August 30: Goodbye Summer, Hello Favorite Seasons

Not one to love summer except for some of the fruits and veggies.  Pontooning is great, but ours has not seen much water this summer.  Hot and sweaty is definitely one of my favorite conditions of life, either.

Temps are supposed to break this weekend.  Can't wait for the promise of longer walks on the trails.  As I said, I don't do sweat well.

Hope all of you have a chance to rest from your normal labors and enjoy a long weekend.  I am going to do all of it >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

• study
• pay household bills
• complete all the business paperwork and file
• study
• study
• play with my software
• study
• play with my digital camera
• study
• BEST OF ALL, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TWO OF THE GRANDKIDS AND THEIR PARENTS HERE FOR THE WEEKEND! (PARTY)

Life is GOOD!

August 29: Adjustment Takes Time

I have finished the first week of classes.  I am taking 6 classes.  Business Communications, Marketing Public Relations, Integrated Marketing Advertising, Illustrator Essentials, Photoshop, and Photography.  All but the Bus Comm are on Tues/Thurs so I am at school from 7:15 to 6:30, but  couple of the hours include time for lunch and studying. I am excited about each and every one of them.
 Most of the classes are very hands-on, but there will be a learning curve as well as a readjustment to monitoring things on the home front.  I have not monitored all that goes on in the kitchen because I have not eaten with the guys several nights this week, Jamie's family is coming for the weekend, and last week, I had already planned to bake just one kind of bars.  Dad does a lot of the baking, but he does not tell me or write on the grocery list when he uses things up.  Brown sugar is a staple for the man.  Oatmeal on the other hand is not.  Even so, he used them all up and did not even mention it when we were at the store this evening discussing this evening's baking.  So I improvised and used just plain white sugar instead of brown and used my steel cut oatmeal (did not consider how that would be different).  Think these bars will be a little different and maybe a bit crunchy.  Fortunately, I made only a single batch so if the experiment does not work we won't be out much.
On the other hand, it has been very hot and humid this week and working in the shop needs to end by early afternoon - no air conditioning.  When I arrived home tonight there was a delightful surprise waiting.  The guys vacuumed, dusted, and made guest beds for our weekend's company.  All we had left was grocery shopping and the bars.  These are now done, so tomorrow will be used for business paperwork, homework, shop assisting, and more practice with the hands-on classes.

Adjusting to changes is always a bit of a challenge, but we will get back into the swing of things.

Life is GOOD!

August 24: Time to Share

I have been rather busy the last month, but I have wrapped up several projects and want to share.  I have lots of other quilts floating in my head, but classes begin on Tuesday, so.............

Life is Good!


  

Riley chose a black and blue theme with only
20 of his t-shirts.  Nick, on the other hand, chose black
and whatever I wanted for his.

 

This is the 21st Byrnes Cousin quilt made.

Dad and I collaborated on this quilt for Jakob.  He used scraps to make the monsters.
Then I pieced and quilted it.

This is my very favorite project of the summer.  It is a queen-size quilt made Ben and Jill as a
wedding gift.  I allow or maybe demand that the couple select the basic colors and then I find
or create a pattern.  This is my version of "Majestic Garden" by Monique Dillard.  It appeared
in the Mar/Ap 2013 issue of Quiltmaker.  It is made of batiks and lots of thread! 

 



August 9: Bibs, Bibs, and More Bibs

Dad loves to embroider on his machine.  I do the finishing up of the projects for him.  These bibs represent a good share of the bibs he has done this summer. I think there are a total of 80.  I promised I would have them all finished by the time I go back to school, so I am working at finishing them up over the next couple days. He has some at my sister's kids consignment shop, Kids and Kaboodle.  He is also going to sell them at 2 craft shows this fall along with several other items.

I am also working on 2 t-shirt quilts and some woodwork, so I am keeping busy.  Had to wash the fabric so decided bibs should be on the list for tonight.  Sure am glad I love what I am doing!

Life is Good!

Last pile to need necks attached.  It goes fairly fast so I will
probably have them finished tomorrow.

August 4: Sunday Means Choices

We have declared Sunday as a relaxation day.  After going to church, each of us decides what will bring the most relaxation to the day.  Kevin is doing so small chores this morning and probably turning wood in the afternoon.  I am cutting t-shirt quilt blocks.  We are hoping to be housebound due to rain, but if it clears the pontoon boat is calling.

Dad does not quite get this Sunday concept, but he goes with the flow.  His church and coffee last most of the morning, and then he is ready to do something.  Now that he is feeling so much better this is a good thing, but it is our declared day off, so...............

I am also going to load and quilt the cousin quilt that will be going to the newest Byrnes cousin who is due this month.

All in all, sewing is one of my favorite relaxation sports, so it is time to head to the studio.  Peeks will be offered later.

Life is GOOD!

August 3: Followed through with all my plans............

Last night I worked on the revamping of the office and got everything organized. I even got our calendar laid out with a good yet flexible schedule.  I have planned in a real office schedule, class and study time, quilting time, exercise time, and even a few hours off to play at other things.  Feels good. 

Then, when I probably should have headed to bed, I played on EQ6 to lay out the two t-shirt quilts I am working on today.  I tend to overbuy the fabric if I don't plan a bit.  I don't mind having an extra yard, but I sometimes get a bit carried away.  These quilts are about 80 x 96.  They are for two of my TALLEST nephews who have recently graduated from high school and are heading off into the world.  Want they to take a piece of their past along so they never forget the good times at home or is that on the soccer field?  (For my nieces and nephews that have never received a wedding quilt or any other type of quilt from me, know that your time will come.  I still have a lot of years in me!!!)

Kevin is mowing, but once he finishes we will be headed to the shop to begin work on other projects. He is making a beautiful oak plant stand/pedestal.  I am making Christmas ornaments.  We each have our own thing to do.  Love spending the time with him even if we are focused on our own stuff.  I just did all the updating to our business funds and know we are not making real money, YET, but we have the funds to maintain, and that is all we had hoped for at this point in the life of this business.  We have a number of arts and crafts sales during the last few months of the year. We are fairly certain that we will make sales, but we are hoping for more furniture commissions where Kevin can really show his talents.  Maybe by the end of the year we well have almost made some kind of profit, but this is a tough business to break into.  Thank goodness we do not have to pay for our household needs from our earnings!  We know we are blessed!

Life is GRAND!

August 2: Where is the summer going?

I am not much for hot weather, but I do love the idea of summer being leisure time.  It isn't but I can dream, right?  What seems to amaze me is just how fast it is slipping away.  The fields outside my windows are growing nicely.  Farmers have made several cuttings of hay and such (NOT a farm girl, but I am listening.)  I know we need more rain, but we did have some today that lasted several hours.

Some of my friends and family members have started getting ready for school either as students or staff members.  Is it old age, or did we used to have much longer summers?  I am all for maximizing learning, but South Dakota has such a short season of warm weather.  I hate that the kids and families don't have more of it.

I am working on a number of things during this month of August.  I am going to get back into my walking routine and shake up some of the last year's fat build-up.  But, I am also going to pull together my schedule for the remainder of the year.  I have quilts to make, wood to transform, paperwork to maintain, a website that should be updated more often, and reading to do enjoy.  Come September, I know that I will be throwing myself under the bus because of trying to juggle school, the business, fall arts and crafts shows, and quilting, so I am hoping that a little planning now will make it all a little easier for all of us during the Fall semester.

Tonight, I will finish up the office and will have all the t-shirts ready for cutting up into t-shirt quil blocks.  Tomorrow will be divided between quilting and a new wood project.  Sunday will be more of the same along with church and maybe a pontoon ride.  A month of jury duty is starting on Monday, but I won't be doing that every day or all day, so the weeks will be scheduled lightly with the possibility of doing more if time permits.

Still getting used to my tri-focals.  If my eyes are lined up the glasses are great, but it not I become a bobble-head.  Time will make it better!  My eyes are already less tired from the need to constantly adjust.

Life is GOOD!