Spring Break

 I somewhat unplugged this past week. It was spring break in the school district, so Jeff doesn't actually get off, but he and Lindsay took days off. Katie was off so I didn't have any kids for the week. We had planned to go to Auburn, but it was going to be very cold. I don't think Jeff nor I were up for cold dreary weather, so we opted just to stay here. It was not exactly pretty weather here, but it was warmer than Auburn. I just decided to spend my days relaxing and spending time with him.

I did go pick strawberries one morning with Lindsay and the boys. Palmer caught on very quickly and loved it. Always love spending time with my girl.

I went shopping with Jeff one day for fishing stuff. I slipped off to Talbots and bought me some pants and a top. I love the new straighter leg chinos and like wearing chinos much more than jeans.

Here is one pair of the new pants and the top. I also got some navy and white. The white ones will be on repeat between Easter and Labor Day.

The picture was taken in Apalachicola at a fishing camp. Jeff and I took a day trip over to just get away. He wanted to stop by the old camp that he used to go to lots. I think he is thinking he will do this again when he retires.

We then drove downtown and ate lunch and window shopped. We walked down to the docks on the river which empties into the Gulf at Apalachicola. It was a quiet kind of day. Just 2 old folks strolling along. I suppose this is what retirement will look like:) It turned out to be a pretty day even though it was overcast much of the week. AND warm which was nice.

I took Mama to Brewton, Range, and Monroeville another day. We visited her sister and bother, the cemeteries, and ate lunch in Monroeville. I was a lousy picture taker this week which is a byproduct of unplugging. I think the unplugging was good though. 

Now, I will be honest I found this trip to be kind of sad compared to my usual visits to "home." I am not sure why, but I felt Mama was feeling it as well. My aunt's husband is doing very poorly. He has given up but I am not sure one can pick the time they die. It is hard on my aunt which kind of made it sad for me and Mama. My cousin was home with him that day which did give her the chance to go eat lunch with us.

The other thing that struck me so hard this trip and I am not sure why ...maybe it was clouded by the sadness at my aunt's house. Normally, my uncle would porch sit and tell me all the signs of nature by the things that are blooming. He didn't get out of his chair. One thing that struck me was how old things are looking. I mean old...Brewton, Repton, and Monroeville are just showing their age in the buildings. I agree with Lindsay in that Brewton has done a much better job of trying to keep the small town pretty. All of the downtown area is lined with flowers and hanging baskets. The color of choice this year was white and purple and they were stunning. However, the buildings are looking old. I think it was a stark reminder that I am aging too.

Mother turned 88 and we celebrated with a fish fry one night with the kids. I think she enjoyed the attention. Jeff and I took her to eat on her actual birthday. I took her picture outside the restaurant to document her 88th birthday.

I am scared to even type the words...she is doing pretty well right now.

She is. She has good days and not so good, but she gets around good, still cares for herself. She does repeat herself and honestly is bored a lot. She can't see much to read or either she can't keep up with the story. Not sure how much of it is; can't see or can't follow along. There is nothing on TV for someone her age and she won't get any additional subscriptions, and I am not even sure she could get on them if I got them for her. She is not computer literate in the least. But, for now she is ok. 

Jeff had to change out her shower head which broke and I have to get someone over there to replace an outlet which didn't look like Jeff should mess with it. Looked a little deeper than just a quick replace. There is kind of always something to keep us hopping, but that is life.

I puttered inside the rest of the week. The weather was just not motivating at all to doing all the much needed yard work. We will be getting a new seawall this year, but that is at least 2 months out. I need to put some new straw down in the beds, hit some stone with a pressure washer, and paint a table for just a few of things on my list.

I am trying to hold on to my pansies until Easter. They are quite leggy but still having in there.

I stitched a little rabbit that I displayed in my Easter basket.

The pattern was called The Rabbit and the Rose by With Thy Needle and Thread.

I also got The Shepherd's Song back from the frame shop. The frame is just gorgeous. 

If anyone is interested in this pattern, I will give it away. If there are more than one of you then I will just do an old fashioned pencil and paper drawing from a hat. Just say you are interested in it in the comments. I will take care of it before my next post which will be 10-14 days from now.

This framed piece will go to the Auburn house for my sampler wall when we do decide to go.

That is pretty much it around here. I do have a few more cute pics of grands. I had bought Tucker and Palmer St. Patrick's Day shirts.

The leprechaun visited their bathroom.

Miles is growing at an exponential rate. 

He looks huge in this picture, but he is bigger than Tucker or Palmer were at that age. He has the cutest rolls and is always smiling. Well, not the last 2 days before spring break. He wanted to be rocked all day. Turns out there was a tooth coming in. It has barely broken the skin, but I am sure that was the reason for his fussiness.

Pretty tame around here. Gray skies are predicted for the first part of the week, so I doubt I will be very motivated to do much outside work, but it will come in due time.

That is about it for here.

Sandy

Stitching, T-Ball, Spring and More

 Time is getting away from me. Here it is the middle of March already. It came in quiet and springy. It is a little cold tonight, but I really can't complain.

I completed my March Christmas ornament. This time I stitched from the book called The Magic of Christmas in Cross Stitching. There is pretty much nothing in this book I don't love and it always lends itself to a fun stitch.

I used a bright red gingham for the back. I think a little red felt heart would be cute on the back, but I haven't done that yet. I will one day:)

The beauty of these is I am using things I have in my stash. Here are the 3 thus far.

After I finished it into ornament status Saturday morning, I spent a little bit of time in my sewing room tidying. It is the one room in the house that I can let get too messy and then it drives me insane. It was headed that way, so I got in there and cleaned up and then pulled out my project bags. I gave each one some thought and decided I loved some and wanted to keep them to do at some point and I got real with myself and put 2 away that I had lost interest in. I didn't even get sad over it. 

I had watched 2 videos that kind of gave me some new inspiration. Well, honestly they didn't make me buy new stuff but just sent me in a different direction with my stash. I have had 2 things in my head for 2 years that I wanted to do. One of those was going to require some thought much like the names for my grandchildren do...in other words, creating something completely original to me but using some old patterns to start me on that path.

Yes, I am leaving a little mystery there. Time will show what I am talking about. However, to finish out this month I am doing a small Easter pattern that I have wanted to do since last year. Then I am starting a larger piece, but not a gigantic piece. I think I am through with gigantic, but never say never.

Now, onto other things. The azaleas had a banner season this year which made up for my camellia bust. I think I must have driven Jeff nuts for 2 weeks saying how pretty they all were. They are done now and I even got out and trimmed them yesterday. No one is allowed to touch azaleas but me. Definitely do not touch with a hedge trimmer. I have been known to go off the rail about that.

I have brought out some Easter decor to mix in with St. Patrick's. 

Here are just a couple of pictures to share some of it. The nest is real, the eggs are fake.

I snipped a few azaleas from the back to enjoy in the house.

Now the bunny and the eggs are alone.

Miles has an Easter basket to match his cousins.

May I tell y'all just how much fun t-ball is as a grandparent vs the team mom and coaching parents of a kid playing t-ball? 

Tucker was so cute. We went to opening ceremonies and games already. 

I am enjoying watching the little ones playing. Tonight a dad had to go out to third base to pull a tooth. I mean ---priceless. Apparently the little boy had been wiggling it for days.

Miles had his first boat ride.

The fight for the chair is real. Gus is winning.

Now for a mouse story.

I am still not able to really write about Lindsay and Tyler's rat story, but that is what caused their flooded house and the insurance company did finally come through and the process has begun. Floors have been started and hopefully soon all will be like it never happened. One day I might be able to write the story.

I had my own story, but mine was a tiny mouse. Don't you doubt for a second what even a little mouse can do. One got in and I feel certain it was because Jeff likes to leave the garage door up too much on the weekends. I saw signs and immediately set out traps. We determined after the first night of traps he was a mouse because he could get the food off the big trap without tripping it. I went and got sticky traps and we set those out with the old fashioned wooden mouse traps. Those are generally the best for our area. Someone asked if this might be a Florida thing who read the story via an email. Yes, I think it is more prevalent here than elsewhere. It is interesting how many horror stories we have heard since Lindsay's story. 

Anyway, the first night of the sticky trap the little monster got stuck on it and Jeff was still in the living room dozing in the chair. He heard and got up to go see, but he was gone along with the trap so he just walked out to deal with it the next morning. The next morning there was a mouse on the wooden trap so we pulled the stove and refrigerator out figuring that was where he had been. Sure enough the sticky trap was turned upside down. My guess is he ran under the stove and the cord that comes up from the wall but at floor level caught the sticky trap and he was able to pull away and then got caught later by the wooden trap. I did put out traps for several days later to make sure there was not more than 1. Well, I told Jeff to leave the stove out as I would clean back there while it was out. Upon further inspection the little monster had chewed on the cord and had probably for more than one day. If he had not gone in there with the sticky trap ---well, we could have had a fire. Paul Allen had one of the electricians he works with to come out and look at it. It was just something we could tape, but now I am going to have to check it on a regular basis to relieve my worries. They really are horrid little monsters, so if a mouse can do that then you can imagine what a huge rat can do to cords and drain lines, etc. 

Until next time,

Sandy

Stitching and Spring

 I finished The Shepherd's Song by Plum Street Samplers on the last day of February. It is so pretty. My photography skills do not do it justice at all. 

I love all the pinks and the little sheep. 

I did make a change near the end of stitching. 

The pattern called for over one stitching - "This is wrought by me. (and then your name.)" I will show you the pattern and then what I chose to do.

It is not that I didn't like the pattern, because I did. I think it makes it look like a sampler with the name and all, but as I started it I wasn't feeling it. It seemed so big.  

I chose to do another little baby sheep instead. I am pleased with the change.

Another close up.

I had a lot of stitching time in February with the surgery, so I finished this much sooner than expected. I can't wait to take it to the framer's later this week and add it to the sampler wall in the Auburn house. 

I will stitch my March Christmas ornament next and then choose something else from my starts to finish. 

Spring is here now. I am enjoying it immensely. I wrote this a couple of weeks ago. 

I and starting a new movement. New Year’s Day should begin on March 1st. 

Author, Gladys Taber, once wrote, “The calendar may insist on putting New Year’s in January, but for me April is the true beginning of the yearly cycle. Now everything is new, everything is young.” Mrs. Taber was on the right track, but she lived above the Mason Dixon Line and things down here in the Deep South start a little early on that budding path. 

I have always thought New Year’s should match what is happening in nature. Everything is budding here in March and starting to green and bloom, so it just seems appropriate that would be a great new beginning for the year. Shoot, New Year’s Day hasn’t been nearly as much fun as it once was, when it truly meant all the good bowl games were being played.

I could choose March 20th for New Year’s, but seeing as how I think spring begins on March 1st, I choose to  align with the meteorological calendar for spring and summer and the astrological clock for fall and winter. I like spring and summer and feel both come a little earlier here in my neck of the woods. However, fall doesn’t even arrive until the end of October so we can just agree with the equinox dates on those seasons. If I am made Queen, this is what we will do. I love getting a new calendar each year, so just imagine the fun it would be to start a new one in March.

Who wants to join me in this new way of thinking?

A little humor for you. I am sure not everyone agrees with me.

Happy Stitching and Gardening, 

Sandy