leaves.  Today he picked the first head of cauliflower. 

Needless to say, Roger heeded my advice.  In all the years we have tried to grow cauliflower, this is literally the first successful head that looks like something you might want to eat. 

We have 6 to 8 jalapeno peppers ready to pick and one sweet green pepper that looks almost ready to pick.  Maybe we should begin to think about making fresh salsa. 

Raspberries from the garden

We had hoped to have blueberries from the garden too but something that wanted the blueberries more urgently got into the garden and stripped the bushes.  These blueberries are from the grocery store. 

Something or someone has been busy in the garden.
It looks like a deer has eaten some of the cucumber vines.  Something was in the broccoli and flattened the plants in the center of the broccoli patch.  To tell the truth, it almost looks like a deer bed in the garden. 

I wonder if the triffids were the inspiration for Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors.  I think that our squash and pumpkins are not diabolical.

The Great Escape

Last week a squash plant, but maybe it is a pumpkin, escaped.  You can see it climbing out of its fence cage and going into the apple tree. 

Frequently the squash and or pumpkins that are planted under the apple tree go airborne and latch onto a branch in the apple tree. 

Sometimes it works but sometimes the squash or pumpkin is not successful and drops back into its cage. 

This is what it looked like last week.   I had wanted to show you on Sunday but out DSL went out during a heavy storm Saturday night and was not completely restored for 48 hours.  In addition, we had a little trouble with our cable. 

The squash or pumpkin is still clinging to the apple tree.  Right now it looks like there may be a blossom between the top of the cage and the apple tree. 

One More Almost Finish

My goal was to finish both boxes by this weekend but I will have to settle for one. 

I would have liked to have had a picture with both boxes finished but that will not happen.  You can see the one which will go to its new owner during the coming week.  The top for the second box is behind; it will have to wait until sometime in August together with the Little Boy Blue pillow. 

Little Boy Blue

The stitching is finished.  I have reduced the definition of the picture partly to obscure the name of the child.  The thread color is low contrast with the color of the linen which further obscures the name.  Then I decided to pull up the fabric to cover most of the name. 

My philosophy is to leave nothing to chance and to not make assumptions.    :-D 

My goal was to finish the stitching by this weekend.  I will make the pillow toward the end of July, maybe beginning of August.  The fabrics in the lower right hand corner will make the pillow.  The colors of the fabrics are a little grayer than the blue in the stitching but I think it will all work together. 

Hmmmmmm, the cow's eyes do not show up very well.  Maybe I ought to do something about that. 

Beans Are In

Yes, we are picking and enjoying our French fillet beans.  While I nipped off the ends of these beans, I had to be careful about Mooch.  He likes beans, berries, and tomatoes.  But until yesterday, we really did not know that he likes beans. 

It was so easy to sit on the floor while I pinched off the ends.  I had the freshly picked beans on a tray and dropped them into the colander as I took the ends off.  Mooch was looking intently at the beans on the tray.  He inched closer and then began to reach his paw out to try to touch them.  Next I knew, he looked like he was getting ready to bury his nose in the beans.  Then he grabbed one with his mouth, shaking his head to dislodge the bean from the pile.  He took the bean and sat down beside me while he ate it all except for the ends. 

I guess that if I give Mooch beans, I ought to pinch off the ends. 

Little Boy Blue . . .

. . .come blow your horn.
The sheep's in the meadow.

The cow's in the corn.  

After delaying a couple years because I could not find a suitable sampler for a little boy, I found the solution.  Little Boy Blue from Country Cottage Needleworks is going to be the basis of a pillow.  As an added feature, I plan to make a tooth fairy pocket on the back. 

Yesterday was First Sunday Stitchers.  Perhaps I should have worked on a patriotic design since FSS fell on the Fourth of July.  It has taken me so long to decide what to make for our nephew's son that I thought it best to work on it.  I filled in all of the light green background and feel like patting myself on the back. 

I wonder if when we give the pillow to him I should tell him that the nursery rhyme is English and that the corn is really supposed to be wheat.  Somehow, I think that the cow is much more charming standing in a field of maize than a wheat field. 

During the PBS broadcast of the Fourth of July concert on The Mall in Washington, D.C, I stitched steadily.  Just as the fireworks display began, I fastened off the thread.  I know that fireworks on television is not nearly as spectacular as fireworks in person but there are no mosquitoes. 

This morning I happened to find an unfinished pillow top. 

 For some unknowable reason, I consigned it to the "Probably will never be finished box".  From there, it migrated to the attic.  It looks like it deserves to be finished. 

About the orchid in the picture yesterday - - -
It is looking that way because it is watching Mooch make himself comfortable on my silk.    :-D 

There is not much much happening that would be interesting or entertaining to write.  One of my orchids is blooming; I thought you might like to see it.  Yes, these are the pictures I took while Mooch settled himself onto the silk fabric. 

The weather has been perfect, not too hot or humid, beautiful blue sky with puffy white clouds.