Almost the end of June...

I think I definitely have too much on my plate at the moment. While I haven't been blogging on here, my other blogs have kept me quite busy. I have also been designing some new patterns for my shop. I will definitely try to do better at keeping this up-to-date.

It was a busy Spring doing yard work and adding some plants and ornaments to my backyard to attract the birds, chipmunks and squirrels. It's a chore sometimes to keep the bird feeders full. The hummingbirds are in their glory with the new flowers and feeder we added around our deck.

One of the squirrels that frequents our yard can be seen in the picture below hanging upside down on the new bird feeder my son and daughter-in-law gave me for my birthday. I added a turquoise arrow so you might be able to see him.

I also want to brag about my grandson; isn't he a cutie? This was taken at the school's end-of-year choral and band concert. He sings in the choir.

I can't believe he is almost as tall as I am. Time sure does fly!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer; it is supposed to be very hot and humid starting on Friday which means I will be spending time in my studio where it is air-conditioned!

Wow...look at my African Violet flower!

First, of all...I'm back. I hope everyone had a great holiday season.

We had a very busy Christmas holiday at my house. Two of my children were home for all the festivities and there was cooking and enough food to feed a small army! Unfortunately, three of us ended up with the flu, but all are well now.

A while back, I wrote about my new African Violet plants that I ordered from Lyndon Lyon Greenhouse. They have started blooming...just look at the size of the flowers on one plant. It is almost as big as the dark green leaves!

This one is called "Kristi's Spunk"; just beautiful with shades of purples, pinks and blues! What a wonderful way to brighten up my studio during the winter season.

Oh well, the holiday is over...time to get back to work!

African Violets...

..while somewhat temperamental, they are still one of my favorite plants. I decided to order four (4) more plants from Lyndon Lyon; a local African violet greenhouse.

To be honest, I had thought about travelling to pick out my own all summer long; but time was not on my side. I knew if I wanted to have some sent in the mail, I only had until November 15 without incurring extra shipping fees, so last week I put in my order and received them last Friday.

Aren't they wonderful? They will add a splash of color in my studio and also keep my orchid and Sabi Star Sahara Desert Gemini Rose plants company.

I have been rearranging my studio and my office to make them both easier to work in; still not quite finished, but getting closer to making my space cozy.

As part of the rearranging, I just added a sofa in my office so that I would have a get-away place to hang out while I crochet or knit. No one in my house understands, but anyone who does either crochet or knitting knows how annoying it is when someone interrupts your counting.

The sofa I picked out is a sleeper sofa so it will serve a dual purpose. It will make a great hang-out space when my daughter visits in December as well as give her a place to sleep at night.

By the way, my daughter should be impressed that the orchid plant is still alive and getting bigger. Yay!

Update on my Sabi Star Sahara Desert Gemini Rose...

So in May I ordered my plants from QVC and they are actually still alive! Yeah! The nights are getting colder so I decided it was time to bring them into my home under my Gro-Light.

According to the pamphlet enclosed with the plants, within 18 months they are supposed to look like this:

Here they are at 4 months:

Hmmm...18 months might be wishful thinking at this point, but they are growing. The one on the right is doing much better than the one on the left, but they were received with one doing better than the other.

Hopefully, being under the light will help them survive the winter months where sunlight is not always abundant here in upstate New York.

I am also pleased to report that the orchid plant my daughter gave me is still alive and sprouting new growth. It seems to be thriving in my kitchen most likely because of the humidity from cooking.

Just a couple more months before my daughter comes home to visit...stay strong little plant...stay strong!