A Good Morning Visitor

I went out for a morning run recently and found this little friend buzzing around my door. He was a little difficult to photograph... maybe he's not a morning bug ;)

Good Morning Mr. Bumble!

It's been a while

Well, I have been a terrible blogger over the past month. But not only that, I have also been a terrible crafter! I had a little break in the calendar with few events and took advantage of the down time. Of course, it probably would have been smarter to get a jump on some upcoming gifts but instead I took a little vacation :)

Before I left for vacation, I celebrated my mom's birthday and father's day. The difficult part of making gifts is definitely finding a project that fits the person. Luckily, my mom is pretty easy to please and create for...my dad, that is a different story! So for my mom I played around with some yarn. I found this free pattern and tried my best to duplicate it without spending a ton of money on yarn and needles. I was pretty happy with it except I didn't K1 P1 like the pattern said because I realized it about 45 minutes into my knitting and I DID NOT want to pull it out!

I should have measured my finished product. I think I ended up casting on around 60 stitches...also did not follow the pattern.

I decided to sew a little band for easy storage

TA-DA!

As for my dad, I created a CD with all the songs that remind me of my dad. Most of the songs are ones I remember him playing around the house or listening to as we rode to school in the morning. I had to add a James Bond theme song and a parody song about NASCAR ;)

A favorite activity....

This weekend was pretty uneventful, partly due to the extreme heat and partly because I didn't really have much energy. I have a vacation coming up in two weeks and I cannot wait! I hope it involves lots of relaxing, eating, and doing whatever I feel like :)

Although the weekend was fairly laid back, I was able to attend an outdoor concert in the park. I think I would go to one every weekend if there was one. I love making a picnic, listening to great music, and being outside enjoying nature. This concert was put on by the Alabama Symphony. It was the family friendly concert and included songs from Disney movies as well as classics like The Sound of Music. I loved it! There were three over the weekend...I am so sad I only went to one. I won't make that mistake next year!

our picnic goodies

There was a good crowd. I was so thankful for that cloud...the sun was a little warm but thankfully there was a nice breeze for most of the evening. Occasionally the train (which can be seen in the distance) came through!

The downtown skyline

There were kids dancing, jumping and rolling down the hill while the symphony played. So cute!

I might have dragged him to the concert but he thanked me at the end of the night for "making" him go :)

Finished Notecards

Remember the notecards I made on the last sew-turday. Well, I decided to make a set to give my grandmother for her 90th birthday. She is amazing! But also, doesn't really need anything...which made figuring out what to make her even more difficult! I personally love stationary and writing letters. I thought these would be perfect. She could write thank yous or hello notes and then use them all up.

This is the set

The ruffles

These are my favorites :)

These notecards were really fun and left a lot up to artistic freedoms :)

Home

I was able to take some time off over Memorial Day weekend and traveled home. I had a great time playing with my adorable nephews, spending time with the 'rents, and catching up with old friends! Mom's garden is in full swing. I brought back some blackberries and blueberries. I am thinking about making some muffins tomorrow :) I also visited some of my favorite spots around town.

The clapping hands are quite a hit!

My Tennis Ball Boys

Look closely...there is one that is almost ready to be picked. Can you find it?

Our Vegetable Loot :)

mmmm......there might have been a few more that were lost to tasting!

My brother made a gf dark chocolate cake...like a giant swiss cake roll!

Throwing a cast net. My boyfriend in high school taught me how to throw a cast net...just one of my special skills :)

Geese at the bay

This is the field right before you get to my parents house

Outdoor Pops concert

Simply adorable :)

I had a great time at home! I hope you had a good Memorial Day weekend as well!