Libby Bert & Blooming Roses

I just picked this beauty in my backyard. It is a Don Juan and it has a beautiful scent. This old rosebush just keeps going, turning out roses year after year, for the past twenty some years...even in February.

Making a little progress on "Libby Bert". I was low on a specific blue so I had to order a bit more. Of course it is not the exact color I had, but I will mix it in the best I can. It seems the hooking muses have it out for me lately. Regardless, I am enjoying Libby.

For those of you that asked, the pattern is "Libby Bert". I cannot remember the company and cannot find it anywhere on the internet. Sorry. It is dated 2006 so I've had it a good while. I'm thinking about making her into a pillow with a proddy edge. She'd be cute on my white slipcovered sofa for the summer. Time will tell.

For all of you in the path of this next weather front, stay safe. I know spring is out there somewhere!

Enjoy the day,

Robyn

Brrrrrr...&..."a pox on that rug!"

We're freezing down here in the Sunshine State! Oh, the sun is still shining, but the temperature is a new low for us. My house was a chilly fifty three degrees this morning...I was forced to fire up the heater. I know these temps in the 30's would be welcomed by many of you at this point, but for us it is wicked cold. 

This is the time of year when our roads are swelled by "snow birds". License tags from the North practically outnumber the locals...Ontario, Michigan, Massachusetts, Ohio. The people in those cars are surely grateful for the 30's...and the sunshine. They will be thanking their lucky stars this weekend when we are back up in the 70's! Count us among the grateful!

Usually, around this time I am gearing up to put my white slipcovers on my living room furniture. The sun gets stronger every day and I don't want to risk fading on my sofa...it gets a lot of sun. 

I took a few pics this morning...a final salute to our "winter" home.

This year I gathered all my Shooner Redware on the bookcases. I've enjoyed it there and might end up leaving it. 

I put the rug I was working on...Thistle Down Moon from Maggie Bonanomi...away for now. I just could not get into it. It wasn't fun anymore. I can't find the book with the original in it, so that was frustrating me. I have a horrible feeling that it might have, accidentally, found it's way into the recycling bin with a pile of magazines. It occurred to me as I was hooking on that rug, that the last couple of rugs I have hooked have been that same pallet...with green leaves and black background. I think I was "bored".

 So, I pulled out this Liberty Bert rug and have been working to finish her. I had all the wool with her, and the backing on which she is drawn is a delight to hook on. I'm convinced the change in colors has restored my enthusiasm.

Have a great weekend...try to stay warm...and safe!

Enjoy the day,

Robyn

...a little progress...very little

I'm struggling with a rug that I thought would be an easy project. I usually love hooking leaves, but these are giving me some trouble. The smaller one will be redone. 

I almost put the whole thing away. But...in the end, I just could not give up. It's against my nature.

Also...........

I'd already made this big mess! Might as well keep plugging along. Do you make messes like this when you hook?

I did read this while waiting for inspiration. A great read! Can't wait to see the movie.

If she can walk a thousand miles...alone...I can fix those leaves!

Enjoy the day,

Robyn

Enjoy the day!

Randomness...

How are you? Is it freezing where you are? We are having a lovely winter...chilly...turtlenecks and lots of tea weather. Love it! 

I have been collecting early red doll dresses for some time. I finally decided to make a dolly just the size for one of these frocks. She's a simple girl...antique black fabric from a choir robe and lambs wool hair from an old coat collar. She loves the dress!

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My blogger friends are the best! These wonderful necklaces were a gift from Lauren of http://rugsandpugs.blogspot.com/. Aren't they great? Annie loves her name and she is always thrilled to see it. We were both smiling big smiles when we opened the package to find these great old spoon handles. I must confess...on occasion...I have worn them both together! Lauren, you are a sweetheart!

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This next bit of randomness might...well, it's just plain silliness. If you read MW you know we travel with The Florida Bar. You also might know that every January we visit Tallahassee, where The Bar has it's home offices.

Tallahassee is a college town...a government town...a lobbyist town...in other words, it has a lot of visitors. It just doesn't have very many good hotels. In a town with so many visitors...especially students...well, hotels get "worn".

We have stayed in a couple of different hotels, but the past few years we have stayed in what they call a signature hotel. Owned by a well know hotel corporation, these hotels are usually old hotels that they have tried to breathe new life into...not always succeeding. Such is the hotel where we stay in Tallahassee. We stay here because they can accommodate the whole Board for their large meeting, and it is close to the Bar office.

Most of the Board members come to Tallahassee alone...their spouses pass on this trip. Annie and I love Tallahassee because we go to Thomasville, Georgia for a day of fun, and we roam around our capital city the rest of the time...they have a wonderful knitting shop.

A lot of jokes are made about this hotel. A lot! We refer to it as, "the prison". It has a very small window.

It is a very small room.

And the bathroom...

is, basically, in the middle of the room.

Separated by these sliding glass panels...frosted glass you cannot see through. Lovely. 

Needless to say, this is not up to par with our usual accommodations. We do what we have to do. As Annie says..."It ain't the Ritz!

 And to add insult to injury...or, injury to insult,

the shower floor is covered with these river rocks...they hurt your feet. Oh, and the inside wall of the shower is a giant mirror! Yikes! 

We have a wonderful time on our travels. The accommodations are usually first rate. But this one hotel, well it makes us giggle. I am always more than relieved to leave this cellblock on Saturday morning! 

Stay warm!

Enjoy the day,

Robyn

I'm in the laundry room!

A few years ago we redid our laundry room. I added a lot of cabinets and a tiger maple counter... a lovely eleven foot run of gorgeous wood. Over the years, it's been filling up with all the stuff we accumulate as we move through time. My beautiful counter disappeared beneath the influx.

This week I dug in and made some progress on eliminating the clutter. The middle of the counter is my desk area. Here is a peek. This is my space...full of sentimental pieces of my life...the Steiff elephant my parents gave me for my tenth birthday is here among the family photos.

It's a work in progress. I'm hoping to, once again, improve the other side of the room...the storage area. We have a vision of what we would like to do...now we need to find the person to do it. For now, I'm happy to see my countertop once again.

These little faces keep me company while folding!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Enjoy the day,

Robyn

February Kitchen Window

February...a month for cherubs, chocolates, roses, sweet sentiments...and lots and lots of red! Hanging in my window this month is a Mugwump Woolies small red and black striped heart, mounted on an old brown checked quilt piece, in a combed frame. Squiggly lines...stripes...and checks...love it! 

I've added a hanging wrought iron light this month. And, the tiny seed lights are now a favorite.

I have always loved this sweet girl...Polly Put the Kettle On...by Debbee Thibault. Wearing a lovely red frock she's dressed perfectly for the month of St. Valentine's Day.

Just a few wool hearts nestled in a box draped in twinkly lights.

Picked up a wonderful button fern heart topiary in Tallahassee yesterday. Our annual trip to our state capital always includes a visit to the Tallahassee Nursery. It was in full bloom with so many wonderful flowers and plants! I always wish I had more room in the car when we stop there!

Hope to be back later in the week with a few more bits of red.  

Enjoy the day,

Robyn