We have arrived !

I am here !

I have been down here in Apollo Beach for just over two weeks now.

The move went very well, in spite of the extreme stresses involved in moving us and our furry kids across country.

My friend Suzanne and I had a very successful road trip down with the dog and two cats.

I will forever be grateful to Suzie for making that trip with me !

David and I and the animals are settling in to our new home.

The house is big, airy and starting to feel more and more comfortable as we unpack and make it ours.

Most of the furniture is in place but there are still a lot of boxes with knick knacks and paintings and decor items that need to be dealt with.

I have kind of run out of steam this week.

Which totally makes sense if I think back and realize that I have been living in limbo land and chaos for quite a few months now.

My body and spirit are reminding me of what I have been through, and I have had to slow down a bit.

The heat of Florida summer is no joke either.

That is helping me slow down too!

This morning at 9:30, it is 85 degrees with 77% humidity which makes it feel like 96.

It means I spend a lot of time indoors in the lovely AC cooled air.

It wouldn’t be so bad if we didn’t just leave behind a cruel long winter where I spent a lot of time indoors in the lovely heated warmth of the NH house.

I am craving the outdoors and missing Northern early summer greenery and growth.

But there are things about FL that I love already.

Number 1 is the beach !!!!

David and I have committed to going to the beach as often as we can, like every weekend, maybe ? Please ?!

Last weekend we went to our beloved Fort De Soto, and this weekend we are going to explore the Anna Maria Island beaches near Braedenton.

Even though it is overwhelmingly hot right now, once you get to the gulf waters, the breeze takes over and those turquoise waters are the perfect temp to frolick in all day !

Butter me up with sunscreen and sit me under that umbrella. I am in heaven !

My studio is starting to be a favorite thing in the house too.

I have unpacked a lot of my treasured toys and set them up in my new space.

I still need to find a rug or something to cover the carpet in the room so I can get as messy as I want with paint.

For now I have started back to stitching which doesn’t risk the carpet but gets my create juices flowing again.

I am stitching “quillows” again for a swap with Deb Taylor and other sweet stitching hearts.

Our theme for this swap is “Circles”.

The yoyos in the pic are vintage ones created by my grandmother.

I am including one on each of the 11 quillows I am making,

wanting to spread the circle treasures around, instead of hoarding them in a box just unused.

I hope to get back to blogging more now that things are settling in here.

I miss connections with my artist friends and love seeing what others are working on, and sharing bits of our life loving through photos and words.

For now, from my new home in hot and humid Florida,

Happy Summer, Beautiful Ones !