Spring Has Sprung!

Dear Blogging Friends:

As usual, I'm running around and behind on the blog!  However, I'm posting my Spring Tree today!  I took the obvious rabbit and egg items off the Easter Tree and have replaced with flowers, birds, etc to be ready for Spring!  You might remember that several of these are old, outdated pieces that I either cut down or just made into ornaments.

 

 

Easter was wonderful!  (I can't believe a month has passed since then!)  Our Holy Week services went wonderfully and without problems.  The church was decorated beautifully and the music was lovely.  All was good!

I had my little family for Easter this year.  And I also included my friends that I had entertained last year when my family didn't come...We had a great time this year and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  I took this photo as I was cleaning up everything.  I always seem to forget about photos until things are over!  I used bright Easter Egg colors and was pleased with how it turned out!

My sweet Zoe came and entertained everyone!  ha  She was so dressed up in her little Easter dress!  She is a sweetie!  Omar came through and didn't hiss or slap at her, so I consider that a step in the right direction!  ha

Actually, she has come to spend time with me a couple of times and we have worked on playing nicely with Omar.  I can tell that he is tolerating her, but she is trying to pet him gently now, instead of hitting him and pulling his tail!  He backs his ears a little, but he endures her!  In another year, they will probably be great friends!  haha

I'm traveling some with my music organization.  Last week I was in Indianapolis to plan an upcoming (in a couple of years) meeting there.  It was such a quick time, but much fun.  I was able to see my dear friend Janie who lives there.  We had dinner out and then went by her beautiful home.  She has a sewing room to die for!  She also quilts and has a beautiful quilt she's working on.  Also, her cross stitch is displayed throughout her house.  It was such a fun evening!

I didn't take any cross stitch with me on the plane, which was too bad.  I was staggering out of my house to get to the airport, after waking up at 3:00 am!  I just didn't think of it until I was halfway to the airport!  Oh well!

I'm cleaning a guest bedroom that I have really let go for a long time!  I have made great progress and have a couple of boxes of junk to donate.  I am not finished...there is more!  I intend to organize my cross stitch after that, and I want to get on with some fun stitching!  You would not believe the patterns, supplies, etc that I have!  And I love each and every item!  I am going to guess that you have too much, too!  ha  But it is such a fun hobby and collecting up "things" is part of the fun!

I'm still feeding my birds and loving that!  I got my handyman to put up a feeder pole I got at Walmart and it is in the back of my yard, near the bushes.  I think it has taken some time for them to find it, but I'm seeing a little activity out there, as well.  I hope they will be more safe there, near the bushes.  It is such a fun and relaxing hobby for both me and Omar!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope to post more quickly next time.  I have another music trip coming up and I will be sure to take a small project with me this time!  I have enjoyed seeing all of the wonderful creations you all have made!  I have made several comments.  I had to go back, yet again, and fix my "no-reply" status!!  Such a problem!!!

Frances

Happy Easter!

Hello Blogging Friends!

Thank you for all of your lovely comments on my last post.  I appreciate your visits and hope to be better in replying to your comments soon!

I have my Easter tree up, and it looks like Spring in my house! 

I'm planning my Easter lunch on Sunday.  My son and his family are coming this year.  However, since I invited friends last year, I've asked them back for this year--the more, the merrier!  I just finished setting the table.  I hope Omar doesn't get up there and sit in every plate...

We are in Holy Week at the moment, and that's about all I've been working on for a while.  I love the services, and it does take much preparation for everything to go well.  The Cathedral was beautifully decorated for Palm Sunday.  We had a procession with singing, and it was stunning.  Below is a picture of the altar area with all the palm decorations.

I especially enjoy Chrism Mass, where the sacred oils are blessed and given out to the parishes.  All of the priests of the Diocese come, and renew their vows.  Representatives from each church come to accept the oils for their churches.  The photo below is during the Eucharistic prayers, when all the priests come forward to concelebrate Mass.  I love seeing them up there together. in their matching vestments.

I don't have much more to report at the moment!  Things will calm down tremendously after Easter is over!  My birds are coming back to the feeders.  I had so many during the winter.  Then they were gone almost instantly one day!  Oh yes-I went to Texas last week, as a guest for their music convention.  I had a great time and heard some beautiful recitals.  I was the featured speaker at their banquet. I don't have any new photos of Omar or Zoe, but I know that I will after Sunday!

Happy Easter and please come visit again soon!

Frances

A New Trend!!

Dear Fellow Bloggers,

I know you think I moved away to a foreign land or am hibernating in a nearby place! However, neither is true!  It's been Holy Week at church and much business around that!

I'm going to start a new trend, I think!!!  I didn't get my Easter tree on the blog before Easter.  (You may also recall that my St. Patrick's tree was late, too!!)  Maybe this should just be the way I do things now!  hahaha  But I didn't want to let the holiday slip by without showing the tree!  So, here it is!  I'll be switching to a Spring tree this week!

Speaking of Easter, I had lunch at my house.  My child and his family didn't come.....they went somewhere else.  I was a little bit disappointed, but I decided that I would not be sad and sit around and cry!  SO, I called several people that are alone, and we all got together at my house and had a wonderful time!  It was such a lovely lunch, and everyone seemed so glad to be included!  I guess when life gives you lemons, you must make lemonade!!  I forgot to take a photo of my table, which was pretty with my mother's ceramic rabbits in the center of the table.  I took this after I had washed all the dishes except the glasses and chargers.  I couldn't believe I forgot my camera!!  Oh well, this gives a general idea.  It was very festive!

Holy Week and Easter were beautiful at the Cathedral.  Everything went so well and the music was fabulous!  (If I do say so myself!)  The choir was wonderful and I had a flute soloist along with the pleasure of playing our wonderful pipe organ.  The church was decorated to a "T" and looked gorgeous.  This is a panoramic photo of the Cathedral.  It's so beautiful!!!

My dear friend Janie has told me that she is coming for a visit in May, so we will try to get some finishing done!  We both have a stack to deal with, so I hope to show progress soon!!

Well, you know I have to show my granddaughter!  She came to visit me and we had a nice time!  We went outside on the porch for a while.  I had noticed her squinting and sneezing previously in the bright sun, so I had gotten some fun leopard sunglasses! You're never too young to be fashionable!!!

When we went inside, a certain kitty was not particularly pleased to have attention-getting competition at our house!  As I went to put her in the bed for a nap, Omar jumped in and gave a forlorn look!!  I think he feels he's been demoted!!  hahaha

Finally, here's a sweet smile to close with!

Thank you for stopping by!  I appreciate the few readers I have left!  I have been so sporadic in my posting, but I'm determined to continue my blog!  Thank you for visiting, and please stop by again soon!

Frances

Back Yet Again!!

Hello Blogging Friends!!
I am back to blogging now...Holy Week and Easter are behind me now!  What a great feeling to have it all finished!  Everything went so well.  It was really beautiful!

The week before Holy Week, we lost one of our retired Bishops.  We were sorry because he was such a lovely person and will be sorely missed.  I have played for priests' funerals before, but never for a Bishop!  It's a three day group of events!!!  And this was the week before Holy Week!  I could not believe it, but everything was wonderful.  It was a joyous funeral.  We just had to juggle things greatly at the last minute!  Bishops from all over came--here is a photo of them during the processional hymn.  Quite an impressive bunch!

I went shopping at the Salvation Army (after leaving some donations!) and couldn't pass up this little strawberry picture.  It was a whole dollar!!  I plan to take it apart and make a little pillow ornament with it!  So sweet.  I always feel bad to see someone's hard work end up in a junk store!

You all know how wild I am about my sweet kitty Omar!  I got him a little t shirt.  You can see that he is not a fan of t shirts!  His expression is priceless!  I guess I'm just not going to have a cat that wears clothes!!!  hahaha   It even says "mommy's little dude" on it! hahaha

I'm embarrassed to show my Easter tree now, but I will do it anyway!!!!  It was cute and I enjoyed fixing it.  I will pull off the obvious Easter things and add some flowers and butterflies to make it a Spring tree!

 

I love all my sweet bunnies and carrots!

Finally, here are a few photos of the Cathedral decorated for Easter.  It is truly a stunning place!

Our weather has been delightful in Mississippi, except for the pollen and oak tassels!! Everyone is snorting and snooting!  But that's just how it is at this time of year.  These azaleas were so pretty at the rectory.  The bushes are so full!

Thank you for stopping by and please come back soon!  I hope I will have more posts and finishes to show very soon!  I am planning a big finishing day--my stack is growing and I'm very anxious to jump in and get some things done!  Now that Easter is over, we have a long stretch of calm regular Sundays!  YAY!!  Nothing special!  I feel like I will finally be back in my normal life!

Happy Spring!

Frances

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Easter Sunday!

As a church musician, I have spent the last few days playing for Holy Week services.  It is very tiring, but also very beautiful and one of my favorite times of the year!
Here are a couple of glimpses of the glorious flowers in our church.  The Easter lilies are so beautiful, and here is a close up of the Easter candle flowers.  So pretty!

At our early Mass, the youth played their instruments.  I have such a good group--a flute, 2 violins, a bass, and 2 clarinets.  The youth cantor and I are sitting on the back row.  My adult choir sang at the later morning Mass.  Then I had my family for lunch.  I think I will be in bed early tonight!!!  But it was all worth it!

Thank you for stopping by and please come back soon!  Happy Easter!
Frances

It's Almost Easter!

Hello, friends!  Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, and that means Easter is next Sunday!  This year is really moving along!

I guess this means it's time to show my Easter Tree!  I've had it up since the St. Patrick's tree came down.  I've always loved sweet bunnies and lambs, so Easter decorations are darling to me!  This year I have cross stitch, bought ornaments, silk flowers, palm crosses from previous Palm Sundays, and some precious little things my son made when he was young!

In the right photo, you see a cute "hatchling" with a purple bow, designed by Sharon Welch, and located here.  The sweet brown and white bunny is a Prairie Schooler from A Prairie Year # 13.

I love the fat little orange carrot--I pulled it from some chart--I don't remember which one, but it's easy to find Easter charts with carrots!  I used some precious Easter fabric for finishing, and some egg printed ribbon!  At the bottom of the photo, you can see one of my son's little toilet paper roll bunnies that he made for our place cards one year at Easter!!!  They're getting a little smashed, but I still put them out--best place to save them is on the tree!

I must have really liked this bunny, because I stitched it twice!!!  They look different, though, so I hang both!  I found it here, and it works up quickly!  The one on the left is on linen, and finished simply with ribbon stripes.  The one on the right is on green aida and finished with lime and pink flowered cotton and some left-over pillow trim!  The hanger is attached with hot pink bunny buttons!

Here's a cute sheep that's part of a larger freebie by Jardin Prive, found here.  I used a button/lace edging and added a sweet sheep button on the right side of the lace.  This sweet variegated pink bunny is one of Homespun Elegance's eggs in Spring Eggs I.  I was afraid I couldn't sew an egg shape at the time I made this, but I have made several since then!!  

The sweet little yellow bunny on the left is a freebie from Kirsten Schmidt but I cannot seem to locate it online...The sweet egg-shaped hot pink Easter bunny is a freebie from Sylvia, located here. 
In the right photo, you see the sweet sheep again.  The darling egg shaped bunny with pink rick rack edging is part of a freebie from Val's Stuff, found here.   The cute little pink Peep pattern isn't online any more, but this one is probably the closest thing to it!  I used a hot pink bunny button and a carrot button to attach the hanger ribbon.

On the upper left, you see a peach flower from Prairie Schooler Spring Miniatures.  I added a little bee button and used some green African print fabric with it.  The sweet green bunny in the center is a freebie by Alexandrina and located here.  It's finished with cute dotted ribbon trim.  The two sweet turquoise rabbits with the ruched ribbon are by Nouveau Encore Designs and located here.  I used only the rabbits from the chart.  You see some crochet-looking carrots on the tree--I didn't make these!  They came from the mark-down shelf at Tuesday Morning a few years ago--I think they are precious!

I did go to Memphis again at the end of last week.  I did buy more things...I may need an intervention!  It's been so much fun, though, so I'll probably go back again soon!  I'll show you my purchases on the next post!

Thank you for visiting!  I hope you all have a happy and blessed Easter!

Love,
Frances

Time for an Easter Tree!!

I love fixing a tree for each holiday.  I got my Easter Tree finished and want to share it with you!  In addition to my cross-stitch ornaments, I have many different kinds of cute Easter things on the tree.  I added silk wisteria to the top this year.  Below are some photos of individual ornaments.

Many of these were precious freebies--some are rather old and I'm not even sure who designed them. But, the "hatchling" with the purple dotted bow above is by Sharon Welch.  I don't know who designed the cute carrot, but I think it must have come from a larger design.
The green bunny at the right is from Alexandrina at matryoskabiscornue.  The cute little peach flower is from Prairie Schooler Spring Miniatures--I added a little bee button! The two turquoise bunnies with the ruched ribbon are by Noveau Encore Designs.

When I began making these ornaments, I was trying to use up all the little fabric scraps I had. You know--they're too good to throw away and not good enough to keep???  Many of these are on various colors of Aida.  Some, like the cute bunny at the right are on linen.

The egg shaped bunny is from a freebie by Val's Stuff.   I don't know where the pink PEEP came from--it was in my freebie notebook, so I'm just not sure!  The sweet sheep is from a larger freebie by Jardin Prive.  I put cute button edging across the bottom and a little sheep button on the right side of the edging.

  

This sweet pink bunny is one of Homespun Elegance's eggs in Spring Eggs I.  I didn't think I could make the egg shape at that time, so I just made a rectangle with ribbon on the edges.  I don't know what lovely thread I used...

The tiny yellow bunny is by Kirsten Schmidt and the hot pink Easter egg with ruched edges is by Sylvia from syku66 blog.

I must have liked this bunny because this is the second time I stitched it!!!  This is some type of Christmas thread on pale green Aida.  I had some leftover pillow fringe that I ran across the bottom, for something unusual!  The bunny chart was a freebie by Cheryl A. Smith.

I hope you enjoyed this little peek into my Easter decorating!  Please tell your friends about my new blog and help me get some followers!  Thank you for your visit, and please come by again soon!
Frances