Embarrassed Beyond Belief!

I guess it's really not beyond belief if you know me....I tend to make plans to be consistent in blogging and then time gets away from me - big time!  I get fairly focused on a project and eveything else just disappears from my radar. This time around, I've finished a couple of quilts, competed in Sock Madness again (year 15!), done a mystery Gnome Knit-a-Long, had several machine embroidery workshops and classes, started teaching my best friend's granddaughter to sew, and started teaching my best friend to use my embroidery machine.  It's no wonder I forget to blog!  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it! 

We are in the throes of summer here in southwest Missouri and summer doesn't officially start for another day or so.  It's hot and humid and miserable outside.  Not pleasant for me and certainly not pleasant for mom - the humidity is dangerous to her already compromised breathing.  So we stay inside a lot during the summer.  That gives me a lot of crafting time.

I recently started back to cross stitching.  I'd done a lot of that during the 70's and 80's but had put it away when I discovered quilting in the 90's.  I read a blog post one day about Floss Tubes and it got me curious.  I started watching a few and one of them mentioned Cross Stitch Camp.  I researched it and decided I'd like to do it.  So I am currently participating in Cross Stitch Camp.  For June, you choose a design inspired by someone or something else.  For July, do a chart by someone you've never used before, and August is to use either a fabric or thread you've never used before.  I've been reading a blog by a lady name Debbie Bailey in Alaska for years...she is a prolific quilter as well as making felt Christmas stockings and small cross stitch ornaments with beads.  I had gotten a few of the ornament kits but the beads intimidated me and I'd never done them.  I pulled one out and decided to make that one as my June camp project.  The way this works is, you post the chart, fabric, and thread on June 1st to the Instagram page with tags to the Camp Director...then on June 30th you post a picture of your finished project.  Now, it doesn't have to be framed or hung, just the stitching done.  I've never been a monogamous crafter - EVER - but I figured I could get that little cross stitched and beaded ornament completed in 30 days...it's only about 2.5 by 3.00 inches big.  So I started it and, well, I finished it the first week of June!  Even so much as putting the beaded hanging string and backing it.  Here is my June 1st picture.

And my June 9th finished picture.

I've picked out my July project - Lori Holt's Stitchy Stars pattern....it's a bit bigger (about 2" by 14").  Will try to post it sooner rather than later.

John has started to work on the gardens....he spent a long weekend cleaning out the garden beds and installing the electric fences and planting the tomatoes and squash.  

The deer arent' vey happy - they can't get to those tasty tomato plants with the sweet green tops anymore with the electric fencing.  I see several evenings canning tomatoes in my late summer future!

My very best friend and her entire family have left California and moved to Missouri!  I hadn't seen Fran since 2008 and when she called to tell me they were moving here, I could not contain my joy!  I've missed her so much.  Her daughter and son-in-law and their 4 children got here in early Januray and got settled in Branson.  Then Fran and her husband got here just before Easter and they are mostly settled.  Their son and his wife and daughter will be moving into their new home in Branson by the end of July and then they will all be here!  Fran and her daughter and granddaughter have been coming up here to visit every Thursday and Fran is learning to use my embroidery machine. Her granddaughter is learning to sew.

We had the entire clan up for a BBQ on Memorial Day....The kids really enjoyed seeing the barn and the chickens and the cows up close and personal.  They even got to feed the cows treats!

John gets fresh eggs from his chickens just about every day.  The other day he came in and showed me his harvest for that day.

See that egg in the upper right?  It appears to be two eggs melded together.  Probably a triple yoke.  Makes me cringe to think of passing that one!

Today is Father's Day in the U.S.  We generally don't make a big day out of most holidays, except Christmas and Birthdays.  But I promised John I'd make him a Lemon Jello Cake for Father's Day.  I need to get crackin' on that!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for stickin' with me, in spite of my lack of continuity for blogging.