Sunday, April 24, 2016

Really - 2 months

When I was browsing blogs the other day and saw my blog title listed on the sidebar of one where it shows blogs you frequent and last posting - 2 MONTHS it said.  How can that be possible?  I just don't know where the time goes these days.  I can see drastic measures must be taken.  It is now time to schedule an appointment on my calendar for blogging just like my exercise.  If it is there, I will get it done.  

I decided to do some collage photos to show you a bit of what I have been doing over the past 2 months.  They are in no particular order as to when they occurred as I think that would require a little too much thinking on my part.

Speaking of photos - I upgraded my Mac to El Capitan and to quote Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman "Big mistake - HUGE!".  My photos no longer just photo stream themselves between devices and I actually have to export from photo to my desktop to use them anywhere else now.  Major pain in the backside.

I finished stitching and making this design by Little House Needleworks into a project bag.  It was a delightful stitch and am so pleased with how it turned out.  It has inspired me to try something different on the next one using a different stitch on my machine.

Attended and photographed bridal shower for my soon to be niece's shower (marrying my nephew on June 25 just 2 days before my husband and I celebrate 35 years).  The lovely little girl is my great niece who will be a flower girl.  The picture of the three in the middle is Liz (L) Zoey(sprawled across the table) Ashley (R and my niece)

I've been doing some more playing with my DSLR camera I purchased last July.  I still can't get a decent night photo with it and am still disappointed in the zoom capability of it.  My Nikon point and shoot and had so much more zooming capability and night shooting was much better.  I would love to go out some night with someone who knows what they are doing with a camera and learn from them.

Working on Gathering Eggs by Mirabilia.  I am hoping this will be my 2nd piece to enter in the Iowa State Fair this year.  As I divided the pattern into 5 sections, well let's just say the photo on the right is about to finish the 2nd of 5.  SIGH!  Much stitching to do and very little time to accomplish.


My LNS got moved to their new location.  They are not set up yet for shopping but are ready to do framing so I dropped this Lizzie Kate off to be framed for the Fair.  I have a really different frame for this one of which I forgot to take a photo so am looking forward to end May to pick it up.  Even though they are not set up for shopping yet you can call ahead and tell them what you need and they will gather for you to come and pick up or have shipped.  

My friend, Launa, snagged this from her dad's house for me.  It is a DMC color chart with real threads.  Yep you heard me those are really threads.  It was a priceless gift to me.

We live next to a park with a lake and they are currently in the process of fixing the spillway and draining lake to dredge the silt from it over the summer.  It will be closed to boating, fishing and swimming until 2018 while they get this done and do restoration work.  Bill and I periodically take a walk over there to see what they have accomplished.

We went over to my brother and SIL's house to meet their new puppy.  Her name is Ruby and Evil Ruby depending on the time of day.   Luckily she was just Ruby when we visited.  However, when my cousin was my houseguest over the weekend for the bridal shower we went so she would meet Ruby and she got to meet Evil Ruby.  She is an adorable Alaskan Malamut.  

Bill and I went to the Science Center on one of our dates nights to see Star Wars in Imax.  Really enjoyed seeing the Foucault Pendulum Demonstrating the Earth's Rotation again.  It was always a big hit as a kid when taking a school field trip.  We also got to watch the process of changing the film from the previous movie showing to the Star Wars film.  Quite a process on a big machine.  Took the staff person 20 minutes to complete.  

The pic in the upper right is my friend, Launa and I on a shopping trip with her daughter and friend.  We totally embarrassed her daughter with this pic.

I've made a few purchases.  The strawberry huller was tossed in my shopping basket by my cousin while I was in MN over Valentine's weekend for some shopping.  It was the best purchase I made all weekend.  I bought a new bike to start riding on the trail in the park.  Can't wait for better weather to start cruising.  I bought a new pincushion (B's Caprice) and a cool scissor fob (Primitive Hare).  I just love my 15 oz mug from Heartstring Samplery.

While my cousin was here for the bridal shower we found a couple of hours for shopping.  We went to West End Salvage and enjoyed a few laughs.  I even found a sign for the Lippert Bldg.  It is my friends last name and even spelled correctly.  Alas I did not buy for her.  Price tag just a bit too high.

We also went down to Valley Junction and walked through some shops there.  I love the new shred that I bought.  It is a really cool accessory and I will put a photo of it one one of these days.  

I got this huge smile from my son when I surprised him on a Friday afternoon to pick him up so he would not have the long bus ride home.  Lord I love that smile!

Even though Spring has been working toward warmer and warmer days there is occasionally a very cool night.  This is what the water fountain looked like earlier this month after one of those cooler nights.  Yikes!


Yes, I still have managed to get to my favorite coffee shop for a delicious vanilla chai tea.  Nothing like a great cup a chai on a cool morning.

I continue to hit the gym for my morning workouts and enjoy them a great deal.  Date nights have been occurring on a regular basis and we've seen a great many movies.  A few have been disappointments but you can't like them all.

I've been reading every chance I get as well.  I'm currently rereading the Diana Gabaldon series.  It is amazing the things I don't remember from my first time reading the series.  I'm enjoying it all over again which is good as they books are about 800 pages long.  Also, reading The Bone Tree by Greg Iles.  Again another 800 page book.  I guess I like my books like my stitching projects - BIG!

Well, off to finish laundry and start getting ready for a new week.  See you soon!