Playing Catch Up

***

Greetings, friends!  I hope this post finds you well and enjoying the change of seasons.  With several days of rain coming my way, I thought it was time to post some cheery spring pics.

 

Freshly graduated from my very first photography class, I actually learned what a few of the buttons on my digital camera do... See?  There is the kinda close-up shot (above).

 

And the really close-up artsy shot (below).

 

 

I know --- I'm looking into more classes....

 

There is absolutely no stitching news to report except that I am already packing for the semi-annual Stitchers Retreat being held this upcoming weekend.  (So exciting!)  

 

I have however, spotted two new-to-me birds at the feeder this month. 

 

The Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

 

 

And secondly, the stunning Summer Tanager which I have not yet convinced to sit still long enough for me to snap a pic..  However, just so your imagination doesn't run wild with possibilities, here is a pic from allaboutbirds.org:

 

 It is the only totally red bird in North America, and silly me did not even know such a thing existed. 

 

 

 

 

And with that, I'm off to do the official rain dance of my people, a.k.a., wash the car.

 

Happy stitching, friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wearing o' the White for St. Patrick's Day?

***

Isn't Mother Nature feeling her oats lately?  Hubby and I enjoyed glorious weather in nearby Ireland, WV over the weekend when we visited their Irish Spring Festival AND THEN, we got roughly a foot of snow overnight..  Incredible!  I'm just so glad that it held off until after the festival.  What great fun it was to join the fine people of Ireland to help celebrate the coming of Spring.  There was jig dancing, horseshoe pitching, road bowling, harp concerts, kite flying and an EPIC parade with leprechauns, pigmy goats, lots of candy, step dancers and plenty of red hair to go around.

I truly haven't seen so many people having such a great time since that time I was on cold medicine during the St. Paddy's day parade in Baltimore in 1994, but that's a story for another day...

So, with a foot of snow on the ground, I'll be hanging out at the ranch today... deciding whether or not to hire an air traffic controller for the back deck:

The feeder has been busier than a cut-rate cathouse (if you'll kindly pardon the expression).

So, until next time friends, stay warm, keep stitching and beware of the ides of March!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch..

***

And we're back!  It's hard for me to believe that it was a full week ago that we left for Colorado to spend some much needed down time with hubby's brother and SIL.  It went by in a flash!  I'm beginning to believe I need ten days or two weeks away from the office to really relax, but... those kinds of "extended" vacations are definitely not the norm for us.

Here's a quick (photo heavy) glimpse of our week:

River Watching

(where I sat and stitched for many wonderful hours):

 

This shot was taken from the covered swing where I enjoyed the majority of each day.  The days were long and warm but the breeze was constant and made it feel like heaven on Earth.

Arkansas River

 

 

I only worked on this one project (tartan plaid coaster) all week, but to be honest, although I had big plans to finish this while we were away, I (obviously) didn't power stitch at all. 

I took the camera on long walks most mornings and evenings, enjoyed some local sightseeing, antiquing, bird watching, feeding the neighbor's horses, and just plain ol' resting.

Hubby did a lot of this:

The highlight of hubby's week:

19" (maybe 20") brown trout

He wasn't the only one fishing though:

Holy Wing Span, Batman!

Does he look hungry, or is it just me? 

As you may already know, I'm a bird nerd.  I am fascinated by the diversity in the bird world.  And, I saw 9 new-to-me birds, and that was without even trying! 

I know, I know... how do I contain myself?  (New birds: a white-tailed kite, gilded flicker, mountain bluebird, western bluebird, black-billed magpie, red-breasted merganser, white-tailed ptarmigan, Anna's hummingbird, and a yellow bird that I've yet to identify). 

Great BIG thanks to www.allaboutbirds.org for giving amateurs like me such an excellent, free on-line resource. 

The mountains were spectacular, from every angle:

lonely tree

 

dusty trail

 

To close out the week, we visited the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, which I'd never even heard of before, but was so glad to get the chance to see:

Awesome!

 

Last but not least: 

 

 

Pikes Peak

 

 

 

And, that's all folks... 

 

 

 

 

Hope you are having a great weekend, wherever you are..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Round tuit

Yesterday, I found my 'round tuit' and whipped up a batch of suet for the birds.  They've hung around the deck today much more than normal so they must have missed it.  The cardinals are still learning to trust my back deck as a safe feeding ground so I was excited to catch this one sneaking in for a snack.

I think he has given me the inspiration to start my first new project for 2012: 

Tis the Season by Blackbird Designs

A quick stash search reveals that I only have one of the 8 Belle Soie colours required, so I might be off to my LNS a little later today.

However you spend your day, here's hoping it's peaceful and warm!

Chicken Stitchin'

What's kickin' chicken?

Isn't this pincushion just about the cutest thing you've ever seen? 

I thought so too!  My thanks go out again to my EGA chapter Education Crazy Smart Genius, Liz, for bringing this project my way.  Since our Education theme is Traveling Around the World, Liz draws inspiration from folk needlework from all over the world.  Our chicken pincushion was found on a Russian blog, so he is our Russian chicken.  :-)  

To make your own, you only need to stitch a rectangular shaped piece about 3"x7".  If you want your chicken to look symmetrical, keep in mind that it's "spine" runs down the middle of your design (landscape orientation). 

Click here for the tutorial and to see many different chickens.  I "heart" the plaid one. 

:-D

Speaking of birds!  I caught one of the pileated woodpeckers with the camera the other day.  They don't get too close to the house but this one seemed to be very intent of getting the attention of another woodpecker.  My guess is that it was not paying too close attention to where they were.  You can't miss those bright red heads!

Hubby and I are off for our great adventure tomorrow.  I've set up a series of posts that should publish automatically while we are gone, to let all the fam know where we are and what we are doing.   Feel welcome to follow along..

Arrivederci!

...out like a lamb...

###

Here it is, the end of March and what have I accomplished so far this year?  Not much.  :-)

BUT, I am very proud to report that thanks to a discovery in the "housekeeping" department, I have cleaned all (yes, ALL) of my windows, inside and out, thank you very much.  What is this wonder discovery, you ask?  They are called e-Cloths and I found mine at Marshall's (aka Home Goods / TJ Maxx).  The Window Pack has two cloths, one to clean with and the other to dry with.  You just wipe the window with damp cloth to remove dirt, then wipe it with the other one to dry/shine.  Think "Wax On, Wax Off".  It takes all of about two seconds, uses water only and the windows are streak free and cleaner than I have ever seen them in 14 years.  Seriously.  Don't cha just love that?  What else?  I used these cloths on my curio cabinet doors and shelves as well as my china cabinets doors and shelves, glass tabletops, and bathroom mirrors and they all seem to be repelling, yes REPELLING, dust.  These things might just be the best thing ever.  Sure hope you all run out and find some (available thru Amazon too).  They have made letting the sun shine in so much easier!  (I don't work for e-Cloth, know anyone who does, or get paid in anyway for this endorsement, btw)

Carmen is resting comfortably today after a rough day yesterday.  As some of you know, she had surgery to remove a few suspicious bumps yesterday.  To add insult to injury, she also had a teeth cleaning and toenail trim while she was in sleepy-town.  So, on top of three surgical sites (with stitches) to recover from, she also woke up with sore teeth and toes.  Poor girl.  

Rimadyl (pain med) is good

Mommy is home today, helping the girl recover with a little special treatment like rice/chicken/carrot breakfast.   I'm sure she'll be in top form in no time.   Dr. Fred, the v-e-t, said she had a very strong heart (and head).  Hummm...can't image where she'd get that! 


New this week at the feeder:

I just love these Purple Finches.  They show up in the spring with their Gold Finch cousins and add a brilliant splash of color to an otherwise drab backdrop.  One of my bird books says they look like they have been dipped in raspberry juice.  To me, they look like someone has dyed them like Easter eggs.  Very pretty.

On the stitching front, I'll be trying to finish up a very small "small" this afternoon.  It is for the SAS teacup auction in Birmingham, so no pics.  :-)    But, don't worry... you aren't missing much.

This Saturday, my EGA chapter is hosting an all-day "Stitcher's Day Out" at a local place called Heritage Farm Museum and Village.  We have been doing this one-day retreat for multiple years now and always have a great time.  I'm really looking forward to it.  Most years, there has also been a wedding at the chapel (just across the way from the Welcome Center we rent).  I think we all have come to look forward to watching the wedding hustle and bustle going on around us.  We certainly love watching the bride wait outside the chapel doors for the perfect moment, kiss her escort on the cheek, then start her walk up the aisle.  So tender.  So special.

from 2008 archives

Hope you all are having a wonderful week and are looking forward to April as much as I am.

Hugs~

It's a SIGN! (actually TWO SIGNS!)

***

Little Robin Redbreast sat upon a tree...
...a budding tree!

It really is true.  Spring is coming.

He also sang for us this morning.  What a blessing!

:-))

Snowed in Saturday (the sequel)

I like to remain positive.  See the bright side.  Keep a sunny disposition. 

I'm positive my blood is going to freeze solid;  the bright side can only be seen on the weather channel; and my sunny disposition is vacationing in Phoenix, Arizona. 

So...with another round of 'Artic Blast' here for another week, here is how my To Do list is shaping up:

• Feed the birds...

• and the "K9 unit", Carmen...

Wish me a Happy Birthday!  Mom says I turn 11 (or 77) on Monday.
 
• and the hubs:  chili for lunch or dinner (Mom's famous chili recipe HERE)

• Stitch (Leo d'Assisi nearly complete, getting caught up on Assisi GCC also)

• Laundry (yes, the dryer is back from the dead)  Yay hubby!

I know you don't want to see a visual of Mt. Filth-i-mangaro

So that's what's happenin' in Wild Wonderful West Virginia, friends.  I know - I have to take my own pulse every once in awhile, just to be sure.  Stay warm and safe, friends!

European Starling

Well, after a little more research, it is clear that I have European Starlings at the feeder.  The only good news is that they are "non-breeding", according to the field guides I've seen.

Drats.

Snowed In Saturday

***

First things first - for leaving me a comment on my last post, I have TWO boxes of chocolates to put in the mail.  Jane from Quiltsmiles in picturesque Adirondack, NY and Aubree from "For the Love of Cross Stitch" in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia.  Ladies, please email me your snail mail addresses so I can pop your chocolates in the mail.  The longer they sit on my kitchen counter, the less likely they are to actually make it to the Post Office!  ;-) 

(The cover was from 1995, btw.)

The overnight snow we had put the skids on all outside activities today.  It might have also put the skids on most inside activities.  :-)

nap-time with "Daddy"

While Carm girl and her Daddy took an afternoon siesta, I caught up on a little computer work, filing, picture editing, blogging (reading and posting), bird watching and stitching.

A new arrival at the feeder

backside:

I'm not 100% sure, but I think this could be a female red-winged blackbird.  Maybe if she likes my home cooking well enough, she'll bring her mate with her next time and I'll be better able to identify her.

And, of course, I did what snow-days were meant for...
a little stitching   :-)

Since I couldn't get off the hill today, I missed my first group meeting of the new Assisi GCC class that my EGA chapter is participating in.  :-(  

I figured the least I could do was a little Assisi warm-up.  This gorgeous lion was a monthly education project from a few months ago.  I triple love the finished look and would be thrilled to bring a finished piece to February's Show and Tell.  <3

Now, I'm off to make a little dinner and take in a little Playoff action.

Stay warm!

A Finish on the 12th Day of Christmas!

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, my own self gave to me: 

Stitched from Christmas card cover - Designer Unknown

Any ideas anyone?

Although it is very small, I have to tell you that stitching this little piece has brought me tremendous happiness as it marks a turning point.  I'm stitching again.  :-)))

 It's been far too long and I must admit that I'm feeling more than a touch of the "I'm goin' to stitch everything I own in the next 24 hours" madness.

Oh the plans I have for 2011!!! 

Shall I ramble a few off the top of my head?

The Biggies:

• Birds and Bamboo tea tray
• Giulia Punti Antichi's Italian Peacocks purse
• Marion Scoular's Assisi GCC
• Lois Kershner's Sashiko GCC
• Sheila Hudson's "Monet's Parliament at Sunset"
• BBD "Joyeux Noel"
• VS's Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh (three separate designs)
• Cherry Stitches Sampler
• Jim Shore's 12 Days of Christmas
• Lavender and Lace "AUTUMN" (to accompany Celtic Christmas)

and everything else way down there (in the left sidebar) under "Biggies, on Deck"


Little Seasonal Projects:

• Valentine box of chocolates (February) scaled down for small tin

Remember this cover from Better Homes and Gardens Cross Stitch & Country Crafts?
A box of chocolates to the first commenter who correctly guesses the issue.
• Bent Creek "Blarney" (super cute Leprechaun sitting on a sheep) for March
• The Trilogy "Secret Flower Bed" (super cute square with bunnies, bees and flowers) for May
• LHN "The Rain Fell" for April
• LHN "With Liberty and Justice for All" for July
• CC & LHN "September", "October", "November" and "December"

In honor of this Revival, I picked up a 'few' threads to celebrate:

Belle Soie:  Mudpie, Sandy Beach, Rouge, Peacock, Noir

many various overdyed

So, now it's 8:30p and my new self-imposed computer curfew siren is sounding.

Happy stitching friends!  Remember Little Christmas tomorrow, 1/6.