The sandbox and The Sandbox

 I'm still not organized enough to post a little every day so here we go again.....

LZF has landed a new job.  A day shift!  Yay!  We are all looking forward to it.  To celebrate, Dad treated everyone to a nice Italian dinner.

In The Sandbox I've had a new jacket pattern hanging on the design wall for a couple of months and I thought it was time to cut into the fabric.

It's been so long since I've done any garment sewing but the jacket is simple enough.  The sleeves went in just fine (yay!) and it's all done except for the sleeve hems.  The sleeves are a bit short so I'll fashion some cuffs out of the leftover fabric.  My usual strategy is to add a couple of inches to everything but since it's been a while I just plain forgot.  :-p  The pattern was frustrating as the size I made doesn't lay out on the fabric as the instructions say it should.  Thank goodness I bought extra! The pattern is sold at quilt shops and quilt shows so I wonder why they don't take into consideration that quilting cottons are the logical fabric people will buy and that quilting cotton shrinks in the wash!  Sigh.

The Viking continues to "assist" me while I sew.

Amazingly, I do get some work done.

We did manage to get to the fireworks display in a neighboring town.  We picniced and The Viking had his first amusement ride.  He seemed more interested in the mechanism than anything else.

The currently accident prone Sailor Son tried to slice off the tip of his finger while peeling apples.  Apparently it was spectacular, traumatic and painful, but will heal. 

Poyla, MD and Stardust attended a traditional Indian wedding and had fun dressing the part.

The second round of repairs have finally been completed at The Other House.  The walls and ceiling are closed up now and we are praying for no more water issues!

The half-painted woodwork at our house has been calling for my attention for many months, so last week I decided to finish some of it.....with supervision of course.

So the upstairs hallway is done.  Black hairs in the paint and all.  :-)

Crazy Maisy, our hunter, has discovered the joys of dirty diapers.  Shame on me for throwing one out where she could tip over the can and reach it.  Shame on her for the total destruction of the diaper and the mess she made of herself and the carpet in the Sandbox.  Such fun to clean up.  NOT!

A scrap of cotton batting makes a great temporary highway.

A little crocheting fills in the quiet moments.

It's been very hot and muggy and the mosquitoes are horrendous.  So The Viking and I have been playing mostly indoors.  We did get a sandbox for the screened porch though.  If I put on the ceiling fan it keeps us cool and mostly mosquito-free.

I finally got around to repotting my African Violets and The Tramp put up shelves for them in the Sandbox.  (Oh how I wish all the woodwork would magically turn white!)  They bloom beautifully in this location.  I'm unhappy with the terracotta pots I chose though, so I found a local greenhouse that specializes in African Violets and I've ordered new pots and fertilizer.  

We were blessed with a flying visit from a special friend this weekend.  I got out my Gadget Guard pattern and was able to whip up a sleeve for her brand new iPad, to protect it while she travels.  We shopped my stash for the fabric and found this floral that is so her.  All we had to do was go out and get the perfect purple zippers.  Fun!  :-)

The Viking will be here tomorrow.  It's supposed to be stormy too.  I think between the sandbox and The Sandbox we'll find plenty to keep us busy!  :-)