Crafts

I did get some things done on Monday. It was cold and snowy so a great day to stay inside! We're having a cold spell again - another polar vortex lol. To me it's just Michigan weather. Always makes me wonder why I moved here lol. I am so looking forward to Spring. I can't wait until I don't have to bundle up like the Michelin Man just to be able to go outside.

Crafty things - a couple of cards. I wanted to just play with some of my stamps. There are cards I do need to get done but I have to be in the mood and I wasn't.

I also finished up my wildlife journal/book and a little fungus mini-album. Last year I made a bunch of mini-albums (sort of became addicted to making them lol) but never put anything in them. So this year I decided I would fill some of them with themed photos that I'd taken. Killing two birds with one stone - using the albums and making sure I do something with my photos.

Wildlife Album - not the best photos. Yikes. Didn't realise until I was getting ready to post.

You can see the heron photo that eluded me for so long (I got it reprinted in the end!). I've also finished another cross stitch which I will photograph and post another day.

As January comes to a close I feel like I actually following through on some of my goals. I have really been watching what I spend on 'extras'. All-in-all a pretty good month!

Sunny Sunday

It's a grey day today, colder and snowing so I'm staying inside. Yesterday was a glorious sunny day. It was a little chilly but above freezing - our last day of that for a little while - so we made the best of it and got out and about. There is something about the sun that just gives me a lot more energy! Hubby has been sick. He actually came home from work on Friday as he had a horrible cough and the chills. He had been battling it for a little while but Friday it just got the better of him. He's not one for taking time off work unless forced. Thankfully, after his rest on Friday he was feeling a little better. He didn't come out walking with me Saturday but by Sunday he was ready to get out and walk again.

We took a lovely walk along the beach. There was actually beach to walk along! Most of it was covered by ice and snow, but we weren't the only ones taking advantage of the sunny weather.

We also took a trip to Holland Lighthouse. The week of warmer temperatures made the landscape a little clearer - not as much ice and snow, but still lovely to look at. 

I

'm going to spend the day cleaning up and sorting out after the weekend and then I'll do some crafting I think. The light isn't the greatest but I'm going to try to photography my album today and maybe finish my cross stitching - it's almost done!

Hope everyone has a great Monday!

Days Flying By

The days seem to be flying by at a rate that leaves me wondering what an earth I am actually getting done! It just seems the week started and now it's almost Friday. Yikes. There is little on my weekly to-do list that I actually managed to get done!

Hubby has caught the horrible yuckiness that's been going around. He's hacking away like crazy. I'm hoping he'll be on the mend soon and that he won't pass it on to me!

I ended up having another Blue Heron photo printed and have mounted it into the book so it is finally finished. I'll try to get around to taking photos tomorrow but the way this week is going I probably wouldn't hide my breathe lol. I've been out walking most of this week except Monday. The sun was actually shining today after days of dreariness. Perhaps that's where my week has gone - I've spent too much time outside walking.

I saw this chubby raccoon yesterday while I was out walking. Didn't get too close as I'm not quite sure of their temperament. It watched me for a second as it wandered across my path, shimmied up the tree and popped down a hole at the top!

I managed two fun cards the other day. 

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Dreary Monday

Well, the sunshine is over and it is dreary again. The temperature is up but it was dreary and wet today. Yesterday was dreary and really foggy here, but we went a couple hours north and it wasn't quite as foggy. Had a lovely walk out on the beach and managed to walk on a lot of ice to the lighthouse. Wow! What a view.

How magnificent is that? We even managed to see some blue ice which was kind of a weird thing to see. 

Today I went to get loo roll and spent the rest of the day inside. It was too wet to walk and my ankle was putting up a fit anyway so a good day to rest up. I actually managed to get some crafting done. Still haven't quite finished the wildlife journal as I'm waiting to find one last blue heron photo. Can't seem to find it anywhere. I'll have to get another printed. 

I started off with three coloured images but only managed to get two cards done. Spent too much time looking for that darned photo.

I also caught up on my travel journal (such as it is lol) and this other little journal which includes a really cute CURRENTLY page.

Before tea I spent a really small amount of time cross stitching. The piece I'm working on it on my to-finish-this-week pile but I don't know. Sigh. The daylight is still too short and the light here in the living room isn't the greatest. I keep meaning to buy a different light bulb but forget. Hubby and I watched the new Vera episode after eating and between talking with daughter who was trying to do her taxes by herself for the first time lol and needed help! The house is quiet again and I'm trying to get rid of a headache. Taxes always seem to give me one!

Relaxing Saturday

It's been a mostly sunny week this week. I've really enjoyed it! This is apparently the last sunny day for a few days. We went out for a walk this morning and now it's almost time to Skype Mum. It's one of my favourite times of the week.

Last night we arranged to go out with middle son to a Gyro place my hubby wanted to try. Son lives close to the lakeshore so I managed to persuade them to take a sunset trip to the lighthouse. It was really beautiful out there. I'm not a winter person. You've heard me moan when there isn't a lot of sun and it's so cold that I can't feel parts of me anymore, but last night reminded me that there is beauty in winter if you look for it. I think I need this reminder once in a while. I think we all need to take a breath and look around us once in a while. We get so caught up in the daily happenings that I think we sometimes forget what a beautiful world we live in.

I have almost finished my wildlife photo album/journal. I've only one page left to finish. I wanted to include a photo of the blue heron I see quite a bit in summer, but I can't find the photo I really like! Grrr. I've kept the page blank for now, but it's frustrating. I thought I had sorted all the photos together. Apparently not. For now I'll keep looking! 

I hope everyone has a good Saturday. Anybody have any big plans? 

The Sun! The Sun!

The sun has FINALLY been shining and I've been making the most of it. The temps are a little warmer (still below freezing) but I'm been getting out taking advantage of the break in the snow and cloud. It's really surprising how a little sunshine can make you feel a lot better. The other day the sky was so blue that sitting indoors it was a little hard to fathom that it was still only in the single digit F (well below minus C).

The birds were out and about when I went for a walk down at Asylum Lake.

The lake is still well frozen and snow covered. 

You can see all the tracks where the ice fishermen are going out trying to catch a little something.  

I have to admit I've spent more time out walking than I should have - until I really couldn't stand any more of the cold lol - but when the snow comes and the roads are bad I don't get out as much. Obviously this has meant not getting as much done around the house and crafting as I had hoped. I did get some of the kitchen cupboards sorted which was on my list, but the rest of my list is untouched. Sigh. I have kept up with the housework and cooked (mostly) from the cupboards so haven't spent a lot of money. 

Phew

I spent a lot of time (more time than I should have) this weekend worrying about the dentist and worrying about daughter's car. My poor stomach! I must have had every nightmare I could imagine - teeth falling out, dropping from a great height, losing all my luggage at the airport, being at my old job and messing everything up. Now the dentist is over. Phew. A lot of fuss for about an hour and a half of dentist work. I can't help it. I had a bad experience as a child and it's stuck with me all this time. I was extremely nervous and anxious. I don't think it's been quite that bad before. I took an anxiety pill and had the gas - it certainly helped! I didn't get a lot done today. I slept when I got home. It took forever for my mouth to no longer feel numb. Now all I'm left with is a sore jaw and sore gums.

Daughter's car isn't fixed. However in the last six months she's made some fantastic friends who are helping her out with a mechanic and helping her get back and forth to work. They were even nice enough to take her out for dinner Friday night when she was feeling down. What great people! I worry because she's so far away and there's really not much we can do from here but I'm so thankful she found such a great couple to be friends with.

The weekend wasn't a complete bust as on Sunday - despite being -9c/15F and the wind being A LOT colder - the sun was actually shining. It's amazing how a little bit of sunshine can really help. Granted, it didn't last long. It's been snowing since last night, but it was good while it lasted!

From our Sunday walk along the beach. I am actually standing where the lake would usually be. 

Hubby standing on top of an ice pile.

Lazy Saturday

My Saturdays always seem to be lazy. Oh well. I think we all deserve a lazy day. It's cold here again and today I can't seem to get warm. It doesn't matter what I do my poor hands are still cold. I think the up and down temps messed me up completely. Sigh.

We did go for a walk this morning. I had been wondering where all the deer have gone yet this morning we came upon about fourteen of them! One was a stag/buck, the others all looked to be females. What a wonderful sight to brighten up another cloudy, snowy day. I Skyped with my Mum and have been texting with daughter. She's having problems with her car. Makes me feel a little useless being so far away. She'll probably need some help. Got to think on things to cut back on as money seems to be depleting faster than being replaced lol.

Here are some of the lovely deer. None of them seemed to be bothered that we were around.  Hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday!

Dreary, rainy...but waaay above freezing!

Thanks for all the comments yesterday. I really appreciated them. Feeling a bit more cheery today. No sunshine - it was rainy and really dreary - but the temperatures were above freezing. Waaay above freezing. I think it was a record for Michigan. We were at 57F/13C. I went out for a walk despite the rain. We're going to have a mess tomorrow. Temperatures will be dropping back down to 26F/-3C. Talk about a temperature change! The snow has mostly gone, but more is on the way.

As the temperature was warmer and the roads clear I ran some errands after my walk. I returned library books and did a little food shopping. I was really good and only picked up a few things. I'm trying to get through some of the cupboard/freezer food.

It was really squishy out by the lake and there was a fine mist coming up from where the heat of the air hit the cold of the snow. It was really quite eerie.

I did get up to my craft room and manage to fill out some wildlife pages. Really enjoying making the book. I also did some colouring of stamps ready for cardmaking. The bright colours helped make me feel a little more cheery.

A Little Moan and Grumble...

Before I start I want to say that I'm grateful that this is all I have to moan about. However I think that once in a while we all deserve a little moan. Today this is mine.

I am tired of having no sunshine. The sky is grey. Not a nice grey. Not shades of grey. Just one boring shade of grey that isn't a lot darker than the snow on the ground. It's been that way for a while now. Last year I think we had three weeks of no real sunshine. I don't think I can last that long! Even when it's cold outside if the sun is shining it makes me feel a lot better. I feel a little unmotivated. Makes me feel like I want to curl up and sleep or curl up and do nothing but read.

My other moan - I hate going to the dentist. The women in the office I go to are great. I really like them. They make even a chicken  nervous wreck like me feel comfortable. I had my cleaning. I survived. I have to go back on Monday to have some work done on my bridge. I wish I'd never got the darn thing. It's been nothing but trouble since I got it and now it has to be repaired or replaced. Can't afford to get it replaced. I wish we could grow teeth back, sort of like fingernails.

That's it. My moan is done. Tomorrow is a new day. It won't be sunny but the temperature is supposed to be above freezing so unless it's pouring in buckets I will be getting out for a walk, taking photos of everything grey.

The top is one of my melting icicles. Both in black and white - sort of like my mood today. Tomorrow I'm going to look through a few summer photos and dream of months to come!

Start of a New Week

I'm not looking forward to this week, at least not the beginning of the week. I have a dentist appointment tomorrow and I'm really stressed about it. I don't just get nervous, I get really, really nervous and stressed - my stomach hurts, I have nightmares and when I start to think about it I find my breath catching in my throat. My friend asked if I'd like to just be knocked out - yes please, wake me up when it's done. On the plus side the temp is (just) above freezing so the roads will all be cleared off and I won't have to stress about driving in the snow as well as the dentist. I'm such a chicken.

Anyway today I'm trying to keep myself busy. I have FINALLY finished my first stitching of the year. I'm so pleased with it. I have to wash it and frame it but the stitching part is done.

I've pulled out another UFO as my next finish.

It's a Margaret Sherry design that came with a calendar years ago. So many years I can't even remember! I had a copy of the pattern but it was pretty unreadable so I had to hunt up the original. Then I found out the baggie full of floss I'd been keeping with the pattern wasn't actually the floss needed for the pattern. I have no clue what happened to the floss or what pattern the baggie of floss I've held on to actually belongs to. 

I'm glad I actually organised all my floss last year - despite the time it took! - as finding floss needed for the pattern wasn't tough at all. A lot better than going out and buying more.

I did work on a couple of pages for my albums/journals too.

Dinner is already made - chili in the slow cooker. Middle son is supposed to be coming up today. He stayed home yesterday as the weather was bad. Freezing rain this time.

Lazy Saturday

Hanging my head in shame...I actually got very little done today. Hubby and I went for a walk in the morning. I talked with my Mum for an hour and half. I settled down to watch a little tv before doing something else and daughter called. I ended up talking to her for an hour and a half too! Three hours on the phone! Yikes. So much for plans of getting things done.

I will make a sort-of meal plan for next week and an accompanying list for the shops but that's probably all I'll be getting done today! In between talking on the phone I did get a little carried away looking at photos. The Year with my Camera group that I'm in is working on Black & White photos. I'm no good at converting the photos and, besides, everything looks mostly black and white before I even start! There isn't a lot of contrast in anything - the sky is only a couple shades darker than the snow. I'm hoping for sun tomorrow. I will not pick up the computer to look at photos lol.

This is one from today. I love walking here. It is really magnificent with all the pines. 

Hope everyone is having an enjoyable weekend!

Five on Friday - Week in Review

It's been a while since I  joined in but one of my New Year's goals was to blog a little more so I thought it would be a great time to jump back in. Five on Friday is hosted by Family Attempting to Survive the Times. I thought I'd share five things on my mind this week.

1. Weather.

It's truly terrible. We've had a lot of snow and cold. Today was -2F when I woke up (is that even a thing?!) which is about -18C. The wind chill was even colder. I am tired of being inside. It's kind of funny (in a strange not humouress way) that the news is concentrating on the storm coming to the east coast. It's just a matter of ordinary weather here. I suppose that's the difference. I am counting the days down until Spring.

The sun was actually shining yesterday! Still really cold but the sun made me feel better. Certainly better than our Sunday out. 

2. Reading

When it's this cold out the best thing to do (but makes me feel a little lazy!) is to curl up with a good book. I have far too many to read, but I need to finish my library books first. This is what I'm reading now. 

It's a really good book. A murder mystery. I'm really enjoying it. 

3. Journals

I want to do something with all the photos I've been taking so I'm starting on a couple of books for me. One is photos of different walks and the other is wildlife photos I've been taking. I plan on doing a few pages/anecdotes per day. 

4. Cardmaking

I made a couple of quick ones this morning. I have a lot of things already stamped and papers that need to be used up so I thought I'd make some cards. I really enjoy it and it will be nice to have a few on hand. 

I must be in a blue sort of mood. 

5. Cleaning up

Nope. Not showing you a photo of my messy house lol. This week was a week getting things back to their usual. Everybody is back at work, back in their towns/houses. My house is looking somewhat tidier. Really quiet though. 

I hope everyone is having a good week. I've been participating more on Instagram - different photos I've been taking. Lots of snow photos lol.  Sharon's Instagram