Slow Sunday...

Why yes, it will be a slow Sunday! I prepped a few blocks at the last minute on Friday to take with me on my business trip. I plan to work on one or two of them today.

The #6 Ella Maria Deacon block was completed this week and I prepped the next 2 the ones with blue on the top left hand side.

I just did this block this morning! Love my little snowman in the center.

I also prepped a few of the umbrella blocks to finish off the blocks needed for that little quilt. Prep work was easier on that one - just cut the 6 inch square and draw the pattern onto the back of the fabric. Pull some fabrics for the umbrella parts and done! I am back basting these so the prep work is easy peasy.

I also put the scrubby yarn and a crochet hook into the bag.

Those projects should keep me busy this week while I am up in Vermont on my business trip. I also have the kindle loaded with books to read. Looks like a nice snowstorm will arrive Mon/Tues..... I get to test the winter driving skills! At least the drive to the office is just one exit up the road and not too bad.

Linking up with the other Slow Sunday Stitchers.

I'm feeling accomplished!

The kids were playing with scraps in the sewing room yesterday.

I set up an extra cutting mat on my office desk to cut out some borders for the cat and mice quilt (silly quilt wanted to be bigger so I made it happy!). I cut out some white - sewed the bigger strips together to do the sides and cut some for the top and bottom. Attached the top..... and spent a while looking for the other one! Did not find it.... decided to go with hubby to take the kids to Grandma's for an overnight around 5PM.... they wanted to spend the night with Scruffy's 1st night at her furever home! She adopted Scruffy officially on Saturday morning.

We did a meet and greet last week with her and Grandma so she could see how she was with the kids. A very sweet 1 year old terrier mix! You can see she is so happy with the kids and them with her. Grandma was a wee bit offended when they mentioned they usually don't put puppies with older folks.... and asked who would take her if something happened to her.  She immediately said my son and his family! =) We got approved from the meet and greet visit too I guess!

Today - I had a quick run to the girl scout store to get the proper number of badges - since they finally did their horseback riding yesterday as a troop. We had some bridge up since I had planned to do it.... I have 6 juniors and 5 brownies now. The girls got a great education and got to ride a horse, take care of it before and after and gave each one a bath and then put it out into the pasture. I loved getting compliments from Liz on the girls being respectful of the horses and well behaved. Makes me so proud of them! I also grabbed snack badges which we are doing tomorrow and letter boxing and geocaching as those are the next badges we will be working on. We tend to keep busy!

After a quick lunch it was sewing time! I turned on my machine and guess what I found draped over the edge of the sewing machine? Yup - that missing border for the top! It was white and blended right in! A little cutting and sewing and pressing and soon I had this cute top 61x72. This is the next hand quilting project.

Since I was on a roll, I found the photo I had taken of the blocks Aidan laid out for the 1857 quilt. I managed to get them sewn into a top as well today! This one is 72 inches square. It might need a dark purple border.... but maybe a dark purple binding will be sufficient. Not sure if this will be hand or machine quilted. It was all hand applique.

Time to settle in for a little relaxing knitting or crochet tonight I think. I'll either be finishing a dish cloth or making a scrubby. I have not managed to get to the store to pick up new knitting bamboo needles so I pulled these little ones out. I guess it will be a smaller dish cloth  since I don't think I can get 50 stitches on there... I think I am a little over 30 stitches now.

Linking up with the slow stitchers this Sunday and the Rainbow Scrap Challenge where purple is the color of the month.

Slow Sunday

Sitting on the screened in porch overlooking the lake this morning. Listening to the loons call to each other - we have a Mom, Dad and baby loon on the lake this year. I was able to get this photo of them yesterday.

The sun is peeking out behind the clouds and making diamond sparkles on the lake. It will be the third hot and humid day in Vermont today before a blessed cool front moves through and drops the temps back into the high 70's for the daytime temps. Much better than the upper 80's we have been having. Lets hope the wind sticks around today... it makes the hot bearable when you don't have ac! I see us being on the lake in tubes, kayaks or boats (pontoon and/or paddle) today.

As Kathy took 5 projects with her camping recently.... I had to check and I had similar in my busy bag. The embroidery didn't fit into the bags (I had to bring 2 quilts up with me this time to gift). I do have a few stitches to add into the grad quilt binding. About 5-6 needles I think. Too hot to do that until tonight. She saw it Friday and LOVES it! Yea! Unfortunately... the pillowcase is on the back of my sewing chair in Florida! Will have to ship it up before she heads to college.

I have the counted cross stitch - yet to be touched. Some dish cloth yarn and knitting needles - yet to be touched. New to me scrubby yarn from red heart. I started a project with this Thursday night.... I hope to finish it today while stitching on the swing down by the lake.  I used the youtube video here.

I also had some 2 inch fabric squares cut out for Emily's project so added a few pinks to make a pink and white 16 patch. I'll work on that sometime this week. Should be enough to keep me busy for a couple of weeks =)

I don't think I will have as much work time while up here as I was thinking as the internet connection is not stable enough for dialing in. I'll plan to go in once or twice this week and maybe once next week and guess I get a 'forced' vacation =). I don't want to leave the kids alone all day with my parents too much. My sister is taking them overnight Tuesday so I'll work the full day Wednesday and then pick them up from her house. A big thanks to her for doing that.

Both kids have driven the boat... but I didn't get the Aidan photo. This was Emily yesterday before we heard thunder and saw lightning over the other side of the mountain. Uncle David took over and put it in fast and got us off the lake.

Linking up with the other slow stitchers at Kathy's Quilts.