A counted cross stitch day

It sure was windy outside this morning!!  The temperature was 32 but the wind made it feel colder.  I was glad I wore all my layers.  I walked around the lake.  At times the wind gave me a push and at other times pushed me back a step or two depending on the direction I was walking.  I walked down by the water to take this picture.  No smooth like glass water today!!

The geese and ducks didn't have to do much paddling.  They could just sit there and have the wind take them across the lake.  A lot of deer around today.  I counted 15 of them and that I think must be a record number in one day for me.
Only a few people out though.
When I got home the temperature had fallen a few degrees to 28.
I walked 6.5 miles.

Sunrise 7:26 

Ah ha finally after 15 days the sun is not stuck at 7:27 anymore!!

Sunset 5:06

******************************

I thought today I'd have a fun day and do as little work as possible.  So after I did the things that just had to be done I decided to do some counted cross stitch.  I got a little cross stitch a while back from my secret sister from church.  I barely got it started and haven't gotten back to it until today.  I worked on it a few hours and the time just flew by.  Here is my progress.  The hoop I'm using is an old one, it was my grandmothers and the only one I have of hers and I use it all the time.

I'm taking a break now to write this and read some blogs.  If I have time before Ken gets home from work I'll go back to my cross stitch.

I'm glad it's Friday and we are going out to eat this evening.  Not sure where we will be going but I don't really care either because I won't have to cook! : )

Enjoy this day and make the most of it.
A smile from me to you.

Happyone

People say that losing weight is no walk in the park.

When I hear that I think,

Yeah,

that's the problem.

~ Chris Adams

Cows Counted Cross Stitch

62 degrees this morning with a mix of sun and clouds for walking.

Walked around one cemetery and then the other.

Down by the farm pond behind the Drane house one of the bulls

is getting a drink.

I saw both horses this morning too.

Haven't seen them for a while. 

Next I walked down the main road toward home a ways turned around

came back to town and stopped at the Jeep to pick up a DVD.

Continued to the library and put it down the drop.

Then walked over to the ball park and walked that loop a coupe of times.

I spotted 4 baby chicks.

3 of them here

and one little chick that was on the wrong side of the fence.

If you look closely you can see the other 3 of them at the right edge of the picture.

I tried to catch the one to put her back but couldn't catch her.

No one else out this morning that I saw anyway.

😊    🥾    🌤

Did a load of laundry and out on the line to dry.

Got them off the line just in time before it started raining this afternoon.

I baked another batch of cookies this morning.

This time lemon ones for a friend who has a birthday coming up

and loves anything lemon.

These were super easy made with lemon cake mix.

Just add 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of oil to the cake mx.

I added a small amount (1/4 teaspoon) of lemon extract.

Drop by tablespoons on cookie sheet and bake 14 minutes 

in a 350 degree oven.

Finished knitting my pink slippers last evening and 

sewed them together today.

SLIPPERS

I got the cow counted cross stitch kit out that I bought a little while ago.

This is so nice.

A nice big in color chart.

The floss already sorted.

I got the cloth onto the frame.

I've never used a square frame like this before.

Only used the round hoops.

So far like it.

Did a little bit of the cross stitch just to get started.

Hard starting with white because I could hardly see it.

So much easier with the dark color.

Here's a close up to see it better.

It is only 7 by 9 1/2 inches so not a big project and it shouldn't take me

all that long.

Nice to get started on a cross stitch again, it's been a while.

That's all for today.

Hope your day was a happy one.

Thanks for stopping by.

HappyK😊

Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.

 Abraham Lincoln

✏️Comment Replies:

Michelle - I enjoy doing Wordle too and have done it every morning for a long time.

TotalDaySteps 17,524

Counted Cross Stitch Finished

What a difference in temperature from yesterday morning when it was only 11 degrees.  This morning it was 40!!  It rained last night but had stopped this morning when I started walking.  It was cloudy but looked like it was about to clear up because I could see little breaks in the clouds.  I stayed on the sidewalks and just walked down to the end of Gray Rock, crossed the street, turned around and walked back home.
A very quiet walk.  Only saw two others out and they were both running.
I was about a mile and half from home and I started feeling a couple of rain drops here and there.  A mile from home the drops turned into a light drizzle and a half mile from home the drizzle turned into rain.  I was a bit wet by the time I got home, but at least I was on the way home and didn't have to stay wet for long.
I walked 6.4 miles.

Sunrise 7:25

Sunset 5:10

********************

It's Tuesday and my knitting group morning, but I didn't go today. I just wasn't in the knitting mood.  I really wanted to get the cross stitch finished so I stayed home to work on that.  It took me a lot longer to finish than I thought it would but I did finish!  I hung it up in the kitchen near my computer. 

I have another small counted cross stitch to do and then I'll be working on a large one that I started a couple of years ago and never got very far with it.  It is one of my goals this year to finish it.

When I get off the computer I am going to do a little baking.  Chocolate Chippers I'll be baking to bring with me tomorrow when I go get my hair dyed.  I like to bring a little something for all the workers.

Hope all is well in your part of the world.
A happy day to you.
Happyone

Happiness is like a butterfly which,

when pursued, 

is always beyond our grasp,

but, if you will sit down quietly,

may alight upon you.

~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

Another counted cross stitch project

Got up this morning and as usual headed out the door for my walk.  It was 29 degrees but very still again, just like yesterday. The sun made a good try to come out and got this far

and then the clouds decided to stick around.  We ended up having a rainy day.
I walked straight down my road, hung a right and walked to the little pond in the wetland park.  I walked out onto the gazebo and watched the ducks and geese.

I then noticed a heron standing in the water.  You can barely see him up and slightly to the left of the geese. 

I took a different road on the way home and ended up not knowing exactly where I was.  I ended up on the main road and then turned left at the first road I came to.

Walked down there and came upon a path to follow.

Followed that and came out onto a street that I knew.  Walked back to my street, turned left and made my walk back home.
Only a few people out on the early Saturday morning.  It was nice walking a different route and discovering another path.  Every morning walk is a little bit different and I have a mini little adventure each day.  People are always asking where I get my motivation to walk every day.  That is one of them!
I walked 7.2 miles.

Sunrise 7:12

Sunset 5:31

********************

I got a loaf of bread started in the bread machine and it is starting to smell really good about now.

This afternoon I read for a little while and then went up in my loft and straightened things up.  It wasn't too bad but there were things that needed to be put in their proper place.
Then I got out the big and complicated counted cross stitch that I started a couple of years ago.  I'm glad I did those two small ones because they put me in the mood to finish this one.  I did a little bit of the white window frame today.  I'm sure I'll be back doing more of it later.

I bought the cross stitch to do because I have a print hanging in my living room that is similar and thought they would be a nice set. 

I've been home all day and I know we just went out for pizza last night but I'm thinking it would be another nice night to eat out.
I'm thinking maybe Olive Garden or Red Lobster.  Decisions! Decisions! 


Till next time......
A smile from me to you.
Happyone

It's a great thing when you realize 

you still have the ability to surprise yourself.

Makes you wonder what else 

you can do that you've forgotten about.

~ Alan Ball

Sarting two new little projects

Up and out walking first thing this morning as usual.  It was 38 degrees with a bit of a wind.  I walked my connect the path route and was protected a bit from the wind on the path in among the trees.
I saw four deer and the red fox.  The fox looked so pretty with his thick fur and his full lush tail.  He didn't hang around long though and was gone in a wink running back into the woods.
Saw quite a few people out along the paths too and stopped for a chat with a couple of them.  The crossing guard was in the mood to talk so I stopped for a short chat with her also.
One driver raced to get to the corner before I did so she didn't have to stop for me, went through the stop sign and almost got hit by a car coming down the street!
Then later a man in a van stopped at the cross walk to let me cross.  : )
I reached the 100 mile mark walking for the year and with today's walk of 6.4 miles I've walked 105.7 miles.  I'm keeping a running total of the miles I walk this year down at the bottom of my blog in case anyone is interested.

Sunrise 7:25

Sunset 5:11

********************

Thanks for all the nice words and compliments on the completed counted cross stitch yesterday. : )

We watched the other movie we got from the library last night, Get Low.  We thought it was going to be a funny movie.  It wasn't funny but we both thought it was very good.  Its about a man who has been a hermit for 40 years and decides he wants to have his funeral while he's still alive.  There is a mystery surrounding the man and little bits of it is revealed throughout the movie.  The movie actually is a sad one and I cried a bit.  Good though and worth seeing.

********************

Those gray roots of mine keep showing up again and again so off to the hairdressers I went today.  It is nice going though because I get to catch up with Cheryl.  I take some knitting along with me and do that while waiting.  I usually knit dish clothes because they are small and easy and don't require much thought.

Started a new one today and this is how much I got done.

 Came straight home from getting my hair dyed and had lunch.  I am going to start the next little counted cross stitch later on this afternoon.  I can't wait to get started on it. I'm putting off housework for another day.  : )  I'll have a busy day tomorrow!!

Hope your day is a good one and that you're doing something you enjoy.
A smile from me to you.
Happyone

Some people, 

no matter how old they get,

never lose their beauty,

they merely move it from their faces to their hearts.

A surprise basket

Once again it was a wet morning walk. I wore my rain pants and yellow rain slicker and left the umbrella home today. On such a wet dreary morning I thought a nice bright yellow slicker would brighten things up a bit! All the rain certainly has made everything nice and green. I really have to get over to the old house once this rain stops and mow the lawn! Yesterday morning Ken installed the ceiling fan in our bedroom. I put the blades together and yes they work fine. :-) We should be nice and cool now on those hot nights! People all over the county are driving around with green bumper stickers on their cars which read CHOOSE CIVILITY. At the library the other day I picked up a card with the 25 Rules of Civility that go along with the bumper sticker. 1. Pay Attention 2. Acknowledge others 3. Think the best 4. Listen 5. Be inclusive 6. Speak kindly 7. Don't speak ill 8. Accept and give praise 9. Respect even a subtle "no" 10. Respect others' opinions 11. Mind your body 12. Be agreeable 13. Keep it down and rediscover silence 14. Respect other peoples' time 15. Respect other peoples' space 16. Apologize earnestly 17. Assert yourself 18. Avoid personal questions 19. Care for your guests 20. Be a considerate guest 21. Think twice before asking for favors 22. Refrain from idle complaints 23. Accept and give constructive criticism 24. Respect the environment and be gentle to animals 25. Don't shift responsibility and blame Wouldn't it be nice if everyone actually lived all these rules of civility. :-) It was a Meals on Wheels day and it poured down rain the whole time I was out. It seems like it is always raining when I deliver meals lately. I took the FJ again because of Mrs W 's street. It is still under construction and a real mess and today muddy as well. Everyone again was so thankful that I came out in the rain for them. Certainly puts a little rain in perspective. One of my ladies fell last night and hurt her hip and went to the hospital yesterday but she is back home and doing fine. Just got a nasty bruise but nothing was broken. She is in her 80's! The 6 others were all fine and dandy. When I got home there was a box in front of my door and I thought it was going to be the Longaberger magazine basket I ordered from my cousin Linda last week. It was a Longaberger basket all right but not that one. Linda gave me this basket and a counted cross stitch of a basket of purple flowers which says Every Day is a Gift. A card was included that reads best wishes for your new home. What a great surprise to greet me home today!! :-) Thank you so much Linda!!! I simply love the basket and the cross stitch is so pretty - I love the saying. I'm off to read a bit, maybe do some cross stitch before starting supper. Tonight I'm making Baked Ziti. One of my favorites!! Hope you're having sunshine in your part of the world. If you are please send some my way. Happyone :-)

Counted Cross Stitch Day

We had rain overnight.

It was a cloudy and windy morning for walking and 62 degrees.

Walked around both of the cemeteries to start.

If you look closely you can see Rebecca walking up ahead.

Next walked to and around the ball park loop.

The man who runs laps was there this morning.

I think he runs around it 6 times.

Next I went back to the Jeep to pick up a book and then walked

over to the library and put it down the drop.

Then it was up and down the main road and side streets.

Another house is for sale in my town.

This is a nice one!!

Zillow Link HERE.

I think it is a good price at $275,000.

Morning Walk Steps 13,250

☁️    ☁️

Quite a few comments about the abandoned house picture in 

yesterdays post.

Don't know the history of the house but 8 years ago there was

a family living there.

They had a couple of dogs, some chickens and a couple of goats out back.

Walked by it many times and then one day they were all gone.

Animals and everything cleared out.

I think they were renting it.

After they were gone someone started to fix it up and then just left it.

It looks better in the picture than it is and really needs a lot of work.

It is not real stone but the kind you stick on.

On one side of the house they took some of it off.

🏚️     🏚️

Did a bit more house cleaning.

Decided not to go to the book club this month.

Didn't have much to say about the Tom Brokaw book.

I spent the time instead working on the counted cross stitch

and did that pretty much all day long with some breaks.

Got quite a bit done.

I'd say I'm about a quarter finished.

Happy Thursday

Thanks for stopping by

happyone😀

16,773

3,420,355

Hearts and a winner

Had a nice morning walk around the lake.  It was cloudy and 32 degrees with no breeze and warm enough that I didn't have to wear my outer most layer.  I walked 6.4 miles.

Happy Valentine's Day

I don't decorate for the day but after I was asked if I did I took a walk around the house and realized just how many Hearts there actually are around the house. Here are a dozen that I found.

Gift from grandchild

Counted cross stitch

Coasters

Wooden heart

Candle holder

Cookie cutter

Cookie cutter

Hanging hearts

Counted cross stitch

Heart cut outs

Block hearts

Coaster

*********************

Today I drew the name of the WINNER of the 

dish cloth

GIVE A WAY

And the winner is

Joyce whose blog is called 

The Next Chapter

 Congratulations Joyce  : )

Please email me your address and which two dish cloths you would like.

There were only 6 others who left a comment for the drawing and I have decided to send each of you a dish cloth too.  I will surprise you with a color. I just need addresses for Marti and Suz. 

Kim

Marti

Vee

Suz

Kerri

Pam

Thank you all for participating! : )

Enjoy your day.

A smile from me to you.

Happyone

A new counted cross stitch kit

A beautiful morning for walking. Sunny and temperatures in the 40's. A picture along one of my paths this morning. I ordered a counted cross stitch kit of a picture done by the artist Viktor Shavaiko. The same artist of the picture we bought for the living room a little while ago called Spring Colors. It came in the mail yesterday and I'm anxious to get it started. This one is called European Bistro.I am so glad that instructions are in color - so much easier to follow than black and white. I'll be working it on a dove gray 16 count Aida cloth. The finished picture will be 16 x 11 inches. Cheryl and Kathy came by the house today for lunch and a visit. Cheryl made us a delicious tasty salad, just like the one we eat at Mimi's Cafe - balsamic pistachio salad. It was just as good if not better. Kathy brought over some thirst quenching iced green tea. I provided the bread to go with the salad and cheese cake that I baked yesterday. We had a most enjoyable time and must do this soon again. Bonnie couldn't make it because she is in Arizona visiting friends. I did a little reading in the afternoon and then we went out to eat with our friends Jackie and Kerry. They came over our house and we went up the road to LeeLynn's for dinner. No snack tonight - I ate a bit too much today. Hope your Thursday was a happy one. Happyone :-)

A good day for cross stitching

I woke up this morning to 30 degrees and fog.  The temperature has gone up to 37 this afternoon, it is still rainy but things are melting.  Thought briefly about walking this morning but figured there would still be icy spots around and with the rain it would be hard to tell where the ice was.  Since I've already missed walking for these three days now and tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and warm, I'm just going to get back to walking tomorrow.  I'll just walk a little extra the rest of the week.  I did a couple of body electric workouts so got a little activity in.

I ended up knitting all afternoon yesterday while watching the football game.  Well I didn't really watch it because I don't care for football but Ken was watching and I just kept on knitting.

I've spent a lot of today doing counted cross stitch.  I'm sitting under the ott light which is very bright like sunlight.  It's the only way I'm going to get any sun today.  Any one who does needlework should have one of these lights.  Even on a dreary day like today I can see all the different shades of colors without a problem. 

Well, back to my cross stitch project again.  Maybe by tomorrow I'll have enough of it done to post a picture.
Hope the sun is shining where you are. 
Happyone

Whoever is happy will make others happy too

~ Mark Twain

A warmer walk

When I got up this morning the temperature read only 14 degrees.  The wind had died down to a slight breeze but still 14 sounded pretty cold so I decided to wait until the sun was up and out and left about an hour or so later when it had warmed up to 19.  As I walked I could feel it getting warmer and by the time I was back home the thermometer read 31 degrees.
I did a body electric workout before I left so I got that out of the way early in the day.  I walked around the lake.  I saw a few people here and there but it was pretty quiet.
I saw a wren on a branch of a tree and a downy woodpecker on the trunk of the same tree right near the path.  As I clicked the camera for what I thought would be a great shot, they both took off.   Farther on though I saw this big bird which I don't know what it is fly by and land on top of the light.  I had to zoom in but still I was glad to get the picture.  Does anyone know what it is.

After not being able to get much of a walk in yesterday it was so nice to be out walking on a nice sunny day.  I stopped often around the lake just to take a close look at things.  I had finished walking around the lake and started up the path away from it and sat down on a bench just to look back and say a prayer of thanks to God for giving me such a great place to walk and for all the beauty around me.  I felt a wash of joy come over me and knew that it was God smiling down on me and saying Your Welcome.

Continued walking and hadn't gone very far when I saw some geese walking around on the hill.  When I stopped to take their picture I scared them (not on purpose) and they all took off.

From there I walked on home.
Walked 6.7 miles.

Sunrise 7:02

Sunset 5:42

*********************

When I got home there were 8 shirts waiting to be ironed so I did that while I watched some house shows on HGTV.
That done I made some corn bread to go with supper tonight.  I made the recipe that was on the box.  It was quick and easy.  I tasted a little bit of it when it was done and it wasn't the best I've ever had but it was pretty good.

I been wanting to bake these molasses cookies ever since I saw the recipe on Vee's Blog.  I've been moving the recipe from one place to another for quite a while now and today I finally got around to baking them.  Since this is the first time I've baked them I had to eat one to see how they came out.  After eating one I wanted another but only ate the one.  BUT,  I'll be having more later tonight for my snack!! They are sooooo good.  The cookies are supposed to be bigger made with a tablespoon, but I made them teaspoon size.  That's one way to count down on the calories. : )

After I got the kitchen cleaned up, I spent a little time working on my counted cross stitch.  Usually I use two strands for the cross stitch and one strand for the backstitching.  There are some half cross stitches that I'm doing now that call for five strands.  It doesn't make it easier or harder just mentioning it because I've never had to use that many strands before.

In just a little while I'll go and do some reading until Ken comes home from work and it's time to eat.

Hope your having a great start to this week.
A smile from me to you.
Happyone

Remember the tea kettle -

it is always up to its neck in hot water,

yet it still sings!

~Author Unknown

Cross stitch progress

Up and out of the house at 6:35.

It was 44 degrees and sunny after the sun came up.

A bit of a breeze early but became very windy later in the morning.

Sunrise 7:02

A nice walk to town.

Saw a few deer and a couple of rabbits

and of course all the birds were out and about chirping away merrily.

Walked through town and over to and around the ball park loop.

Continued on past the post office and past the child care center.

Then to the lower cemetery, around there, and back home again.

Rebecca out walking too and over by the town pond 

there were three people fishing.

Don't know if you can see them in the picture.

Thought these daffodils were especially pretty.

Most all of the forsythia around town are blooming now.

Walked 6 miles

Found a quarter

☀️     💰     🙂

Right after breakfast we went to the Dollar General here in town.

Some of the things we need are cheaper there so we go there

on Monday now and tomorrow will go to the Shop and Save

and get the rest of our groceries.

I've been working on the counted cross stitch project regularly

and this is the progress after a weeks work on it.

Haven't worked much on the latest puzzle lately but today

it got worked on quite a bit.

Still have a long way to go though.

Tonight supper was hamburgers and potato salad.

The potato salad recipe I use is the one I use for

Macaroni Salad

but use potatoes instead of the macaroni.

 That's all folks.

Thanks for stopping by.

A happy and healthy day to you.

happyone  ❤️

Comment Replies:

Art - No, haven't thought about making happy trails a Wildlife Habitat.  Maybe it is something to look into.