No, August isn't almost here!

I really do not care what the calender says!!!  I can say that I really don't remember last week.  Every time I THOUGHT I had a day at home, I didn't.  And somethings you have to leave the house, like grocery shopping.  I did get one project done.  Last year's Christmas present for my bestest friend ever.  I lost it after cutting out all the pieces, and for some reason kids thought it would be helpful to "put away."  Under D2's bed.  Not sure of the logic there, but we found it!  In July.  So after the chaos of camps, and getting S1 home from West Virginia, I got time with my sewing machine.  She hasn't seen it yet, and she may check today so she can.   But anyways, here it is.

I made it fully reversible, so the inside is yellow with a blue ruffle.  Her favorite color since we were 16 is cobalt blue, a rather difficult color to find in fabric.  The apron is all wrapped up and ready to give, we just need to work out a day for a visit.  She's only a 3 hours away, but catching the ferry in tourist season is, well, there are no polite words for it. (And that's just the ferry, it's worse when they start driving!!!GRRR!) (Can we tell I have an issue?)

I also started a new crochet project for D2's room.  A flower garland.  Right now I am still making the flowers.

It's one of those great little time fillers.  Waiting to leave? Make up a flower.  Waiting for someone to get home?  Make up a flower.  We have 11 out of 20 done, and then I'll crochet the ribbon they will hang from.

We also got a huge portion on our carport cleaned out, so I could finally get to the demolition work that needed to get done.  DH wasn't impressed.  He isn't ready for the thing to come down, and I've been waiting for YEARS!!! So the kids and I started with all the bits and pieces that had no purpose,  like the wood nailed to the frame, 6 inches thick,  to do what?  Be there?  5 HOURS later, we called it quits for the day.  The next day, I primed all the parts of the attached wall (for a different building!) I could get to.  Then came the cloudy weather.  But that's okay because I have tons of inside work to do as well. 

After yet another discussion about the carport, I think he has agreed I can take it down, however he wants nothing to do with it. Which I am really ok with, because the man has a tone of his own house projects to work on.  Which is what I've been telling him, but he thought I wanted *him* to take the stupid thing down.  Now, to learn about disconnecting electrical.

Who knows what this week will bring.  I am hoping dome more good weather, as well as a really short errand list!! 

Cubbie Camp is over!!!

Well, we barely made it through last week.  The boys all did amazing, learning new things, and meeting new people.  Our cub scout got his first bull's eye in BB guns, as well as improving his sewing skills during leather crafts.  We are losing our program director as his boys move into boy scouts, and he will be irreplaceable! But now it is time to get our house in order.  And MAYBE find my sewing machine!!!!!

An almost empty house

So I accomplished nothing over the last few weeks.  However, I did have some kids who accomplished quite a bit.  D1 went back to her mom's, and managed to pack everything she was supposed to (which can be quite a challenge with teenagers, LOL), S1 finished raising the last of his money for National Jamboree, and out of $4000, only $500 was birthday money from his Grandpa.  S1 didn't know about that (and neither did I) until after he held a last minute, 4th of July weekend yard sale AND he spent all day working the yard sale.  And Grandpa was here to see that he did it.  D2 had a bunch of summer things to take care of before she went to her dad's, and S2 decided to take take dance lessons.  So while part of me is a little frustrated that *I* didn't get anything done, I am pretty happy with what the kids have accomplished.  Now, I just need to get everything back in order after the series of whirlwinds that are yard sales and packing have passed. 

I'd like to spend some time at the sewing machine this week, but with cubbie camp, I may have to wait until next week.  Or September. 

a long project finished!

I have one very exciting finish from last week, as well as another not quite as exciting.  The smaller project was a mixer cover for my MIL.  She had redone her kitchen, and had room for mixer to be out.  And available.  But that leads to dust.   After she saw my sewing machine cover, she commented that she love something like that for her mixer.  So, she's getting one!

And my big finish for the week!  This has been 3 (or more) years in the making.  A charm quilt for my best friend.  And no, I didn't use charm packs.  These are real scraps from real projects. 

 The grand total for fabric, incuding backing and binding, is 206!  E  loves it!   I loved how the edges looked after binding the sides.

So now I need to finish mine.  Which has smaller patches, so will take a bit more everything.  Maybe  I will work on that this week.

We finally get a day at home!

Usually we are home a good chunk of the week.  But the last week and a half we have been all over the county!  We've been getting in the door, and falling over!  It's been mostly good stuff, with the regular household stuff thrown in.  S1 has had two camps this week, and we finally told him he better start finding rides.  Carpooling is good!  So we may be picking kids up at the end of the week.

I did squeeze in some sewing time in the (really late) evenings.  I finished a pillow for my stepmom's mom, and a basket for shoe supplies. I just got really tired of extra shoelaces everywhere.

 I also finished three dishcloths for my friend's mom.  I love these, and apparently so does everyone else.

This week I NEED to get another quilt done.  It is a charm quilt for my BF, and she has been waiting so patiently for the last couple of years while we collected the 204 different fabrics to make it.  So now that it is pieced, I NEEEED to get it done before I see her this weekend.

Summer break has started!

And I am all sorts of confuzled!  But I did get a few things done last week.  First off, a few more dish clothes.  I really like the red and white, but it makes me think of Christmas!  I love these fill little bits of spare time, and I may get a ball of yarn to keep in my purse or in the car.

THIS!!!!!!

This is the big super secret project I have been working on!   A couple weeks ago I had posted some fabric chosen for a special surprise.  You can find it here.  Well, the big day came and went.  Our beloved teacher has retired! As her big retirement surprise, we made a quilt for her.  The kids in D2's class did a skit about an infamous quilt not finished by a specific lady's 16th birthday.  Nor her 18th, and not her wedding.

I'm not sure I ever heard so much laughter at an awards assembly!

The skit ended with the students presenting this beloved teacher with her quilt.

She is now retired, and the infamous quilt top is still not finished! 

However she now as a quilt that is hers!  And if she can get her unfinished quilt top from her mother, we have volunteered to finish it so she can least enjoy the memories associated with it.

I am not sure I have ever completed a project that brought so much out of so many people.  Between the giggling kids and the laughter (and some tears) from the grown ups, I realized THIS is why I love sewing.  

And to Mrs. H- for all the years you've put into our children, THANK YOU!

It's the end of the year as I know it...

...and I'm not fine. That, to the tune of REM's End of the World, is what has been going around in my head lately.  All the end-of-the-year stuff has got my brain on overload.  Awards ceremonies for everything each child has ever done, with every child getting a ribbon for something (I am so not that parent.  Sometimes you win, and sometimes you don't.  (Oh, do I really need more to dust?? Really? Just for showing up??))  One activity did not have an awards ceremony (yes, I'll sign up again just for that!!)  Dance class had their recitals this weekend.  It was really cool to see the little ones doing and how they were just happy to be there, as well as the graduate solos.  It was a lovely evening, but it made for a chaotic week end!

I had one finish last week.

That's it.  One dishcloth!

Well, one is better than none.  Unless we're talking about bills!  The next few weeks should be better, I have at least 1 project that has a firm deadline, as well as a few that are SO CLOSE to being done.