This weekend I got to everything on my list except the quilt binding and the hand sewing.  Not bad.  I made the binding today and it'll go on tomorrow.  Hopefully, I will finish it on Wednesday.

We did go to the farmers market as a family.  After I had bought two huge cinnamon rolls for the girls, I picked up some roma tomatoes, yellow squash, french red fingerling potatoes, pork chops, bison steaks and zinnias.  Later in the morning, we embarked on a family adventure to Madison, Indiana.  On the way there, we picked up some peaches and blueberries.  Once there, we walked around town and shopped.  It was a fantastic day.  Fatty and I know how to shop well together - I blitz through antique stores and he lolly-gags.  He's always calling after me, to show me the good stuff I missed. We came home with a lot of treasures.  LOTS.  And that isn't even the best part.  The best part is........

wait.....

THE GIRLS CAN ANTIQUE FOR HOURS!

This, in and of itself, was worth the trip.  These young ladies lasted all day through two large antique malls plus a few stores here and there.  Fatty gave them each $5 at our last stop.  They shopped and shopped, trying to find THE PERFECT THING.  And in one of the last booths we entered, there were tons of vintage, handmade doll clothes in a basket for $1 to $2 an outfit.  I helped them go through and decide which would fit the dolls they had at home and for a couple of bucks, they each took home a treasure.

The way I look at it, we all came home winners.

And, I get to thrift and antique a little more often.

Sweet.

 

 

The rains came.  Crazy rains - 6 inches in one hour.  There is flooding in different neighborhoods of our city.  Lots of damage to homes and cars.  We had some leaking, but it was pretty minor.  I got it all cleaned up and then spent the rest of the day cleaning and puttering.  I worked on the quilt and on my hand sewing project too.  The girls organized the DVD cabinet and then watched a movie.  We cooked dinner and Fatty came home from an overnight trip.  I worked on some camera straps and stayed up too late watching bad reality TV.

Today I slept in.  And feel like having another quiet day at home.  The girls have other ideas in mind.  Roller skating or bowling, they say.  I'll probably give in.  They start school two weeks from today and I really want to savor what's left of their summer break.  There will be plenty of time for quiet days soon enough.

Happy Wednesday.

We arrived home last night and the kids should be here with their grandparents in a few hours.  I have laundry going and have been to the grocery and got the car's oil changed.  I am completely exhausted due to the three hour time difference.  I think a third cup of coffee is in order as there is much to do and not much time for a nap.  I am having a hard time getting the cleaning started, let alone finished.  Can you tell my mind is muddled?  What I really want to do is cut fabric and sew.  But a rotary cutter, sharp needles plus lack of sleep only adds up to a bad idea.  Later, then.  After the cleaning and the nap, when the laundry is folded and put away, and after a good long cuddle and chat with the girls.

I'm so happy to be home.

How can it be Tuesday already?

Things of note:

    - Sorry if you came to the blog in the last couple of days and tried to comment, or read comments, but couldn't.  I tried to switch over to threaded comments, but something went awry.  I have switched it back now that TypePad has seen the problem.  Hopefully, they can figure out what is going wrong because I really want threaded comments.  Anyhow, sorry if it was frustrating for you.

    - The girls are home from camp.  They had a great time.  The room re-do went over so-so at first, but has now been fully embraced by Jane.  More on that as we finish up some projects - pillows, framing photos and the like.  She's excited to be involved and I think we will work together ok.  She has definite ideas that aren't always practical, if you know what I mean.

    - There's a new banner on the blog.  My friend Marcia shot this photo of Fatty and me driving away from a mountain bike race last week and was kind enough to let me use it on the blog.  I'm pretty much in love with this one and some others she took of the truck.  It's nice to be on the other side of the camera every once in awhile.

    - We picked, and ate, the first cucumber out of our garden last night.  That may sound boring, but it was cause for great excitement around these parts!  I also made some refrigerator pickles that were fantastic.  I'm going to try another recipe and then I will let you all know which one is the winner.  Now if the tomatoes would just ripen....

    - Saturday night, I made the kale chips again.  This time I just used olive oil and sea salt and turned the oven to 375 degrees.  They cooked about 15 minutes, maybe a bit less and were perfect.  Way better than the first batch and both of the kids ate them.  Success!

OK - I hope to be back with something crafty soon.  Chat with you later.

June 3, 2009

June 5, 2009

June 6, 2009

Same bouquet of peonies, but the color changed as they opened up.  Pretty amazing, if you ask me.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes - it was a fantastic day!  It included lunch out with Fatty, a trip to the garden store to pick up veggies, a home cooked dinner and margaritas finished off with chocolate cake and a little impromptu party.  Very very fun!  The weekend continued to be great - some gardening, a barbecue at my brother's, a cobbler and homemade ice cream, the pool, a soccer game and plenty of napping rounded it out.

School is winding down - the girls have about a week left.  They came home without homework which was so nice.  For the first time ever, I am excited that school is over.  I am ready for some down time, for no homework and a later bedtime.  I have never felt this way before.  I have always dreaded the end of the school year.  I know - it sounds awful, but it's the truth.  Summer is always a big push and pull with the three of us.  We have to balance three sets of have to's and want to's.  I don't know that this summer will be much different, but if having a better attitude will guarantee some measure of success, then sign me up.

I've been sewing, but really have nothing to show for it.  I made a skirt that is waaaaay too big and am working on my craft swap project.  Hopefully, I will be able to show and tell soon.  I brought my sewing machine down to the family room so I can hang out in the relative cool-ness of the downstairs.  I absolutely refuse to turn the air conditioning on until June 1 and hanging out in the little closet on the third floor is not so fun.  Of course, I may change my tune once the temp hits the high 80's.  We'll see.  The bonus is TV while I sew.  Anything you care to recommend for our Netflix queue?

All right, enough of this rambling.  See you soon.

I finished the edging on those 12 granny squares.  I need to make more.

Fatty and I built some raised garden beds last night.  I spent today tracking the sun to make sure we place them in the *perfect* spot.

I ran out of potting soil for the geraniums and impatiens.  I went and bought more and picked up a new hammer while I was at Home Depot

I went to the bank and the post office then stopped by the bookstore to see if they had the new issue of Stitch.  They did.  There are some projects I definitely want to try.  I was happy to see that one is by Melissa.

I took the girls for haircuts - a nice summer bob for Kate, a trim for Jane.

I cut out a skirt and am ready to start sewing .

And just when I thought I had that silly cat all figured out, she decided that peonies are not for her.

Thank goodness.

I hope you had a nice weekend.  Ours was slow and easy, full of different projects and activities.  We ended it with a family meal and the news that I do not have to go in for jury duty this week.  That was a pleasant surprise.

I posted about Boomerang! late on Friday afternoon.  This morning, I was introduced to The Magnifying Glass, a fantastic collaborative blog between Stefani and Eren.  It's all about exploring nature and getting outside with your kids, something we surely could do more now that spring is here.  Coincidentally, they are giving away some free Boomerang episodes on their new blog.  You can read more about it here.  What a fantastic opportunity!

I just got home from boot camp in the rain.  I have wet shoes which make for cold toes.  I think a hot shower and a cup of coffee are in order.  And after that, I'm going to sew.  That should make for a delightful day.  What are you looking forward to doing this April Monday?