The Lazy, Hot Days of Summer

Hello dear readers. Is it hot and dry where you are?  Right now it's 100 degrees outside in the shade.  Hence, I'm inside writing to you!

 

It's lovely to eat outside in the evenings but the last couple of nights,it's still been in the 90's.  Which, for us here on the west coast, is very unusual.  When the sun sets, the temps drop but not this week.  The photo above is from my daughter; she hosted a dinner party last week with an Italian menu.

The news around here is wild fires.  Unfortunately, one ignited yesterday afternoon in our area.  You can see the smoke above taken from our back yard.  It started in the early afternoon with about 50 to 75 acres. . .

When we retired last night, the fire had scorched 4,000 acres and was still burning.  The was the scene last night from our back yard.  It was scary to say the least.  I called the Sheriff's dept. to ask about procedures for evacuation.  Luckily, we weren't in danger but we slept very lightly last night.  The fire is still burning this afternoon in some very deep, hilly terrain.  The drought conditions from past years has made the perfect storm for a wild fire.

It's enjoyable if I can make it outside early enough to enjoy the setting before the heat sets in.  Otherwise, we find ourselves stuck in the house for the afternoon, away from the blazing sun and cooled with the A/C.  I long for the days when I can turn off the A/C!

I finished the first project from my Craftpod box.  For someone like me, who doesn't know how to embroidery (luckily, I have a huge book showing all the embroidery stitches), I was pleased to make this little needle case.  I turned the raw edges inside as I'm not fond of the raw, fray edges of fabric.  I think it's from those years in junior high when my mother was teaching me to sew.  She was a perfectionist in her sewing and I thank her for that now :)

Yesterday I had an appointment with my dermatologist.  I went thinking it was nothing unusual but I'm so happy that I made the appointment.  Turns out that my normal skin tag that is normally frozen, had to be biopsied.  Although I've not received the results yet, I'm not worried but I do want to share with you that if something seems not right with you  in regard to your health, please seek medical attention.   You never know what could be happening.

Thank you for your kind comments.  It warms my heart (maybe I should say "cools") to hear from you.

Until next time,

Pat

Craftpod Crafting

Hi everyone.  I hope you are enjoying the hot, long days of summer for those of you in the Western hemisphere :)

Awhile back I came across Craftpod via a blog.  It looked like so much fun with everything being included. 
   

Before I left to go to Turkey in June, I placed my order for the Summer Craftpod.  I thought it was a good deal considering the shipping to the US was just under 5 GBP.  Upon my return home in July, there was my little Craftpod box waiting for me.  Sheer delight!

I couldn't be happier with the contents as it's a surprise as to what you will receive.  How fun is that!  The first little kit will be a needle book.  I had long wanted to make one of these and now I'll have my own.

Also included is a cross stitch piece which was designed by the talented Lucy of Attic 24.  I'm a little bit hesitant to start this as it's out of my comfort zone; I do needlepoint but not counted cross stitch.  Wish me luck. . .

And, to complete the box, here are the little goodies that make it so special.  A beautiful print by illustrator Brie Harrison, a rose enamel pin from maggiemagoodesigns.com, proper tapestry needles, button, and a lovely tea bag.

 It's going to be a fun afternoon stitching my way along to happiness.

Speaking of happiness, here's a photo of Laguna Beach from last week.  It's always a popular place but especially during these hot summer days.  Lilly sends her greetings to everyone, too.  I love hearing from you and reading your comments.

With my best wishes,

Pat