Another week!

 Lately it seems I can never get enough done in a week and all the plans I had, went out the window. I haven't had as much time to work on projects, but slowly working on my stitchery.

We have gotten out for walks, the pond is our favorite place. Always a nice walk and lots of critters to enjoy along the way. Today we took the boys to the pond, for a short walk. They got to see one of the turtles and loved watching it swim around. For some reason the turtle was just as interested in them and kept swimming up and looking at them. Even the smaller one was coming up and looking at them.

After we went to the beach and I had fun, swimming with the boys. Bill took the photo from his chair on the beach, so a bit grainy.

Nick wanted a photo that I could send to him. He found a board on the beach and made a bench, for us to sit on. 

I hope everyone had a nice week and improved weather. We finally have nice days without the humidity, so it is great to get out again.

Working on Friday!

 

This week I started a stitchery, but still working on it. I am trying to do old patterns in my to do list and starting new ones. Since it is late in the season, I have decided to move to the holidays so maybe I can actually finish some things in time.

I had material that I love, and thought, why not make mitten blocks, using textured wools. So that is the next project I can work on at night, sewing the mittens onto the backing. I will use the mitten fabric and maybe the skates with mittens, as a border, still thinking on it.

Today we took the boys to the beach. It is the pond that we also camp and paddle at, but this time we went to the main beach. It was not crowded and the water was cool enough to enjoy, and there was a nice breeze. We also had a side, all to ourselves with tree shade, so a nice place to spend the afternoon. 

The boys loved playing in the water. This area is not as shallow as the launch area, but not so deep either, so perfect for them. 

I hope you all enjoyed your week. We have nice weather this weekend, so I plan on enjoying it, before the heat comes back in. 

Still working on!

 It seems the weeks go by and I don't get as much done, as I wanted. Our trailer buy turned out to be disappointing. It seems the previous owners didn't mention that they had a leak, so the whole slide would have to come off, new flooring put in and then back together again. Our dealership was going to do it, but we decided to look at a newer one. I love the new version, but then what do I see in the bedroom, a puddle of water. So, if you ever want to buy a Wildwood, make sure it doesn't have a leak. So, we ended up getting a better trailer that we had before, much better quality. It is a little smaller, but has a real kitchen, recliners and plenty of storage. Perfect for us and enough room for the boys to stay, but might be a bit cramped for the whole family. 

I have been working on my stitchery, lots of work on this one, but almost done. Working on the final touches and embellishments. I plan on doing a multicolor border, so I will be done by next week. Since I am not sure yet, if we can get the new trailer in time, I will be getting the RV ready. It seems a few spiders have moved in and I do not sleep with bugs, lol.

We also went to the town beach, love that it is close so we can go, just for a swim. While we were swimming, the Ospreys were flying overhead and catching fish. It is amazing to watch them as they dive down and splash into the water.

I also noticed some birds at the end of the beach. A family of Laughing gulls and always fun to see the young ones as they learn to fish on their own.

One day we went to the island for a swim. This is what I spotted on the beach, made me wonder if I wanted to go in the water. It is a Sand Shark, so not too scary.

The water was rough and wavy, but fun to swim in and no crowds.

At home I have enjoyed seeing more young come in. The Cardinals had 2 girls and a boy, but they are shy and fly off when I come out. The other is a female Cowbird, she has been on her own now, and knows where the food supply is.

I hope you all had a good week and not in the flood zones or storms coming through. We have a lot of wind tonight and some heavier storms expected overnight. A nice week coming up, so I hope that you all get better weather and can enjoy the rest of the summer.

Working on!

 

This week I have been fighting off something. I am seriously thinking it was from mosquito bites I got when I was working in the garden. Luckily I had meds and Lyme meds, so took what I had and rested a lot. It affected my bones and joints, so I didn't have much energy this week.

I decided to make up a stitchery to work on, when I felt better. This is an old Cheri pattern and thought it would be nice as a gift. I will add buttons and maybe do a pillow or small wall hanging, will decide on that later.

Last weekend we went out for a little ride around the island and enjoyed seeing the birds in the coves. 

I also got some shots of the new Osprey. I guess they only had one this year. Dad bringing in the catch.

Coming in with dinner

And feeding time

At home I have been watching a lot of new arrivals. Unfortunately I spotted this juvenile Coopers Hawk with its meal. They are not the best hunters, so they tend to go after birds. The photos are at dusk, so a bit odd looking.

And this is what he had, another Flicker. This one was enjoying bugs in my yard, so hopefully the hawk doesn't get him too.

And another new arrival. This is a juvenile Cowbird. It can fly on its own and eat, but it's a bit confused. It is all alone, so I think his mother left her egg in another birds nest. Once they get too big, the other bird will stop feeding it. It also calls out constantly, but no sound comes out, so it lost its voice. 

Today we went back to the island. I am feeling better, so enjoyed a nice walk around the cliffs. Lots of sailboats are out now.

We also had company, thousands of Dragonflies. 

We decided to explore the inner paths and got a closer look at the Osprey on the radar tower.

After we went to the other park and I got to enjoy a swim in the cove. The tide was going out, so I swam in the channel, against the tide, so I stayed in one place.

There were a lot of Egrets in the surrounding area, so I had plenty of company. Bean was enjoying swimming too, but he won't go that deep. I hope you all had a good week and enjoy your weekend. 

Weekly Ramblings!

 

Not a lot going on this week, mostly resting, catching up at home and a bit of stitching. I did finish the large piece, now I need to decide on a border and it will be done for their anniversary next month.  I also started some small sachet pieces with the new monthly design, so those should be done by next friday.

Even with a few mishaps, we got to enjoy some time at camp and fun time with the boys. They love the beach and Alex loves being slammed by the waves, he is fearless. Nick took some time to brave the ocean but he finally went in with me and I taught him how to body surf. We are going back next weekend, and we will bring the boards so they should have fun on those.

We had a nice day, the boys got some goodies at the flea market and time at the playground. I admit, my greatest joy is seeing them happy and laughing. 

With my bad arm and shoulder, it is hard for me to hold the camera for long, so I used my phone or shot with the regular lens. I finally caught one of the many Woodchucks that hide in the bush, along the camps.

We got lots of nice walks on the beach and caught this guy with dinner.

And I am not the only one who has mishaps. Ivy fell while cleaning the stairs and got banged up. They dropped the boys off while they went to the hospital to have her checked and stitched up. She is ok and the boys had fun, even though my pool isn't up yet. 

I hope everyone had a good week and even when things don't go as planned, we can always find ways to have fun and find joy in our lives. 

Friday Finish!

This week I worked on my painting and got more done, but I also drop my brush so much that I make a mess and have to fix the blobs of paint that I drop, lol. I decided to take a break and give my arm a rest, so I worked on a new stitchery. Yes, I agree, I do not know how to rest, but a brain break to think about my next steps on the painting.

The new stitchery is done with a design by Kathy Schmitz for the One Stitch Club. I do love pieces with inspirational words and this was a fun one to make. I colored the bee but the new colored pens seem to bleed more than the ones I get in the craft store, I don't think they are the same quality. So, a bit of black went into the yellow but I can live with that.

I like making pillows, something I can sell or gift and most people have room for a little pillow, more than a wall hanging.

I also got to spend last Saturday with the boys. The kids dropped them off so we took them to the island. We started with the diving beach, since most people are boating or diving from that spot, so there were only a couple of people on the beach. The boys loved playing in the water, even though it was cold.

After the beach, we drove over to the picnic area and found a nice big spot to park the rig. The boys loved having all that space to run around in and a picnic lunch in the trailer.

After lunch we went for a walk to the old forts. The boys loved exploring the forts and seeing all the graffiti, luckily Nick noticed the drawings more than what some said, lol. It was nice to spend the day with them and Nick told me he had a good day, which makes my day. I hope everyone is doing well and save from the fires, illness and able to spend time with your families.

Friday Finishes and Fun!

This week I made a pillow with a design by Kathy Schmitz for the One Stitch at a Time Club. It came with the alphabet so you can personalize it and I did one with a letter for a friend, to get a start on Christmas gifts.

I antiqued it but the photo is making it darker than the actual piece.

I also made some new masks. I found some fun fat quarters which are a nice size, but with the fitted mask, I could only make two adults and one child, but a fun set.  I am setting aside the pieces from the masks and was thinking of making some simple teddy bears or a doggie, and adding a tag and. year for a momento to give to the boys.

Then today I decided to whip up a couple more which is a mistake, I made a mess, but they are still usable. The kid's mask is a 3D style and I wanted to try one for Nick to see if he likes it better than the fitted. I want to make him school masks, so it is important that they are comfortable and breathable for him. It didn't come out right and might be too small, but he does have a small nose, so it may be just right. I also found some fun lodge material and these I added a third pocket layer, so the wearer can put a filter in or leave as is. A good way to make them more protective when using thinner fabrics.

And we had a nice time camping, not too crowded and the noisy neighbors was asked to leave, so the next day was much quieter. I spent a lot of time on the water, sitting in the cove and enjoying the birds. I saw the kingfishers, but they would not come out for a photo.

I was able to catch Eastern King birds, a Lesser Tern and Tree Swallows.

And on the way back, this Cormorant was nice enough to sit still and make silly poses for me.

On Sunday the kids came and we had a cookout, and played games at our site.

And the boys were thrilled they could swim in the lake, Nick is getting better at swimming and Alex goes up to his neck and fake swims, where he keeps his legs on the bottom and uses his arms only. But a big improvement over last. year when I had to coax him, just to get in the water.

It was nice to get away for a bit, but this weekend we are staying home and getting some things done. It is going to be hot again and the beaches are too crowded. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoying the summer as best, as you can.

Weekend Wanderings and freebie fun!

This weekend we spent some time at the beach and I got a few pieces of glass, but not as much as in the spring. The next day was a day with the boys.

We took them to the orchard so I could stock up on apples and I let the boys pick the apples and get their own bag to take home.  Nick checked each apple for bad spots, before he picked them and Alex had to check with Grandpa first, before we put it in the bag.

They loved the tractor ride, but Alex was a bit nervous at first,  with the bumpy ride. We let them pick out their own pumpkin to take home and Alex had to get in to make sure he got the right one.

We ended the day with time at Pachaug state park. The day had warmed up so the boys got to go for a swim and play in the water. The highlight for me was when Nick told me, he was having the best day today. The low point was when it was time to go, Alex threw a fit and was carried away, kicking and screaming, and it ended up with him spitting at Bill. I think he was over tired since he didn't get a nap.

To the left of this photo is the camp we were thinking of going seasonal at, now I wish I had. I had forgotten how beautiful it is there and there is a long river to paddle on.

Sometimes I like to make something simple and fun for the holidays. A friend gave me some old bottles and I decided to decorate them with fun labels. There are lots of places that offer free ones. I just printed them out on copy paper, let them dry overnight, then I put them on with antique decoupage. This way I can wash them off, after the holidays and add other antique medicine labels.

Here are a few places with labels, but you can find more by searching on the internet.

My Two Cents

Kitty Baby Love

Camping has ended!

We came home yesterday earlier since we had the boys and I was tired, easier to pack up before it got dark. It was a week of good and bad, the bad was our new neighbors, they were a group of families that were around us and their kids were non stop noisy when they were at camp. Quiet hours meant nothing, was awoken by them screaming by our trailer at six in the morning.

The good was the quiet time, paddles and time with the boys. It seems the birds finally arrived and each day they flew around the trees at our camp. They never set still, so hard to see what they were and get shots, but I was able to get a decent shot of this Downy Woodpecker.

On one of our walks, we spotted this deer, at dusk, so not the best shot.

The last day, we had the boys. It was not the best day to have them since we were leaving, but we had fun and they were picked up in time for us to start packing up. On the way back to camp, we stopped at a farm that we had spotted on the way up. I knew the boys would love it.

They had a large penned in area with lots of animals and a variety of fowl. This guy liked making faces at me.

And so did this one. And he got photo bombed by the cow.

And if that was not bad enough, the kids were doing it too. I wanted a nice shot of them in the flower garden. Not only do they make faces at me, Bill had to stand there and hold them still.

And then it was back to camp for rock painting. Nick wanted to paint, so he had fun painting a few rocks. His method was to mix as many colors as he could, to see what new colors he could make.

And of course, I cannot take my eyes off of any of the boys, for a minute. While Nick was painting, I spotted what these guys were up to, playing in the turtle tank.

Even though it was a little cooler the boys wanted to swim. Alex loves being in the water now and they both love playing with Bean and Bean loves playing with them.

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend and making your own memories. And prayers for those in the hurricane's path.