IT'S A HARD LIFE

Yesterday I baked a chicken in Sher's Romertopf clay Dutch oven, made scratch biscuits with LARD - they were actually really good. Fresh green beans and corn. Bonnie brought dates and chocolate covered pomegranates for dessert. We also had to have butter and Jimmy's honey with our biscuits. After supper we all walked down to Massalina Bay, me with Oscar in tow. He had to sniff every tree, stick, post and flower along the way but was faster coming home. I'm sure it wore him out-I don't feel as rested today-back hurting some.  We put all the chicken bones and scraps in a pan and will cook it down to stock today. I never cook a whole chicken at home because Paul only likes the white meat. I do like the legs as well, but not so much the wings. I could make my own stock with leg bones...

Sher's car has to have work on the transmission, hoping it's not a total replacement.

My "chores" this morning were changing the dishwasher, cleaning Jordan's old high chair that Paul assembled for Sher, Swiffer-mopping the linoleum under the table-she loves the old floor covering, and watering her outdoor plants-geraniums, asparagus ferns that Diane gave her.

I got the cross-stitch back in the frame, but piece needs to be secured inside the mat that is around it. Sher is going to take it to Hobby Lobby for that and to have the back sealed with paper. She asked if I wanted her to come by and pick me up before she goes! She had to ask?? A trip to Hobby Lobby is like a trip to the candy store for a kid. I want to get a couple of crochet hooks (K and N) and look at the crochet thread. I made her two ruffled scarves yesterday and she wore one today. I looked online at another way to crochet them- she had bought one and it's actually crocheted. This is a good tutorial-I had already learned the first way.http://m.youtube.com/?reload=7&rdm=04uo#/watch?v=eYB86eoZ97U

Oscar is down for his morning nap and I'm going to read. I may try to work on an old cross-stitch I started many years ago, which I brought with me. I think it's the only cross-stitch I've done for myself and of course it's the only one unfinished. It had magnolias and maybe jasmine so of course I need to finish it since we now live in the Magnolia State. I've worked some on it today and the similar shades of floss make my eyes cross. I had never used a grid before on fabric when working one but that may be a good solution. You grid your fabric (5x5 or 10x10 squares or whatever size you want) to correspond to the printed pattern.

These are three I've done for Sherron in times past. The wedding bells is the one I changed for Melanie and Kevin. Sherron has the china with the Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, that the first cross-stitch goes with.

I told her I need this one now since I live in the country, but had to settle for a picture of it.

Melanie & Kevin's. The bells have metallic thread. I did this for Sherron in 1992.