Happenings...

I could have run outside this morning 

and shot a picture of our 5" of  wet & heavy snow

 that fell overnight...

but I won't,

I will spare you.

Am sure you are as ready for some spring-like weather,

 as I.

A few weeks ago we traveled to Colorado to spend a long weekend with Matthew.

He and a group of friends rent a condo for the ski season.

I am deathly afraid of heights.  

He failed to tell me this condo sits at the top of the mountain.

I should have known better, I know.

Look out the windows and you are at the tree line.

Pretty view, 

I don't disagree.  

However,

 I don't like that out of breathe feeling...tends to put me into panic mode.

Walking up steps is an effort,

getting dressed is an effort,

putting your groceries in the car is an effort.

I think I could lose weight if I stayed there long enough!

Everybody skied, but me.

  I ventured down the mountain,

 white-knuckled,

 and shopped the outlet mall that sits at the bottom.  

A stream runs through the outlets and it is always fun to watch

people fly fish the stream.

There was plenty of time for stitching, too.

However, my arm is still not allowing me to stitch for extended periods of time.

I did finished the Mary Jane Smallman sampler on the Colorado trip.

She is awaiting her frame...

The following week I spent a few days with the grand kids.

Daddy was in Iceland on business, 

and Dave and I helped out with the kids,

and kept Mommy company.  

They are growing up so fast.

Beckham starts kindergarten this fall

 and 

Avry  turns two this month...

how did this happen so quickly?

I've had some time to chart some new designs.  

I use two computer monitors at my desk.

  One for charting and the other is currently set on the Decorah Eagle Cam.

The first eaglet hatched on Wednesday.

  I happened to be sitting at the computer charting a design

 and was able to witness the first hatch...pretty cool!

 Bob, the Decorah Eagle Guy, was on our local news last evening.  

He mentioned they were afraid that there would be no eaglets this year due to the 20 plus degrees below zero weather that we had during the incubation.  

These eagle parents are amazing birds. 

 They are dedicated to their eggs, 

no matter the weather conditions.

  He said something along the lines that the eggs have to remain at some 90 degrees and cannot get over some 100 degrees (can't remember exact degrees).  

When bad weather approaches the parent doesn't leave the nest.  

They can't, or the eggs would freeze.  

However, 

setting on the next too long

can raise the temperature of the eggs, which isn't good either.

There is a pip hole in egg number 2,

 guessing a hatch will happen today.  

Moving onto some new stitching...

I was looking at my floss color ring the other day.  It happened to be sitting on the kitchen table,

as I was eating a bowl of soup for lunch. 

  The above is how the colors laid out. 

 How pretty, I thought.

  Love those shades of purple,

 with the green and yellows...

 I don't use too much purple in my design work.  

What could I do with these colors that were haphazardly placed in front of me?  

So, I went to work.

The colors reminded me of all the little violets that are scattered in the shady spots of our yard,

each spring.    

What mother hasn't received a little hand filled with these spring-time flowers?

Spring Violets...

 and with any luck, 

the snow will be gone

 and I'll have real spring violets 

to use as props in the photo shoot

 for this piece.  

 Have planned some dimensional wool applique, 

along with the cross stitch in this piece...

we shall see where this takes me.

Have a good weekend,

Brenda