More Water Lily Girls

I've decided to simply draw the pics that come to my mind and worry about the words later, makes it easier for me.  I keep thinking of new ideas and adventures for these little underwater sprites, but if anyone has any ideas that they'd like to share...just let me know and I'll happily draw that scene (if I can!) 

A discussion with fish and maybe a salamander

Do you like the B&W drawing better or the watercolored ones?  I'm torn......

/

This one might have to be redone, as it looks like they are skating on ice. Either that...or this becomes a winter scene.  My water color skills are lacking and I've been trying to learn how to do water.  YouTube is a help but I think I need more than that!!!  :)

 More drawings are being worked on, and I've having a good time with the WLG's.  I know that to be politically correct this should probably be WL Kids...but when was I ever PC.

I plan on having a lovely rainy Sunday.  Yesterday we tried to go for a bike ride, but it started thundering, so we drove around instead - in a convertible. We went fast to evade the rain but eventually gave it and had to put it up.  Either way, lovely day.

Reboot

I need a change BADLY!  I watched this and have been juicing and only eating veggies for 3 days now.  I love it so far...it's so easy. No cooking, summer smoothies and I'm getting lots of veggies and vitamins and all that good stuff.

It wouldn't keep me away from a lovely lobster roll...but it's OK during the week and if a few LBS come off - even better.

That's all I got right now.  What a HOT summer!!!

Knitting for kids

Back in June, I promised my grand niece Isabella that I would knit her a pink skirt.  I worked like the devil on this but got it ready in time to ship to my mom's house in Florida.  My niece and her family were there have a vacation, and had an early birthday party for Isabella.

I also sent her a big stuffed pug that she want loopy over - and just loved it.

I learned how to do provisional cast on for this piece so that you can fold it over and make a waistband.  It had a little space to put the elastic thru and after pulling it thru and fastening it - VOILA - a lovely waistband.    I also did a different bind off that worked so well, and gave a lovely finished looking edge at the bottom.  

Another grand niece (sort of, her grandmother is my first cousin, we're as close as sisters) had her first birthday so I knitted this funny little way-girly sweater.  I have excess yarn from this so I'm making a matching skirt but who knows when that'll be finished.  They do dress this baby kind of preppy so I hope they like this sweater.  I made it big so that she can grow into it if necessary.

The pattern called for lot's more ruffles, which I changed.  It wanted a ruffle on the neck and two on the sleeves - way too many!   I modified the pattern and think it works well.  I also tacked the pocked halfway closed, as the fronts hung down without something holding up them up. I'm sure there's a trick to making this kind of pocket, but I don't know it.   I also thought I did four buttonholes but can't find the fourth, so I'm going with three, unless someone clever knows how to make a button hole were there isn't one?

So that's my knitting for the month and I plan on taking it easy today on a lovely sunday.

Animal Wednesday - little green frog

Is it really Wednesday already?  Time just flies (when you're working).  My DH has been home with a baby-flu for the past few days, so there has been a lot of nursing and cooking and trying to stay cool.  

Since he was under the weather on Sunday I stayed home and gardened.  LOTS of weeding and watering but finally a book under a shady tree - that was heaven.

My Daylilies are in bloom, I try to get more every year so that they bloom throughout the summer.  I had my nephews over last week for an evening of weeding and planting new daylilies - then dinner and chatting.  It was delightful.

Onto the Animal part of this post.  This little guy was on the walking path the other day - and didn't move until I left.  I think he thought he was invisible if he didn't move, so cute.   It was another moment of "i haven't seen any animals lately " and then boom - there he was.

Happy Animal Wednesday - stay cool - it's been so hot here but we are hoping for a break in the weather today.

Odd week

This was an odd week for me. I had a terrific weekend as shown by previous post pics. I had a slight sore back from the driving, but nothing major. But at work on Tuesday a friend told me that he had cancer and literally my back clenched up in a painful spasm and I had to leave work, go get a massage and stay home the next day. I have never had such an obvious physical reaction to bad news. We don't know yet what type of cancer, or what the treatment is but I have my fingers crossed for him.

The whole episode got me thinking about how I feel physically and my habit of burning the candle at both ends and I vowed to change a few habits. Lately I've only been getting about 6 hours of sleep a night - if that. I seem to be trying to fit a full days fun into what should be an evening after work. I go to bed at midnight and wake up at 5 or 6 at the latest. I fall asleep at my desk at work. I think I'm hungry so I eat for energy and while that helps, it's not the answer. I also wake up feeling like shit every morning and couldn't figure out why.

Since I love the early morning it's obvious that I have to go to sleep earlier so last night I was in bed by 9:30. I tossed and turned for awhile - its going to take a while to get used to this, but I woke up at 5 this morning feeling better than I have in a long time. That was 7 full hours of sleep.

Can you believe my stupidity? Everyone says " 8 hours of sleep is necessary" and I have been so proud of my 5 - 6 hours - without even realizing that I'm killing myself. So this is my first new step to health.

More of the new health coming in a collaboration with a west coast buddy - more on that as we get organized.

My Weekend

I took the nephews and their mom to my Grandma's old beach house outside of NYC.  My cousin owns it now and it's the closest place to heaven on earth for me.   I do not show a pic of the boys mom, (my BFF Grapes) because while she looks great in the pics, I would not show a bathing suit pic of a friend without them having cropping rights.   That would go against the code of honor wouldn't it? 

It was a hot weekend, perfect for being in the water over and over again.  I just loved it.  The perfect place with perfect people.  

Tully Lake

For Paint Party Friday -

Drawn and colored while in a kayak on the lake.  Gotta love those fillable watercolor brushes

 This is the first painting I've done in a LONG time, and the first done on site.  It was fun, and I'm going to keep working on it.

Thoughts while drifting on the water

I bet you thought I'd be thinking deep, thoughtful things - about love and friendship and the state of the world.

Nope.

When I'm out on the kayak, drifting along, or even paddling hard, I wonder about what lives under the water and are there "people" that live in the water and watch me as I paddle by.  I look closely to see if I can find them, but haven't seen them since dreaming about them when I was about 5 years old.

These are my rough sketches of the Water Lily Girls - I started working on them years ago, and then dropped them in favor of Miss Em comics. But they keep popping up again, guess I'd better listen to their stories.

Fun and silly stuff.

Animal Wednesday - wildlife!

On Saturday we went kayaking. Gorgeous day, beautiful paddling, quiet river.  We got to the park later than usual and by the time we were paddling back, we were the only ones on the river.  It was quiet and peaceful, red-winged blackbirds singing and flying, water bugs skittling around - just lovely and peaceful.

Then I heard a loud splash and the Mr pointed out where a beaver had dove under the water after giving the tail thump alarm.  Luckily he or she must have been young and inexperienced because when it swam away it stayed right below the surface so I could follow it across to the other bank where (apparently) dinner was waiting.   I was cursing the lack of my decent camera - and my iphone is having trouble holding a charge - but I turned it on and got great shots of the beaver munching on dinner.   My boat just drifted closer and closer but the beaver didn't seem to worry and just ignored me.

When I lifted my paddle to back up - the beaver did the tail thump on the water, dove and swam away.   I'd never seen the tail thump before and it was a real thrill!

The shot below is one of the many beaver homes that we see along this river - this is a REALLY big one, and has been there for years.

The universe amazes me.  I remember a few weeks ago feeling very blue about not seeing interesting animals and how boring my Animal Wednesdays were becoming...since then I've seen goats on the bike trail, a hawk on the lawn and now a beaver having a snack.

Happy Animal Wednesday!!!  And Happy 4th of July!!

(note: my iphone was dead by the next day and couldn't be resurrected even after two trips to the apple store. RIP old iphone; hello replacement! )

My Saturday

Need I say more???