Friday Finish!

 

This week has been slow with crafting. With a long weekend, I tend to wear down, so I rested and caught up on things around the house. I decided to paint some more rocks, to hide. They are fun to do and this way I will have some, each time we go out. I only hide a few at a time in different places, that way, one person doesn't find and take them all, that does happen.

I have been finding designs on the web, I browse Pinterest sites for ones that interest me and are not too hard to copy. 

I did make a mess of the kitty in the pot, his side hair is not in the right position, my brain went on hold for a bit. Not the best photo, the light makes them look wonky.

To enjoy some time in the nicer weather, Bill took Friday and Monday off. On the weekend we had one nice day and one rainy day. On Saturday we took a ride up state to see a Blue Heron Rookery. Not as many as I expected and the sun was directly in front of me, so I had to do a lot of editing to get a few decent photos.

This pair was fun to watch and the closest. He brings her sticks and she places them in the nest, doesn't look too comfortable.

And while shooting, they decided to get started on their family.

Sunday we got to the beach for a bit and Bean was happy he got to get out to his favorite place. We also went to the beach this afternoon. A bit cooler today and the wind was kicking up, and the tide was high, so we only had a small area to search in.

On Monday we went to Connecticut. I wanted to see a few places where the ospreys were coming in and visit a few parks along the way.

Our first stop was our last stop, we went to the river, where there is a boardwalk into an estuary.

At the end there is a higher platform to see the nests in the area. There were a few already nesting in the area. We also spotted a few in areas further down, it is a place I would like to get out and paddle, to get closer to the sanctuary area.

We also found another area for a hike and bird viewing. 

Our last stop, which is last since we went up and travelled back down, towards home, was at Rocky Neck Park. It is a large park with camping and picnic areas, a bird sanctuary and a beach. I would love to camp at their parks, but they do not allow dogs. 

A few views around the park.

A lot of birds in the inner marshes.

And to make my day, an eagle. I had decided not to take a ride around the river and do more hiking than driving or hunting for eagles. While I was shooting, I heard a commotion. A flock of birds was trying to chase another bird away. I had to take a few quick shots, but when I got home, I was able to see, it was a juvenile eagle.

I hope everyone had a good week and fun plans for the weekend. 

Friday Finishes!

 

This has been a busy week, but keeping busy, keeps me from letting all the crazy in this world, stress me out. I made a few new things and finished an old item. I made this rug, years ago but never bound it. I actually enjoy binding, I find it relaxing and it was so nice to see it done. The pattern is by Mad Hen Primitives and the kit was gifted to me, by a friend. I am still unsure about the bold blue on the wing, I may just change that.

I also saw a free pattern for cloth carrots, but of course I just made them myself. I just made some triangles, sewed them together and added strips of cloth for the top, fast and easy.

And I made another set of rocks, to hide. I love doing fun ones, an hopefully they will bring smiles to the recipients.

Last weekend we did a drive around the beach areas, it was cooler so we just enjoyed the views. Along the way we spotted a group of Red Breasted Mergansers. They are so funny, trying to impress the females.

On the way home, we decided to go to the old base, to see if the owl was around.  I was thrilled to find her in an area that I could get some nice shots. She is so beautiful, but it won't be long before she leaves.

We also spent a few days at the beach. Beautiful weather and great way to get some exercise, as we find treasures.

Today Bill had the day off, so we took a ride to Newport and spent our time at the bird sanctuary. As usual they all flew off when we got close, but I was able to get a few shots of a Northern Mockingbird and a Song Sparrow.

The walk around the point is beautiful, surrounded by the ocean. You can see a lighthouse in the distance, even though it was foggy around the little islands. On the way home we stopped at my favorite beach and found more glass. The Newport Beach has mostly white pottery, so it was fun to spend a little more time on my favorite beach.

I hope everyone had a nice week and fun plans for the weekend.

Friday Finishes!

This week I worked on finishing the new stitchery by Kathy Schmitz. This one was fun to do and I did more fancy stitches, as well as add a border to mine. It is fun having something new and quick to do, each month. I am seriously thing about doing sales again, I have way too many finished pieces, starting to pile up.

For fun, I decided to try some new rocks to hide. With the nicer weather, it is fun to place a few, at a time, in places we visit. With everything that is going on, I felt like sunflower pieces were nice to show our support. With my bad arm, it is harder to do a lot of detail, so I kept them simple.

Our weather is up and down lately, rain, warm and then cold again, so one day we went to the kids and spent some time with the boys and a little party for my son's 40'th birthday. Afterwards we drove around their area to look for an eagle they spotted. No eagle but we found an old mill site.

Remnants from the old mill.

The next day we spent some time at the beach. It was a bit cool but I finally got a pair of Bogs, so I was able to walk along the water without having to worry about getting my feet wet or cold. Bean was happy to go along, and the low tide meant, he had more places to explore.

I found some nice treasures and thrilled to find another marble and a large piece of lavender.

On the way out of the beach, I noticed a bird sitting at the Osprey nest and stopped to take a photo. It seems a Red Tailed Hawk and his mate have made a home in the nest. I am sure the Osprey is not going to be happy when it returns and sadly, it will kick them out, so I hope they havn't laid eggs yet.

I also got a surprise in the mail, a gift from Kathy Schmitz. She has a contest each year and this year was to make 6 of the same items and post a photo. I posted a photo of my pillows and instead of picking a winner, she sent all of the girls who posted, a gift package.

I hope this finds you all well and enjoying time creating and time exploring your area. Warm weather is heading our way, so Bill has two days to take off so we are planning some day trips this coming week.

Friday Finish!

 

This week Kelley Belfast offered a free pattern to show support for Ukraine. She is a cat lover and a lot of her patterns have cats and this one is a wonderful primitive piece with the kitties and the sunflowers for Ukraine. I pushed it a bit with my. bad arm, but once I get going, I cannot stop till I finish, with punch needle. It is a fun piece to punch and a great way to remember those in Ukraine as we send our prayers to them.

I was also able to see my first Snowy Owl. She is living at the old base and I found her resting in the airport. It won't be long before she heads back to the Arctic.

Another day we spent some time at the beach and I found a few new treasures. Finding a marble is always a bonus.

And at home, the birds are becoming more active. This cardinal lives in my yard, he is very territorial so no other cardinals are allowed in my yard, just his wife and their kids, which was a thrill to see this year.

I hope you all had a wonderful week.

Friday Finish and Fun!

 

I was able to finish my new wall hanging this week. It is a design in the book, Summer Gatherings by Lisa Bongean.  I have been trying to do patterns from the books I have and one of these days, I will start selling off quite a few. 

The design itself is done in wool applique, but I went will stitchery. I like the way it looks more like a sampler and I like the pops of color. A nice saying to live by. I had a few spots of blue marker that popped up, so I wet them down, thus the wet spot.

This week has been a crazy week of weather. One day we were at the beach and by that afternoon, in the midst of a snowstorm.

Another day we took a ride, cold but sunny day. We explored a new beach that has a salt water pond on one side and the ocean on another. It is private in the summer, but no one cares in the winter, so we will have to paddle in the pond next year. We also spotted Horned Larks at another beach.

Monday was another nice day, so Bill took the day off and we spent it with the boys. Nick loves this beach and he had good luck finding some nice pieces of his own. He loved the new boots, I got them. So much easier to have their feet in boots so I didn't have to worry about them getting wet.

Even Alex was getting in on the hunt, he found some large pieces for me.

And since we had a nice afternoon, one day, we headed to the beach when Bill got home. Lots of goodies on the beach and a beautiful sunset.

I hope you all had a good week and find time to enjoy some time outside. 

Friday Finish and Fun with the Boys!

 

This week I have been working on finishing a couple of projects. One is still in the works, but I was able to do the binding and add the quilting to that. This is a panel I bought years ago and decided to hand quilt the design. Originally I was thinking a long pillow but it is too big for that. 

I just finished the last stitching tonight, so I need to clean it up, chalk marks and pet hair. I have a plan for hanging it over my desk, so when Bill makes me a hanger, I will show you what I came up with. It is hard to see the stitching on the piece, the outlines are gold and I did a black stitch around all of the designs. Someday I might make a straight quilt, but so far, that isn't happening.

Last weekend we got to spend some time with the boys at the beach. The weather was nice, but it got cold after we got there, but they still had fun exploring and playing.

Nick was a bit disappointed that he couldn't find any treasures. The tide was just going out, so not much on the beach. He was happy that there was a playground, he loves playgrounds.

Alex is at a fun age, and he loves to have his picture taken. He is happy just being a boy.

I also have been enjoying my backyard birding. This weekend is the great bird count. Anyone can join in,  you just sign in and they have a bird ID program if you are not sure what you have seen. It helps them with statistics around the states. Check out, The Great Bird Count.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and maybe enjoy birds in your area. There are lots of different feeders, and that is the best way to attract them. 

May The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Friday Finish!

 

This week I finished two more hot pads with a design by Kathy Schmitz. This was a fun one, with hearts and bunnies, I can use them for both holidays. I decided to color it in for fun and since these are for me, if they fade, I can always recolor them. They are also nice since I can hang them and enjoy them as decorations, as well.

We were able to get out last weekend, even though it as cold. This time I bundled up and we were able to get a couple of miles in, at the beach. I spent some time watching the Snow Buntings, which were too far away to get close ups, so I caught them as they took flight.

They were constantly on the move, all taking off at once and landing together.

I also enjoy watching the birds from my porch. The other day I heard a lot of calling from the hawk and finally spotted him, a Red Shouldered Hawk. Of course he took off and flew up into the sky, as soon as I got my camera out. I watched him as he circled higher, then was joined by another. I am assuming he is mating, since he did a little dance and was very vocal.

On a sad not, Bill lost his older brother this week. He has been in long term care since he was injured when he was in the Air Force. He had been kicked in the head by a mean sergeant and wasn't right after that. We havn't seen him since he moved out of state but talked to him on the phone. He died peacefully this week, so it is sad that he is gone but a blessing that he is no longer suffering.

I made this photo with an old photo, of him and superimposed him into one of my photos. 

I hope everyone had a nice week and can enjoy some time out this weekend. We will be having a nice day tomorrow, so time for another adventure to see what I can find.