Last week was a quiet yet busy week for me. I was off work all week. We decided not to go on a trip and just hang out at the house. I loved every minute of it. I think it was a great preview for retirement.
We are so enjoying our new girl, Bunnie, if you missed my post about our newest family member you can check it out here. The kitties are adjusting. So far Gus has been the least friendly and he has been so territorial. We are trying to introduce Bunnie to them slowly. it is taking some time.
I finally finished the afghan I was working on for my niece. I couldn’t show it before I finished because it was a surprise for her for her Birthday which was last week.
Not the best picture but you can get an idea of what it looks like. She loved it.
My hubby and I decided to take a little road trip last Thursday. We went into the mountains to look at a local waterfall, Bald River Falls. The road leading to the falls has been closed for over a year so that a viewing bridge could be built. The road opened back up last month and the new bridge was opened. We went to check it out. It was just beautiful. Because of all the rain we have had, the waterfall was flowing fast and hard.
We decided to get a Frappuccino to start the trip into the mountains. It wasdelicious.
We stopped and had lunch in Tellico Plains at Ironworks Grill, and then stopped at the local Mennonite Market.
Beautiful vegetables. We will go back on Saturday and stock up for the week.
This was our haul from the Market. Mark wanted some local honey. I love the oatmeal raisin cookies.
I had to take my sister in law and her daughter and granddaughter to the airport on Friday and then we helped another niece move into a new apartment on Saturday. So a busy and fun filled week. It’s back to work for me today and the usual summer crowds.
I leave you with a picture of Bunnie enjoying a walk with us and a picture of Gus who has claimed Bunnie’s new bed.
Sweet Bunnie
This is the bed I bought for Bunnie but both Gus and Kitty Kitty have claimed it.
Last Saturday my niece and I took a coiled basket weaving class in nearby Etowah Tennessee. We signed up for it several weeks ago.
We took off early Saturday morning and decided to stop at a quilt shop on the way to the class. I had been to the shop several years ago and was happy to see that it was still there and owned by the same sweet family. Not only does this shop sell quilting supplies but also beautiful hand made quilts and other quilted items. They also do quilting classes.
I even bought a set of quilted placemats.
We continued on to the basket class. It was being held in the old Etowah Depot.
The basket class was a lot of fun. It lasted for about four hours. This is a beautiful old building and there is so much history within the walls. The woman who taught the class, Tonya, was just a true gem. She is so talented and teaches lots of classes locally and even travels to other states. She teaches a beaded bracelet class that I am interested in. There was a lunch break but we kept working through because we wanted to finish our baskets. The baskets we made were small. It was just to give us a lesson in making coiled baskets. I am going to put rings or earrings in mine. I have already bought the supplies for making another larger basket.
The instructor went from table to table helping us with our baskets. She was so awesome.
Most of the group after working on their baskets and some showing their finished baskets.
Some of the supplies for the class.
My basket. I can’t wait to try a bigger one.
Have a wonderful rest of your weekend. Happy Memorial Day!!!
I am joining Natalie The Explorer over at Weekend Coffee Share and wow you should see the beautiful flowers she has to show us. You can check out her post here
I was thinking about the month of March. It’s hard to believe it has ended for another year. March came in like the proverbial Lion. The weather was terrible the wind was so strong it blew our outside furniture all over the deck. We had tree limbs down and lost power one night for about six hours. We had a hail storm that left our deck littered with hail so thick it looked like snow. And then it, March, went out like a little meek lamb. Goodbye March. Until next year.
March was a full month of work and reading, knitting and crochet projects, dinners with family and then with some friends, I was the guest speaker at a hospitality training seminar, my husband retired and is loving it, I was able to visit with my niece who was in for a time from California, I visited a farm that grows tulips, my tulips are blooming and several of my orchids are blooming. So wow!!! Quite a month. I would expect no less I guess.
The Reduds are also blooming. At work we have several visitors who come in and ask “what are the beautiful purple trees that we see all along the roads.” I tell them they are actually Redbuds. Redbuds? but they’re purple, and then I show them the picture of a Redbud when it first blooms out and it is definitely a red bud.
See how red the first bloom actually is?
I passed a house that had this beautiful tree blooming and just had to get a picture.
And of course just like clock work we experienced Redbud Winter. The temperatures took a plunge last week which is always what happens when the Redbuds bloom. I truly believe in all the winters that we experience in East Tennessee. If you haven’t read my post explaining them you can read it here: The Five Winters of East Tennessee. Many people I work with, even my husband, poo poo this and don’t believe that the trees budding, and other signs have anything to do with the weather, but I firmly believe they do. My parents always believed this and so did early settlers, for them it was the only way they had of knowing when the last frost had occurred and it was safe to plant crops.
A few weeks ago I became obsessed with the crocheted Easter eggs that are all over the internet. I spent several hours watching a YouTube video while working stitch by stitch with a yarn, turns out was much too thick, to make one of these eggs. You crochet one side and then the other side separately and then slip a small plastic Easter egg inside and slip stitch the two sides together. My first one turned out so large, because of the thick yarn I was using, you could have put three Easter eggs inside of it. Back to my computer and YouTube I went. The second egg wound up on the floor because I got so frustrated, I may have actually yelled and stomped a little, with the yarn. I had picked a thinner cotton yarn. Wrong. The cotton just didn’t work. It kept splitting and it was still too thick. For round three I chose crochet thread, it is super fine. I am using a size 2.75 crochet needle. I finished it and I think I sort of like it. I would like to make a few more and hang them across my kitchen window.
The third attempt. I think I am better off sticking with the crochet thread. I hung this one in my window and would like a few more. Maybe I will get better with each one.
If you want to try one of these eggs, just put crocheted Easter egg inside your search bar and lots of them will come up.
So here we are in April. The weather has been so nice and soft. The trees are turning about a million shades of green. Flowers are blooming, and the pollen is going crazy!!! I guess you just have to take some of the bad with the good.
The new year hit us with some cold weather. I am talking frigid, freezing cold temps. But come on it is January here and that is to be expected. I think it is refreshing. Ask me about this in the middle of February and I will probably be singing a different story.
I didn’t make it to midnight on New Year’s Eve. I fell asleep around 10:00 PM and woke up just a little after the new year arrived. I have to say I am ready for a new year. I don’t really do resolutions but I usually pick a word for the year. I am still thinking on that one. To be honest with you I usually forget about the word halfway through the year.
It is a cozy Sunday around here. Did you notice my coffee mug. My niece gave this to me for Christmas. I opened it and said “wow that cat looks just like Gus”. It was Gus!!! and all my other kitties. She had the mug made with pictures of all five of my kitties. I love it!!!! My family really knows how to make me happy when they buy me kitty gifts. I have to show you all of the kitty gifts I received but I will do that in a separate post. We finally got all of the Christmas decorations down and stored away. I have had the best day just knitting and drinking coffee.
I am knitting a sock for my nephew’s girlfriend. I had hoped to get them finished before Christmas but it didn’t happen. I just finished the first sock and have started the second one. The second of a pair of socks is never fun, but you have to keep going. I am also working on a scarf. Just a simple, all knit stitches, scarf. I can’t remember where I got the yarn but it is just wonderful. It pulls perfectly and is just a joy to knit. I am taking my time with it because I hate to finish it.
One sock down and one to go.
I can’t wait to wear this scarf it feels so cozy.
I worked most of the week. My sister and I had mammograms yesterday in Knoxville. We have also decided to start the process of genetic testing. We started the testing for that yesterday as well. We have so much cancer in our family. Five of my six siblings have had some form of cancer. Two sisters had breast cancer. I am a fanatic about having my scans and tests, but we are curious about all of the cancers we may be predisposed to. It is something that we need to know not only for us but for nieces, nephews and grandchildren in our family. We started the process yesterday but it will take several weeks to get results. It’s scary. I was against this for several years for many reasons. But more about that later.
While we were at the hospital I went to the Oncology floor, where they do chemo, and donated my hats I had knitted and crocheted. They had a pretty good stash but with the cold weather coming I am hoping someone can use them.
These are the hats I took with me to donate.
We had planned some shopping afterwards but the appointment lasted a little longer than we had planned. And it was sooooooo cold!!! We went and had a nice lunch and made a couple of stops and came back home. I had a grocery pick up so I did that and came back to the house to snuggle in for the weekend.
I have been listening to an audio book. The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout. I have loved all of her other books. This one is not one of my favorites but it is still pretty good. I like to listen while I am knitting and then when I am driving. I am also reading Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand. I waited for both of these books for several weeks. I got them through the Libby App. I am about halfway through both of them. I need to finish because I know there will be another long wait if I don’t.
We have a short trip to Nashville this week for a four month check up for hubs. That is if the weather cooperates. We will have to see.
I hope you have a wonderful week and stay warm if you are in this neck of the woods, or other cold places.
I leave you with a picture of sweet Kitty Kitty enjoying the bit of sunshine we had yesterday. Yes she may be a little annoyed with me for bothering her nap.
Southern Patches 