Goodbye February!

Thanks to those of you who have come looking for me the last couple of weeks.  All is well at our house, just super busy.  I started a blog post about 10 days ago, but I was just too tired. 

My sister came for a visit!  And we took advantage of every minute she was here.  Which didn’t leave us much time for sleeping.  We had a Girl’s Day, complete with mani-pedi’s, Margaritas, and a long walk.  The following day, we let DH join us, and we went touring  When we reached a higher elevation, we found beautiful winter wonderland scenes like this

At lower elevations, there was no sign of snow.

Then we went back to a higher elevation

We took her out for a ‘real’ Maryland crab cake, and there may have been some Krumpe’s donuts-hot and fresh- for a bedtime snack.  But then we didn’t go to bed until after 4:00

On Sunday, we went to Virginia for a surprise birthday for our sil, and I left my sister with them for the last couple of days of her visit.  I had to go to bed early a couple of nights to try to get rested.

Then this past weekend, I went to a Quilt Retreat.  I went up Thursday after work, stayed up late, then got up and went to work for half a day on Friday.  Because I’m new at my job, I haven’t earned any paid time off yet.  At lunchtime, I raced back up to the retreat, and sewed like crazy until Sunday afternoon

I took a couple of older projects that I purchased over three years ago,   This is the only one I’ve photographed so far.  I have another top that is almost finished – it just needs two borders  I hope to get everything finished within the next couple of weeks, but first, I have a Scrapbook Retreat this weekend  I should probably be packing right now  Unfortunately we had a plumbing emergency, so tonight went down the tubes 

I’m off now to do some stitching.  I need to be kind to myself.

Sunny

I’ve been busy…

Do you remember this from a couple of weeks ago?

I asked for your advice, and took it all to heart.  I’m so much happier with it now.  I’d still like to add beads for the cat eyes, but I haven’t found my beading needle yet. 

 

 

 

 

 

The other project that I finished is a wool applique.  I bought the pattern from Cathi of Shakerwood Woolens. 

I am in love with wool!  I even bought another pattern a couple of weeks ago when we were in Baltimore.  Then I started shopping online, and found that I couldn’t find the size pieces of wool that I needed without spending a fortune for shipping.  So I contacted Cathi to see if she did special requests, and she was able to fix me right up.  So don’t hesitate to ask her if she can help you.

Be kind to your Valentine….Sunny

Can you help? Google can’t

I think Google is one of the greatest friends a person can have.  But if I want to do something, and I don’t know what it’s called,  Google can’t always read my mind.  Sometimes, but not this time.

I’m making a pillow.  I bought some cording and I plan to make something like a piping for the finish.  But I want it to be full, and somewhat gathered.  Does this technique have a name?  How much fabric do I need?  Do I double the measurements for the pillow?  Triple them?  Please help.  I bought rather thick cording, because I want it to be substantial, not just a thin piping. 

Please be kind to me!!!!      Sunny

One Flower Wednesday

Had to feed my addiction!

Be kind to a stranger tomorrow!

Sunny

Eagles, and Pelicans, and Geese - Oh My!

Yesterday’s adventure took us to the Eastern Shore area of Maryland.  Destination:  Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.  Back in about 2006, I became addicted to watching an Eagle Cam at NCTC, not far from my home.  I was also introduced to the Osprey cam and Eagle Cam at Blackwater.  It’s so much fun to watch the Eagles preparing their nests each year for raising their new families, and then watching the  eggs hatch and grow.  A few short months later, they are larger than their parents when they take their first fateful flight from the nest.  I’ve read that the statistics for first flights aren’t very good, but all the eaglets that I’ve watched have made it back to the nest safely.

Yesterday we went to see the Eagles.  And the Snow Geese, and the White Pelicans.  (for you Maria!)  A couple of years ago when I posted some pelican pictures from Florida, my friend Maria asked why they had so much brown on them.  Ummmm….because they’re Brown Pelicans!

Maria had only seen White Pelicans, and I had never even heard of them.  So we send each other pelican pictures and postcards from time to time.  I recently read that a rare flock of White Pelicans winters at BWNWR!  I must see these!  So off we went on our weekend adventure.  We went to the Visitor’s Center to ask if the pelicans were still there, and inquired as to the best place to see them.  In the past few days, there had only been a couple of sightings, and only of one pelican.  I was crushed.  What are the chances that we would find the one pelican on the whole refuge??

 

 

 

 

Pretty good chances, as it turns out!  These pictures were taken by Mr. QD, as my camera batteries died earlier in the tour.  He also got some nice shots of a Great Blue Heron.

There were some Eagles, but we didn’t get very close to them.

I am still in awe of just seeing them.

When we saw the enormous flock of Snow Geese, we took pictures, but kept hoping something would agitate them and cause them to take flight.  \

What an awesome sight!  I’m so glad I’m not a bird in weather like this.  This is how I was dressed, and I certainly wouldn’t want to be in the water.

After completing the Loop road through the refuge, we followed the road down to Hooper’s Island.  There is a small community on the island, but not much to see on a cold windy day in February. 

When we drove back up past the refuge, the field on one side of the road was covered with Snow Geese.

Cars were lined up along the road taking pictures, and I was able to get a few shots with my pocket camera.  Then we were off to dinner.  We went to a restaurant that one of my bloggy friends had recommended a few months ago, but I don’t remember who it was. 

Dinner was delicious, seafood for me and duck for DH.  then came the worst part of the day – the drive home.  It started snowing as soon as we left the restaurant, and it snowed the entire way home, a nearly 3 hour drive.  Surprisingly, we didn’t encounter any slippery roads, although DH was driving, and I wished he would slow down.  He missed one exit that we usually take, and when I asked him where he was going, he got all flustered, and said he couldn’t be expected to watch the road and everything else!  Ha!  I thought that was the driver’s job.  silly me.  But we made it home safe and sound.  But I just this minute realized that I didn’t take a single stitch yesterday.  Must get off here now and make up for that!

Be kind….. and GO RAVENS!!!!….Sunny