Friday Finish!

 

As usual I am working on several projects and started a new one. Most are taking time, so I always like to have a smaller project to finish for the week. I found this design from Dearie Dolls, who seems to have disappeared from the web, but still has her blog with freebies.

I made this for the kids, so I wanted it to be fun. I am still trying to get the blue pen out, but once that is set, I will use glitter in the snowballs. It is still wet, so it looks discolored.

Last week we went for a ride and stumbled onto a ceremony at the Westerly cemetery. It was for an area that only had one grave and later it was found out that there were 172 people buried there. They had veterans from each era represented and this group did the 3 gun salute.

On the weekend we drove into Connecticut so I could get some fabric and then stopped at a park for a walk. Lots of birds along the river, most were far away or constantly moving, but I got a few decent shots.

After we drove to Eagle landing on the Connecticut river and I was surprised when I saw the nesting eagles, hanging out in the trees nearby.

The next day we went into Connecticut again to visit the fish hatchery. They have paths along the river and into fields, so a good place to walk and enjoy the birds. 

Today we went to Jamestown, a nice place for a walk and enjoy some beach time, Beans favorite. I caught this bird, hanging out on a rock. I hope everyone had a nice week and nice weather for this weekend. 

Friday Finish!

 

Since I am working on several large projects, I like to have something that I can make up quickly. This Christmas mat is a pattern from BareRoots. I have been gifted a lot of items on top of things I have bought over the years, so trying to finish them, a bit at a time.

Last week we went to the pond, to see if we could find the eagles. None in sight this time, but I did catch a Killdeer at the water's edge.

After we went for a walk at the bike path. Would love to try my new bike there, but it is either too cold or too windy lately. Lots of Chickadees at the park.

Today we went to the lighthouse. It was windy but warmer. Lots of seagulls were enjoying, floating in the winds.

We ended up taking the back paths and found out they go a lot further in the opposite direction, so we got a nice long walk, along with views of the bay. 

Most of the foliage is gone now, but we still see pops of color, here and there. My backyard came in late, so this was last week and now they are bright yellows and falling with the wind. I hope you are all safe from the horrible storms, crossing the middle states. We have good weather this weekend, so hoping to get out for long walks and maybe a bike ride.

In the works!

 

This week I have been getting some pieces ready to finish for Christmas. I have a lot of unfinished projects, so for now, I am working on ones I really want to finish. Then I can decide what to do with other projects later. 

One project was a tree skirt. I made this years ago, all pieced by hand. I decided to sew it inside out with the batting and backing. My idea was to do ties in each hexagon, but not so sure now. I am wondering if it would look good if I quilted around the design elements from the outside in, then left the gold pieces, as is. Any suggestions are appreciated, but I am lazy, so simple is best, but I want it to look nice. I messed up the center, it's a bit wonky, but not noticeable when it is around the tree.

The second project is a large wall hanging. I have a rod hanger over our front entry, so this will be perfect to hang there, hopefully it will fit. I have the stockings and stars done, so next is sashing to piece those together. Next will be side pieces with trees and stars, then the top and bottom will have a saying. I realized I didn't have enough of the original black, so hoping to find the same type at the store this weekend.

I decided I wanted to have fun this halloween. We don't get kids anymore and live on a road, so no one stops by. So, we went to the kids and got to have fun with them. I changed my look a bit, went with an ugly witch look. The black spots on my face are spider stencils and I used the face paint to enhance my wrinkles. The kids live in a rural area, so the houses were more spaced in some areas. We took our truck and I got out with the kids and walked to houses when they were closer.

The funniest thing was, Alex would not go near me when I came, I guess I was a bit too creepy for him. Once he realized grandma hadn't turned into a real witch, he was fine.

Some of the neighbors had some cool displays and at one house, they had beer and pizza for the adults. It was fun to see the boys having fun and see the displays and other kids. This is one of the best displays we saw, they had a lot of other items in their yard and a fog machine.

I hope you all had a fun halloween and enjoy your weekend. 

Friday finish and fun!

This week I worked on finishing my Christmas mat. I had different snowflake fabrics and I like how they fit together. It still has enough of a prim look to fit in with my decor, and just enough pop to make it festive. The edge on the front is how it looks, the other edges are a bit messed up looking since I use AI to put it in a new background.

 

Last week we did some rides and sight seeing. We headed up state and stopped at the Dam. It is always a nice view.

After, we headed back to another pond. We even spotted the eagle, across the pond.

We got a nice walk along the pathways and stopped at the falls. Most of the falls are starting to slow down, with the lack of rain in our areas.

We went into Connecticut and took a scenic route home. Not as much color as I had hoped, but the farms alway offer beautiful views.

Another day we went to Connecticut since I wanted to get one more bag of apples, before they close. We stopped at the Yantic falls.

Another view of the railroad bridge. Even the falls here were light and slower.

We have been getting some light walks in and today we got a longer walk with rougher terrain and hills. I spotted a lot of birds and heard a lot, but none would stay put for a photo.

It is going to get cooler but sunny here so hopefully we can get more walks in this weekend. I hope everyone is enjoying the cooler fall weather and can get out and enjoy walks in your area.

Busy week!

 This week I have been catching up from camping. Lots of cleaning and getting ready for Halloween events. The kids have a trunk or treat so I may go to that and we have some activities in town, so I decided I wanted to have fun this week, and dress up.

I have lots of black clothes, so I have a black skirt, hooded shirt, lace sided jacket and black tights, along with black booties. I also found a hat that I can decorate, I am waiting for black gloves and accessories to add to hat. A bit of mousse and I can frizz or curl up my hair to make it stand out.

I am not sure if you recognize the look, but I was going for the Stevie Nicks look, but most think I am a witch, lol. She has long blond hair with bangs, but I had trimmed mine recently and I refuse to cut my hair into bangs.

We had a nice weekend, a bit cooler and windy, but nice weather for getting out for walks. One beach I never go to is nearby, so we went there and walked on the boardwalk and along the beach. The tide was coming in and the seagulls were waiting for things to wash up.

We also went to the fishing beach to check out the waves. I was watching this boat and as it came around the rocks, it seemed to stop and get rocked around by the waves. It finally started its motor and was on its way, not a good place to stall out.

On the last night, I was on the hill to see the sunset. As I was waiting, a flock of Great Blue Herons flew overhead and were caught by the setting sun.

At another beach we checked out, I spotted a few crazy people, fishing as the tide came in.

I also spotted a group of Cormorants, hanging out in the channel. 

We also got a day to explore the river ways and the foliage. It was raining in the morning but we got a break in the afternoon.

An old mill that sat beside a waterfall dam, but they redid it so the kayakers could get through easier and to help prevent flooding.

And on the other side of the bridge.

While out we went shopping and couldn't resist getting Bean a present. He loves it but hates having his photo taken.

And I am lucky enough to be on a high porch in the back, so I was able to catch the comet. It is still visible but not as much, each night, till the end of the month. I hope everyone had a good week and can enjoy the weekend. 

Halloween fun project!

 

This week I got an idea for a Halloween banner. I found some fun ghost templates and printed them out on card stock. I left them uncut until I painted them, to save on mess. I used glow in the dark acrylic pain and brushed 3 coats on them. When dry, I added the faces and then cut them out. Simple and fun to do.

I used yarn and threaded it through the tops of the ghosts until I covered the area, I was using.

And this is how they look in the dark. And this is where you can find the templates. 

Last weekend we took the boys to the orchard to pick apples. It is always more fun with the boys.

I let Nick have his own bag, he loves apples. Alex wasn't in a good mood and he wanted a pumpkin, so I let him pick his own and he was much happier after that. 

Another day we got to walk on a new path. The path goes by a camp and has a path along the fence line. It also goes along a beach area. 

It is a beautiful area, very quiet and I could see the lighthouse on the island, a new perspective.

At the end we spotted a few fishermen, braving the surf.

Last night I was hoping to see a bit of the lights from the Aurora. I didn't expect it to be so bright and so beautiful, it was mesmerizing and I could see it in all directions from my porch. This is one of the photos I captured, with my iPhone.

And another with a different hue.

Today we got to camp. As usual it was windy, very windy. Since I seem to have caught something else, I am taking it easy, no biking or paddling. We went to the fishing area to see the sunset tonight, something we can do from the car or the hill, without walking too much. The clouds turned the sky into beautiful hues of yellows to red.

Looking to the light, the sun cast a reddish glow. Luckily we got a waterfront spot so I can enjoy relaxing and enjoying the views. I did bring some sewing so I can work on that. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Working on!

 Last weekend we finished our camping trip and on Monday, I woke up sick. At camp, lots of people stopped to pet Bean and talk and a few wanted to look inside our trailer, so not sure if someone gave it to me or I got it while shopping. It's been a rough week but I am finally at the end of it and feeling better today. 

Since I did not want to just sit and be miserable, I made up a project to keep my hands busy. I took snowflake fabrics and made up a table topper, for my side table. Just basic stitching and I will probably just do an X in the centers. 

On the last day of camp, we got a nice walk in at the beach. The tide was low, so we were able to walk to the end.

And I was able to spot a Semipalmated Plover on the rocks.

And they I decided to go to the bike store and check out the electric bikes. I ended up getting a good deal on a basic street bike. It is easy to peddle and when I need to go up hill, I just hit a button and the motor kicks in. You have to peddle for it to work, but going up hill is like going on a flat surface, with the peddle assist. So, now I can bike and go up hills, but I didn't think, it is a street bike and I felt every bump, so not sure if it will do well on trails. For now I can ride on easy roads and build up my strength, then I can use my mountain bike, with shocks, on the paths.

Today I was feeling good enough to walk at our favorite beach. It is private but no one cares after the season. It is mainly flat and a good place for Bean to play and swim.

And when I got home, I was visited by a Praying Mantis. He was just hanging out and resting. Then a Dove came up behind it and a sparrow landed in front. They were just coming to the feeder, but the Mantis went into attack mode. It is funny, because both birds took off.

I read that they bring good luck and right after, I went onto the computer and found a waterfront opening at the campground, so that is where we are going again, next week. 

I hope you all had a good week and not affected by the rains and flooding. Prayers for those that are.