Catch Up

Today's postcard. Yes, it's the same one as last time, updated. It just needed more.

I'm really missing my little camera. There will be more pictures soon.

Tuesday night I was watching Nora and Aaron and we went for a walk. Aaron was happy in the double stroller as long as we were moving, but Nora wanted to walk. We all had a fine time, but about a block from home she tripped over her Crocs and went flying, luckily into the grass by the side of the road, and her knee hit the pavement. She turned around and looked at me and said, "You pushed me." I explained to her that I hadn't pushed her, that she had tripped over her Crocs. She looked at her scraped knee and started wailing. And I learned that, in the hierarchy of preschool injuries, there is the ouchie, the big ouchie, and, biggest of all, the bleeding ouchie. She wailed mightily all the way home, but when I asked Steph today how the knee was, Steph informed me that once Nora got in the tub she forgot all about it.

I am enjoying the routine of summer mornings, although it's cutting into my precious early-morning quilting time. I get out my watering bucket and water the plants that need it, all the while admiring growth that's happened since the day before. And there has always been some. This morning I noticed that the seeds I planted a week ago, cosmos and nastertiums, have sprouted. Those two are among my summer favs. It has taken me a year of being here before I've gotten into gardening, but now I can picture a beautiful yard with lots of flowers and veggies. I'm planning another trip to the garden center today. The garbage truck just came and my big rolling trash cans were emptied of trimmings and I'm planning to fill them up again this morning. And spreading more mulch. And filling up the big planter I got for half-price at the hardware store on Monday.

Thanks to Carrye and Ann for taking me to the meeting of the Contemporary Quilt and Fiber Artists. It was affirming to be with people who are doing the same kind of work that I do. Being with people who wouldn't say, "Your work is so abstract." "That's nice, but I really like traditional quilts." "What would you do with that?" I definitely want to join this group. The Show 'n Tell was fabulous.

Hey, Janice, best wishes for a good recovery after your surgery. I'm thinking about you.

Sunny

Today's postcard

It was a gorgeous sunny day today on my day off. I didn't get much quilting done, but I did do a lot of yard work.

At the garden center, this wonderful geranium didn't come home with me, but other things did.

Annuals are on sale two for one, and this place takes such nice care of their plants that they still look good. These asparagus ferns and impatiens found themselves in my truck. Things are starting to look a little nicer in my yard. I even managed to dig out the half-dead bush beside my porch.

I'm planning to go back to the garden center again on Thursday.

Thinking of sunny, here's a picture of Aaron visiting at my house on Sunday. Is he usually this sunny? Pretty much, as long as his belly is full and he can move about where he wants.

Hot Sauce?

Today's postcard - ink on commercial fabric

Love the quizzes that Deb R finds. Her quiz today (or maybe it was yesterday) is "What Condiment Are You?"


Mine came out to be Hot Sauce. Hot Sauce? I'm so far from that. I think of myself as vanilla pudding, although I know that's not a condiment. Anyway, here's what it said.


You are the life of any party, because you're so good at bringing people out of their shell. Truth is, I have a very introverted heart. I don't even like parties. Well, maybe for an hour or so. After that, I've had enough noise, enough conversation, enough people, and I'm ready to go home. For me, parties are energy out, not energy in.


You have a knack for helping people happily embrace their true selves. Ok, I can relate to that. I love to work with personality testing and helping people discover what makes them tick. I love helping people understand that the things they think are negatives in their personalities are really positives.


You are ambitious, driven, and fearless. What? I don't think so. Vaguely ambitious, maybe. Driven, sometimes. Fearless, I wish. I really, really would like to worry less. I think it's getting to be a problem for me, actually. It's ridiculous to worry so much.


You love taking risks. Ummm, I don't know about that. I know I don't take many physical risks any more. Lifestyle changes I do enjoy, but I wouldn't classify them as risks because I think them through. And I don't make many. Compared to a year ago, I do have a new home in a new location, new job, I've met new people, and I'm working toward to new business, but I don't want to do it again this year. Well, actually, if I had unlimited funds, it would be fun, but it's not going to happen.


Your taste in food is 100% adventurous. You're up for sampling any exotic cuisine or someone's kitchen experiments.You live for trying new things, and you get sick of eating the same food (even if it's very delicious). OK, I will sample 'most anything and if I have time, I try to cook new things. But day in and day out, dragging home from work, I always fall back on certain favorites that are low energy and far from adventurous. Veggie burgers (how dull is that?), pimento cheese from Remke, salmon, egg beaters. Whatever's in season. California rolls. Right now, Panera's corn chowder and Haberno's veggie nachos. Last night, my neighbor's peach cobbler, yummm. But all these are so mainstream that they're on the dull side.


Fun quiz, Deb, but the results of this one miss the mark for me.

If you take the quiz, let me know how it turns out for you, either in the comments or directing me to your blog.

At My House

Today's postcard -

which means that my sewing machine is home.

And most of my quilts are home again and I'm thinking about where to hang them.

And I have a new front door and storm door that look great and I'm sure that my house will be a lot warmer next winter.

It looks good from the inside, too. Before, there was a brown, varnished 50's door, almost like an interior door.

The tomatoes are looking good,

the squash has sprouted,

and I have two days off. Just in time, too, my feet are hurting and I'm really tired.

Friday Fill-In # 80

Love the Friday Fill-Ins, thanks, Janet. Here we go.

1. Oh, I can't wait until I have another trip to the Smokies. I just can't get enough.

2. Diet coke is the first thing I see when I open the refrigerator. You can't be surprised.

3. I never leave home without four things, and I count on my way out the door. Keys, little pocket pouch for money and cards, cell phone, and camera. Except, as you know, I'm having issues with my little pocket camera, so sometimes three things these days.

4. If I were a condiment I would be salsa, because it's a mixture of things and because it can take different forms, even different colors. But it's always interesting and adds sparkle and it looks pretty.

5. Littering is really high up on my list of pet peeves. And for a personal pet peeve that applies just to me, being wasteful.

6. The last thing I thought of before I went to bed was "I've fallen asleep with this book again, and it's really good, and I'm almost finished, but I won't finish it tonight." It's The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to Crone Cottage to pick up my quilts (and my small check, hooray!), tomorrow my plans include work - it's my every-other-Saturday, but it was wonderful to have a long weekend last week, and Sunday I want to work in my yard a little, relax for sure.

Kid Photos from Tonight

Remember, no postcards for a few days.

Tonight after work, I met Steph at the Yellow Park. Aaron was napping in the stroller, but Nora was up and running.
There is a slide with a fun-house mirror, and here are two of Nora

and one of Nora and one of Gran B.

Back home, one of the neighbor girls came out to play with Nora.

Aaron woke up from his nap happy. He actually stood for several seconds in the grass, then his legs started to tremble as he worked to balance himself. Soon, Aaron.

Gone fishing

No postcard today. I don't have my sewing machine for a few days. Gulp. My studio looks so bare.

One of the nice things about Mary Gina's house is the lake in back. Nathan's getting ready to cast off.

Mary Gina and Nora are waiting for a nibble.

This was Nora's first fishing trip, I think. And there was a fish.