Summer is Winding Down

  In spite of the fact that I no longer teach high school kids, I find myself measuring my life in semesters and summer vacation.  We just returned from a week on the North Shore of Lake Superior, and as I sorted through the pictures this morning, I started to wonder why we went when we did.  We don't have kids in school anymore.  I am not in school anymore.  We could have gone this fall when all of the fall colors are at their finest!  Oh well, we had a great time, and the weather was glorious!  After a brutally hot and dry summer, it was so refreshing to travel to Minnesota where everything is nice and green.  The average highs for the week were in the low 70's.  I got to wear blue jeans and a sweater!  It was fabulous!
  My other reason for traveling when we did was that Minnesota was having their annual statewide shop hop.  Every year during the Nebraska shop hop, I end up working at the quilt shop in Kearney, and never get to go hopping.  It was a lot of fun to stop at shops along the route to our trip.  My wonderful husband took me to 10 different quilt shops over the course of the week, and never complained once!  I bought a bunch of the Minnesota fabric to make a quilt as a momento of the trip.  It will be a lot of fun, once I get the chance to work on it, to have a quilt with lakes, moose, and loons on it.  It's not something that many people in Nebraska will have!
  Now that I am back, I am trying to get motivated to quilt for my customers.  My back is fairly fragile, and it is protesting all those miles in the car.  At one time, we were only about 30 miles from Canada, which is a LONG way from central Nebraska.  I am feeling it!  Slowly, and with several breaks a day to put ice on my back, I am finishing a queen-size quilt made out of flip flop fabric.  It is fun, and that helps motivate me to keep working.
  Summer's end is here.  Kids are back in school.  My life hasn't changed, but I look forward to fall football season, working on Christmas quilts, and cooler weather! 

Fair Time

It's that time of year...frantic last minute calls that go something like this, "How far out are you?  Well, I was wondering if there was any way possible that you could do a quilt for me in time for fair?  I am sorry to be calling so late...."  The answer?  Sometimes "yes" and sometimes "no," but mostly "no."  I do try to keep some spots open this time of year for those calls, and I love knowing that my work will be seen by lots of people at our local county fair and at the Nebraska State Fair, which, by the way, has a fabulous quilt show.  If you have never been to the quilt show at the Nebraska State Fair, I would highly recommend it.  There are hundreds of beautiful quilts running from novice to professional skill levels.  It is quite inspiring as a quilter to see what others around the state are making.  The fair this year will be from the weekend of the 25th of August through Labor Day weekend and is located in Grand Island.  I am entering two quilts this year, and although I don't expect to win anything, I enjoy seeing my work hanging at the fair.  The deadline for online entry is August 8, so it's not too late for you to enter your work!  Go for it!

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have been doing a lot more quilting lately, but I have also had several weddings to go to, time with family, moving my daughter and her husband to Omaha, and a couple of classes to work into my life.  Most recently, I took a class using the Rapid Fire Hunter's Star ruler.  It was a lot of fun, and I really learned a lot.  When I finish the project, I will add photos.  In addition to that, I have finally finished my Aunt Grace's sampler and hope to get the binding on it in time to send it to state fair.  Again, pics will follow.  Instead of a quilt pic, I decided to use my favorite pic from this summer of my two grandkids.  I think they are the cutest and sweetest little people on the face of the earth!  I wish I could see them more often, but as busy as my life is, my son's life is busier, at least in the summer.  Hopefully, once the summer is over (he works at a Bible camp) his schedule will slow down, and we can get together for more than a quick one night stay.  I can't believe it has been a month since I added anything to my blog.  I will strive to do better!

Putting a New Spin on Old Ideas

  Wow is it hot!  I can't believe that we are nearing July 1 already, but it feels like July outside.  After going to school all my life and then teaching school for 16 years, I still measure my life by semesters and summer vacation.  Even though I haven't taught for the past five years, the habit is still with me.  I find that I make goals for myself for the summer break.  One of those goals is to paint the family room a lovely shade of seaglass blue green.  I find the color very calming, and it will look nice with the chocolate brown couch that we bought last year.  Another goal is always to catch up on my customer quilts to the point that I feel like I can take a week or two off to custom quilt something of my own.  So far, I am making good headway on the quilting goal.  I hope to throw something of mine on the frame mid-month and have it done in time to take it to the fair.

  A couple of weeks ago, I did back to back double Irish Chain quilts.  The two were very different, and I quilted them both differently.  Some people find what they like to do and stick with it.  Me...well, I have a very short attention span, so I rarely, if ever, do the same thing twice on a quilt.  Not to say that I don't repeat designs and have my favorite "go to" things that I like to do.  I just like to throw them together in different combinations to break up boredom.  I am always scanning new magazines, Youtube, and QNNTV.com for new ideas or new ways to spin old ideas.  No need to reinvent the wheel, so why not borrow ideas and put my own spin on them?  So, to all of those out there who have published ideas...Thanks!

A godly father is a blessing!

My husband is such a blessing in my life and in the lives of his children and grandchildren.  He is calm, cool, and collected most of the time.  He is a man of great intelligence and integrity.  When Father's Day rolls around, even though the kids aren't home anymore, I make sure to celebrate with him all that he has been to me and to them over the past 24 years.  As I see my son fathering his son, I am so thankful for the blessing of a wonderful husband who modeled for my children all the things in life that are important:  loving the Lord, being honest and trustworthy, and being a great husband.  Those lessons will stick with them long after we are gone, and, hopefully, be passed down to their children.