Checking In

Sorry for the lack of posts. So much has been going on... between house guests, work, dance, life, etc... I haven't had much time for sewing and have been so pre-occupied physically and mentally.  I have made a dent in two needlecraft projects.  One baby blanket for a wonderful friends' baby shower in a couple of weeks, and my other crochet blanket that I've been working on since the dawn of time (or last November).  I hope to finish the baby blanket this week, and well... I hope to finish the other blanket before its one year anniversary of casting on, but I really can't promise anything.

We're going away for a few days for a little R&R.  I will hopefully get this time to mentally get back in the sewing game, and maybe even meet up with a fellow blogger.  I'll keep you posted, and I promise I won't be gone for too much longer.  And of course, keep looking for the regular Sweet Treats posts. Those are still coming to you every Saturday!

Traveling and Downloading

Whew! Back from a crazy, intense week at dance camp, a whirlwind trip to Southern California, and then getting back into the swing of things at work.  It's been a busy couple of weeks but I'm finally starting to settle down into regular routines.  I haven't even had a chance to look at my craft area since I've been back, but I fully intend to spend some time in there this weekend.

Aside from my quilt that I've been (kinda) working on, I am ready for a fresh start on some new sewing projects.  I haven't had any pressing challenges to work on so I may actually be able to delve into stash patterns and fabrics that I haven't looked at in far too long.

Some highlights of my trip included:

- Spending a week with amazing dancers, their families, and incredibly talented musicians

Some of the dancers learning a routine for the finale performance

- Said week was also spent in gorgeous Vancouver Island. I may have indulged in a couple of Nanaimo bars, straight from the source.

The harbour at Nanaimo

- A quick trip to Disneyland. Always fun, especially when in good company.

I'm on the right. I swear my friend cheats.

- A taping of Conan O'Brien which led to then meeting my second husband, I mean, talk-show host.  Meeting really means getting his autograph and a photo, but I like to think that our relationship is deeper than that.

So. Happy.

Florida Recap

Home at last!  We had a fun time in Florida, but I'm glad to be back to our animals, non-extreme heat, and our daily routines.  I spent some time sewing this weekend; among other adventures - but thought I'd share some pictures from the trip.

When we first arrived, we went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studio's, followed by Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Entering Hogsmeade

In line for the main ride. There was a cool clip of Harry, Ron and Hermione using the invisibility cloak.

The Sorting Hat

Butterbeer

Inside the joke shop

Hogwart's Express

Hogsmeade Village

Hogwarts Castle

Entering Disney World!

Entering the Africa section of the park

Hubby checking out the animals

A giraffe wandering through the park

King of the jungle

An ostrich just hanging out

Our group gathered round for a picture

Amazing Tree of Life in the park

Hubby and I enjoying a photo moment

Our picture from the Everest ride.

I started the Colette Parfait dress today and plan to have it finished by the end of the week.  First, I have to get back to dance class!  Oh, and I completed the adjustments to my Highland jacket, so now I just need to add the final silver trim and buttons.  It will be a lot of hand stitching but I think it's looking really great so far.  I'll keep you posted!

Come fly with me...

We are off to the Sunshine State for a few days! I plan on overdosing on Disney and Harry Potter.  In the meantime, enjoy tomorrow's Sweet Treats post. It's a fun one!  No sewing for me on this trip but I do plan on getting in some good reading, cross-stitching, and pool time.  See you when we get back!

Southern Travels

I've had a busy work week which hasn't left me a lot of time to work on my sewing projects.  Instead, I wanted I would share some pictures of our recent trip to Savannah, Georgia.

I have family in Savannah and so the hubby and I try to make it out there at least once a year.  It's one of our favorite places in the U.S... so much so that we got married there back in 2004.  Even though we travel there so frequently, we still  like to play tourist.  I think you can take it for granted when you go there so frequently so we tried to see things that we haven't seen before or at least in a few years.

This year, my mission was to see some alligators.  We seem to have been going in the winter recently, so they're always hibernating.  We were not too lucky this year though, as we went to the wildlife reserve only to find that the main trail was closed until June.  Oh well.  So we took a little walk down one of the side trails and were able to spot one lone gator.

If you look really closely, you can see the gator in the middle of the picture.

We also went to the Bonaventure Cemetery.  You may know this cemetery from the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. One of Savannah's big tourist draws.  Well, the statue from the cover of the book is no longer there (it's in a museum) but there are some beautiful, old headstones of old Savannah families. 

You can also see Moon River from the cemetery.  That song has a special place in my heart and it was our first dance at our wedding.

Moon River.... Wider than a mile...

A trip to Savannah deserves a visit to River Street.

View of the bridge from River Street

It's filled with lots of touristy shops and restaurants, but it also has the ultimate Southern treat... River Street Sweets!

Taffy...

Bear claws...

And pralines, oh my!

And best of all, we had breakfast on Tybee Island at the Breakfast Club. Probably the best place in the area for a greasy spoon meal.  I love them for their pecan waffles, but from what I've been told, you can't really go wrong with anything on the menu.

Yup. That is butter pooling up in the waffle grid.

I hope you enjoyed the photos! Check in tomorrow for a special Sweet Treat Saturday.  I made praline pecan cake to get me in a Southern cookin' kinda mood.

Savannah's Waving Girl