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 Finish and Finds!

 

This week I got two free designs from Theodore Cleave Designs. I receive her newsletter and she offered them if you emailed her, so I couldn't resist. Her designs are fun and whimsical and a joy to make. I still have a bunch of stitcheries that I need to make into a quilt, from years ago.

These are nice since I can work them up into pillows and they will be nice as gifts or for sale. I went with a black outline and bright colors, perfect for Christmas.

I also spent the afternoons at the beach, the tide was midway most of the time and the waves were high and powerful, so not the easiest way to find glass, but I found quite a few nice pieces.

Most of the time, the beach was empty but a few people came to enjoy the beautiful weather on some days. Today while we were there, they were having a wedding on the beach. On this day, we had a sky writer who did some music symbols over Newport, where they are having the folk festival.

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

Friday Finish!

 

This week I finished one piece, two others I am working on. One is a table runner that I am hand stitching and another stitchery for Christmas.

I had plans this week, it was our vacation week and our rates are down, so we can travel to the northern states, but lucky me is sick. I have all the Covid symptoms except the cough, but I have been taking meds that I have on hand for lyme and added a few days of Chloroquine, that is what seemed to push me back to health. I am still tired and weak, but today I was able to do light therapy exercises in the spa. Tomorrow I get a test from the CVS, wish I had done it sooner but if it is negative, then I know I am safe and will be able to take the boys out next weekend when the holiday is over. We will be able to go the the Connecticut parks for free again and it won't be long before foliage tours.

This stitchery is a pattern by Marg Low for the group, Love and Hugs from Australia, on Facebook. I didn't like how the light background stood out with the other colors, so I added a bit of walnut ink to tone it down. Unfortunately I noticed a bit of black where I used my ink pen. I have used them for years and never had it run, but this one is a larger brush size, so I guess they do bleed, so I will not use that again.

I added glitter threads for accents and on the edges, I wish that showed in a photo. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend and stay safe and healthy.

Holiday Happenings!

It's been a whirlwind week, with getting everything ready for Christmas, but we were able to spend a few days outside and do some beach combing for a few hours, even though it was a bit chilly. And the wonderful thing about being on the beach in the late afternoon, is the sunsets. We stayed long enough to enjoy a beautiful sunset over the bay.

We found a lot of new glass pieces, that you can get in a craft store. I am assuming someone lost a garden display with all the wind we had and it floated to our beach.

We had the kids at our house on Christmas eve. We enjoyed a nice dinner and I let the kids open one of their big presents.

Nick loved the new floor piano and Alex was more interested in all the pretty lights and things he could pull off the shelves.

And Bean wanted to open one of his presents. Alex wanted to help and was disappointed when I said it was for Bean, a big blue octopus.

Christmas was spent at their house. The kids made dinner and I played with the boys, so it was a nice treat to relax and enjoy time with them. Although I wouldn't call it relaxing, both boys want my attention so a bit chaotic, to keep up with them. But, a joy that is worth a few sore muscles, lol.

I got Nick a view master, but found out that the reels are expensive and hard to find, so I will look for more in the thrifts and yard sales. If anyone has any old reels they don't want, I would love to have them.

I really wanted to rest, but the boys wanted to go to the aquarium, the next day, so we went. It was fun seeing the look of wonder and awe on Alex's face, since it was his first time. Again, it was chaotic, but a joy to see them both enjoying themselves and having fun together.

I stayed home for a few days, no rest, lots to catch up on and clean. I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday week and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, no matter what holiday you celebrate. We had a nice weekend planned, but I seem to have gotten sick and it seemed to happen after I ate dinner on Saturday, so I suspect the food.

Not matter, I wasn't going to let the fact that I felt miserable, ruin the time with the kids. I had the house clean and dinner prepared, so that left the day to relax and it was just warm enough for a little walk on the beach. It really helped to get out in the fresh air and and I found a few heart rocks and some more sea glass.

Of course Bean was thrilled when he realized we had headed to the beach. He has no sense, he just went into the water, even though it is freezing. We all had fun exploring the beach.

Sunday we had the kids at our house. We went to the early mass, since none of us wanted to stay up till midnight. Then a nice dinner and we opened presents. Nick was thrilled with his new harmonica, I think that is the only thing he cared about, lol.

Alex was having fun playing with his new electronic phone and learning toy.

Bean was allowed to open one present, but he was more interested in playing with the kids. On Christmas he was more into presents and loves his new ball.

We planned on spending a little time at the kids. I was feeling wretched and tired and learned that they only made a few dishes I could eat and no meat that I could eat. We went and played with the kids and ended up staying and I just ate some potatoes, but I enjoyed being with the family and kids.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

The day after!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, or just a good day for themselves celebrating in their own ways. We had a nice time with the kids, it wasn't perfect but spending time with the family is what was important.

My son decided he wanted to cook and he wanted to smoke the turkey. Well, he put the turkey in and a few hours later the power went out. It was a few hours, but it finally went back on so we ate a little later, but that was ok. I am not sure what he did with the turkey when the power went out, but from the gastric distress we got after, I would say he might have let it sit out too long;)

We relaxed at home in the morning, still fighting off our own flus so we enjoyed some quiet time and a little Christmas with Bean. Bean loves presents and knows a wrapped package means a treat for him. He loves his new colored balls.

I didn't go overboard with the kids, Alex is too young to care so he got more clothes and Nick got some trucks to go with his big block set. I also got him a coloring set with a magic marker, it only shows color when he draws on the book, so that saves on marks all over the house. Alex has a unique way of opening presents, he uses his teeth but he loved ripping them open.

Alex is also getting his personality, he was making a lot of funny faces at me, maybe because grandma makes them back.

Nick loved all the attention I gave him and the presents. A set of books with an electronic reader, he loves anything electronic, so a good way for him to get into reading, his way.

The boys are ready for dinner, was hoping to get all the family at the table, but the boys were happy to ham it up for me.

Now it is time to get back to normal life again, whatever that may be and where ever my creative motivation takes me. Lots of projects to finish and new ones to start and ideas to try. I hope everyone has a wonderful week and can enjoy creating new things for the new year.  Here is a blast from the past. I got a new dress for Christmas and it wasn't home made, lol.

The Day After!

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for your Christmas wishes and support with my family situation. It really means a lot to me to know that I have so many people around the world, that I can call my friends and the support and love to get me through the tough days.

The good news was my son sent me a message and said we were welcome to stop by for a visit. So, I was torn about going but knew I would regret it, if I didn't, so we went. I enjoyed seeing the baby and we played and took a walk outside with Bean, but they were getting ready for dinner and we were not invited, so I left.

Nicholas is quite the talker, even though most of it sounds like a foreign language, lol.

This was Bean's first Christmas and he was 6 months old on the 24th. I put his first present on the floor and he kept circling it and touching it, and when it moved he jumped back. It really didn't move, it rolled and once he got to see what in inside he was thrilled with his new ball.

Once he got the hang of what was in a package, he opened up his next one. But, he did it very, very slowly, ripping off a piece at a time, lol. Another one of his favorite presents, something to shake to death.

Today was a "Me" day. We went for a ride and I bought myself a new pair of boots so I had something  more practical and comfy for the winter and a large vintage style jar for Bean's treats. After shopping we went to Black Rock and walked along the path and rocks.

Bean loved running along the rocks, he has a natural ability for maneuvering around them.

It was so beautiful today that we kept going and walked along the beach, as well. Bean loved greeting all the people and running in the sand. It is the first time I have been out since I have been sick and the fresh air and exercise put some color back into my face.

Taking a break with Bean for some hugs. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Freebie Friday!

I decided that I would share some free things that I have found on the internet for those of you who like to find freebies to make for the holidays. I am working on a new project, but still working on it, needed a break today.

One of the fun things I found are free digital images from Dearie Dolls Digi Stamps. She has some wonderful images and they would be fun to enlarge and do as quilts or use for cards. You can do a search to find images or you can spend the day going through 100's of images, lol.

Another fun design I found today was from All People Quilt called 12 Days of Christmas Banner. This would be really fun to make for Christmas or if you don't have the time, make a few of the ornaments for your tree.

And here is one that would be fun to make for gifts and it could be done in more prim fabrics too. It is a free pdf pattern by The Red Boot Quilt Company. Now if I can only find the time to make all the fun things I find.

Merry Christmas!

Giveaway ends at midnight tonight, see posting below!

Merry Christmas!

Opening presents is fun, I knew there would be a ball in there.



Now this present looks interesting, wish they wouldn't tape it so much.



Hey, there's no present, this critter ate it.



I'll show you, oh it squeaks, happy happy, joy joy, I really really love my toy.



I think Mom has lost it, I think I will go hide my toy before she starts playing with it.



Merry Christmas to all!