California Dreamin

Going to California, taking Austin home and staying with my sister for a week. I've been told there are awesome quilt shops in her area! Going to try and go to Livermore!! I leave in the morning and will be back next Saturday! Happy 4th all!!

State House Hydrangea

Beautiful, beautiful flowers at the State House. A day of house cleaning, even cleaned kitchen cabinets and freezer! What has gotten into me?? Sure won't happen again tomorrow!!

To Blog or to Sew??

That is the million dollar question. As usual, I blog, am I lazy (no comments allowed for this part!), am I uninspired, am I over inspired, am I feeling like a not so great sewer after looking at these blogs, what is my problem? I have even had back issued sitting too long at this computer, my dog hates it, he only likes when we nap together. I can't do that all the time, Bogie! I even tried the 20 minute thing, a different project every 20 minutes, I've tried loading up my i-pod and zoning out the world. I'm not spending my time being a good housewife, my dust bunnies have bunnies! Maybe I'm ADD! Hey I can take meds for that and they curb your appetite, so I hear! I know one thing I'm not drinking vitamin water anymore. Just read the label -13 carbs a bottle, I was drinking 2 a day, no wonder I look so bloated! Ok, when I get home from CA, I'm focusing on sewing and diet!! I'm going to rededicate myself, AGAIN!

The Little Man Adventures Continued

Today we did the Alien Exhibit at the State Museum (a major dud), then Uncle Ken took us through the State House! My first too!! It was ungodly hot, 97 in the shade!! That doesn't include our humidity factor, plus Austin and I are sunburn from playing the lake all day yesterday!
Austin touching a star that represents (you can see the scar to the right of the star) where YANKEES tried to bomb our State House during the Civil War.

Austin "floating in Space" at the State Museum

Austin with Uncle Ken in House of Representatives at the State House

"Chief Kayak Man" (Austin) his first time in a kayak, did amazing, he was zooming all over our cove!

Torture Chamber Pic

Had to delete the old pic, this is the new and improved.

Torture Chamber

Austin waiting at the airport, before his Mom takes off back to California
Torture, begining of the weekend routine starts with a bath for Bogie, he shakes, he shivers, until the first water streams hits him. He's white, it takes work, give it up Bogie!!

Fascinated Still

I don't know how any of these bloggers get anything done, I can't get past the fascination with their blogs to do any creating. Maybe need a class on discipline.....
Just found another one, that I linked to my site. She's a traveler, lives in Australia, and has wonderful pics!

Patterns in the coolest places!

Cool Pattern from a McDonald's cup!!!
Arthur Ravenel Bridge in Charleston, really spectacular!!

Pics from Holidays in June

Chirstmas at Grandma's & Grandpa's
Thanksgiving (Turkey Tacos) at Aunt Julie's
Birthday Parties at Aunt Beth's & Uncle Ken's
Not only is he doing his Nintendo with his left hand, he's playing Sudoko on my I-pod with his right hand, at the same time!! The kid is glued to electronics, just like his Dad!!

Holidays in June!

What kind of blogger has only one battery for her new camera, and then within the first half hour of her first visit to Ft Sumter in Charleston lets the only battery run out?? Me, what a dummy!! So this blog has no pictures of the many dolphins we saw on the boat trip over to the Fort, the really neat people we met from Cincinnati's Underground Railroad Freedom Museum, nor the actual Fort, which has a really neat Museum, ugh, so mad at myself!!

Suzie's comments regarding my craft room - "this is sinful". Luckily, she tends to be very blunt, so her comments didn't faze my need for any new sewing gadgets or the right shade of fabric!!

Before my camera battery went down I did manage to document are "holiday meals". Suzie and Austin never get to celebrate with us or us with them, so....we did Christmas at Mom's the first night, including decorations, music, finely set table, holiday clothing, and gifts; Thanksgiving at Aunt Julie's with tacos for dinner the next night; turkey was consumed, there were turkey tacos (which helped those of us with the weight problems), lots of her fall decorations, including a small sample of her turkey collection (approx 47 for the June version were displayed) and I did a Birthday party for dessert after the turkey tacos. Half of my table was decorated in appropriate 9 year old boy theme (pirates of the Caribbean) and the other half was appropriate for a 40ish Mother (spring flowers). We had cake, decorations galore and again..... presents! Me being the lazy bum in the family, still had some red around from Valentines day (I have red in my living room people!) so we really have also did that holiday and some large pieces of Easter are sitting in a spare room still waiting for the climb up into the attic, so we paid homage to Easter also!!! All we haven't done is Halloween (I keep telling people I've been wearing a mask, my real face doesn't have this many wrinkles or fat lines in it!) and the men folk don't know it, but today is Father's Day, not next week!! We've had the best time with this, Austin has loved it, mainly for the presents (duh!) and we've all always been dorky for our Holidays!! It is a treat to be such close sisters, I'm glad I have them, and really glad I'm the best of the bunch and don't have some of their weird habits!! Poor Ken thinks we are crazy, but he loves me and goes along with this "dorky" stuff". I keep reminding him I the best one and he keeps telling me, "Yes, dear!" Now, Bogie, he loves all the commotion and the extra people and he does love a good party!!
footnote, yeah liz has a new posting!!

Two full days to A - Day

Austin and Suzie get here in 2 days!! My eye is twitching with excitement!!

I have recommitted myself to exercise (AGAIN, AGAIN) I swam this morning - across to a neighbors dock and back, doesn't look that far, but swimming it felt like I was going across the English Channel!! I had to fight may way through a heron fishing, and a turtle doing the breakfast paddle!! Bogie now has a fence (ok, it's two feet tall, green (to blend in with the yard) heavy chicken wire) but it works, the little rascal hasn't escaped since Wednesday!! He goes down to the water, but won't go in. He's like the cat, doesn't like to get his paws wet!! Hates his baths terribly!! Last night Brooks and Marty (Ken's brother and his wife) came over with graduation presents for Lili, and we sat down by the water and had wine. It was beautiful!! Then the thunder happened and no rain, again. Storms get to the lake, and they always seem to veer south or north, never lets go over it!!

I'm making a travel - over the shoulder/body bag to take around while Suzie is here. Need my arms free to shop!! It's quilted and did some machine embroidery and it has buttons and beads on it, all the things I see on other people's blogs, I've put on one project. It's a "few of my favorite things" I embroidered dog paws (dah), Eiffel Tower (dah), my initials and then just designs, one side is pastels (which I love) the other side is all New York fabric (my all time favorite city, except, Paris, Rome, Sienna, San Fran...........)Basically I just used up some more scraps, but the scrap piles never get smaller, why is that?? Are there fabric elves that work at night to make the stacks big again???

Hey, I can breath normally again, maybe I"ll swim again tomorrow!! Chiropractor said it would be wonderful for this bad back issue! And a stress relief outlet!

Rain Delay

It's supposed to rain today, "Tropical Storm Barry"??? The news shows are trying to scare us and say this is going to be a bad hurricane year for the gulf, which means we will be getting lots of rain, well, we need it, everything is brown, I feel like I'm back in California for the summer! Speaking of Calif, Austin & Suzie get here in 4 days, oh.... my eye is twitching!! Suzie stays for a week, then goes back to work, Austin stays for two more weeks, then my Mom and I are flying him home and staying with Suzie for a week, oh......my eye is twitching again! So basically, the month of June is a wash!!

I found a neat jacket pattern (from Material Mama's podcast - Kwik Sew 3490)

I bought a jacket like this in NY and have worn it out, practically, so I will sew one!! (or two)

Poor Bogie, he now has a fence around the back yard, only two feet tall and it's green wire, so it blends in to the back ground, but he's been running off, and that little guy has no idea what a car is. We actually don't have any traffic on our street, but the 10 families who live here, but since our house has soooo many kids coming and going, Bogie needed boundaries!! Speaking of which, he's in the shower right now with Ken - got to go get the hair dryer ready!!