Emptyknitster

Sent these cute little posies out in the mail today so no one looses their place while summer reading!

In my quest for boy baby quilts, I bought two puppy related fabric pieces. Little did I know how difficult it would be for me to then find coordinated material to complete the quilt. Just before we went into "shelter in place" mode, I went to the fabric store and bought fabric to complete the quilt, good, bad, or ugly! Even if it didn't prove to be a favorite, I was determined to get the puppy dog quilt made.  I like the quilt even if I'm not entirely sold on the stripe squares. The added bonus is I bought enough material to make a fraternal twin of the quilt which eliminates the "woulda, coulda, shoulda" aspect of making baby quilts on the fly!

The  girls planned a fun Mothers Day for me this year. First, I was surprised by a lovely purple orchid. Not long ago I'd mentioned wanting a purple one to go with the re-blooming white orchid I'd bought last year. They also had planned a virtual escape room on zoom for Sunday morning. Even the grands participated! Although it took us two hours we made it through... Alice's Whimsical Wonderland When the family gets together we often do an escape room.  Lately the families have tried boxed versions as well as virtual rooms. Both versions have been fun. I would recommend Alice's escape room for first timers. We had a great time on zoom and I hope the family enjoyed it as much as I did. Thanks again girls!!

Hubby asked early Monday if this week's assignment had been sent. When it did arrive he worked two hours on his submission. It seems to have become the highlight in his week and he does an excellent job! c  (Above is this week's winner) I sent everyone BINGO cards this week in the mail. We played two games, one winner won a tee shirt and the other a day at the spa (several facial masks). The game was fun but not a hit.... Talk seems to always come around to COVID, NDak family and the Chick won't be going back to the workplace at least until June and perhaps further out. The California Dreamin' family are working from home most likely until the first of the year. Hubby and I aren't confident enough to plan any trips and so are looking at being home for many months, it's a good thing we love it here!

 Lately I've been finishing a craft project routinely once a week. Then I realized Stash Dash was just around the corner, and production has changed just a bit. I've participated in Stash Dash every year since it's beginning in 2011. The last two years I have started Sock Yarn Afghans a month or two early in preparation for the competition. That's all the "pre-knitting" I've done, all other projects were knitted as the competition progressed, the end of May to the end of August. Again this year I started the Sock Yarn Afghan early. I look forward to it's start each year after watching the yarn pile up from a year of sock gift knitting. I don't worry about the placement of the colors, I just grab a small bit of yarn and knit until it's gone. The recipients of the last two blankets love the bohemian look which encourages me to knit more.  2018  2019 Being at home exclusively this year I've decided to develop a new strategy and be...

We continue to enjoy the art projects produced each week but the real surprise to everyone is just how enthusiastic Hubby is. First week he didn't want to participate - at all. Then he saw just how much (or little) talent there is in the family and has submitted a masterpiece every week since.  This week's forgeries:  (above artwork is this week's winner) Hubby is the competition's biggest fan and tells each artist just how impressed he is by each piece of art, commenting how hard it is to vote for just one, and how each week the submissions are getting better and he will really have to step up his game for next submission! 

April was the worst! So with the loosening of the "shelter in place" rules, the need to just go somewhere (ANYWHERE), and the fact we've been talking about adding a couple of trees to our property, Hubby and I set out with the plan of adding a little happiness our lives in the form of trees! Armed with our masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer,  we hopped into the truck and headed to the nursery. We knew exactly the type of trees we wanted, Canadian Chokecherry. Shortly after moving into our house we planted a Canadian Chokecherry in front of our house for eventual shade from the summer sun. It's provided us with a fragrant bloom almost every spring, a resting spot for many types birds, and lovely shade all summer. We didn't want a tree which would become massive and this really fits the need. The only downfall is it isn't a long lived tree. It has a lifespan of only thirty or forty years. We quickly bought two lovely 8 foot trees and headed home. The "Ro...