Weekly Wanderings!

 

As usual the week went by and I still have a million things that didn't get done. Most of the week was spent, repacking the RV and getting things done around the house. We did get to spend time outside, which is always my favorite thing to do.

A day with the boys is always the best. We took them to a park that has a bike path, so Nick and I got to enjoy riding together, he loved it.

There is also a playground, so Alex got to have fun with Grandpa and Nick joined in after our ride. Anpd then we stopped at the ocean for some fun in the sand.

My favorite thing was playing with Alex in the waves, every time a wave washed over him, he would jump up and down and laughing. It is such a joy to see him having so much fun.

And we spend time at the ocean, beach combing. While there I enjoyed watching the Common Terns, while they dove for fish. They are amazing aerial acrobats.

And a lot of life in the inner marsh.

I also did a bit of shopping. I found the perfect lantern to hold glass and with a set of tea lights, I now have a night light for my bathroom.

If you are looking to do a little decorating inside or out, the craft stores have some really great sales, right now. I was able to get two new bird houses, for only 10.00, a piece.

I also love backyard birding. I have not seen any Cedar Waxwings this year, but I finally found them. They are hiding in the back area with other friends, enjoying the Mulberry trees.

And we seem to have a lot of Robins this year, my yard is covered in them, especially after a rain. You can see the different colorings on these Robins, the young ones haven't gotten all their color yet.

And a new visitor this week, my first sighting of an Orchard Oriole. I hope he comes back to visit again and I can get a better shot. I hope everyone had a wonderful week. I may do an extra posting next week since we will be on vacation and of course I will be taking lots of photos.

Friday Finish!

 I want to thank everyone for your kind words and prayers. Bill finally came home and he didn't even last a day, he was back in the hospital. In the short time he was gone, they were out of beds, so he was put in the basement, which didn't make me happy. The good news is he is back and doing well so far. He is on lots of meds for now and next week we will start the office visit for his knee and then back to his regular heart doctor for some new problems that need to be addressed. 

It seems this year has not been good for most of us with Covid, missing family and health issues, so we can only take one day at a time and enjoy each moment we have. Yesterday my body finally gave out, my arm is messed up and that threw my back off more, so the added work load is a bit too much. But, I am good enough today to do a few things and hopefully I can get out for a bit tomorrow,  I do need my outdoor time.

Since I was stuck on the bed most of the day, I decided to finish my needle felting project. I decided to make an egg and decorate it with a little scene. Of course what I had in my mind, is not what came about, but it was still fun to do and I learn, what not to do, next time. 

The photo isn't great, it always makes the wool look grainy, but is is much softer looking in person. I didn't want to waste roving, so I made an egg shape form with wool batting and stuffed it with some stuffing, so not a perfect egg shape.

I try to spend my quiet time on the porch, a few minutes of fresh air and a few visitors, always lift my spirits. One day a Juvenile Red Shouldered Hawk was soaring above the field, behind us, and I caught him just as he dove down, into the field.

I was also able to get out for a little shopping therapy. I found a rustic bird house for my yard.

And a sparrow has taken over the tin house, so hoping the others will be occupied soon. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and may health and joy, be with you and your family.

Friday Finish and Fun!

I didn't get a lot done on my projects this week, but I did finish more masks. I have some flag material left, so I will finish that off and not make too many more unless it is for a specific person or someone asks. It is hard on my hands and joints, and I have a ton of projects waiting to be finished, so I will start working on those.

I also tried a new style, a box style. It was a lot easier to do and easier on my hands, but tougher on my machine. There is more finish sewing and going through the thicker edges, is not making my machine happy. I like the look in one way, but the stitching seems sloppy. It also is too snug on my nose, so you have to wear it looser, which defeats the purpose of wearing one.

If you want to try this style you can find the video on YouTube. It is easy to follow and I think if you have a smaller nose, it might be perfect.

We also got to spend time with the boys this weekend. The beach was more crowded so we left after a bit and took them fishing at a local pond. It was nice and the boys had fun. Nick got to use a real hook and Alex practiced with the plastic fish, but it only took one lesson and he was casting like a pro.

And for my quiet time, I have been sitting on my porch and enjoy the birds and critters who come to visit. Some birds have left the nest but these two still have a brood that they are feeding. 

Bill has the next week off, it is our anniversary on Sunday, 45 years. We had planned on going to Maine, but that is cancelled, so we will have to do day trips in our area. I was planning on trips to western Connecticut but we may be in for a heat wave, so hiking may not be the best activity. I guess it is time to get the kayaks on the water, so we will see were our adventures take us.

Friday Finishes!

I am slowly getting back into creating again, sitting and relaxing is just not in my nature. Relaxing to me is working on projects while I watch tv and with the cold weather, I will be doing more of that for a few more months.

I wanted to try a punched kitty, like the ones I did with cross stitch. I used one of my cats for this piece to see how it worked. I am not thrilled with how it came out. I used 6 strands on all of it and a higher height for the designs and face and It came out too sloppy looking and the design is too big for the area. So, I will make some new ones with new ideas and designs that I thought of, while I made this one.

I was thinking of making a pair and they could be used as Christmas ornaments or stand alone. If you have any ideas of what  you would like to see, in new patterns, let me know and I will see what I can create. If I use your idea in a pattern, you will receive the pattern for free!

I am also fighting off lyme symptoms again, so my joints and nerves ache, which makes it harder to do nice work, but I will still create. And my brain is on hold most of the time and I just noticed, I forgot to add his bell in the front, duh. I think for the next kitty I will make a collar to go around his neck.

I also finished another block from the garden stitchery. Only one more to go and then I can decide on borders and how it will go together. It takes me longer to stitch since I mess up a lot and have to take it out to fix stitches that are spaced apart, ones I didn't notice at first;)

I hope everyone has a nice weekend. I am hoping to get out and enjoy a ride to the ocean, even if I have to sit in the car, it is nice to just be at the ocean. We may get a warm up, over 40 is going to feel warm.

Happy Present!

Sometimes when we feel down or sick, we need something to cheer us up. When I was little my mom would get us a happy present when we were sick and stuck on the couch all week.

Last month I won a giveaway hosted by Brenda of The Rusty Thimble. Brenda makes the most wonderful prim items, from pillows and ornies, to dolls and holiday items. This month she is giving away a wonderful americana piece. If you love prim items but don't have the time to make your own, visit Brenda's Etsy Store, she has a lot of wonderful items for sale and she changes her stock regularly and seasonally.

Brenda waited to send my gift and I am glad she did, I was not ready to get a gift but today it arrived and it was perfect timing. I needed a happy present to lift my spirits, it has been a long day and lots of laundry and organizing clothes.

My bunny is so wonderful, I love her looks and clothes and she is a lot bigger than I realized, so she sits beautifully on the shelf with the antique crazy piece. I think she will stay up for the rest of the season and maybe she can be my garden bunny for the summer.

I have also been stitching this week, slowly but I am in no hurry, it keeps my hand and mind busy and it is nice to do something normal when I can. We also went to church with our son and my sweet grand baby, having happy moments with him helps me to get through the tough moments. I appreciate all of your comments and support and I do have future plans that I will work on when I can catch up on sleep and my mind is not so jumbled. I cannot dwell on the pain and the senselessness of it all. I will be starting a new blog in memory of my daughter to help others and for future charity events.

I hope you enjoy my little stitchery, it is a block by Theodore Cleaves and she has graciously offered the whole set for free. I love the designs and they make me happy as I work on them. I may make smaller quilts or a larger one, but for now I just stitch and enjoy the process.

Blessings to you all!

Friday Finishes!

I had a slow week, a bit of sewing a bit at a time, but I was able to finish one project and make two small ones.

I have been working on the stitched pillow for months, and I finally finished it. It is nice to have a large project that I can work on when I am done with one and waiting to get the next, ready. This is a design by Kathy Schmitz in her book, Simple Pleasures in Redwork. I have made a few of the projects from her book and have a few more that I like, a book that has a lot to offer with all types of projects.

I added the border with a reproduction print to match the blue couch. I do wish I had looked at the border before sewing it on, it should have the top and bottom with the longer pieces to balance it out, but it will have to do. It is an odd sized pillow so I cut up an old pillow to fit the size.

Since my hands are still bothering me, I did up some small stitchery pillows. I can't just sit and do nothing, so hopefully my hands will heal soon and I can get more done. At least I will have lots of gifts for this year:)

The angel pillow is a design from the book Heart Warmings by Pieces from my Heart. I reduced the design for a mini pillow. The deer is a design by Robin of  Bird in the Hand Primitives. Robin has a lot of wonderful free designs that she changes with the seasons.

I antiqued these and then added some stuffing and Balsam. I add stuffing to keep the pillows from being too heavy for shipping.