ADVENTure Report

My ADVENTure got off to a rough start.  I had to re-knit this cowl because it was way too big.  But then I had enough yarn left over to make these girly mitts (free pattern on ravelry). These are for my seven-year-old niece.

 And for her older brother, some mitts (which I have to finish);

 And a ribbed cowl.

A big thanks to Kristyn for getting us all excited about this year-long ADVENTure!

I'm checking out for a couple of weeks.  Happy Fourth of July!

New Season

Hey there.  We are working on finding our groove this summer.  We in that stage where the children are too young to be left home alone, but they sure don't want to go the the grocery store with me.  

 We've been making lots of library trips.  Many drop-offs and pick-ups for playdates.  Many games of chess.

 Haven't made cookies yet. 

 One sleep-over.  That has resulted in a sleep-over moratorium.  And I'm fine with that.

 We're (reluctantly) doing what we call Math Olympics. 

And there is knitting.  Pictures soon, I promise!

The last day--two out of three

Today is the last day of school.  And it's a half-day.  The kids are pumped, and whether I'm ready or not, summer is here.  I'm not really ready, but I'm okay with that.

There are no grand plans for the summer.  There is an epic roadtrip in our future, and after that, we'll probably be chillin' at the pool.  When we're not at the library.  We're going to see a few plays--I may even drag them to a Shakespeare festival.  There will be the 4-H fair in August.

This summer seems like it's going to be shorter--they go back on August 30.  We're going to soak in as much fun as we can.

Friday Five

 1.  I was at my new favorite shopping place yesterday--the antiques barn.  I brought home some new insulators for my collection.  I spent alot of time with a wooden and metal milk crate, trying to visualize where it would go and how I would use it...and I decided not to bring it home.  Ah, but maybe if it's there the next time...

 2. Last Friday, I had some time to kill while I was waiting to meet my mother-in-law. I was at an outlet mall, and I went in to the book outlet.  I've been in it before, and I know it's usually full of books I've never heard of or wouldn't want.  Even the "going out of business" sign on the door didn't get me excited until I walked over to the crafts section.  See that Mason-Dixon book with the $9.99 sticker on it?  I paid $2.00 for it!  The Gentle Art of Domesticity--that I've been trying to find in my library for a couple of years?? Two dollars!  It was very exciting.

 3.  These are my library books, not the kids'.  I plan to read an insane amount of children's literature this summer--why should the kids have all the fun?  And if they want to copy me, even better!

 4.  Chocolate chip.  I just don't think there's any reason to make any other kind of cookie.

5.  Not nearly as romantic as a clothesline, but that's okay.

This weekend will be much more relaxed that the previous one.  I am hoping to go to the pool and maybe go strawberry picking.  That's it!

Counting down

The kids' last day of school is next Thursday.  I am all too aware of how quickly this time will pass.

Somebody turned ELEVEN last week!

I should be outside planting flowers.  And then I should be out shopping for the third grade end-of-the-year party.

Dresden fun--sidelined indefinitely.  Maybe they'll come out in time for the 4-H fair!

And of course, there's always laundry.

ADVENTure FAIL!  Way too big for intended recipient.  Starting over...

Here I go--past the large stack of library books and out into the garden.

Makes you wonder

After reading my last post--in which I was lamenting the general chaos in my dining room and resolving to get things put away--you may wonder what in the world is going on in my brain when you see these pictures!  I know, I know.  I put away four things and then took out about a hundred!

It all started last Friday when I went to Jo-ann's armed with a coupon and determined to score some of that new Denyse Schmidt fabric.  (A previous visit to another Jo-ann's was unfruitful.)  And I was disappointed again.  This store had one bolt of the DS Quilts line--one!  And it was a navy blue print!  Really, I didn't need the fabric.  I don't have any immediate plans for it; I just wanted to see it in person.  Consider it money saved.  But then--then! I wandered over to the quilting tools section and found the Dresden Plate tool--and with my coupon, it only cost about six bucks.

Enter the scraps/stash!

I just started cutting blades.  Some are 3.5", the larger ones are 6".  I don't have a vision for what these are going to become--maybe a table runner, a quilt.  It depends on how many plates I end up with.

So far I have eight smaller ones completed.

And I have a little more cutting to do before I start in on the larger plates.

I just love playing around with all the colors and fabrics--and the kids wanted to play with them, too!