You've probably noticed.......

You probably have noticed that not alot of stitching has been going on in Ortville lately. You probably have noticed that not alot of anything has been going on in Ortville lately. I have been pretty quiet on the blog front. Let me explain why. First of all, I have had to work several special events which have involved weekends. When April is all said and done, I will be able to say that I worked 3 of the 4 weekends in the month. That means that I worked 6 day weeks for 3 weeks in April. I am a tired woman. When I am this tired, I just can't stitch. My eyes cross when I look at the canvas and I make too many mistakes to make it worth my while. My poor needlepoint bag is gathering dust. Not a good thing. Secondly, I have other interests besides stitching. I love to garden, I love to cook (I have a culinary degree from a local university) and I love to read. This time of year, my gardening interests kick into high gear and I want to play in the dirt. The gardening plays into my cooking with all the herbs and vegetables that I like to plant. The reading kicks in when I am too tired to stitch and/or garden. So there you have it. I am just scattered. I wish I could stitch and garden and cook and read all at the same time. I guess I could listen to books on tape while I garden and have something simmering on the stove at the same time. Just wish I could figure out how to keep the dirt off the stitching. :-) Just kidding.

To keep this from being a totally boring post, I will tell you about an adventure I had this week. Since I have to work tomorrow, I decided to take Wednesday off. In VA, we have Historic Garden Week. It is always at the end of April and it is fabulous. Houses and gardens throughout the commonwealth are open to the public as part of a fundraiser for the local garden clubs. Some of the houses are historic homes and others are private residences. Each one is more amazing than the next. My buddy and I loaded up the car with cameras, a picnic lunch and our walking shoes for the garden tour in Reedville, VA. Reedville is about 100 miles away from Ortville and is located on one of the tributaries that feeds into the Chesapeake Bay. It is a waterfront community that makes it's living harvesting menhaden fish. Menhaden are NOT edible but are rich in omega 3 oils. The fish are harvested and processed to make omega 3 supplements and additives in everything from SmartBalance margarine to cat food to Rustoleum paint. The only drawback of this industry is that the fish STINK! We were SO lucky that the wind was blowing in the right direction and the stink was blown away from town. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the houses but we could in the gardens. Here are a few of the fun sights from the day.

This was at the first house we visited. Further down the hill to the left is the water and a grouping of chairs. I just wanted to sit and enjoy this wonderful spot.

This little garden really appealed to me. The lovely flowers and the reflections in the gazing balls were breathtaking. Have you ever seen gazing balls that were that big??? Mine look like golf balls in comparison.
This sweet spot was tucked up under the back porch steps of one of the houses. There is a small table and chairs just to left of the door. It was set for an afternoon tea. Isn't it lovely?

This was one of my favorite sights. This was tucked into the side of a tool shed. It is a tea party for bunnies. The back wall is painted with a garden scene. The ants are metal and other than being huge, they are very life like. Isn't that just the cutest thing you've ever seen?

I promise, I will get back to stitching sooner or later. In the meantime, please indulge me a bit while I enjoy my other interests. I promise I will share pictures and tales of those non stitching adventures too. I hope you are interested enough to stick around until the stitching resumes.

Happy Spring.

Almost finished

I don't have a picture to prove it to you - BUT - I am almost finished with Day 1 of the Kelly Clark 12 Days of Christmas. I've finished the background and the green border. I've also finished one side of the red border. That means if I can find a few minutes to sit down and finish the other 3 sides of the red border, then I will be done with this project. Day to day life has been crazy and it has just gotten in the way of my stitching. I will post a picture when I finish the border.

New Month - New Pillow in the Chair

In honor of the month of April and Easter, I have moved my bunny pillow from it's normal home in our family room to the "ever changing chair". I bought the canvas in St. Simon's Island, GA several years ago. I can't remember who the designer was but I think it might have been a local artist. I found the topiary material in one of our local design stores while I was stitching him. I thought it would be the perfect Springtime combination. I don't remember who did the finishing for me on this one. Hope you like him.

Stashed

Forgive me dear Goddesses of Rules for I have stashed. I have broken the SFS 2009 contract and have purchased a new canvas. I was doing so well......I had made it through the first quarter of the year without purchasing a single new canvas - not even one. But then it happened - one of the shops had a sale - a really BIG sale - a 40% off sale - not just any 40% off sale but a 40% off of all in stock Kelly Clark canvases. I was doomed. There was no way I could resist that. I grabbed my credit card and sat patiently at my desk waiting for the shop to open so I could place my order. The moon, the stars and all the planets all aligned perfectly and they had the one canvas I wanted in stock AND they had a stitch guide for it. Yippee skippy. I am now the proud owner of the Springtime Topiaries . It should arrive on my doorstep any day now. I think I will sit on the front porch all weekend and wait for Willie (our mailman) to bring me my treat. Forgive my dear Goddesses of Rules for I have stashed and it was fun!