See Me Bloom!

All around the yard, the rain lilies are doing their thing.

These smell lightly sweet;  a very pleasant smell! 

They bloom for several days but then a new cluster will spring up and there is a whole new batch of flowers to enjoy! 

The first pagoda plants are sending up their tall flower sets. 

These are absent of smell but since they are large and showy blooms, we will be forgiving! 

The banana grove has three blooms with such promising bunches of fruit!

These will be ready to pick in 4 months! 

The Florida Red Bay trees are in bloom and the aroma is stunning!

Almost good enough to eat!

We regularly pick the leaves for roasts in the crockpot! 

I don't know what these pretty lavender and pink blooms are in the swamp/lake out back.

They are pretty and sway beautifully with our balmy breezes now. 

The last of the buttonwood blooms are out for our viewing pleasure.  If you get close, you are in for an aromatic surprise, too, because they are very sweet to smell!

There is a new surprise every time we take a golf cart tour!

Saturday's Serenity

Ah, the butterflies are all stitched down and their antennae are in place! 

I stitched some of the antennae by hand and some by machine.  They all work out just fine to add a touch of whimsy! 

I finished stitching the rainbow stripes

                                                      and even sewed them all together!

Then I loaded the hexagon quilt onto the frame so it is ready for me when I think up a good design! 

And on the needles is a pair of socks for Marsel out of a leftover sock skein.  She likes her socks short so I am able to squeeze out another pair from the skein.  It is KnitPicks' Stroll tonal yarn.

I had a great Saturday-how about you?

Works Better Together!

One butterfly is pretty, a flock is even more stunning!

I will be doing the applique stitch on them tomorrow!  

Then I have to think about just the right sashing for them... 

The stripes turn into wonder blocks that have some superb settings for interplay!

These are bright and cheerful.

I find the stripes line up easily because of all the fussing done before the cutting-worth it because these go together like a breeze!  So satisfying! 

I put the 'learning curve' butterfly to good use as a side view one on a flower.

I don't think I will put it in the quilt but I wish I had saved it to use on the border area.

Oh, well.  I can cut out another one for that! 

I was out stargazing tonight because the space station was passing over.  I managed to catch this shot of the moon, the space station and the planet Mars!  

Looking up, we all need to spend more time in that position.....

Flutterbies!

No, I'm not making fabric....I'm ironing the charm squares to some fusible web. 

I cut them apart and matched up squares by twos and then pairs that I liked. 

Then I ran the squares through the Accuquilt and learned I needed to make the fabric mirror images by placing the pairs right sides together!

Lesson learned. 

There we go! 

Oh, yes.  This is going to be a fun project.

I have to cut up the background for quilt blocks but that's for another day!

Finishing and Lining Up !

The borders are sewn on, the binding cut and pressed....all in the pile to be quilted next!

I was quite thrilled to be able to find the exact sage fabric to finish the last row and a half of the quilt! 

I saw a cool tutorial on Missouri Star Quilts about using striped fabric for some cool blocks.

I cut all my 10" squares and then quarter cut them. 

Wait until you see what happens next! 

My newest lilies are bringing much beauty to the pool patio!

So far I have had orange, yellow and now this peach!

I love to see them out there!

One of Those Days, Weeks a Month

I have perfected the moisturizer I make.  It is a mixture of Green Tea, coconut oil, cocoa butter, safflower and beeswax.  Sometimes it separates and that bugs me.  This time-it is a perfect texture and I scented it with lemongrass essential oil so it is a delight to the nose, too!  I use this head to toe and it is a balm to my poor body.  

In minutes and snatches, I pulled some turquoise and lime green fabric for this month's RSC2016.

When I find a minute , I sew for a bit.  I set up his train set in the studio so he is enticed to play so I can make use of the 20 minutes. 

I did make the 9th block today so I have this month's quota finished! 

I also put the additional border on the tumbler quilt.  It looks done to me now! 

I ended up buying a completely different fabric for the border of the clamshell quilt and it looks like it is meant to be now.  It is very rich. 

Today, Bill and I pulled out the tons of African Iris' out of this plant area on the pool patio.

We planted some begonias and impatiens so that there would be color and a better scale.

The irises had done too well and it looked like a jungle instead of a flower bed! 

We scaled back the other area, also, and it makes the whole area more open.  I do like less when it comes to all of my space.  I do hate clutter.  Maybe its because life gets cluttered and I can't do anything about that but I can make my living area more simple!!!!

Nyki has the right idea;  just take a nap and think about it tomorrow....

Hurricane Colin

It was a beautiful storm;  a bit of lightening and thunder, moderate winds and 5" of rain.

Just what we needed. 

There was so much rain gathering on the plants out front, the frogs all came to find a high and dry place on our sliding glass doors!  It drove the cats crazy.  We counted 14! 

On the inside, it didn't affect us so much.  We didn't lose power and the train still went choo-choo.

All was right with the world! 

The pool was right up to the brim!

We are draining it now so that is will be swimming worthy later on today!

And I was able to make two more flower dish cloths.  This makes 9!

Modeled

I don't always post the knits I make on their owners!

This is six month old Ethan in his baby surprise jacket.

It is a perfect fit! 

These are designed with shorter sleeves so they don't cover babies' hands.

Lots of people add cuffs to make them more typical.  

I'm not sure what I think.

I do know he is cute as can be in his knit set-the hat turned out great, if I do say so myself!

Uh, oh! and Wow!

I missed.  I know better.  They were so full last night, I just quit checking too early.  So what if I am exhausted, I needed to check them around midnight and I didn't .  So, I missed them.

They will dry up now and fall off.

I can always hope for the other stalk to produce.

Oh, bother. 

On a better note, we went to visit Caleb and Cassandra in Fernandina Beach .

The kids wanted a hole. 

The digging began and the kid corralling continued! 

The guys used a full sized shovel and dug a 10' pool.

The waves were just right, the water temperature was warm (86F) and there was a sandbar way out which made the swimming just right for dads and kids. 

Will was just as much a fish in the ocean as he is in the pool!

It was great to see him tackle the waves!

The man made tidal pool was a hit and the kids played all afternoon.

I looked for shark's teeth but didn't find any.  

I enjoyed the hunt, though.

Will enjoyed his Polar Express train when he got home;  it is sleeping on the bed table next to him.

We are going to bed sun kissed and contented!

It was a great beach therapy day!

Anticipation...

I  was so excited all day thinking about this flowering tonight!  See how much it has grown?!

During nap time and recliner time for me, I managed to finish the cuff of the toe up Zigzagulars for Abigail.  I cast on the second one right away as always! 

So when I rushed out tonight to see the flower...it needs another day of preparation!

So close.  

I know this is a bit blurry but pretend I softened it with special effects!

Isn't it amazing?!  I can't wait to see and smell it tomorrow!

An Hour

I'm trying to teach Will he can play in my studio by me and not always with me so I can sew a few stitches!  He is very clingy and it is slow going. 

I put this fabric book together with a few minutes here and there this week. 

I really enjoy the pictures in this book since every page has sewing related items, obviously!

I managed to finish this while he napped today....after I woke up myself!

Grandpa, Will and Matthew swam tonight without me so I sat and watched some tv and knitted all by myself.  It was good for my whole body to have some off time.

We are working out a very good schedule, though.

I do like structure for kids so they know the drill and it is good for them to have something dependable!

I am learning to slow down and let him help;  he is learning that when Grandma says now, she kinda really means it, sweetly but firmly.

This week is better than last!