The Branch

Hello dear friends. I hope everyone is having a nice Sunday.
I had to work early today until afternoon. Our department decided last Friday that we open today and be closed on Monday due to Hurricane Erika, then predicted to hit Florida by Monday. Good thing it has been downgraded to tropical wave since yesterday, so everybody's okay. (photo below was taken around 6:45am today)

Stitchwise, I have a new WIP. I did it. I started my Halloween chart yesterday (aiming to finish it by end of September. Goal too ambitious? I didn't say what year, haha)

This is my second 16ct. (Ziggy was the first one), woohoo! I'm using lite oatmeal aida.

In case you've forgotten what this piece looks like:

The Branch

by Barbara Ana Designs

 I already expect that it's going to be those words that will give me a difficult time to reach my goal. They are too small for 16ct. but I'm still not brave enough to use 18ct or smaller. I'll just enjoy the xstitches for now.
Thanks for visiting. Happy Stitching!

Happy Day WIP

Hello dear friends. 
Not much done on Happy Day, just a few red stitches. I should definitely get my act together this weekend:(

I'm also thinking of starting Halloween (the one I originally prepped for travel stitching) because it's almost September, we'll see about that...

Meanwhile, this is the last part of the Gainesville photos (finally! haha)

Friday afternoon after the convocation (last day, before the torturous bus ride home) we went to this place because it's listed in "Things to do in Gainesville"

Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park. 

It features a 120feet deep cavity...rainforest with small streams trickling down to a... Sinkhole. 

 I'll let these marks do the explaining to you...

Now who's in for some cardio workout?

 Did we dare?

Can't believe this sweet lady running up and down these stairs, wow. She kindly offered to take our photos;)

 

 and yes, we did dare...

No wonder, our bodies were hurting even before the bus ride, lol.

Missing my niece -_-

Thanks for visiting. Happy Stitching!

Happy Day part 2 (with Dinosaurs and butterflies)

Hello blogging friends. Here's part 2 of "Happy Day" stitching and more of Gainesville.
Thanks for the comments on niece' room blogpost. Btw, she does have roommates but each have a cell, I mean room, of their own. There's four of them sharing a kitchen and lounge, and two share one bathroom. They need to come up with a contract where all of them will sign the rules they want to impose, cleaning duties, schedule, etc and submit it to the administrator. Last time I texted they were playing boardgames, hah. Her roommates are all girls (2 freshmen and a sophomore).

Stitchwise, I only had little progress Friday night. I got tired of the blue so I stitched red. Those things on the right are my tokens from the place we visited that morning (I have to carry my duffel to the bus so I didn't want it to be heavy:(

Friday morning niece went to the convocation, so sis and I did some exploring of our own;)

Florida Museum of Natural History:

... and this is what I call a dentist's nightmare, lol.

Now that you got tired of teeth, bones and all that pale color...

Let's see some colorful butterflies:

Walls of butterflies from different continents... 

 

 

Interesting trivia;)

 

 

 

Can you see butterflies coming out of their cocoon?

You can observe the staff mounting insects in shadowboxes. Hmm, this is much more meticulous than xstitch framing, haha.

 

Thanks for visiting. Happy Stitching!

Happy Day

Hello dear friends. I'm back from Gainesville. Last night I just did some reading on blogs as I have not yet organized the photos and this body was aching so much from that bus ride (Sis said we're not doing that again, she'd rather drive, haha.) Good news is big niece is liking the place, she even took a selfie of her first ever campus bus ride, lol.
Let me show you what I've accomplished on "Happy Day" during our drive going to Gainesville (this was Wednesday):

I started the blue. I'm stitching on 14ct. white aida. The chart was on my lap because beside me was a big box filled to the brim with niece' things. Good thing I planned it all out in her car where the sun couldn't bother me, her stuff provided good shield, lol.

First day was spent disinfecting her room- which she first referred to as a cell. (we used alcohol wipes- she did each slat of those blinds, bed, furniture, I did the walls, and sis vacuumed the floors, vents).

Second day was shopping for necessities and decorating, this is how far we got: 

I bought a plain corkboard from Michael's and covered it with fabric where she could pin or hang pictures and notes. She decided the whole layout of her room (yep, we rearranged furniture, we consciously allowed her to torture us! Good thing there wasn't really much option in a small room so not much lifting required, lol)

She placed her frames by her bed (will remind her to have enough sleep!... that girl stays up late watching comedies, dramas and kpop;(  

And then she wanted to have bright color to look at when she's in bed. So this was our bonding DIY moment (we did this last week). It's a flower chain which she got the idea from the net. We got artificial flowers on sale (very cheap) at Michael's and used her dad's fishing line, lol. I covered the dowel in yellow ribbon.

The other side of the room is just her computer/study desk, closet and the door, not much decorating done there so I didn't take pictures.

Now we go over to some sightseeing of Historic Gainesville...

Thomas Center:

A private residence til 1920s, became a resort hotel, turned into community college in the 70s, and now a museum, houses art galleries and rents areas for business as well as weddings.

"William Reuben Thomas was educator, school administrator, banker, hotelier, land developer, retailer, and a state senator. He played a primary role in locating the University of Florida in Gainesville. Thomas Hall, the first campus building, is named in his honor."

 

 

 

 

 

 

1920s period rooms (Major Thomas residence was then called "Sunkist villa" where he lived with his wife and 5 kids)

The Galleries:

 

Personally, I loved looking at the roof, haha.

Ongoing exhibit is called Beauty and the Beasts:

I see a Hello Kitty on this one, do you see it?

That's it for now. I hope you didn't get bored with my long post, lol.

Thanks for visiting. Happy Stitching!