Friday Finish!

 

While on vacation I couldn't resist getting a few things at the quilt store. One item was a pattern by Patch Abilities. This was a fun one to do and I was able to have something new to add to a wall, that needs a few things. 

I didn't follow the pattern exactly, but I never do. I added some glitter thread in the light for fun and a flower box window on the building. 

Today we finally got out of the house and went for a walk. It has either been too hot or too smoky to be outside. Today we had a break and it wasn't too hot for a short walk at the bird sanctuary. Lots of birds and critters and we had fun standing on the deck and watching 3 snappers, two were males competing for the female.

The Green Heron flew by and landed in the tree.

We also spotted two young Red Bellied Woodpeckers.

It was nice to get out and hopefully we can do more this weekend. It is hard in the summer with all the tourists, and the beaches reach capacity early in the day. I hope everyone is doing well and not stuck in the smoke zone, it is horrid here, so I cannot imagine being in areas with the thicker smoke.

Friday Finishes!

 

This week I was able to finish a little quilt I was working on. I had the striped fabric and some star fabric, so it made the perfect flag to hang on the wall. I added a few patriotic sayings that I like and a couple of wool stars. The little stars are rustic metal and gave it a nice touch.

I wanted to have something to do on my down day, so I made a little felted raccoon. It was a from a kit, so I didn't follow the directions exactly and I messed up with my perspective, but it was fun to do.

Last weekend we took a few short walks. The heat keeps us from doing long hikes, so we went to the park near the ocean. It was cooler in some areas but hot in others. Lots of birds but they always fly away when I spot them. I was able to catch an Eastern Towhee in the bush.

We went down the road to another area that has a path, that leads to a little tower. The views of the beach and ocean from the tower. 

After we went to the pond, but both areas were crowded so it wasn't worth going for a swim. Tomorrow we head to Maine. Unfortunately I got another tick on me, while gardening and this one seems to have affected me. I am back on meds and going through ups and downs, so hopefully I can beat this one too. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week and I may do an extra blog this week, since I will be taking lots of photos. 

Friday finish!

 I finally decided what to do with my bible block. It is from the Bible quilt by Jan patek. I planned on making the whole quilt, but never had the time, so I decided to make the block into a mini quilt. Since it is primitive, I wanted to antique it, as well. I haven't pressed it out, so it looks a bit wonky.

Last week we spent time, riding around the south coast. It was cold as usual, so riding is a great way to get out and enjoy the views. We spotted the Osprey near the seafood restaurant, still waiting for his mate.

And another along a back road.

This week, his mate came in.

Today was a hike at the bird sanctuary. It was a cloudy day with fog rolling into some areas, but I always love walking in the cooler temps. As we walked we could hear all the Ospreys flying around. A lot were hanging out in trees along the pathways.

 

Most didn't like us walking in their area and let us know.

Nearer the ocean, it was foggier. The old timers, still haven't built a nest on the island. Most of the others repaired or built new ones, all destroyed by the winter storms.

And the Swallows were flying around us and claiming their nesting boxes.

And the best surprise was spotting an Eagle in the field. He was carrying a stick, so he is nesting nearby. Tomorrow we will get another nice day, but cold coming back in the afternoon, so hopefully we can get out for an early hike. Then I need to get the side dishes made up, so all I have to do is reheat them. 

I planned on doing a treasure hunt with clues for the boys, but they are saying rain on Sunday. I will have to rethink it to do one in the house, with the last clue telling them where their treasure bag is.

May you all have a blessed Easter holiday.

Friday finish!

 

I finally finished my stitchery and it was a fun one to do. The design was a free coloring page by Karla Dornacher. I decided to color it on fabric and stitch around it. I made it into a wall hanging that I could put in my room, something inspirational to wake up to. You can click on the link to see Karla's page and sign up for her newsletter. She makes a lot of wonderful inspirational designs and tells wonderful inspirational stories about her life.

Last week we went on a hike to a forest in Connecticut. It was a little cool but it made for a brisk hike and kept me going. We went to the regular path and part way down, all I could see was a swamp, so we had to take the long way around to avoid that. Our first stop was the pond, along the way.

Our end point was another pond, that had a beautiful little waterfall. A great place to stop for a rest and snack break.

On the way back we passed by a lot of small streams and ponds. All the snow melt and rain, made for a lot more waterways. This is a fish hatchery that is open only to kids. Each year they have a fishing tournament  for them.

As we came through the woods, we stumbled onto the old sheds. Previously when we saw them, we had no idea what they were for. Now they have signs and this one was for explosives.

There is another one, further away. It was used to store the igniters and other tools.

Back at the main camp, we passed by the fishing bridge. As you can see, this stream was overflowing, so no one will be picnicking there, anytime soon.

I hope you all had a nice week. This week I will be getting ready for Easter. We always cook the meal since I have a special diet. I hope you all have a nice weekend and it looks like it might be warming up for a lot of you.

Friday Finish!

 

While on vacation I stopped at a little shop in Williamstown, called Karen's Quilting Corner. It is a wonderful shop, full of beautiful and unique fabrics. I was good and only got two quilt panels. This one I got for myself to hand quilt. I quilted around the designs and left the border as is, with a little edge with the black binding. It is hard to see the quilted look in the photo. I have clip hangers on my curtain rod, so it hangs there. The next one is a Christmas design, that will be for the kids and I will use the machine on that one.

This design is by Bonnie Sullivan.

Last weekend we went on a nice walk at the bird sanctuary. Lots of activity, as migration has begun. The fields were uncut, so the bees were enjoying the flowers.

Lots of turtles enjoying the warm sun.

And a few more of the wildlife we saw, along the way.

Afterwards, we drove by the marsh to see what was in the area. One area was full of Egrets in the trees, too many to count.

 And quite a few Blue Herons in the marsh.

Today we went for a paddle at the pond. It was a warmer day, so we could paddle and do a little swimming, though the water was cooler from the cold nights.

We stopped at the first beach head at the campground, across the way.

A Heron was in the corner, wading for fish. We saw a few different birds, but none were close enough or still enough to catch. 

We paddled along the back cove, lots of weeds at the end of the season.

It was a nice day to get out and even though I started out feeling sick, the paddle was just what I needed to feel better. This weekend will be cooling down, so it will be nice for hikes and biking. I hope you all enjoy your weekend and can enjoy getting out. 

And yes, I do have hair, long and thick, so I pull it back and it looks like I am going bald in photos.

In the works!

 

This week I have been getting some pieces ready to finish for Christmas. I have a lot of unfinished projects, so for now, I am working on ones I really want to finish. Then I can decide what to do with other projects later. 

One project was a tree skirt. I made this years ago, all pieced by hand. I decided to sew it inside out with the batting and backing. My idea was to do ties in each hexagon, but not so sure now. I am wondering if it would look good if I quilted around the design elements from the outside in, then left the gold pieces, as is. Any suggestions are appreciated, but I am lazy, so simple is best, but I want it to look nice. I messed up the center, it's a bit wonky, but not noticeable when it is around the tree.

The second project is a large wall hanging. I have a rod hanger over our front entry, so this will be perfect to hang there, hopefully it will fit. I have the stockings and stars done, so next is sashing to piece those together. Next will be side pieces with trees and stars, then the top and bottom will have a saying. I realized I didn't have enough of the original black, so hoping to find the same type at the store this weekend.

I decided I wanted to have fun this halloween. We don't get kids anymore and live on a road, so no one stops by. So, we went to the kids and got to have fun with them. I changed my look a bit, went with an ugly witch look. The black spots on my face are spider stencils and I used the face paint to enhance my wrinkles. The kids live in a rural area, so the houses were more spaced in some areas. We took our truck and I got out with the kids and walked to houses when they were closer.

The funniest thing was, Alex would not go near me when I came, I guess I was a bit too creepy for him. Once he realized grandma hadn't turned into a real witch, he was fine.

Some of the neighbors had some cool displays and at one house, they had beer and pizza for the adults. It was fun to see the boys having fun and see the displays and other kids. This is one of the best displays we saw, they had a lot of other items in their yard and a fog machine.

I hope you all had a fun halloween and enjoy your weekend. 

Final Finish

 This week I have been getting ready for our trip, so not a lot got done in my craft room. I did finish the stitchery and made it into a wall hanging. I added some buttons and an outer stitch and hopefully the recipient will love it. 

Today was cooking, I made corn bread and a big pot of thick soup. I call it a cross between minestrone and  Pasta Fagioli. I make mine with beef and it makes its own broth and then I use petite chopped tomatoes, which I chop a bit more, before I add it.  For vegetables I use frozen mixed veggies, white beans, onion and garlic, so hearty and healthy meal for cooler days.

The weather is horrible, rain this weekend, but Sunday should be better and then a few nice days. It may rain at the end of the week, so it will depend on how bad it gets, and whether I stay all week. Hopefully we can enjoy time outside, paddling and biking. That is the one good thing, cooler weather means I have more energy to do things. I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Friday Finish!

 

This week I wanted to work on a new project. This is a design by Cheri Saffiote and perfect to add to my Summer decor. The original design is four blocks with the same design, so I made mine into a smaller wall hanging and added the saying. I realized after I took the photo, I forgot to add the stars. I have mini star buttons that I will add on.

Last weekend was Alex's first communion. He looked so cute, all dressed up.

And a family photo at the altar.

One afternoon we walked at the local preserve. It is a nice walk through the woods and down to the bay.

On Sunday we went to a local park that had a grand opening with giant trolls, made from found materials. 

And a second one, hidden in the wooded area.

Today Bill came home early, so we headed to the bird sanctuary. It is nice to walk along the paths without the weekend crowds. We got to see the Ospreys, hidden in the back area.

A first sighting for me, a Common Yellowthroat.

Lots of Catbirds in all of the areas, so there are always a few who will come out and pose for me.

A few more of the birds and critters that I could get a shot of. Most were busy flying back and forth and always in tree areas, so I couldn't focus in on them. I hope you have a good weekend and can get out and enjoy nature in your area. With the warmer weather, a lot of birds are coming in and you never know what you will find, if you look up.