Gung Ho!!

In my enthusiasm to blog more I've discovered the wonderful "scheduling" tool available on Blogger.  Yes, as usual I am decades behind the rest of the computer-savvy world on this one. Some of you may also have noticed that I have not quite mastered that scheduling thing.  "Throwback Thursday" is certainly not supposed to be published on Wednesday!!  So I will take it down a notch and not get so far ahead of myself.

 

Another rainy day,

 so time for a little relaxation.

Twinsy on the quilt project

Coal on the bed

Roy on his favorite feather pillow in the hallway
(It's so hard to get a clear photo of the black cats)

 

Mel out in the shed

 

When the sun finally came out Mel moved to her new favorite spot, the old mower.  She doesn't seem to mind the rust.  After all, it really wouldn't show up on her fur anyway!

Time to get up, stretch a little and get some stuff done outside.

 

I need to drain all the excess water out of the flower pots and seedling trays.  I hope my little tomato plants haven't drown.  Fill the bird feeders and put out some new suet blocks.  Even this late in Spring it's still only 55F out there!!  The birds are happy to have some suet.

Then it's back to the sewing machine.  I got a surprise invitation to sell my doll clothes at the annual Fun Meet at the gym next week.  Now that's what I call FUN!!

Gung Ho on the sewing machine is safe for me.  I'll take it easy on the computer for a while.....

 



Throw-back Thursday

This phrase seems to be all the rage these day "Throw-back Thursday".  So I've thrown myself back into a craft that I haven't done in a while, quilting.

 



Before I learned to knit, crochet or even cross-stitch I was linking little bits of fabric together by hand.  Most ended up as oddly shaped doll clothes, but some also became little blankets for the dolls.  I finished my first quilt in 1984 for a much-adored, if rather unappreciative, high school boyfriend.

 

The quilt pictured here is my 12th ( I think?) and is a wedding gift for friends in Kentucky.  It is a rather late gift and may be completed in time for their First Anniversary next month.

The pattern is Stars and Moons.

A cloudy, rainy day here assures that a bit more work will get done.  Hopefully I will have a photo of the completed quilt before the end of May.

 

Speaking of the month of May.....I guess some of you might be wondering about the sudden increase in my blog posts.  I am trying to get away from Facebook and focus more here on the "simpler things of Life".  Facebook is so "out there" sometimes and I try to keep up with the young folks.  But let's face it, I'm a boring old fart and even jazzy Facebook can't yank me into the 21st Century.

One Bird Two Bird, Old Bird New Brid

A brief educational piece showing the birds that come to my yard and feeders. Enjoy the lovely photos. They are not my own, but from an Internet image search.

Blue Jay

Cardinal

Carolina Wren

Black-capped Chickadee

Cowbird

Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Goldfinch

Gray Catbird

Hairy Woodpecker

Ruby-throat Hummingbird

Junco

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Nuthatch

Oriole

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-wing Blackbird

Grosbeak

Rufus-sided Towhee

Sparrow

Thrasher

Meanwhile in the World of Gymnastics...................

My crazy girls!  They keep me creative, active and young.

 

They placed the highest of any group on our team in it's 26 years history.

Ok, so the little video I wanted to post won't work,

so here's a still of Lindsay performing the same move....aerial cartwheel on Beam.

Cats, cooking, gardening, sewing; that's my down time.  This is my "up time"!  The place where I am safe and secure and right 99% of the time (now that's an ego boost).  We all need a little of that in our lives.  A place where I open my mouth and whatever comes out is listened to intently and with respect...and sometimes even awe.  The outside world fades away and I'm in my element.

A Stitchy Post

I started and actually finished several projects in April.  Before I left to visit my mom and dad I framed up Blackbird Designs Summer Jubilee. I bought these frame section from the Herrschner's mail-order catalog.  As much as I admire professionally framed pieces I just can't factor that into my budget these days.

 

 

Wiling away the hours watching the Mets or Yankees with Mom and Dad, I managed to finish up The Workbasket's Quaker Rabbit just in time for Easter.  He will be mounted on a bandbox someday.

 

 

I also started and finished this little Prim bird design.  This will go to my friend Alisha for her birthday on Thursday.  She was once my gymnastics student and now we work together as coaches.  She is just passionate about birds  She even had her wedding at the Cincinnati Zoo and peacocks roamed freely around the reception!

 



Mounted on an old board salvaged from our barn.  I am now obsessed with salvaging old items and giving them new life with my stitchery.

 

 

Another April start and finish.  These lovely, colorful socks from an Etsy purchase.  The color is "Not A Cloud In The Sky".

 

Sort of reminds me of the Ukraine flag.  What a dreadful situation in that country.  I am not a political person but I hope it is resolved quickly and peacefully.

 

 

 

On the new start front I have US gymnast Kyla Ross in her bright pink leotard.  I've chosen the floss colors, now I need to draw up the chart and get stitching.

 

 

 Happy stitching everyone!