Taking Time to Smell the Roses...

or, Queen Anne's Lace anyway...

It was a tough decision as to what to do this afternoon...go to the "Y" for swimming or take a scenic bike ride on one of our local trails.  

Since our humidity has dropped a bit, I voted for a bike ride...

so off we went!

We took a different trail that ended up being more sunshine than shade...

but the trail was dotted with pretty Queen Anne's Lace...

and, if we were closer to home, I would have picked a big bunch to put in pitcher for the kitchen table.  

Dear son didn't last too long in the hot sun, but it was nice to get out and get a little exercise

and

afterward....

reward ourselves with a cold treat.  

We are now relaxing in the cool air conditioning and I'm contemplating something quick and easy for a light dinner.  

Wishing you a Sunday filled with rose smelling moments.

HDP

Happiness is...

  It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.

  - Charles Spurgeon - 

Just thought I'd pop in and say "hi".  My days have been full with summer activities.  Haven't been getting in as much crochet, but hoping cooler weather will change that (whenever we get that!).  

Hope you are all well and enjoying your week.

:-)

HDP

Heat Wave Roadtrip!

With heat indexes in the 100's, we decided to take a family day road trip to the Indianapolis Children's Museum. 

All I can say is wow!  It was awesome!

We had never been there before, but I'd heard lots of great things about the museum.  It was just a bit over a two-hour drive from our home; I'm so glad we made the trip!

There was so much to do and see!

We saw a mega transformer...

Hokusai's Great Wave done in JELLY BEAN! mosaic form...

Dinosaur skeleton fossils...

An impressive tower made of hand blown curly glass pieces...

A ginormous stuffed polar bear...

Beautiful and colorful dragons...

 Ancient terracotta warriors and horses...

But most of our time was spent in the "hands-on" areas...

Where the little one helped rebuild a "gorgosaurus"; went on a dinosaur dig; helped move "rocks" from an ancient Egyptian tomb; "swam" with scuba divers hunting for "sunken treasure"; learned about the beautiful sky in the planetarium; and had fun with "Charlie Brown and Friends" in a musical play...

WHEW!  

Come closing time, we were ready for our final stopping place for dinner, before heading home...

Oh, and by the way...

if you have an electric vehicle, it's only $2.50 to charge it...

:-)

What a fun and exciting day!  

We will definitely go back again sometime to see all the exhibits we didn't get to see this time around.

What an adventure we had!

HDP

Wednesday's Work in Progress!

I thought I'd post a little update on my log cabin afghan I'm working on...

My progress has been a bit slow.  So, this past week, I told myself a square a day and it will be done in no time.  I love seeing the finished results of a project and am always anxious to get there!

With the end result in mind, I've been thinking of ways I could lay it out and found this little WEBSITE that shows a few different options.  I'm leaning toward the Field and Furrows, but they are all really cool.  There are other sites if you google log cabin layout, but I liked hers as she is using an actual project versus computer generated images.

Wish me luck as I continue to "build" my cabin.

Hope you are finding fun ways to "stay cool"!  

It's excruciatingly hot here!

:-)

HDP

Vintage Coverlet...

I love to see crocheted items when I'm out and about, don't you?  

I've been on the hunt for a second-hand kitchen table and chairs.  We have a set, but we put it down in our lower level and have gotten used to it being down there.  So, I've been looking for one that will go with my kitchen and is in good condition.  Which brings me to the coverlet...  

I was at an antique mall this afternoon and I saw this pretty cream and "shrimp" colored coverlet and just had to snap a couple of photos.  It was $89, so of course I didn't purchase it (not that it is a bad price for all the work involved in the piece; it just wasn't on my "list").  But such pretty "eye candy" all the same.

I'm still shopping for my table and chairs.  I've covered Craig's List and a second hand furniture store in my area to no avail.  I just hate paying retail.  But, as our school year starts to draw near, I may have to "bite the bullet" and pay full price.  

So anyway, a little crochet inspiration, in vintage form, from today's hunting expedition.

Happy Monday!

HDP

Watermelon Challenge

I made up a few squares for Sue's Sunshine International Blankets of Love (aka; SIBOL).  These are for the Watermelon Challenge. I just used watermelon inspired colors with yarn I had on hand and tried to coordinate them somewhat.  

  

These are a mix of different yarns such as RHSS and ILTY.  I thought the variegated looked kinda cool on this one. 

I made two of these...

and the last one to coordinate.

The first is a basic granny and the others I just improvised starting with a "saltine" and going from there.

If you are interested in making a few squares for Sue, her challenges for 2011 can be found HERE. 

These are all packaged up and ready to go.  I just need to get to the post office.  

Hope you've had a great Monday and a terrific start to your week!

HDP

Sunday Afternoon Bike Ride

It was a hot day in Southern Ohio, so this afternoon, we thought it would be fun to take a bike ride in one of the heavily wooded bike trails in our area.

The trail follows along the Little Miami River and there were all sorts of people canoeing and swimming.  I even caught some dare devils swinging from a rope and jumping into the water...

Going,...

going,...

gone.

There were pretty wildflowers on the trail...

and I do love flowers,...

quaint little summer cottages nestled in the hills...

even "Fresh Laid Eggs" for sale.

We didn't go too far since the little one still has training wheels on his bike.  But all in all, we were out and about for a good two hours.

Then, we turned around and headed back...

We stopped for "Creamy Whip" on the way home....

Nothing tastes better than cold, soft-serve ice cream after a hot afternoon bike ride...

HAPPY TRAILS!

:-)

HDP

Log Cabin Update

After about 10 days of playing with my colors, I finally settled on the above.  You can see my original test square HERE...

I decided to leave out the brown, but keep the beige, using it for the center.  I went down to an "H" hook, but it's pulling too tightly, so I'll be going up to an "I" for the actual afghan.  I had no idea I'd be playing around with this for so long.  Usually I'm down to business after a couple of days.

It's a warm day today, but sitting in the shade, it wasn't too hot to crochet a square al fresco.  Then dear son and I played ball before it was time to come in and start fixing dinner.

Tomorrow is supposed to be another warm day...

I'm dreaming of a pool...

:-)

HDP

AND THE WINNER IS...

KENDALL!

Kendall, your comment was the 15th on my giveaway post and you've won!

A big thank you to all who played along and wished me a happy blog anniversary!  It's been a fun year.

Kendall, please e-mail me at (hprusia 0414 @ fuse . net; without the spaces) with your mailing address.  I'll get your package in the mail by the end of the week.

Congratulations!

Thank you all for following my blog and for the nice comments you so often leave.

HDP

Vacation Nature Trails and Happy 4th of July!

One of the fun things we did while we were away on vacation, was to go on nature hikes...

Each trail led to new discoveries...

with most of them leading to the water's edge.  

It was easy to imagine the early Native Americans making their homes here.

There were a variety of wildflowers both in the field...

and on the beach.

Wildlife was abundant and we saw numerous deer...

waterfowl...

and snakes!  

Oh my!

On one of the days, we walked around the old limestone quarry...

and ended up wandering around lost for two-hours! 

It's amazing, all the different things to learn about and see so close to home.  We really loved the island and hope to go back again next year.

We did end up coming home a day early.  It was raining and cloudy on Saturday morning, so we decided to pack up our things and head home.  Now to get caught up on my mountain of laundry!

I hope you all enjoy your long holiday weekend as you celebrate this festive holiday with your family and friends.  

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

HDP

A Great Vacation!

Our vacation started last Sunday with a four-hour road trip North to the shores of Lake Erie.  

We stopped for lunch at one of the local restaurants and toured the grounds of Marblehead Lighthouse. 

Hubby and the little one kept a watchful eye on the lake...

and we all enjoyed seeing the beautiful sailboats and the playful speedboats racing in the water.

Then in was time to head across the lake on the ferry for our island adventure!

In 20 short (but windy) minutes, we were across the lake and taking in the tranquil beauty of Kelleys Island...

The weather was great while we were there with cool mornings and perfect afternoons full of blue skies...

We rode bikes, took nature walks and swam almost every day.  Our evenings were quiet, hanging out around the house we rented, swinging in the hammock and enjoying the shell beach at the end of our road...

Over all it was a grand vacation.  

I think the older I get, the more I realize, it's not about the fancy places you might be able to afford to go, but about the people you spend it with and what you make of the moments you share.

Blessings to you and yours this holiday weekend.

HDP