Slow Progress

Now that I have just about recovered from jet lag and mostly caught up on work after being away for a week, I'm trying to get to some of those items on my very long to-do list.

I finally got around to weeding the bed in the front yard by the mailbox. It's been needing it for months and every time I picked up the mail or the paper, or went out for a run, I'd look down and say to myself, "I really need to pull the weeds out of that bed," and then I'd go on my merry way and forget all about it. Now that I've finally done it, it looks SO much better!

I also dug into the mending pile. One of mending projects was a skirt to be remade for my daughter. It was given to me last summer, and really only needed a casing stitched in and some waist elastic, but it has been sitting on the sewing table for an entire year now, still waiting. Now it is finally done, and didn't take all that long either.

Here is the lower half of my daughter modelling the aforementioned skirt. She is very happy with it. I can tell because she wore it the next day without any coercion. Really!

More weeding yesterday, in the back yard this time, and I've already started in on our CSA  vegetables (community supported agriculture - we bought a "share" at the beginning of the season and get a box of whatever vegetables are ready in a given week). The beets are steamed and waiting in the fridge for me to figure out what to do with them. A nice big batch of pesto is made and in the freezer. And last night's dinner was a yummy pasta dish using our summer squash. Yay! Maybe I'll manage to use all the vegetables from the box this week before the next box comes!

I'm enjoying the summer flowers. These are my daylilies in the back yard. I have a bunch more in the front yard, but the deer have eaten the buds off of every last one of them. Guess it's time to invest in some of that foul-smelling deer repellent.

Last but not least, an FO! TA DA!

 

2-at-a-time  1x1 ribbed toe-up socks in a lovely hand-dyed variegated yarn. I used the iron heel (here's a description/tutorial: http://pencraftco.wordpress.com/2010/10/13/the-iron-heel/), which puts the heel stitch under my heel, where I tend to wear out the socks. I'm hoping these heels will hold up better than a standard heel. The heel definitely feels different. I'll have to wait until the weather gets cold and I can wear the socks to find out just how good a fit this heel is for me. I also used Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off, http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall09/FEATjssbo.php, and it really is surprisingly stretchy, and very easy to do. I'll definitely be using that bind off again on socks, and anything else that needs a stretchy bind off.

Couldn't resist another sock photo - I'm so happy that I finished them. Now I can move on to another project!

Shelley in CT

Home Again

Oregon was beautiful and we got to visit with lots of relatives. My mom organized a big reunion at the house and all of my siblings and their kids, and many cousins, aunts and uncles came out for the day. My husband hadn't been out to visit in 5 years, and my daughter hadn't been out in 3 years. We were missing my oldest son, who has a very good internship in Texas this summer, and between his work and the price of airline tickets, we just couldn't get him out there.

My daughter's favorite part of the trip were the 6 equine lawnmowers living on the property. They belong to a relative who brought them over so they could eat the very high grass, and because they were eating the grass, my dad didn't have to mow the big field. Horses get fed for free, no lawn mowing: win-win.

I was able to deliver the baby quilt to my toddler nephew, in person. He was not terribly impressed, but I think his parents liked it. I spent a couple of late nights before we left finishing up the machine quilting and getting the binding cut and machine-sewn. I brought needle and thread along in my luggage so I could finish handsewing the binding after I arrived. I was so happy to have finally finished it, I forgot to take a picture of the quilt in all its finished glory. I have asked my sister-in-law to do that for me and send it, so maybe I'll be able to show off the finished article in the next post. Here's a pic of the quilt layered up and pin basted:

I really meant to take more pictures when we were there, but somehow I never thought of it. Oh well. Maybe next trip.

We got back home this past Saturday in the wee hours of the morning, after being delayed and then rerouted by storms over Atlanta. We were all exhausted and didn't get much accomplished over the weekend beyond unpacking the suitcases. Today we are all feeling much closer to normal.

I have been trying to get more organized this summer and get a few house projects done as well as some major cleaning. I haven't gotten very far, but I have made a little progress with organizing and with chores. Here's my new "gadget" that I stuck to the fridge:

These are stick-on white boards that are easy to write on and wipe off. I try to plan the meals for the week on the weekly planner, on top. We have joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) and get a "share" of local vegetables each week. Our box often has things I wouldn't buy on my own, but it certainly gets us to try new things, and I have to do my homework to find ways to use up everything each week. The lower board is the chore list for the kids. They are expected to do one chore each day to help out around the house and/or yard. I have found that giving them several options, where they can choose which chore they want to do, or probably more realistically, the lesser of the available evils, I get less complaining. So far it is working fairly well. . . For me. . . Don't ask the kids.

Shelley in CT

Moving On

We've just barely launched into summer vacation (school has been out for 2 weeks) and we're already preparing for the first trip of the summer. We are flying out to Oregon to visit relatives and it should be quite a visit. My mom has organized a big family reunion weekend with my siblings and their spouses, nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc., etc. I'm really looking forward to seeing everybody.

Looking ahead to the trip also brings to my mind the baby quilt that I started, back when my newest nephew was a baby. Zane is now almost 2-1/2 years old, and the quilt is STILL not finished! This past weekend I decided that I had to finish it once and for all, and if I get my act together and work fast, I can deliver it in person. This weekend I was able to finish up the quilt top.

Here it is hanging on the line. I am very happy with the way it has turned out, and I didn't have any problems with the pattern, other than how long each star block took to put together. I love the result but I wouldn't make this quilt again because of how fiddly and time consuming those blocks were.

Now I need to put the backing, batting, and top together and baste. I am going to pin baste, and then machine quilt. I'm not sure just how I'm going to quilt it though. I'm leaning toward quilting some stars in the more open sections of the blocks and in the borders, and then random swirly stippling, similar to what the pattern in the magazine suggested. I may outline the stars, or quilt just inside the stars as well. I'll be sure to do LARGE swirls and stippling though, so it doesn't take me forever to finish. My batting is cotton but can be quilted up to 8 inches apart, so I've got a lot of leeway.

Last week we said goodbye to Aya, our exchange student from Japan. She's back in Japan and has sent us emails to let us know she's home safe. It was a very sad few days before we brought her to the hotel where the exchange student group gathered before going home. Hard as it was, I was glad to know that the reason  she was sad was because she had had a good year with us and didn't want to leave (though I know she was also anxious to get back to Japan and see her family and friends whom she hadn't seen in 10 months).

Here are the "sisters" saying a teary goodbye.

We've been trying to add some learning for the kids to the summer this year. They are both learning how to do their own laundry (yay!), though right now, I still need to lead them through it. Our plan was also to have them cook one dinner a week, but it's been difficult to put that one in motion. They also both have part-time jobs this summer, but there is still plenty of time left over for them to spend hours at the computer, texting with their friends, and sleeping until noon when they can get away with it. Today we're going to get out in the sunshine and go to the town craft fair.

Lots to do this week to prepare for the trip. I have hopes of getting a relaxing day or two visiting with my folks, in between the family reunion, meeting up with old friends and possibly even a college visit. I'm not holding my breath though.

Shelley in CT