Mug rug and napkins

This year for Christmas I made a couple of gifts. 

A mug rug for my Secret Santa. I used Christmas fabrics and a tumbler template. 

And a set of six napkins for a friend. I was lucky enough to find a fabric with colors that go in her home.

Homemade lotion and lip balm

A friend pointed me to a lotion recipe on wellnessmama.com. She had given me some in the past as a gift, and I loved it. But I had run out so it was time to make some myself.

I used equal parts beeswax, shea butter and coconut oil (maybe a little less oil).

I mixed it together and heated until it was melted and then added a few drops of the oils I wanted.

I got two lavender lotions, one peppermint lotion and two peppermint lip balms. This works great for me on dry hands especially during the winter. 

Hour glass baby quilt

I had a request for a baby girl quilt a few months ago and the only requirement was that it be lavender.

Another favorite color to work with.

I picked the hour glass pattern again. It's so simple and goes together quick.

I decided to use white in the block this time.

Love these clips instead of pins for the binding.

The finished project...

...all ready to wrap up and gift.

HIgh Trestle Trail

Last weekend I ventured to the High Trestle Trail and Bridge. It's a relatively flat trail,  but I was still waiting for a calm day since there wouldn't be a lot of protection from the wind. I started in Slater and road the 10 miles to the bridge.

It was a beautiful day, and I could see for miles.

The bridge is a half mile long and is 13 stories high.

The view to the north.

The view to the west.

The view to the south.

Took a selfie as proof that I really made it.

View of the bridge from an observation deck looking southeast.

And then I needed to head back to Slater.

View to the east.

Very busy parking lot in Madrid. The trail from Madrid west to the bridge was quite busy and had walkers and riders.

New Grass

The grass on the south side of the house has been slowing dying over the past couple of years. It doesn’t get a lot of sun once the trees on the west side get their leaves. Maybe the sun it’s getting now will help it grow. And it’s under two evergreen trees. I knew grass seed would never stay put on the slope. One rain and it would all be a pile at the bottom. A friend had good luck with a grass mat like this and suggested I try it.

So I spent about an hour after work today digging out the big clumps that were still there so I could loosen the dirt and level it out. Once that was done I just wet it, put the mat down, and watered again.

If this works, I’m going to buy another one for more of the sad-looking area around it.

Spring Flowers 2016

Spring flowers were sprouting on time this year and maybe a bit early.

Crocus

Tulips  - these are out in a lot of sun so were earlier than others

I put up a new trellis for my clematis today that I have been needing the last couple of years as it was getting taller each year. The photo on the right is from last year where the old trellis only goes about three-quarters of the way up. Two years ago it got top heavy and the entire thing fell forward. So last year I strung some twine from the top of the trellis to the top of the garage for it to grab onto. It worked good but it was time for something better.

I also spent quite some time weeding this area of my gardens. They have gotten out of control already. It seems so early in the season but my goal is to do better than last year and keep the gardens looking nice. Maybe there were too many left over from last fall. By the time that time of year comes around, I am tired of yard work and things just don't get done. I'm debating about putting mulch in this area to help.

Daffodils are now blooming. 

This is the next area I'm going to work on. It has a lot of grass growing right in the middle of plants. It's going to be quite the job because I'm going to dig up about half of the plants to thin them and then replant. 

I love spring gardening because everything is new and fresh....and I haven't gotten tired of yard work in general. 

Rosary Zipper Bag

I saw this fabric and knew it would be perfect to make a small bag for my rosary. 

It's about 3x4 and is the smallest I've made so far. And it fits just right in my purse.

I need to make up a couple more of this size to help manage the rest of the smaller things that fall to the bottom of my purse.