May-hem!

Hello, hello, hello!  I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm having a very hard time believing next weekend is already Memorial Day.  Really, shouldn't it maybe just be Super Bowl Sunday, or at the very latest St Patty's Day?  I feel like I'll go to bed tonight and when I wake up tomorrow morning it will be Thanksgiving!  Guess it's because every single day this month has been full, both at work and on the home front....

So starting with the home front first, I've managed to squeeze in a little bit more on poor patient Frances Eden.  Her final finish is within sight!

Not much left now but the bottom of the crazyhouse.  I was not really looking forward to all the solid stitching when I started in on it.  But, in true crazyhouse fashion, its been a hoot to see it come to life. Love how the colors are playing against each other so far....

Frances' finale is close enough now that I've really started playing with what to take up next.  My head says to stick to my vow and finish Hannah Pepper, but my heart is wishing for a new start.  Maybe I'll get Hannah out soon and let her speak for herself, in the hopes she'll say something profound and motivating to me.

Also on the home front, turns out the pepper plants on our patio that Jim has been coaxing along all spring have finally gone gangbusters.  Honestly, how many jalapenos can one family use at a time?  So early last Sunday morning, we got out our big pot, sliced those bad boys up.....

...to make jalapeno pickles.  Behold the fiery result:

 

Thank goodness it only yielded two jars.  Any more than that and we'd need life support.

But it hasn't just been fun and busy strictly at home either - our little roadster has a few more miles on it after yesterday's jaunt to St. Augustine.  With an unexpected late season cool snap, we had the perfect day to enjoy one of our favorite places.  Yes, the sky really was that blue!

As always, I'm charmed by the architecture of these old structures.  Like the details around  the lighthouse window....

....and the gingerbread on the Keeper's home.

But the best part is the reward you earn for making the climb to the top.

I could stay up there all day!

Oh yes...another reason May has been such a whirlwind.  It's not very often one gets to have dinner with this lady...

What a once in a lifetime thrill to attend the HIPPY USA conference in Washington at the beginning of the month.  Hilary has been a champion of the program ever since she was the first lady of Arkansas and she graciously donated her evening as the banquet speaker the first night.

The conference was full of sessions, but another important activity was the day spent visiting Capitol Hill for legislative appointments.   The weather was really wet, but I did capture a bit of it.

In spite of the miserable rain and limited time, I did manage to visit a few sites on my "must see" list.  It's hard to escape the Washington Monument -  for anyone who visits, it's a reference point to steer by....

Any girl from Illinois has to pay tribute to its favorite son....

Any advocate promoting the purposes of our conference also has to honor Dr. King...

  

Anyone whose  family was touched by the circumstances of the Great Depression and the events of World War II should acknowledge the greatest leader of the times...

....and any dog lover has to be charmed by Fala.

 


Well, now that I've written all this down, I'm suddenly realizing why it's the middle of May and how in the world that happened.  Wheww!!!  No regrets though, I wouldn't change a moment.  Here's hoping your weeks have been full and your stitching joyful.  Life is good!

Francis is in the (Light) House!

Hello everyone, I'm actually posting an update!  It's a soggy, drippy Saturday afternoon here, perfect for catching up on stitching and all the blogs I follow.  I'm actually grateful for the dreariness and resulting slow pace this afternoon, given the miles that have been put in since my last update. 

Well, since this is a stitching blog, let's start with Miss Frances Eden first..  Once again, the hectic pace of work and life have kept me from getting too much further with her, but when I put the first stitches in her last house this morning, I knew it was time to celebrate.  Here she is, in all her nearly finished glory. 

And a close up of the progress made since my last post....

 

At this point, I'm hoping that last crazyhouse at the bottom doesn't get bogged down, because I'd dearly love to give Frances her due and move on soon.  Those of you who've completed Frances will know there's a small over one verse stitched at the very bottom of the design, but take a look at this....

I've seriously misjudged the distance from top to bottom. It looks like that bottom edge is coming up waaaayyyy too short for even a single more row of anything.  Am I disturbed by that?  Not in the least.  In fact, in my heart of hearts, I'm relieved about it, because more room down there would have made me feel either compelled to put it in or guilty about not doing so! 

So there's my update on Miss Frances, even though there's not so much to show and tell with her.  Frances took what I hope wil be her final road trip with me earlier this week, but I think I'll save the details of the adventure for my next post.  So much excitement to share with that one!

Besides making it to Frances' crazyhouse, Jim and I also made a return visit to the Ponce  de Leon Inlet Lighthouse last weekend.  A day visiting the area is always a joy, from a distance....

 

 ...to up close and personal.

 

I love all the details we come across, from inside the lighthouse....

....and out.

 

And from top....

 

 



 ...to bottom.

This is the view of our starting point on the jetty, taken back from the walkway at the top of the lighthouse.

 

Well, I'm not done sharing my travel stories, but this does seem like a good place to pause for now.  Hope this finds you dry, rested and enjoying the details of whatever comes your way!