Rilynn's Visit 2022!

We had a wonderful 2 days with Ron, MaryJo and Rilynn!  The kids were so great to pick up Rilynn (their grand daughter and 'our' great grand daughter) and travel to Michigan so Bob and I as well as Bob's ex, Mary Jane and her hubby, Jim, could see 3 year old Rilynn!  The kids arrived at our house on Thursday and headed over to Mary Jane's on Friday night.  The kids have to leave on Sunday a.m. early to travel back to Ohio and then on to their home in Indiana! 

I asked Rilynn if she wanted to help me bake a cake!  YES!  She was so good!!!!  I love when the little ones get to play in the kitchen!

Rilynn also helped make the frosting, which she seemed to like!  Cake was really good too!

Friday we decided to go to the Sloan Museum of Discovery and I'm so glad we did!   If you have little ones or grands that are between 2 - young teens, do make an effort to enjoy this museum.  If you're a Genesee resident, there's no admission charge!  Check out the web site for more detail.

And we're off to the exhibits!

 There was so much for kids to do for any age!  Rilynn had a ball from the get go! 

They had a great slide BUT kids had to climb up and down these 'hills' to get to the entrance!  And Rilynn did it!!!!

As you can see in the quick video below!

This was part of the Hagerman Street Gallery.  Kids could go to a market, drive an ambulance (which Rilynn loved!), climb a house...lots of activities for kids.

They had a 'make it - take it' room.  This was Rilynn using scissors for the first time!  She was so cute!  But Grandma Mary Jo did a great job showing her how to use them!  AND we forgot to bring home her 'make it' craft!  We were fortunate that Rilynn didn't know she could take it home or forgot about it!  HA

One of the most fantastic exhibits was Water World!  OMG...this would be an adult engineers delight!  Kids were going crazy with all the different interactive gadgets to play with.  

Yes, they could get wet but we put on an apron they had to protect kids clothes, for the most part!  HA

 

I love the expression on Rilynn's face on this hands on activity!  They put a ball on a downward pipe, which is then sucked up and is 'spit' out into another tube!  Priceless!

This next video is showing kids frequency based on sound level and frequency buttons.  Rilynn really enjoyed playing with the buttons!  Little ones don't have to know why it works just that it works!

Rilynn really enjoyed this exhibit too.  They had foam balls and netting that was put in a vacuum and the balls/netting would follow inside all the tubes!  You can see the video below...So cute!

And we can't forget those Kodak moments with Great Grandpa!  Rilynn was never shy with either of us from the time she got out of the car until she left!  She would climb up on Bob's lap for him to watch her games or videos with her!  Talk about sweetness!

We can't thank the kids enough for bringing Rilynn up to see all of us!  Kids are now over at MaryJane's and Jim's and I'm sure they are both enjoying this little girl as much as we are!  Hope they have some great pics to share.

I'll cherish the time we had and will be looking at the pictures for quite sometime!

 

Some projects just change!

 I beaded this wren back in 2011 when I was participating in the monthly Bead Journal Project.   Back in 2020, I decided to get out this beaded wren that I had attached to a quilted background (9"x11").  You can see that piece and how I messed up the background here!  

I had attached him to a quilted background and he looked just fine...but you know I can't leave well enough alone!

So I painted the quilted leaves around him...ok, not so bad and did add more color to the piece.  Remember this was for a monthly journal project.  Each piece was around 9"x11" and I have framed all of my pieces, with the exception of this one.   My blog header actually has a few of my bead journal pieces that I have framed.

I was testing out disperse dyes on quilted backgrounds...which does work but you really should be careful with what colors you are applying!  Looks like the background was burned while using an iron!  So, that's when I cut him out of the background piece and he's become my current project!

When I cut out the beaded bird, there was some of the background fabric that I had to trim away.  Carefully!!!  Easy to cut into the beading.

When you do that, you also need to paint around the white edges so when the beaded piece is attached to your background, you won't see any white/background fabric.

You can't see any of the white on the brown stem after I painted the fabric around the beads.

The little bugger's stem  is all painted...I'll finish the rest up and then he can be attached to a background piece I quilted earlier this week (no knitting to do until my sister and I come up with a pattern!  HA).

This is the original applique pattern I used for beading the wren!

A closeup of the branch and his belly!  Won't do much on him Ron, MaryJo and Rilynn! are arriving today!!!  We haven't seen Rilynn since our visit when she was about 8 weeks old...she is now 3!!!!  Pics to come in next post!

3rd Horse Quilt

 Back in May, I started another Horse Quilt...you can see that post here.  Well, the 3rd horse piece is finally finished! 

And this one even has an eye!  How about that!  This is a leaf bead I had in my stash and I think it works...yep, he looks a little mean but that's ok!  I also didn't do a mane on this horse either.  The white marks on the paper seems to work as a mane.

But I did do a tail on this one!  That seemed to bug folks who see my other two quilts.  There's always a comment that they don't have a tail.  Funny, what folks see first!  HA

I'm happy with how it turned out...but now......what to do with the leftover piece from the cutout area?  A 4th horse????  I don't think so, at least not at this time...but "never" say "never". 

 I also dug out another project I started awhile back.  Forgot all about it until I went to look for something else.  And up popped this old project, which I'll share in my next post!  Also looking for another knitted top pattern for my sister and I!  Idle hands.....you know the rest of that line, right!

Miya Summer Tee finished!

 How about that!  My 3rd lace top is finished and summer is still here!  Woohoo!  I'm quite happy with the top and even though it's called "a summer T" I think it's more for fall!  Either way, I will wear it!  This pattern is by the same designer, Valentina Bogdanova, that I knitted my last lace top.  Her pattern/instructions are point on and very easy to follow!  

Don't you love my pose!  HA...I dislike having my picture taken or taking a selfie!  But I want to have this top documented so it is, what it is!  HA  

I am very happy with how the top turned out as well as the fit.   Again, Valentina's  size patterns fit me quite well.  

My sister and I need to find another pattern to start!  I'd like to make another lace top like the turquoise lace I made for last Easter in another color.  Who knows what we'll end up making!  HA

Here's a quick animation of the knitting process for this top!  Enjoy!

What else have I been doing!!!

I'm not just sitting around eating bon bon's and watching TV!  I am working on projects as well as 'stuff' around the house...oh yea, cooking and freezing corn!!! 

This tastes so good in the dead of winter!!!!!  There are between 3-4 ears of corn in each sandwich bag.

This was the first day of freezing...we did another 29 ears on August 11th~

Of course I had to make some bread too!

And a huge shout out to hubby for shucking all those ears for me.  This day he did 29 ears of corn!!!  

Vining Mandevilla

 Last spring  our DIL, Kris, gave us a vining Mandevilla plant and it flowered ALL summer and was beautiful!  I brought it in for the winter and read up on how to keep it until the next spring. 

I cut back the stems, per instructions, talked to it all winter and it kept growing some leaves but not flowers....which is what it was suppose to do...as it needed to 'rest'!

About a few weeks before our weather turned to spring/summer, I decided to repot to a larger pot...and after that, I fertilized it!  Talk about shock....poor plant didn't know what end was up!  I thought it was dead...all the leaves dropped off...it looked SO bad...

I was so upset since the plant did so well inside for the winter!!!  So thought I might as well go ahead and put outside!  And guess what!!!  Look at the leaves!

And more leaves!!!!

So I cut off all of the dead stems remaining and just kept "talking to it" and watering when needed!

Check out my Vining Mandevilla plant now!  I thought I had killed it but it's flowering!  

And check out the beautiful flowers!!!

There are several buds left and the leaves are a bright green and shiny!  Just what they are suppose to be!  

I never said I was a gardner and this proves it!  HA  The plant did it all on its own...with a little help from Mother Nature taking over!  Yes, I'll bring it in for the winter again this year but I won't repot or fertilize!!  

No, this year it will not look like it did last summer but I am banking on it looking good next summer!

Thanks, Kris, for the gift that "keeps on giving"...well, as long as I leave it alone!