I Finished Something!

I finished something! I feel such a sense of accomplishment. I really can craft and have an unknown future! 

 I love biased binding. *steps on soapbox* If you are making a quilt for a little person, you really need to do your binding on the bias. It will last longer. If you do straight grain binding, then the fibers get direct wear, and will fray faster. It may be quicker at the outset, but you'll ending up re-binding the darn thing. Plus, bias binding done in a stripe or plaid is just so cute. *falls off soapbox*

I used Peak Hour for the quilt. Isn't it cute? Perfect for a baby boy. The pattern is Chain Linked by Amy Smart. I'll definitely be using this pattern again. With Christmas fabric. How cute would that be?

Due to a shopping error, I had to piece the back. Seriously, who orders just a yard for a quilt back? Even a baby quilt? Man. My brain can start working at any time now. It turned out to be a delightful mistake, because the back is so stinkin' cute. Can't you just picture a little guy running cars up and down those stripes? Thanks, Donna, for asking me to make this!

Now to turn my attention to my fair quilt. I really hope I can get it done in time. This is my last chance to submit to the Frederick Fair. I get so sad thinking about it. I'm going to have to go every day and eat funnel cakes and Hemp's roast beef sandwiches. Care to join me?

It's Saturday

Hi. (When you read that, did it sound like depressed Ross from Friends? Cause that's how I wrote it.) We've had a week here. It's been, um, unexpected. Let me back up a bit and explain.

About 6 weeks ago, Corporate decided to restructure the management at Curly's work. It directly affected him. He, along with 8 others, had to reinterview for their jobs. Curly also looked around the company and found a couple of other things he'd like to do. So, he applied for those. Which led to us putting our house on the market. And then, when he didn't get those other jobs, we took our house off the market. It seemed we were staying put. Yesterday, Curly got his offer. It was for the same position he has now, but in Pittsburgh. With it came the promise of promotion in 6 months. To say we were floored is an understatement. To quote Clark Griswold, "If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now." 

Some things need to be ironed out, but right now it looks like we're moving. Again. Today we spent the day wandering downtown, going in every store we love, and just taking it all in. I'll be doing that a lot until we move. We haven't told the kids yet. I just can't bring myself to do it.

This has been extremely depressing, has it not? Yikes. At least I have my fabric to comfort me. And, bright side here, Pittsburgh is only a few hours from my older brother. I have a feeling we have an open invitation to every Thanksgiving and Christmas for the rest of our days. Eh, Jon? Save the neck for me.

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And now the Birthaversary Week of 2012 has come to a close. Can I get a AMEN? We had a lot of good chocolate cake, some delicious dinners, fun presents, and now we're ready to move on. Well, at least I am. Patch is still enjoying fond memories of his special day. 6 is a big deal.

We got letters from the school yesterday with teacher assignments. Only 2 more weeks of summer fun. Did I hear another AMEN? We are all very excited for the start of school. Well, except for Patch. He has forgotten how to read. It's quite sad. He can't even read the word "I" or "a." Sad.

It's also only 5 weeks until the county fair. I am determined to submit a quilt this year. I have a few to choose from, but I'm also hoping my Halloween Swoon will be done. That would get a ribbon for sure. Maybe even a blue one.

AMEN!

The Beach

Who doesn't love the beach? The soft sand, the gentle breezes, and the ocean spray could put even the grinchiest grinch into a good mood. We spent a week in Surf City, NC on Topsail Island. I would recommend it to anyone. The beach itself was perfect and uncrowded and very family oriented.

While there, Patch turned 6. He also insists he got taller.

 Ginger wasn't a huge fan of the beach, but she could be distracted enough to stay for a couple of hours. Luckily our house was across the street, so it wasn't too far to go home early.

 Curly and his very tall brother became salty prunes. They hardly left the ocean.

 We brought some sand toys for the kids, which they loved. Mainly they loved to be in the water, which gave me heart attacks. There are sharks in the ocean, you know.

 We brought face cutouts of the two that couldn't come: Flower and Uncle Boo.

 This is our whole crazy family, plus two turtle watchers. Topsail Island has a turtle hospital, and they also have volunteers who look for and protect sea turtle nests. This couple were watching a nest that was supposed to hatch any day. There were over 150 eggs. That's a lot of turtles.

 Mini-me made a friend the first day, so I hardly saw her the entire time. She pretty much wore her suit and her pjs the entire week. And her hair got much blonder.

And finally, while on vacation Curly and I celebrated 10 years together. We went out to a nice restaurant and walked on the pier. It was the perfect way to celebrate. Then, when we got to the house, we watched old videos, including some from our wedding day. They were hilarious. 

And now my sewing machine and I need to get reacquainted. There was no room for it in the car, which made it sad. My list of projects is growing and the craft fair is right around the corner. Time to get to work!

Vacation

We are on vacation. It couldn't have come at a better time. I worked really hard all week to get our house ready for showings. And then, at 11:30 pm on Thursday, Curly got a call from work saying he didn't get the job that would move us. Our house was taken off the market Friday morning, before anyone could come take a look. I am thrilled.

So now we're soaking up the sun in Surf City. We're staying in a gorgeous house across the street from the beach. The water is warm and the sand is plentiful. Fun is being had by all. See you all next week!