A VERY LOST WEEK--

 My main friend this week has been a box several boxes of Kleenex and bags of cough drops!!

So much fun here at Ivy Cottage--?????  Good thing I happened to have stocked up a bit on the last sale of Scotties at Publix and that I like different flavored Ricola cough drops--especially their new one--Berry Medley--!!

No- not a cold or even Covid--it is allergies--big time--started last Saturday--and am still having some issues today--though I may be getting better as of today!!  But allergies can feel the same as a bad cold!! and even worse--!!  I am one of those, who, though can not take over the counter drugs--so I suffer--I did finally check on Vita-cost company where I get my vitamins and other things, and did find some things that are to help allergies (with no side affects--at least until I take them!!)and I have ordered them--only they probably won't be here until Wed or so--but in the meantime I will be ready for the next time!!!

So to make a long story---- short---- I have not gotten much of anything done this past week--

I did get this months Heart bom embroidered--

And here is the 4 we have done so far this year--

I haven't been doing the dash lines going around the outside of the heart as I was thinking I might cut these out and applique them to a colored background--but then I seen some finished with the dash line--and I really liked them--Soooo????

More hearts appliqued--

And work on a new cross stitch project--

But only on days that my 'eyes' would let me see!!!

Plus-- more Hand quilting on the Library quilt--

I have rows 2, 3 all done and just some red books left to do on row 4--so this one is coming along!!

Knitting seem to be the main thing I could do this past week--so finished '2' of them-

This one in the original Hobby Lobby yarn I use--

And this one out of the lighter weight Hobbii yarn I ordered by mistake!!

And yes--there is '2' more on the needles to replace these two!!!

I was unable to do my actual 'photo' challenge this week--but one afternoon while in the kitchen doing the dishes --I thought about my 'spoon' collection--

Now I use these spoons all the time--but here they are--

The large spoon on the top with the slots--I have had for a very long time and use it a lot--

the next one down--the smallest one--have no idea where it came from--but again--have had it along time--and use it--

the next two are regular teaspoons--but--special ones--

The top one says--Kodak--again I've had it for years--at one point my 'lil' sister said it might be worth money--but--I have no idea really--

the next one might be worth something too--on back of it's handle it says--stainless Korea--Barclay then that symbol and Ceneve 

and the last one on the tray--is a long ice tea spoon and again old--but it makes the best spoon for mixing up the oil in my almond butter and my organic Peanut butter jars!!!

While talking about silverware--

I had 3 pieces to each of these sets--for what ever reason the spoons are missing--one set on the left has my son's name on it and the set on the right has my daughter's name and birthday on it!!!

Well it's Sunday afternoon and you what time it is for me--slow stitching or knitting and race time!!

APRIL IS ABOUT OVER--DID YOU MEET ALL YOUR GOALS FOR THIS MONTH??  

HUGS AND GOOD HEALTH--DI

AND THE BUS GOES AROUND AND AROUND--

 It turned into a 'bus' week--with one new adventure on the bus--

So there was not alot of sewing time this week-

Here is what I did get done--

The two little counted cross stitching samplers I was working on got finished--

I got the Flamingo one done--

And here is the newer one--

This fussy squirrel--who almost wanted to fuss about this color for the letters--so I had to get a bit tough and say--'listen little squirrel--you are gonna like this color once it's all done--'--so he left me alone to finish it--

So now I have a 'collection' of sampler pillows--5 so far and have started another of Melisa's samplers--so-- keep watching this 'station' for that finish!!!!!

And I got more blocks done on the Dresden plate blocks--

Some how I ended up with 10--thought there was only going to be '9'--guess I can't count these days!!! So haven't decided yet whether to do 2 more blocks or what--I am out of this white on white background--Soooo????

And another little sweater got completed--

I also got more hand quilting done on the Library top--one row is complete and have done some work on the 2nd row--

And I did get April's heart block by Melisa traced and have started on that project and that is what I will probably work on this afternoon for Slow stitching Sunday and watching the race--

NOW--about the bus--I went on the bus twice this week over to the Publix plaza--one to go to the  

Spectrum shop to straighten out a bill--finally on 2nd stop seen the right person and he assured me the email I got from them was wrong and what my bill was--$65--and then on to the grocery store--

(well--my official bill came in an email last night--and it is wrong--they are still charging me for the Xumo box--$60--grrrrrrrr!!!!)

But the third bus ride was a fun trip--3 of us girls went to the Mall by bus--one friend had been there lots of time and knew where to get off and then later back on--and 2 of us had never been to the Mall on the bus-the funniest  part of this trip is--the Mall is a straight drive from her --west about 2 miles--but by bus--it took half hour and lots of curves and detours--like it goes to the airport even--before it ends up at the Mall--We did have a lot of fun--ate lunch there and visited and laughed and I got to return 2 items at Pennys before we left!!!

I took one photo while we were there--

The photos all have this brown tint to them--but this chandelier was just so pretty!!!!

Earlier in the week on one of the other bus trips I did stop off at the library and took a couple photos there--while waiting for the bus--

Can you see that 'feather' sitting on top of a small piece of tall grass???

 and along the pond was this goose nest that a goose has abandoned--has several big white eggs in it--

And while sitting waited for the bus--this pretty goose came up hoping I had food--which I did not--

Guess that's it for this week--

And yes there was another letter from the office with even more changes--that had some of the tenants in tears and some mad--but I am sure nobody wants to hear about it--so I will just leave you now--

HOPE YOU HAD A FUN ADVENTURE AND GOT LOTS OF STITCHY THINGS DONE--

HUGS TO ALL--DIANE

ON THE GO--

 I seemed to have been, on the go alot this past week--one trip on the Van on Monday morning and trips on the bus to the shopping center and one after to the post office and Sun Shoppe Cafe--but I have decided life just can't be all 'just needles, fabrics and thread'!!!  Not at my age anyways--

I did get some stitching done--I always have stitching to do--and I do enjoy stitching--just don't want it to be number 1 in my life as much--I am also back to a couple  old hobbies of mine--?????

This is what I got stitched this week--

I did get block #4 finished of Jenny's BOM--these are small and don't look like alot of work--but --there is alot of stitches in these little blocks--

Here is all 4 of them so far--

Now--I did take alot of classes back in NY when the quilt shop was there--but have never taken an embroidery class--my first real lesson in embroidery was when I got this cute little quilt in the mall when I did my first move to Florida back in--2015 or so, from Maria in AU--

When I studied how 'tiny' her stitches were on this piece--and let me tell you--they are tiny tiny stitches and just so neat and pretty--well--Maria-- I have have practiced on every piece of embroidery since--I am better--and, do way smaller stitches--but--I still have a ways to go to be as neat as you are!!

I got 2 more strips of pink hearts appliqued--

And I got a couple more Dresden plates hand stitched and one even appliqued onto the back ground fabric-

I need to stitch one more plate and to applique these to the back ground fabrics--

And I got one very bright orange baby sweater knitted in the Hobbii yarn-

I also got the Library Book top--layered and basted--I did extra basting on it cause I really wasn't sure how I was going to hand quilt it--

And I have started and a plan is coming together--

I am going to outline the applique pieces--one line around the inside of each one and then on line around the outside of each one--and this one square is all hand quilted now--Last night I did diagonal rows of varied lines going across the upper white part and then did 1/4" around inside of each book in the color of the book--so I am off to a start --anyways!!!!

I am back to doing 2 things I used to do in the past--like a few years ago now--past--

One is reading--I am on my 4th book--WOW--in a row!!!

And --I am back to doing some photography work--

I picked '2' cards this week--

I bought a nice basket of Organic fresh strawberries at Publix this week--

and this is my favorite photos of them--

But the very best photo of them --I forgot to take and that was the strawberries cut up on top of some Organic Vanilla ice cream--Yummmm!!!

And the second card--Unusual perspective-- Well--I am not totally sure what it wanted--but here is a couple that I thought worked--

the back side of flowers--we always take photos of the front or the actual flower??

and from a distance--I thought this was a feather stuck in the leaves--but it's really just a big long leaf!!!

And I wonder what this is???

Guess you will have to pop over to my other blog site--at the top of this page on the upper left hand corner to find out where I will share a few more photos!!!

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Things have calmed down some here--though on the food problem--not much has changed--they are not using any of the new money to improve our food--the average for me is 3 days a week--that I can eat the lunch!!!

And I had no 'sleepless' nights this week--so that is good news--

and a cute story--on Tuesday I went to Big Lots and bought a couple things--one being a cute new tea cup and saucer--but returned it on Thursday--when I took the pretty ribbon off it there was a big chip right on the rim of the tea cup on the side you would drink from!!!  I also shopped at Bealls that day--needed a tall vase for a really pretty bunch of flowers I boughten there the week before--I did come home with a vase--and here is the funny part--by the time I put this bunch of flowers in the vase--it was way too tall to fit on any of my display shelves--really--one can only 'shake their heads'---so both of them went back, too on  Thursday and I came home with money back in the bank, and did not buy anything else--that might be first!!!!

Oh and I did sit in my rocker in the apt and watched the solar eclipse --as far as the light and darkness came and went--it was kinda weird but neat at the same time--!!

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING NEW OR DIFFERENT PLANED THIS WEEK????

HAVE A GREAT WEEK-HUGS, DIANE

 

SLEEPLESS IN THIS PLACE

 Oh my--it's been a rough week sleep wise--it does happen now and then to all of us, I am sure--but it has happened to me twice this week--first time was Thursday night into Friday morning and then again last night--wake at 3 am and that's it- toss and turn--the mind going 100miles an hour--and last night it was fun cause allergies also  kept me busy--using tissues and sneezing--all week they have been bad-

So --I did not get as much done this week--

Let's see what I did do--

First up --I did get this months Woven Wreath stitched up--

It was a bunny all dressed up--

And I did finish a counted cross stitch piece--

Now this one is suppose to have a squirrel there on the bottom--but the whole time I was stitching this piece that squirrel kept telling me--that those letters were not his color and towards the end he hinted that a Flamingo would like this color of  ABC's more--So he won and I did a Flamingo!!!!

And I have started another ABC for him--he hasn't decided if he likes the new color any better--it's a coral color????????????

And this month for this challenge--

And that one is my 30's plates--

I had 5 blocks done--and here is one and half more-and I have sorted blades for 3 more blocks or so--Have no idea yet where I am going with this one--I am just merrily stitching along!!!

And I did get baby sweaters knitted--

the first one was using Hobby Lobby cotton yarn-

 The second one is using Hobbii yarn, and on this one I used a double strand of yarn--

I have 2 more sweaters in the works--one using each kind of yarn--

And I finally got a start on the blue truck--while watching racing on the week ends--

If I get a quick nap in I will be working on this later today while watching the race--

but first I have to find my bed--I am going through my china cabinet dishes and cups and saucers and nick knacks to see what I want to use and I got a new under the bed tote for the 'leftovers'!!!!But in the meantime--everything is piled on the bed and cutting table!!

Yesterday it was clothss--I did get in a couple new pairs of capris and new T-shirts--then I pulled out my suitcase that I keep the seasonal clothes in and went though that and put the winter things away!!

I did get a fun package in the mail that I ordered--my new phone needed a case--here is the first one I got--and put on it--

this one came with the 'glass' for the front --too--sorry-- about the reflection and finger prints!!!!

And somehow--that Di didn't stop with just this one--

she found a set of '3' for only $8 and got them too--

these will look much prettier on the phone, as it is black!!

Also I found a couple fun things to play with--

I got one of the sets of photography cards and then this set that has cards that help you know just what to and how to set up your camera for all kinds of different photos--like fireworks at night--now--I just too get some sleep so I can read them!!!

Tuesday night Dan and  Sarah took me out to the Red Lobster to celebrate Easter--we had a good time catching up--their store is really hopping and they are busy --they are open 6 days a week and then are there on their day off--Tuesdays --they are there working to get ready for the coming week----!!

OH BOY--DO YOU THINK WINTER WILL EVER DECIDE IT IS TIME FOR IT'S LONG SUMMER NAP????

BE CAREFUL IF YOU VIEW THE SOLAR HAPPENING TOMORROW--YOU NEED THOSE EYES TO STITCH WITH!!

HUGS, DIANE