Coughing better

After both of us staying in all week long feeling miserable it was very nice to get out on Saturday and Sunday.  The Viking seemed content to go with the flow.  The dogs didn't get much joy either since it was either too hot or too stormy and chances were The Tramp or I were taking a nap.

But some good times were had on the floor next to my sewing table.

I finished all the sewing, ironing and trimming of nine-patches.  Yay!  Then I could begin making the blocks.

After sewing a few nine-patches and squares together the OCD side of my brain made me stop and sort all the neutral squares into sets of four.  There.  Much better.  Now I wouldn't worry about ending up with no variety in some of my blocks.  I make myself nuts.  :-)

I took a short trip out Saturday afternoon and look what chased me home!  That is one ugly cloud.  This is about a mile and a half from the house and by the time I got around the corner it was POURING!

So what to do?  Of course!  Take yet another nap, with Piglet alternately guarding and sleeping above my head on the back of the couch.  :-)

Today however, was absolutely gorgeous.  Not even too hot.  So we took a drive to a different lake.

The Tramp even smiled!  lol

And there he is in the water.  It's a pretty enough beach, but I doubt we will go again.  For one thing the swimming area is smaller than our favorite beach.  Worse though, is the buoys don't keep the boats and jet skis far enough away from the beach.  The roar of engines and stink of gas fumes were very off-putting.  The first time we went in the water a fish kept bumping into me.  I think it was trying to taste the design on my bathing suit.  When I went to brush it away it BIT me!!  Actually just a nip on my thumb, but The Tramp says I let out quite a shriek which got the attention of everyone on the beach.  Oh my!

 I must have been exceptionally tasty today.  After we arrived home I did a quick circuit around the back yard with the dogs and got eight mosquito bites.  I could practically hear them shouting, "She's here!  Come and get it!"  The Tramp grilled us some fabulous little steaks for dinner and darn it if another mosquito didn't come in with the steak and we spent our whole dinnertime trying to swat it.  And guess who got more bites?  Sigh.

Anyway, the evening has been peaceful (and bug free) and all my units are stitched together.  Only one nine-patch and two squares left over.  Not bad!

Be glad

Today was an indoor day.  Be glad there is a screen and miles of air and cable between you and me.  The Tramp and I have caught yet another of The Viking's colds.  *cough, cough*  The weather also encourages staying indoors.  It really did feel like 106F at dinner time.

So don't ask me how they are able to relax for a while on hot stone in direct sun.  I can't figure it out.  And I don't think they get why I won't let them stay there for any length of time.

The Viking kept us company today.  I coughed, his nose ran, and The Tramp was quietly miserable.  Despite the discomforts, The Viking happily played with cars and trains and blocks.  This small blue basket is one of the latest things he has "borrowed" from The Sandbox.  Both yesterday and today it was declared to be a hat, not that it actually balances on his head for more than a moment.  He even took his naps with his hat.  As his mother said, he is very fashion forward.  :-D

Sick days are very good for some mindless sewing.  I sat quietly putting together more nine-patches for the Omigosh quilt.  There are about 45 finished blocks in the green bin, some trimmed and ready nine-patches in the center basket, and three baskets piled with patches needing ironing and trimming. The two baskets in the front are the strips still waiting to be sewn into nine-patches.

I need 111 of these blocks and there will be 110 of the churn dash blocks.  I have a loooong way to go.  This evening I took a break from sewing to do some of the ironing.

I asked The Tramp to put "something interesting" on the television as this is somewhat tedious work, and he obliged with one of the sessions from the recent Apple Developers Conference.  Hmmmmm.  Maybe I should have said "entertaining?"  Live and learn.  ;-)

He certainly enjoyed it.  Love you honey.  XXX

Did you know?

Did you know that it is now summer?  It sure is.  And a hot summer at that.  Record or close to record high temperatures every day, with thunderstorms in between.  Summer.  No question about it.

Did you know I went on my bee's retreat to the mountains?  Yep.  So much sewing.  I took the 301 and all the small bits of fabric I showed in the bin on the last post.  Many got put together, but there is sooooo much more to do.  We stayed in a very comfortable house with a fabulous view of Grandfather Mountain.  Very pleasant in every way.

Since I got home I've been plugging away putting the blocks together.  Soooooo many more to make. :-)

Did you know I've been on a hat sewing kick?  Yep.  About eight so far.

Did you know that strawberry season has come and gone?  It's too short!

Did you know I made another purse from my favorite pattern?  Very fun fabric, but I've decided it isn't my colors.  Great for the summer though, and it was a good experiment in using Soft and Stable batting in a pattern that doesn't call for it.  I'm definitely going to try it again in the autumn.

Did you know I also went off to the North Carolina Quilt Symposium?  I had "help" packing too.  Do you know how hard it is to explain to a two-year-old that "his" suitcase isn't broken?  He was convinced it was missing wheels because it only has two.  :-)

We took a happy selfie when we finally arrived after the long drive.  A lot of smile in that photo!  More smiles when we saw how many ribbons some of us (not me) won at the quilt show.

The venue was very nice and included this interesting historic mansion.

The famous Georgia Bonesteel lives very close to Bonclarken and was a gracious hostess when some lucky folk went on a tour of her house and studio as one of our classes.  Her cat, Rose, got into the act too, which meant I had to go outside for a while to get away from the cat dander raised while flipping quilts and use my inhaler, but even so I enjoyed the tour thoroughly.

My other classes were with Sue Nickels, learning to draw feathers, and with Laura Wasilowski, in her Tiny Homes and Garden of Eden workshops.  All were fun and fabulous.

Did you  know I could draw feathers???  I sure didn't!!

Have you ever heard of a water castle?  I hadn't either.  Every once in a while The Viking would mention castles when we were driving around town.  Castle?  Where in the world would you find a castle in North Carolina?   Neither I nor his parents figured it out until one day when we were out of the car he pointed out the water tower behind Trader Joe's and told me it was a castle.  OHHHHH!  Behold....a Water Castle!

Of which we have many.  :-)

Did you know it is so much fun to see your grandson playing with your childhood toys?  :-)

Did you know if you start a walking program you sometimes have to walk in the pouring rain?  Yep.  You do.

Had you heard of a new migraine therapy called Cefaly?  Neither had I.  I'm a couple of weeks into it and I'm not dead yet.  I'm taking that as a good sign.

Did you know that Em Ems taste better with sand?  (M&Ms)

We've been spending time at Jordan Lake.  Someone is wondering if Nini remembered to bring the Em Ems again.  :-)

Do you know how important it is to have a "beach project?"  After a few trips to the beach I realized I needed something to do while the boy plays.  Granny squares seem to be the ticket.  No sharp objects involved.

I saw the idea of putting holes and eyelets in a plastic box for your yarn.  So we made one and it seems to be a good way of keeping the sand out of the yarn.....mostly.

Did you know baby owls nest in cars?  The Viking declared, "I have a seat belt.  Baby Owl have a nest."  Works for me.  :-)

Did you know dogs like to rush out of the airconditioning and take up posts in the sun in 100F heat?  Honestly!  We don't keep the house that cold!!!  Good grief!  Dark fur gets HOT.

We had lots of family over (on Saturday) for Father's Day and I failed to take many photos.  But here is one of the happy fathers and his namesake great grandson.  Love you Dad!!