Our Vacation in the Outer Banks, NC

Good day, my friends.

 

We enjoyed our time in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I didn’t get a chance to read any blogs. I tried to do it yesterday (Wednesday, 5/21) but Blogger said I was leaving too many comments…try again tomorrow. So, that is what I shall do.

 

We made a couple of stops on our way to the beach. This rest area is just before we reached the seashore.

I’m always intrigued by some of the things we find inside these places, like this compass in the floor.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that my hubby had reserved a campsite only steps from the beach.

I planted my ‘anchor’ in the sand every chance I could get.

I also did a some stitching.

This little chart is called Grandma Winnie’s Basket by Primrose Cottage Stitches. It is one of many patterns from this year’s Nashville Needlework Market Cookbook.

I also made some progress on another chart, but I’ll show you that in a future post.

 

We didn’t just sit on our bums the whole time. We took walks on the beach and one day we visited Bodie Island Lighthouse.

This is the third lighthouse for Bodie Island.  The first was built on unstable ground and began to lean only a few years after being constructed. The second was blown up by Confederate troops to keep the Union forces from using it.

 

The third was built in 1872. Even though it has undergone repairs and maintenance, everything is still original. Only 12 of the 217 stairs have been replaced.

We climbed those stairs, 10 stories, to the top.

We got to see the original lens.  The ranger said they only have to change the bulbs every 7 years or so.

The views were amazing.

I’m going to read more blogs today and try to leave comments, with Blogger’s permission, of course.

 

Enjoy your day!

 

 

April Wrap Up, OTX to OBX

This week almost got away from me. Work was super busy, but isn’t that always the way when you are getting ready to take vacation?

First, I want to tell you that I managed to put in 4,041 cross stitches on 3 projects during April. (Slacker Status!)

I finished the fourth chart in Snow Village by Country Cottage Needleworks.

Popsicle Cart

I made some progress on May Calendar Crates by Stitching with the Housewives

And I finished Autumn Basket by Hands on Design. This will be the top of a biscornu.

I still need to stitch another piece of Autumn Basket for the bottom of the biscornu.

We made a quick trip to Old Town Alexandria last weekend for a wedding.  I can’t share wedding photos because I was too busy socializing and didn’t ask permission.  But I have a few to share from around town.

I love the old cobblestone streets

This old bicycle hangs in my hubby's favorite ice cream shop

I can always find a quilt square

This is town square on Friday night

Town Square becomes a fabulous Farmers' Market on Saturdays

I am writing this on Friday night (5/10), when I’m supposed to be packing for our camping trip to the Outer Banks. We leave on Sunday.  I opened the refrigerator and found a bit of buttermilk.  Well, I had to make a pie. 

The crust looks horrible, but it is tasty!

We are celebrating Mother’s Day on Saturday (5/11) with my Mama, since we will be traveling on Sunday. We are taking her to lunch at Pisgah Inn up on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I’ll try to get some photos. The weather is supposed to turn rainy ☹

I hope you have a blessed weekend and I hope to catch up over the vacation week.

 

Stars Update and GaRon Stitchery Grand Opening

There isn’t much to show in the way of stitching or sewing this week.

I managed to decide on a layout for Gene’s Flying Stars. This will be a runner for the top of a couple of IKEA cabinets.

I’m going to add a narrow border using the same background fabric and then a scrappy binding.

Stitching and sewing took a backseat to baking last week.  I spent two nights baking cookies.

Yes, these sour cream cookies have green buttercream frosting. You’ll see why further down.

I also made, but didn’t get photos of, snickerdoodles and peanut butter cookies.

I took a whirlwind trip to Alabama last weekend. 

While there, I attended the grand opening of GaRon Stitchery’s brick and mortar store. I’ve shared with you before that Gary and Ronny’s website is my ‘go to’ for cross stitch supplies. You can imagine how excited I was to help them celebrate this achievement.

 

Since I arrived on Friday, Ronny invited me to their home for a visit before we went to dinner.

 

I got to meet and get puppy kisses from their girls.

Ginger demanded many pets

Princess Leia just demanded

Gary showed me the amazing Merman in Blue. He cross stitched this a few years ago and it is incredible. 

This is a chart by Tilton Crafts, which I believe is no longer in business. I teased and asked if it is a self-portrait. 😊 I mean, look at the hair!

The doors opened on Saturday. There was a parking lot full of people waiting to get in.

We were greeted by a table full of….you guessed it…cookies!

Gary enjoying a green cookie.

People came from Missouri, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina and other states to show their support. There were also many local stitchers.

I met a couple of friends there. 

Ronny's Girls

Andrea (left) and Becky (right) drove over from Memphis. We’ve attended a few retreats together. I’ll see them next at StitchCon in June. (more on that later)

 

Of course I had to get a photo with Gary and Ronny before I left.

I would have gotten more photos of Ronny except that he was busy running around keeping customers happy. He is the epitome of the energizer bunny. He fixed me a nice cup of coffee for the road and I was home just as the sun was setting Saturday night.

You will get a better recap of the grand opening weekend on the GaRon YouTube here. They typically post videos on Friday. Please check them out and if you are inclined to leave a comment, let them know that I sent you.

Hubby and I took a nice walk around the lake on Sunday then enjoyed lunch downtown. As we were walking down main street, I spied something new in the niche beside the General Store.

It is a Little Library. 

Things I Love About My Hometown
Little Library -- Mast General Store

I can’t wait to donate a few books to it.

I think this may be a new feature on the blog…Things I Love About My Hometown.

We are off to Alexandria, VA this weekend for a wedding. I’ll recap my April stitching stats next week when I share about the trip.

I’m still working my way through my friends’ blog posts from the last week. I apologize ahead of time for the abundance of comments 😊

Enjoy your day!