Week with the Boys!

 

We spent the first half of the week with the boys, best days ever. It is such a joy to see them having fun and trying new things. I remember the first time I took each of them to the beach when they were little and both boys would not go in the water.  Now I have to keep reminding them, don't go out so far.

They both are into beach combing and Alex finds little bits for his big brother. I actually got them to sit still for a photo.

Nick is loving his boogie board and getting better each time we go out. 

Alex is still at the kick boarding stage, but he tends to go out too deep, he has no fear.

And a pile of glass was found by me. I spend as much time in the water and watching the boys, so I don't look as much as I can, but much more fun playing with the boys.

The weather has gotten too hot to spend the day at the beach so Bill and I go in the afternoon for a few hours. I was lucky enough to see the Osprey in the perfect spot when we drove home. This inlet is filled with different shore birds, but the only way I can get a photo is from the side of the road, from the car window.

A close up of Dad. I guess he wanted a break from the family.

And at the nest is mom and junior. I guess they only had one this year.

And a close up of Junior. I love seeing the new Ospreys, they are all trying out their wings and some have taken to flight. 

I hope. you all had a nice week and plans for something fun this weekend. We have another hot day with storms and Sunday will be a great day to get out.

Friday Finish and Fun!

 

It seems the week goes by too fast and I never get half of the things done, that I had planned. But I have been getting a lot of outdoor time, so that is good. I did finish the second free design, by Theodore Cleave Designs. 

It is a small pillow and I added a few touches of glitter thread to this piece.

I also got to spend time with the kids last weekend. We all went to the sunflower farm. They have a field with pathways that you can walk through, to enjoy the flowers.

And I thought these were funny. The birds feast on the seeds and I guess they have a sense of humor.

And these are some of the birds I was able to catch, along with a butterfly at another park. There are a lot of beautiful birds, but they come and go so fast, it is hard to catch them.

And of course, I took photos of the family. Trying to get them to stand still and pose nicely at the same time is impossible, so this is what I ended up with.

Most afternoons we spend at the beach and I have gotten some nice pieces of glass. I also take a swim when I can, sometimes the waves and pull is too much for me to get into, but the cooler air is always refreshing. I was able to catch the local Osprey family on one day.

It looks like three young made it this year. One is a bit shy.

Mom coming in with dinner. One osprey was yelling at the other, so when mom came in, she gave them a good talking to.

Bill took the next week off, but we have no where to go. My cat sitter is going through some things with her dad and I mentioned we might want to take off, but she never said anything. Usually she says she will be happy to watch the kitties, so I think she may be too overwhelmed at the moment and I don't want to ask her, and make her feel obligated. Hopefully Bill and I can find some fun things to do on a hot week and maybe get some fun beach days with the boys.  I hope you all have a good weekend.

Friday Finish and Finds!

 

This week I got two free designs from Theodore Cleave Designs. I receive her newsletter and she offered them if you emailed her, so I couldn't resist. Her designs are fun and whimsical and a joy to make. I still have a bunch of stitcheries that I need to make into a quilt, from years ago.

These are nice since I can work them up into pillows and they will be nice as gifts or for sale. I went with a black outline and bright colors, perfect for Christmas.

I also spent the afternoons at the beach, the tide was midway most of the time and the waves were high and powerful, so not the easiest way to find glass, but I found quite a few nice pieces.

Most of the time, the beach was empty but a few people came to enjoy the beautiful weather on some days. Today while we were there, they were having a wedding on the beach. On this day, we had a sky writer who did some music symbols over Newport, where they are having the folk festival.

I hope you all had a wonderful week and fun plans for the weekend. 

Friday Finish and Fun!

 

Another week went by too fast, but I did get one thing done and lots of outdoor time. I saw a new free design to do from a Facebook group, called Christmas by the sea. Each one is an ornament for Christmas with a beach theme. I made mine and wasn't sure what to do with it and got an idea.

We were taking the boys out for the day and I decided to whip up a drawstring bag for Nick to put his treasures. I wish I had thought of it since I sewed the ornie, then had to attach it by sewing it down, so not quality work but good enough. The only thing was, the cord was way too thick to draw the heavy jeans, so I took it out and used a piece of jute.

We ended up turning around since the road was backed up with traffic and took the boys to our town beach. No glass collecting but the boys had fun in the shallow waters.

Alex is at that fun age, he loves the water and even if he was going backwards, he still tried to do some surfing.

Mom and dad wanted a night out, so today we got the boys in the afternoon and were able to take them to the glass beach. Nick loved his bag and finding his own glass. 

And Alex is becoming quite the water lover, he likes to go deep and let the waves crash into him.

We also got out by ourselves during the week. The tide was high so you can see the area were Nick is in the previous photo and how high the water goes up, not the easiest way to find glass.

I stand at the water edge and wait as the waves come in, then grab whatever the ocean leaves me.

Even with the high tide, I was able to find a few nice pieces. I am also reorganizing my glass and finds so I can start making things with the craft glass. Not as much as I usually find, but I think I have more than enough to make quite a few projects. And the good thing is, I get out in the fresh air and lots of miles of walking up and down the beach. I hope you all had a wonderful week and some fun, outside this weekend.

Friday Finish and finds!

 

Well, I finally finished my angel. I wanted to add arms and I like how they came out, then I decided to add a heart, since it is a gift for a friend. The hair came out a bit wild and she looks mean in the photo, it is too harsh, she has a lighter, more whimsical expression, so she is goofy enough to make the recipient smile.

I started out with a cookie cutter shape and then added to make it into a figure. I think I would prefer to use a wire form to start and be more creative, but she isn't too bad.

We spent a lot of time at the beach this week. We go when Bill gets home so the beach is less crowded and we can spend a few hours, combing the beach and taking a swim. I got quite a few nice finds this week.

Most of the week was overcast but it is still a beautiful place to be.

And I love watching the fog roll in. This day it got so thick,  you could not see too far, but we made it over the bridge before it rolled over.

And I am still enjoying the visitors at my feeder. This young Chipping Sparrow is a new visitor and happy to sit for a photo. Hopefully I can catch some of the other youngsters when they get used to me. I hope you all had a nice week and have a wonderful weekend.

Friday Finish and Weekly Meanderings!

 

I hope everyone fared well, through the storm. It was not bad at all here, we got a lot of rain but not much wind. We had plans to go camping today for a long weekend but I cancelled since I wasn't sure if it would be bad and there is rain, on and off, this weekend. This way I can relax at home a bit more and get out for a few hours of fun during the nice hours.

I was able to finish some new pieces this week. The new stitchery of the month is always fun to do and I will sell a few and gift others. On these I did black stitching on one and matching colors on the other. I would like to see if I can find a stiffer fabric so I can color and blend better. 

When Bill gets home from work, we go to the beach on the island. I always love the ride and it is never crowded, later in the day. We had a lot of fog this week, but I love the cool air. I used the iPhone for these photos. This is a view to the left of the beach.

And looking back to the right side.

A view from the small beach at the end. You can get to it by climbing through a little tunnel, but it is collapsing and I don't think I will fit, much longer.

Today we waited for the storm to calm down and headed back to the beach. We got a little wet when showers came by, but it kept me cool. We also went to a beach on the Northern side, it was nice to have the place to ourselves.

I have been collecting beach finds this week. Not as much since we tend to hit the higher tide, but we were able to find a bit more today, the glass on the left side. A couple of pieces of old pottery and a little bracelet. The tide was low but with the storm, the water levels and water was higher, so it was taking more debris than it was giving.

And I had some new visitors today. A couple of Turkey moms and their babies. I caught them walking across my long fence but by the time I grabbed the camera they were heading off and took off when they saw me. 

Have a wonderful weekend and I hope that you all find a little joy and adventure in your lives.

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.