the summer shift

Every year that "Whoa!" moment comes and takes me by surprise for some odd reason. I should see that it's coming since it does every year, right? How is it that the first couple of weeks of Summer break always leave me scrambling?

The routine I was so happy to let go of a few weeks ago was what guaranteed me a little time here and there to be creative or to at least clean up a bit now and then. Now we're on "Summer Time" where you grab whatever 'catch up' moments you can whenever you can and hope that it will add up to something being accomplished.

Do I get grouchy about this from time to time? yes. There is quite a bit of industrious introvert in me who misses long quiet hours of progress that might come in the winter or fall. But my gosh, look at all the fun we are having. Fishing (I don't fish - I take pictures of my boys fishing, it's cute), hiking in the green green woods, doing kid crafts, eating popsicles, catching up with neighbors, and on and on. So, I shouldn't complain. What I should do is go with the flow and adjust accordingly. You can't hear it but I assure you that I am laughing out loud right now because I am not good at that 'going with the flow' thing at all. 

This much I know - there are good good times ahead in the coming months. And maybe, just maybe, I might get one or two things done as well.

for the hostess with the mostess

I'll go out on a limb and guess that Vince's grandmother does not read my blog so I am safe sharing this with you. This was a special request from her and it was also my road project as we traveling through Nebraska last week. I only got the text done during the drive but those were some solid hours of stitching right there, lemme tell ya.

If you knew my grandmother-in-law you would know how fitting, how perfect this saying is for her. She is the best hostess and truly loves having people in her home. So, when she requested this project I jumped at the chance. If for no other reason than to repay all the kindness and warm hospitality she has shown us. A little embroidery will never match it of course but it's a start I guess.

I borrowed some flowers from my Indian Spice pattern set here. They look so different stitched up in pastels. I love how they can be included in so many different projects.
Of course I need to do some ironing and place this in a hoop but then it's all set to ship off to one of the nicest homes I know.

now, where was i?

oh yes, beautiful Nebraska! We kicked off Summer vacation with a trip south to visit family. The first leg of the tour was a stop in Omaha where my grandmother, parents, all my sisters and almost all of my nieces/nephews were together - this is a very rare treat. I even got to go have lunch with just the girls - yea! Even though it wasn't that long ago (under two years) that we lived there, there have been a lot of changes in Omaha since we left. I didn't have a chance to see all of them but I definitely want to include that in my next visit.

Our next stop was a visit with Vince's parents in Verdigre - a tiny little town in northern Nebraska. Did you know there are still places where they will pump your gas for you? It's true!

It was so nice to escape for a little while and spend time with family. It seemed like a perfect way to start the season. We spent approximately 18 hours in the car when all was said and done and I don't plan to do that again for quite some time. I was sure to bring along some embroidery so I'll be sharing that little project soon. It's a special request from Vince's grandmother and I think, I hope, it will be really cute. More on that soon!

keeping my word

Okay when Spring rolled around I shared a favorite little Spring ditty with the promise to also share a Summertime gem when the time was right. So here we are on the last day of a lightening fast school year with the sun blazing and I'm tossing some tunes your way. What's not to love about this one, am I right? This brings back many happy memories and makes me feel like wearing a sundress (I never do that by the way). Enjoy!

Illustration Friday: Hurry

Oh my goodness, this is the most fun I have had all week. I wish I could just futz with it and add the background and keep it going for days on end but I have to get some other things done. It's too bad because I know it needs more work. BUT I'm tucking this away in the 'come back and see me sometime' file because I would love to see what else it could be. Wheee!

shout out to stitchers

Did anyone catch this this morning? I was doing some embroidering this morning as the boys slept in past 8 am - something unheard of in these parts. I took the opportunity to catch a bit of one of my favorite shows, CBS Sunday Morning and there it was. Take a peek if you get a chance - it will make you feel really good about every stitch you make.

introducing...

www.septemberhouse.biz

Yes, this has been my very big project for the last few months and I am so excited about it! I love having a new online space with so many possibilities and options. Even though it's a little bit scary to have so much control I think it will be a great challenge for me. This will also be an ongoing project for me as I'm sure I will be tweaking and nudging it here and there on a daily basis especially in it's early days.

My Etsy shop is not going away I just wanted to have a home of my own and this seemed like the right move to make. Here are some things I love already about this site:

* Instant pattern downloads - even though I am pretty darn quick when it comes to sending people their patterns I don't do it the minute a payment comes through - this site does.

* A built-in shipping calculator. Enter a zip code and the USPS figures the price for shipping right there. awesome.

* I don't have to be a tech geek to figure out this website but if I feel like getting my geek on I can fiddle with it as much or as little as I like. We'll see how brave I get.

I'll be figuring the ends and outs more and more each day and I'm so excited about this new adventure!