Shroomy Quilt

I finished one of my mushroom quilts.

The pillow turned out a little wonky. For some reason I thought rounded corners would work out better. Bummer. ...but I liked the pieced mushrooms so much - I couldn't just scrap it. Even as it is, I had to take out a ton of the fluff to make it this normal.

James claimed the extra fluff. He has big plans for a Shaun the Sheep costume.

....at least the zipper turned out ok.

I'm mush happier with the quilt itself. It's made from the more primary colors of my "Hoot" charm pack, with some mushroom fabric from Joanns, and a border from Sandi Henderson (that I got on clearance forever ago - stashbusting!) It's the first thing I've hand-quilted in a while. So hard. ...but my MIL gave my some tips that made it much easier....but still so much work.

Every time a friend has a baby, I want to give them something handmade. It just rarely works out. Something about being busy and only finishing my projects many months later...
This one was timed a little better. When she had the baby, I was nearly finished (two months ago).
....or maybe it has to do with the fact that she calls me a genius every time I sew anything. (Flattery. It gets you handmade gifts...so use it sparingly.)

Regardless, this quilt is on it's way to baby Jude. Hope he likes it and spits up on it frequently. (As that is how babies show their approval.)

My Summer Wreath

I saw this adorable wreath on Pinterest a month or so ago. I immediately ran out and bought a letter "R", some fake flowers, and a wreath. ....and then was too busy (and too scared) to put them together. Made myself do it yesterday, and, what do you know, it wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. Nice tutorials sure help.

So, today I told Tony I was going to hang it up with ribbon and a nail.

"A nail through the glass?" asks my sarcastic husband.

...and then he tries to show me how I would like it so much better on our wreath hanger, which I know I wouldn't. And it looks just fine, don't you think?

You'll never guess what I found when I was driving my nail into the very top of the door, where nobody will ever see....an older nail hole....that we never noticed.

Spontaneous Sewing for Sof

Sofi is a die-hard Avengers fan, partly because of all the comic books she and Odie inherited from their Dad and partly because of all the extremely cut older men playing the various superheros. (At least she just likes boys she can't have. That's easier for me!)

....and she's always whining that all of the Avengers shirts are in the boys section, and (thus) I won't buy them for her.  Well, today she dug this shirt out of Odie's drawer. Never been worn. Still, long-sleeved and boy-cut. Bleh. Lucky for her, we can sew.

 I had her bring one of her shirts down for a pattern. We cut off the collar, hemmed up the neckline, shortened the shoulders, and turned the sweltery long sleeves into cute ruched ones (with a couple pieces of elastic)

And she got to go see the Avengers in an Avengers shirt (+Spiderman and Wolverine....but we all know they should have been included if NYC was under attack.) Happy Day!

I didn't make her sew anything (time crunch), but she had to sit and listen to my process as we cut things apart and put them back together. Next time I'll just coach, while she sews. I just have to find the right shirt, to give her the proper incentive.  :)

Blueberries

Some random comments:

That idyllic clothesline was my Mom's.

The front of my yarrow dress isn't as exciting as the back, but someday I'll take a picture of it.

I have big plans for updating my gardening posts to make them "useful".

Now, down to business:

We went to Butlers Orchards to pick blueberries. It was a beautiful day, and by "beautiful" I mean 95+ and very humid. Still, the kids were all excited to pick. Happy to be outside (and on a tractor ride to the fields)....

....until we left the shade.

Then Cozy quickly retired from picking and decided to lay in the shade of a blueberry bush, as if she were dead. A nearby toddler was quite concerned and kept throwing blueberries at her to see if she would stir.

Cozette: Growl. Roll over. Continue possum impersonation.

Not to worry, she revived quickly once we got back on the "bus".

James - not so much.

Annika was my only decent picker. She and I each filled a big ice cream container.

By the time we got to the snap peas, the littles had revived and wanted to pick again.

...and, while I was there, I picked up some locally-grown produce. 

Went home. Collapsed. The End.

My Summer Goals

I'm SO, SO happy school is out. I suspect I'm much happier about it than my kids are. Why? Because, when school is in session, I miss the kids who are gone all day and I'm very busy with the kids who are at home. ...and it doesn't seem like the two groups get to do anything fun together. Ever.

I'm looking forward to more fun family time and less busy-ness. Plus, I have big, big plans to:

...sew A LOT. I have all sorts of sewing projects that have been begging for a little attention.

...get organized! At least organized enough that I can walk through my office (no exaggeration, I swear)  and that if I died suddenly, Tony might be able to find some of our more important documents.

One of the giant stack of papers that needed sorting was school stuff dating back to at least 2006. Bleh. Must recycle. Don't want to throw away anything precious. (You should see Sofia's fully illustrated Zoology notebook from fourth grade!)

To motivate myself, I went to Target and bought the cutest file folders they had ( for1/2 the price of the Martha Stewart ones from Staples. ...though I do want to buy every label she makes.)  I had a crazy time printing up my labels but eventually figured it out.

Totally worth it. And now I'm sorting and filing like crazy.

...redecorate my kitchen. Cozy took this picture. It's so honest. Too honest.

Yes, I love yellow.  No, the walls should not be the brightest thing in the room. I'm having a bear of a time choosing the right replacement shade. I think I'm on my 7th paint sample. Last night, I was bemoaning my inability to pick good paint colors. Tony said, "That's not true. Your only problem is your inability to accept the colors that are already there." He doesn't want to paint.

...and, last but not least, swim, play, and be lazy. Because that's what summers were made for.

My Mom's Old Line

Mom, I see your clothesline picture and raise you a cuter one.

I was thinking of having it printed on canvas and hanging it on my wall, it's so darned idyllic.

Getting Promoted

We had a couple of children "get promoted" this year.

Annika finished her one semester of Elementary School. I think it was a nice, gentle introduction to public schooling. ...and I'm grateful to discover that I have a second child who is naturally concerned with studying and turning in assignments. Whew.

...and she's growing into such a beautiful young lady. {Mom Sigh}

Embarrassed or happy that she had to walk down the isle with her crush? You be the judge.

Anthony's 8th grade promotion (moving up to High School - eek!) was a much larger event....so this was the only picture I got of him. And, as much stress as his academics have caused me this year, I would like to believe that his most "effective effort" was not in PE. {Mom Sigh - again}

Since the screen didn't share any of Anthony's accomplishments this year, I'm going to share a few.

These are some that matter to me:

1) Anthony had a "girlfriend" all year, who he treats with respect and consideration. And, if my sources are to be trusted, they have yet to kiss. :) {Mom Smile and High Five}

2) Although is doesn't always translate to good grades (someone doesn't turn in homework..and sometimes even classwork), Anthony has probably learned more about science this year than his peers have ever forgot. It's what he reads about in his spare time. When I teasingly tell him that "whatever 3-year-old made the faces in his book stunk at drawing", he rolls his eyes and explains the functions of all of the parts of the cell he was looking at.

3) My son is helpful and sweet. He empties trash, mows yards, cleans gutters, and does every other manly chore you can think of (even the dishes).

I sure love those big kids.

My Yarrow Dress

I got something new.

...well, for me (not you, sorry).

It's my summer dress.

And shoes to match. (Hopefully. I'm trying to exchange them for the next 1/2 size up.)

Ruby slippers to go with the sunflower print. (Tony has yet to learn the art of taking deceptively flattering photos. Sad.)

Still, I don't really think of it as my sunflower dress, since it exactly matches the yarrow in front of my house. It'll always be the yarrow dress to me.

Wild and Free-ish

I'm trying to redecorate my upstairs bathroom. It's not working. I ordered this print from Etsy to hang up there. But once I had it framed, it seemed too nice to hide in a second floor bathroom. Besides, some children neglect the fan when they shower. It could get all steamy and damaged.

It's kinda a good thing. I was getting tired of Klimt's Beech Trees anyhow. (I wanted birch trees.)

I love the mats. The frame guys was pushing me towards orange and green....obviously doesn't know me at all.

So, for upstairs, Sofi and I are painting something "in the style of" Katie Daisy. She did the background wash...

(I might need a second giant dining table. We have a lot going on.)

Sofi did the initial lettering in pencil...and then the control freak in me took over and went over everything in gesso the way I wanted it. Sofi didn't care. She painted a dragon.

Color will be the next time I have a spare moment and enough patience to let everyone paint.

My Fail

Hey, nobody's perfect. In my defense, these were all root stock when I planted them (minus the impatiens.....so I'm actually quite grateful they grew at all). It's much harder to arrange plants you can't see.

The results are just weird-looking. Still I'm not going to mess with them this year. I'll just let them grow and get established. Then I'll rearrange them all when they come up next Spring.

I am at least happy with how they're growing. :)

The Patio

I think this one is my true favorite. I just have a soft spot for shade plants....maybe from living in the "part shade" of Washington for so long. Or that they just seem to all come in the best color palate ever.

This one was actually planted this year, when my patio was almost finished.

Everything has bloomed and grown and spread just like I wanted it too.  The ferns are running behind a little. Next year.

All of my stolen sedums are growing nicely.

Soon, my chicks will be overflowing, just like my Mom's.