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Today was a kid day and we went to Big Bone Lick State Park in Northern Kentucky, where the animals you wouldn't want to see coming after you once roamed.
It's a pretty quiet place - a few statues of the big guys, miniature golf, playground. There are some hiking trails that we didn't try this time - Nora already has about a be-zillion mosquito bites from a pick-up softball game at a friend's house and Aaron was complaining about his shoes. (There's nothing wrong with his shoes, He just prefers sandals and Merrill's.)
The sign outside the park said "Rabbit Hash" this way, and since we'd never been there I turned that way. Had it said how many miles it was, I probably would have turned back the way we came. I hoped to find some sandwiches at the general store, but there were none and the BBQ place wasn't open, so we spent a few minutes snacking at a picnic table overlooking the Ohio River and went on our way.
We did stop at a Waffle House when we got to the interstate and sat on the red stools, ate, and watched the cook. The cook wasn't very busy at 4:00, so we didn't see very much cooking, but it was still good times and the stools were nice and twist-y.
On the way home we saw a blimp and figured that maybe it was for the Goettafest, which starts in a few days. We made big plans for Thursday, then learned that it doesn't open until 5:00 that day. We'll just have to make other big plans.
Until this summer, I'd pretty much ignored the Monogram Wizzard module on my Viking software, but now I'm having such a good time with it. I've monogrammed a bunch of towels for graduation gifts, for keeping track of them in residence halls. And a few birthday gifts too. This is really fun - if you have that software, or something similar, give it a try.
I've found that, for towels, cut-away stabilizer is the way to go. Even though it shows on the back, it supports the stiches so well through many washings and keeps them looking good. That, and a topping to keep the stitches from burying into the towel during embroidery - I like Clean 'n Melt, which pretty much just tears off after embroidering.
Thanks to Joanne and Sarah for helping me identify my white bush, which turned out to be a hydrangea. According to the sign at the zoo, it's probably Little Lamb Panicle Hygrandea. I'm going to pay more attention to the plant signage at the zoo from now on, who knows what I might learn.
These days, I'm liking bracelets. Not just to wear, although I like that too, but to give a bit of stretchy, sparkly goodness to someone who could use a little positive energy.
It started, as these things do, strictly spontaneously, when I was sitting in the living room of a friend who had lots going on. My energy level felt high, and I felt compelled to take the bracelet off my wrist and give it to her. Both the bracelet and a little energy too.
A couple of weeks later, she presented me with the pretty blue bracelet in the picture, and that felt good. There were a couple of bracelets for a friend who'd just had surgery.
It's a lot more fun to spot a great bracelet than to read through the cards that always seem to say the same thing. Yep, I'm liking bracelets.
After running some church errands this morning, I stopped in at Sewn Studio, which is just a short block or two down the street in Oakley. I'm not sure why I never knew it was there, right beside the tea shop. They had a nice selection of Oliver and S patterns as well as some Amy Butler and other patterns, neatly arranged fabrics, and some wallhangings here and there.
I got a package of fat quarters with bicycle prints, something I'm always on the lookout for. The clerk was sewing a shirt for a store sample, which was a nice touch. Everything was wonderfully clean and dusted. It looked like someone's dream shop, and I hope it does well.
Thanks to my family and their Memorial Day work session, my front yard garden, which is most of the front yard, is blooming nicely. Right now, I'm especially fond of this plant, but I wasn't good about mapping what was planted. I just know that someone knows what this is - who can help me?
I've been still moving along slowly, sewing wise. Yesterday I did finish a bag of sewing for a customer, and I did work on some past due baby things. For bibs, I love Anita Goodesign's Baby's Sleeping, although I've always struggled a little with the ties, never really liking the ribbons. Then I saw some pretty shoe laces at Target, 45" long, made by Kiwi. Perfect for bibs. One lace, cut in half, is just right for one bib.
Today I got a good start on a baby quilt. It's mostly white, and will have assymetrical piecing. My plan is to quickly make a second with the same pattern but with pink accent colors. I'm loving my clear 1/4" piecing foot with the guide - once again, why did I wait so long? Don't be me - if you're wondering about getting one, get it now.
A month ago, when we met Janie and Steve and their kids at Kings Island, Nora was about half an inch shy of being in the orange zone, which would mean that she could ride anything in the park. Her mom told her that night that she would be there by the end of the year.
Yesterday, I had the kids fitted with wristbands, which mean that there is no measuring at individual rides, and she was in the orange area, not even close, probably a good inch or inch-and-a-half over the line. With regular shoes, nothing with extra height. Magic!
Prior to the Kings Island adventure, I had my dreaded eye doctor approintment, complete with a visual field. I, and everyone else, probably, hate the visual field, with little flashing lights and a button to push when one appears. All was well, and my next appointment is for a pressure check only, four months away. Four months away is right before Thanksgiving, how can that be?
The night before I had a variation of THAT dream, the one that surfaces again and again. I am in college, always, although not a younger version of myself. This time, I turned in my Psychology exam, feeling pretty good about it. Then I realized that the other students were also turning in papers about a book we (well, they!) had read. And on the professor's desk were three-inch blue binders, which the other students were turning in. I had no binder, didn't even know we were supposed to turn one in.
I walked down the street, thinking maybe I could still get these finished, when I realized that I had three other classes and didn't know when the exams were and hadn't studied for them. Maybe one was right that minute! And one was in a math class that I hadn't attended in weeks!
Every few months, it seems, I have a variation of that dream. It can't really be about college, because I was a pretty good student and ALWAYS knew when my exams were. I was good about going to class. No, it has to be a current life theme in a college setting.
