Let's Go For A Walk

to one of my favorite local parks. These photos are from last May.

Golden Gardens Park is about 1-1/2 miles from home. 

Close enough to visit often and walk around the ponds.

Some folks stop by to fish. Swimming isn't advisable.

It's a breeding ground for the Western Pond Turtles. Sometimes I see them sunning themselves on the logs.

This fellow wouldn't let me pass him on the path.

He was busy guarding his young family.

So I turned around and took in more vistas.

Then crossed the channel of Amazon Creek that feeds the ponds 

... and headed home.

Tiny Treasures

More swag from geocaches found in September.

Erasers in the shape of Dr. Suess books. I found these in three separate caches, not all together. They're about 1 inch wide and 1-1/2 inches tall.

A bottle of gold. This vile is about 1-1/2 inches tall.

A very fancy (broken) crystalized snake. I had to keep it because I'm distracted by shiny objects. At 2 inches long, it's the biggest treasure in this bunch.

And, of course, a heart. It's a plastic ring this time about an inch tall and wide.

I'll likely hold onto them for a while, but eventually trade them in for other cache swag.

Oh, the Irony

I got a sneak peek into the back room of a local business.

The sign is right. Momma don't work here.

Thankful Owls - Part 5 Fini!

Lookie what I finished this afternoon!

After I finished adding borders to the stitchery, I had to decide how I wanted to get it ready for display. 

A Flat finish like other cross-stitch I've done recently? They're quick to do and store easily. But the stitching-with-fabric-border is fairly large - 12 inches by 13 inches.

Framed? I found a really pretty reddish/brown square frame in my stash that looked great. Unfortunately the lip wasn't deep enough to hold the stitchery. It was only deep enough for a photo.

How about a pillow? It's not as easy to store. I didn't have a pillow form on hand. It takes some considerable thought and it meant dusting off my sewing skills.

After petting my stash for a while and considering my many options, I went ahead with the pillow idea.

I like the way these two fabrics work together and complement the colors of the stitchery. I made a one-inch border with the swirly fabric and a three inch border with the pumpkins.

For the back, I used more of the swirly fabric. Superb.

Check this out. I remembered how to sew in a zipper (without looking at instructions)! I had the brown 9-inch zipper in my sewing stash.

It's stuffed with polyester fiberfill I have on hand. 

I suppose I can take out the fluff and fold the pillowcase flat for storage.

I'm so pleased my sewing corner is set up now. It makes constructing a project like this inviting because the machines are always ready and calling my name.

Thankful Owls - Part 4

I spent this #PhoneFreeFriday listening to podcasts, having a crafternoon by myself, and completing the stitching on Thankful Owls.

I'm considering using these fabrics when I do the finishing work. I scored the pumpkin fabric at a thrift store a couple weeks ago.

I'd like to have the stitchery ready to display this weekend. I'm ready to clean up this project and make a new kind of mess in my Studio.

Julie's Card

I like that my daughter Julie has a birthday in September. I have an excuse to use vivid Fall colors. 

Striped scrapbook paper. Green voile ribbon. 3-D sparkly leaf stickers, artfully arranged.

Inside, a simple message and two more stickers.

A celebratory quotation.

A bag of glitter attached with glue dots. I figured she'd rather have a bag of glitter than glitter attached to the card that can fly all over the place when the card's opened. She's a mom. She doesn't need more mess. I don't want to be banned from her home.

I got a new row-of-hearts stamp for the back. I guess I made so many cards in the past that I wore out the last one.

The card is finished off with a coordinating envelope flap.

I'm quite proud of this one. It's fun to get an idea from Pinterest, go through my stash to find bits and pieces that fit together, and make something that's a Margaret Original.

Thankful Owls - Part 3

I spent most of today stitching while listening to an audiobook. What an ideal way to enjoy a Saturday.

I made good progress! (on both)

Tom and Friends

I hung out with Jodie yesterday morning. I met her at work to help with a project she runs for seniors -- a food pantry for people needing a little extra help to fill their kitchen shelves. All summer she's been leading an effort to grow produce in the community garden. Last I heard, they'd harvested over 830 pounds of vegetables, all given away for free!

I visited the community garden a couple weeks ago. I recall seeing potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, chard, several kinds of peppers, beans, onions, some herbs, lettuce, artichokes, Brussel sprouts and more. It's the first time she managed this program and did an amazing job.

Now that Fall is here, the food pantry will need to purchase some of the food in addition to the donations they receive. To that end, Jodie's work put on a fundraiser. I volunteered to help with the set-up. My part was helping to blow up balloons. 

Whatever it takes.

When I got to the Adult (Senior) center, I was greeted by some wild, roaming guests.

Tom had quite a brood with him. He watched over all the gals as they crossed the parking lot.

He acted like he owned the place. 

It's cool to see the wild turkeys up close -- but not close enough to get attacked.

Thankful Owls - Part 2

So ... I started stitching.

Whoops!

I'm 65 years old and apparently I still can't count. Maybe I should get one of my little granddaughters to help me.

Rip-it  Rip-it  Rip-it

Begin again

Ahhhh ... that feels better

New Stitching Project

I've started a small Fall/Thanksgiving cross-stitch project called Thankful Owls by Bent Creek.

When I looked through my stash, I realized I didn't have the recommended fabric on hand, 32 ct Lambswool. I found a grey color that I thought might work. It's a 28ct evenweave Jobelan in the color Star Sapphire. That count will be easier on my eyes and take less magnification for me to see the holes in the fabric.

The chart calls for Gentle Art and Weeks Dye Works threads. I have most of the Gentle Art fibers, but none of the Weeks. I decided to go with the alternate DMC colors instead.

Here's the floss toss. I think this combo will work well.

It's a small piece that I hope to complete by the end of September. For sure, I can finish it by the end of November. 

Even though I've finished my 23/2023 goals, I still plan to work on some of the alternate goals. This is one of my "I've had the supplies for a long time so I think I'll finally do it" projects. I hoped to finish 12 of those this year. 

I find this design delightful and right "on brand" for the kind of decor that tickles me. Stay tuned for updates!

By George, I Think I've Got It!

I've completed my 23 Goals in 2023! 

And it's only early September.

What??! 

Let's take a look:

Word of the Year: Flow

• Sometimes I still get irritated when someone moves my cheese (goes against my expectations). Overall, though, I go with the flow more gently than I used to.
  
  
• I am able to get into flow more easily - completely immersed in an enjoyable activity where time and space aren't registering in my brain because I'm so present in the moment.
  
  
• My mornings have a flow, a routine, a ritual. I've developed an excellent way to start my days. I now call it my Daily Dance."

2023 Objective: Bring more FUN into my life

• An ongoing quest. I see a local friend regularly. I take time with my kids and Dale. I keep my hands busy with crafty projects. My creativity has returned in full force. I can now walk three miles every Friday while listening to an audiobook or podcast.

2023 Creative Goal: Go on another Creative Journey with photography.

• Since my last update in July, I've started reading a book by photographer Anne Geddes.
  
  
• I'm deep into my photo organization project. I'd talk about it here if it wasn't so tedious.
  
  
• I'm picking up my Big Girl Camera once a week. I'm very rusty using it anymore since the camera on my phone is so much more convenient.
  

23 Goals in 2023:

To keep it simple, I planned to visit 23 more parks within the city, county, state, Army Corp of Engineers, and BLM systems. As of this week - Accomplished!

The more voluminous list of goals reached: 

1. I created and sent 23 handmade greeting cards. (Actually 43 so far this year).
   
   
2. I made at least 23 beaded ornaments.
   
   
3. Dale and I have continued our #TuesdayTravels outings.
   
   
4. I found at least 23 geocaches (actually found around 140).
   
   
5. I made at least 23 Quilted Hearts and gave them away. (I've made 26 now and have another 24 in the works).
   
   
6. I gave away at least 23 items I no longer need. Decluttering is an ongoing pursuit.
   
   
7. I wrote in my Gratitude Journal at least 23 days. (I'm up to more than 175 days. My practice has returned. Hooray!)
   
   
8. I edited down the number of podcasts and YouTube subscriptions I listen to / watch regularly.
   
   
9. I added reflective window film to my Studio windows to help ease afternoon heat.
   
   
10. Dale and I finished our Advance Directives.
    
    
11. I set up my sewing machines in a dedicated space and have begun to use them again.
    
    
12. I've instituted #PhoneFreeFridays. I manage to do it a couple times a month.
    
    
13. I got a bicycle.
    
    
14. I did some volunteer work.
    
    
15. I sewed a tablecloth for our patio table.
    
    
16. Dale and I sold the big fountain, making room for furniture and fixtures for the patio.
    
    
17. I enjoyed the Summer of P: visiting parks, having a picnic, looking at the past through some of my favorite photographs, being more aware of the color purple, and mostly fixing up our patio.
    
    
18. With Jodie's help, I learned to set up my photo cube lighting.
    
    
19. I made a specialized box to hold my photo backgrounds.
    
    
20. I learned to use my new-and-improved digital microscope as well as the software that allows me to photograph what I see.
    
    
21. I culled my photo library.
    
    
22. I uploaded my entire photo library to the Cloud as a backup.
    
    
23. I started a strawberry garden. I also planted zucchini, chard, sunflowers, pumpkins, and morning glories.
    

Not too shabby.

Now I can open my mind to preparing for our new granddaughter, Abby. She's due to make an appearance in January. Today I bought a few supplies for a baby project I have in mind.

Red Letter Day

Dale and I headed south to Cottage Grove for our Tuesday Travels this week. It was a gorgeous early Fall day. Lots of sunshine, but not too hot. 

At one geocache stop we met the nicest 80-year-old retired teacher who chatted us up for a while. Turns out his granddaughter likes to geocache. I think we may have talked him into going out with her the next time she's caching.

When exchanging swag, I couldn't resist picking up this Googly Eye ring.

Cottage Grove is a pretty town. I slid down a muddy hill to find a cache in Silk Creek Park. Bonus: I've now completed my 23/2023 goal of visiting 23 parks this year.

On our way home, Dale found his 200th cache!

It was great to be out exploring more of our lovely state.

New Season, Renewed Goals

Today marks the (unofficial) end of Summer 2023. The last day of the "Summer of P."

Today? Purple:  Glory - Lit from Within

I nearly tripped over this vibrant purple morning glory while on today's walk. Vines from the morning glory seeds I planted this summer are beginning to grow up the new trellises. It will be a while before we get any flowers. I'm looking forward to watching them bloom.

It's been a successful summer for this thought experiment: 

• Patio: our biggest change. We put up an awning, added a rug beneath it, and found a couple outdoor lounges. We rest in Adirondack chairs every morning while watching the five whirligigs shaped like hot air balloons spin. We've added a lovely hanging crystal (a gift from Jodie) that spreads rainbows throughout the back yard as the sun sets. We bought the trellises and planted the seeds. I started a strawberry garden and we got about a dozen berries this year! We have a series of planters that have added architectural detail and are awaiting some plants to go in them. We're about to install some steps at the gate. Adjacent to the patio, we got new trim on all the windows of the house, new rain gutters, and installed a new roof! 
  
  
• Parks: I visited six local parks since June. 
  
  
• Picnics: We had one!
  
  
• Past: We never made it to a museum. Instead, I revised my goal and shared many of my favorite photos from the past. I've been busy with my huge photo organization project, so I was reminded of lots of joyful moments from our past.
  
  
• Purple: It's interesting how much of this color I noticed when I purposely became attuned to it. Of course for me, it was mostly in flowers. There's so much beauty to give attention to -- especially close up.
  
  

"September is the new January," a phrase meaning there are new beginnings as the seasons change, a new school year begins, new goals and aims can be set. For me, I'll put renewed energy into my 23 in 2023 goals:

• Visit more parks. With one more park visit, I'll have visited 23 for the year.
  
  
• Put continued effort into my photo organization project. But I'll also pick up more of my books written by expert photographers and learn about their history and techniques.
  
  
• Paint some rocks.
  
  
• Update our Will and Trust
  
  
• Complete three more projects that have been languishing for years. That will bring me to my goal of 12 for the year. (Wouldn't it be something if I could complete a total of 23 languishing craft projects instead? But that goal may be a step too far).
  
  
• More geocaching!!!
  
  
• Spend more time with my friend Karen.
  
  

I better stop now. I'm wearing myself out simply thinking about this many goals. For me, it's a comfort to have them enumerated.

Many Stitched Hearts

I made a couple more cards, starting by stitching rows of mini hearts onto some buff cardstock. Then I cut the cardstock to size and adhered it to a blank card front.

I added a raised layer of hearts in a couple places and sandwiched the sentiment between the two layers.

On the inside, I added three more strategically placed hearts. For the life of me, I am unable write in a straight line without help, so I penciled in some lines to help me. After writing a personalized message, I erased the lines.

On the inside flap of the envelope, I added three more mini hearts.

The cards were very well-received.

I found this delightful design idea on Pinterest.

Stop. Smell.

Summer of P: Past

From 2008: Sepia Rose

I simply love it. 

Happy Friday.

#flowersforfriday