A happy girl (woman)

Okay, I’m a little too old to be called a girl, after all…I’m retired!!!

We are having a good time in Florida getting lots of exercise, shopping, exploring, shopping, relaxing and so on.  After visiting Gasparilla Island we spent a day on Manasota Key and checked out Stump Pass Beach State Park.  Although it was a nice day and we enjoyed ourselves, we didn’t like it as much as Gasparilla.

Stump Pass Beach

We spent an afternoon on Venice Beach, which we visited a few years ago and really enjoyed.

Venice Beach

If you want to go shelling, you don’t have to go very far.

Shelling on Venice Beach

We were walking along the jetty at Casey’s Pass and met Judy and Cubby Brown from Ellsworth, Maine.  We met them because Judy and I were wearing the same Acadia t-shirt.  What are the chances? 

These are our two new, quite expensive, beach chairs.  I think they should have come with their own cabana boy serving drinks…

For Christmas Bill got me the “bright light” that attaches to my sewing machine.  He ordered it from Patsy Thompson.  She has a great site which I suggest you check out here.  It is full of beautiful photos for inspiration and a wonderful on-line store.  I had a little trouble with the light but she provided superior customer service and had me up and running in a flash.  If you don’t have one of the lights, I highly suggest you get one as quickly as possible.  The light it provides is outstanding!

"bright light"

I picked up this new fabric at Wal-mart today.  It isn’t the best quality but they are the perfect colors for some Valentine gift ideas that are running around in my head.  Hopefully I can get them out of my head and into the mail for Valentine’s Day.  Fat Chance!  I don’t work that fast but I’m gonna try; they are little gifts and shouldn’t take very long.

Valentine polka dots

Lastly, we are volunteering at the local animal shelter; the Animal Welfare League of Charlotte County.  We love dogs; however, our current lifestyle does not allow for one so we get our “fix” at the shelter.  Ever since my daughter adopted a pit bull puppy, we have fallen in love with the breed and do all that we can to promote the breed.  They are our favorite and one day we will have one of our own.

Ginger catching a nap

How could you not love that face?  If you are thinking of a new pet for your home, why not make a visit to your neighborhood animal shelter?  They are doing a world of good.

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)

A quilty post

You may think that I never actually get any quilting done.  Well, I must admit, I haven’t quilted for quite a while but I did do some sewing the other day.  I am back to work on the blooming 9-patch.  I had to set it out on the spare bed in order to keep the strips in order.

Blooming 9-patch strips

I’m adding the triangles to the end of each strip.  After that I can start sewing the strips together.  I like to think that I can afford to have this quilt custom quilted but I’m not sure that will really be the case.  It will be awhile before it gets completed so I have time to save some money.  Maybe I’ll get a nice tax return  ;o)  or not  ;o(

Bill and I are very happy to be in FL where we can be outside every day.  We are having good adventures, which I will share here when I get more time to blog.  I brought along three African Violet plants because I didn’t think they would be very happy in a house where the thermostat was set at 50*.

Happy plant

This one started blooming almost the day we arrived and the other two have some little blossom “sprouts”.  I’m happy that we brought them along and I think they are happy, too.

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)

Here’s another one for you

Karen is celebrating her 500th blog post with a nice giveaway.  Check it out here.  Good luck.

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)

Suzanne’s great big giveaway and sale

Suzanne, at Knots and Bolts, is closing her brick and mortar store and wants you to help her clean out some inventory.  Sooo, don’t wait! you only have until January 30th.   Head on over and check it out.  You can post on your blog to enter her drawing.  Buy some fabric or yarn, at 30% off and that will get you an entry, too.  Get all the details on her blog.

Good luck!

Livin’ the dream

Aahhh, life is good.  No, actually, life is great!  If you follow this blog at all, you know that I have been blogging about my retirement since my first post in Feb. 08.  That seems like forever and yet it has arrived.  I retired from the fire department the middle of September and went to work for Lowe’s the first of October.  My last day with them was Dec. 31 and now I’m really retired, at least till May 1.

Bill and I moved the cat, Sassy, to stay with her foster mom on Monday, 1/4, packed the car with as much as it could possibly hold and drove away from our home in Maine of Thursday, 1/7.  We had a leisurely trip south, stopping for lunch with his sister in RI and staying the night with his SIL in VA.  We spent the second night in Savannah, GA and arrived at my condo in Port Charlotte, FL around 4:30 on Sat. 1/9.

The temps in FL were unusually cold, below freezing at night, and the temp in the condo upon our arrival was only 45*.  Yikes!  We promptly turned up the thermostat, which ran for the next four hours.  The natives have been freezing with the below normal temps but, although we had to wear jackets for the next several days, we don’t think it’s that bad.  It sure is better than the temps in Maine.

We have been out every day, buying this and that for the condo.  Bill had to fix the toilets, he hung up a small coat rack by the door, he put on new door locks.  Yesterday we bought a 6 foot table and set it up on the lanai for my sewing table.  I haven’t gotten the “sweatshop” up and running but it’s getting closer.  I packed two boxes full of fabrics and patterns with big plans to get lots of sewing done.

We have been walking every day and checked into joining a gym around the corner.  They have two locations and one of them has spinning classes, which excited us.  Tomorrow we start the South Beach Diet, again, so today we porked out on Mexican food and Fairytale Brownies.  We.are.bad…

In addition to posts about my sewing adventures, which have been few and far between lately, I will post notes and photos about the things we find while we are here.  There is so much that interests us, it’s hard to know where to begin.

Guess I’ll start with today.  We checked out our map and decided to head toward Garparilla Island.  We were very happy with that decision, it was beautiful.  We weren’t prepared for such a great day…no shorts, no sunscreen, no hats.  Oh well, we did think to pack a couple of chairs and limited ourselves to 20 minutes at the beach.

happy feet on Gasparilla Island

We drove to the end of the island to the Boca Grande lighthouse, built in 1890.   It experienced some damage during Hurricane Charlie but ultimately, survived very well.

Boca Grande lighthouse

We left out car in the parking lot and went for a nice walk along the only road to the end of the island.  We walked for 40 minutes, about 2 miles.

It was an awesome day, the temps are rising and we plan to be wearing shorts tomorrow.  Rain is predicted for the weekend so maybe, just maybe, I’ll get some sewing done.

I’m a very happy girl, livin’ the dream of being retired and spending the winter in Florida.  I am blessed ;o)

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)

More kimonos and a finish

Slowly but surely I am working on the kimono quilt.  Out of 36 kimonos to be completed, I finished 2 and 3…

Kimono #2

Kimono #3

So far, I’m very happy with these and I have figured out an easier way to deal with the diagonal pieces.  After ripping those pieces out half a dozen times on the first kimono (you can see that one here), I knew there had to be a better way.  I’m in the process of packing all the fabrics and copied patterns for our trip to Florida.  We will be spending four months in my condo in Port Charlotte and I’m attempting to sort out what I must have with me while I’m there.  We will be traveling with my machine and taking along numerous accoutrements but I can’t stuff the car full with nothing more than my machine and fabrics.  I’m planning to ship a couple of boxes of fabrics and kits to arrive after we do.

I actually finished two snowman wallhangings for my friends, Su and Deb.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get them done before Christmas but I don’t think they will care.  I had plans to meet Su for lunch and was going to bring hers along but she is having serious family issues and had to cancel.  I wrapped it and tied it with a bright gold bow, leaving it on her door as a surprise when she returned home.  She loved it!

Su's snowman up close

Deb's snowman w/quilting, borders and binding

Both pieces were completed with the same borders and binding.  The area between the inner border and the stitching was quilted with a meandering loop and occasional “snowflakes”. I’m not totally satisfied with the eveness of the quilting but I’m getting better each time I practice.

Quilting close-up

These patterns are 2 of 4 belonging to Cold Twigs Snowman published by buttermilk basin.  Check out their website here.  I did not originally plan to make these as separate gifts but I’m glad I did. I will stitch both snowmen again and make a larger piece using all four patterns.

I worked my last shift at Lowe’s on New Year’s Eve and it’s a great feeling to know that I don’t have to go to work any time in the near future…not tomorrow or the day after or the week after.  Woohoo!!! I may reapply when we return in the spring; time will tell.

Bill worked his last shift on Dec. 30 after more than 25 years on the Cambridge Fire Dept.  He grew up in the firehouse and all he ever wanted to be was a firefighter.  Together we are going to create an exciting new chapter in our lives.

We are expecting a storm over the weekend with wind and snow so it will be a good time to stay inside and get organized for the trip.  We are taking the cat to her winter foster home on Monday and want to leave by Thurs or Fri at the latest, weather permitting.  There is lots to do between now and then.  It’s not as easy as you would think to prepare for a four month vacation.

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)

It’s been too long

I look at other blogs and wonder how in the world they find time to work, raise a family, craft, cook, exercise and still find time to make new entries so often.  It’s all  can do to work (more hours than I want) and do a little sewing now and then.  I never have time to actually b.l.o.g.!  Since I retired from the fire dept in September, I feel like all I have done is go to work at Lowe’s.  That’s about to change…

We are actually heading to FL for the winter after the first of the year.  Yes, color me a snowbird.  I can’t wait.  No more snow, no more ice, no more freezing weather, no more stoking the woodstove.  It’s all about getting outdoors and getting some sun, being warm and just…being.  I’m finally going to get to be retired, at least for a few months.

Christmas is this week.  I can’t believe it!  We finally got our tree up and decorated yesterday.  Once it warmed up in the glass room, the tree settled nicely and it’s beautiful.  Bill picked it out by himself and he did a great job.  Most of the gifts are wrapped, except for bows.  The original ribbon I bought sucked.  It was blue and silver and the stuff separated when I tied a bow.  That meant I had to take it back and shop for more ribbon.  Bows is on my agenda for tomorrow, along with finishing up the wrapping and shopping for a few stocking stuffers.

I’m trying to make a couple of small wallhangings for Su and Deb but I probably won’t get them done in time for the holiday.  If not, I will give them as a “I’ll be gone for four months” gift before we leave.

I did go to the book store and stock up on quilt magazines for the trip.  It’s hard for me to leave them sitting together without looking at them but it will be worth it when I can dive into one after several hundred miles on the road.

I have been going to a new chiropractor and hope that my sciatica is under control for the drive down.  I’m keeping positive thoughts!  More tomorrow, I hope.

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)

Another Etsy item

Today I managed to get another item listed in my Etsy shop, two coffee cozys.

coffee cozys in Etsy shop

They are sold separately but are cheaper if purchased together.

I still haven’t had time to figure out the button.  Since I retired and work more than before I retired, I have considerable admiration for those of you who work, raise a family, cook, clean and still have time to sew and create.  Maybe some day…

If you have time, come and visit my Etsy shop…http://www.etsy.com/shop/BeeWitchinStitchin

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)

Do you paper piece?

I do.  I am currently working on a queen size bed quilt made up of 36, count them…36 paper pieced kimonos.  The pattern is called - Kimonos – by Betty Blais and is distributed by Embellishment Village.  The original pattern is a 9 kimono piece but when Bill saw a completed sample at Knights Quilt Shop in Cape Neddick, Maine he had to have one of his own and he wanted it to fit the bed.  He loves Asian fabrics, has two quilts already and was very excited when I said…ok.  Not sure what I was thinking, maybe it was a caffeine high or something.  That was several months ago and I finally got one of the kimonos finished.

kimono #1

The finished square measures approximately 12×11.  Each kimono has four sections and requires 3 fabrics plus the background fabric.  I cut one of the patterns into separate pieces and color coded them but still managed to mix the fabrics up in one of the sections. The pattern says it is designed for intermediate to advanced quilters.  Maybe I have over estimated my piecing abilities.  This pattern kicked my butt for a couple of nights.  I must have ripped out one section 4 or 5 times.  First, I sewed the wrong fabrics together.  Next, because the piece is on the diagonal, it doesn’t come together the way one would expect and the darn piece of fabric was not covering the appropriate section the way it was supposed to.  To make matters worse, the fabric was directional.  ARGH!!!   I actually put it down one night and found something else to do because I was so frustrated and the paper was coming apart.  However, I did persevere and I’m really satisfied with the finished product.  Only 35 more. **sigh**

I think I would have more completed but Bill purchased the fabrics for Wendy’s wallhanging and I started that instead.  The binding is nearly finished.  That will be one of the fastest pieces I have ever done.  It pays to have a deadline even when you miss the deadline.

I have been wanting to make cookies for several weeks now and today was the day.  The temp today was 61 so I had to go for a walk first and then run to the corner store for shortening.  However, 2 hours later I had 4 1/2 dozen chocolate chip cookies made using my daughter’s secret ingredient.

yummy choc chip cookies

If you are a regular visitor, you know I hardly ever post anything about food.  Bill does most of the cooking, I do most of the eating.  It seems to work for both of us.

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)

The shop is open

Finally, after months of procrastinating, my Etsy shop is open with one item.  It took forever because I wanted to develop a banner but…that hasn’t happened yet.  So, I just proceeded to put one foot in front of the other, follow the directions and get something listed.  Once I figure out how to get a button in the sidebar, I’ll get that done.

For now, please come visit me…BeeWitchinStitchin at Etsy.  And be sure to let me know you came to visit.

Thanks for stopping by…

;o)