September Already...

Month Number Nine of 2026, and we're off to the races. Another August to remember as another loved one with medical emergencies. I've been hesitant to mention this, so I apologize that this will be vague.

I'm not sharing many details, mainly because we have no idea how it happened. I'll just say this started August 19th, that it required an ambulance ride, three weeks in ICU, some time in a regular hospital room, and future months in a physical rehabilitation facility. 

This is a close family member who was alone at the time everything happened, and this was definitely not self-inflicted. I need to stop there, but our family has spent hours trying to figure this out. As that's not possible, we pray a lot, and there are many correspondences and trips to the hospital. It's been (understandably) very stressful for our entire family.

For this reason, I've canceled my planned knee replacement surgery for October. Handsome is always my caregiver post-op, and I will not ask him to split his travel and concern between two people and places. Instead, I'm going to be supporting him.

Today will be a restful stitching day. I'll be in my happy place with my love and our girls. I think it's exactly what we need right now. 

Here's to a better month. (Prayers and good wishes are appreciated.)

 

A New Start...

I started the bridal brooch for our granddaughter yesterday. I chose all the components, set up the ground fabric in my special hoop - the one that belonged to Handsome's mom, and started work on it already.

This is how far I got before I stopped for the evening. I'll work on it more over the next few days, as I embroider toward the finish. 

Although I haven't heard a date yet, I'm sure there'll be a bridal shower pretty soon, and this is one of the gifts I'd like to give her. So I'll keep stitching until this is finished.

I Love The 'Ber Months...

Image via Handmade Treasures by Jan

My youngest sister, Jan has a lovely group on Facebook - "Handmade Treasures by Jan" - as well as her "Treasure Trove of Gratitude" group. You may want to check them out.

Jan shared this image she created and I loved it. The 'ber months really are my favorites. To me they signify the earth preparing for rest after a productive spring and summer season. 

I'm especially looking forward to this year. I still have canning to do this season, and it's much more enjoyable when it's cooler outside. I'll fill the pantry in preparation for the winter ahead, and when the snow flies, Handsome and I can stay safely tucked in the farmhouse with the girls.

This year is especially exciting for us as our elder granddaughter is getting married in October. She's our first grandchild to "tie the knot". We love her fiancé, and can't wait to celebrate their new beginning.

How do you feel about autumn? Are you a fan or not?

PS. Sorry I'm behind on responding to comments. I promise to catch up soon!

A Lost Day...

All my Monarch supplies are still waiting for me. We had a family emergency today that completely derailed my stitching plans.

I won't go into details because we want to honor our family member's privacy, but I can tell you that Handsome and I are fine. This will be ongoing for the foreseeable future, but I should be able to get some more work done today. 

My first job will be to remake the body form slightly bigger. Once that's finished I'll be inserting the wings onto the stitched body and securing them to the back. Then I can remove the body from my hoop and begin encasing the form with the stitched body. These steps will take a while, but I'll make sure there are photographs to share  

Thanks for any prayers you may want to lift for my very vague family member's healing. God will know who you're talking about. Big hugs for all of you from me.

 

Pickle Day...

We received thirteen pounds of pickling cucumbers plus some huge "eaters" yesterday from my friend, Dawn and her husband Pete. So today is pickling day!

My godniece and her daughter are here from Minnesota, so they're going to help...just like my niece helped my sister, Lyn do pickles when she and her sister were little.

Lyn would get the cukes, fill their bathtub with water, and her two young daughters would scrub, while Lyn cut and prepared them for the jars.

Our operation won't involve bathtubs or lots of seeds and herbs. I choose fool-proof Mrs. Wages Mix for bread and butter pickles, and they'll be perfection by this afternoon. Plus, it will be fun to teach my great niece about how her grandma used to make pickles when her mama was little.

I work at 4 pm, so I'm going to get everything set up so we can get right after it when they arrive soon. I'll share pictures tomorrow. Happy Weekend!!

My (Our) Girl(s)...

Handsome took the ladies out for their morning run on Sunday, and after they were sufficiently exercised, he came in to get me.

He said that with our yard full of Queen Anne's lace and clover, I should get a few pictures of the girls posing amid the flowers.

As his mom (my dear mother-in-law) called these tongues hanging out, that's a lot of "boiled ham". Frankly, I don't blame them. It was dang hot on Sunday.

I think I got a pretty good shot of them - Bella on the left, and Carly on the right.

Yesterday started out pretty muggy, but we were expecting rain and cooler weather. What we didn't expect were severe weather warnings, torrential rains and high winds. We came through it with only one big branch out of the huge, old maple in our front yard. 

After the storm passed, the temperature had dropped 10-15°, the sun came out, and we had a beautiful breeze to cool everything down. We turned off our floor a/c unit and opened all the windows.

Further north wasn't so fortunate. Menasha, Wisconsin suffered the worst of it. There a citywide proclamation to stay off the streets (and more) from 10 pm - 5 am, except for emergency crews. The city has been devastated, with complete neighborhoods wiped out by what the weather service thinks was an F2 tornado (winds up to 135 mph). The videos and images I've seen are alarming and heartbreaking.

Folks caught on the highway during the storm had losses, too. Semis were pushed across lanes, causing awful accidents, and sections of highway have been closed down. 

My sister, Jan and niece, Stephanie live in towns on either side of Menasha and my nephew, Ethan and his family are a bit further south. I got in touch the both ladies, and E's mom (Stephanie) updated me on him and his family, too. Other than mild tree damage, they're all okay.

Please pray for the people who have suffered losses great and small. It's going to take Menasha and the surrounding areas more than a minute to recover. 

Happy Birthday, Sister Goldenhair...

Yesterday would have been my sister, Lyn's 70th birthday. This is her second celebration in Heaven. I know she and Dad celebrated with the rest of our loved ones who went before, but those of us she left behind sure wish she could have celebrated with us. 

This photograph was taken just after I turned 50. I'd like to think we would have celebrated this birthday with another photo shoot. It wasn't to be, but I wanted my daily diary blog to reflect that she was in my heart and on our minds, today and every day. Love never dies...

Happy Birthday, Lyndy.

 

Truthfully...

 

I haven't been stitching at all the past two days. I've been busy sending "stuff" on to new homes. Between my sisters and nieces, I've cleaned up an overstuffed buffet, china cabinet, and at least one cupboard. 

I have so many useful and nice things I don't use anymore that I decided to let them go. What I've pulled that they don't want will be donated. I have to say, it feels pretty great, too.

I'm not finished yet either, but I work tonight, so I'll take it easy today, and get back to it tomorrow. 

Now, about this picture of my butterfly... I'm sure you must be wondering what the white thing is next to it. I can tell you that when I was in Kentucky with Owen and my classmates, there were a lot of jokes about its appearance!

What you're looking at is actually off-white muslin, sewn into a tapered tube, filled with emery (it can be sand, too), and then sewn closed. This will actually be the body structure for my Monarch. 

When I finish stitching up the body "cover", it will actually encase the filled muslin piece. Before I can do that, I'll release my wing parts from the ground fabric so they can be attached and the wires imbedded inside that cover, too. 

You can imagine, it's going to be a bit futzy manipulating all those parts. I'm going to see if I can get a short video of that part of my process to share with you when I get to that stage.

I have a little tidying up to do this morning, so I'll close for now. I'll see you tomorrow! Have a great weekend, friends.

Remember, I told you the wedding reception was casual last Saturday? Well, this photo should give you a little hint at just how relaxed the bride and groom were. They're pretty darned fun, too!

Joe is Linda K's son, and I've known him since he was a little boy. (Linda and I have been friends for fifty years this year.) He and Misty are crazy about each other. They were gracious hosts, taking time to visit with every guest. There was a lot of food, and they had two flavors of cake...a little something for everyone.

The party began at 2:00, and guests were free to come and go. It was like an open house that ended at 7:00 pm. I left around 3:30, as I had a drive ahead of me. While alcohol was served, I don't usually partake, especially when I'm driving.

Misty made sure I came home with cake for Handsome and me, I said goodbye to Linda and family, signed the guest book, grabbed two coozies, and hugged the newlyweds before leaving for my trip home. 

An hour and a half later, I was enjoying a cuppa in my favorite chair. A perfect end to a fun day.

Time for another work day already. It's finally cooled off a bit, so I'm looking ahead to a comfortable day. (It's been awful since the A/C in the store doesn't keep up on hot days.) Today should be a breeze.

I'd like to think I'll accomplish a lot when I get home later, but you know me. I'll probably sit down and end up taking a nap. heehee I'll see you tomorrow!

 

It's So Hard To Say Goodbye...

Our family lost a beautiful soul yesterday. Mike was married to my sister, Diana a long time ago. After two children, they decided they were much better as friends than husband and wife.

They continued to co-parent my niece and nephew, and he was always present in the lives of their grandchildren. When my nephew was house hunting for his family, they found a place just a few houses away from Mike's. 

Mike traveled with both families when they took trips, and he even camped with them. He was always just a call away when someone needed a sitter, and Dan's daughters nicknamed him "Papa Angel" because he always referred to them as his little angels. (They call Di "Nana Ponygirl" because she always did "ponyboy" on her knee when they were little.)

Mike was diagnosed with cancer a few short months ago, and he took a turn for the worse yesterday. He was readmitted to the hospital and continued to decline through the day. 

His children, grandchildren, and sister were all able to say their goodbyes, and he passed peacefully late afternoon. The world has lost a kind, generous, and wonderful man yesterday, and our family and the world are less for it.

RIP, Brother. You'll be deeply missed.

Meet Milo...

I made it to my niece's home yesterday to visit with her and my sister, Diana. Di lives out of state, but was at her daughter's to take care of her following an extensive surgical procedure. My niece is feeling fine, but she does get understandably tired.

When I arrived I was greeted by this little guy. His name is Milo. He's my niece's cockapoo and is about nine months old. He's so darn cute and huggable. 

Di brought her corgi, Grace with her, but Grace and I only had a short visit because Milo is such a pest with her. She  doesn't tolerate a cray puppy well.

I spent about about six hours with the ladies, and Milo settled down fairly quickly once the excitement of a new visitor wore off. It was a lovely afternoon.

Di is staying in Wisconsin until about a week from now, so I'm going up again next week to see them again. I can't wait!

This Part's Done...

I finished them late last night! When I look at them from a distance, I can see that they really do resemble a Monarch's  wings. Can I be just a wee bit chuffed?

I'm going to draw and set up my hoop for the body next, but not quite yet. My plans for yesterday were delayed due to weather, so I'm going to see my sister and niece today instead. 

I'm taking goodies and plan to visit all afternoon, so my project will have to wait (for a little while). I'll share the next phase when I start it. I'm going to get my things together for my road trip now. Later, 'gator!

The Birds Remind Us...

It's ridiculously hot here this week. The air conditioner at work lost ground by the hour because we were so busy. Each time the doors opened I could feel the mercury rise. We had it set at 73°, and after my seven hours it was 87° indoors.

My short hair was so curly that I looked like a gym teacher from my grade school days. I couldn't wait to get home and shed my jeans and polyester shirt. Truthfully, I was out of ambition by the time we walked into the farmhouse.

We haven't installed any window a/c units yet. I'm holding off because they're such a chore to install, and once they're in and the weather turns, I won't be able to open the window because it won't have a screen on it. 

So, we're trying to ride this out. Windows open at night when the breezes are cooler, and then close up during the day with our ceiling fans on. As long as I don't have to put jeans on, I'll be okay.

I did go outside just before dark to put out a bowl of cold water for the critters. I placed some blocks in the bottom so small animals could safely exit the bowl. I also refilled the birdbath for another spot for birds or beasts.

I'm heading out today to see my sister, Di and her daughter, who is recuperating from surgery. (They have a/c, too. BONUS!) I'm looking forward to seeing them. 

Gotta run now. See you later. Oh, and Happy July!!

Fall In Love With Your Life...

For me it's time with Handsome, family and friends, our pets, needlework, sewing, and preparing the goodness that comes out of our farmhouse kitchen. Plus, a hot cup of tea. Yes, definitely a hot cup of tea.

So Much Fun...

I went to town Saturday afternoon to spend time with family, and friends who are family. We were celebrating my second-eldest niece, and my eldest niece's daughter who both had birthdays this month.

One flew in from Colorado and the other came from Minnesota with her mumma. Also in attendance were my sister Lyn's widow, and her ex who essentially raised her two daughters. (Yes, the guys do get along well.) Add two aunties, a nephew, dear friends, and besties, and we had everyone we needed to have a great celebration.

I stayed about four hours and then came home. I was so happy to see everyone and share in the celebration. The girls were staying at my Mother's so it was a short visit for me. I hope next time we can have them here for an overnight. It was a great start to our holiday weekend.

 

We Remember...

 

Sweets For The Sweet....

I spent part of yesterday making these white chocolate-covered sandwich cookies. I'm meeting up with sister,Jan to visit with our nieces who are visiting from out of town.

Don't you love the edible images I used? I purchased them from Evil Cake Genius and they have MANY images, suitable for any occasion. You can even order custom edible images for weddings, birthdays, or any other excuse occasion you can think of...or choose something like the ones I've used simply to dress up your dessert!

I haven't seen the ladies in a while, so it should be a fun reunion. I promise to take pictures! 

I hope you have a safe and restful Memorial weekend, my friends. 

My Mother's Garden...

 

Brynwood Needleworks "My Mother's Garden" Sampler

I designed this sampler in 1992 to honor my mum. It names my British Nanny (grandmother), Mum, and then shows my name as next in line.

The verse on this sampler is:

"If you've a mother with silvery hair, Love one another and treat her with care.

And as you grow older, the least you can do, is to do unto Mother as she did for you."

This is a verse Mum often repeated when I was growing up, and seemed fitting for this sampler.

This is one of my designs being converted to a pdf format to list in my Etsy shop very soon. It seemed appropriate to share with you this weekend.

I wish all my friends who are moms, stepmoms, or moms by heart have a Happy Mother's Day weekend.

Good Friday...

Good Friday 2026

Reflecting on His sacrifice this Good Friday.  

Baking Day...

English Muffins

Mondays are typically baking days here at the farmhouse. Yesterday was no exception. I baked four loaves of farmhouse sandwich bread (one went up the hill to Andy and Shelly), six large hamburger buns, and ten English muffins. 

I hadn't made the muffins before, so I did learn a few things this time, including that once mixed they should cold proof in the refrigerator for 3-5 hours. They can be made immediately, but that wasn't the suggested method. So, after I mixed and kneaded the dough, into a covered container to spend three hours in the fridge.

After cold proofing, I cut the dough into equal pieces and formed them into balls. They were rolled in semolina and then placed on a baking sheet lined with parchment and more semolina to rise. Handsome was at band rehearsal and the muffins were ready to finish just as he walked in the door.

He usually likes to have a light meal after rehearsal, so I took out my flat cast iron pan and put three muffins on the hot pan at a time. Directions said to fry one side for 3-5 minutes, then turn it over, press into the English muffin shape and fry the second side. (I may have slightly overdone the last two).

I placed them on my cooling rack, and made Handsome's breakfast-for-dinner. As I was finishing his ham and eggs, he took a muffin out of the toaster. He declared them a roaring success, so I guess I'll be making them again in the future. 

I work today, so I'll be leaving soon. Tomorrow, I'll tell you about the constant commotion inundating us at the farmhouse - along with all our neighbors who actually have it worse than we do. I think you'll be as peeved as we are.  See you later!