Gratitude

I am grateful for...a summer day that is actually cool enough for an evening fire,an almost finished playhouse,someone who shares my interest in photography,travel plans,zinnias - cut and arranged in vases by Miss P,summer evenings at the lake,newly installed ceiling fans,and freshly picked blueberries.What are you grateful for today?

Twenty Eight Pounds - of Garlic

Yesterday we harvested garlic.We save the largest garlic bulbs for planting the next year and each year the bulbs that we harvest are a little bigger.We cut the tops, trim the roots,and clean them up a bit.Then we spread them out to dry for a while.Our total garlic harvest yesterday weighed in at over 28 pounds! They will loose a bit of water weight before they go into long term storage.I love that there are a few foods like garlic, onions, and potatoes that we haven't bought in years.  We are able to grow enough and store them over the winter.  We have just finished the last of our stored onions and the new onions can be harvested as needed as can the potatoes.   

Best Gig EVER!

This was the best gig ever! Here's a summary of the event in numbers.96 hour trip26 band members10 performances7 performance locations6 sound equipment set ups2 fourteen hour bus rides1 visit from the Governorcountless new fansand one charter bus full of exhausted CHO members and chaperones.I was able to hear a few other performances while we were at the festival. Mother Grove, EJ Jones, and Ed Miller - all great performers.One of the highlights of the trip was walking across the Mile High Swinging Bridge on Grandfather Mountain. Some of the kids took their instruments and played "The Kiss" from the film The Last of the Mohicans as they walked across. I went ahead of the group so that I could photograph them. It was fun to hear the drum and fiddles as the kids emerged from the cloud into view.Visibility on the mountain top was nil while we were there but we did enjoy scrambling around on the rocks and the kids played a few more tunes. M took the drum to the mountain top because he played the violin on the bridge when they went last year and he wanted to hear the drum echo off the mountain.There were a few blips along the way on this trip. On the way to the first show we had a detour and then a long delay because of an accident backup. We arrived at the country club two hours later than we intended - and then the bus was too large to cross the bridge to the club house where we were to perform which then required us to be shuttled to the event in golf carts. The kids had the quickest set up ever and the show still started on time, but we didn't get dinner until after the show.Then there was the excitement on the way home when the bus stalled on the highway and required a "regen."  We left at 4 am last Thursday and returned at 4 this morning. Whew.This trip was a great end to our time with the Chelsea House Orchestra. M has one more gig next week right here in town. I am sure that will be an emotional one. P has assured me, though, that I will be able to chaperone trips when she is in CHO.How was YOUR weekend? 

Road Trip!

My bags are packed.M and I are heading south to North Carolina. The Chelsea House Orchestra will be performing at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. We are heading out in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow and will return in the wee hours on Monday morning.If your are in the area, come look us up and enjoy the music. I will be wherever the  fiddle group is. They have performances Thursday evening, several on Friday and Saturday, and again on Sunday before we depart.Have a great weekend. I'll not have internet access until I return.

Summer in the Sewing Room

Summer sewing has a different routine. I have company in my sewing room.Yesterday we had a very clean sewing table. When the fabric is out of the way we use this big surface for other crafty projects and activities, like working puzzles.Most of the time it is not so tidy.It can look more like this. But usually it looks much worse.I have returned to an old but not too old work in progress involving lots of half square triangles.After a bit of sewing I determined that I didn't have nearly enough half square triangles made so out came the scraps. Then there was a bit of mission creep and I decided to cut some 1.5 inch squares from the fabrics that are not quite big enough for the half square triangles.I like to have these squares handy for some scrappy nine patches, four patches, or a good postage stamp quilt as the need arises.I'm trying to keep it organized as I go.P has been working at a little featherweight at her desk while I sew at my machine.  She has been commissioned to do some sewing this summer. I'll be sure to share more about that with you later.Fun times! 

A Snail's Pace

I have been enjoying summer vacation this week. The alarm clock has officially been turned off for the summer!The mosquitoes aren't quite as bad this week either. For some reason I get SWARMED with mosquitoes when others are not bothered. I feel like Pigpen in a cloud of mosquitoes while others are playing normally. Sigh. M noticed the phenomenon while we were in the garden today. He was picking peas with no mind to the mosquitoes and then looked over at me swatting them all over myself. He calmly said, "Mom, there is a CLOUD of mosquitoes around you." Yeah, I had noticed that.I have been walking on the road a couple of times this week and found that if I walk in the MIDDLE of the road that the mosquitoes are not too bad. I do, however, get swarmed when I go to the side of the road to take pictures.P and I went to the registration for the summer reading program at the library. That is always a fun event with lots of activities, games, and snacks.I have been slowly progressing on some sewing and knitting projects in the evenings but have nothing really exciting to show you.  These roadside photos will have to do.M has been busy though, he made this cool robot magnet for his middle school art teacher who wrote a poem for him for graduation. He thought a simple thank you note would not suffice.I hope that my snail's pace on crafting projects will soon yield something that I can share. 

Wordless Wednesday - the playhouse edition

Fun Filled Frenzy

The last few days were filled with fun and festivity.  We partied and marked some big milestones.M's high school graduation.P is SIX!We are ALMOST finished with the playhouse. We bought the paint yesterday. P chose pink for the walls and turquoise for the trim. The painting has begun.New chicks!And I have been able to keep up with my ICAD project! Others around here have joined in the fun too. 

May Merriment

There is always a flurry of activity in May. There is much to do outside in the yard and gardens, in addition to end of school activities. This year we also have a lot of graduation related events.This weekend P and I worked a bit in her fairy garden. The plants from last year all look happy there. We put in a few new plants but still have quite a few seeds to get in the ground.We put in fence for the peas and weeded the vegetable garden. B did a bit of mowing and working on the house. D installed the toilet in our new bathroom upstairs! M wrote a term paper and had a couple of music gigs. P had her spring recital with others in the studio. I also made 20 books covers from these papers for the art club students.  We have all done a bit of spring cleaning.When it gets crazy busy like this I do try to make time to walk the yard and see what's in bloom.I don't want to miss any of that!Since on the go knitting seems to be all I can fit in for now, I have also been progressing on a few portable projects like new socks for B.That yarn in the background is making its way to the top of the knit pile too! I need to decide what to make with it.I'm currently working on socks for myself using the same rib pattern as these mitts.Today I hope to make M's graduation and recital invitations. He has a much bigger list of people to invite than his brother had two years ago.  

Smell the Flowers

I hope you are taking some time to smell the flowers.I am sure it would be even more fun if you wore a cute vintage dress while enjoying the flowers.Have a great weekend and try not to be bothered by the bees.Our redbud was buzzing with bees yesterday - big bees and little bees. It was really quite loud.

Fun Filled Day

I hope you had a great weekend. We had a busy but very fun filled Sunday that started with strawberry shortcake!After lunch P had her Twinkle Cupcake Recital (five versions of Twinkle on the cello and cupcakes for an after treat).We did a little tree planting - and look, short sleeves!The day ended with a walk in the woods.I think we may have scared the fairies but I am pretty sure there were some there.It does seem like just the sort of place for woodland fairies.Don't you think?I couldn't have asked for a better day!

Merry May

We had a great weekend. It was finally warmish and we spent a bit of time outside and saw lots of signs of spring. Our bloodroot is in full bloom. The redbuds have a tiny hint of red and forsythia are blooming. We have several kinds of daffodils blooming all around the yard and lots of grape hyacinth.The frogs are making noise in the wetlands.We have plants coming up in the herb garden. Rhubarb and parsley are making a good show.We also spent some time pulling up garlic mustard, an invasive weed which has gotten started in a few areas on our property. We pull it each year before it goes to seed. Hopefully we can eliminate it.Now I need to gear up for the business that is May. We are always busy with planting and weeding and general outdoor activities that have been neglected during the colder months. Everything grows so fast that it is hard to feel caught up with it all.May is also full of end of year school activities and will be even busier this year with M's graduation. The first of the senior activities will be the Concerto Concert this Wednesday. I am really looking forward to it.  This year there will be thirteen performers. A few will play with the full orchestra back up. It always a great show and I love watching the kids who I have known since they were in Kindergarten or even preschool. P is also having her first concert this week, the Kindergarten spring concert.I hope I can fit in some sewing and crafting time this month.

Happy Easter

I hope you are having a great Easter weekend.

Happiness

Things that are making me happy this week:a warm sunny day,daffodils finally opening and other signs of spring, family at home,onions in the ground, pea sprouts, and other garden growings,family fun with eggs,drawings by P,

 grocery lists with items like "emenems", "londry sope", "toylet papr", and "joose".What is making you happy?  

Wordless Wednesday

(tiny tool for cello practice)

Fun with Friends

I am back from a great weekend away with friends. It was the silly kind of weekend where you laugh so hard that you almost wet your pants.We did lots of sewing, and even had a birthday celebration!Barb shared this beautiful quilt made by her mother. She found it wadded up in the back of her dad's storage unit. It cleaned up beautifully.I love a good quilty weekend with friends.Thanks ladies!

Almost Spring

We had a beautiful "almost spring" afternoon, yesterday. I even went outside WITHOUT A COAT!P and I walked around the yard and found our FIRST flowers!The chickens also enjoyed the warm sunny day.They were soaking up some sun and pecking around. I gave them a pumpkin that I had been saving.Cluck, cluck. I forgot how fun it can be to photograph the chickens.We still have some snowand lots of mud.Still, it was a beautiful, blue sky, spring like day.I guess I'm really not much of a winter person. 

Snowman Snow

Yesterday we had SUN!It was even warm enough for snowman snow!Too bad he has already lost his head.

Snow Day Activity

We enjoyed our snow day yesterday. The storm came through with a lot of wind and even had our windmill turning. It hasn't moved in more than ten years because it only has one blade left on it. That was a strong wind! We won't discuss the little snow drifts that accumulated on the entry rug and window sills. We have put that behind us and are soaking up the sun on another very cold day.We took advantage of the day off and did some crafting. I had in my mind that I would come up with a clever idea for Valentines that P and I could make for her class.  She had her own idea and went right on with it.She liked that I let her use ANY fabrics from my scrap bin and I let her use my special fabric marking pencil.She traced, cut, glue basted, and sewed.Stitching hearts is great practice for sewing curves!It is a good thing she started early. 

Gettin' in the Spirit

Spirit Week at high school.Little sisters can be a good thing.