Ric Rac to the Rescue!!!

 I’m turning in another donation quilt at tomorrow’s guild meeting. It’s a cooking utensil themed quilt for some young cook. The colors are actually much brighter in person.

I was really happy with the selection of the pink binding and things were fine until I took a closer look at it a couple of days later. On quilts for children, I sew the binding on by machine. Yikes! There were small sections here and there where you could see slivers of the  batting. I knew that I should remove the binding and restitch it, but I also knew that I was not about to do all that.work.  After some thought, I decide to add wide, white ric rac to cover the problem. Truthfully, I love my creative solution. :-) 

Finally, a friend sent this out, and it is too good not to share. Lucy and Ethel must have been heading out  on a shop hop!!!

Have a fun, full, creative week. Go take a ride with a friend. 

Books in Bloom 2026 - Tufts Library - Weymouth, MA

 

On this sunny, Sunday afternoon, yes, I said ‘sunny’ afternoon, I wanted to post images from the Weymouth Garden Club’s annual “Books in Bloom” exhibition. After having had so much snow, it was a delight to see these sweet, creative pieces. A member of the gardening group told us that there were fifty-five pieces displayed throughout the library. Here are eight of my favorites. 

And finally, a biography of Weymouth’s own Abigail Adams.

Have a lovely, creative week.  ;-)

This and That Thursday

Hi everyone! Today I thought I would start with some good news. As you know from previous posts, my sweet  Emma who recently turned fourteen had been dealing with some age related health issues mainly vestibular disease which was affecting her balance.  Some times she would seem confused, her balance would be off, and her head would sway back and forth. It was difficult to watch. At other times I would have to carry her from room to room. Her vet told me to give it time as this condition affecting older dogs (and humans) often resolves itself in a couple of weeks. In Emma’s case, it was more like two months. But I am elated to say that she is now doing well. She bounds out of her crate each morning ready to start the day, and she is back to being her happy, energetic self. 

These photos were taken yesterday after a trip to the groomer. She’s all set for Saint Patrick’s Day.

Speaking of fourteen year olds, on Sunday I went to a family birthday party for my cousin Desmond. He is growing up far too quickly. The whole family was there except the triplets and Miss L. as they are all in their second year of college . . . unbelievable but true.

Snow Melt Update: Yesterday it was a balmy forty-five degrees. I did some errands and didn’t wear my winter jacket. I’ll be able to drag out my deck furniture any day now as I half the four feet of snow that I had after the blizzard. The temps will be even higher over the weekend.

Finally, last night a friend hosted a game night at her condo in Hull. As  always, there was lots of laughter and good conversation.This colorful buoy composition was in front of the building housing the famous Paragon Park carousel. We passed it and my friend who was driving went around the block so that I could hop out and get this image.

I hope you all have a sunny, warm, and colorful weekend. 

The Blizzard of 2026 or . . .

 There Is ‘Snow’ Place Like Home. . . 

South of Boston got clobbered during Monday’s powerful nor’easter as did a large section of the East Coast. We received twenty-five inches on top of the fifteen inches that we still had on the ground from our last big storm. Fortunately, in my area we did not lose power; we were incredibly lucky. Others were not so lucky and received thirty to thirty-five inches, and their power has still not been restored.

The blowing wet snow plastered every window.

My backyard looks like a moonscape with huge drifts, and most of my deck had four to five feet of snow. 

Starting at 7:30am, I went out every hour and a half to clear around the door to the deck and shovel out a small area for Emma. The snow came down at an incredible rate. If I had waited two hours at any time, I would not have been able to open that door. As  it was, I went out to shovel eight times. It was impossible to open any of my other doors. My friend Kathy L.sent a photo of my front door taken from her kitchen window showing that the snow covered half of the door.  While some areas received heavy, wet snow, ours was easier to shovel.

Here's the view out my dining room window. I had drifts like this all around my house.

I am so glad that I moved to this home as I didn't have to clear my driveway or my front entry way. 

Now here is the good news. After a few rough days, things are looking up. The temperature was nearly forty degrees today and tomorrow we will match that. Even better, we will be aiming for fifty on Saturday. Hallelujah!!!

Stay warm and cozy . . . spring is right around the corner. :-)

Another Nor’easter Heading Our Way

 Bombogenesis!!! Good Grief! Here comes another BIG storm!!! In my last post on Sunday, January 25, I talked about a massive storm heading our way. Over the course of two days, we received twenty-three inches. Here it is another Sunday afternoon, and we are expecting another storm this evening to start dropping snow at a rate of two inches per hour. The meteorologists are predicting that my area which is about twelve miles south of Boston will receive between eighteen to twenty-four inches between tonight and sometime on Tuesday!!! Yikes! Make that double Yikes!!! Yikes!!! According to my trusty yardstick, we still have about fourteen inches already on the ground as after our last big storm we also had a number of smaller snowstorms. With cold temperatures, melting has been very slow.

The groceries stores and hardware stores have been mobbed with shoppers gearing up. Fortunately, I am well stocked, so I only needed to pick up a gallon of milk at CVS after Mass this morning. Thank goodness! 

The calm before the storm . . . 

     

So, where have I been? Why so long between posts? Well, I’ve been extremely busy doing not much of anything. :-) January seemed to slide by.  I can show you a couple of completed pieces, and I have other pieces in the works.

This quilt will be donated to one of our guild charities. I love using colorful panels in quilts for children.

One of my goals for 2026 is to stitch one Christmas themed piece each month. Here are the ones for January and February.

"Santa Village" is from an Etsy shop, SodastitchDesign. I mounted it on a wooden ornament piece in my stash. 

"Fa La La La La" is a pattern from Country Cottage Needleworks.

Stay safe and be careful shoveling as this is going to be the wet, heavy kind of snow.  They refer to it as "widow maker snow." I'm lucky that my driveway, front walkway and front stairs will be taken care of. The thought of not being able to get out the back door freaks me out, so I will get up periodically during the night to shovel an area around the door leading to the deck. 

We haven't had a winter like this for quite a few years, and I for one am done with it. Just keep telling yourself, "Spring is coming. Spring is coming. Spring is coming"

Have a good week.

Update: Now they are saying that the snow rate might be as much as four inches per hour in the early hours of the morning. The winds might be 55 to 70 miles per hour. The coastal areas will deal with high tides. We should also be prepared for power outages. Sounds miserable. :-( . Spring cannot come soon enough. Bundle up and charge everything. 

Pretty Photos and Waiting for a Really Big Snowstorm

 The news this week has been horrendous. I'm praying for the people of Minnesota and for the rest of us and for our country. This is not going to be political post as we need a slight break from it all. Instead, I'm going to share some photos.

I received this beautiful bouquet last Sunday when friends and two of my cousins came for a visit. 

That night we had about five inches of snow which coated the trees and bushes; it was a winter wonderland.

On Tuesday, I took a ride and captured these images in Scituate Harbor.

Wednesday night was a game night with friends in Hull. On Thursday, friends came for dinner and brought these gorgeous roses. Kathy and Larry are my neighbors, and they were totally responsible for me finding and purchasing my dream home. :-)

The blue, vintage transferware platter spend years and years wrapped up on a shelf in my aunts' basement. I love it, and I'm thrilled to have a place to display it. 

On Friday, a bone chilling Arctic blast swept down.

I started this post talking about a snowstorm last week, and I'm ending it the same way. A major snowstorm is cutting a wide swarth across our country. One weatherman said it is a 1,500 mile storm., another said a 2,000 mile swarth. At least, we in New England are prepared to deal with it. The snow is beginning to fall gently, and estimates are that we in Massachusetts can expect to receive between 12 -24+ inches. Yikes! Make that double yikes!!! It has been three years since Logan Airport in Boston has recorded six inches of snow. 

The rallying cry of "Get the milk!" "Get the Bread!" "Get the snacks!" was heard and the shelves of supermarkets and hardware stores have been emptied.  We hardy New Englanders know how to prepare. I worry about folks in the lower states who seldom if ever have experienced a storm like this. There are huge power outages in  many states and many states do not have the equipment to deal with a monster storm such as this.

Stay warm and bundle up!!! It's time to hunker down and watch the Patriots hopefully defeat the Denver Broncos in today's championship game.

Now, where did I put those sour cream & onion chips???

Thrifting Fun!

 

 

I stopped to take this photo at the Gazebo at Whitmans Pond in Weymouth on Sunday morning. On the way to church it had been snowing, but by the time I was heading home the sun was beginning to peek out of the clouds.

In this post, I will show you some fun items that I purchased last Thursday while out doing errands. First up, a quick stop at Michael’s to pick up some items for an upcoming project.  That’s where I picked up this gingerbread display piece. It was 60% off and I had an additional 15.00 credit. How could I resist? What will I do with it? That I am not sure of, but I’m thinking it might be cute with a cross stitch piece in each section.

Next there was a stop at the Salvation Army Store in Hanover. I always pop into this store when I’m in the area as I always find interesting things on the shelves. Here’s what I took home.

A resin Santa’s workshop piece still in its original box. $3.99

Won’t this resin colonial house look cute on one of my bookshelves surrounded by patriotic cross stitch pieces? $3.99 

I’ve been searching for a solid table on which to place my new printer, and I found this one. 

It was in good shape, but when I applied my favorite “Howards Feed and Wax,” it looked amazing. $20.00.

There was one other item; this happy, friendly, irresistible guy came home with me as well!!! 2.99  :-)

My plan for today is to take down the holiday items in my kitchen and sunporch. There is no rush. I also have plans to prepare a small quilt for quilting and to fully finish a couple of cross stitch pieces. Wish me luck! ;-)

Have a happy, creative day!