Sunday, January 26, 2014

A Weekend Full of Slow Stitching

 

Slow Sunday Stitching

 

Even though I’m retired, I still find myself looking forward to and enjoying my weekends … and I’m especially enjoying this weekend. 

 

Yesterday morning, it was “warm” enough to walk outside with my neighbor Lois, although I did have to put my hood up, wear 3 pairs of gloves, wear my flannel-lined pants, wool socks, and 2 layers under my jacket (which Lands End touted as suitable for temperatures 5-10 below 0 … although I beg to differ!).  We both prefer walking outside whenever possible, so it was nice that we could get our walk in outdoors. 

 

After I got home, DH and I started some preliminary planning for our May trip to Hilton Head.  In the past, we’ve always been able to book a 4-star beachfront hotel for under $100/night … sometimes as low as $60-70/night.  Of course, it helps that we travel in May and in September … while that’s not off-season, it’s certainly not the prime season so lodging rates are lower (and the weather is still quite delightful).  And we take advantage of the savings offered through Last Minute Travel Club, a free online “club” that offers low, low prices … unlike Hotwire, it allows you to see what hotel you’re booking and it allows cancellations up to 3 days ahead of time with no penalty.  We checked Last Minute Travel Club for the dates we’d like to travel (between Mothers’ Day and Memorial Day) … the cheapest 4-star hotel is over $180!!!  Surprised smile  While we wouldn’t have been too surprised to see the rates up a little, that’s over double what we paid last September!  That’s just CRAZY!!!  We decided that our travel budget couldn’t take that kind of hit … not if we’d like to return to Hilton Head this fall … so we did some preliminary investigation into condos.  In the past, we’d talked about renting a condo, but with LMT Club, we could stay at a 4-star hotel and eat all our meals at restaurants for less than we could rent a condo. We found a few in our favorite part of Hilton Head, including one with an ocean view!  Thumbs up  Naturally that’s the one I’m leaning towards, although DH is leaning towards another one that’s equally close to the beach but without the ocean view and that comes in 25% less per week.  We’ll have to see if my power of persuasion is strong enough to convince him that it will be worth the additional money to be able to see the ocean and the sunrises from our private balcony.  Winking smile 

 

After lunch, I spent my afternoon working on my Storm at Sea while watching my Blues win their game vs the Islanders (yes, they were lucky with an Islanders’ OT game-winning goal being disallowed).  I didn’t get as much done as I would have liked because I had to unstitch/restitch a 5” row of stitches not once but twice!! I’d show you a picture of the blocks I’m currently quilting … but they look like all the other blocks I’ve shown you.  If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.  ha!  After dinner, we watching Captain Phillips.  Wow … that was intense … but worth seeing. 

 

This morning on the way home from church, we saw this hawk.  photoI know you can’t tell from this picture, but this bird is huge … about as big as a good-sized adult cat.  Lois and I saw it on one of our walks, sitting in an empty lot no more than 8-10 feet away from us as we walked by.  It wasn’t the least bit fazed by our being so close … and we didn’t push our luck … and kept on walking.

 

I’m planning on spending this afternoon getting in some more hand work on my Storm at Sea, so I’m going to link up with Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy’s Quilts.  It won’t take long before I’ll be ready to move my hoop again (provided I don’t have to unstitch and restitch again today – ha!).  I hope to find a good movie on TV … something to provide a little background noise … if there’s nothing worth watching on TV, I’ll pop in a DVD. 

 

Before I close, I thought I’d share this picture I found on Facebook yesterday.

photo And this thought:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.  ~  Matthew 6:25-33

 

Have a blessed Sunday, you all!

22 comments:

  1. Sounds like a wonderful plan! ENjoy your slow stitching and stay warm!

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  2. I found your blog from JulieKQuilts. I loved reading about your activities. I especially appreciate your Bible verses. Right now I am facing some money problems and needed to be reminder that God will continue to look after me as He has done for the last seventy-four years. Thank you.

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  3. Love those verses...always a good reminder that God is in control! Hope you find the perfect place to stay in HH. When my daughter and I went last year in April we stayed at the HH Beach and Tennis Resort and got a condo for $99 a night, but when I looked for something in Sept, it was twice that...so I know what you mean! Glad you are getting to stitch...hope you don;t have to use your ripper at all!! :-)

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  4. Try checking vrbo.com and homeaway.com Not sure if you'll find anything but we rent from there often. $180 off season is terrible! I just got home from retreat - have 4" new snow and now WIND - ugh! Glad we are safe at home. Enjoy your afternoon! ~Jeanne

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  5. What a wonderful post... I love stories and blogs with happy endings :) Glad you may have found a way to hit the beach twice this year! Enjoy slow stitching and you dream of sewing from your balcony beachside!!! lol You can convince him how nice that would be!! :) Kathi

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  6. I just got back from my walk with Max. We saw a big flock of Grackles. They are sure that the season will change again soon. They will be here for a month or two and just swarm around and cover the whole back yard. Always reminds me of the Hitchcock movie The Birds! Each hoop move brings you closer to being finished!

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  7. I love the 'thought' that you finished your post with!

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  8. So true about worrying--I'm guilty of that a lot. Enjoy your stitching today!

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  9. Ouch! that is quite a price increase and I guess that's a "sign of the times." Hope you all find the perfect condo and will enjoy it as much as previous times.

    Sounds like a most productive weekend for sure!

    We were discussing worrying at lunch today with our running buddies. Truly accomplishes nothing.

    Happy week!

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  10. Worry. Seems a popular subject among some of the blogs I follow tonight. Do y'all know something I don't? :D
    I'm with you. I'd take the one with the view IF it's a good view. A friend and I went to Door County Wisconsin a few Falls back and rented a condo with 'a view'. It was a very nice condo, but at our age neither of us felt it safe to stand on the railing of the deck and lean out to barely see the Great Lake. Prices are going up all around, and I doubt we'll see them going down ever.

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  11. Yikes, that is quite a difference in a year. Hope you can find something you both can agree on. Have fun stitching on that beautiful storm at sea.

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  12. I wonder why the cost has gone up so much. Wow.

    Enjoy the slow stitching,

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  13. Great post, Kathy! I had never heard of that travel site. And you are spot on with your cartoon and scripture.

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  14. Do hope you all get your vacation plans finalized before too long. It is upsetting the cost of everything FUN. Happy to hear you are continuing your work on the Storm at Sea quilt. It is going to be beautiful when completed. I borrowed the little button you got from Flickr. It is SO true. Happy Day. genie

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  15. Well I tend to agree with you...a view could be MIGHTY nice, so could be worth the extra money. It's sad how much it increased in just a few months though. LOVE LOVE LOVE the verses on worry. I have them memorized as I NEED them deep in my spirit! Enjoy your day Kathy! HAPPY stitching!

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  16. Hi Kathy, I will check out those sites you mentioned as I have never heard of them. That is about the normal price for anything around here. I was shocked you could find things that cheap. I haven't seen anything like 50-60 dollars a night.
    That is a huge bird.
    I hope it warms up soon. Have a lovely day.

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  17. It's ok I know what your Storm at Sea looks like ( and it looks beautiful :)

    Fun post / lots of interesting variety! :) I had a hawk visitor back in the fall..a red shouldered adult hawk sitting on a telephone pole. I had thrown out peanuts for the blue jays and woodpecker and they were coming in droves so he showed up to investigate. I got a lot of wonderful pictures but the closer I got to him the more antsy I felt..as in what if he swooped down right by me..so I know what you mena ! : )

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  18. I'll have to check out that Last Minute Travel Club. I've never heard of it. Hope you win and get the condo with the view.

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  19. Hi there, I am not surprised that our posts both had birds in them. Loved reading about your walk, albeit cold for you, and seeing the Hawk. I haven't heard of that travel club but will check it out. This winter already seems so long-maybe a weekend getaway to Az. would help. What am I thinking? There are still four chairs we will need to buy for the new house-better save my money for that. I loved HH when we were there 15 yrs ago. Wow. So long; maybe this next year hubby and I will have to try and get back there.
    Hugs today.
    Noreen

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  20. Hi there, I am not surprised that our posts both had birds in them. Loved reading about your walk, albeit cold for you, and seeing the Hawk. I haven't heard of that travel club but will check it out. This winter already seems so long-maybe a weekend getaway to Az. would help. What am I thinking? There are still four chairs we will need to buy for the new house-better save my money for that. I loved HH when we were there 15 yrs ago. Wow. So long; maybe this next year hubby and I will have to try and get back there.
    Hugs today.
    Noreen

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  21. I believe that slowing down and enjoying whatever God sets in front of you to be the best of all ways to spend your hours... it doesn't matter if it's sewing or walking or watching a hawk, it's appreciating the little things that make for a happy life!

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  22. I'm looking forward to seeing Captain Phillips. I've seen just about every other movie that is nominated for an Oscar. Have a post up right now with a bunch of movies on it. I hope you get your view, I think it is very important. That is a big bird!!!

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I am SO glad you stopped by! No proving that you're a robot here ... I want to hear what you have to say! ;-)