Mini-Albums

It was a cold and chilly day today. No snow, but more like little ice pellets. Nothing that stuck or that was enough that I could even get photos of but it was windy and cold when I went out for a walk. I was the only car in the car park.

I managed to get in some more crafting. I put photos in the album for my Mum (of her great-grandchildren) and started to sort through photos of our Cornwall holiday. Wow! Who knew I took so many photos?!

These are two other albums I've got constructed. I have to fill with photos and decorate.

This one is going to be for hubby. It will have photos of either our camping trip from June or our U.P Michigan trip from last month.

This one will either have day walks or my daily walks. Haven't decided yet. Sigh. I can't seem to make up my mind on either one. Decisions. Decisions. I'm a procrastinator. Can you tell?

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween/Samhain. 

Christmas Crafting - albums

I've actually got a good start on the photo albums I'm planning on giving for Christmas so I thought I'd share a peek. They aren't anywhere near to being done - photos need to be added and embellishments, but the bare bones are done. I feel like I might actually get them done in time and not be working on them right up until Christmas.

This first one is going to be for my Mum. It will have photos of her great-grandchildren that I took while I was over this summer. It's a flip album. I love the cover paper. I ended up sending away for it from Scrapbook.com. I was really pleased with both their shipping cost and how speedy my order got to me.

I'm actually not sure what I'll be using this one for. I really liked the paper set and I was on a roll so I decided to make it. I might end up putting some of our trip photos in it. I have two other 'made' mini-albums that I'll take photos of tomorrow and share.

I'm feeling ahead of the game!

Dreary Saturday

Another cold and dreary day today. We went for a walk this morning and I've had trouble getting warm since.  I'm sitting with my jumper and sweats on complete with blanket and heating turned up. Brrr. We went for a walk in a place called Bishop's Bog Trail. I should have known from the name what to expect. The trail is unique - a sort of floating platform made from some sort of plastic slats that have holes in them. The platform moves as you walk and bog water spurts up through the holes. We've had so much rain that when we walked on the platform it got soaked in water so deep my feet (I was wearing hiking boots) got a little wet. My jeans were pretty wet too from spurting water.

It was quite an interesting walk but I don't think we'll be going back until it's a little drier!

Later I Skyped with Mum. I didn't think my computer was going to co-operate, but at the last minute (literally) I got Skype to let me sign in. I planned on maybe getting some crafting done this afternoon, but got caught up in a book. I am managing to do some knitting while watching Grimm. Hubby and I just started watching it. Curtains are closed, lights are on, and the rain and cold are out where we can't see them.

Here's hoping Sunday is warmer and sunnier!

Turning the Heat On

I have held out as long as I can. The heat went on this morning. I think I've done pretty well so far, but it was REALLY cold this morning. There was a frost on the ground and I even had to defrost my car before I could go anywhere. To me that means it's time to give in and turn on the heat. The cat was very grateful. That doesn't mean we won't get bursts of warm air. Michigan is very fickle. One day it can be snowing, the next day warm. The weather people are talking about that 'S' word, but hopefully it will be a while.

I do know that when the birds outside my window start to bundle up, it's cold.

I did go for quite a long walk, despite the cold, as the sun was actually shining and I haven't seen it since Sunday. I do like sunshine. Just seeing it makes me feel warmer.

 My hands got quite numb when I was taking photos so I took advantage at a sale at a nearby shop (popped in to get a couple of items) that had gloves for buy one get one half off. I'm terrible at losing them so I got a set of 3 and some fingerless ones.

I hope to have photos of my mini-albums tomorrow. They are mostly assembled. I have made these from scratch, so the basics are put together. Next I have to put in the photos and decorate.

Hope everyone is enjoying their Thursday!

Rain Again

Well, the computer seems to be doing okay, but it also seems that when it does its upgrades things seem to slow down. I think I'll have to save for another. Of course this happens just after I used some of my saved money for a plane ticket to visit daughter next month. Still, I'd rather visit her!

The weekend wasn't too bad. Saturday was absolutely gorgeous. You never would have believed it was late October. Sunday was looking a bit iffy so we adjusted our plans and took a walk somewhere else rather than where we had decided to go. Luckily it stayed dry until we got home in the afternoon. Now the rain has settled in and we're under a flood watch again for the next couple of days. I'm going to go do the food shopping, tidying up and then I'm going to sort out photos to add to the albums that are coming along nicely. I might even finish my shawl! Only a few inches to go lol.

A couple of photos from yesterday. We had to walk up some sand dunes, but the view at the top was worth it. I hope everyone has a good start to their week!

Ack! Computer Trouble :(

My poor computer has been having trouble the last few days. I think it's about on its last legs, but I really need it to last a little longer. It did an update, got really slow and today wouldn't load anything. Of course, it had to happen on the day I'm to Skype with Mum! It wouldn't let me click on anything. I tried Skype several times and nothing - well, almost an hour later Skype screens started popping up like crazy. I had got a little upset and clicked on it a few times lol. Anyway, I ended up using my Kindle to Skype which worked but I had to hold it at a strange length so I wouldn't appear with a huge face on her end.

I ended up doing a recovery thing on the computer - which took hours! For now - touch wood - it does seem to be working a little better. I just really need to use it to Skype and sort through photos (my Kindle doesn't have an SD card reader). Maybe, just maybe, it will last a little while.

We did go for a nice walk this morning to a beautiful park. Now to sort through the photos! I feel like I've wasted the whole day as I got frustrated and - more than a little - obsessed with fixing it!

Too Much Stuff or House Not Big Enough?

Either I have too much stuff or my house is not big enough. I'm afraid it is probably the first. The number of people living in our house has gone down but there seems to be a lack of space. I think...no, I know, it's me. I have a problem with books, magazines and crafty stuff.

I'm not sure why I feel the need to have as many physical books as I do. I accumulate a lot because, for some reason, I seem to think that if I don't get it when I see it I might not get it at all. Most of the books are used. I don't buy many brand new. Most are bargains (maybe that's part of the problem too). Some I even have on my Kindle, yet I still have the actual book too. There's something wrong with that! I can't seem to rid myself of the 'need' to actually have real books.

Regarding the crafty stuff - now that I have my own room it is out of the way, but I was looking today and I have so much yarn and cross stitch stuff that I'll never be able to use the whole lot. I've had myself on a no-new-cross-stitch ban for a while but I'm adding yarn to that - no matter how good the bargain, or how lovely it looks. Paper pads - the same. No new paper pads!

I can do this. I'm going to give myself a number of books to get rid of for the month and stick to it.  For now, on the crafty stuff I'm going  to put myself on a limited buying ban. A limited ban as there are things such as glue and tape I'll need to complete Christmas gifts. Crafty magazines I'm going to sort through, re-organise, donate, sell or recycle.

Surely I'm not the only one? That's the end of my whinge for the day!

On a good note - we got the first phase of our new windows done. We got the living room and one of the dining room windows done. We're getting done as the budget allows. The two large picture windows (one in dining room & one in kitchen) and the smaller kitchen window will be done in the Spring. I'm so excited to have them done! Our old windows were REALLY old and oddly styled. The new windows are a cleaner, simpler style and it's lovely sitting here looking out.

Drying Out

The weather people said we ended up with almost 6 inches of rain on Saturday. I think it was more. My bucket in the garden is completely full. I thought it would never stop! Sunday brought high winds. We'd spent all day Saturday in so we decided to go out even though it was still raining and very windy. We didn't walk far but decided to go look at a couple of (sort of) nearby lighthouses. The waves at the lakeshore were wild!

There was definitely no walking along the walkway! It was covered with water and waves. It's amazing to think this is a lake and not the sea!

At the other lighthouse there were people trying to surf! They could barely get up on their boards before either the wind or the waves knocked them off again!

Monday dawned cloudy but I put my boots on and went for a walk anyway.

The water was a lot higher at the place where I usually walk. I can usually walk past that plant - now it is in the lake! I've never seen it so high.

I was hoping to get some crafting done, but I've got to clean up a bit - we're having some of our windows replaced tomorrow so things need to be tidied and moved.

Hope everyone has a good Monday!

Will It Ever Stop Raining?

It has rained all day today. Not just little showers, but huge downpours complete with thunderstorms and loud bangs. It hasn't stopped all day. Not an exaggeration. It has rained so much there are flooded streets in town and the American football game at the local university has been cancelled as the pitch is under water! So far we've had more rain today than we got the whole of last month. Sigh. I hope it stops. I was hoping to go for a walk this morning, but it wasn't to be. Tomorrow doesn't look a lot better either.

I did venture out to pick up middle son's dry cleaning that I'd dropped off earlier in the week and to visit a new grocery shop that had opened in town. Trader Joe's. It wasn't too bad. I managed to find some crumpets which - to be honest - was the whole reason for the visit! They do seem to have some more vegetarian frozen food though I'm trying to stay away from too much frozen food.

The rest of the day has been spent Skyping Mum, chatting to daughter, reading, working on my album and doing a bit of knitting. I find it difficult to get up much energy on a day like this. Thankfully it isn't too cold! I hope everyone else is having a drier day than mine!

I'll be dreaming of sunny Autumn days!

Great Storm of 1987

It's coming up to the 30th anniversary of The Great Storm of 1987. At least that's what they were talking about on BBC Radio Suffolk this morning. Anyone remember it? I can. My Mum and I both woke up, but my brother slept right through it. I remember going outside in the morning and seeing all the trees down. I walked a little way, but couldn't get very far. I also remember going to see Rendlesham Forest after and the devastation was terrible. I don't remember being scared, but just kind of shell-shocked in the morning to see the mess outside. Ah memories! Giving away my age here, but I was seventeen then. Yikes.

Today dawned cloudy and dull, but surprisingly mild. I took a nice quiet walk and got some household stuff done before going upstairs and working on my albums. I managed to get the cover of another one done. I also completed the pages and covered them all, and the tags fitting in. I haven't sorted out photos yet. That seems to be the hardest part. Sigh. I did have to capture three stink bugs while I was up in my room.

Nice reflection on the lake this morning as the sun was beginning to break through the clouds.

I don't think I'll get much crafting in this weekend - usually I don't - though it is supposed to rain so maybe that will be the excuse needed to do some.

Looking a lot like Autumn...

It's beginning to look and feel like Autumn! It rained all day yesterday - yuck - and was rather chilly. I ended up closing the one window I had open. Today the rain cleared but no sunshine so still feeling a little chilly. I actually got out my cardigan yesterday!

The woods are even starting to look seasonal!

After our walk on Sunday we stopped by a farm shop. I love seeing all the pumpkins and gourds. They are all so very colourful!

Now that the cooler weather is coming (and so is Christmas!) I got up in my craft room and started off on the album I want to make hubby for Christmas.

I've got the covers and the binding done. The basic pages are ready to be mounted. I've got to pick out what finishing papers will go on the pages. It did feel good to get back creating something again. I think when I've got the basic book done I'll work on putting the one for my Mum together. I don't have many children's papers so either I'll have to go get some or maybe just use brightly coloured blank colours. I'll give it some thought! At least I've got started!

Monday Rolling Around AGAIN!

I can't believe it's Monday again! I feel like time is just getting away from me. The weekend wasn't too bad - Saturday started off raining but that was it. Friday night we had storms. Half of our neighbourhood lost power (not us) when a tree fell on an ice cream van! There were a couple of people in the van - I hope they were okay! We did our walk on Sunday, a nice walk in the woods. There were still bees and butterflies around! Because of the warmer weather we're also getting stink bugs again (yuck) and this morning I see hoards of flying beetle-like things on the garage door (shudder). I'm hoping for a cold snap just to get rid of them! I don't want them in the house. I see one and then I can't stop thinking about it until someone gets rid of it.

From yesterday's walk.

Today when I went for a walk the moon was still high in the sky! I'd been hoping to practise night moon photography the last few nights but it's been too cloudy. It wasn't too cloudy this morning!

It's a gorgeous day today. Still a lot of green in the trees - the autumn colours are coming late this year.

You can barely see the moon up in the sky on the left, but it was large and bright considering it was ten in the morning!

Hope everyone has a good Monday!

Cornwall - Five on Friday

It's been a while since I joined in with Five on Friday with Tricky over at Family Attempting to Survive the Times. It's been a busy summer here and things are finally settling down again. I was in England for six weeks (from end of July to beginning week of September), then a camping trip and then a weekend away up in the north of Michigan. I'm trying to back into the groove of things but it doesn't seem to be happening. Sigh.

Anyway, for this week's Five on Friday I'm going to share five photos from my holiday to Cornwall. While I was over visiting Mum (she's in Ipswich) we took an 8 day holiday to Cornwall. It is really such a beautiful place. It was a little steep for Mum in places. She turned 81 (September) while I was there and, although she gets around really well, some places where a little steep.

It's another of those places I'd love to live or maybe at least go visit again. I've always wanted to go there. When I was a child I read stories of smugglers and the ragged coastline. There are just so many nooks and crannies, such a great place to explore!

Land's End. It has become very commercialised. There is a big shopping/restaurant place, but if you go past that and walk along the front it is really quite beautiful. Lots of beautiful coastline and walks. I really enjoyed going there.

Pendennis Point. This was an unexpected pleasure.  We ended up taking one of those tourist buses where you can hop on and off and this was one of the spots we hopped off. Gorgeous! It had a lovely lighthouse to view too.

Carbis Bay. This is actually where we stayed. The beach was beautiful. Unfortunately there was quite a steep hill that led from our hotel to the beach. Mum went down once and managed to get back up but it was a struggle. I ended up going down a couple of times just to get photos.

St. Ives was only a five minute train ride from our hotel. It's a beautiful harbour town with some lovely beaches. We had a lovely walk along the front. The streets are quite windy and have lots of tourist shops, but the front is beautiful and well worth a walk.

Porthleven. I LOVED this place! So ragged looking and wild. It was like something out of a Gothic novel. The clouds were heavy with clouds, but luckily the rain stayed away. I could almost imagine this in winter at high tide with wild winds lashing against the coast and the waves crashing up the rocks near the church. Sigh.

Thanks so much for visiting! Happy Five on Friday and I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Back to Normal

We're back from our mini-break, so it's a matter of trying to get back into normal. It will be the last weekend away for a little while. We have to replenish our holiday fund - ha, ha. It was a lovely weekend of sunrises, sunsets, waterfalls, two great lakes and lighthouses. Phew! It was quite a packed weekend - lots of driving and looking. Wonderful. I really enjoyed it.

I'll have to do a lighthouse post as some point. We got to see two more we've never seen and one was a repeat though we'd only seen it at a distance. We know there are places we want to go see - lots more lighthouses and beautiful nature places. I LOVE the U.P of Michigan. It is so peaceful up there - so many places where you won't bump into a soul.

I've got some checking up to do on blogs, washing to do and general catching up. Still, nothing that won't go away unless I do it lol. Hope everyone is enjoying their Tuesday.