35!

If you ask some people, I entered middle age on Monday.
After much research, I've determined that this is NOT so!
The average white woman lives to 79, which means that middle age starts
at 40!  Whew!! 
~~~
Anyway, we celebrated with my sister-in-law and nephew on Sunday night since we were driving home on Monday.  Doesn't that chocolate cake look delicious?!  Lots of yummy, fudgy frosting.

After getting back home on Monday, Bob, the kids and I went out to dinner.
It's so nice to occasionally not have to cook!
Then we headed over to Max and Amanda's for dessert.
They live on a golf course, and the kids love their backyard!
It was beautiful evening ..... we sat out on the back patio while the boys and
Emma threw the frisbees.

It seems that, as you get older, your birthdays last longer!  :)
Last night, a few of the other moms in the area left their kiddos at home with
the daddies, and we headed to The Crepery for dinner and dessert.  Ever been?
It's delicious!!  Here are some photos of the dessert crepes we demolished.

I have to say that it felt very good to exercise this morning!  whew!!

I have some very crafty friends!
Look at some of the cards I received for my birthday.

{This looks just like the old machine that's in my living room!}

This one is not handmade, but I thought it was beautiful!
I'm gonna try to duplicate it with stamps...once school starts...A WEEK FROM TODAY!!

Webelos Woods

Bob and Ryan spent three days and two nights last week at Camp Morrison in McCall for
Webelos Woods.  They had a great time (except for the mosquitos!). 
They got to learn about nature, shoot BB guns and bows and arrows, had campfires, learned about First Aid, did a bit of craftsman, started carving their walking sticks, and Ryan was even brave enough to take part in the 7:00 a.m. polar bear plunge!

That just looks COLD!

Shiver...Shiver!

A beautiful summer evening in the country

Three very-soon-to-be first graders.
~~~
Last night, Em and I headed out to the country to see friends and
attend Mom's book club.  It was such a beautiful summer evening
in the country!

I'd LOVE to have this view every evening.
As we stood outside, chatting and waiting for the girls to finish their goodbyes,
we enjoyed watching the sky change from a stormy afternoon to a gorgeous sunset.

Em~Em

Sweet little Aisy

Happy Anniversary!

Thirteen years ago today, I married my best friend.
Happy anniversary!

Card Holder Tutorial Posted!

I've finally finished the tutorial for the card holder.
Go here to take a look!



Pooper Scoopers For Hire!

Aren't they cute?
They work for pretty cheap!

These two pics cracked me up...
My poor, forlorn daughter...

...but, wait!  There's a butterfly!  :)

Did I mention in my last post how much I love the Bliss line from Moda?
The colors are so bright...I love red and turquoise together.
{These pictures really don't show the true colors since I'm taking them downstairs...I'll
take some on natural light once the quilt is done.}
So here's what the quilt looks like after just a couple of hours of work.
Picture it with red binding...I can't wait!
The top is done...it's time to sandwich it together and quilt it.
But I have a problem!  The only quilting my machine allows me to do it straight lines...like the quilting I've done on all of the rest of my quilts.  This one would look SO good
with stipling...but my machine just won't do it!  I'd run over to her house and steal borrow hers, but it's a bit far and she might not call me friend afterwards.  I could pay someone at the quilt shop to do it for me, but then I have to factor that cost into the price I'll end up charging for it.
Hmmmmmm.....  ideas?!
{And, sadly no, Bob is not open to the idea of my buying my own $10k+ machine.} 

Last night, as I pulled out  my graph paper and ruler to design a quilt,
I thought about how much I {love} to create things.  Beyond spending time with those I love, there's little I enjoy more than taking a piece of fabric or a piece of paper and watching it become something else.  As most of you know, I hope to have a business up and running
by the end of the year doing this very thing.  Each time I think of this, I think of my dear husband.
He understands the importance of one of us being home for the kids, the importance of volunteering weekly in their classrooms.  He doesn't nag suggest that I get a part time job {although I have my arguments prepared for that~imagine a part time job where you can't work during tax season or during any school breaks!}.  He totally supports what I do ~ and appreciates all I do.  Last night I commented on how much I love to create things.  His response was the he loves how my I love to create things.  So sweet!

So, back to last night.  I drew my design out on graph paper and then pulled out
a Moda "Bliss" jelly roll I purchased earlier this year.  The jelly roll is what I  used to make the strip quilt earlier this year.  This is going to be a baby quilt, so I cut each of the 40 44" strips in half and then in half again.  I set 2/3 of it aside.  I'm thinking that I might be able to get three projects out of one jelly roll!  Anyway, so I cut my pieces for my blocks and sewed them all together last night (after cleaning my poor neglected machine!).

Here are a few of my favorite blocks. 
I'm off to add the sashing.  I can't wait to see how it turns out ~ hopefully
somewhat similar to what I'm picturing in my head! 
~~~

Before I go though, I wanted to share the fat quarters the kids and I picked up
at Craft Warehouse this morning.  LOVE these colors!

{This one is Emma's!}