Spring Fever?

I think spring fever is definitely setting in around here after a series of clear days that were in the 50s.  We're all hopeful that we've seen the end of the snow for the season.  It makes me feel like doing more stuff like socializing, crafting, baking and going for walks.  One of my friends spent a few lovely hours of laughs and chatting on a Sunday afternoon.  She said she felt like something cakey so I whipped up a batch of funfetti vanilla cupcakes with homemade cream cheese icing.  I sent her home with most of them cause I will EAT THEM ALL if they are in the house.  hahaha  I kept 2.

Beads were half off at Michael's so I picked up a few strands to match some new pendants.  My stepdaughter gave me two beautiful fairy pendants.  One is on this pretty coloured stone.

 And one on abalone.

This purple dyed druzy pendant is from Fire Mountain Gems.  It's a bit too big for me though.  I don't wear pendants that big.

I'm not only a sucker for all things celestial, I'm a sucker for Venetian glass.

I've been a bit lax on my stitching lately.  I started a cross stitch kit but I haven't worked on it in weeks.  But I did start this Zenbroidery pattern.  It's going to take awhile to finish this but it'll be pretty neat when it's done.

I'm using different kinds of floss/threads as well as beads and sequins.

We had 2 days of 70 degree weather!  It was so nice to feel the warm breeze.  I took Sagan out for a walk wearing shorts and a tshirt!  In February!!!!  

Puppy enjoys all the sniffs.  So. Many. Sniffs.

From a distance, all I could see was the cross and I thought someone left their Halloween graveyard scene up.  When I got closer I was blown away.  

Still trying to shake this exhaustion by forcing myself to get out.

Beachcombing

We are having a spate of gorgeous weather.  The snow is melting off nicely and the mild temps are going to continue for the next week.  March can be a horrible month in New England, so I'm just hoping for the best.  

I haven't been to Scusset, or beachcombing, in almost a year now.  I can't believe it.  I stayed in and stitched all last year.  I won't pay to park in the summer and they continue to require payment until October 31st instead of mid September.  By that point I was too busy with the holidays then it got wicked cold.  

The first thing I found was this bright green rock-like thing.  I can't tell what it is at all...I have other pics of it down below.

 The tide was coming back in but there were still some sand bars.

Town Neck Beach in Sandwich continues to be ravaged and eroded by storms.  I found the sand over on Scusset, which is usually somewhat rocky.

My best hope for beach glass was up at the tide line where there were a few rocks and pebbles.

 I didn't find a ton of it this time but I did score a few really nice pieces.  

Hardly anyone was around and it was very peaceful.  The wind wasn't even that cold.

 Love the cobalt!

The water looked so good and clear but was ice cold.  No wading today!

 

 Another rare 'holy grail' find, one of those flat backed glass blob thingies.  

My haul for the day.  Not too bad.  A couple pieces not quite fully cooked but that's OK.

I found these 2 heart rocks practically next to each other.

This rock is very unusual and has a lot of small pits all over it.  I have no idea if it's an earth rock or something from space.  It's not magnetic.

A closer view of the top of the green thing I found.  It's slightly pliable but doesn't feel like foam.  I sent the pic to the Facebook page of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and they think it's a piece of an old buoy.

When Russell saw this side of it he was afraid I'd picked up some kind of marine poop.  lol  For the time being it's in a plastic ziplock bag until I figure it out.  It's definitely not whale ambergris.

If this nice weather keeps up I'll have to go out again!

Winter 2017

Well winter's arrived.  We've had some snow events, cold temps and lots of wind.  Been pretty much staying close to home trying to fight the blahs.  I'm very excited though cause a Planet Fitness is opening nearby.  There's been a large, empty storefront in Wareham and I've been saying for the past 5 years that it'd be awesome if Planet Fitness would take it over, and they are!  Whoo hoo!  I joined...it was only $1 to join and it's only $10 a month.

Been cooped up in the house for too long.  It's been too icky to take any more walks.  It seems like all the seasons have moved forward by a month.  January isn't bad, but winter now starts in Feb.  I know puppy would like to get back out to his walks.

We had a snowstorm last Thursday and the power was flickering a lot and the internet kept going out too, so I took the opportunity to stitch and stuff the swirl latch hook into a pillow.  I did the peace sign the next day.

Another batch of peanut butter fudge.  I'd promised my daughter in law, her mom and grandmom that I'd make them some.  

Nice sunset the night of the Superbowl.  That was quite the comeback in overtime.  Pretty amazing stuff.

After the snow storm last week.  Gnomey wasn't very happy.

And then there was my problem child, the advent calendar.  All attempts at doors failed.  So I had to "Plan B it" and just make it a hanging altered art piece.  I edged it with twisted pipe cleaners and added the coloured brads to the six points that stick up in the top and bottom.

Added a sled and snow to the top.

Red & green sparkly ric rac down the sides and which make the hanger.

And sparkly red felt on the back.

So the day of the snowstorm I had to do colonoscopy prep.  This was my first one and I was pretty terrified, mostly of the prep.  And my prep fears were pretty accurate.  It was one of the most miserable days ever.  I was so glad that Marsha told me to use a straw.  Everything I heard about the prep drink was right.  It was horrendous.  Next to impossible for me to choke down.  And then running to the bathroom all afternoon and night.  Not being able to eat meant headache.  I was worried about getting to the hospital by 7:15AM given the weather conditions.  But my hero and rock husband got me there in plenty of time.  I was exhausted from about 3 or 4 hours sleep, hungry, cranky and scared.  

I was so glad when they finally got me into the procedure room.  The anesthesia was easily my fave part.  Once she started to administer it I could feel the warm fuzzies setting in.  The last thing I remember is saying, 'oh yeaaaaaahhhhhhh' and the nurse saying, 'starting to feel it?'  It really was like waking up a few minutes later when in reality it was 25 minutes.  They gave me a blueberry muffin and some gingerale, then discharged me to home.  The rest of the day I was extremely loopy but I don't have to have one for 10 more years so YAY.  If they don't come up with a better prep drink then I won't do it at all ever again.

Got these sand treasure things last year.  Russell didn't want me to do them...he kind of wanted to keep them pristine, which surprised me.  So I only did one last year and I felt like doing another one a few days ago so I did.

You just put it in some warm water and use the flat wooden thing to scrape the sand off.  It's like clay so this should not be thrown down the sink unless you want a brick of clay to clog the pipes.  I took mine outside and dumped it in the snow.

This one contained a real tektite meteor rock (top left) and some lovely polished stones.  I wasn't sure if the tektite was real cause it looks and feels like plastic, but I performed a "hot paper clip test" on it and the surface didn't melt so I guess it's real.

I was watching LOCI the other day, enjoying a rare Bobby Goren episode, when Sagan got up and stood right in front of me as if to say, 'Ai more innewesting dan Bobby Gowen'.  Actually it was almost 4:00 pm and he wanted his dinner.  

I hope you all had a nice Valentines Day.  We're observing it this weekend with dinner out at Mezza Luna.  Although knowing us it'll be more like take out from Mezza Luna!  

Early February Already?!

By the time this posts tomorrow we will know who won the Superbowl.  I'd like to see the Pats win, but really I'm just watching for the commercials.  

There's nothing more endearing than a large dog with a large stuffed animal.  Sagan has always loved to carry around stuffies, much to my delight.  I found this rather large plush dog at Pet Smart, and on sale too, so of course I bought it for him.  Now puppeh has a puppeh.

My friend Ann has been painting rocks and leaving them around town as part of The Kindness Rock Project.  Now, when I tried to get this going in 2012, it was an epic bust.  But now it's really popular. Ann does such a fabulous job and I asked her if I could have her make me a whale rock!  Isn't it ADORBS? 

I took the bull by the horns and worked on each square of the advent calendar project.  It took a few hours of steady work and my craft room looked like a craft store bomb went off.  I really had no choice but to do all 24 in one afternoon.  I'm quite happy with how it came out.

I hand painted the two teddy bears in space 1 because they were just plain wood.  Raided my Christmas paper and altered art supplies to find the rest of the doo dads and backgrounds.

I tried to include as many Christmas symbols as possible.  Joseph was too tall for the square with Mary and Jesus though.  I also had to hand paint the tree in the second to last space, as it was all green.  I wasn't sure paint would work on it but it came out pretty good.

I'm having trouble figuring out how to do the doors.  I've tried and failed twice.  Hoping that third time is the charm.  Or, this might just end up being an altered art project instead of an advent calendar!