A day at the Lake

yes, the end of lake season is happening way to fast ..

although I've really made the most of August & September 

it's been gorgeous out there ...

our only motorized gizmo left is the waverunner ...

you can't see it in this pix -- but the neighbors swim raft is around the left bend

they brought it in today also 

and looking into the bay -- maples are turning quick

just a little texture for a Saturday

I've been pretty diligent about hauling stuff home for the last month -- the xtra clothes, food, crafty stuff, my favorite lawn chair (goes to the office) ... today was a full load

all I have left is a change of clothes and my old Bernina (and sewing supplies) 

and the cleaning -- need to scrub patio furniture -- stash/bag the cushions, clean the grill and disassemble it -- defrost the fridge/freezer (never fun) and a good vacuuming 

we started early this year (April!) ... it's been good!

Good Morning River Valley ...

 

from the office back steps

playing with my new(er) camera

 



 

this old house .. didn't realize how the light over the back door is so bright .. 'tis a good thing

 



so, I had acquired a rocker/ottoman from the previous renters and after looking at it for a year I decided I really didn't want to recover it .. so I put it on the sidewalk Wednesday noon with a "free" sign ... by Thursday morning the ottoman was gone and by 1:00pm the chair was gone! 

 



 

Some pictures simply need no words.

 

 

So stay tuned the Friday and Weekend project lists are about to be typed up and put into action -- enough with the lazy's and the "I'm not in the mood to work" moments .... 



Adventures

  Change is in the wind here on 3rd Street -- Tax Season Weekend Warrior Cindy -- began a new adventure this morning -- she's moving to Florida -- and I have to admit -- I wish she wasn't so adventurous -- 

  I'm selfish -- 3 years of being my weekend girl -- February thru April -- made my life better -- she kept me grounded and kept me going when I was tired, cranky and overwhelmed with the drama of income tax season.  She is my sounding board when I was frustrated -- never judged or critiqued just listened and gave advice when she though I would actually listen (ya, sometimes I would listen).  I'm really going to miss her.

  I admire her ability to drop it all and move to Florida -- I'm sure there is more to the story than a change of scenery -- but good for her -- she's living her dreams and going for new adventures --- 

 happy travels friend! 

my crazy life

such is my crazy disorganized but trying to organize life ..

the Sunday spreadsheet for the week

what to do and when to do it 

what to wear -- what to drive

and good grief -- what to sew

I just gotta get a life ...

my sunday beach view - while typing said spreadsheet

and the Saturday trimmings ---

mug rug production -- lots of mug rugs from the scraps 

this weeks progress

I tried the "glue the binding down" technique this week -- it's just faster to flip and sew -- but flip and sew slowly ... 

somewhere along the decades of fabric buying I bought these triangles (turnovers, I think they are called) finally zipped 'em together into a table runner -- not sure why I felt the need to purchase them (or anything else)

throw made from a layer cake chopped in half and solids ... purchased the backing at SR Harris (it's the wide stuff!)

the table runners and a couple of throws -- bound and ready to (a) wash and/or store

ok -- 8 years later I finally got blogger to place 2 pictures side by side ... wth.  Scrapbooking at the Jesus Church last night -- I sorted my scrap bin and cut 5" squares for more mug rugs and strips for table runners and a pile of flat folds to donate to a local church ... 

heat be damned -- I'm off to the cabin today -- I have books to read, mug rugs to sew and a deck chair calling my name ..

before i go .... there is a list (go figure)!

my summer wish

  my wish for more summer weather came true -- not sure if 3 days of 90'+ was what I truly had in mind -- but I won't complain it is warm ...

  now if I only had time for the beach .... tomorrow -- tomorrow ....

  we worked at Jane's this week, celebrated a birthday (with chocolate lava cakes) ... and I was on the road for the County --
      Monday - Nicollet
      Tuesday - Government Center
      Wednesday - Gaylord
      Thursday - Government Center
      Friday - New Ulm ....

            busted Ruby out of the garage for today's trek -- she needs the miles ... will take her to scrapbooking at the Jesus Church this evening also -- not sure what I am going to work on -- probably sorting scraps and cutting strips for some tu tu's -- who knows I should just stay home and sew.

            the eye is doing well -- i keep forgetting the goofy drops ... holy smokes I must be getting old (older) at least my hearing is working well.

she sews, she sews

and the pictures are are her phone ...

sorry --- find 'em on facebook.


all of the saturday/sunday piecing/quilting have been bound except the two batik jelly roll runners -- and I also attached the binding to another crib quilt and two throws ... enough for tonight -- I started attaching binding Sunday night ... tonight was the roll over and sew it down.

another visit to the eye doc today -- the ulcer is making a reappearance (or so it seems) more drops -- longer period of time and a repeat visit next week ... story of my summer eh.

and thus it rolls on Daisy Lane so far this week.

M

tired diva ...

24 hours of piecing, basting & quilting ... table runners & table toppers

awaiting the binding fairy.  I have one more basted and ready to quilt ...

Maker Fair is 29 days away ... I need to kick it up a bit ...

  

I was trying to be random on the placement --- grab and sew -- don't look

hmmm right in the middle ...

cross hatching on this one -- didn't think I'd ever finish ..

used the Bernina -- thought it would be faster than the long arm ...

I'm not so sure anymore.

 

and the freshly washed scrubbed house ... we had green stuff mold growing on the north side .. Menards sells crap to kill and clean ... spray it on -- scrub and rinse ... 3 1/2 sides of the house and garage are done --- I had a water supply issue on the southwest corner .....

I can think of better projects on a Saturday morning!

warning - picture heavy

 I've finally accepted the fact that fall is in the air .... although it was 92' and has been gloriously warm all week .... yesterday (well, this week) is the first week since the end of tax season when I truly felt "caught up" on the projects ... so after the 3rd phone call from a telemarketer -- I left the office and headed home (it was 3:30ish) ...

took a ride on the atv -- garbage and the prairie

this is one of the first times I missed the patch -- I miss picking and discovering the goodness, the time spent outdoor (and the sneezing, the wheezing and the hacking!) .. lookout cabin here I come!

if only still pictures had sound -- the grasses were blowing it was cool

I assumed with the smoke in the air (Montana fires) that sunset would be spectacular

it was -- better than the pictures

me and the new camera (new in May) have lots to learn yet

but I was prepared -- I was doused in bug spray 

ya, it is fall .... 

Loving September

sunset on my trek home from the cabin

and i just deleted the other pictures ... dang technology

the weather has been so fine -- and I've enjoyed every moment of it ....

16 years ago ... yesterday ...

I bought myself a really old house ... well, 16 years later it's an ancient old house.

No it was not snowing 16 years ago .... it's the best pic I could find here at the office...

ah, the electrical, the plumbing, the floors, the walls, the parking lot ... 

the money .....

this weekend in pictures!

  

Sunday night drainage ditch tour -- up where CR52 meets 111 --- deer hopping out of the cow pasture into the soybean field

and the question of the summer --- which direction is the water flowing 

into the lake (wrong)

back up into the ditch (correct answer ) 

hanging out in Jane's new apartment -- our dining table on Friday -- love the table cloth ... nothing beats a hefty bag for multi-purpose use ...

2 days at the cabin -- Saturday I read/sewed/napped and just hung out until the bugs drove me home and today -- i just hung out ..... the lazy weekends at the happy place are coming to an end...

I'm not sure this is an OSHA approved platform and ladder system -- came home to find #1 tackling this project ... trimming out the 50 year old machine shed --- I asked what happened to the original trim --- "I never got around to finishing it" ... so Dad, 50 years later it's on your project list?  wth .....

weird

weird - the moment that most of the county is watching 24 hour Hurricane Irma coverage on the weather channel and the rest of us (not, I, us) are chilling out at the Rock Bend Folk Festival ---

weird

I loaded up my sewing tote bag and headed for the happy place this morning -- a stop at the market for veggies, the grocery store for milk/meat to grill ....

and ..... 3.5 dresses were completed -- i finished 2 magazines and i read my book ... not a bad day at the lake.... skeeters arrived at 4:30 .... thirsty buggers.


and, drum roll please,  I got rid of 6 things today ....

still.at.the.office

the office computer doesn't have many pictures on it ... this one will have to work for tonight....

so, it's Thursday and I'm still at the office --- ya, I worked Tuesday night, Wednesday night and tonight .... 'tis good to be me ... I knew it was going to be a tough week -- the 2 day webinar cost me 15 hours of work time -- but looking ahead ... I think I got a lot done this week ...

Meg is on vacation too -- , Robyn came in Tuesday/Wednesday morning and stayed past noon -- 

can't / shouldn't fret over it  -- it is the life I live (or have chosen to live) 

I just got to know -- where does the freeking time go?

dang!

Happy Birthday ...

so, today would be (would have been) my Grandma's 106th birthday -- 

She was the crafty grandma -- cooked, sewed, gardened, created ... 

because early in life she had no choice

later in life because she enjoyed the process

above is a picture of her and Nick playing in his sandbox -- no date on it -- probably 1998 or 1999 -- they were having a good time ... building stuff .

my heart knows none of us can live forever -- 

and my heart also knows we leave an imprint on the next generation ... 

the picture below I took the morning after she died -- a cool July morning -- it rained during the early evening and night -- the patch was soaking up the moisture -- the fog was rolling across the prairie 

and here are the pix ... all phone shots

no pix

truly == it's been a very productive weekend at the sewing machine ....

5 crib/toddler quilts bound, washed and dried ... one is just plain gorgeous -- 2 more quilted on the long arm and a table runner ...

of the first 5 -- all have been quilted a while -- i took them to the cabin on Saturday, made bindings and attached to the quilts -- then finished at home where there is a bit more room to move larger hunks of fabric ....

the table runner came about while long arming -- i had an extra 30" of backing rolled on so I quickly finished piecing some scraps and voila!  tossed on and quilted it (in one pass) ...

today -- less sewing -- I have a 2 day tax conference Tuesday and Wednesday so a spot of time at the office today ... currently updating my laptop ... I can't remember the last time I actually turned it on ....

M

September

how can it be September ...

truly -- really, September.  Somehow last winter/spring (well fall, actually) when I decided not to garden -- the goal was to have more time for myself.  perhaps some traveling, more time at the cabin, less time at the office.  well, that my friends, has not happened. 

I have had more time at the cabin and have enjoyed every second of every moment.  it truly has been refreshing, relaxing and recharging time, even when sewing and working out there.  yes, I work at cabin every once in a while.  last Sunday, I knocked out a nine hour self study CPE gig -- me, the birds and my book.  

I miss the patch.  I miss the fresh air and exercise -- I miss the fresh veggies -- I miss the excitement and awe of spotting the first fruit and watching it grow to maturity (and eating it)... I miss the beauty of the blooms -- the beauty of the growing process .....  I miss the interaction of my market customers and co-vendors and at the same time I don't miss the drama of the market (whether self created or otherwise) I don't miss the weeds and the deer .... although "Bucky" was in the personal squash patch this morning.  damn thing.  My head tells me it was the best decision to retire -- my heart tells me otherwise.

I don't think I'll "un-retire" ...

but it's September ...


this weekend is dedicated to lake time -- binding potholders and quilts, finishing up some already cut out dresses, taming the scrap bin and making some more mug rugs ....

I download the new Wm Kent Krueger book to my iPad -- saving it for Saturday --- the weather promises to be fabulous ...