Friday: Almost finished

 I tried to push my punching so I could finish my piece. It is finished, but a mess. I did use less floss and that tend to be more puffy, so it looks sloppy. Since I am tired and don't want to leave it like that, I will fix up the problem areas and bad contrast on some areas, so it stands out more. The photo makes it look worse, but you can get the idea, this is what happens when you rush.

Last weekend we took the boys fishing. They love to fish, but have no luck. I think it is because they have small lures and no weight to cast out, far enough. Others were catching fish, but they were using live bait, so we will have to get some better gear for them.

The park also has a lot of hiking areas. The boys enjoyed exploring the areas around the pathways. There are a lot of birds there too, but with noisy boys, it is hard to get any shots. 

The next day Bill and I went for a ride into Connecticut. We stopped at a few places and did some hikes, but couldn't catch any birds that day. We enjoyed getting out and Bean got to have fun too. I really want to come here with the RV and spend the day. The problem is, the road has been collapsing so there is no way we can get it there. 

During the week, Bill had to take a day off for an early appointment, so we had the day to get out. We went to a new place that is owned by the college. They have several areas for gardens and fisheries and allow visitors. 

We walked along a path to an area that is full of trees, all types that the students plant and study. It is also a place full of birds. We heard a lot and saw a few that were too quick to shoot, but I was able to catch quite a few,  and the grove is so peaceful, that I enjoyed just walking around, under the trees. 

In some areas they also had bee hives. It was warming up and you could hear them, so we kept our distance. I think I will go back and bring my portable seat and just sit there.

We took the scenic route home and as we were heading out of the Lighthouse road, we saw a few cars and people milling around. This is why, a Snapping turtle was crossing the road. I got out and took a few shots and then a local lady and I walked along his side, till he got back to the pond side. 

And at home, I have seen an influx of new birds and our summer visitors are returning. Today we spotted a huge Woodpecker, so hoping it will come back for a photo. It looked like a Downy, but bigger than a Hairy should be, so not sure what it was. 

I hope you all have a nice weekend and good weather. We have Alex's first communion tomorrow, and possible rain on Sunday. I am looking forward to nicer weather, but not the heat of summer.

Friday Finish and Feathered Friends!

 

This week got away from me, I thought it was Thursday, lol. I have been working on a couple of projects and finished one. I say finished, but it needs some fixes and a finish. A friend sent me the pattern as a gift and I think it will be a nice gift to give back to her. I am not sure if I want to mount it on wood as a hanging or make a storage bag for knitting needles, will think on it.

It is a bit of a mess now, I need to trim a bit and redo the areas that got snagged into each other. The design is by Yvonne Buus. It is a bit skewed in the photo, but the design is a bit over 6" x 8".

We got a bit of snow this week, looks like winter is here to stay for the month, more snow coming this weekend and during the week. This is my back yard at nightfall, last weekend.

The birds didn't seem to mind and were extra hungry, so lots of visitors. This female, Black Eyed Junco was nice enough to sit for a photo.

The Starlings are always trying to eat all the food, so I let one have some while I took photos, but I usually chase them away. And the Bluejays are always eating up all the food, but I allow them to have a bit. I do have feeders in the yard that I fill, so they are welcome to that, but they know the good food is on the porch.

This weekend is Bird count weekend. If you have birds in your area, you can join in by signing up at Cornells Bird Lab. They have a lot of information on birding and a site where you can list the birds you see in your area. It helps them to keep track of bird populations.

I really wasn't going to do it, but today I saw a new bird and decided to list what I saw, in a half hour. I had quite the list, it was very busy today. And this guy, he is a Yellow Bellied Sapsucker. I saw him yesterday and thought he was a bit large and different than the Downy Woodpeckers. I was able to catch a few photos and was happy to see I had a new feathered friend.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and maybe you can enjoy birding in your own backyard. A suet feeder is the cheapest and easiest way to start. One thing that most of the birds love is peanuts, a great way to attract a variety of birds.

Friday Finish!

I hope everyone's week went well, with all the bad things going on in the world right now, we all need to find our peace and joy, in our own lives. For me it is crafting and watching the birds in my yard.

This week I finished a Christmas stitchery, made from a freebie by the Facebook group, Love and Hugs from Australia. When I saw this design, I thought of my pet sitter. Since she lives with her parents to help them out, this is something she can put in her room, without taking up too much space. I added my own touches and glitter threads on the clothes and borders, but it doesn't show in the photo.

I also too the time to work on my painting. My brain and arm are not in the best of shape, so I have been base coating to see how I like the colors and something I can change if I want. I have some plans to change it up, but I never know how it will turn out till I am done. The colors are flat looking so I put the photo into a sketch filter, for fun. Once I get the face done and the rest of the colors, then I will decide if I want to change anything. This will be for my bright, happy, room, so I want to keep the colors more bright in this piece.

I am still trying to get a photo of the hummingbirds. This female spent the week watching the feeder and chasing off all the other hummingbirds. She has even buzzed me a few times, since she is getting used to me, being on the porch. Of course I couldn't get the clarity I wanted with he constant motion.

And then I decided to change my settings to get better motion shots and of course, the birds decided to stop moving. With the action setting, I don't get the clarity on still shots. This time the male has taken over the watch and chases the others away. I think I need to get another feeder and put it to the other side of the yard. I think with all this heat, there are not as many flowers and they are all coming to the feeder.

Have a wonderful weekend and may you all be blessed with good health and happy moments in your life.

Friday Finish!

It seems the weeks are zipping by and with Bills 4 day schedule, I get less done. But it is nice that we have more time to get out, and it would be nicer if the weather would be nicer on the days he has off.

I wanted some new projects to work on this week and I was able to make one. There is a group on Facebook called Love and Hugs from Australia, Stitch along. They are offering free patterns from different designers and there is a nice variety to fit everyones taste. I took the ones with inspirational sayings, fun to stitch up and hang on my wall.

This one is a design by Natalie Bird, it was not only fun to do, but a great piece to keep me in a happy mood. I am thinking of going with brighter and fun art pieces in the guest room. I used colored pencils on this one.

I also made masks for the adult kids, these have pockets in them and I made my sons, slightly larger to fit his chubby cheeks, lol. We got to see the kids outside and played kickball with Nick and then Alex grabbed my hand to show me his new clubhouse they are building. It broke my heart to have to let go and hard for him since he doesn't understand why grandma can hug and play with him.

And I wanted to make more masks with pockets, but my brain was on hold and I did things backwards and cut some wrong, but I was able to make 4 with pockets and the quilted one is two layers. I have some ideas to make it easier, so I can try them next.

And we got to spend a few hours at the beach and we had it all to ourselves. The tide was still higher up, but the storms had thrown some nice pieces in the rock piles.

And we got a day of hiking. The Boy Scout camp has a lot of side trails and one led to a place called Dinosaur Caves. They are big but no dixnosaurs, lol. It was 5 miles of hills and rocky gorges, but I made it and then crashed when I got home, my knees are definitely getting crickety.

And on the camping end, our Maine trip is cancelled. They will only allow in state campers, so I have no idea if and when we can go camping. And to top it off, Bill went to the trailer to get something and it stunk. It seems a crack formed on the top vent and it has been leaking for over a month, all over the bedding and mattress. The mattress is ruined, not only does it stink, it is all rusted from the heating elements. We got a price for the trade in, for like new condition, now we may lose money on the deal and honestly, it is their fault. I wanted to take it in months ago, I was afraid something bad would happen and it did. Tomorrow Bill takes it in and we will see what they say, it may still be covered under warranty, so I am hoping that is the case.

I hope you all have a nice weekend, we may have one nice day and then rain, so I hope that changes. The beaches and parks are open, though limited, but I will stay away from those areas and stick to exploring new paths.

Friday Finishes, Yes, I actually finished two things!

I finished the piece I was working on and the piece I finished earlier. The old houses is a design by Primitive Spirits, gifted to me by a friend. I loved the design and had thought I would mount it on wood and add nail hooks for a key holder, but I changed my mind.

I remembered I had a square box and it was the perfect size for this piece. The box was gray, but I painted it white, then sage green and sanded it down. I was hoping for more white to show, but my hand is still messed up, so not strong enough for heavy sanding. I ended up antiquing it to match the piece. The punch looks lighter than it is, it is more stained than shows, so it goes perfectly with the box. I think it would make a nice gift and something they can use to put items in.

The second piece was a free design by Julie of The Old Tattered Flag. Another design I loved when I saw it and the perfect gift for a friend who has a birthday coming up. I like making pillows, they are small enough to fit anywhere and go nice in settings. I also remembered why I don't use java stain on punched pieces, it leaked out and the hidden colors like green, came out. I had to rinse it a few times to get it out, but it left some darker staining.

Today was one of those days when I felt overwhelmed with all I had to do. We are heading to camp tomorrow for a 3 day weekend. I had to cook food, clean up all the messes, pack clothing, laundry, clean house and finish some rocks to take with me, but I got most of it done. Just a few more dishes and I will vacuum and tomorrow I can get last minute things done. The nice thing about camping nearby is we can leave later and only a half hour away. We are camping at the state park on the lake with a spot next to the boat launch, so I plan on relaxing and paddling and getting some bike riding in, this time.

I wasn't doing very well with my painting last week, so I took a few that weren't too bad and finished them up quickly. Not the best, but I am sure, whoever finds them will have fun and that is what counts. I can do the rest, next week, to take on our next trip. Then that will be it, I have lots of quilting and things to make and the holidays will be here before I know it.

I hope  you all have a nice weekend, and prayers for those in the hurricane's path.

Monday makings!

This week I got a surprise from a friend, a box of goodies and lots of patterns to work on. I was in the mood to make something new and the punch needle patterns were just what I needed. I made up two and finished this one today.

I plan on leaving it flat and attaching it to a wood board with nail pegs, to hang the keys on, at the front door area. It is a pattern by Primitive Spirits. I was lazy and took phone photos, so not the best, but I will take a better one when I finish it off.

With the holiday weekend, we didn't get out, way too many people headed to the beach and way too many accidents. It was a good weekend to get our backsplash in. I didn't want to do anything too permanent since we plan on adding an island in the future and also nicer counter tops, for now we just got stock counters which Bill was able to put in himself. The backsplash is fake tin, and easy to put it. They come in large squares so fit our area perfectly and the ones we had to size, cut with a razor knife and we put them on with heavy, double backed rug tape. So much better than the ugly walls and when we are  ready to redo the kitchen, easy to pull off.

I went with tin, the copper was darker and a bit busy, and our kitchen is small, so this was lighter. I hope you all have a wonderful fourth of July. Our neighbors are shooting off fireworks and poor Bean is hiding under the table.

WIP and the last week with Nick!

This is been the hardest week, my energy level was dwindling and Nick was not being cooperative with quiet and nap times. I got a little stitching done, a piece I am making for myself. It is called Summer Sun by Kathy Schmitz. One of the patterns I got with my winnings. I got the full set so I can make one for each season.

I am doing it in multi colors but keeping it simple, 3 shades of green mixed with black, red, yellow and maybe blue birds. I will use brown for the posts, so most of the colors will be duller, but a pop of color, here and there.

We had more rain than sun this week, which didn't make it easy, but we were able to get out a bit when the rain stopped. Nick loves his new squirt gun and Bean loves it too.

The jacuzzi is covered by a tent house, so we got some fun in the "Pool". I bought the raft, last year so it was perfect for some play in the water.

Yesterday we tried crafting. Nick doesn't have a lot of patience but he loved cutting paper. The kid's scissors were too large for his hands, so I let him use my paper cutter, he loved using that.

We made a mosaic fish. I printed out the fish on card stock and cut it out for him. Then we glued on scraps of paper and a googly eye. It is such a joy to see his joy at creating something.

Today was another busy day, I needed to clean, so I do clean areas that won't get dirty again and then finish when they leave. Nick wanted to help, and he loves using the battery vacuum, he actually cleaned enough to empty two times, quite the helper.

 We also had some target practice. I printed out some turkeys and set them on a few boxes and Nick got to shoot them off with her nerf gun, he loved that. The problem was, Bean always wanted to play and kept grabbing them and chewing them up, so we gave up on that idea.

So, that was my exciting week. Now back to trying to get caught up and working on my projects, especially my painting class. I have been watching the videos and will finish the small one and do the actual class with the larger one and hopefully do a nicer job. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend.

Weekend Quilt Show!

This weekend I went to our local quilt show by the Narragansett Bay Quilters. It is not a huge show but a nice one with amazing quilts. I was able to walk around for a few hours before my rib gave out and I was able to treat myself to a charm pack of nautical fabric by Janet Clare which I have plans for and some stick on thimbles for my poor fingers.

There were a lot of quilts at the show and they were all beautiful but some of my photos came out blurry or the color was so off that they looked ugly. I have put the photos in my photo account so you can enjoy them at your leisure and get a better view in the larger sizes. I do have the photos at full size if you need any info on the quilt or pattern.

Here is one of my favorites, you may see more quilts, HERE.