Happy Day After!

 

I thought I would post today, since I did finish something and I will be out and about this week, so I will be boring you with more bird and scenery photos, lol. I think that I will have to start new traditions next year, two Christmases is getting too much and today I was worn out.

The good thing was, I got things done around the house so we could get out for a ride tomorrow and I finished a piece, for next Christmas. It is a free design offered by Grandma's Trunk and you can get it on her website.

I was trying to do a gray shade at the bottom and realized it was green, so I rubbed and erased it, as much as possible. I may add some star buttons in the sky, but I need to get the right size.

Christmas Eve was our night, the boys got some presents and we had a nice dinner. As usual the boys were hamming it up, Alex loves his new Bean, look a like.

And Christmas was at their house. The boys got more presents and Nick had to show me how good he is, walking on stilts from Santa. I got Alex a robot that follows lines, made by a marker. He did not get that you cannot draw tons of scribbles, the poor robot was confused on where to go. 

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas, whether with family or a quiet day at home.

The week before Christmas

 I thought I would do an extra post this week, since we will be busy for the next few days and I may just put up some photos on Friday. I had some nice time out this week and started making masks for my niece who works at a vet's office.

I wish I had known they were all woman there, I wanted to get fabrics that anyone could wear and not too bright. The store had some beautiful fabrics for ladies, but she seems pleased with the ones I made up, so I will be working on more, so everyone has one.

We also got out for some rides and nature viewing. There are more Great Blue Herons this year and they stay during the winter. I spotted this guy in the marsh and just as I got out to get a shot, he flew further away, so I wasn't able to get a good close up.

At another area, I spotted two more, in a marsh. They look small since they are resting, but they are the same size as the ones above.

We sat at the Breeze way and watched the boats go by, and was treated to this seal, who popped up for a few minutes to lounge on his back. I always seem to spot them when they are moving away. 

And the most fun was watching these Common Eiders. They were fishing and the seagull was following them around. He tried with all his might to steal a crab, one had caught, but he was no match for the Eider.

And we got home in time to watch the boys go sledding, at the nearby school.  They loved sledding and it was a joy to see them having so much fun.

And at home, I am enjoying my feathered friends. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, and are able to spend it with family. May you be filled with the peace and love of the holiday spirt.

Friday Finishes and Feathered Friends!

 

Even though I do not need more decorations but I cannot resist making new things during the holidays. It is fun and a good way to fill myself with the holiday spirit. This week I finished a stitchery with a design by Kathy Schmitz. It is in her book, Stitches from the Yuletide. I was able to get a copy from our library and I copied the designs that I wanted to do.

This was a fun one, but a lot of stitching. I like making pillows since I can place them on my chest or the couch.

I also made an ornament for the kids. It came out bigger than I wanted, but Nick loved it and I do enjoy seeing the joy on his face when I give them a gift. They also got their boots tonight. Snow came early and they needed them, so they got an early present.

I also enjoyed watching the birds this week. I have been getting more birds since they have discovered the good feed is at the porch.

And with the snow, came more birds.  It was blowing so hard that I kept the porch feeder full and had visitors all day. It is nice to be able to enjoy nature in my own backyard, it is a way to relax and find joy amidst all the turmoil in the world.

Friday Finish and Fun!

 

This week has been busy trying to get last minute things done. Christmas is getting closer and I wanted to finish some things and get packages out, so most of it got done. Just a few more things this weekend and then I will quit, I need some stress free time to enjoy the holidays this year.

I was able to make a pillow with an old block I had made. It was a fun design by Tiffany, I do miss her designs and wish she hadn't stopped designing.

I also made up masks with the Christmas fabric. A few more for the boys and the rest is being sent to family and some donations.

We were able to get out for the weekend after the rain stopped. We took a drive down to the ocean and enjoy the views. Of course I spotted a hawk, and he flew off but the seagulls are always easy to catch a shot of.

And just as we started to pull out, a seal popped up but didn't stay long enough for a good shot, but the seagulls were more cooperative.

We also enjoyed watching the ferry and fishing boats, as they came in and out of the channel. It is a great place to park and just relax.

And I always enjoy sitting on my porch and watching the birds that come to my feeder. A Dark Eyed Junco, a White Throated Sparrow and a White breasted Nuthatch. I heard a bang on the back slider and the Nuthatch was sitting there stunned. I watched it for a few minutes and it finally flew off with no problem, so glad it was ok.  I hope you all had a nice week and this posting, finds you healthy.

Friday Finish and Fun!

 

This week I planned on finishing my snow people but I got a new stitchery from Kathy Schmitz for the club, so of course, I had to do the first. The design was perfect for an idea I had for the boys. Nick is always worried about Santa showing up, so this way he has a sign for him.

I added the lettering but I do wish I had used a kid's scrawl and spread it out more, but I am sure they won't care. I used a yarn that is more like roving to get the puffy look on the edge. I also used glitter threads on some items.

Last weekend we went for a walk at a river park, to try the side path. It was a nice walk, nice views of the river as we walked, but then we ended up walking sideways on steep hills, so we went up and walked the tracks for awhile. Of course the minute we turned to go back, it started to rain, seems to be our luck lately.

On Sunday we took the boys out. We had to drop off the trailer, so we took the truck and headed for the fishing pond. The boys had never been and loved hiking in the woods, lots of trails to explore.

After hiking they got to practice casting. Nick had a worm and Alex decided he wanted one too, no hooks but they didn't seem to notice.

And I had a new visitor this week, a male House Wren. I have only seen one in our bush area, and this one seems to be alone. He sat on the rail and watched the other birds eat, then flew off. He was back today, so I think he just wants to be around other birds and doesn't mind when I come out.

I hope you have a nice weekend. We have rain coming in and I am still decorating. So I will finish that and make the masks for the boys. I have a few projects to finish this week, one from an old block, so something fun to finish.

Friday works and Fun!

This week I didn't get anything finished, but I was able to work on a new project. I think I needed a rest and time to get ready for the holiday, so I made up a new stitchery that I can use as a pillow this season. The design is by Kathy Schmitz from her Christmas book and I was lucky enough to find a copy from a local library and copy some of the designs.

I am using three strands of floss so it will stand out more, I think this will be a fun pillow to display.

Today I wanted to get out for a hike, but my body wasn't cooperating, so we went for a ride to the quilt store in Connecticut. The boys have some events coming up at school and need fun masks, so I got the gnomes for them, then I found the cars and thought that was perfect for the guys. I loved the skate material and glad I grabbed a yard, I do have the same black with mittens and one with trees, so I will use it for a quilt and add some greens and reds to the mix. 

I think one thing that wore me out was, the hike we did last weekend. I wanted to try a new trail and hike for a bit to see how far we could get. I was having so much fun finding new ponds and enjoying the hike that we made it all the way to the end, Hell Hollow Pond. We ended up doing over 10 miles, so the longest yet, for me.

And the next day we went back with the boys. The weatherman lied, the rain came early and just as we got to the first pond, it came down. Luckily the trail back was tree lined so we stayed dry until it stopped. We took another short walk and headed to the campground for lunch and relaxing.

I have been watching the birds and practicing manual focus, so I can get the birds in the trees. The camera always wants to focus on the branches, so I was able to catch this Cardinal who visits the feeder.

And the male Downy Woodpecker is getting more used to me. I am still trying to get a shot of the Carolina wren, it comes and sits and chatters at me, but never when I have the camera. 

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. We had a simple, traditional dinner with the kids. 

Friday Finish and Fun!

 

Another week has gone by and I feel like I just started. I was able to get a few things done this week, one was the stitchery by Kathy Schmitz. She offered it along with the design for the monthly club and I thought it was perfect for the sewing room.

I also made some more masks. Some extra for Bill since he is working and does the shopping, he can use at least two a day. The others are for my son, he is using Gaters and they do not really offer protection. He has a larger round face so the mens didn't fit him. I went up a size and used blue jean fabric on two and black broad cloth on the others, so we will see if they are big and stiff enough for him.

Last weekend we took all the boys out, my son wanted to go for a walk and we ended up tiring them all out with a hike at Barn Island, for 4 miles. 

On Sunday, Bill and I went to the Patchaug forest in Connecticut. We took a new trail that took us down some old fire roads, then a path through the woods to the overlook. The cabin is a shelter for hikers, nothing fancy but nice when you want to get off the ground.

We also took some short walks up paths on the other side, to see what they were like. I will definitely want to come back to the boardwalk when the flowers are in bloom. The long trail with the pines goes for miles, so we may try more of that path, the next time.

At home I have been enjoying the birds. I got a new feeder for them, so hopefully I can get clearer photos of them. It is one of the joys I can enjoy at home. A Tufted Titmouse, a red Breasted Nuthatch and a Downy Woodpecker.

And the leaves have fallen, which is Bean's favorite time. It is useless to rake with Bean around. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and stay safe and enjoy some adventures of your own.

Friday Finish and Fun!

 

It seems this week flew by, but we did have an extra day off, so it meant we were out and about. I am working on a new stitchery and I was able to make a few new masks. My son is using the store bought type that have no protection so I made him some box masks to try. When I went to the store to get more flag fabric, I couldn't resist getting a little for the boys. Nick loves bright colors and glitter and the dots you see are bit of glitter. I also used ribbon with glitter in it. I also tried one With a Christmas print, that I have,  I will have to fussy cut to show off more of the fun designs.

On Sunday we took the boys to Fort Getty. It is the perfect place to spend the day with them. We park in the campground area so the boys have plenty of space to play and water views on both sides.

And the beach is there, so they spent time playing and Nick has become quite the glass hunter. Not sure what he will do with it, but he told me he needs a lot to make something. Alex is just happy playing and running around.

On Sunday we went back to Machimoodus park, I wanted to hike the trail we missed. It was a beautiful place to hike and the views from the top of the hill were stunning, but too many trees in the way to get a clear shot of the river and the foliage along the banks from the upper hill.

We also went back to Fort Getty when Bill got home, a little glass collecting and stunning sunsets. 

With another day off, we decided to head to Devil's Hopyard to see the falls. They weren't running as heavy as they usually do, but still beautiful. It was also sprinkling on and off all day so between that and the crowds, we only stayed for a quick walk along the path.

From there we headed to Eagle Landing. There is a coffee shop on the other side of the river and a nice place to sit and relax.

We didn't see any eagles, but this Northern Mockingbird stopped by to say hi and get his photo taken. It as drizzling again and the main storm was getting closer, so we headed home before it hit. It was definitely a busy week of exploring and it is time to do it all over again. I definitely need more time in the day, or I will never get anything done at home. I hope this finds you all well.

Friday Finishes and Fun!

 

This week I worked on my table runner, it is finally finished! I like to keep the runners simple for now since the cats sleep on them and occasionally a claw gets into them, so sadly, they don't last. I hand quilted this one, then I added a blanket stitch around the edge. It has a middle halloween block and pumpkins and fall around it, so I can leave it out for the month.

I also made a small lavender pillow with the monthly stitchery by Kathy Schmitz. This was a fun one to do and of course I changed a few things to simplify it.

We also had some adventures last weekend, though we keep it low key, just getting out and enjoying a few places was enough. We went for a ride and ended up at the castle, always a nice place to walk around and plenty of parking spaces. There were pops of color here and there and we even spotted an eagle, flying over the river.

On Sunday we headed to the island. Rain was predicted and I didn't want to waste what time we had, driving around. It was a great day for the beach, very few people and we got a nice spot with views.

And of course, we went to this spot to find some glass. The tide was going out, so we spent time searching and time, just enjoying the views. 

And I spent some time enjoying my feathered visitors. There are a lot of Black Capped Chickadees that live in the pines and they love to come when I put a bowl of seed on the porch.

And quite a few Tufted Titmouse. I think there was a boom in breeding this year, I have never had so many as I have this year. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and find some ways to find joy in the area where you live.