What do you call it?

I call it a garage sale, but I'm from Minnesota. We call casseroles, hot dish and snow machines, snowmobiles. Also known as a rummage sale, yard sale, maybe tag sale...whatever you call it there were good deals!I found this lovely addition to my sewing room and the table below for a corner in my kitchen. The little table in the photo below is in the process of being painted black...more photos later. I have been working on a table topper for my mom. Blogger keeps rotating this photo, sorry.

My hibiscus is going crazy this year. The blooms last about a day but there are many! This week is bittersweet for us. I have my oldest going to kindergarten in a week. It feels like such a milestone. My tears should be minimal since I get to drive him everyday (we'll see about that!). Boy, that bus thing would make it tougher! We are very excited to get back to a routine but sad to say goodbye to a very fun summer. You betcha!

Even though he doesn't read my blog...

I have to say thank you. for working so hard. for loving our kids so much. for listening to what is important. for treating me so well. for living with integrity. for creating a beautiful life.

You are my true companion and you have all my love & respect.

An eye for Eagles

My daughter has an Eagle eye this summer. She has spotted Eagles on two different lakes before the rest of us and I was lucky enough to have my camera along for one of the sightings. Beautiful birds. We have enjoyed them almost as much as the loons this summer.

The photo of the loons was taken by my mother-in-law!

The bad with the good

Two weeks ago my grandma talked me into entering a few quilts into her county fair. She was so excited about it I couldn't say no. So I entered my recent wall hanging "Garden of Stars" and the "Simple Swap Squares" quilt. I couldn't attend but the quilts came back to me with second place ribbons! Now, there could have been two quilts in each catagory for all I know but it made me smile anyway. :)

As a side note I wanted to thank you for the really neat comments people are leaving on my blog. It is so fun to throw something out there to blog world and hear back from other people, especially people I have not met. I am so glad there are people that share my love of hydrangeas, quilts and life. Thanks for your comments, they brighten my day!

As for the good with the bad.....

...second time in six years that my civic duties haved called.

Something Bright...and Finished!

Are you ready for some photos? I finished a project! I started this one back in June. I intended for it to be a throw quilt but I got impatient with the piecing and decided I needed a wall hanging/table topper.

(The grass looks fake in this photo for some reason!)

This is the second project I designed myself, not that it looks all that original. I loved the challenge of the stars but I also realized that with my busy life I like the quickness of easier projects. Not every point is perfect, but I am getting better.

I rearranged the star pieces to give this last block a little more interest.

I am really happy with the quilting on this. I pin basted tighter on this (more pins) and it really made a difference. I quilted white on white with Aurifil thread. Large stippling in the larger areas and tiny stippling around the stars. That was new to me and really fun. I did a looping meander in the busy squared spaces with bright pink Aurifil. I still wonder if I should outline the stars but I didn't trust myself to free motion those straight lines.
Binding...oh my! (as my niece would say). I read on a blog post that someone was loving 2 inch binding. Well, I thought a smaller project would be perfect for it. After I cut and pressed it I realized I wasn't going to be able to hand stitch it very easily and cover the edge. I sewed it onto the quilt with about an eighth inch seam and I was fine. Then I clipped a corner of the binding as I trimmed the extra off but we just won't talk about that...
So quilters.....what size binding do you usually cut? I think I am back to 2 1/2 inch unless I realize what I am missing. :)

What's going on here?

Well, fellow gardeners...what do you make of this? My Blushing Bride Hydrangea is doing great this year, still not very large but the flowers are beautiful. Most of them are white with a hit of pink like the one below but then there are two that look like they are blooms and leaves combined. White and green....hmmmmmm.

A side note: Hydrangeas are my favorite flower/plant if you haven't guessed! They are probably ho-hum to the southern gardeners but here in Zone 4 it has only been in the last few years that we can grow plants like these thanks to Bailey Nurseries here in Minnesota. I have found that they like a partly sunny spot on the east side of my house and have really enjoyed them the last 4 years.

Friday Smiles

Friday is welcome this week. I have been sewing and I can't wait to post my project but I just need to stich the binding. Sewing makes me smile. :) We are gearing up for a fun weekend with friends and fun next week checking out the PGA Championship here in Minneapolis. I am taking in a practice round and Saturday's rounds. Golf makes me smile. :) My hubby is coming home early today and that makes me smile. :) I just picked up an iced vanillla latte from Starbucks. Smile. :) If I could just get out on my bike for a hour that would make the day perfect!

A little sewing, a lot of summer

Well, I have done far less sewing this summer than I intended. I am really enjoying the time with my kids though. We are running around with swimming and golf lessons this week and today the kids are treating me to a morning of sleeping in and playing great together. Those days are one in a million!

Not much is flowering in the garden right now except the hydrangeas and phlox.

The "Twist and Shout" hydrangea is flowering! Since I almost killed it earlier in the season I am so happy!

This quilting project I am in the middle of is a wall hanging for the house. I am working on very small stippling, it is really fun. I can't wait to finish it.

Well, off to make lunch for the crew; hope the day is good for you!