Friday, August 27, 2010

Whew!




My bestest buds off to school.
We're oh so fashionistas here!
LOL
Middleman actually started the week before Javi and Bean.  We were waiting to hear on a promotion to Algebra II for him, and I just got the call.  His test scores were good enough to prove he was ready for Algebra II and he gets moved today!  This is such a validation of all his hard work!  We start co-op the second week of September.  Soccer season hit full force after we got back from vacation and my heart just melts at the incredibleness of these kids!  I love them, one and all, they're so super!

Then Javi began his college freshman career on Monday.  Overwhelmed.  Overworked.  Overtired.  Overeverything.  He found an on campus job and is still trying to make the adjustment from high school to BSU.  Thankfully, we live next to a shuttlebus pick up so he can catch that to and from school to and from our house.   

Then, there's Bean.  Who is missing his best friend this year, but not the bully from last year.  This awesome, friends from birth bud is now being homeschooled.  The bully earned a swift kick to the privates last year from Bean when he wouldn't quit hitting, kicking, head locking him.  We sure don't miss that!  All in all, I think it will be a good year for him.  He's already cutting up with the science teacher!

(just can't seem to get enough sleep! actually still catching up from vacation hours!) 
Before school started though, there was time for one more road trip to see these


massive windmills on farms in the eastern part of the state.  Very surreal!  But way worth the trip.


Also over the last couple of weeks, I was blessed to be asked to rebind this beautiful quilt given as a wedding gift a long time ago to a very special couple.  The bride was going to just throw it out (it had some stains, was faded and some minor boo boos), but it was rescued by her daughter and brought to me.  I machine stitched the front of the binding and hand sewed the back down.  I also soaked/washed it in OxyClean and the quilt came out much brighter and I managed to get a lot of the stains out for her.


I'm also working on another commissioned quilt for a little girl that lost her mom to cancer last year.  Trying to honor her memory and create something Shelby can hold on to tight and remember her mom with. 


Claudia from the ISQB sent me this beautiful star block for my month of August.  I'm eagerly awaiting all of these to come in!  I need to do my block for the IMQG bee we're doing too.  A little here, a little there.

As I type this, I'm listening to Middleman practice on his new baby.


A G&L Stratocaster similar to the one David Gilmore of Pink Floyd fame plays.  Here he is taking a break to open a gift at Mimi's house.  She has an awesome tradition of gifting to the grandchildren for her birthday.  What an awesome Mimi!

 

Sunshine in a vase!  All from our gardens out back.  Yesterday, Mr (or Mrs.) Hummingbird came right up to the kitchen window while I was doing dishes.  Just peeking in.


Some fabric I picked up while in Alabama.  Thank you sweetie pie!


And after completing the Aloha blocks for that quilt (I still need to find sashing to compliment all of these lucious, tropical colors!), I had enough small pieces to cut into 2" sq pieces to pair with some white to do a single Irish Chain pattern.  This will continue to grow and be the back of the Aloha quilt.

Let's see, did I leave anything out?
LOL


Oh yeah, more Gulf Shores photos!


Javi and me at the arcade.


Bean and Javi after the "Hurl-A-Minute" ride.


The baby sand shark someone accidentally caught.
Ick. 


And hiking out to a remote beach we shared with only four other people-and two of them left.

Hope the weekend treats you kindly!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Selfish post alert!

I'm so totally breaking radio silence here.
But with good cause.
You can stop reading right here and return to your normally programmed schedule.


The Vintage Sheet Blog is having a small giveaway.  It's so small that even if you did ignore my pleas of indifference, you really don't want to go here.

Let's just say I'm hoping my "Dreams" come true.


You really don't need to go there.  At all.  It could be dangerous.  And......it probably smells bad too.  So.  Just stay away.
LOL



Friday, August 13, 2010

Holiday!


The next couple of weeks will be pretty hectic for us.  And yes, more so than usual as impossible as that seems.  All three boys will be heading back to school, and there is lots to do before, during and after that.

I'm now on bloggy vacation.
Pretending through the next two weeks, I'm at the beach.
And yes, KT, I will be wearing my bracelets.
Are you wearing your flip flop?

See you all soon and hope you stay healthy and that Life treats you kind.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Where oh where has my summer gone?

Egads people!  School starts next week!
What happened to my summer vacation with the kiddoes?

Well, I know where some of it went.  To Gulf Shores with KT and her family. 


Here we are arriving first night at the condo.  Which was gorgeous and has now forever ruined me for my shrinky lil' bathtub at home.  A garden jacuzzi tub about as deep as the Gulf itself with HOT water (not that set at 100 for safety and economical purposes)!  Almost every morning and evening began or ended with a much deserved and needed soak.

The younger boys shared a bunkroom and Javi had his own with a connecting bathroom shared by the other two.  Going to bed and waking up gazing out at the Gulf is really my life's calling.  LOL

Eating out, shelling, diving, snorkeling, fishing, shopping, swimming-exactly what we needed to recharge us through the winter.  The boys caught sand crabs by night and hermit crabs by day.  Dolphins playing in the surf so very close to us.  See the fin top left?


Watching Shark Week all week long, so that when this

(7 ft Bull Shark)

was caught off the nearby pier and an eye witness to a Black Tip 12 feet from shore at Orange Beach, we were ready to keep the kids a little bit closer to us in the surf.  Also caught were Spades and a Ramora by Middleman the fisherman.


Hubby love and Middleman are telling a fishtale of KT's husband and son catching a huge something that was so big, it broke the line.  They think it was another shark.  That's their tail, and they're sticking to it!

I very cleverly stepped on an Angel Shark and had the snot shocked out of me.  Evidently they look like sting rays, but will give a strong electrical shock if attacked or simply stepped on by a cute, lil' freckled northen gal.

Moving on.

We're trying to decide which house we want to buy (in our dreams) to live full time down there.


This one or


this one.  I kinda like the blue color scheme of the first one, but just am so sure we could fit all y'all in the yellow one when you came to visit!  See the windows on top?  Sewing room fer sure!


Middleman sampling some of the local marine life.


Some of the local marine life sampling Daddy and Bean!

Okay, just a few pics of our wonderful vacation.  For the family, I'll share more later.

Catching up on email, schedules and life.
Commissioned to rebind a beautiful quilt that a lovely couple received as a wedding gift many years ago and a new memory quilt for a very special, young someone.

Spending the next few weeks catching up on all the new blog posts and flickr fabulousness!

Here's to a great week!