Fully Finished Gallery - January 2024 🖼

Welcome to Rachel's Fully Finished Gallery SAL for January 2024. 🎉

Thanks to Rachel for the encouragement to finish my stitching last year. Maybe this year I'll finish even more?

Be sure to take a look and see what others have finished too.

This Mill Hill was changed to match Nathan's high school colours. His band teacher is his favourite teacher and he wanted to give him a little something.

I also added a magnet to the back so he could use it at work if he wanted.

I made this sweet little guy for my soon to be daughter-in-love since she loves giraffes.

May will be here before we know it and I need to start their wedding sampler! 

I should have more next time, lots to finish and a bridal shower to stitch for.

A Jumble of Events 💖

On Wednesday, we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. It certainly doesn't seem that long ago! Here we are at the same chapel, how nice that it's just down the road.

For our 20th, we celebrated early in Dubai, what a fantastic experience.

This special year, we were planning on going to Iceland to celebrate. Well, that didn't happen... yet! I don't know when we'll be able to go, but hopefully when things get back to normal, or rather, the new normal.

So instead we ordered from our local Mexican place and brought it home since pick-up is the only thing available. We snuck away to the basement and ate at the bar to make it a little different!

We don't really do gifts, but I did get beautiful roses and I made DH a wooden stitch piece to include our 25th.

And hey, my flowers from Mother's Day still look good.

This was taken on a sudden short visit to my parents earlier in the week. My Dad decided to take some of my Mom's CBD oil as a sleep aid and ended up taking too much by mistake. He was able to call a friend to come over and take care of Mom for a little bit, she was still in bed at 1:30pm because he couldn't take care of her. My nephews were luckily able to come help out until I got there, big relief. So I spent the night and helped with Mom. When I got there, Dad was still out of it, but at least he wasn't slurring his words. I think his only experience with drugs was his last!

The following day, his friend came over to pick him up to get his car, but he was still not feeling well enough, especially to drive. So I went to get it instead, old school driving! Roll down windows, huge steering wheel, bouncy seat, push button radio with cassette player, and nothing electronic. Ah, the 80's!

Today, Gman2 was able to get a hair appointment in another county for him and Nathan. Do you think they needed it?!

BEFORE

What a difference, they clean up nicely! They were both so happy to finally have their haircut. I have to wait until next month, hopefully our county will be open by then so I can visit my hairdresser. 

AFTER

I wasn't sure if the Hawks had come back this year since I hadn't seen them, but today I certainly heard them and then saw them.

This is one of the babies, I also saw another one, but no more.

And it's another year with Mom, Dad, and another part of the family. I could only get the two together today.

Off to do some stitching and I'm looking forward to our pizza Friday with the family, especially since the guys make it!

Friday's Stitching Ground 🐨

Even though I haven't finished my snowglobe, I needed a change and thought this should be it. 

I'm sure you've heard of the terrible brush fires in Australia, killing at least 25 people, and over one billion animals there. I can't even watch what they're showing, it's just heart breaking.
There are several cross stitch pieces out there you can purchase and the money is donated to charities there. There are even instructions on how to sew pouches for the surviving animals. But since I'm a better stitcher, I thought I would purchase a pattern and this is what I chose. Not to say I won't purchase another one... or maybe even two!

Linen and Threads

And what better place to start than with the heart.

I decided to make this a small one, 28 count on Carnation Pink, over one.

Have you purchased any of the patterns, or are you able to sew some pouches?

Friday’s Stitching Ground 🦢

Oh boy, another stitching retreat! This time it's in Virginia, just over an hour away from me.

I finally finished all the words, now I just need a few more extras and I’m done. We’ll see what I can get done tomorrow.

This was my stitching view... 😍🥰

I don’t know the story behind it yet, but I’m not sure I care!

I can’t say I’ve ever seen swans in a hotel before, but they're beautiful. 

What unusual things have you seen in a hotel?

Scavenger Photo Hunt, July 📷

It's the end of July already and time for Katie's I live, I love, I craft, I am me ... scavenger photo hunt this month!

The words for July are...

Cluttered

This actually isn't as bad as it has been in the past, but my craft room can get rather "busy"!

Paddle

Nathan having a little fun paddling around!

Pink

Beautiful pink flamingos in Costa Maya.

Starts with an E

Elevator! How many of us can fit on the cruise ship elevator?! I think a few of us didn't make the frame!

An extra E - Elephants in our room.

Roof

Our friend came over with his drone to take photos of our roof to see how many leaves were still up there. We're on the back deck, watching it fly around.

My Own Choice

Our first cruise with the extended family was on the Enchantment of the Seas in 1999 (left) and now on the Symphony of the Seas. Big difference, but both were great trips!

Have fun cruising the other postings, see you next month!

Friday's Stitching Ground 🥪

No beer tasting this afternoon, I was on lunch duty! But I did get to stitch in between lunches.

I just need to finish the sails and then start back stitching. Plenty of time to be ready for my Dad on Father's Day.

In other news... The hawks are back!
Last year there were three adults and this year I only saw two initially. Today I noticed three again. Older sibling who won't leave the nest? Aunt or Uncle? Grandparent?

They seem like they all get along well.

Baby! So adorable.

Zipline Footage and Moving Fun

Finally, here it is, the Travel Channel Ziprider at Icy Strait Point. 

 

Check us out at 00:15 minutes, we're the ones going down into the clouds!

 

Then check us out at 1:22 minutes, we're standing at the back of the line, I'm wearing my pink hooded jacket and the gmen are in front of me.  Not sure why this one came later, we were in line waiting to go down!



Pic of us going downnnnnn

The reason I haven't been reading blogs, writing blogs or stitching?  We FINALLY moved!
Nothing like having friends come over to help pack and move us out.  I think these two were having way too much fun, all I heard was laughing!

 

Two of the gmen's friends helped us too, doesn't hurt to have four football players moving furniture and boxes! 

Caravan of vehicles full of our goodies.

Now the rest of the fun begins, unloading.


We've settled in, but still have lots some boxes to go through.  We've even had a visitor come say hello.

Ming wishing she could go out and play.

 

I've actually been able to stitch in the evening while watching Army Wives on Netflix on my phone.  We moved in on the 1st and Comcast was scheduled to come that afternoon.  They actually came early and ready to set us up, only to find out that the house wasn't wired for Comcast, only Verizon.  Bummer!  To make a long story short, Comcast came and put the wires in and then didn't come back when they told me they were coming.  I found out we were never scheduled and someone would call me back ASAP.  That was Thursday early afternoon and I'm still waiting.  In the meantime, Verizon came today and set us up which was great, but then found out we don't get BBC America.  WHAT?!  We would get it only if we downgrade and lose channels or upgrade and pay more.  Not a happy camper at the moment.  Really wish there was a third option, both of their customer service sucks!  And that was the shortened version!

Distractions, distractions, missing Alaska

My mind must still be in Alaska, I can't seem to get motivated to stitch OR blog!  It might be because it's supposed to be so hot here this week, I miss the cool weather and flying over the glaciers.

 

 This is our visit to the Taku Glacier Lodge via float plane.

 

Hoping to see bears! 

Fresh salmon cooking on the grill. 

 View from the lodge, that ice is a mile away.  This is also the ice they used for our drinks - after it was cleaned! 

 A bear!  She got chased into the tree so she wouldn't eat our salmon.

 

And here she is trying to get down, naughty bear. 

  Only after the grill is cleaned up, with no remaining food anywhere, is she allowed to eat the salmon oil mixed with sand - yuck! 

 And here comes Bubba, looking for his share! 

 

But share, he does not! 

 We were told they have to add sand every few days since the bears eat it all.

  

She came back when they started the grill for the next group coming in. 

 

So sad, it's time to go.  What a absolutely beautiful place, I'd love to come back.

Here's our ride, and what a ride!  Scenes from a plane to follow... soon.

 

 In honour of seeing the bears, I bought these while in Alaska. 

 

 

Just a reminder - Mermaid and applique give-a-way, hopefully tomorrow.

 

I've been trying to catch up on reading blogs, but it's kind of slow.  So just because I don't comment, please don't think I'm not reading them!  If I'm not following your blog, let me know so I don't miss anything. 

I think I like Feedly, what is everyone else using?