Happy 4th Of July!!
It seems this summer is especially busy! I keep putting off projects until 'next week' when it will surely slow down. It doesn't!! After my last post - yikes! almost a month ago!! [Bad blogger! No biscuit!]
After the Memorial Day Weekend Quilt show but before my Portland trip we decided the kids could come home with me for a visit. School was getting out on the day I arrived! All you Nanas out there know how much prep-work is needed to have small guests - especially if they sleep in the sewing room!
Major cleaning of that area.
Special activities lined up, movies ordered!
Special grocery shopping
Other duties as thought of!!
I was able to see "Once" the Tony-winning musical of last year with my DD. We were up in the rafters but as always a great time. While we were all together, we had to go get Menchies - it's close enough that we can walk from their house. Good thing I don't live up there!! I meant Portland, but I'm really thinking - good thing I don't live that close to Menchies!! Or I'd live THERE for sure! They already recognize me!!
I drove the kids back from Portland all by myself!! DH and I usually 'tag-team' the grands. But Miss P is 7 and Mr M is 5 so it's pretty easy these days. A 6 hour drive (without stops) turns into a much longer drive, but it went extremely well.
Here are the stops I recommend between Portland and Brookings!!
Gas and snacks, of course!!
Elkton - Butterfly Pavilion. It's free. A greenhouse that they hatch butterflys. We didn't see any but we saw the caterpillers; the eggs; the larva and the flowers! They were very kid-friendly and we sat at the picnic tables and ate popcorn and apples for a snack!
North Bend - Visitor's Center playground. This is the old fashioned playgrounds that we grew up with. Swings, merry-go-round and a fairly high slide! Sand based so we had to dump shoes out before getting back into the car - and I managed to leave one of Mr M's BRAND-NEW shoes in the parking lot!! Oh dear! I did keep track of two kids, and 3 of 4 shoes!! A few phone calls from Brookings and leaving my contact info ... I'm happy to say that we were able to collect it on our way back to Portland - and we had a spare pair for him to wear!! It was so funny getting the call from the desk. "Oh, you found my shoe!" "Well, I don't know if it's yours!" How many kid size 12 black shoes with bright green stripes and a marbled sole do they find???" Just to be safe, I carried in the mate to claim it!!
Port Orford - Prehistoric Gardens This is a campy little 50s style park. Statues of dinosaurs built to scale from skeletons. Miss P had been there before and I was a little worried that she would be bored. Didn't happen! They had a ball. The park really knows how to engage kids.
First while standing at the window you get a peanut to feet the jays; squirrels, and chipmunks who are happy to see you!! Then they give the kids a map to follow. With pictures of the dinosaurs. Then there's the footprint signs pointing the way! They went thru it twice at top speed!! Both having a really good time!
Then home - a simple 8 and 1/2 hours later!! Followed by a fun-filled few days before we headed back up the hwy to meet their Dad at the Newport Aquarium. What fun we had - those two are whirling dervishes - and they slept 11 hours every night!! Thank goodness!! Thanks for the good time, kiddos!!
I volunteered to have cards this month - cuz it was going to be such a slo-o-ow month, don'cha know! Then 3 of us quilters decided to have a garage sale together - how hard could it be??? Yep, I'd forgotten how hard!
Then Habitat for Humanity is raising money with a Quilts in the Garden tour. A friend of mine is the chair and of course, I volunteered some quilts, and a raffle quilt! Just turned them in today - still smoking from being bound, of course! This is the raffle quilt I made. Turned out so cute. It's an old pattern by Pieces from My Heart. I usually make it with antique button flowers ... but found those large bright flower buttons at JoAnns [on sale too!] and had to step up my colors to keep up! I hope it does well at the auction - all the extras for sale are gone - in a flash! Darn cute and too cheap is that lesson!
Then the library called, Friends of the Library is having a display of wall quilts in the meeting room. She had a list of my quilts, which she saw in the show that she wanted! She mentioned some people had said no - so I sent 7 quilts total, for fill-ins if needed. I'll just pick up anything you don't use - they're all hanging! And they Look G*O*O*D!
Last weekend went over to Medford to babysit for A&J2 for a night out and to see the Medford Quilt show. And I'm sticking to that order of importance too!
Those boys - D is 3 and K is 1- are so busy; it's impossible to get them to sit still for pictures! But a Nana has to do what a Nana has to do! This was the best of a series of 20!! Had great fun Sunday morning in Lithia Park while it was still cool. Thanks for the good time, kiddos!
Here was my favorite quilt in the show - houses!! I know nobody is shocked!!
Saturday is the garage sale ... I'll have to post pictures of what I'm selling later - alot more work to do!!
So "Happy Independence Day!" Who else always watches that movie every year?? It's always good!
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