Slow Sunday Stitching, Rather Long Post

 It has been another busy week, with a lot of socializing on my part.  On Monday there was the Single's Group with my guild.  We go out to lunch once a month.  This time it was at Lazy Dog which is a restaurant you can take your dog to and eat outside.

Tuesday my daughter and SIL and grandson took me to Carmelita's, a family owned restaurant I have been going to since we moved here, since Kristen was a baby.  They have the best carnitas by far, and I had been craving some!  My SIL insisted afterwards we needed ice cream, and I am never one to turn down ice cream!  

This week in between my social activities, I have been getting my house and gardens ready, as my mini quilt group of ladies were coming to my house to hand sew for about 4 hours.  I had some serious weed problems outside that needed cleaned up before I embarrassed myself.  I also got some more mini bark to keep the weed problem down, and I can't go to the nursery without getting some new plants.  I had a bunch of stuff die in my pots this winter from freezing weather.  

I also purchased and planted a blueberry bush and pomegranate.    See those weeds in the bricks, I have already pulled them twice and they are back!  That middle plant is called a Kangaroo Paw.  I can't wait to see how it grows!   

I planned to clean my house after I got all the yard work done, I was tracking grass and bits of leaves inside.  So I was going to do it Thursday afternoon.  

My granddaughter Kyleigh's boyfriend Drew told me at Christmas that one of his favorite things in the world was chess.  Long, long ago, John and I had painted chess pieces.  They were ceramic.   They were rather large and we never got a chess board put together.  So these pieces have been upstairs in a box wrapped up in newspaper.  I got them down a couple of months ago, and asked Drew if he would like them if I made him a board.  He was so happy.  So I cut out some 2.75 inch squares out of cardstock on my Cricut and ran them through my sticker machine.  I purchased a trifold foam board at Joann's and glued them on.  I told Drew they were ready, and he came and picked them up last week.  I also made him some chocolate chip cookies.  He invited me to lunch this week at a restaurant I hadn't ever tried, called 250 Fahrenheit, a BBQ place.  He also invited his grandmother Jandra.  Jandra and I immediately hit it off, we love the same things, the ocean, collecting driftwood and shells and creating things out of them.  We talked long after lunch, and Drew needed to leave.  

I invited Jandra over to my house, and warned her I had bits of grass and leaves on the floor, but she is such a delightful person, and we are like kindred spirits.  She loved my house and all my decorations.  She loved my crazy quilt boho bags.  She has been to many of the same beaches I have and she even brought Drew to the park across the street from my house when he was a boy.  She stayed for 2 hours and by then it was 4 p.m. and I still had to clean the house, the bathrooms, mop the floors and make cookies for my Friday group get together.  It all got done.  My legs were killing me though Thursday night.  I had 11,000 steps that day!

Friday with my group I finished stitching my redwork.  This was called Hearts and Flowers Valentine Heart.  It was a kit by Bird Brain Designs.   After the girls left, I put it together.   I spaced the hangers so it could hang on this hanger I have in the hall.  I can see it as I am working on the sofa.  

What I will be working on this week for Slow Sunday Stitching is this Kathy Schmitz project.  It is the Gathered Blessings stitch along.   There is  a design for each month.   So I will be working on February.  

I will be linking up for Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.  Head on over and see what everyone is up to.  

Last Saturday grandson Keaton went to his first dance I think in high school with a girl.  Last time he went with a bunch of his nerdy friends.  They had some cute pictures.   I guess she is just a friend, not a girl friend, so he says.  

One of my quilting ladies that came over yesterday has been working at a place called Re/create as a volunteer.  It is a crafts thrift store.  I have been there once before.  They have all sorts of crafts, beads, paints, canvases, laces, fabric, just about anything you can think of.  Carol told me that last week a quilter's stash came in, 15 containers.   The quilter had died and her family donated it.  I had to go to Kohl's which is down the street, so I stopped by on Saturday.  I found a large piece of neutral fabric which was $8.  I told her about Carol telling me about the stash being donated.  I found a bunch of fabric, there are probably  15-16 yards of fabric that I got for $50!  

Music has always been a big part of my life, since the Christmas I was 13 and I got my first record player.   I play music all day long most days.  John loved music too, and played guitar for me.  I knew he was the one when he played me Neil Diamond tunes.    Anyway tonight on HBO Max there was a concert/documentary Carole King & James Taylor:  Just Call Out My Name.  It was so wonderful to see this.  Two of my very favorites!  I have Carole King's Tapestry Album and James Taylor's Sweet Baby James, and many more.  

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone.  I saw this posted on Facebook this week by my SIL, John's brother's wife, who died a year before John did.  It touched me, as this will be my first Valentine's Day without John.  

Thanks for stopping by!