Double Take - Take 4: Scotland! and Take 3: Finishes

After the tour with our needleworkers ended, Chris, Kim and I flew up to Edinburgh to spend a few days. What can I say, but stunning! The cities and towns, the landscapes, the green colors, the patriotic rush of freedom with William Wallace; all make Scotland a fantastic place to visit.
We strolled the Royal Mile more than once,

Scott Memorial down the Royal Mile...

toured Stirling Castle and the Wallace Memorial -well worth the climb up,

One of four tapestries hanging in Stirling Castle.....

Wallace Memorial - slim spiral staircase to the top - so inspiring to hear the real story behind William Wallace and all those who contributed to Scotland's freedom

went for a scenic ride out in the country up to Loch Lomond -breathtaking- stopping along the way.

Scottish countryside - isn't this gorgeous??

One cannot go to Scotland and not see the requisite bagpipes and kilts... very moving

Really old bridge....

More countryside...

Then we toured Edinburgh Castle and I went to Rosslyn Chapel in the afternoon.

Edinburgh Castle...magnificent

Royal Symbol of Scotland found in Edinburgh Castle


Rosslyn Chapel - this gives you no indication whatsoever how intricate the carvings are inside....truly remarkable... this chapel was in the Da Vinci Code.

All were so picturesque, it was mind-boggling. My absolute favorites, besides the countryside, were the Wallace Memorial and the Rosslyn Chapel. Pictures aren't allowed inside the Chapel and scaffolding is everywhere on the outside, so it's hard to appreciate the utter beauty of all the carving inside. It really is spectacular. I would love to go back one day and see more; maybe one day!
Thus concludes a wonderful, whirlwind trip through bits and pieces of Europe. Thanks for taking the ride with me and leaving me such wonderful comments. They are all much appreciated. :)

Now to a few finishes...a needlebook for Kathy K. for our beach meeting; she's received it now, so ....



Quilting, the headless wonder, is no more - she's fully able to quilt now and is ready for some summer Reading...


Cute as a Button, a darling pouch kit from Susan Greening Davis....


And lastly, progress on a few WIP's...
Secret Garden 3 -


Travel Sampler -


Thanks for stopping by...everyone have a great day!

Stitching...surely you jest

Finally, I have a few items to post related to stitching. I have worked on some gifts which I'll post later, but have some progress on a few more.

First, may I present the headless wonder? I only stitch on this at Mon. night stitching, so I'm taking forever. I need a swift kick to just finish the darn thing! Quilting by LHN


Next is Donna's RR in the Friendship Sampler....


Some bright and cheerful colors, but only two for a change instead of twenty different ones - Definitely more fun to stitch....Secret Garden 3 - HAED

I've been given this award by Wendy, Gabi, and Charlene, and been slack in saying thank you. Since I'm inspired by all of their blogs, I consider this a treasure.


I'd like to pass this award to all those in the Friendship RR with blogs.
Ann, Marian, Lisa, Kathy A., Sara, Donna, Willeke, Karin, Simone, April, Danielle, Karen, Diana.

All is Well

First and foremost, thank you all so much for your continued prayers for my friend Terry. She is doing great - in fact, she should be going back to work tomorrow. We are all truly grateful she is still with us; a few more hours and the end result could very well have been different. No news on the heart yet, though it appears to be ok so far.
My youngest DD had her wisdom teeth removed right after I got back, so it's still been busy. She's just about back to normal and will be heading off to her job for the summer tomorrow. I haven't stitched too much, but I do have a few updates.


Next in the Friendship Sampler RR was for Karen's RR. There's a lull in the next two rotations, as two of the RR's are delayed for the moment. Hopefully, they'll be returning to the fold soon.
Isn't this a beautiful fabric? I believe Karen hand-dyed this herself.

Quilting - LHN/CC is normally one of my Monday night stitching rotations. Hope to go ahead and finish this one up, so I can continue the series.

And lastly, I put some stitches in Mom's Travel Sampler. Didn't get to my HAED this week, but hopefully the next.
I hope everyone had a relaxing Mother's Day. Ours was fun, as my DD and DSIL and youngest DD were here for lunch, along with my mother. She doesn't often get to my house, so it was a nice treat for us all. DS and DDIL were here Sat. night and left to see her mother on Sun. Beautiful weather and everyone else did most of the work, so it was great!
On a more somber note, as we all know, what can bring pleasure to some can bring pain to others. Some mothers are no longer with them or their children aren't, so please keep them in mind and prayer. Hugs to all. :)