Busy week!

 

With the holidays, I have less time for working on my projects. Hopefully I can get to a few last minute things and spend some time relaxing and finishing my projects. I have the house decorated, the cards and packages mailed out and presents for the kids. 

My husband got a new vanity for the basement, but then found mold from using the wrong flooring. So that got redone and everything in, then he got stuck with the plumbing. It needs to be refitted for the new vanity, so plumbers are going to finish the jobs. 

The bad thing this week was, I cannot find my lighted trees and angels. I am afraid someone grabbed that box along with the ones for the church bazaar, so that has me upset, since I have no idea what else was in the box. 

One way I like to relax is to do puzzles. My son got me one last year, so I am working on that. Hopefully I can finish it this weekend, but the solid colors are going to be a pain to fill in.

With the cold weather, we haven't been able to get out as much. We like to take rides around the ocean drives and get out for brief moments and to enjoy the views. The breakaway campground is closed so it's a nice place to park and enjoy the views. They are still working on bracing up the breakaway with more stones. 

The island is another place we can ride around and enjoy the views. We took a walk around the lighthouse and the back paths, which help to keep the wind down. In that area are other beach heads and places to stop to enjoy the views. The winds were picking up when we got to the divers beach. 

                                        

We have a skinny tree, so I only put some many ornaments on it. The kids love checking out the kitty collection. I have been collecting for years, so I have a lot more than I can fit on the tree. Some are too big and breakable, so they stay in the boxes.

Every year I would get a new one from Hallmark, but they stopped making good ones and I have more than I need. I hope you all can finish up your holiday preparations and enjoy time for yourselves and creating.

Friday finishes!

 This week I actually got more done, the good thing about being laid up a bit. I still have a black and blue foot, but the swelling is down and I can walk on it, as long as I don't push off on my toe area. But the good thing is, I was able to make up some projects to keep my hands busy.

I tried another Easter egg. I saw the floral design on Pinterest and figured it was ok to copy it, though mine didn't come out as nice. I added a blue butterfly for an added touch. I can never get decent shots of my felted pieces, they look all fuzzy, but not in person. I started with a foam egg and wrapped the white roving around that, then felted it in, so it did warp it a bit. 

I also had one more stitchery to finish. Since I was sewing that and making lavender sachets, I decided to pull some scraps with fun designs, to make more.

I also spent a few days to finish my puzzle. It was not the easiest one to do, lots of details.

Last week we had a nice ride around the beach areas, always nice when I can't walk and it was still cold, but I could get out enough to get some shots. Lots of the ocean areas were fogged over.

At one beach we spotted the Horned Larks and another, I just caught the Kingfisher as he flew away.

We parked by a breachway and ended up sitting in the truck as a flock of gulls kept flying over us. It looked like a few had missing legs, and one with a broken one. They are constantly fighting over food, so they do get hurt.

And at another breachway we watched the Mergansers, fishing. In a pond I was shooting at the ducks and noticed a lone Merganser following the pair. I think it got separated from its flock and being younger, decided the ducks were his parents.

We stopped at another beach since I could get out and stand on the boardwalk, while Bill took Bean for a play on the beach. 

The last stop was at the wall to watch the surfers. It was really windy, the surf was rough and the surfers were not doing too well. I got a lot of shots of surfers in the surf instead of on it and a few legs sticking up in the surf.

This weekend will be windy and nice, so hoping we can get out a bit when it calms down. It is also my son's birthday, so we will have them over for dinner on Sunday. Next week we have nice weather coming in, so I am hoping I can get out and see if I can do a little biking on the paved bike path. I am really getting out of shape with all the injuries I keep having, so that might be a good way to get out until my foot heals.

I hope you all enjoy the coming week and enjoyed following along with me.

Friday finishes!

 

I have been busy this week, making some new things and trying new things. I tried some new paint markers and enjoyed using those. Much easier than painting and I am able to do a few rocks in a few hours. I am making more rocks so I will have a bunch for when the weather warms up.

I also made another chick, this one came out bigger and fatter and definitely went too big on the eye. I got some new roving in a lighter yellow and it is perfect for chicks.

And I also tried resin casting. I have been wanting a way to showcase my sea glass and also make gifts and I thought resin, would be a good way to show it off. I tried a couple with items I would get upset about, if I messed up. 

I over filled the molds,  but I learned what I should have done, so hopefully the next ones will be better. I need to get thicker molds so I can use larger pieces of glass. 

On Saturday we went for a waterfall ride. We stopped at several, one closer to home and then into Connecticut.

On the way back, I told Bill to take a side road to see what we could find. I was surprised when we got to the end and saw an old ski area and then Stepping stone falls. We always come from the other end and never knew that the road kept going into Ct. Of course we had to drive down, the bumpy, rutted road to the falls, but well worth it. I got to try my new filter on the falls.

The waters were high and the normal path was flooded, so we went around to the other side, to get the traditional bridge shot. Something we have done, since I was a little girl.

 On Sunday we went to Ninigret bird sanctuary. We spotted a family of deer, hidden in the woods and a few birds in the area.

On Monday we went exploring. I wanted to grab some craft supplies, so we headed up to the stores and then headed to the eagle pond. No eagles, but this swan, seemed to enjoy having its photo taken.

We then drove into the old part of town, to check out the old mills. We were able to talk a nice walk along the River walk.

This old mill is being converted into condominiums. It was wonderful to walk along the falls and listen to the rushing water.

I hope you all had a nice week and enjoy the weekend. We have frigid cold weather for a few days, so I doubt I will be outside for long. Good time to stay inside and work on new projects.

Friday Finish!

 

With the holiday, I was too busy on the weekend to do any crafting and then cleaning up and catching up, after the holiday. I cannot stand just sitting and watching tv at night, I have to have something to keep my. hands busy, so I worked up a simple project.

The design is from Kelley Belfast's sunflower and cat design, that I did before, but I separated and made two small pieces for lavender pillows. I have to store a lot of things, so I can always use them in my stash to keep it fresh smelling.

The holiday also means, 4 birthdays. The kids took Bill out for his night and then we took them all to Newport, to enjoy a day at the park. The boys flew kites and explored the ruins from an old mansion, as well as some time on the small beach area.

Afterwards we headed to Fort Adams and walked along the path by the water, to the forts.

For Memorial Day, they had Boots on the Ground and free admission to the fort. 

This is the main area, with each surrounding state, represented. 

Another area was just for Rhode Island and we visited Bill's Second Cousin who died during a flood. It was a wonderful day with the family and a wonderful way to honor those who gave up their lives to protect us.

I hope you all had a nice week and fun plans for the weekend. 

Friday Finish!

 

This week has been slow with crafting. With a long weekend, I tend to wear down, so I rested and caught up on things around the house. I decided to paint some more rocks, to hide. They are fun to do and this way I will have some, each time we go out. I only hide a few at a time in different places, that way, one person doesn't find and take them all, that does happen.

I have been finding designs on the web, I browse Pinterest sites for ones that interest me and are not too hard to copy. 

I did make a mess of the kitty in the pot, his side hair is not in the right position, my brain went on hold for a bit. Not the best photo, the light makes them look wonky.

To enjoy some time in the nicer weather, Bill took Friday and Monday off. On the weekend we had one nice day and one rainy day. On Saturday we took a ride up state to see a Blue Heron Rookery. Not as many as I expected and the sun was directly in front of me, so I had to do a lot of editing to get a few decent photos.

This pair was fun to watch and the closest. He brings her sticks and she places them in the nest, doesn't look too comfortable.

And while shooting, they decided to get started on their family.

Sunday we got to the beach for a bit and Bean was happy he got to get out to his favorite place. We also went to the beach this afternoon. A bit cooler today and the wind was kicking up, and the tide was high, so we only had a small area to search in.

On Monday we went to Connecticut. I wanted to see a few places where the ospreys were coming in and visit a few parks along the way.

Our first stop was our last stop, we went to the river, where there is a boardwalk into an estuary.

At the end there is a higher platform to see the nests in the area. There were a few already nesting in the area. We also spotted a few in areas further down, it is a place I would like to get out and paddle, to get closer to the sanctuary area.

We also found another area for a hike and bird viewing. 

Our last stop, which is last since we went up and travelled back down, towards home, was at Rocky Neck Park. It is a large park with camping and picnic areas, a bird sanctuary and a beach. I would love to camp at their parks, but they do not allow dogs. 

A few views around the park.

A lot of birds in the inner marshes.

And to make my day, an eagle. I had decided not to take a ride around the river and do more hiking than driving or hunting for eagles. While I was shooting, I heard a commotion. A flock of birds was trying to chase another bird away. I had to take a few quick shots, but when I got home, I was able to see, it was a juvenile eagle.

I hope everyone had a good week and fun plans for the weekend. 

Friday Finish!

 

This week Kelley Belfast offered a free pattern to show support for Ukraine. She is a cat lover and a lot of her patterns have cats and this one is a wonderful primitive piece with the kitties and the sunflowers for Ukraine. I pushed it a bit with my. bad arm, but once I get going, I cannot stop till I finish, with punch needle. It is a fun piece to punch and a great way to remember those in Ukraine as we send our prayers to them.

I was also able to see my first Snowy Owl. She is living at the old base and I found her resting in the airport. It won't be long before she heads back to the Arctic.

Another day we spent some time at the beach and I found a few new treasures. Finding a marble is always a bonus.

And at home, the birds are becoming more active. This cardinal lives in my yard, he is very territorial so no other cardinals are allowed in my yard, just his wife and their kids, which was a thrill to see this year.

I hope you all had a wonderful week.

Friday finishes and Fun!

 I have been working on a couple of projects that I am still working on, so the only finish I did, was some more masks for the family. I made the glow in the dark ghosts for the boys, something fun they can play in  as well as practical. Then I made matching kitties for me and the boys and they flags for Bill. I like the box style, even though it is tough to do a nice job on the ends, but they fit much better and not only can I breath in them, I can talk in them. That is nice for the boys, as well, since they can talk in the classroom without removing them.

I added a photo, wearing it, to show. you how it stays away from the face. It looks more pronounced from the side, but looks fine from the front.

On Saturday I sent Bill to the store to get me a new camera body. I told him the two choices and a list of questions to ask. Well, the store had no one that knew cameras so he went with the expensive one. I really wish I had more time to think on it, It is a nice camera, but more for a professional than for what I need. I do like how it syncs up with photoshop, so my edits are getting better, but it does seem like the photos run on the darker side. I guess I will just have to learn how to use this one, lol. The good news is, today I was looking at their website before Bill went up to take in the old one and mine was on sale, so Bill was able to get the discount taken off of our price, so I saved money. 

We decided to go to Fort Getty to walk and take some photos. It was dismal out, but with a little editing, I was able to brighten them up.

A picture of the lighthouse on Dutch Island.

A close up of the lighthouse. The photos have a higher resolution, so I am able to crop in closer and still retain most of the details.

And on the beach, I thought this scene was quintessential New England.

The next day we had plans but the boys wanted to play again, so we took them back to the island. They loved playing on the beach and Nick found more treasures than I did.

And all the boys had fun, just being boys. The campground is closed, so we had the place to ourselves, just a few visitors who come to walk around.

It was a wonderful weekend and I always find my greatest joy when we take the boys with us. I had taken a photo of Alex while he was walking further away and cropped his face for a close up. I was not trying for a portrait, but love how it came out, so I will practice more with portraits. I think that is one of the benefits of this camera, it can do nice portraits, so something new to learn.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and find time to find your joys and happiness in these trying times.