Pumpkin Sunrise

  How are you? Over here, I've been enjoying the cooler weather even though it's short lived. I went for a walk outside with a zip hoodie (gasp!) in the early morning. As you know, I quit walking outside in March due to allergies (I can't take allergy meds due to dry mouth and when my nose stuffs up I get dry mouth...ugh!) then when the allergies finally settled it was too hot for me (also heat intolerant, ugh). So my walk was nice! I am used to exercising in my art/office room now so that is the new normal for me.  In other news, I am nearly finished with the cross stitch baby sampler! Of course I will have to wait to see what the baby's name and birth date are but that's easy peasy. I enjoy the hour I spend each day on it and will miss this simple project. I finished the knitting portion of the baby sweater but I have to bury threads and sew on buttons. The weekend was 'busy' with the grandkids and I completely forgot when I had time to sit. It's on my...

  Good morning! How are you and what have you been up to since the last time we met (on this blog!). I've been busy these days. I see the grandchildren frequently and am so happy they live near by. I've also been busy working on projects for the new baby that is due near the end of September.  At the beginning of July, I started a watercolor monthly challenge by Emma Jane Lefebve on YouTube which has been quite enjoyable. Of course, I can't do daily when I'm traveling or busy but I have consistently painted when I do have time. The videos are short and sweet. I love that. My paper is not the best so I'm not getting the results that I would like, however, I am showing up and creating a routine that is what I really wanted to achieve. I've also been stitching every single day for at lease an hour and I'm in the 'groove'.  I love this baby sampler design because it's simple and fast.  Now for the sad knitting of the baby sweater .  I'm knitting ...

  Good morning! How are you doing? I am doing much much better after being unwell for over two weeks. Onward and upward! As I stated earlier, we went up to see our daughter and son in law in the Boston area to help them pack up some boxes for their apartment move. Since we were packing, I didn't take many photos, but here are the ones that I did manage to take. We popped into the Catholic church in Harvard square, I've been in this one before for Mass. We didn't attend Mass this visit because they have no air conditioning (I would die....). This is the church we did attend Mass. I cannot remember the name, but it was pretty!!  Below are all the things I bought every single time I was in a bookstore. I love bookstores immensely. As you know, I try to support independent bookstores and it is a goal that is easily done. Last week I started the cross stitch sampler for the grandbaby to be and it's been slow going. However, I try my best to stitch at least one hour a day if ...

  Good morning! How are all of you? I'm doing well and continue to play catch up after our trip last weekend to Cambridge, MA. The unpacking is the easy part, it's the internet catch up - bill paying and visiting blogs. Also buying groceries while not having a menu plan. I should just give up having a menu plan since I seem to do fairly well winging the meals.  I've been holding off saying this but I'm just about to burst because I am ready for FALL. I'm doing my best to enjoy the summer season especially since this is my husband's favorite season. As of today, we have 50 more days until the first day of Autumn.  I went out shopping with my sister yesterday morning and I bought some new charms from Joann Fabrics to add to my traveller's notebook. They are so cute. The tidy Buddha was from the beach vacation last year.  This fall, I will be taking some classes at the local university for people over 50 years old. I'm excited to go back to school but it...

  Since my husband's bike fall last Sunday, the beginning of the week was busy. We had our furnace and AC replaced (by choice) and had workers here Monday and Tuesday. We also had appointments with specialists for my husband's forearm because there was still a tiny stone inside (!). For now they want to leave it in there, I guess it's more trouble to cut in again. They are the experts right? He's doing really well and we continue to keep a close eye on the stitches as it heals.  The little cross stitch birth sampler is 3/4ths of the way completed. I am so excited. We've got a month to go before our granddaughter is born near the end of August. Our grandson is growing fast as well, I can't wait to see him too. I continue to read most of the afternoons outside on the back patio. We have no big plans for the weekend which suits me after the bike fall weekend. Give me all the boring dull days please. I'm doing my best to not wish the summer away, it's my lea...

  This is the third weekend in a row that we have family plans. This weekend, our daughter and son in law are visiting us from Massachusetts, we haven't seen them since last September. I've been busy planning a family gathering on Saturday night and meals to make while trying to keep it simple.  Finally! I snapped a photo of the birth sampler project for grand baby girl number two. I work on this an hour a day and really love how easy it is. First of all I can see it (big win) and second of all there's little to no backstitching. 

  What a glorious weekend! I finished all the baby knitting (for now....). How exciting to cross off all the knitting goals. On Sunday, I started the baby birth sampler which should go smoothly. I can see the fabric (thanks Aida cloth!) and there's no silly backstitching. The hot weather has ended for now. This morning it was chilly, yay. We are hosting a baby shower this coming weekend and so I have many lists going on at the same time trying to remember everything I want to do or buy before Friday. We also have a family reunion party on the weekend as well. This weekend was all about BIG salads for dinner, sitting on the back patio and starting a new book - Beth Moore's memoir All My Knotted Up Life . I was super excited when the library hold email alerted me. How was your weekend?

  Yesterday my dad was transferred out of ICU (22 days!) into a regular room in the hospital, we are overjoyed! Of course he has a ways to go in his recovery and we hope within a week he will be discharged to a rehab place that is closer to his home which will help out my step mom's commute to the city. Thank you for all the well wishes and prayers. Today is a rainy day and while I'm not a fan of overcast days, I do enjoy the forced stillness wet weather gives me. Instead of walking I will be catching up on household tasks.  You know I will be knitting! I am enjoying my sweater currently on my needles.  I'm going to catch up on some reading and journaling as well. Art journaling specifically.  I haven't been creating art for over three weeks and I'm feeling the urge to once again get my supplies out and sketch.  I forgot to share with you the cross stitch picture I finished a while ago. I'm very pleased with how it turned out but I will be shying away from cross...

  Boy oh boy, did this weekend speed on by! I didn't do much outside of the house, but I was engrossed in cross stitching. I am trying my very best to finish this project. I spend about one hour a day (that's all I can manage with white thread on cream background).  I'm also motivated to crank out a pair of socks for my husband. There is a critical need for more hand knit socks. Ah, the knitter's dilemma that delights the soul!! In between knitting and reading I did my weekly chores.  How was your weekend?

  After many months taking a break away from this nearly impossible cross stitch design, I'm back at it, trying my best to stitch it correctly. I have grand plans of finishing this before spring arrives, wish me the best of luck! How are you?  Around here, I've been busy being 'Santa' and wrapping the gifts that needed to be mailed. Every morning I try to do at least a half hour of gift wrapping. This year, I have more holiday spirit than last Christmas season. Maybe I'm more adjusted to living in this house? I have less thoughts of what I miss from my old house, and that's progress.  Around here, my bird feeder is a continuous delight! The raccoon has yet to be messing with my feeder and whenever I'm at the sink I watch MY birds. I love them so. Around here, I'm closing in on finishing my fingerless mitts. I'm on the second mitt of the second pair. Today that mitt will be done. yay. After that I am done with holiday knitting! I can then revert back ...

  This weekend was pretty chill except for the manic cross stitching that I did Saturday and Sunday. I'm pleased to report that not only did I finish the cross stitching, back stitching and personalizing the ornament with our grandson's name, I made it into an ornament as well. It feels so good to have another gift finished and ready to be wrapped up.  As usual, Holly was snooping around looking for Frodo in the family room yesterday, I love her 'innocent' look. Shortly after looking for Frodo, who she knew was outside with  my husband, she scampered back up stairs to do some buffalo stampede running back and forth in the hallway. She can sound loud if she wants!! How was your weekend?

  How was your weekend?  My weekend was a making weekend. I dug out the Christmas ornament for our grandson after a full month of not working on it at all (gnome invasion?). Let's see if I can work on it each day and get this finished soon. I also worked steadily on my Grandson's SECOND Christmas sweater in a larger size than the first one I knit him which fits him right now. Overall it was a glorious weekend!! How was yours?

  I keep forgetting to show my progress on a cross stitch project I started last week or so. This is for our grandson and it might be an ornament to hang or a framed picture depending on which is easier for me. I am loving that the fabric is 14 Aida count and I can see it. Honestly, having older eyes is challenging. While I do enjoy the cross stitching and it reminds me of all the cross stitching in the past, knitting is my comfort zone. I don't really use my eyes for knitting like I do for cross stitching.  This week has been glorious weather. I walk daily early in the morning when the elementary school bus does its rounds and I eagerly wave to the bus driver and the kids. Actually I wave to just about everyone that passes. The air is crisp and fresh. So so beautiful.  On my walks, I try my best to be present. I go through my five senses to notice what is happening at the moment. For instance, I look for five different things, then listen for four different sounds, then...

  Good morning! How has your week been? Can you believe it's the last week of June? After some brutally hot temperatures we were graced yesterday with a beautiful day of low humidity - truly refreshing.  My backyard is quiet now that we stopped feeding the birds (raccoon raiding during the day, ugh). I will put the feeder out again in the fall and hope that Ms. Raccoon has forgotten all about the free ride.  We are knee deep in home improvements. Last week the insulators finished doing the attic, this week we have chimney/brick pointers removing bricks that are 'spalled'. What a NOISY day yesterday! Frodo, bless him, slept through the chaos, but Holly didn't know where to hide. She usually is under our bed but the jackhammering was on an outside wall to our bedroom. Poor Holly.  She is amazing though, once they leave she is out and about - resilient! Wish us luck! Next week or the week after is a  new roof and gutter installation.  While home improvements o...

  Good morning! How are you on this wonderful Monday morning? The weekend was pretty good. I didn't do anything super exciting which is fine by me. The weather was fabulous on Saturday and super drippy rainy on Sunday.  I am thoroughly loving the flowering dogwood trees in the back yard. I've shared with you one photo but gosh my phone has so many. All of a sudden everything is green! Trees, bushes and lawns, the beginnings of the month of May are simply the best.  I worked a tiny bit on the cross stitch project which is so challenging for me since it's on linen. I know some of you say to keep at it but at one point I wanted to scrap the whole project and start over on Aida cloth. I resisted and will keep going. Sunday was all day rain and some rumbly thunder. I put on some piano music for Frodo and it seemed he didn't hear the thundering (he is afraid of thunder!). I might be onto something good. How was your weekend?

  Good morning! Finally spring weather is here, well temporarily. I have the patio all set up and we had our first sit out two days ago. The patio is one of our favorite features of this house. In the photo above is our backyard and down the hill can you see the half buried swimming pool? We are trying to figure out how to completely bury it. No ideas so far, but I welcome yours. My husband is trying to figure out how to remove the coping around the edges of the pool. We also need a ton of dirt.  Our local family will be at our house for Easter Sunday dinner. I've been busy creating a menu and writing down all the 'to dos' that need to be done. I'm lucky my sister is helping with the cooking. I'll miss my kids but there is Zoom and that makes it nice! I have not done a single stitch of my cross stitch project in over a week. I snapped a photo to show you my progress and to visually remind me to work on it once again. I'm working on the second baby gift sweater a...

  Thank you for all of your lovely comments on the last post, I'm glad I'm not the only one who is saving things for a special day. I'm in good company! This weekend was nice. I tried out my new reading glasses that are just for cross stitching. So far I am quite pleased with the magnification! I'll be trying them out again in the next few days. My progressive lens glasses are fantastic, oh the things I can see!  I finally finished a sock, so now to cast on the second sock. I love knitting socks that have no pattern and I can just knit knit knit along without much thinking. This morning it snowed (again) and Frodo refused to do anything after a 12 hour sleep, so I have to take him back out there. He does not like cold weather at all, the older he gets the more he shivers and that is with a coat on! I guess I don't blame him at all. How was your weekend?