We didn’t do much to celebrate,
staying home to binge watch all 6 episodes of Black Snow season 2 (we almost never watch an entire season in one sitting but this was SO GOOD!)
Inside with finished edges
before I finished the second iPad-sized Hemingway Pouch.
I cut this one smaller (18w x 15h) as a test - it fits much more snugly
and looks tidier. Hooray for successful experiments!
Wish I had more people to give these to - they are sooooo fun to make.
I had to bribe 2 of the 3 (with Minecraft coins) to get this picture.
Jac hurt her foot, so we had to leave the trampoline park early, then Donovan tripped over his own feet and scraped up his knee. By the time we got home (pre-holiday traffic was awful!) they’d all recovered. They were in a great mood and played happily together until the parents arrived. Kids! You never know what a day will bring.
* No sewing tho ☹️ since the power was from 11-ish to almost 6.
The CO grandchild plans to major in biology, with an emphasis on birds, at U of Wyoming, so how could I *not* make this for her??
The Birdwatchers Project (here) is 14 foundation paper-pieced patterns released one-ish a month over the next 12 months*.
Looking at the pictures, I think this is going to be a challenging commitment… and I can’t wait.
Signed up, ordered a fabric kit and now we wait for the July 10 release day.
And, just to make it more challenging interesting, we leave for Alaska on July 19 and in August, TWO patterns are released just 4 days before our trip to Glacier National Park… I’m going to be soooo behind.
One of my very favorite projects* I’m thinking the individual birds would make amazing wall hangings too. If, you know, I run out of steam before I finish them all… not that that ever happens to me. 🙄 But I did finish the Botanical Beauties (here), so there’s hope.
My plan today was to spray baste and quilt
the main pieces for two Hemingway ipad bags
The interior. The bound edges are a nice touch - they’re invisible once the bag is turned right-side out.
while I wait for an order of bag zippers and stripy fabric to arrive later this week.
But it went so fast, and was so much fun,
A peek at the pretty lining
that I kept going and actually finished this one for Cyrus.
She loves yellow, the brighter the better, so I’m hoping this will be a hit.
For me, if the zippers ever get here…
Hopefully it won’t turn out too small. But I think it’ll work…
We celebrated Jac’s birthday yesterday.. and the day before*… and today… and maybe again tomorrow.
Who says birthdays have to be just one day a year??
Jac and I made a from-scratch chocolate cake on Thursday (so delicious) and decorated it with fresh strawberries at her request.
It wasn’t especially pretty (I’m not a good ‘icer’) but it was deeeeeeeelicious.
This year, Pop set up the back yard with a smaller pool and filled it with floaties, balls and water guns for Jac’s party.
Neither Jac nor Donovan are big water fans (they don’t like to get their faces wet) but both loved this shallow little wading pool.
So much (crowded) fun!
We took advantage of all 4 CA grandkids being available (it’s a miracle!) to take early holiday photos.
Leia will be at her mom’s most of next week
and I really, really wanted one last holiday photo shoot
before Jac and Leo move mid-August.
And another miracle -
all 4 were in a good mood
and happy to humor grandma.
Happy almost Independence Day y’all!
Me: do y’all want to go to the trampoline park tomorrow?
Leo: I’d rather go to a museum….
So we did.
Touching sharks and rays
First stop was the Sea Center on the Santa Barbara pier,
always a favorite with its hands-on exhibits
Exploring sediment from the ocean floor - Jac found a tiny live crab!
and friendly docents (mostly college age kids).
We thought about going to SB’s Natural History museum next …
The octopus was the most active I’ve ever seen - fun to watch
before I remembered the Moxie kid’s museum (here) that we’d talked about visiting but never got around to.
So fun! Another great place for hands-on exploration (the third floor roof top exhibits were especially fun.)
Me, Jac and Grape, the lavender octopus
We let our membership to the SB Zoo lapse, thinking the kids were getting too old to enjoy it… guess where else Leo wants to go?
