Here We Go! And the April Doodle

"Where are we going to today?" I asked Mr. Pinker

"How about Grenada Lake, "he said with a grin. 

"Oh, boy! I know what that means! You are looking for a fishing hole, " I said with smile. 

"Maybe, " said Mr. Pinker as he eyed the new lures he had just bought. 

We packed up our chairs, tied on our kayak and trucked on down the road. 

Welcome, y'all and Happy Thursday. Today I thought I would share a bit of our camping adventures and one of our favorite free camping spots among other things. 

Soon Mr. Pinker and I came to the town of Oxford, Mississippi. As we turned into the Walmart parking lot, I batted my eyes and said" Look! How lucky are we!!!! A Goodwill is right next door!" 

"Oh, we are lucky , " sighed Mr. Pinker but in all honesty he loves a good thrifting trip too.  After we picked up a few snacks at Wally World, the old red truck and raggedy camper pulled into the Goodwill where I made a fabric haul. Now there are no photos for evidence, but I can assure you that I was doing a happy dance when I bought all of this fabric for a song. 😀💓

By evening,  we made our way to Skuna Turkey Primitive Camping area at Grenade Lake.

 "Let's check out this area, " said Mr. Pinker. There is supposed to be 6 sites with water, picnic tables, bathrooms and  grills. " 

Down the tree lined road we went. The campsites were along a little loop. "Which site catches your fancy? " asked Mr. Pinker. 

"Oh, any of them. I am not picky". Around the loop we went. I did not say anything. 

"OK, 😌 let's go around the loop again, " said Mr. Pinker. And so we did. 

"I like this site, "  I told him , but then he pointed out a 4 wheeler trail right beside it. "Oh , bummer! I am sure we will have lots of visitors here. How about the one close to the bathrooms?"

This site has a four wheeler trail down the hill and to the water. 

"Sounds like a plan, " said Mr. Pinker.  

Up the small incline we went . Perfect! It was flat enough. 

 A nice peaceful campsite. 

"I'm going to check out the bathrooms, " I said to sweet hubby. 

The women's bathroom boarded up. 

 I strolled down to the small building only to find the women's side was boarded up. "No bathroom for me, " I yelled back to Mr. Pinker who just shook his head.  

I made my way to the men's side . "By golly, the men have facilities, " I chimed to no one in particular. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Pinker checked out the water spigot. "No water! " he shouted. 

"Well at least our tanks are filled, " I said . "Maybe they will turn the water on in April. " Thankfully , we were all snug as a bug in a rug with all of our basic needs in Raggedy Annie , the old truck camper, but it is always nice to know that a bathroom or water is nearby if needed and available .  

That evening the temperatures dropped, and the winds howled. Mr. Pinker and I retreated to the comfort of our camper. We would be up for a new adventure tomorrow. 

Before drifting into Slumberland, I worked on a darling vintage bunny embroidery. This Days of the Week embroidery can be found as a freebie at French Knot's website along with other fabulous designs.

So sorry for the dark photo and wrinkles. 

I will share more on the camping later, but for now I would like to share the April doodle which is several days overdue. Please do forgive me.  This month's doodle is dedicated to my love of birds. I adore watching birds in the wild. How about you? 

One year I had couple of  reddish feathered friends visit and build a nest on my porch eave. 

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If you are interested in stitching this piece,  just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends. 

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My doodles are hand drawn and are never perfect. 

I used the basic stem stitch in stitching this design after color tinting it with crayons and colored pencils. I also heat set it once  I was back home. 

 If you have missed any of the other heart doodles, I do invite you to visit the previous posts by clicking the colored links. ❤

 Block 1 A Winter's Night, 

Block 2  Country Mail Delivery  

Block 3 A Country Spring Day

The youngins' will be here this afternoon after school and then off to the ballfield we will go. Both the grandsons are staying very busy with Spring ballgames and tournaments. Fingers crossed they will hit a home run, but more importantly that they have fun. Have a beautiful day, Sweeties and...

As always...

Happy quilting and stitching, ya'll

Melisa

"Happiness is enjoying the little things. "

Hugs and Stitches and Warm Spring Wishes !!!🤗❤🧵

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy . Love and miss you., Amo ❤❤

There were so many butterflies at Grenada. 

Ya'll come back now, ya hear ! 

Home Sweet Home

"Just one more night

 And I am coming off this long and winding road. 

I am on my way

I am on my way

Home Sweet Home ! " - Motley Crue

Hello, sweet friends. It seems like forever and a day since we have last chatted. How are you? ❤🤗  I hope you are doing fantastic and have been staying as busy as possible!  

Mr. Pinker have made our way down the "long  and winding roads" and are now back at our humble home in the holler. We had a month of relaxation , fun and adventure.  

For the last few weeks we have camped in the great states of Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas . We enjoyed free camping at some of the most beautiful lakes and rivers. 

Sardis Lake, Mississippi

Some days were overcast , and we did experience rain on a few days. For the most part, we experienced wonderful camping weather though. 

Sabine River, Texas

Mr. Pinker got in a lot of fishing time.  

I enjoyed working on my quilts while at camp. 

 

Aren't these ferns so lovely? In the evenings, we would take afternoon strolls through the forests. - So quiet and peaceful and rarely a soul around. 

We did not see as much wildlife as we had hoped. I was always fearful of seeing an alligator since we were near swampy areas , but Mr. Pinker said all I had to do was out run him. 🐊😂🏃😏🐊 Hmmm could I do that?- I don't think so. LOL. 

I was fascinated by all of the turtles basking in the sun. It was a good day to be a turtle.😀🐢🌞

At Neches River Wildlife National Refuge, we saw an old wild boar trapping area. 

We were both in awe of the beautiful flowers while visiting Texas.

Whitney Lake, Texas

 I thought about my IG friend, Angela who stitched the flowers of Texas last year. 

Do you know what the names of these flowers are? They are gorgeous!!!

Of course , when we are in the Texas area we always have to stop to eat at Whataburger. Yum! Yum!  

Whataburger's jalapeno burger

Mr. Pinker loved eating at Raising Cane as well, but for the most part Mr. Pinker manned the stove in the little camper. 

Because we were in the path of the eclipse , we remained in Texas for a bit longer and watched it. It was amazing. Did you watch it?  What did you think?

 We watched the vultures go back to the trees to roost and all got quiet . 

I hope to post more camping pictures along with what I worked on this week. But for right now, I have clothes to wash and chores to tend too. 

I want to thank you all for the sweet visits and kind messages when I was gone.   You really mean the world to me. 

  I am curious - when I am off on vacation do you mind have prescheduled posts or just pop in which are few and far between.  I still  have not mastered being on the road and internet access.  I have to use the computer for internet rather than using my phone ( a preference thing. LOL) You know this gal is not tech savvy don't you? 😀🖥    .  

I look forward to catching up with all my blogging and IG friends as well. It may take me a few days but I will catch up. 

 Alrighty, I will not ramble anymore.  I will chat with you soon. I haven't forgotten that I have to share the April doodle. Have a wonderful evening. 

As always...

Happy quilting and stitching, ya'll

Melisa

"Life is about the adventures you take and the memories you make..."

Hugs and Stitches!!! 🤗❤🧵

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. . Love and miss you., Amo ❤❤❤

I can not let you leave without me telling you how much I appreciate your sweet visits. 😊❤

Other Posts That Might Strike Your Fancy!

🌞Parade of Homes- Early 2024 parade of home freebies.

🌞A Blooming Parade A Look at Spring and Easter Previous Freebies-   2024 Parade of Spring freebies

🌞Buzzin Bee Parade 2023-  An early 2023 bee freebie parade. 

🌞Messin and Gommin in the Kitchen -  2022 post on how I tea/ Coffee Dye my fabric. 

Chicks and Bunnies Easter Hutch Tour

 Good afternoon, Honey Bunnies!  Four more days until Easter! My this month is flying by. Slow down is what I say. How about you?  

Bunnies and Chicks have took up house on my hutch for the Spring season.  You guessed it! It is another Country Clutter post. I am no minimalist which I am sure you can already tell. Any whoo, I would love for you to join me as I share how I decorated the hutch for the season. 

I started out with the Dollar Tree yellow plates and some thrifted white plates . I used these as backdrops . 

I then gathered as many bunnies, chicks and all things yellow as I could find. I wanted a "Sunny Spring" display to brighten up the days. 

I rarely change out the top of the hutch, It usually holds my Campbell's soup tin and Coca Cola crates, but this month I did add the adorable Farm Bureau CO-OP chick sign. 

The top shelf is filled to the brim with bunny and chick  cuteness- Well at least in my eyes. Hee! Hee! 🐇🐰🐤🐥🐣

 Spring was a stitch that I  shared a couple of years ago. It is finished on a thrifted metal tray.  Nestled in the vintage Pyrex bowl is my large thrifted white bunny and big ceramic chick. All of these came from the Goodwill over the years. 

In the corner, is The Trilogy's piece  called " Happy Bunny Bunny Day"; it is still one of my Easter favorites. 

Let's hop down to the bottom shelf. Shall we? 

Normally, With Thy Needle and Thread's "Bunny & Co." hangs on a wreath in the  hall but this year I placed it on the hutch. 

 It is finished in a Walmart tobacco basket purchased a few years ago. Below Bunny & Co. is my  1869 Bunny Hop freebie. It was a super quick stitch and is finished as a pin pillow.  My dear sister gifted me the wooden spoon which has an egg in it and the glass salt and pepper shakers. 

Let's Bunny Hop to the 3rd shelf! Hippety! Hop! Hop! 🐰🐇🐰

White platters were used as a backdrop on this shelf The vintage juicer and scales always stay on the hutch.

I placed a vintage Pyrex bowl on the juicer and added a small chick appliqued pillow and the darling knitted dishcloth that dear Patricia sent me. I just love it.  Hi, Patricia!  In the Hull, pitcher is a thrifted chick and behind it is a darling freebie called  Peter's Day Out  from Lindy's Stitches, that I finished into a little pin pillow .

Little thrifted chicks surround  1869 Spring Chick Crock which was a freebie I shared a couple of years ago. I do have more crock stitches in mind.  I finished 1869 Spring Chick Crock  in a square candle holder that I turned on it's side. 

Beatrice Bunny's Carrot Haul Stamp  is nestled on top of a yellow berry basket. 

I shared Beatrice last year . She has a sister piece called Beatrice Bunny . 

Beatrice Bunny  

A darling vintage chicken handkerchief and doily drape along the bottom edge of the hutch.  My sweet friend , Kate, knows my love for chickens and sent me the handkerchief. 🤗🐥🐔 Hi, Kate! 😘

This year I pulled out some of my small old taper candleholders and balanced wooden eggs on them. One such candleholder landed on the hutch. Cute- don't you think? 

The old postal scale holds two small bowls that my sis gifted me. Nestled in the bowls  are more cross stitch pieces, an egg and some old pip berries from a floral arrangement.   Isn't that little vintage plastic bunny the cutest? I bought it a few years ago in East TN at a thrift store. I think is was a bubble blower but I am  not for sure. Do you know?  He sure grabbed this gal's heart though. 

The cross stitch pieces are The Tulip House  and "Spring" which is a freebie from Cosmic Handmade .

Oh my ! Are your eyes crossed from seeing all of that clutter? I sure hope not. 

My newest find is this Cadberry tin. I tried my darndest to squeeze it in but have yet to find a spot for it. Oh, well maybe next year. Hee! Hee! 

If you are interested in previous Easter hutch tour, I invite you to check out the links below. You will see a lot of the same items , but displayed a little different. 

 2023 Hip Hopping Easter Hutch Tour

2022 Carrot Pickin Easter Hutch Tour

2021 Sunny Yellow Easter Hutch Tour 

I have to admit that 2022's Carrot Pickin' Hutch is still my favorite hutch for Easter time to this day . 

Mr. Pinker and I are moving campsites tomorrow. Right now Mr. Pinker said I am able to use my phone hot spot to connect to my computer. Wheew! I didn't know I could do that.- I learn something new every day.  This is giving me a little time to blog, but I am not able to comment back yet. I am still worried about data charges. ( I am not very tech savvy either 🙄, but I am learning. 😀)Thank you , Sweet friends for all of the kind comments and always for the sweet visits 

Well I am off to enjoy the evening by the lake. Have a "Hip Hoppity" Day and ...

As always...

 Happy stitching and decorating, ya'll

Melisa

Believe there is a great power silently working all things for good. Behave yourself and never mind the rest. - Peter Rabbit. 

Hugs and Stitches!!!

Dedicated to my sweet baby sister, Amy. I love and miss you so much! ❤🦋❤

Other Posts That Might Strike Your Fancy!

🌞Parade of Homes- Early 2024 parade of home freebies.

🌞A Blooming Parade A Look at Spring and Easter Previous Freebies-   2024 Parade of Spring freebies

🌞Buzzin Bee Parade 2023-  An early 2023 bee freebie parade. 

🌞Messin and Gommin in the Kitchen -  2022 post on how I tea/ Coffee Dye my fabric.