Nice view

Enjoyed a little time on the lake today.

 

New addition to the family

This little stray started visiting us about two months ago. It took almost six weeks before we could even pet him. He was really thin but very solid. After he let me pet him the first time, he really took to me. He was a little aggressive with our other cat so we decided to have him neutered....and vaccinated....ching$ ching$...

Anyway, guess he is ours now.....he will be an outside kitty. Jim named him Gray Beard.

His surgery was yesterday morning and he hasn't peed or pooped yet. I know cats can hold it a long time, but I sure wish he would do his business. The vet recommended we confine him to the screened in porch for a few days.

 

Burrito pillowcase

Ever made one of these? Fast and easy pillow cases, using the burrito method.

They go together really fast. I decided to make a couple for the new swoon quilt.

 

Quilting finished

Finished up the quilting of our Threads of Love quilting ministry quilt, it will be donated to our annual church auction in September to benefit the youth mission work.

Love these bright colors. Binding isn't sewn down yet.

And I finished up the quilting on my Swoon quilt. Not a great picture. I'll try again later when I have the binding finished and the sun goes down a bit.

 

Staycation

I've had a wonderful week off from work. Got a lot of things marked off my do-list. Finished the quilting on my swoon quilt. I'll try to make a full picture tomorrow, after I get the binding done.

Even though it has rained off and on since the EF0 tornado we had on Tuesday evening......

(our tree)

(our neighbor's car)

... I've still thoroughly enjoyed the week.

 

Swoon with pinwheels

I used some of the 144 extra half square triangles from the flying geese units for a border. It isn't perfect but I think it will do. I really liked this pattern but.....I don't know, maybe I'll like it better after it is quilted. I guess thirties fabrics just aren't my favorite but it is what I had. I am too frugal to go out and buy more fabric when I had plenty to make a nice quilt.

....well, it does look like a summery quilt.

 

Cross training

Enjoying my staycation this week. Took to the water again to paddleboard.

This time I rented one from a new local outdoor store. I got to see what it was like loading it in the truck. They give you a pad and straps that are easy to put on and hold it very secure.

This was an 11' board, but it was really wide and heavy. I think it weighed more than 30 pounds.

I really prefer the boards the guy has down at the park. I did paddle all the way to the bridge and back in only an hour and a half with a stop to rest a bit. This board didn't seem to glide as smooth or fast as the other one I've used. It definitely was a workout and I was paddling against the wind just about all the way to the bridge. It was probably only a mile to a mile and a half, and took me 35 minutes to get there. Too bad, I don't have a waterproof phone. There were some great photo ops.

Since I was by myself I wore my life jacket the whole time and stayed fairly close to the shoreline. It was an adventure.

 

Emma visit

I got to visit my grandbaby and babysit her a little this weekend. Bear with me, all of you......this is the most precious child ever. She smiles so much. Wakes up smiling. I even had her laughing. There are no words to express how much I love her.

I know other grandparents feel the same. It is amazing, isn't it? That love.

She will be four months old tomorrow. They plan on moving to Scotland in the fall, so I know my time to visit with her is limited. I thought I might get teary leaving her, but I really didn't expect to have free falling tears before I even left their apartment.

She slept in my arms during church. Ahh. Precious. Then later she fell asleep in my arms after her bottle. I put her down for a little bit, she woke up again, had a bit more lunch, then back to asleep again. When I left we had put her in her Mamaroo (moving lounge seat type thing). I looked over at her and the tears started. My son smiled but looked at me like I was nuts. I am. Nuts over her.

I left a bit later than planned, but thought I could still get back before dark. I could have, except I did a very dumb thing. Locked my keys in my car at a gas station. Thank goodness for AAA! And the sweet ladies at the station who let me call my son long distance (to get the AAA number and our account number), because of course my card and phone were also locked in the car. That and some construction traffic caused a four and a half hour trip to turn into an almost six hour trip.

....but I have so much to be thankful for. Today, I start my week long staycation. And before I get to my list of to-do's I am taking a few minutes to relish the weekend, and count my blessings.