Summer Vacation

It's official. I am now on summer vacation from both of my jobs for two months. Ahhh! 

I can craft some things, read some books, sit on my back deck or front porch and cool off in my pool. Oh, I can also get ready for my daughter's bridal shower at the end of July. I have some crafting to do for that.

I am still working on the crocheted wedding gown for my stuffed bear. 

I just have to complete the other sleeve, weave in some ends and then put on some embellishments. I have to make the headpiece and bouquet also, but they should be quick.

I made some progress on the donation scarf during my last couple of days at school. I still love the pooling pattern.

I am going to try to start working on my Advent Calendar again.
Do you remember it?

I have an idea that if I use some form of plastic bottle under the fabric to be able to hold it in my hand without pinching my thumb and fore-finger, I may just be able to work on this without pain. I am going to give it a try today. I know that it is a delicate balance as to how much sewing, knitting and crocheting I can do without aggravating the arthritis in my thumb. Wish me luck!

I also want to make some decorations for my daughter's bridal shower that I am hosting at my home in late July.
I started small with an idea for a game. I will tell you all about it after the shower.

I wonder if she will recognize the fabric. I think I made her a skort from it when she was little. 

I visited the local library on Friday and came home with these.

I am already well into the top novel. I do love the way Deborah Harkness writes. This is a continuation of her All Souls Trilogy. I think this is the 5th book. I have to find the 4th which I have yet to read. 
I never did finish reading The DuMauriers by Daphne Du Maurier. I grew tired of some of the characters and just wasn't interested in continuing with it. This was a "book swap" book that I got from the library and I met a nice woman when I was returning it who said she loved Daphne Du Maurier as an author and used to wait for her books to be published. She encouraged me to try one of her best-sellers so I picked up My Cousin Rachel. We shall see. I have read the first 6 books of the Elm Creek Quilt series so I borrowed #7. The other two books in the stack are past recommendations from other bloggers. I am willing to try new authors any time.

Well my summer is off to a great start so far. We have had two days in the high 80s which allowed me to enjoy our deck and pool. With all the rain we have had, my plants are flourishing. I adore the color of this deep purple astilbe. It is actually a deeper purple than this photo shows.

I always know that the 4th of July is just around the corner when my day lilies start to bloom.

 They frame one side of my deck near our outdoor table. 

They always make me smile.

Hopefully I will be blogging more now that I am home more. I am joining Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching. Pop on over to her site to see what other bloggers are stitching. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Knitting, cross-stitching and reading

Now that I have finished my secret cross-stitching I can spend some time on other pursuits. I immediately started knitting this scarf for donation. I needed something easy to work on in the car as we traveled to my daughter's wedding gown fitting last weekend. The yarn is a skein that I have had for many years. I really like the way it is pooling as I knit it.

 

I have discovered that I can't knit for very long at all. Four rows of this scarf at a time is enough, eight is sometimes too much. I must rest my right thumb in between. I even took a whole day off from knitting and it is still aching on and off. Sigh.......


While we were in there, Katie and I saw Miss Saigon at the Boston Opera House. 

She asked for this as her belated birthday gift. We both love musicals.

I resumed working on this Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe piece. 

I find it quite difficult to work on as it is 32-count linen over two. I can't really see the threads. I have to try out my new magnifier and see if I like it. 

I have also been reading "The DuMauriers" by Daphne DuMaurier.

This is a biographical novel of the DuMaurier family, ancestors of the author.

It is the end of the school year. I am sitting in my classroom waiting for students to come who need math help before their final exams. Sometimes I am busy and sometimes I am not. I decided it might be a good time to design a new cross-stitch. This is what I have so far. I am still tweaking it, but I like it.

Thanks for stopping by!

A visit and some planting

A couple of weekends ago my son and his girlfriend came to visit. He lives in PA and she lives in CA so they have a long distance relationship. They spent some time in NYC, but we all made a trip out to the east end of Long Island for some wine tastings. 

These pictures were taken at Duck Walk Vineyards in Southold, NY about an hour and fifteen minute drive from our home.

 You can tell from my hair that the wind was blowing, but it was a beautifully warm and sunny day that was quite welcome after a whole lot of rain.

I like this picture of my son and his girlfriend.

Soon after they visited, my Kousa dogwood came into bloom.

This view is from our second floor. My irises bloomed beautifully this year. It has been a while since they were this pretty.

 I also managed to fill all of my pots with flowers and they are filling in now quite nicely. These are by the sliding door to our living room.

 Once again, I only planted two pots of cherry tomatoes. They are the only vegetable (fruit) that I can ever get a decent yield from.

 I love mixing many flowers in one pot.

 I really like plants that spill out of a pot.

 Here is a close-up of one above with the creeping jenny. I usually try to plant the creeping jenny in my yard at the end of the season, because it comes back up the next year and I can use it in my pots again, but I didn't get to it last year.

I bought this pretty hanging basket at a local grocery store. I love it!

I still can't share my cross-stitching, but I can tell you that I am almost finished with the back-stitching....today or tomorrow. I hope to wash it tomorrow and then get it to the framer this week. 

Thanks for stopping by!