This is Ashley's quilt---or I should say, blankie. I didn't quilt it and the backing is a nice soft, fuzzy fabric, perfect for cuddling.
This is Savanahs' blankie. She has the soft green backing fabric. I tried to do strip blocks, I'm not sure I like how they turned out---I think it looks cute, but I don't like how the bottom colored fabric strips aren't in the middle with the white. I apparently didn't block them correctly or something. I will try this pattern again. I really liked making it, I like strip piecing and paper piecing a lot, I could do paper pieced quilts all the time!
So, now I am planning my other niece, Sam's quilt. She wants a nautical quilt so I bought this pattern from Ula Lenz called Summer at the Shore.
Ula has tons and tons of beautiful patterns, if you have never been to her site, be sure to check it out! Ula's Quiltpage
My next project for me is to make the Third Weekend in October quilt. I got the pattern and kit from Keepsake Quilting (I love that website!!!) I am also going to make the Yo Yo Advent Calendar from Sunshine Creations. BUT, before I get started on anything, I need to get my quilt room set up and get all my fabric out and in a place where I can see it and find it, LOL! My wonderful DH is going to make me a nice book/fabric shelf so I can get all my fabric out and set up---well, most of it anyway. I don't have too much fabric so he doesn't have to make it too big. My room is only 9 X 9 and my Grace Sturdy Lite takes up half of it. My sewing table is outside the room in the diningroom, so the rest of the room is basically for storage. Right now, it's being used as an all purpose dump room. My poor Sturdy Lite is covered with stuff that needs to go elsewhere!!!
So, right now my quilty priority is to straighten up my quilting room, get all the intruder stuff out of it and get my fabric out and visible so I can start planning my next quilts.
We had our huge Forth of July campout and it was a blast! Our camp ground was too muddy to actually camp in, but we at least were able to get the firepit dug and had some nice fires---the tents were placed out on the lawn since it was dry out there. Over all, it was a great weekend and we found out that we can stay home and watch the fireworks!! We had planned on going to the next township over to see the fireworks but we ended up eating late and everyone was tired so we decided to stay home. The kids were a little upset---but they started chasing fireflies and forgot all about it. All of a sudden, in the north sky appeared large fireworks. At first we thought it was just someone blowing off fireworks in their backyard but as they continued we realized that they were much too big for a private display and it turned out that it was an excellent 40 minute display put on by one of the area townships. How cool is that???
We have been having some rough periods. I found my 16 year old son passed out on the floor one morning. He had just had a seizure and we rushed him to the emergency room. They did some tests but they couldn't much for him and he had to be transferred 25 miles away to the nearest children's hospital. After 3 days in the hospital and countless tests, we found out that he has Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy. Since then, he's had 4 more seizures and frankly, they are quite scary and no matter how many times I see them, I don't think I'll ever get used to them. He has to make a lot of changes, which he isn't happy about---no driving for a year after the last seizure--so we had to cancel his driving lessons. He has to limit his video gaming and he can't play many of the games he loved to play before---which to me isn't a big deal, but to a kid I suppose it would be one. He can't go into the pool without an adult. He can't go to dances or concerts if there are flashing lights or strobes. He has to make sure to get a full nights' sleep, no more late nights. Lots of other stuff that in the grand scheme of things, don't seem too major---but to a teenager it stinks. He'll be fine once his medications are leveled off, but until them there is always a risk for more seizures, which means I can't leave him alone---which he hates. I just try to keep reminding him that it's only temporary and life will get back to normal---just a little differently.
Other than that, it's been a busy summer. The garden is coming along, slowly but surely. I've finally got zucchini's growing, tons of tomatoes and the potatoes look to be doing very well. The corn is stunted, but there are still some cobs growing. My soil needs more nitrogen---next spring I am going to make sure that before we plant anything we are fortifying the soil first. We couldn't do it this year, it was a miracle to get a break in the rainy weather to be able to till and then to be able to plant anything! Now, we haven't had rain in over 2 weeks, LOL! No happy medium this summer.
Lots of yummy lettuces, though!
