Spring Crafts

 

(March 26)

My Spring finishes are growing in numbers and it might be one of my most productive seasons but it's only because I had a lot of things about 90% done and I just needed to push past the finish line on them.  This quilt just needed binding and to find a home - it went to Ally and Brett for their wedding shower.  They are getting married in a just a few short weeks from now.  I'm kicking myself for not getting a picture of the fully finished quilt with the label on it though.  Somehow I just have this one from my work on the binding.  I posted this one as I was making it back in winter/spring 2025 so it's been waiting for a forever home for a little bit.

(March 20)

This pinwheel block quilt has been so fun to knit!  I've got two projects already bought and in the line up for knitting so I can't quite justify the yarn purchase for another one, but I might come back to this pattern again!  It's perfect for travel because you knit each block separately and then assemble it all in rows.  

(March 29)

(March 30)

It traveled with me to Nashville for work, and to FL for a fun weekend away with Ryan.  Its been back and forth to Freeport and of course it's spent a lot of time on the couch at Jamie's house.  I even got her to repurpose her mini-skeins from another project to make one of these for herself.  

(April 11)

(May 1)

(May 7)

You might remember this one from my massive quilt push this winter.  It's one of four baby blankets I made in different colorways.  I was caught off guard without a baby blanket to gift when Erin and Dave announced that they were having a baby back at Christmas time (due early May) so I decided I needed a few baby quilts ready to roll and made up four different versions of this quilt.  It's a quick sew, and a great size for a baby blanket/throw.  It uses a jelly roll so it comes together quickly.  I got these quilts back from Kristy (the long arm quilter) and I quickly bound this one for Erin and Dave.  It made it to their house just a day or two before their daughter, Josie was born.  We have another new baby cousin and I can't wait to meet her!

(May 15)

This is another of the baby quilts I've got nearly completed.  I told myself I couldn't start any new projects until everything I had on hand was fully finished.  

(May 16)

Baby quilt #3 - bound and ready for a label and a forever home!

(May 17)

Pinwheel blanket - just needs it's label and this one is ready to gift!  I think this year might be the year that all the Murph family Aunts get handmade blankets from me.  I gifted Aunt Terri a quilt a few years back but Aunt Laura, Corda and Jan have been on my list since then.  I think this year is the year!

Mother's Day Camping

 

Man do I love this kid!!  

First camping trip of the 2026 season took us to Wyalusing - a camp ground I've had my eye on for years but we've struggled to get a site at.  This year was no different!  Back in January as we started planning our camping season we decided on Mother's Day with Mom and Dad and we check campsites and somehow, there were only TWO sites left for that weekend at Wyalusing so we scooped them up quick and the put ourselves on the wait list for anything else that would open up.  It would have been nice if Joey and Andy could have come too and I know Jamie and Zach were interested in a spring trip but in the end, nothing opened up so it was just the 6 of us.  

Overall it was a very low key weekend.  We didn't get there until pretty late on Friday night because Abby had a field trip that didn't get her back until around 5:30.  With a little over a 3 hour drive, it might have been a little aggressive of a trip for the first one of the year and still during the school year, but oh well!  We did a little hiking, a little exploring and a lot of sitting around while the guys worked on getting Dad's truck ready for their NEW camper.  Yep - you read that right, the Ritterbusch's are getting a new camper in just a week or so, so this was the final trip in their current camper.  

Ryan and I have already been tossing around the idea of upgrading ours for something new this year, and there's nothing like seeing someone else getting a new camper to make you want one too!!  We've had our eye on the used market since last fall and the right thing hasn't come up yet, but I expect this will be our last summer with our current camper as well.  

Back to camping though - all in all, we will figure out a way to get back to this campground again soon.  It was beautiful and we left a lot to explore on future trips.  It's a beautiful part of the world with a lot of interesting Native American history and typography.  We know we need to book 11 months out now so it's just a matter of planning early!  Maybe we'll book it in the next month or so for NEXT Mother's Day weekend and get everyone one board for the weekend.

A trip to West Palm Beach - just me and my honey!

 

Mom and Dad got out of town without the kids!  I think Ryan and I have always done a great job of date nights and weekends away without the kids but we rarely go just the two of us.  Back at the end of the year Ryan did some work for a customer on their vacation condo in Palm Beach but he wasn't able to finish everything on that trip so when it came time to head back and finish the last handful of things the owner offered that I could join, we could stay in the condo and have a vacation weekend away.  How could I not say yes to that?  

It took a little coordinating to get the kids and dogs taken care of while we were gone, but thanks to Mom and Dad and Jamie and Zach we pieced it all together and Ryan and I got on a flight Tuesday after work and came back Sunday.  It was actually a pretty long trip in the end!  We both worked Wednesday and Thursday but I took PTO on Friday and sat my booty butt poolside for a few hours while Ryan finished up the last of the jobs he was there to tie up.  We ate at some great restaurants thanks to Lynn's recommendations - places we never would have found on our own.  

We explored, we hiked, we kayaked.  We breweried, we ate donuts for breakfast one morning, found some delicious cocktails, I ate peel and eat shrimp and were home on the couch by 9pm every single night and it was the most perfect of vacations!  We have officially begun the "pal-ing around" phase of life and I am here for it!!