New Year Ambitions

I hope that whomever stumbles across this sad excuse for a blog (I don't post often), has a prosperous, happy and healthy 2014, filled with everything they enjoy and deserve (and then some)!

Sometime in November, Diamond and I worked a spot at Holidays in the Park, for Dalmatian Rescue of Tampa Bay, and Mrs. Claus was there!  She was very sweet and delighted to let me take her picture with Diamond.  I have a picture from a few years ago with her and Diamond and she remembered us (well at least Diamond).  

We had a busy December. It seems that we were busy from October 1 - straight through to Christmas, between work and the holidays. I don't really know where the past few months went. I'm relieved they are over and am looking forward to a slower pace for a bit. I got slowed down, all the way to a stop for all of last week. Some nasty bug hit me and Bruce and we literally spent almost the whole week in our recliners, sneezing, coughing and dozing. Thankfully, whatever it was seems to have been banished by lots of vitamin C, soup, liquids, cold medicine and rest. 

On December 14, we participated in our first boat parade. When I was growing up, my Grandmother had a house on the water, on one of the inlets along the inter-coastal waterway of Madeira Beach, FL. Almost every year until I was 17 or 18 (and was working in retail), we would go to her house and watch the boat parade. I never knew how many others had the same tradition. Some people throw huge parties to coincide with the parade. It's really a big deal. So here's our boat in the parade. 

This picture was taken by a friend of ours who, unbeknownst to us, was throwing one of those parties. Apparently all of the party guests were chanting "BRUCE BRUCE BRUCE" as we went by, but because of the noise of the motor, generator and Christmas music, we didn't hear them.  It's hard to see, but I'm actually driving the boat at this point, Bruce is in the white shirt, my StepDad, (who is also a Bruce) is Santa, hidden behind him, is our friend Gary (who was grilling burgers for us at the time), seated are Bruce's mom and my mom.  We invited my grandmother to come as well, but at 97 she wasn't up to the 4 hour ride and chilly temperatures. We had a lot of fun. The picture doesn't do the lights justice. On the top of the boat is Santa in an airplane, and we had lights mounted on our outriggers that flashed in sequence, like a runway. It was pretty neat.  

The parade route started out at John's Pass, which is a big tourist attraction around here with tons of shops and a waterside boardwalk. There were literally hundreds of people on the boardwalk watching the parade. I tried to get a picture of it, but because it was so dark, you can't see anyone. We were really shocked at how many people were out on their docks, or in their yards, even in waterside parks, waiting for the parade. Here's the parade route.

It's hard to see, but the line that is thinly highlighted in yellow, is the route. We went in and out of all the inlets. Some of the larger boats, like one of the sailboats, didn't go down some of the narrower inlets. It took nearly four hours from start to finish. Thankfully the weather was just right. We also didn't know it, but along the parade route, certain houses had judges and there were little boats out in the water every so often that had judges as well. There were two size groups and we won 3rd place for small boats (24ft and under)! We won $400 and a bottle of wine and a gift certificate to a local seafood restaurant. Not bad for first timers. Bruce is already scheming up next year's theme. 

Here is Bruce (on the right), accepting his prize, being presented by the Mayor of Madeira Beach (center) and the organizer of the parade from the Madeira Beach Municipal Marina(left).

I apologize for the crappy cell phone image, but the lighting was bad and I had to take it fast. 

Christmas was good. Christmas Eve, we finished last minute shopping and wrapping. In the evening, we headed up to my StepMom's sister's house for their traditional celebrating. Here's me, receiving a gift from my Dad and StepMom.

 

 Yes, those are shocks for my truck, I'm kind of low maintenance (according to Bruce). And that is Bruce, photo-bombing.   I just realized that my "silly" grin looks a little demented.  Ha ha. 

I am spoiled and loved and received a lot of lovely things. I actually had forgotten that I asked my Mom for these.

I was so excited to get my needle nannies!  I've been trying for a year to win one. Now I have my own! While I was sick I finished a Black work Mermaid, but I am going to be starting a new cross stitch, and working on a couple of quilt applique projects where I can employ these little cuties. 

Speaking of little cuties, I just have to share my adorable, 97 year old, Grandma. Here is how she showed up on Christmas at my Mom's house. (I'm blaming Bruce for the fuzzy shot, because I asked him to take the picture and didn't check it to get a better one). I'm upset that I didn't get a better picture of her all dressed up.  I was calling her Cindy Lou Who all day (from the Grinch).

 I've gained enough wisdom and self knowledge to know that me making resolutions is pointless. I never stick to them. I am not above setting some goals for myself though.  This year I'm getting a little ambitious (or optimistic).  

One thing I would like to do is start posting more. I doubt it will happen, but I'm going to try. I've gotten rather lazy about it, figuring that no one reads this anyway, and so I've only been posting at the end of the month to link up with sensational Barbara over at Catpatches. She hosts the monthly NEWfo Linky party. 

 For January, I'm going to attempt to:

Finish the adorable "Arnie" quilt that's been sitting in Limbo in the UFO pile for I'm not really sure how long. I am afraid it may be since 2008. YIKES! So I really really need to finish it.

 I don't have all that much left to do to it.  Then there's the last 4 Hello Moon blocks, which I can do in a weekend, or a couple of week nights. My Mom asked me to make her a cover for an special pot lid for Christmas, but I didn't have the time. That should take an afternoon or a couple of weeknights to do. And then there's my dog vest for the rescue I need to finish. I'm ashamed that I started these in late September or early October and then we were so busy with work, that I completely pushed them aside. 


As for the rest of the year, here's a quick list of items I hope to get finished, in no particular order.

Holly's quilt - WIP
Scotty Quillow -WIP
Paper Piecing  monthly wall hangings (x10)
Dog quilts for Dalmatian rescue auctions (x3) - need quilting
Sheep quilt - needs quilting
Quilts for Blake, Luke, Samantha, Alaina
T-shirt quilt for Bruce
Cross stitch Mermaid
Frame finished mermaid cross stitch (x2)
Embroidery gift project (it's a secret)
Kitchen renovations

All of that, and of course, start some new things. I used to make a resolution (until I got so very wise), that I wouldn't start any new projects, until I finished the old ones.  How silly. It's impossible to not start new things, when there are so many tempting projects out there, just beckoning to be made!

If you live somewhere cold, I'm sending you warm wishes and hope that you have your very own lap warmer(s) to keep you nice and toasty this winter. 
 

Thanks for stopping in! ~Amy

Stitching and fishing

Riley and Oliver said it was about time I updated this, since I've been  busy sewing, planting, fishing, critter snuggling and unfortunately, working.

I really liked seeing the "Hello Sun" blocks that Barbara at Cat Patches made, so I joined in the "Hello Moon" Quilt Along. I have made the first four blocks and I am pretty pleased with them. Quilters who sew for enjoyment will understand that one of the first things you have to learn is how to let go of perfectionism. Not that we don't want our work to be perfect, because we do, but we have to learn that it's ok if it's not perfect. I had to remind myself when doing the stitching around the edges of the applique. This is my first attempt at fusible applique and I wasn't thrilled with my stitches at first, but now I have accepted them as a learning experience and they add to the character of the pieces. 

So for my April NewFo submission, here they are:

So there's some of the sewing I mentioned I was doing, now here are some pictures from fishing. Our target catch for the day was redfish.  Educational note: The red drum, also known as channel bass, redfish, spottail bass or simply reds, is a game fish that is found in the Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Northern Mexico.We ran into a friend of a friend, as we were puttering around in Tampa Bay,  who told us of a good spot to try. This dock was it. 

You may have noticed that something is wrong with the top of the boat in the lift.  A pair of Osprey decided that the T-top of the boat looked like a lovely spot to build their nest. Normally, Osprey build their nests in tall trees, near water. This is a very low spot, considering their normal preferences.

They are protected birds, so maybe the owner was afraid to make them go away, or maybe he is a fan of the beautiful birds and doesn't use his boat much anyway. We also found it amusing that the birds built their nest around a plastic owl that is supposed to frighten birds away (seen on the left in the photo below). Obviously, the Osprey were not impressed or intimidated by the owl.

 The female was sitting in the nest, while her mate kept bringing more building supplies.

Since we got right up next to the dock, the female moved closer to keep an eye on us. You can tell she's the female by her "necklace". 

Our friend's friend was right! I caught my first redfish! Actually it was the only redfish we caught all day. And I out-fished both Bruce and Tim. In this rare photo, I'm in front of the camera.

 Here's a close up of the male Osprey as he was coming in to land. They are really fantastic looking creatures.

Here's the "after" shot of the redfish.. Ha ha.. Bruce cleaned and cooked the fish that night and it was tasty.

 In other news, I finally got Bruce's clothing cabinet assembled and squared away, so I have begun trying to get my fabric stash organized. Riley, my ever diligent helper, had to check out the dresser to see if it was a good fit for the fabric.

Thanks for stopping in! ~Amy

Getting caught up

Foto Finish: Show Us Where You Live

As many pictures as I take, apparently I need to take more, so I can be better prepared for future Foto Finishes!  Here's my entry for "Show us where you live".  I took this photo several years ago from behind our shop. There was a small canal, and thankfully this big boy stayed on the other bank. Alligators are quite common in our lakes.

With our house guest here, I haven't been able to get on my computer much, so I'm really behind in my posting.  My brother came down to visit my Dad, who had a mild stroke back in July. Dad's doing ok and seeing lots of doctors to try and figure out the cause.  We took Todd out on the boat for the afternoon. We went out to Egmont Key, just off the coast from Fort Desoto. Here's a few pics from the the trip to island. 

  

The lighthouse was built in 1858 and is still in use today.

 

 An Opsrey in it's nest. The pillar is what remains of an old building on the island.

  

This is one of the Sea Turtle nests that were on the East side of the island. They are endangered and protected. It was good to see so many out there, since the oil spill hit many of the northern nesting sites. The tracks on the sand are from a Gopher Tortoise that live on the island. They are also protected. 

  

Some kind of hermit crab hole. I liked the way the tracks left a pattern on the sand.

One of the brick roads that still remains.

  

A Gopher Tortoise. We came across two that day. Both were more interested in eating than having their pictures taken.

My big brother, Todd. In true big brother fashion.  

Thanks for stopping in! ~Amy

After the storm

We saw quite a bit of wind and rain with Debby, but our area as a whole was spared too much damage. Some flooding in areas nearby, but thankfully it's all gone now and everything is pretty much back to normal. My heart is breaking for those people suffering through the wildfires in Colorado and the storms in the Midwest. 

The winds were pretty crazy and this was a customer's tent that we built and installed a few years ago. It's pretty much toast. Thankfully, none of our rental tents were damaged. Sorry for the black blur on the side. I took this with Bruce's phone and I didn't know I had to turn the clip out of the way.

Despite getting knocked over by wind daily, my Plumeria finally bloomed! I've had this one a few years and this is the first time it's produced flowers.

Bruce made some adjustments to the boat. He's still getting all the little "bugs" worked out so it is set up to his preferences.  We took it for a test drive on Lake Tarpon. We had learned that two Manatees are trapped in the lake after wandering in through a flood gate that was opened during Debby, so we tried to see if we could find them. No luck on that front, but the lake is almost 5 square miles. Here are a few photos of our beautiful weather and the lake. 

  

Nessie? Is that you?  Ha Ha!! It's just a Cormorant. He was a little far away, even with the zoom.

 An Osprey nest. I thought the tree was interesting.

I love this new camera! It can get wet up to 30ft! Bruce got in the water  for a few minutes and took this shot of the boat. That' s me, trying to avoid having my picture taken.

I was playing with some features on the camera. It can take a black and white photo and highlight only the color you select. Pretty neat! It is funny with Diamond, since she's already black and white, but the carpet is green and there's that hideous yellow and brown linoleum. 

I still have so many features to figure out, but I'm liking this camera more and more!  I've had this camera since my birthday - June 13th and I got the memory card for it on the 15th. So I've been able to take pictures for 17 days and I've already taken 363 pictures..... And several videos. 

One last picture of cute and goofy Riley. He's irresistible!

His expression's and posture crack me up.