Friday Finish!

 

This week I finished another pillow with the monthly design by Kathy Schmitz. The original design had a date and it included a grouping of designs you could add. I loved the cat and dog and thought it would be a perfect gift for my cat sitter. I made the dog a bit more pointy to look like Bean and faces, since the original was blank.

I added lavender, she asked me for some more lavender pillows and she just had some minor surgery, so a happy present while she recuperates.

I also got a chance to make a few masks for the boys. Nick wanted some crazy colored fabric, so that is what he got.

We also got a chance to spend time on the island. We took the RV so Bill could sit and enjoy the views with a few walks along the paved road. Of course I spent the majority of my time at the beach. I got a nice little stash to add to my collection.

The lightening wasn't great and I was getting tired, but I took a few quick shots of the action going on in the marsh area. There is an Osprey nest there and he was swooping back and forth, looking for fish, but too fast to catch him as he got closer.

I hope everyone had a good week and have a wonderful weekend.

Friday Finish and Feathered Friends!

 I actually made time to finish a project. I received the new design from Kathy Schmitz's club and of course I wanted to do it right away. This is the first one, a house design in which you can change the bottom part, this one has the rabbit. I am making one more for my cat sitter so that is next.

I was also able to get out for a few days, loving the warmer spring weather. One day we went to a local beach. I get out for a walk and bird watching and Bill enjoys the views and the fresh air. And Bean gets to go too, he loves the beach.

Another fun thing was watching the Ospreys, this is one of my favorite, that I took. He was eating a fish and got a bone stuck in his throat, which made him gag and shake his whole body. This is how he looked when he was done shaking.

His mate was in the nest, screeching at him to bring some to her, but he was being greedy. She finally gave up and flew to the inlet to find her own dinner.

The next day we went to the island and I spent some time beach combing, while Bean played and had fun on the beach. 

I also got to enjoy some more birding.

And we spotted two nests that were occupied. 

And last but not least, we had a wonderful Easter Day with the boys. We had a hunt for the boys and they loved finding all the goodies that I hid for them. I hope you all had a wonderful week and a wonderful weekend ahead.

Easter Blessings!

This week has been a slow week for crafting, and more of a whirlwind of caretaking, along with my regular routine and of course caring for the fur babies. Bill had to go back in and have his medicines adjusted at the beginning of the week, but he is doing well now and hopefully things will only improve.

As for me, I am doing way too much in a day and wearing myself out. To top it off, a package was delivered and left in the driveway and it was a 40 pound box of printer paper. I had no choice but to bring it in, so paying for that now and fighting off a bug. 

I have been working on some new projects, so I make sure I have some time for myself and creating. I did get to enjoy an hour this week, walking along the river and taking photos. Bill's therapy will be here, so when he goes for visits, I can go for walks in the area. The bike path is close by and a couple of old cemeteries, so something fun for me to do, instead of sitting in the waiting room.

Across the street is an art gallery and someone decided that the tree needed to keep warm this winter.

On the other side is the river, with a waterfall. The area was once home to mills. 

Looking up river you can see the bridge to cross the river and a covered dock to sit and relax at.

It is a great place to enjoy watching the wildlife.

And when I got home, I got a nice surprise. I had made a friend some masks and she sent me a big box of roving. I love the colors and the glitter in the multi-colors in the back, there area some gorgeous maroons and purple in that, and I might even try a little dragon with it.

I hope you are all blessed with good health this Easter.

Friday Finish!

 I want to thank everyone for your kind words and prayers. Bill finally came home and he didn't even last a day, he was back in the hospital. In the short time he was gone, they were out of beds, so he was put in the basement, which didn't make me happy. The good news is he is back and doing well so far. He is on lots of meds for now and next week we will start the office visit for his knee and then back to his regular heart doctor for some new problems that need to be addressed. 

It seems this year has not been good for most of us with Covid, missing family and health issues, so we can only take one day at a time and enjoy each moment we have. Yesterday my body finally gave out, my arm is messed up and that threw my back off more, so the added work load is a bit too much. But, I am good enough today to do a few things and hopefully I can get out for a bit tomorrow,  I do need my outdoor time.

Since I was stuck on the bed most of the day, I decided to finish my needle felting project. I decided to make an egg and decorate it with a little scene. Of course what I had in my mind, is not what came about, but it was still fun to do and I learn, what not to do, next time. 

The photo isn't great, it always makes the wool look grainy, but is is much softer looking in person. I didn't want to waste roving, so I made an egg shape form with wool batting and stuffed it with some stuffing, so not a perfect egg shape.

I try to spend my quiet time on the porch, a few minutes of fresh air and a few visitors, always lift my spirits. One day a Juvenile Red Shouldered Hawk was soaring above the field, behind us, and I caught him just as he dove down, into the field.

I was also able to get out for a little shopping therapy. I found a rustic bird house for my yard.

And a sparrow has taken over the tin house, so hoping the others will be occupied soon. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and may health and joy, be with you and your family.

Friday Finish!

 

This has been a tough week, a lot can happen in a few days and Bill is back in the hospital. He developed blood clots that went to his lungs and got pneumonia, so he was rushed to the hospital and has been there since. He is doing good but they are keeping him until he levels out and his lungs clear. With his knee surgery, coming home would be hard since he cannot walk well, but also sick and weak. So, I am glad they are keeping him, he is getting good care and it is easier on me. 

I have been keeping busy with the house, catching up on cleaning and getting as much as I can done, so I am hoping I can get out and enjoy a few nice days and have some me time. In the meantime I make time for me by watching tv and working on projects. I was able to finish one this week, a stocking design, by Cheri Saffiote. This was a fun one to do and I think it would make a nice gift idea.

Another thing I do for myself is, sit on the porch and enjoy the birds that come to visit. I also have some unwanted visitors, the local squirrels. I swear they are sitting in their nests, watching for the moment I put food in the feeders. I let them feed at the other feeder, but not at the porch one. For the first time, this little guy showed up. He isn't as brave as the squirrels, and took off, a few seconds after I got a shot.

I also try and walk around the yard and play with Bean each day. I noticed the neighbors had a lot of birds in their backyard, so I snuck through the bush and caught this robin.

And a new regular to the feeders is the Red Bellied Woodpecker. They are twice the size of the Downy. I don't always get a nice sky, so I cheat and use the new sky filter in Photoshop. The deeper blues make a nice background for the lighter birds.

And of course my regular visitor, the juvenile Downy Woodpecker. He was the first to visit and is quite comfortable eating, while I am on the porch.

With warm weather this week, I am hoping to get out for some hikes and maybe catch some of the birds, that are coming back from the south. There has been a lot of sightings of the Blue Herons and Ospreys this week, so they are heading home and nesting. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and experiencing nice weather in your part of the country.

Friday Finish!

 

It has been a slow week, most of my time is spent taking care of the house, the pets and of course Bill. Today I finally crashed and spent most of the day on the couch, watching tv. I have had the kids and a neighbor do the shopping and lots of online shopping, so that saves me from doing that.

I decided to make an easy project that I could finish in a week. I have one that is large, so that is being worked on, a bit at a time and another that I should finish by next week. I also want to finish a couple of needle felted projects, so hopefully I can find more time for myself, next week.

This is a pattern by Jacquelynne Steves that she offered in her newsletter. I made them into lavender sachets, a fun project from Spring.

I haven't had much time to take photos, but I was able to catch this young, female, Downy Woodpecker. The females are shyer, but this one is getting used to me and visits more often.

And I got to spend some time with the kids last weekend. It was my son's birthday so they came over for dinner and cake. Before dinner, we took the boys to the playground for some fun time.

Alex's smile always brings me joy.

And Nick loves to show Grandma how brave he is. Time with them is just what I needed. I hope you all had a nice week and a wonderful weekend.

Friday Finishes!

It seems like I have less time to do some things but more time to relax at night and work on projects. This week was a new stitchery by Kathy Schmitz. I got an idea to try something different and made an egg shape to put it on.

It was fun to make and I love how it came out. The egg is 9" tall so a nice size to display with my other Easter items. I used Gold Faber colored pencils to color it and thicker rug yarn for the edge.

I also had time to make up some Easter masks for the boys. I was hoping to find something more for boys, but Nick loves pretty colors and Alex doesn't care, so they will be fun to wear for the season.

Most of our time is spent at home for the doctors. Bill has surgery next week, so I am trying to organize my time so I have time for me and hopefully I will be able to get out by myself when the weather warms up. I do need my outdoor time and it won't be long before the birds come home from the south, so I can't wait to go back to areas where they nest.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and is doing well.