Friday Finish!

 

This week I decided to make one of my rug patterns into a stitchery. It is from my pattern, Rooster's house. It is perfect to go in my kitchen to match with my other chicken pieces. I used my phone and no matter where I shot in the house, the colors were off. 

Last week's ride took us along the coast. At the Marsh, we spotted a few birds. 

Then a stop at the piers, we watched a fishing boat coming in.

And I spotted a seal, popping up for a look.

And at another beach, I was able to find a Drift of Snow Buntings. A single bird is called a snowflake.

At home, I have had a lot of visitors. With the snow and bitter cold, they have less to eat and the feeder helps to fill in the gap. I was able to get a decent shot of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. He has been making a lot of holes in the maple tree, so he should have lots to eat when it starts to run.

It looks like a slight warm up this weekend, so hoping to get outside more. Who would have thought that 40 degrees would be a warm up. Hopefully it will continue and spring will come early. I hope you all enjoy your weekend and improving weather.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I decided to make something new for Valentines. I used an idea from an old Cheri Saffiote pattern with hearts and the hand appliqué. Her's had pieced hearts and I decided to just make up my own for appliqué. I also wanted something longer to fit on my hanging rack.

I added the words and the X's and O's for fun. I also used three old blocks that my friend Kelley, sent me. Using what I had and some fabrics from my scrap box.

We were able to enjoy some time on the beach, even though it was cold. I spotted a seal on the other end of the beach and was trying to move to the side and closer to get a good shot, but just as I got to a good spot, it dove into the water. I was able to get a few decent shots though.

I also spotted a Blizzard of Brants, which are in the geese family.

I took a few photos of the areas around the island. I never get bored of going there or enjoying the views. We also got some nice pieces of glass. The tide was at its lowest, but with the cold, it makes it hard to hunt too long.

I hope this finds you and your families well. The kids are doing fine now, so hopefully this new variant will die down soon. 

Friday Finish and weekly friends!

 

This week I finished a piece I was working on, a design by Cheri Saffiote. It is fun to do Christmas throughout the year and I will have lots of gifts for next year. I do plan on selling some things this year, so I need to organize what I have and what will sell.

This piece was done with colored pencils and DMC floss, then I used a bit of glitter floss in each design element to add a pop. I am not sure what the black line by the glove is, but it doesn't belong.

And what is not showing is the edging along the outer border. I did a feather stitch in red and love how it looks on the piece.

Last weekend we took a drive to the ocean and sat at the breakaway. Of course the seagulls were abundant, there are several restaurants in the area, so lots of scraps. They are the same seagull, the darker one is the younger one.

And I always have fun watching the common Eiders, they are great fishermen. The female has a catch and the males are white and black, the other is the younger male.

And we got to watch the seal as it swam in, as the tide was going out. Someday I will get a close up of some seals.

And another thing to enjoy on the docks is, boats, and ferries. Someday I would love to do some art pieces of the fishing boats. I cheated and added a blue sky, not much sun lately.

On the way home, I spotted a few hawks. Bill drives and I saw Hawk and sometimes he actually hears me and stops, lol. This guy was closer, but when I opened the window to shoot, he took off, so I was able to catch him further in the field, high up in a tree. This is a Red Shouldered Hawk.

No sun but lots of snow lately and more today. I enjoy seeing all the birds who come in the snow, they seem to be more active when it is snowing.

And a few sit in the trees, too shy to come to the feeder when I am around. The chickadees are the friendliest, they sit and chatter at me.

And a visitor who is not allowed on the porch, but I let him sit for a photo. I have food in the other feeders that they are allowed to have, but they know there are peanuts upstairs.

And last but not least, time with the boys. Mom and dad were car shopping so the boys spent the day with us. Too cold to go out, so we had fun playing at home. Of course Bean wanted everyone to play with him, he is such an attention hog.

I hope you all had a good week and staying warm. It won't be long before Spring is here, I can't wait.

The week before Christmas

 I thought I would do an extra post this week, since we will be busy for the next few days and I may just put up some photos on Friday. I had some nice time out this week and started making masks for my niece who works at a vet's office.

I wish I had known they were all woman there, I wanted to get fabrics that anyone could wear and not too bright. The store had some beautiful fabrics for ladies, but she seems pleased with the ones I made up, so I will be working on more, so everyone has one.

We also got out for some rides and nature viewing. There are more Great Blue Herons this year and they stay during the winter. I spotted this guy in the marsh and just as I got out to get a shot, he flew further away, so I wasn't able to get a good close up.

At another area, I spotted two more, in a marsh. They look small since they are resting, but they are the same size as the ones above.

We sat at the Breeze way and watched the boats go by, and was treated to this seal, who popped up for a few minutes to lounge on his back. I always seem to spot them when they are moving away. 

And the most fun was watching these Common Eiders. They were fishing and the seagull was following them around. He tried with all his might to steal a crab, one had caught, but he was no match for the Eider.

And we got home in time to watch the boys go sledding, at the nearby school.  They loved sledding and it was a joy to see them having so much fun.

And at home, I am enjoying my feathered friends. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, and are able to spend it with family. May you be filled with the peace and love of the holiday spirt.

Friday Finish and Fun!

 

This week has been busy trying to get last minute things done. Christmas is getting closer and I wanted to finish some things and get packages out, so most of it got done. Just a few more things this weekend and then I will quit, I need some stress free time to enjoy the holidays this year.

I was able to make a pillow with an old block I had made. It was a fun design by Tiffany, I do miss her designs and wish she hadn't stopped designing.

I also made up masks with the Christmas fabric. A few more for the boys and the rest is being sent to family and some donations.

We were able to get out for the weekend after the rain stopped. We took a drive down to the ocean and enjoy the views. Of course I spotted a hawk, and he flew off but the seagulls are always easy to catch a shot of.

And just as we started to pull out, a seal popped up but didn't stay long enough for a good shot, but the seagulls were more cooperative.

We also enjoyed watching the ferry and fishing boats, as they came in and out of the channel. It is a great place to park and just relax.

And I always enjoy sitting on my porch and watching the birds that come to my feeder. A Dark Eyed Junco, a White Throated Sparrow and a White breasted Nuthatch. I heard a bang on the back slider and the Nuthatch was sitting there stunned. I watched it for a few minutes and it finally flew off with no problem, so glad it was ok.  I hope you all had a nice week and this posting, finds you healthy.

Friday Finish and Fun!

This week I worked on a stitchery. It is a pattern from Kathy Schmitz's, One Stitch Club. It is fun to get a new one each month and they make wonderful pillows. The designs this year have a bird theme and are all the same size, so those who want, can make them into a quilt.

I made a pillow, something I can decorate with or give as a gift. It measures 10" x 10". I wanted it a bit larger, so I added a little border.

Last weekend we took the boys to the aquarium and then to the owl sanctuary, as well as a picnic. The boys loved seeing the outside areas, now that it is warm enough. The sanctuary was a great place to play and explore.

We went for a picnic in between and I wanted some place close that wasn't crowded, so we went to the Mystic cemetery, which was nearby. It was a beautiful day to sit and enjoy watching the boats and the boys were fascinated by the gravestones. The funny thing was, I told Bill to stop at a place that had an open area and parking, and when we got out, I noticed the gravestone in front, said Daniele. Spelled differently than my daughter's name, but a strange coincidence.

At the sanctuary, they noticed that the different trees, made different sounds when they banged a stick on them.

And a few of the critters we saw at the aquarium, as well as, a Tom who was showing off to the two females in my yard. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Tuesday Tidbits!

First of all, I would like to request a favor from those of you who follow Buttermilk Basin's postings. She had a puzzle last week and I got the first two and forgot to grab the third one and she took it down. So if you have the third one, I would truly appreciate a copy.

I also made a pillow earlier, but couldn't show a photo, until it was gifted, so today I will show you what I made.

The saying is from Cheri Saffiote and I added a design by Kindred Spirits to personalize it. I wanted to give it a cleaner look and a ragged edge, so used heavier materials. It was fun to make and I do enjoy making personalized items for friends.

For the back I used an old ticking, that I had grunged up a bit.

This weekend was nice, the sun was out and not too cold. I bundle up and it gives me some time on the beach, before my hands freeze up. Even when I am sick, a few hours on the beach, makes me forget how miserable I am, lol.

There were no people on Saturday, so we had the beach to ourselves and lots of new glass to be found.

Sunday was a little cooler but a warm sun for a few hours. There are also more people on the beach, but no one seemed to be collecting glass, so more for me;) I love the olive greens and the bright greens will be used in projects for next Christmas.

We even found some new colors and pottery. The worn shell pieces will become angel wings.

And as an added treat, we stumbled onto a new friend. Not sure how to tell the sex of a seal, but it was quite happy to share the beach with us, as long as we kept our distance. It was nice to get out while we could and even if it wore me out a bit, it was good for my soul.

I am working on some more colored pencil pieces, so Friday I will have a review on the new products I am using.

Weekend Wanderings!

We had a beautiful weekend and it was nice to get out again. On Saturday we went for a ride to the ocean and spent some time at the wharf. It was a little cool for the beach but I wanted to get photos of the seagulls that were flocking on the buildings and check out the boats on the docks.

I caught this photo and thought it was funny, with the speed limit sign. It makes it look like the gull on the post is chastising the other gulls for flying too fast in the slow zone.

At the docks behind the building is why there are so many gulls. The fishermen were throwing the leftover fish to them.

And, I found out, it attracts the seals too. I never knew they came into the harbor and it was a treat to see them swimming around and playing in the channel.

On the way home we took a detour and stopped at Snuff Mill. It is where they ground tobacco and also the home of Gilbert Stuart who painted the famous unfinished portrait of George Washington. It is the one, seen on the dollar bill. The museum grounds are closed, so I took a shot from the road, I would like to go back and revisit it when I can go inside. I used to go as a child since I could walk there and it cost 10 cents to get in.

Sunday we had Nick for the day and it was an even nicer day, so we went back to the wharf and got to enjoy some time on the beach. We watched the sail surfers on the water, while Nick played in the sand with a toy he found on the beach.

Even though it was nice, it was still cooler at the beach, so we headed back up the bay and Nick had a picnic on the URI Bay Campus beach. It was a lot warmer and less people, so we could relax and Nick loved the fact that were were thousands of rocks he could throw in the water.

I have also been searching for a vacation place, for our anniversary in June. It seems the Acadia area is popular in June now and now openings on the water, but I finally found one in Stonington at Old Quarry Ocean Adventures. It doesn't have hook ups, but he will plug us in with electric and water and we will stop at a camp on the way home to dump the tank. Now all we need is nice weather so we can enjoy kayaking around the islands that are scattered all through the area.

I think the view is well worth it and there is a launch right next to us. Another bonus is, they will cook our lobster dinner and bring it to our site, so a nice anniversary treat. And, if Bean behaves, he is allowed to go leash free so he can play on the beach. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and hopefully winter will end early this year.