Monday, July 26, 2021

Hello Monday and a Bit of a Blogging Break

 

Hello everyone!  Just a quick check-in to say I'll away from the blog for a few weeks.  This happened on Sunday...

After 18 months (and an additional 48 hours due to bad weather) apart, Vic is finally home!  We're looking forward to a host of home improvement projects, strolling the aisles of Home Depot and Lowe's, eating at our favorite restaurants, visiting Sophia, and a weekend getaway before we head out to get him settled at his new destination.

I'll be back to fill you in on our adventures soon.

Monday, July 19, 2021

Hello Monday

 

The weather:::
Summer in Western Washington.


On my reading pile:::.
Working my way through my stack from the library - She Wore Only White by Dorthe Binkert was a meh.  I was really left hanging by the ending, read it twice, and still totally confused.  I found one online review where the blogger said she wouldn't put up a spoiler and I left a comment saying please put up a spoiler, hoping she would give an opinion on the ending but haven't heard anything yet.  My current read is part two in the Rutherford series by Elizabeth Cooke, The Wild Dark Flowers.

On my TV:::
Finished up Season 3 of Quantico and now I'm working my way through the seasons of Good Witch.  I've watched the movies and I've moved on to the television series.

Checked off the list:::
We're almost there!  After 100 days...90...80...70...60...50...40...30...20...10..next month, this month, next week...we're finally at Vic will be home this week.  I'm hoping that the typhoon that's headed there way is over and gone and doesn't mess with the flight schedules.

Crafts Roundup:::
I had a fun weekend at a virtual scrapbook event.  Nine presenters showed us a variety of page layouts over three days.  The sessions were recorded as I could only attend two out of the three days so I need to watch Friday's session to see what I missed.

And in other news:::
Sophia finished up her first week of horse camp and the campers had a fun time learning all about horses and horse care.  This week, she's back at school for an Under the Sea camp.  Just call her Ariel.  Got up early on Friday to shop the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale as it opened up for influencers.  Can't say I consider myself an influencer at all, I just must have bought enough last year to be considered one!  I bought two pairs of Wit & Wisdom jeans, my last size and one smaller.  Hoping the smaller one fits now and I can exchange my last size pair for a smaller size as well.  That was really about it for last week - work was frantic as I try to get everything organized for the time I will be out of the office and I had things to do around the house when I got home.  It was an accelerated pace of the work, eat, sleep routine.

A few photos from my camera roll last week - I really must step up my game or I'll have precious little to scrapbook when it comes to working on the 2021 album!


A cute card I saw at the Hallmark Ornament Premiere - sorry about the glare from the plastic wrapping - I need to get one of these letter boards


Were you a Nancy Drew fan?

Monday, July 12, 2021

Hello Monday

 

The weather:::
Warmer than I like at the start of the week but the temperatures will level out into the mid-70s and that's tolerable.  It is lovely outside when the sun is shining and shimmering off the bay with the mountains in the distance.  The evergreens are ever green and it's just beautiful.


On my reading pile:::.
Finally made it to the library and picked up five new books.

On my TV:::
I worked my way through Season 3 of Virgin River.  Each episode seemed to have a cliffhanger so I was never sure when I would be left hanging.  Of course, the final episode had the biggest cliffhanger of all, how long until the premiere of Season 4?  I watched the Gentleman's Final at Wimbledon yesterday followed by the European Championship Final between England and Italy.  I so hoped the trophy was coming home but it was not to be.  It's been quite a sporty weekend for someone who is really not a sports fan.


Novak Djokovic makes history, tying with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the most major titles in tennis.

I'm also picking Belgravia back up on Epix as I only got as far as episode 1 the last time I watched it.


I loved the book but some of the characters are really getting up my nose.  Thankfully I know that the tedious ones get their comeuppance in the end so all will be good!

Checked off the list:::
The days until Vic's return are slipping away and I seem to be busy doing this and that around the house and getting things in order at the office for my month-long leave. Vic's making a list of the supplies needed to close up the opening between the kitchen and the morning room and remove the textured paint since the proposal came in from the contractor and it was much higher than we expected.  It was more than twice what he quoted us last year - I know costs have increased but I don't think by that much.

Crafts Roundup:::
I'm still in April in the 2010 Family Album, ran out of quite a few basic supplies and needed to place an order for them, should be here in a few days.  I have a scrapbook event coming up this weekend, a virtual event with 9 presenters who will share a variety of techniques.  There is supposed to be an advance box of supplies coming in the mail.

And in other news:::
My sister, brother-in-law, and two nephews drove up on the 4th of July to take my youngest nephew to an soccer ID camp at Western Washington University.  It's an opportunity for the coaching team to check out potential talent for their team and scholarships.  We all met for dinner on Monday night and then my sister and I went out for coffee to catch up the next morning.


Bellingham is a cute town and we found this lovely little coffee shop.

The weather was glorious and the campus is really beautiful.


We checked out the soccer camp, took a little drive around town, and then met up with everyone else for lunch before I had to head home.  It was a lovely, although flying, visit.

It's the Ornament Premiere Event July 10-18 so I went to my local Hallmark store yesterday to pick up my ornaments.  The sales clerk asked if I had an appointment?  An appointment?  For what?  To buy things from your store?  Really, I understood last year when we were in the midst of the pandemic and social distancing but we've pretty much resumed business as usual here in Washington.  The store was pretty empty so perhaps I'm not the only one to feel that asking me to make an appointment is a little odd.

And, finally, these caught my eye in Michaels, crayons for the various skin tones: