July and then some...

Hello friends! It appears as though I had no choice but to skip a blog post for June. Summer has delightfully occupied family life and I know that everyone can understand when I say..... it's been a good 'busy' kind of summer.

The hens are producing beautiful eggs everyday and I can't help but think how happy I am that we made the decision to pursue chicken raising.

And.... a little unexpected turn ended up occurring in my life...personally. For those of you that don't know, my real job, the paying one, is that of a nurse. And I love it! So when my boss offered me a teaching job through our facility, I knew I couldn't pass it up! What could be better than sharing your passion with others? Instead of sewing and finishing aprons, quilts and patterns, I was getting my lesson plans ready! So far, it has been an amazing experience and I'm still feeling astonished with the way things fell into place:)

I knew that between the girls, vacations, gardening, work, and now teaching.... I wouldn't have that much time to post on this blog, so I took pictures, and a ton of them, to share with you all of what the summer months have looked like.

I did manage to finish 2 quilt tops! Hip, hip, hooray! One with half square triangles and the other, a mini picnic blanket below. And nope that's not me, with the quilt wrapped around. My mini-me has had a huge growth spurt and suddenly I've become a small mom :) It's okay, I don't mind.

More mountain experiences occurred when my hubby and I decided to take a little getaway and head back south to Asheville, North Carolina. Should I mention for the FIRST TIME traveling without the girls!! I felt horrible in the beginning but then common sense began to settle in. It's not like we left little babies behind... The girls are older, more independent, and were able to enjoy their getaway with grandma and grandpa too :)

We went back to the Biltmore estate, walked the multiple acres and got to see all the things we didn't last time!

We also made homemade pasta from our fresh eggs!

More elderberry flowers got picked.

More mulberries were harvested.

Which of course, meant more jam.

A really fun thing.... I found this beautiful caterpillar attaching itself to a lamb's ear plant in the yard. What could be cooler than your butterfly loving kids being able to watch the transition take place?

When we saw it was getting ready to hatch, we moved the glass vase outside onto the porch.

By morning, the butterfly had left.

Things I can't wait to do as summer begins to slow down:

1. learn how to use more stitches on that gorgeous sewing machine I got months ago

2. start finishing the multiple quilt tops by getting them actually quilted

3. I need to make strawberry rhubarb pie from scratch..... before the summer is over. (This should be number 1.) The rhubarb in our garden is huge and is screaming to get picked!

4. make one of my garden beds "a rose garden" ~ from cuttings only, otherwise, it wouldn't be as fun.

5. and last.... enjoy more bonfires, more s'mores, and more family time

Happy Trails to what's left of the summer days! Enjoy eachother, immerse yourself in the positive, and love, laugh, and be merry! Till next time friends:)

Crystal Knob Rack

So... what can you do with a piece of wood measuring 45 inches by 3 1/2? Well, if it's 1 inch thick, you can use it to make the cutest wall rack. But instead of using hooks, use drawer knobs! Here's how the idea got started. I needed a place to photograph kids aprons. Now, most of you know that my girls have been modeling them, but they can't model toddler aprons, right? All I could picture was a gorgeous crystal knob rack used to display those mini aprons I love to make. And after searching in stores and online, I realized they are not very easy to find. Soo...... "oooohhh hubby.... can you drill a few holes in this piece of oak wood I found in the barn?" Of course he did it in a heart beat & he even sanded it down too! The holes were positioned like this: I did the two outer ones first, then measured to the center in between those. And again, the middle of the center and outer one. Got it? I took some regular creamy white wall paint I had left

The Ogden Cami ~ A Review

Hello friends! I hope you all had a wonderful February and a great start to March! Spring is right around the corner and I'm counting down to daylight savings on March 10th! Hooray for longer sunshine! Lately, I've been longing to go back to stitching up clothes. And... I ended up finding the cutest pattern to get me back in the groove at Hawthorne Threads . The Ogden Cami by True Bias Patterns is perfect and quite simple! I started off by making a test run with some red, light-weight fabric, figuring if this comes out good, I'll have 2 tops! And guess what? It came out awesome! Making a practice piece was a great idea. It's always recommended and there are so many reasons why. In the instructional booklet, I wrote myself little notes. ~ cut the fabric 1/4" larger at the sides so I can use a serger. This will allow me to have finished ends and still a good seam allowance. ~ cut the straps 1/2" larger, so the

January.... you're almost done!

Hello friends! I feel like it's been forever since my last post. I suppose some might even say I've been spending nearly all my time on the forefront of creative madness along with trying to continue healing. Holy smokes! Chemo and radiation will change a person forever. I'm continuing my healing journey, and staying hopeful that I'll remain in the 'clear' for a long time. It's odd, the way you feel, when everything you've gotten accustomed to: the running around, working day to day, rushing here and rushing there.... how quickly it changes when it's no longer a necessity. Yes, I am extremely thankful that my spouse supports and pushes for my healing time, omitting nurse life as it was, but like I told my girlfriend the other day, "how many craft projects can a girl possibly do?" ..... Well let me just tell you..... A LOT! Today's post will revisit some Instagram pics, (in case you don't follow along) with some of my most recent

The Mint Needle

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