birthday hijinx . . .

Whew! What a wonderful birthday week/weekend it's been!!

It started when I got out some of my fall decor and decorated my front door . . .

I kinda miss having a front porch ... and the back patio really isn't big enough (or seen well) to do more than a bit for me.

Then I met my Cross Stitch group on Monday.  Remember how I'd made such great progress on my Lady Halloween piece?  I looked at it Sunday evening and realized I'd stitched two complete elements in the wrong place:

UGH!  Don't you hate it when that happens? Anyway, I spent my group time on Monday picking out all the inappropriate stitches. And then the rest of the week adding them back in the correct location (along with a few more) . . .

Then there were presents from my Affirmation Sisters . . .

Fun stitchy stuff!!

On Friday I had birthday dinner with Joc and the local crew . . .

Joc made me this beautiful Almond Joy birthday cake.  It was SOOO good!

And they gifted me with this beautiful blue enamel dutch oven, which was on my wish list!  I'm so excited to cook in it ... just in time for soup and chili season!

Saturday morning started early ... with Ezra's soccer game!

He scored the first goal of the game, and they won (although they don't really keep score officially, the parents do)!

After that, I headed to the Merkel's to watch the Alabama vs. Mizzou game.  It was a good (and close) game, but BAMA pulled it out!  Roll Tide!  When the game was over, I headed home to do some stitching.  I worked on the cute little Halloween stitchery that was gifted to me with the stitchable ort tray.  It's really cute!  

Someone had no interest in what I was doing . . .

And then someone was waaaaaay too interested . . . 

Sassy girl!

A quick look ahead . . . we've got LUKE Haynes coming in to speak for our guild program on Thursday evening, and then he's there for the next two days doing workshops.  

I'm taking his Friday workshop, Clothes to Quilts.  I'm really looking forward to it!

So that's it from me.  Celebrating all month long, though ... whoohoo!! Linking up last minute with Kathy's Quilts: Slow Sunday Stitching!

:)

battlecry: retreat . . .

LOL!  Sometimes you just need to retreat . . . on a retreat . . . to a retreat.  That's exactly what I did last weekend! But it was my favorite kind . . . the kind I don't have to drive to.  A Camp MACOBA retreat! This was my Sassy Affirmation Sisterhood Sister's (SASS's) third annual summer retreat at the camp.  It was originally scheduled for July, but Todd's surgery happened, so we pushed it to August.  GOOD thing those cabins have A/C!!

It was Gail's (center) birthday weekend, so of course the appropriate signage was put in place!

I didn't even bring my machine this year.  I worked on getting my two wool tubs and my tub of floss in order, finished up several handwork projects, made some acorns, kitted some wool applique projects for fall, and started *and* finished a delightful Christmas tree cross stitch.

Wool Candy Corn bowl filler (in front of my fabric bouquet)!

 

LOVE this finish!!!

Acorns!!  :)

 

We took a field trip into town on Friday and visited Patches & Stitches and had dinner at a fabulous pizzeria, Sam & Gregs.

Saturday we took a field trip down to the creek! We splashed for a bit and took the requisite "feet in the water" photo!

And we all took a ton of pics of the creek, too!  ;) My idyllic spot!

There are a TON of assorted varieties of mushrooms/fungus around the camp right now . . . it's been so hot and humid! There was one 'shroom that was way bigger than my hand!  But this was a fungi I'd not seen before . . . 

It's called a Wood Ear Fungi. Aptly named, right?  That's exactly what it looked like on the tree bark!  So cool! The woods have ears . . . they're listening all around . . .

Sunday we all felt relaxed and rejuvenated!  It was Gail's actual birthday, and since we'd done the 'feet' shot in the creek, we decided to do a party hat shot parting shot . . .

We're so silly!  I'm glad I have a circle of friends like this.  They're the BEST!  :)

 

I'm ready for another long weekend . . . yay for Labor Day!  We'll try and head out on the boat on Monday, with the Merkel crew.  So look for lake pics next week!

Arrivederci!!

:)

off day, work day, birthday . . .

Backposted (because how ever many years from now I'd regret not having posted these pictures along with their stories)!

March is off to a great start!  Our first Friday was a lovely, mild day, so Todd and I hit the lake.

It was mild enough to slip my shoes off while I read. Get some sunshine on those toes.

See how smooth the water is?  Just the perfect day for fishing! I'm not sure what he was pulling in, but it was big enough that he got out the net. At one point we were sitting in a spot with a ton of birds, and another pontoon came barreling through . . .

I didn't catch the aftermath, but it was kind of like a bowling ball into the pins! Knucklehead.  

It was a lovely day and they're starting to get a little longer.  Still too short for my liking.  But we change to daylight savings time next weekend, and we'll get another hour of lake time on the back end (which is where I prefer it)!

Thankful we had a restful day on Friday, because Saturday was a Camp MACOBA work day!

Disaster Relief uses our work days to train for the chainsaw team.  It works out well for both of us!  I think they stocked up enough firewood for the upcoming camping season.

It was a full day (for them).  I limit my working to the kitchen and helping serve lunch!

For all the racket that chainsaws and tractors and log splitters made, it didn't take the deer long to come out of hiding once the crews cleared out . . .

And then Sunday we celebrated my Jocelyn's birthday (which was actually on Monday).  We celebrated, but somehow the only pictures I managed to take were of . . .

My baby.  Who thinks I make a good teething object.

And a good sleeping pillow. ♥

:)

wrapping up the month . . .

Backposted (because how ever many years from now I'd regret not having posted these pictures along with their stories)!

Luckily for me, I did Ellie's birthday trip over a long weekend . . . which meant I had Monday *off*...which was particularly nice after the trip to Atlanta. If you know what I mean.  Ahem.  Anyway, I put Monday to good use and finished up my February UFO challenge project for our stitcher's group.

I sewed sashings and borders. And finished . . .

YAY!  This has been a very long project.  Haha!  Because I'm the world's most prolific procrastinator.  But that's okay, because I think it's so pretty. I know this needs to be handquilted; I'm thinking I'll save it for late in the fall, when I'll want to be covered up in a quilt while I stitch on it.  ♥

Joc sent me some pics of Ezra . . . 

Awww!  Tummy time on the quilt his Neesey made for him!  This little fellow has such a darling little smile.

He melts my heart!

Friday night I took another road trip, this time down to Montgomery to see comedienne Chonda Pierce!

My wing(wo)man for the event was my dear friend, Lindsey.  We had a really good time ... Chonda kept us rolling!

Tickets to the show were a Christmas gift from Todd!  I guess February was a month of realizing past gifts!

The weekend was also my mom's 81st birthday!  My sister (Julia) and her daughter (and her daughter's youngest) made the trip down from Virginia. Julia's birthday is also in February, so we had a dual purpose cake!

Edgar's Bakery makes such pretty cakes!  And delicious, too, trust me!  Mom had been enjoying her tree (which I totally get—and do myself), but keeping it fresh with ornaments in keeping with the season.  

Julia and I did it up in shamrocks, leprechauns and green and white pompoms (yes, the pompom maker came out again).  It was such fun and the tree looked so pretty!  The lights help keep the drear of winter away.  :)

And we had a quick minute before the Virginia crew had to get to the airport, to allow cousins (and second cousins) to visit!

A happy way to close out a good month!

:)