It was a beautiful day for trying out the butterfly nets at home.
Butterfly Walk
It was a beautiful day yesterday and we went for a butterfly walk with some people who really know their butterflies.
We saw about 15 different species of butterflies,
and also found a few praying mantis.
I'm glad that the super heat of summer has broken enough for us to turn off our air conditioner units - at least for a few days. We are enjoying a lovely breeze through open windows today.Now, if we could just get some rain...
Summer Doings
Yesterday we took bikes to the high school track again. M was trying out his new super fast bike helmet. He did time trial comparisons for the old helmet and the new helmet and confirmed that it does indeed help him go FASTER on the bike. He is eager for another triathlon!He also helped P gain a little more confidence on her bike.
Taking it Easy
We've been busy with late summer activities around home - freezing, canning, and the like.We were thrilled when B came home Thursday with a canoe strapped to his pick up. (You gotta love Craigslist.) This means that miss P can go out on the water with us! The three of us tried it out yesterday morning.
I was fascinated with the reflections of the clouds in the still water.
I took lots of pictures; it's good to do that every once in a while.
It was a fun morning outing and made returning to a kitchen table full of tomatoes to process a bit easier.We may go out again tomorrow morning!Also, I thought I should share with you something else that is making my home chores a little more tolerable. Earlier in the summer my twenty something year old vacuum cleaner croaked. It had already been repaired several times by B and there was just no saving it this time. So, I got a NEW vacuum, a Sebo K2 Canister Vacuum 
Goldilocks has a Tea Party
Goldlilocks invited a couple of friends over for tea.
She wanted to show them her new rug.
Morning Kayaking
B and I got up early and took our new craigslisted kayaks out for a spin.
We realized that it has been a really long time since we have done anything by ourselves.
It was a nice quiet morning.
We saw lots of swans,
and some interesting plants.
Summer Scheduling
I've been working and sewing like crazy lately and beginning to feel like Miss P was getting the short end of the stick. We've changed around our daily plan and have made more time for some "fun for her" stuff.She really enjoys a good popcorn picnic with stories in the yard. We are happy that our heat wave broke for a few days and have been spending a little more time outside. 
We have been trying to have fun with our chores too. She liked giving the garlic bulbs haircuts yesterday. We have also mastered the "two minute tidy" where we set the timer for two minutes and then both tidy up very fast. We can really get a lot of stuff put away in two minutes! That's a fun thing to do right before we play a game or start to fix dinner.
I've been trying to sew before she gets up in the morning, after she goes to bed, or while she is busy with a project of her own. Sometimes, though, she wants to help with the sewing. Today we whipped out some Flea Market Fancy improv blocks.
Well, I'd better go. She says it's my turn for Spirograph.
I May Need an Intervention
The other day when I posted pictures of the half inch hexies I was basting, Chawne asked if I needed an intervention. Well, maybe I do....That project is not the only crazy tedious thing I've been working on. Back in December after Miss Petunia got her dollhouse for Christmas, she and I started working on a few things for it. First, we decided to make a braided rug. I found three different colors of crochet cotton, white, pink, and a pink/blue/green/yellow variegated in the sewing room. We braided, and braided, and braided. Then it sat for a while. Occasionally we would remember about it and braid some more. We filled a spool with braid. A few days ago I thought we should start stitching it.
We take turns stitching; I go around the corners but she is pretty good at stitching on the straight sides.
It is slowly growing into a longish rug for the hallway. I think it is turning out pretty great. Miss P wants us to stich faster so it can be finished!Other noteworthy items:- M now has a triathlon racing bike and fancy shoes clamp to the pedals. I'm too old for that sort of foolishness. I wouldn't remember that my feet were stuck to the pedals and would fall over at stop signs. We went to the high school track where he tried it out and Miss P gained a little confidence on her two wheeler. The track was a big hit; it's much easier to ride there than on our dirt/gravel driveway.
Miss P's baby celebrated her first birthday (again).
We'll use any excuse for a cake around here. P and I also made a baby gown for the baby as a birthday gift! Fun times.A couple of evenings last week we went up to the lake to try to beat the heat and get cooled off at the end of the day. Friday, the lake water was so warm it was like swimming in bath water - not as refreshing as I had hoped but still fun because we all went together.What fun family things have you been doing?
Scenes from our Weekend
Happy Father's Day
My dad - early 1940s. I love that you can see my grandfather's shadow in the foreground. He always wore a hat.Happy Father's Day!
How to Make a Wooden Spoon - guest post by P
Have you ever wanted to know how to make a wooden spoon?This is how I did it.First, trace a wooden spoon from your kitchen onto a piece of wood. Then, have someone cut it out with an electric saw. Then, you use a spokeshave to shave the wood down to the line that you traced.
Then, make the handle round with the spokeshave.
Next, use the spokeshave to shave wood off the back of the bowl to make it rounded. Then, use a gouge to carve out the front of the bowl. Switch to a flatter and wider gouge to smooth those gouge marks out. Last, sand the spoon to make it smooth.
Ta-daaa! Now you have a wooden spoon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(note - P's father has taught her how to use woodworking tools safely. The spoke shave is a fairly safe tool, gauges are a bit more dangerous and should be used with direction from someone who knows what they are doing)
Weekend Trip to Lake Huron
We are back from a quick overnight trip to Lake Huron.
We had a good time seeing some sights, getting our feet wet, finding rocks and skipping rocks.
While I was Away...
While I was at Quilt Market, P and M built a newspaper geodome in the yard. It had gotten soggy and collapsed before I got home so I was glad they had taken a few pictures.
It looks like they had fun making it AND with the photoshoot.
Family
I hope you had a great weekend.Last week I told P that all I wanted for Mother's Day was a picture of all three of my children. She drew a great picture of the whole family and gave it to me at breakfast yesterday.Later in the day they snuck my camera and the remote and had a little photo shoot. They surprised me with a bunch of pictures on my camera. Some of the out takes are quite fun. They really are great kids.
Have a great day.I am off to be busy and get ready for my trip to Spring Quilt Market in Kansas City!!
When it Rains it Pours
Just popping in to let you know I'm still here.I finished this chartreuse triangle scrap quilt almost two weeks ago and it is still waiting for a real photo shoot. I need a tall person to hold it for me. Luckily, two tall people have moved home from school. Soon there will be pictures. I promise. It just needs to stop raining while a tall person is at home.
I've also been working on the Alegria quilt for Michelle.
I am ALMOST finished with it.Has the spring cleaning bug hit your house? We had a fit of spring cleaning fever this weekend when M came home and was allergic to his room. Lots of wiping, washing, rearranging.... now I kinda want to clean and rearrange the whole house. Have you ever wanted to take everything out of your house and just put back the things you really want and use? I used to do that to my room and closet every year when I was growing up. It would probably be a good thing to do but I don't think it will happen. We have accumulated a lot of stuff in the twenty three years since we moved to this house. It's a little frightening to think about, really.
Norfolk Botanical Gardens
After our canoe trip in Maryland we traveled to Norfolk, Virginia and visited the Botanical Garden there. We reached azalea overload there but also saw many other interesting sights and beautiful flowers in bloom.
An Afternoon on the Pocomoke
Last week while on spring break, we went to Virginia and visited B's mom. After a couple of days there we went to eastern Maryland had an afternoon canoe trip on the Pocomoke River. I took many pictures but have boiled the trip down to a reasonable number to share with you.
It was a great afternoon but I wish I had worn sunscreen and a hat.
Recital Day
We've had a busy week. P made and sent invitations and made more blank note cards as a gift for her teacher.
She practiced and rehearsed.Yesterday we did lots of baking.Today was the big day. She wore a fancy dress and played all the songs in her Suzuki Cello Book One. It was hard work but she did it!Thank goodness we had "after snacks"!
I didn't take any pictures there but I did manage to video the whole thing.
A Bit of Green
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
It seems that we may have skipped spring altogether. The calendar say's it's still winter but we have been having summer temperatures. We've started work in the garden and today we planted four rows of peas! Yes, we are enjoying a bit of green today.Someone really enjoys using the shovel - and it's NOT me!Oh, and Happy Birthday, Shirley!
Slowed Progress
With the sudden arrival of spring weather this week work in the sewing room has slowed to a crawl. I have making a little progress on quilting this quilt. I'm stitching a serpentine line through the scrappy parts and haven't quite decided what to do in the background yet. I'll probably have it figured out by the time I finish the other part of the quilting.
We have been out enjoying the warm weather a bit though.
We even saw some bare feet this week!
Yay! I love the warm sunny weather - even when it slows the sewing progress to a snail's pace.
We plan to get some peas planted in the garden this weekend.What about you? What are your weekend plans?
