Hot Summer Days - Time to Catch Up

Saturday, we drove up to Nashville where we hit my fabric store and the farmers market. During car conversation, my husband has asked me  if I was going to blog soon, so today is the day to get caught up. I have some errands to run later - got to go pay for car tags and update the insurance since we bought a new car for me on Saturday. The new one looks just about like the old one. It is still a red Camry, but this one is a hybrid. Driving home from Fayetteville with it the first trip, we got 47 mpg, and yesterday over the mountain was 41 mpg. I can't believe I start the car with a push button and unlock the door by walking up to the car and touching the handle with the key in my purse.

Bigger than the new car?  Family news around here in recent months! In April, our older daughter Meghan was named as one of the top four in the running for Alabama Teacher of the Year. We went to Montgomery for the big announcement (keeping our fingers crossed that our Shannon would hold off on having a baby while we were gone), and we were thrilled that Meghan was named as the Alternate. Actually the first place winner teaches high school math, so that makes Meghan the Elementary Teacher of the Year. We are so happy for her and proud of her. She has kicked off her responsibilities already, and she will be putting on miles on her car! AND she is going to be a blogger for Scholastic and will be heading to New York City for a photo shoot and to get started on her blogging. This is a wonderful interview and video of her.

Shannon did hold off on giving birth until May 20 when Ryland Jackson Miller made his appearance. He is doing really well, eating and eating and eating. He's probably gained five pounds in the first seven weeks! Sweet sister Georgia Mae is exactly fourteen months older, so the Miller household is a busy one, and Mom and Dad are pretty tired. Meanwhile, Shannon is now officially the editor of her magazine Stitch Craft Create, published by F & W. The second issue is on the news stands, but the next issue for fall will be out soon. Again, how could a mom be more proud?

Summer is just flying by. Allen and I were both sick for the first few weeks of my summer vacation with some horrendous respiratory virus  (thank you Georgia), but we are back to normal and back to busy. Having the grandsons visit with Meghan was fun. The boys are getting big, and they keep us laughing. Taplin has decided that he is the real Spiderman, so he went home with a new talking and light-up mask. Bridger decided that he wanted to make a quilt. Seriously, he made a nine patch hand, handstitching the whole thing on his own. Then we used my machine to do the quilting. I pushed the power pedal, and he guided it all by himself, and we repeated the same process with the binding. Age six. Be amazed. I can't stand it that he will be in first grade.

We've had some babysitting fun with Georgia and Ryland. Georgia walks, but she won't let go -- however, she did walk back and forth between Allen and me Saturday night when she stayed overnight (so her parents could celebrated their fifth anniversary with just one baby). Ryland spent a day last week, and he'll be back tomorrow. He is still in the "big sleep" but he knows when he wants to eat! I still remember how to burp a newborn, sort of.

Not everything is family. Allen and I took a wonderful week to drive north to Shipshewana, Indiana. I wanted to go to the quilt show and see Ricky Tims. We decided it would be an interesting trip since Goshen (where our hotel was) and Shipshewana are both in Amish/Mennonite country. It was a long drive to the north end of Indiana, but we had a great time. It truly is a whole different way of life there. Imagine parking stalls for the horses and buggies at Walmart. This is a picture of parking at the grocery store. One of our favorite stops was at the Guggisburg Cheese Factory, and we brought back a selection from them and sausages from Yoder's Meats. Yoder is obviously a big name. Everything is Yoder this and Yoder that. I loved the Yoder Hardware and Department Store. They have a huge fabric department, but we were also surprised by the selection of non-electric irons, the Amish hat selection, and the horse and buggy accessories for sale. Allen is so patient with me about hitting (many) quilt stores, and yes, I added to my stash. We drooled over Amish made furniture, and we actually brought back a corner shelf for my sewing room.

Then there's my quilting. I am totally addicted, I guess. I have so much fun in my sewing room. I have finished quite a few quilts recently, but I don't even have pictures of all of them. I made a big and a little quilt in gray and red for Ryland using lots of little boy fabric - trains and dogs and cats and airplanes and snails and snakes. All boy. I also finished a baby quilt that will be going to a young family down the street who have a new little girl.  Then I've made a top with spools that is lacking the applique in the border, and it will be a while before that one is finished. I started on in brown, pink, and blue during the winter. However, I absolutely hated the first version, so I ripped and ripped and redesigned it. I finally, finally finished it last week. Plus, I've made some small quilts that are just plain fun and a good way to try out patterns and work on skills. Right now, I'm piecing a batik star quilt, so I will head upstairs to work on that one later. Oh, and I made a Granny Square quilt that went to live at Shannon's house.

Ozzie is happily sleeping next to me while I type this. He has to get his beauty rest because being around the grandchildren is very tiring for a pug. He is totally sweet with all of the little ones, but he is so terribly jealous of the attention they get that he has to be right in the middle of everything.

Enough for now. I guess if I blogged more routinely, I wouldn't have to pack in so much! I'll try. More quilt pictures next time -- and all about the new (old) Singer Featherweights.