Back home again

We came home last night to a busted well pump. SO - no toilet flushing, no dishwashing, no laundry. I swung by Home Depot for a fuse in case that was the problem with the pump (no such luck), by the gas station for gas (TWO!- more pump troubles - the gas pump kept shutting off at the first station after a dollar or two. At least gas was cheaper at the second station.), by the grocery for staples and paper plates, and to pick up the dogs from puppy camp.

We had a good visit.
Easter Sunday we went to church with my brother and SIL-to-be and Mom. It's an evangelical church, and I didn't warn the kids beforehand. NOT what DD is used to from her friend's church here.

Monday was hanging out with the family. Mom lives with my brother, and we were staying at her house, which is about 30 miles away.

Tuesday Mom came over and spent the day going through stuff in the garage. This is Mom and my youngest at her front door, both with their "sympathy sticks."


We found lots of cool stuff in the garage and threw LOTS of stuff away. Lots came home with us.

This is four bags seamed together:


This is a king-size quilt top made by my grandmother, most likely for my Mom's bed. Another item for the UFO list:


A few finished quilts, not from my family, but either from my Dad's mom or stepmom. This is one that I absolutely LOVE. The close-up shows the fan quilting pattern.




Oddly enough, it matches our bedroom fairly well.


Another quilt, using 40s or so fabrics.




The quilting pattern on the back:


A random quilt block, maker unknown:


Wednesday, we went to the beach at Sanibel with my brother and his granddaughter, K. We had a lovely lunch and then couldn't park, so we went to the nature center and toured it for an hour or so. Then we could park and beach for a few hours.

Toddler and cousin K at the beach:


My "little" brother:


The family at the beach:


Another shot of the family:


Not too many shells at Sanibel, oddly, but DH happened on a scallop bed. This is one he picked up and put in the bowl. It opened up and then squirted water at us!


More later - I'm beat! A teaser photo for the upcoming post:


Gratitudes:
1. Paper plates
2. Someone else washing the dogs
3. The new vet - the anti-itch regimen starts today
4. Argentinian merlot

On vacation!

Today was our first full day in Florida.

We left at a reasonable time on Friday, ~11-ish, and drove until about 9:30, stopped just over the Georgia line at a suites hotel in the Hyatt chain (starts with H - I want to say Hereford, but I KNOW that's wrong). Got up, had a YUMMY breakfast, and left a little after 8. We arrived in LaBelle just after 4 pm.

Came over to Clewiston. J & S had bug-bombed the house, so there were dead roaches all over. The tween was freaked, but eventually calmed down.

I made the Wal-Mart run for coffee and Easter supplies. Came back, filled baskets, went to bed.

This morning, got up, went in to make coffee - no coffeemaker. Find out later it was moved to the office (it's back in the house now). Go to Clock restaurant for bad coffee. Kids eat lots of candy and we go back to LaBelle. J & S have brought 3-year-old grand-daughter, K, back with them. K is 6 months older than MY toddler, and they (amazingly) had a wonderful time together all day.

We went to church (other than TMOTH) with J & S in the morning. The International Christian Fellowship church is a pentecostal church but not as holy-roller as I remember the Assembly of God from my college years being. My daughter, who mostly goes to church with her best friend, was a little taken aback. The church at least gives me hope that integration (real integration) will happen in my lifetime. The pastor is Filipino, the youth pastor is Mexican, and the congregation is mixed.

The crowd is coming over here tomorrow, and we'll figure out what to do then. It's been raining - hopefully it'll stop so we can go to the beach.

Spring break!

I'm on vacation!

We leave for Florida in the morning (hopefully morning, anyway).

TMOTH took the doggies to the kennel this afternoon, and the cats aren't crazy *yet*.

About half of my list is loaded into the car. I'm taking 3 quilts - rocket ships, John's quilt in case I get done with Rocket Ships, and my mom's quilt.

The big kids are packed, I *think* I packed enough for the toddler, but I haven't started on my own clothes yet. OR the "stuff" I'll need for the quilts.

Lovely weekend

Saturday was, at least. Warm sunny weather in the afternoon - we played on the playset, dug in the garden, explored the deer skeletons. Good fun.

It was rainy and cold this morning, though, so we stayed in. I've just kept working on Rocket Ships- it has to be done by mid-April.

Slogging away

Not many posts, because not much new is going on. I've made it twice around not quite half of the rocket ships:


The first round is eyeballed about half an inch; the second round is one inch out from the first, marked by pieces of masking tape. I think I'll need another round to get enough quilting in.

I will work on borders for the kitten quilt this weekend, I hope.

I also bought some organizers at Home Depot and need to work on some more clean-up in the playroom.

Gratitudes:
1. Spring peepers
2. Spring flowers starting to peek up
3. Spring break in a week!

I'm Superman!

Although I apparently have some Spiderman tendencies as well.
Thanks, Jill!

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman 75% Spider-Man 70% Robin 57% Iron Man 55% Supergirl 53% Hulk 45% The Flash 40% Batman 40% Wonder Woman 33% Green Lantern 30% Catwoman 15%

You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...

Pincushions

The Blueberry Lane blog is having a giveaway: Post a picture of your favorite pincushion and let them know to be entered for a pincushion pattern book. The LAST thing I need is another unused pattern book, but here are my pincushions:



One is not actually a standalone pincushion, but I use the puffy "stick pins in me" part of my little circa-1973 sewing box the most. My favorite, that I use VERY carefully because it is falling apart, is sitting on the edge of the pincushion. I made it together with my Grandma Dunaway when I was VERY small (as in about age 5 or 6 small) and I've used it ever since. Avocado green velvet, oooh. The canning rings were put together with masking tape, which finally gave out, so I need to figure out a way to put it back together.

Deadline extended

E-mail today that the submission deadline for some categories in the quilt show had been extended...so now I'm itching to make some of the things already on my to-do list. We'll see. Kittens may be small enough to enter, so that's one...

Quilt guild tonight

I brought the Rocket Ships quilt to the guild meeting and got some done.

The presentation was by Karen Combs: "You Bought That Where??" Some handy hints on re-purposing things for quilting use. The quilts were nice - she primarily does these optical illusion quilts.

Gratitudes:
1. Daffodils and tulips poking up through the ground
2. Secret pals
3. Looking forward to spring break

Amazingly, a productive weekend

Plenty done this weekend-
1. Work on Rocket Ships
2. Kitten top mostly put together. It's currently 50 x 75, and I think it needs to be a little bigger. Maybe next weekend I can put together a piano key border.
3. Some rippling done at karate.

Kitten top:


Gratitudes:
1. Old Faithful seems to be behaving himself again.
2. Hot water!
3. A DH that can replace a water heater.
4. Pete Seeger - watching American Masters as I type.