Catching Up!

It's been awhile! Time to check in with you all and let you know I'm still here!

  This posting will have this, that and the other...so bear with me!

 

The dh and I escaped to the Florida gulf coast for a few days of relaxation and the warmth of sun.

We also took in a couple of Minnesota Twins baseball spring training games.  Ladies, this is how you get you guys to get away...you entice them with a baseball game or two!!

 

 

The day time temps were high 70's - low 80's, cooling down in the evenings to jacket or sweater temps.

 

 

This was our view. 

The sunsets over the gulf waters are spectacular.

 

 

Not sure of their name, but these little shore birds were so cute.  They ran along the waters close to shore, just always in front of the crashing waves...sort of like me in the water!

 

 

Our last morning there, was after a nighttime high tide.  

  We enjoyed a morning walk up the shoreline.

 

 

The hightide deposited all sorts of goodies...

 

 

Shells and creatures that this Iowa girl isn't familiar with!

Such as this....

Plant?

Animal?

I have no idea....just know I wouldn't want to step on it while swimming! 

 

 

If you look real hard at this shell, you will see a living critter in it. 

Such a perfect shell, but you are not allowed to take any shells with living critters in them.

I'm totally okay with that, trust me!

 

 

This "thing" scared the "bejebbers" out of me...

Jellyfish? 

Cow's tongue?  Just kidding, remember I'm from Iowa!

 Help us out, you Floridians....

what is this!???

 

 

and, another shot of those cute shore birds...

 

 

I came home rested and re-energized. 

 Worked a few days, playing catch-up,

 and then these two little darlings

 and their parents arrived for a long Easter weekend.

 

  Here we are at the water park. 

 Can you hear Beckham's teeth chattering??

Purple lips ='s water that could be a tad bit warmer!

This was Avry's first water park visit.

 

You can't have Easter without dying eggs... 

 

 

 We used the traditional dissolve tablets, and tried Kool-Aid also this year.

   We decided that we liked the brightness of the Kool-Aid eggs best.

 Did you know grape Kool-Aid gives you brown eggs? 

 

 

In our jammies with our Easter baskets!

  Love this picture...

 

 

The Easter bunny also hid eggs outside in the yard.  After the initial egg hunt, we had three more egg hunts at Beckham's request.   So we just hid empty eggs!    He was more about the hunt, then the candy inside!  We also took the eggs to great grandma and grandpa's house and enjoyed our 4th empty egg hunt there!

 

 X X X X X

 

Moving onto some stitching news...

 

The beeswax bars and needle keeps are now back in stock. 

 

 If you haven't seen these, these two items feature the "Bee Keeper's Sampler" on their labeling. 

These can be decorative or some use beeswax to condition their thread.  With time the beeswax will develope a dull white surface...I like it best that way!  This is normal for beeswax and is called, bloom. 

 The wax is supplied to us from an Ohio beekeeper and the cute little bars are then assembled here at Country Stitches.

The wooden needle keep comes with 6 cross stitch needles. 

Perfect for when you need something little for gift giving or the need to just say, "thank you".

 

The Elizabeth Clark antique reproduction made the trip to Florida with me.

Here she is...

 

I made nice progress on the piece while on vacation.

 

 Love those grapes and the little man in his pink pants!! 

 

And lastly, the Summer sampler charting is completed.  I am working on finalizing floss selection and then stitching will begin on it.  For those inquiring minds, it will release just as soon as it is stitching and framed, completing that seasonal series of samplers.

 

Happy Wednesday,

Brenda