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