Goofin' Off and Cruising Thru 2022

 I am always surprised how long it's been between blog posts...but I really enjoy being here and sharing with my blogging friends that I always come back!  

It's been a great year so far with little complaints.  And can I just say that this year has become the year of cruising for the Goofin' Off family.  It was totally unplanned, with some cruises come in at a very inexpensive price...including one completely free courtesy of Royal Caribbean which even included gratuities and taxes and port fees and well, pretty much everything!  Let's just say that even though I am officially no longer selling travel, somehow I ended up on their short list for a return to service cruise for their cruise ship Ovation of the Seas.  It was only at 13 percent capacity, and we felt we had the ship to ourselves.  

We're two cruises down and have two more to go this year.  

Mr. Goofin' Off Getting Ready to Board Our Free Cruise in February

Mr. Goofin' Off With Our Caribbean Cruise in May

We feel so lucky and blessed to be able to do this.  I got a great deal on a cruise to Alaska in the off-season for a trip with my little sister...and then in October we're cruising to Prince Edward Island to take my mother-in-law to the only bucket list item she has ever shared with us...to visit the home of Anne of Green Gables.  

I'll let you in on a secret here:  It's been on my bucket list too, but I don't think I could have ever talked Mr. Goofin' Off into going with me.  But since this is the trip of a lifetime for my mother-in-law, he agreed.  Actually, all of his siblings are coming, too!  We're looking forward to making memories of a lifetime with the family.  

There is so much to share, but I know what you all really came for are the updates to the projects I've been working on.  I started a new job in October and have been busy getting settled in and learning so much.  It hasn't left me with a lot of time to work on projects, but I do have some updates for you.  

Mickey and Pirate Friends Update 08/12/2022

Mickey and Pirate Friends Latest Picture 08/12/2022

This is the most recent picture I have of Mickey and Pirate Friends.  I have actually done quite a bit more, but I'll save that picture for another post...because progress just doesn't seem to come as quickly as I'd like with my new job taking up so much time.  

But I am working on cutting out some things (like news, TV and social media) to give myself more stitching and sewing time.  It seems to be working...which is why I'm back.  I'm finding with cutting out news, social media, and down to 1 hour max of TV time a day (although some days it's none at all), I am so much more relaxed and happier now...but I have missed my blogging friends.  

Latest Quilt - Fishing Blocks

Fish Quilt - Assembled Blocks

This spring I have been doing some volunteering with Make a Wish Foundation.  When the gal I've been working with dropped by my house one afternoon, she saw some of my quilts and fell in love with them.  I figured it was time to get the sewing machine back out again and use up some of these fabrics I've been stashing and use them up.  So here is my latest...

She also asked about possibly making some quilts for Make a Wish kids that are themed to their wishes.  I am so slow at getting projects finished.  She said not to worry because 80 percent of the kids want Disney-related wishes...so pretty much anything I do that uses Disney fabrics would easily find a home.  What do you think?  Does this sound like me?  LOL

Well, I hope you all are having a great summer.  I know the Goofin' Off family is, and we're not taking it for granted either as we know that life can throw you a curve ball at any time.   

Have a magical day!  

Andrea

Goofin' Off Into 2022

I can't believe how the months have flown by.  As always, I regret not keeping up with my blog, as it has become a journal of sorts...and I miss the friends that I have made through blogging.  So here are a few quick updates.  

Last fall I got a new job.  It was for a company that I had wanted to work with for a long time.  I didn't have the skill set they needed.  They contacted me, asked me to take a test, and have been paying for me to take the classes to get the skills that I am missing.  It allows me to work from home and set my own schedule.  I started onboarding in October (while I was at Disney World for two weeks).  It was a balancing act, for sure, but I was glad I was able to make it work.  I got to begin doing actual work for them in November.  

Princess Day at Magic Kingdom

Did I mention that part of our time in Disney World was spent with my brother's family?  While all the "guys" went to Universal Studios one day, us "girls" held a "Princess Day".  These girls were so excited.  The minute we walked through the gates at the Magic Kingdom, all their favorite princesses appeared on the train station platform above.  The girls seemed to think that the princesses came out just for them.  The princesses spent time engaging and talking with these little girls.  I think we could have left after that, and they would have been just as happy and none the wiser about rides, etc.  It was a magical day for all of us.  While Mr. Goofin' Off was off with the guys, I gained a new ride buddy for the day.  I don't get to see these great-nieces very often, so I reveled in the opportunity to get to know them better. 

Then, at the beginning of November, I had oral surgery for a triple bone graft in my jaw for a future dental implant.  It had a three-day expected recovery.  Let me tell you, I got a recurring infection that lasted for five weeks...yes, that's five weeks.  I was so sick from both the infection and the antibiotics, it was miserable.  I had to start working in November, so I pretty much just worked and rested those five weeks.  Eventually, they reopened the surgical site and cleaned it out thoroughly.  That seemed to do the trick.  Things have been fine ever since (knocking on wood).  

Seattle Symphony Holiday Pops Concert

Fortunately, December was pretty uneventful, and we just sat back and enjoyed the holiday season.  Mr. Goofin' Off got us balcony box seats at the Seattle Symphony for their Holiday Pops Concert.  The box seats allowed us to keep a decent distance from other concertgoers and feel safe.  It really set off the holiday spirit for us.  

Project Updates as of January 9, 2022

I know it's been so long, so of course I've got a few updates.  I actually won't post them all quite yet.  Although I have finished the flamingo quilt, I know I won't be working on any more quilts until I finish my courses for my new job...which probably won't be until about April.  So here is the next step all finished.  It is the set of flamingo blocks with a black fabric border.  I loved how the black helped the flamingos pop.  

Block Set 2 from Flamingo Crossings Quilt

Mickey and Pirate Friends Cross Stitch

Thankfully, I have still been able to find time to cross stitch.  This piece has been a sanity saver during the crazy fall I had.  I never, ever, ever get tired of stitching on it.  I especially enjoy taking it out of the hoops and seeing how what I just stitched fits into the whole picture.  I wish I had more stitching time. I apologize in advance for not pressing it before taking the pictures.  I promise to give it a press before I post another update.  

Progress of Mickey and Pirate Friends as of 1/9/2022

Full Picture of Progress as of 1/9/2022

Woo hoo!  I finally have all of Goofy's distinctive nose and mouth complete!  

Wishing all of my blogging friends the best in the coming year.  I am looking forward to connecting up and seeing all that you have been working on.  

Happy stitching!   

Goofin' Off and Cruisin' Through the Jungle (with Project Updates)

Do you like puns?  Mr. Goofin' Off really enjoys a good pun.  He's a really punny guy!

If you've ever been to a Disney theme park and experienced the Jungle Cruise, you'll know what I'm talking about when I say it's a very pun-filled attraction.  For that reason, we were pretty excited to get to go see the Jungle Cruise movie this weekend.  

Jungle Cruise Attraction
Photo Credit:  Disney Destinations

It (and the puns) did not disappoint.  We thoroughly enjoyed it.  It was like a mix between Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Caribbean--but with a Jungle Cruise storyline.  It was full of puns--some of which were taken from the attraction while others were new to us.  

In a nutshell, the film's storyline follows the captain of a small riverboat who takes a scientist and her brother through the jungle in search of the Tree of Life.  The scientist wishes to use the petals that on the bloom of the tree to heal the sick of the world...a very noble motive.  But not everyone is quite as noble as her.  

It had some good twists and turns.  And there was definitely a good chemistry with the cast of the movie.  But I'm a huge Emily Blunt fan, so I may be a little biased.  (I thought she was practically perfect in every way as Mary Poppins.)

The film got two thumbs up from the Goofin' Off family.  

Project Updates for Week as of 8/9/2021

Time seems to keep slipping away.  But progress is progress, right?  I got a little bit of sewing time in last Friday.  I was able to take the strip cut pink flamingo units and add strips of 2" pink fabric to finish the units into blocks.  We now have pink, pink flamingo quilting blocks!  Yay!  At this point, I'm just hoping I get the quilt top before the end of summer.  

Pink, Pink Flamingo Quilt Blocks Finished

I also managed to get another approximately 800 stitches in on my Mickey and Pirate Friends full coverage piece.  

And when you pull away to look at the whole picture, you can see how the details and confetti really pull the piece together.  I apologize that something was wrong with the lighting, so it appears darker than it really is.  

Thank you so much for all of you who patiently put up with all my Disney projects and posts.  It continues to be so much fun keeping up with all my fellow blogging friends.  I really appreciate your comments and email messages.  They mean the world to me.  

Have a magical day!  

Andrea

P.S.  If you're a Disney fan, here are the top three posts from my "other" Disney blog from last week!  

Blog Post:  Cheshire Cat Tails Copycat Recipe

Blog Post:  What are the Current Height Restrictions at Disney's Animal Kingdom?

Blog Post:  Disney Banana Bread Recipe Copycat from Riviera Resort

Stitching Friends Blog Hop 2021

Stitching Friends Blog Hop

I have been slowly returning to my hobby blog of cross stitch and quilting projects the past few months.  It has been great to see so many of my old blogging friends still around...and been making some new blogging friends.  

When I saw Jo at Serendipitous Stitching ask for people to participate in the Stitching Friends Blog Hop, I knew I wanted to participate.  I really enjoy getting to know my fellow bloggers.  

The assignment was to introduce the blogger that I was given.  And then choose a cross stitch design I thought they might enjoy.  

Here are a few fun clues about my blogger:  

• She is from Germany.  
• The name of her blog is an indication of things that she enjoys doing which include needlework, books and video games (to name a few).
• She recently knit a pair of Hufflepuff socks for a friends she met in a Facebook group.  As someone who likes to think of herself as a Hufflepuff herself, I thought these were awesome!  
• She likes to cross stitch pieces of different sizes, but as someone who enjoys full-coverage stitching, I think my favorites are her full-coverage pieces (especially the Darth Vader piece)
• She began her blog back in December of 2013 while working on her Master's degree.  
• In June of this year she finished a piece called "Age is Irrelevant" which I totally fell in love with.  

Here are a few pictures I took from her site:  

Hufflepuff Knit Socks

Age is Irrelevant

The designs that my blogger chooses to cross stitch are quite varied.  That made it difficult to choose just one piece I thought she would enjoy.  I finally chose "The Child" by Tilton Crafts.  It goes along with her Darth Vader stitching...and, of course, it does have a Disney connection.  LOL

Have you guessed yet who my stitching friend is?  You can visit her blog and see all her fun projects over at Needle, Pen & Sword!  

Thanks again to Jo for such a fun blog hop!  

Have a magical day!  

Andrea