Holiday Finish!

 I was able to finish my Christmas quilt, just in time. I machine quilted the edges around the blocks and then I hand quilted around the mittens with black and used white in the patterned blocks. I didn't use any pattern, just made up a mitten template and used a variety of wool textures. It was a fun way to use up wool and some fun fabrics I had gotten, last year.

Last weekend we went to the mill to pick up corn meal. I spotted this guy, outside of the mill.

We also made a stop at the thrift store. This store always has fun things and great prices. I found fun snowmen to add to my collection.

And a nativity set, that I couldn't resist.

After some shopping, we drove around the salt water ponds and I spotted this guy. He was busy fishing, so he didn't mind me, taking photos.

Yesterday we went to the island and walked on a few beaches and around the lighthouse. Lots of Common Eiders and a few Harlequin ducks, braving the surf for a meal. A Downy Woodpecker was enjoying the berries at one parking lot.

We also got to spend time with the kids. Mom and dad went shopping, so the boys stayed with us. While here, we did a family shoot so Ivy could sent photos to her family in Malaysia. This was one of my favorites, the background is AI generated.

Now it is time to get ready for Christmas. We have the kids on Christmas Eve and go to their house on Christmas. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, in whatever way you may celebrate. May you find peace, love and joy in the coming days.

Friday finish!

 I hope everyone had a nice holiday and can enjoy a relaxing weekend. We have cold and windy weather, so not great weather for being outside too long. Since I was busy with the holiday, I decided to make a few pillows with an old pattern, I had done before. 

This is a design by Red Button Company. My buttons were a little larger than the original ones, but they still worked.

We had a visitor to the yard this week. I was trying to get closer, but it spooked him and he flew away. It is a Pilieted Woodpecker.

We also had a nice dinner with the kids. Today my son came over to help my husband, with a new bathroom vanity for the basement. We need to work on our main bathroom, so I wanted a better vanity I could use when they start working on the other. Unfortunately they found mold and damage from a leak, so they had to put in a new floor and we will have to get a real plumber to fix the pipes.

I hope you all have a nice week and finding time to enjoy the coming holiday weeks.

Friday Finish!

 I hope everyone had a nice holiday. As usual, ours was a bit hectic, but I was able to get everything done and enjoy time with the family. I have been working on hand quilting and a puzzle that I got for Christmas, nice ways to relax. I also need more sachets to replace my old ones that I use to keep my items fresh smelling. I made up this little pillow and stuff with lavender. The pattern was free and you can get this one, along with many others at Pinker and Punkin blog.

We got out for some rides and bird watching, but this week we had more rain, so we were stuck home more. I was able to catch this gull, enjoying a snack on the cliffs. 

I took a few photos of the family at Christmas but the quality is bad in low light. Alex wanted me to take a photo of him with his new gun, so I took the photo and had some fun with editing.

And this one, was edited with the new AI in photoshop too. I love how I can tell it to make backgrounds to have fun with family photos. I hope you are all enjoying your weekend and hopefully the rains will stop and we can get out before it gets too cold.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I finally got the binding on one of my wheel chair quilts. I watched a video, about 10 times and still messed it up, lol. I think I need to watch more videos so I can do the edges better, but it still came out nicely and hopefully the recipient will enjoy it. The colors are a bit bold on some blocks and dull on others, but it looks nicely together, in person.

If you would like to make some of your own, to give to others, you can find the pattern here: Hearts Creations.

On Saturday we went out with the kids to a local pond near their house. It's a great place to take photos but the river was overflowing, so a lot of the areas were saturated. We got a few good photos for them to use and always fun to spend time together.

This one was one of the better photos of the family, but the background was dull, so I took them out of one photo and put them into one I had taken, without them. It looks nice with the bright colors behind them.

On Sunday we went for a ride into Connecticut to check out an area that has a dam and a bike path. Once we got to Case Mountain, we ended up hiking to the top. It was well worth it, the views were spectacular. We were looking down at Hartford and the surrounding area.

The hike was up and down hills and a lot of rocky cliffs. It also follows a river, so a nice hike with beautiful views. Unfortunately the water was running low at the dam.

On one path, we ran into an old cabin. I can imagine how wonderful this place was, in it's day. I always did some research and found out, it was used in the movie, Animal. I am glad I haven't seen that movie, I might have skipped this hike.

On the way home we stopped at Yantic Falls. Color was starting to pop and always nice to see the falls. I hope everyone has a nice weekend. We are planning on going back up to the same area to explore the bike trail this time, or do some sightseeing if I am not up to peddling.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I wanted to use up some precut pennies that I had from my stash and some from a friend. I still have lots of wool, so it is fun to use what I have and make something new. I decided to do stitcheries on the pennies and used a loose chain stitch so it has a bit of a rope look. It seems a lot bolder since I used a lighter floss but I did wash antique medium over them, to tone it down. The camera seems to pick up more lightness. 

I just added what fit on the back of the piece I had and made it up, as I went along. It was fun to do and a nice way to keep my hands busy while I watched tv.

Over the weekend we had a family get together. My sister got a trip home for her Christmas present from her daughter and son in law, so they came this week, to visit and some sight seeing. My brother and nephew, as well as my son and family, so it was nice to have family get together. It was hot, so we enjoyed time under the trees when the breezes picked up.

I also spent some time at the beach. One day it was sunny and warm, so great for swimming, the next was cloudy and cool, which was so nice with all the humidity we have had. I even found a few treasures. 

Today we had an early dinner and went to the beach later. It wasn't as hot but the waves were rougher. I was able to slip into the ocean for a quick swim, in between the waves and found a few pieces of glass that the waves threw up. More heat for the weekend, so we won't be outside as much. It seems we wait all winter for summer, then it is too hot to be outside. I hope you all have a nice weekend and a break from the heat.

Friday Finish!

 

Another week flew by and I think the weekend tired me out, so I have been resting more than doing anything constructive.  Add a noreaster to the mix and no power for three days. We did lose our outdoor tent, but nothing else was damaged.

I was able to make up a couple of Balsam pillows for Christmas. I used a design by Cheri Saffiote, that was part of a larger design. It was something fun to do, to keep my hands busy and a start on Christmas gifts.

This weekend we had planned on taking the kids for a day trip and getting photos, but Saturday didn't work out and we headed to the beach for a bit. The weather is getting cooler and the tides aren't always the best, but still fun to walk along the shore and find a few good treasures. I was surprised to find the blues and the dark one was a new find, it looks blue, but when you hold it to the light, it is a yellow shade, maybe an old piece of carnival glass.

And on Sunday we made it out with the kids. We piled into the RV and headed to the castle. The colors weren't as vibrant as we hoped, but it was a nice day to be out, and take a few photos.

The family photos came out too dark or too light and they are the worst to get nice photos since they all tend to fidget, but this one came out nice and I have been working on my editing skills to make them better.

I did get some nice photos of the scenery. This is the Essex train that takes people on scenic rides up the Connecticut river.

A view from the castle, looking down river.

After the castle, we headed to Devils Hopyard to see the falls. They were not running as strong, but a nice spot to take photos. A day of squatting and running around was enough to tire me out for a week, lol. Tomorrow is rain and hopefully we can find some places with nice color on Sunday. I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Friday Finish and Fun!

 

It seems the week goes by too fast and I never get half of the things done, that I had planned. But I have been getting a lot of outdoor time, so that is good. I did finish the second free design, by Theodore Cleave Designs. 

It is a small pillow and I added a few touches of glitter thread to this piece.

I also got to spend time with the kids last weekend. We all went to the sunflower farm. They have a field with pathways that you can walk through, to enjoy the flowers.

And I thought these were funny. The birds feast on the seeds and I guess they have a sense of humor.

And these are some of the birds I was able to catch, along with a butterfly at another park. There are a lot of beautiful birds, but they come and go so fast, it is hard to catch them.

And of course, I took photos of the family. Trying to get them to stand still and pose nicely at the same time is impossible, so this is what I ended up with.

Most afternoons we spend at the beach and I have gotten some nice pieces of glass. I also take a swim when I can, sometimes the waves and pull is too much for me to get into, but the cooler air is always refreshing. I was able to catch the local Osprey family on one day.

It looks like three young made it this year. One is a bit shy.

Mom coming in with dinner. One osprey was yelling at the other, so when mom came in, she gave them a good talking to.

Bill took the next week off, but we have no where to go. My cat sitter is going through some things with her dad and I mentioned we might want to take off, but she never said anything. Usually she says she will be happy to watch the kitties, so I think she may be too overwhelmed at the moment and I don't want to ask her, and make her feel obligated. Hopefully Bill and I can find some fun things to do on a hot week and maybe get some fun beach days with the boys.  I hope you all have a good weekend.

Friday working on and camping!

 

It seems this month went by fast and the end of the month is here, last weekend of camping at this campground. The good thing is, I might get more done now. I have been working on a project that I was hoping to finish for my Daughter in Law's birthday this week, but still working on it. The good thing is, we postponed the party till next week so I may still be able to. 

I plan on doing a nice floral print border and making a wall hanging with it. The design is by Kathy Schmitz, one of the patterns I got with my winnings.

Most of my time at camp is spent on the water or going for walks with Bean. I just love hearing all the birds around me, I just wish they would sit still. Even so, I was able to take a few photos last week.

I was finally able to catch the Baltimore Oriole, and hopefully I will be a closer, clearer photo one day.

I also enjoyed watching the Great Blue Heron, fishing. That is until, another larger one came diving from the nearby trees and attacked it, and chased it away. I guess that was his fishing spot.

And I always know when a Blackbird nest is nearby, the males yell at me, the minute I get close to one. Not the smartest way to keep the nest a secret, lol. Most just yell a lot, but the one near the bridge, has decided to dive bomb me, when I paddle by.

One day we went for a ride and decided to come back along the fire road and stopped at Hells Hollow Pond. We were lucky enough to come when a family of Geese were swimming nearby.

And another nesting pair, Mallard ducks. Today we got to camp early, so I was able to get some photos and spend time outside before the rains. I will save those for next week. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend and find something that you love to do.

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.