Trees, Birds & Dogs

It was a beautiful day for a run a the reservoir today. I even brought my camera out after we finished our run and caught some of the sites.

Yarn Along

I am on Day 8 of the flu. Or whatever this nasty cold really is. I'm am so ready to be back to 100%! But all this down time has really been great for my knitting. I actually have three new patterns. A turtle neck sweater, shawl and a cowl!

I made a shawl using 400 yards of sock yarn. I made the first one (the yellowy brown one) from my head.  I knitted it without anything written down. Now I'm knitting the second one out of Blue's yarn and this time I'm writing down the directions. I can't wait to send this one out to test knitters I really like it.  Also I made a pattern for a cowl using my handspun yarn.  I'll have all the detail on these patterns up soon!

I ran out of yarn for my sweater and I still need to finish the bottom waist line, but it is almost done. This will be a free pattern I will release after it is tested.  I wanted a casual lightweight sweater and this seems to be working out perfect.

Rudee and Rocky think all this sickness is getting old. They are ready to get out of the house and go for a run. Sorry dogs a few more days of rest.

I have been doing a lot of reading with the kids, but not much for myself. I have however been watching a lot of DIY shows on TV. I am so ready to rip my house apart and make it amazing just like they do on TV! Too much DIY watching can be harmful to the checking account.

Joining Ginny's Yarn Along

Cherrystone Family Campground

Fishing off of Pier 1.

Site 236

We just got back from an amazing camping trip at Cherrystone Family Camping Resort in Virginia.  Here is a little info about the campground from their website.

"Welcome to Cherrystone Family Camping Resort! There is a reason we’re considered the best family camping resort in the Mid-Atlantic region! We’ve got it all and then some! At Cherrystone you’ll find over 300 acres of natural waterfront on the Chesapeake Bay and over 700 sites shaded by tall trees. Our many features include camping cabins, on-site trailer rentals, four swimming pools, three fishing piers, a well-stocked General Store and the Bait and Tackle Shop. Our waterfront location will delight you with breathtaking sunsets, wildlife and a wide variety of birds. And don’t forget all that there is to do! Throughout the season, we have themed weekends and plenty of planned activities for the entire family. Waterfront activities, including fishing and crabbing, taking full advantage of the beautiful Chesapeake Bay! For a vacation to remember, we invite you to visit us at Cherrystone."

We had such a good time! I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked to. I blame that mostly on towing the two dogs around with me most of the time. It is hard to take pictures, hold two dog leases and a cocktail all at the same time. So unfortunately the camera had to be left behind most of the time.  But I have put together some pictures for this post from my cell phone, my husband's cell phone, my underwater camera and my big girl camera.

We spent 7 nights at the campground and we had so much fun.  The boys loved fishing and crabbing.

We were lucky to get to be there with some of our good friends.

I took these pictures from Pier 2. So if you are thinking about camping here if you look on Cherrystone's map these would be sites 77-88 on the right and the paddle boats are to the left (in the picture above). 

Such a fun way to celebrate the Fourth of July!

This was Rocky's first camping trip. He proved himself still awesome and was a great camper! No barking or bad behavior. Way to go Rocky!!!! My only complaint was the dogs didn't think it was a good idea to sleep in. So we were up just before 6 am everyday. They don't understand we can sleep in on vacation. But I must say I was very happy with the dog runs at the campground. I LOVED that they have a fenced in dog run. The dogs also loved getting to swim in the bay.

We were camped on Rockville Street. It was a great location because were were close to everything. We were just around the corner from the splash park, pools, general stone, cafe, jumpy pillow, pavilion, paddle boats, bay, pier, dog walk, bait & tackle shop, ect... But I have to note it was the craziest parking I have ever seen at a campground. Typically you park vertical to the street or you have a pull-through site. In the section we were in almost all the campers were parked horizontal to the street. Four sites share water and electric hook ups. So be prepared to bring a long power cord and sewer hook ups just in case. Since we were there with friends and there was a big tree on our site we parked on an angle. It worked out great that we were next to our friends so the kids could have the whole area to play in and we could keep an eye on them.

If you are planning on camping here and have a larger camper (over 30') or a motor home I'd recommend looking at the sites on Sunset Circle & Crab Lane. From what I noticed the sites have their own hook ups and water views and I think they are all pull through, but don't quote me on that.

We got to see the carriage rides from our site. Rudee didn't seem to be impressed with the horses walking around.

The site behind us opened up and it instantly became a great spot for a night time corn hole tournament. The section we were in was occupied by almost all friends and family members. So as soon as it turned dark out the kids got tucked in with babysitters at the lights came out and corn hole boards got set up. The picture below is before all the players showed up and all the golf carts to light the coarse.  Of course we had to play too. I was impressed to find out that some of the players were pros and play in tournaments and even have uniforms. I am also pleased to report yours truly made it to the semi-finals. I kicked a lot of those boys butts!

But during the day we had fun kayaking and swimming in the bay. We brought some kayaks with us, but you can rent them at the campground too in case you don't have your own.

The bay was so much fun. It was so calm. We all wore our water shoes and I loved floating on a raft.

There is Pier 1 and the Bait & Tackle Shop.

We rented a boat for half the day and it was a great way to play on the Bay.

There are several piers on the campground. We had such a fun time crabbing. The kids would toss the traps out and wait a whole 30 seconds or so before pulling the traps back up and just about every time they brought the traps up there were crabs in them! It was so much fun. We didn't keep any, but we did have fun catching them.

We really enjoyed our trip to Cherrystone and I wish I could post more pictures of all the other fun things we did so you could know more about the campground. I guess you will just have to go for yourself!  Oh and the fireworks!!! They were great too. Especially watching them from Pier 3. Although the kids had more fun looking for little fish and crabs with their flash lights in the water.  But I enjoyed watching Cherrystone's display and then watching the display across the Bay.  Two shows from one spot on the water!

Here is a little list of things I liked about the campground that I give it thumbs up for:

fenced in dog run, piers, paddle boats, WELL stocked general store (fresh eggs, milk, rv supplies, hardware, clothing, beer, wine, food, ect), cafe (nice to get a break from cooking a meal or two), paddle boats (free in pond), kayaks (free in pond), boat rentals, wooded sites, jumpy pillow, crabbing, fishing, bike riding, running (they have marked trails for 1 mile and 2 miles), security (there were police present),  

Here is a list of things I'd recommend bringing: water shoes, raft or body board to float on in the Bay, life jackets, small nets for catching fish, fishing poles, crab traps, bucket to keep your crabs in, bikes and if you have a boat then bring it! Also bring a long power cord to hook up with (if you have one, just in case).

We didn't do too much exploring around the area. Mostly because it was nice just being at the campground. But we did try to go to dinner at The Shanty, but the wait was over an hour. I don't know how their food is, but the view from the restaurant is great. I recommend calling ahead and having a reservation. We did have dinner at Kelly's Gingernut Pub and I had a great meal. They had a children's menu and all the kids loved their food so thumbs up for that!

For more info about Cherrystone you can check out their website here.

Snowed In

NJ is shut down today due to a state of emergency because of the snow.  Rudee Tudee has taken up a spot on the couch arm to watch the snow fall.

Look we could almost see grass!!!! Now we are expecting 8 fresh inches of snow.

I have SOOO many new patterns written, tested, knitted, knitted again, gifted, worn, tested again.... I'm not quite sure why I haven't released them. I think my biggest hold up has been naming them and settling on the yarn brands. Such decisions between Madelintosh, Miss Babs, The Fibre Company and Blue Sky Alpacas! At least I have my buttons selection down. The wonderful owners of Wooly Moss Roots have been amazing and I can't thank them enough for their support.

Now it comes down to what to release first.... 

The scarf above I had a great time making. I've been thinking of making a matching cowl to release with the pattern. I am planning on releasing it as a free pattern.... I am just dragging my feet.

I can blame that on all my quality time with the alpacas these days.  Everything at the farm finally started to thaw yesterday. My mom and I had the back breaking job of cleaning up hundreds of pounds of defrosting poop and hay yesterday. My father stopped by the farm to get something and while he was there he snapped a quick picture of my mom and I.  Remember behind every skein of yarn is a dirty hard working farmer :)

Joining Ginny's Yarn Along

Christmas Eve

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! All my hand knit gifts are washed, blocked and dry :) Presents are all wrapped ready to go to their recipients. Rudee Tudee is keeping her eye out for Santa. She asked for a large bag of bones. She has been a very good girl this year and I'm sure she is on the nice list.

The boys are bouncing up and down with excitement of Santa and I am so glad to have this wonderful time with my family.

Merry Christmas!

Lady bug

Last week while we were camping I noticed Rudee watching something. I walked over to her and realized she was cuddling up with a little lady bug. Could she be any more gentle!

 

 

I did put the lady bug on Rudee's head, but the pictures didn't come out. The boys were belly laughing so hard. Maybe I should have just taken a video :) I'll remember that next time.

Warmer Days

We decided to spend the kids Spring Break in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We packed up our camper and headed south for warmer weather!

After the what feels like never ending Winter we were very happy to be greeted by warm sunny beaches and heated outdoor pools. Ahhhhhh so nice.

Pelicans

Some knights from Medieval Times popped by the campground to put on a show.  Such fun. We were cheering for the blue knight and he won :)

We went down to Myrtle Beach following friends of ours. When we got to the campground we met friends of our friends. Then our friend brought out a tug of war rope and within minutes we had even more friends :)

 

Tiny was running along the beach at low tide and hopping in little puddles.  He was in all his glory and he asked me, "Mommy do you wish you were a kid and could jump in puddles all day?" I told him if I didn't have my camera on me at that moment I would have joined him. 

 

It was Rudee's first camping trip and she turned out to be a camping pro. She was a very good girl the whole trip.  For a 9 month old puppy she gets an A++.

I think we could spend all day looking for shark teeth. It is too relaxing. Ahhhh warm weather.

More puddle jumping.

Not a bad view from our campsite!

I was so impressed how Rudee would just lay back and watch dog after dog and bike after bike go by and she just chilled out as cool as a cucumber.  Such a good girl. Of course when we were out and about she got to play with lots and lots of dogs. I think she thought this was her vacation.

Our family really loves camping. This was our first trip with our camper and we were making plans the whole way home for our next trip. It took us 20 hours to get to the campground and it took us 15 hours to get back home. So we had time to think of a lot of plans :)  I can't express enough how much fun we had and how much I enjoyed spending so much time with my family.

Tiny listening to all of his daddy's batting tips.

 

I can't wait to go away again!!!