The Fourth of July

Every year on Christmas Eve, I have that moment where I stop and say to myself, "I can't believe it's Christmas Eve." I have that same moment on the Fourth of July. Time sneaks up on us so fast. I can't believe it's almost the Fourth of July and that the year is half over. And you know what that means--Christmas is only six months away . . .

Last year I started a Prairie Schooler sampler called "July." It took me a long time to finish because cross-stitch just takes sooo long, but I finished it last summer. Not in time for July, though. So I rolled it up and stashed it in a drawer until a month ago when I took it to a local shop to have it framed. When I hung it on my wall, it felt like the past year had rushed by way too fast. When I finished this sampler, I thought it be forever until I displayed it. Nope.


I really love Prairie Schooler sampler designs. Maybe I'll stitch some more and have all twelve months done by the time I'm sixty-two.

I also made some flags. I got the idea from Cody's aunt last year--she had such a cute table centerpiece full of these flags. Mine turned out okay--but I'm about as good as arranging flags as I am arranging flowers. I'm somehow not capturing the cute old-timey Stars and Stripes display as well as Cody's aunt did.

But I do love ticking. So much. And that ticking you see is left over from a much better project that involves a mattress and pillow. (Doll-sized of course. I mean, why would I make anything that isn't doll-sized these days, right? Geesh.)

So have a Happy Fourth of July! Eat some ice cream, blow up some fireworks, and think about your favorite Founding Father.

(Mine's Thomas Jefferson.)