Summer’s Here

I always think things will slow down with the summer, but it never does until August. My youngest son still swims for the community pools’ team. Running a swim meet requires many adult volunteers so you can’t help but get to know people and it becomes a social event. I was just thinking that this is our 13^th summer with this team. We have 2-3 meets a week and I’m helping with the pep rallies on Friday evenings. Seems we are always headed to the pool!

I don’t have any photos of the 22 lbs. of blueberries my husband and I picked last Sunday. We like picking the blueberries much better than strawberries because you do it standing up! It was easy picking this year and while the weather was warm it wasn’t too hot. It took about an hour and a half, but it didn’t feel that long. I made my grandmother’s blueberry crumb cake. I had one piece and sent the rest to work with my husband. My sons don’t care for it and I just couldn’t eat all that cake. Well, I could, but you know what I mean! I saved a few berries to eat on my cereal and froze the rest. They will be good for future cakes and in my oatmeal when cold weather returns.

Mmmmm - cherry pie – we will ALL eat this! I picked up some tart cherries at the farmers market and made this pie. It’s a good thing I’m back to swimming laps. I try to swim 2-3 times a week, but there were a few months this spring when I didn’t swim and I can tell. Turning 50 hasn’t been good for my midsection – seems like all my fat is migrating there! : o (

My sewing really has been just doing a little here and there. I completed the DJ block for the raffle quilt. Here it is beside my practice block.

I think the practice block looks better for two reasons. The printed fabric is more forgiving and, in hindsight, I should have taken the starch out of the raffle block fabric before trying to appliqué with it.

Here’s what’s on my design wall.

The triangle quilt is coming along – it will be larger than this, but I was tired of picking 3” hst’s off the floor.

I can see the end of this hexagon project and I am so glad. This has been in the works for over 10 years. I will have 63 hexagon flowers when I finish stitching them together – almost there. I’m appliquéing them onto 7” squares and the sashing is 2” finished.

Here is my first attempt at a collage. These hydrangeas and day lilies are blooming in our backyard. We see them through the sliding glass door in the eating area of our kitchen. I love the green, orange and purple/pink/blue combination.

To all who celebrate July 4^th- have a great holiday weekend! For everyone else, hope you have a grand weekend, too!