Paddling with a new camera!

Today we went to the state park, over 500 acres of water to paddle and I am tired, lol.
I got tired of hearing my parts are not in yet and waiting for my good camera from my BIL, so i decided it was time to get a waterproof pocket camera. I can put it in my life jacket pocket and just pull it out, no more opening the black box and pulling out my large one. Plus my old camera only takes about 5 shots before it is filled up, not good when you are out on the water and see lots of interesting things.

So, I did some practice shots, used the sony cybershot TX10 on autofocus and it does know what to focus on and gets nice clean shots with great color. I didn't have to do anything, just reduced the size and used as is. With the camera I broke, the photos came out on the red side and the old sony tended to be more blue, so it is nice to get true colors right out of the camera. There are lots of features, I nice touch screen, so I don't have to hunt on the body for buttons. It also takes movies and 3D, plus it is waterproof, I can take underwater photos too, so I can have fun in the water and out.

The bad things are, it is hard to get fast shots of birds flying by, lol. I think if I practice more and get used to what I am doing, I can pull out the camera and get smoother shots of moving objects. Also, since it is so slim and the shutter is in the front, you have to watch where you put your fingers. But for a pocket camera, I loved using it, love how the photos came out and think it is a great camera to use on trips or for your home photos. It even has functions for better portraits, so for an all over camera that is also waterproof, it is worth the buy.

I love how the colors look.



This is at the campsites, not sure where that band of color come from, need to check the lens. Then my photoshop crashed when I went to do another photo, so I gave up. My macbook doesn't have the room for the larger files, so guess it is time to clean out my excess files.

A day in the Cove!

Today I slept in, really needed it. Then I got to the doctors and it was a long visit, seems everyone else needed to get in too and since it is a clinic, you wait your turn. I just wanted to get out so I could go paddling, lol. I will be on two antibiotics this time to start killing off the lyme. I need to be symptom free before I can go off or it comes back and I don't want that to happen.

Since it was late, we went to the cove and paddled for three hours, well, paddled and strolled the shores, since it was low tide.
So many wonderful things today and with low tide, we could walk on and along side the breakers.



On the opposite side is a neighborhood and the old Navy base which is now home to Electric Boat. Anyone missing a boat?



There were lots of crabs and starfish. I like the contrast of colors on these.



Bill said this is a dog fish, wish I could have gotten a clearer picture, he was so ugly, he was cute.



And on the way back we paddled through town and then along the marina's. I guess another boat got lost and found it's way here. Tomorrow we are heading south for a paddle, so were we go will depend on what is open in that area.

The Calm after the Storm!

We were lucky, we got a lot of wind and rain, but no damage.
We did lose power, but then again, so did most of RI, lol.
We have a generator, so we were fine, just annoying to have it rumbling all day and night and cords all over the house.
At night, no lights so I walked into a few things, but now the power is on, so I can keep my night light on.

Today was so beautiful, sunny and warm with a cool breeze, the perfect day.
Without power, the doctor was closed, so have to go tomorrow. We decided to go to the town beach and see how the village looked and if there was a lifeguard still. I wanted to paddle from the beach, but you can't during the summer season and the lifeguards were still there along with a sign, no swimming. The heavy rains create bacteria in the coves, so they were being safe and no paddling today:(

I did get the house all cleaned again, cooking and laundry, so I can have fun tomorrow after the docs.
My garden looks sad, the wind really bent my plants down, but they are still rooted and growing, so at least I can still get fresh vegetables. I hope all of you that are still in bad areas, are able to get things cleaned up and back to normal. Prayers to those in Vermont who are going through the terrible floods.

Giveaway Winner!

Today I think I did more in one day, than I have all month, lol.
I seem to be getting rotten mood and irritability symptoms as the lyme die off, so I worked it off today.
Lots of items in the yard, that you don't think about, but could be projectiles in the storm, so everything got put away.
Then there is my garden, beans and veggies to pick and lots more coming in, especially my tomatoes, so I hope they live through the winds.

And I am one of those that hates being stuck in a dirty house, lol. I cleaned the house too, so we can rest and listen to the wind howl;) And laundry and some cooking, things that I might not be able to do if we lose power. We do have a generator, so I will have power for the important things like the refrigerator and the tv and a light to sew by.

If you enjoy giveaways, make sure you don't miss next friday. I will be doing a review and giving away a copy to one lucky quilter, so you don't want to miss that post.

And before we get to the winner, here is what happens when someone leaves the door open, while he brings things in;)



And I am not making this up, this is what happened and what they were saying;)



And onto the winner! The Random Generator picked number 2! The lucky winner is Anna of Woolie Mammoth!
Anna, you can pick any pattern from my ecrater site, just send me an email with your choice. And for the rest of you, a hurricane special for this weekend, buy one pattern and get any other of equal or lesser value for free. Just put your free choice in the comments section. If I loose power, it may take longer to receive your patterns or if you lose power and want to take advantage of the special, you can email me after Sunday and still receive a free pattern, just tell me your power went out;)
I hope all of those in the hurricanes path, stay safe and prayers for you and your families.

Halloween Mini Quilts!

I am still working on my ark, but I wanted to do something different and quick, for a break.
I decided to make some Fall pieces and made one for me and one I can give as a gift.
It is a good thing they are prim and Halloween, since my brain is really crooked this week;)

The pieces were made from a free pattern by Tiffany of Primitive Blessings.
She has lots of wonderful free patterns that you can use and lots of wonderful patterns that are priced just right, so worth a look.

Don't forget the giveaway in the previous post. I enjoy hearing your ideas and like the idea of using white on the peacock lane fabrics, I really think that will set them off. I also like the idea of cutting the summer house blocks in half and using that as a design, so keep them coming. I am still having bad days, so i rest more and try to keep busy when I can, but hopefully things will get better and I can start doing more quilting again. Next week, Bill has off, so he can do the work and take me kayaking all week, that has to make me feel better;)

I win, you win giveaway!

I have been lucky this month and have won some wonderful prizes, so I thought I would have a contest and you can help me out.
I won two charm packs and would like to use them for charity quilts. The top fabric is Peacock Lane by Violet Craft and the second charm pack is called summer house, which I won from Jolly Jabber.

Now what I would like you to do for the contest is, give me some ideas on how I can use these charms or if you know of a good quilt pattern that would work with these, give me a link so I can check it out. Or, how you might quilt a basic quilt for charity, something simple, but still special. Victoria of Bumble Bean quilts is doing a drive to get 350 more quilts to give to a local shelter, so I am hoping I can do a few before the deadline, but if I can't, I will donate them to a local shelter here.

So, leave a comment, throw me some ideas or links and I will draw a name on friday. The winner will win their choice of one of my epatterns. If you are not a quilter, you can still leave me a comment, maybe some ideas for other items I can make for charity or gifts for the holidays.

And for those of you who commented before I added a link, the creature on my kayak is called a Horseshoe crab and they are big. This guy was floating into the cove with the tide, so no, I do not pick up live crabs and put them on my boat, lol.

Don't pick up Hitchhikers!

I had to get my brain centered today, to get myself going, but I finally got in a better frame of mind and was glad I went out.
We paddled for over 3 hours, and since it was high tide, we could paddle in and out of the coves further in. I just took my time and enjoyed being out. I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.

"Didn't your mother tell you, to never pick up Hitchhikers!"



Why I never let Bill take pictures of me;)



We went into the village cove, lots of boats and the restaurant smells were making me hungry. I forgot my snacks at home. It was Bill's night for cooking, so we had fried shrimp, so now I am happy and full.

As for the time it takes to cook my green beans, I have no idea. Maybe because I cook them on low? But, the time in soaking and simmering, gives you the most delicious beans, just tender enough to eat, but not too soft to be mush.

Friday, Felines and Food!

It has been a long week and I had quite a few downs, but the last few days, I had more ups, so hoping for more improvement in the days to come.

Today was cooking day, I had things I had to cook. The veggies are coming in too fast and the kids need to come and take some off my hands. Today I made Summer Squash Puffs. I use this recipe, but I just use corn meal, not a mix, comes out the same. They are really addicting too, I ate an awful lot of them;) I make a double batch, so I have lots for me and Bill to munch on, they make great snacks, hot or cold.



I planted bean seeds, way too many and now I have way too many beans, so today was snapping and cooking. I presoak them the day before. It takes about 6 hours to cook them, so not a slow process, but well worth the effort, fresh beans taste so good. Hopefully my daughter will come over this weekend and take some off my hands, I let her have the cooked ones. No way is she going to spend all day cooking;) Now I wish I had kept my canning supplies, would be nice to have some garden veggies this winter.



Then I went out to see if I had tomatoes, just a few and not the best looking. Lots of rain this week, not enough sun and cooler nights, is not helping. I love fresh stewed tomato sauce. Of course I noticed I had a ton of cucumbers and another squash, like I need more. I have a container of pickled cucumber slices already. I use lemon juice instead of vinegar and some chopped garlic, fresh dill weed and oil. Great snack, side dish or as a topping on your salad.



I was putting away laundry and as you can see, Moki loves socks. He likes it when I throw them, so he can play catch and slobber all over them.



And here is the cat's favorite scratching post, haha. My camera has a flash feature that goes on when the light is low. It throws off little red dashs that were going across the rug and Izzy loves chasing red lights. I only have a few little things to sew onto my ark and then I will add details to the animals, then add a backing. I will add more stitches when I have the batting in, to define certain parts of the animals.

Surprises in the Mail!

I love entering contests and this month, I have been lucky enough to win a few.
This week has been mostly downs, but I keep plugging along and getting surprises in the mail, sure brightens my day.

One prize, I haven't gotten yet, but it is on it's way. I won a Rolling pin spice shelf from Carol of Firecracker Kid Primitives.
It also has a place for wooden spoons, I just love it and I picked out black. I do love the mustard though, but I decided since I have a lot of black pieces and never know what colors I might go with next, black will match anything. Carol has a lot of wonderful prim pieces that she and her husband make, I definitely have my eyes on a few things and they are always willing to customize items or make something to suit your needs.



Another wonderful prize was from Sharon of Moosecraft. I won this wonderful book. I have my eye for a couple of the quilts in the future. I really want to do some real quilting but my brain is still out in the fog;)



And a surprise from my friend Bren, who I originally met in a rug hooking group and is now a member of our PRIMUSA group on ebay. She said she had made this for me and never got a chance to send it, so decided now was a good time, to cheer me up. I love it and I am going to use it on my bench for fall, which isn't too far away. Summer sure is going by too fast. But while I am stuck at home, the generosity of friends and all of your well wishes, brighten my day.

This is the perfect size for my bench, and I can place items on it and still have the pumpkins showing. Bren who has been going through her own troubles, lately, still have time for others. I have also won some fabric and hope to make some charity quilts as soon as I am up to it. With winter coming, warm quilts are needed by shelters and Vicky has set up a wonderful blog where you can read about her cause and maybe donate a quilt to those in need.

Saturday on the Bay!

I really needed to get out and do things today, no matter how I feel.
It was a beautiful day, not too hot and nice breeze. So, we went to the cove.
It was hotter in the sun than I realized and it did tire me out quick, so instead of paddling in the coves, we went straight to the breakers. The breezes are so much nicer on the open waters and the views were spectacular today. It was so nice to get out and breath in the salt air, was so glad I went.

I do long to go out on the bay, splashing into the waves with my kayak, there is nothing like it. I will just have to a launch in the bay, then I can enjoy a paddle without having to paddle too far.



It was low tide today and lots of shells on the beach. I saw this conch in the water and pulled it out to look at it, then realized it was already occupied, lol. I thank you all for your wonderful comments and good wishes for a quick recovery. I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend, and enjoy the goodness and beauty that God has given us to enjoy.

Friday, Felines and Finishes!

For me, friday is the end of another week and lyme treatment and I think, I made it through another week, lol.
Actually I started on a Monday, so that is my actually two week of treatment day. I feel better in some ways, but weak and tired and it does effect me mentally. But, I know it is all good pain, the lyme is dying and someday I will feel good again and it won't come back this time. Weekends are nice too, I have Bill to boss around and cook for me;)

This is how the girls spend their day, bird watching.



And this is how I spend part of my day.... Working in the garden.....



And playing with Casey. Poor guy loves to play, so I have to make sure I spend a little time with him, outside.



And here is how I spend my nights, working on my ark. Adding more animals and birds.



And more animals and birds and some silly monkeys. I am definitely getting silly lately, but having fun;) I have a noah's book by janet bolton, so I used her monkeys, just need to add faces, as well as details on other things. I have a few ideas of what I want to add next, so we shall see;)

Life's Simple Pleasures!

I am in week two of my meds and I have my ups and downs. I am working on my ark and added two new animals and tomorrow I will add a border and start details and add birds. My camera doesn't seem to take very good photos of moki with a flash and he wasn't being cooperative. I tried taking photos of the bunnies in the yard, but they looked like devil bunnies, lol. But I was treated to a beautiful sunset this evening and was able to capture the lights in the clouds.

Sometimes we need to just enjoy the beauty around us.



Like the clouds, we are all unique in our own way.



And the simple love and sweetness of our kitties.

Animals, two by two!

I added a few more things this weekend. I finished Mrs. Noah and the tree and then added some animals. I took the elephants from the Country Days book, but I think they look a bit babyish, so I can going to add tusks to mine.



On the right side I went with zebras. I used the horse pattern and traced it out a little differently, then used this fun striped fabric that my friend kelly gave me. Later I will add birds and some will go on a back or two. I think it is coming out a little wonky, trying to keep it with the bottom lines for layout, but my brain is wonky too, so wonky it shall be;)

Still waiting for the camera part, it is supposed to come on the 15th, but I sure wish they would hurry, so maybe I could get some shots that show the colors better. So, you will have to bear with me and look at my horrid photos for now;)

Noah's Ark!

I was going to wait to take a photo, but I thought I would show you my progress. The picture is horrid, but i have to put up with my old camera which only has 5 mp's, so even in light the photos aren't great. I am using the book Noah, by Patek, Brannock and Kimmel. I plan on adding a few embellishments like a beard, etc, after I finish stitching the piece. I just wanted something fun to work on and I will hang it over my double doors. The space is narrow, so the piece will be 9" by 68" long. I will probably add a black border just to frame it, since it can't be too big. After I sew Mrs Noah and the tree, I will start adding animals and then see what space is left and throw some birds in the empty areas.

Today I started out feeling horrid, but then I went out for a swim and felt good enough to do some garden work. I have two yellow squashes almost ready and the beans should be ready for this weekend. Just wish the tomatoes would ripen, next year I have to start earlier. I really appreciate all of your comments and well wishes. My brain works on and off, so I can only do so much thinking in one day;)

Sewing Helper!

Today I am having a pretty good day, the pain has lessened, but the nerves have kicked in.
I know it will be up and down and it will get worse before it gets better, but knowing the end result, makes it all worth it.

I started a new project to keep my hands busy, I can only work so much at a time before my hand cramps up, but I am enjoying making it and I will show some picts when I get a little more done. While I was in my sewing room, cutting out pieces, someone snuck in. The cats really want to get into my room and I have to watch them. Moki and Izzy are the worst, they know to hide under and behind things so I can't get to them, lol. And they all seem to want to get to this spot and wreak havoc getting there.

Prim Goodies!

I finally took a photo of the new goodies I received from the prim swap in our ebay group, USAPRIM. Lori from HomeSpunPrims sent me the most wonderful gifts. I just love the items and can make a special grouping with them. She does such beautiful work, it is shame my old camera can't capture the work and warmth of the pieces.




I was feeling worse today so I went to a walk in clinic nearby, that has a group of good doctors and you don't have to make an appointment. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to drop again since Bill does have to go back to work, lol. Well, once he heard about the symptoms I had and questioned me further, he diagnosed me with lyme. My doc had mentioned it, but I don't remember even having a tick on me. But, for the last few years I have been getting sicker and it was frustrating. I didn't even realize that some of my problems were a sign of lyme, seems I have most of them. So, I am on a regime of antibiotics for a month with a follow up and hopefully this will work and I can start living again. With me it was effecting my nervous, muscle and joints, so I thought it was old age and not being in shape. My hands are even starting to feel better, so hopefully I can start working on some small projects this weekend.

I really appreciate the comments and good wishes and truly enjoy each and every one of my online friends!