Welcome to the Monthly Update. What does that mean? Well, it's just little ol me trying to recap what took place during the month so that I can keep track. I kind of use it like a journal. Please sit back and enjoy a peek into a month of my life.
Any links that you click in this post will open in a DIFFERENT window, allowing you to continue reading this without losing the page.
The previous 2017 monthly update links are located at the end of this entry. I hope that you make it that far.
Goals:
Easy Street (ES) - quilted, bound -
Garden Party (GP) - quilted and bound -
Midnight Flight (MF) - blocks madeGarden Party (GP) - quilted and bound -
BOM (blue) quilted and bound -
BOM (Thimbleberries) quilted and bound -
BOM (pink) quilted and bound -
Quiet Book - All pages cut out and all little parts cut out -- embellishments all bought.
1st - It is summer and that means that I will have kids all month long. Obviously my goals will not be met, but some sewing and quilting may occur in between events. At least my fingers are crossed for that. Today Jacob is here and sleeping in so first thing I tackle two more old blog entries and am able to mark them as done. Now what to do? My leg is driving me nuts. I have been bothered by a rash on my leg for a week now and it is really starting to travel and get worse. I am biting the bullet and heading for the doctor. After a quick appointment which nets me some steroids, antibiotics, and hydrocortisone cream, we are off to Central Market for groceries. It's a pretty boring day for a grandson that is 14 and I feel bad for him, but dang -- my leg is a mess. Dinner is at Smash Burger, as requested, and nothing has changed since the last time we were there. I think that was their final death march for us. No more Smash Burger. When asked the difference between a regular and large burger, the attendant held up two cups and explained to me that one was regular and one was large because one was bigger than the other. Honest. You can follow along with this Jacob visit link to see all that we do. Oh, he and Grandpa are working on photography this week --- cameras everywhere.
2nd - Our big day's adventure today is to go see Wonder Woman. We are off to the mall and I have to admit that the movie is really quite good. As we leave the theater, it is raining like crazy outside and we think to figure out a way to get to the car without getting drenched. Jacob to the rescue and soon we are in the car and slowly making our way home. It is usually about a 15 minute drive, but 1/2 an hour into it, we are still on Northwest Highway by Flagpole Hill and barely moving. As we finally reach the intersection of Northwest Highway and Audelia, there is a couple of inches of water on the road and we make the turn. Immediately upon turning, we look up and a wall of water is coming at us - at least 6-10 inches deep in places and getting deeper the further uphill we go. It's crazy and I've never seen anything like it. Garbage cans are floating past us and cars are starting to stall out. At the very first opportunity, I make a right turn hoping to get out of the river streaming towards us and we do okay until about halfway down the next road. At that point someone else has managed to stall out and soon my car is steaming too. We turn it off, call Grandpa and begin the wait for the road to clear and then the attempt to start the car. After another half an hour and many interesting sights (one car tearing up a lawn, others driving on sidewalks, crazy people everywhere) later, we finally start the car again and it takes us four starts/stops to make it to the house where it goes into the garage to hopefully dry out and start again tomorrow. OMG. What a crazy experience. THAT was a true flash flood.3rd - It's Saturday so Grandpa is home and Jacob is sleeping in. I jump at the chance to work on prepping the woolies for the fall retreats. I really want this out of my way this month. For the afternoon we are off to Nickelrama and stop in at the slot car races. OHHHHH - super fun. Some boba tea and then off to the lake for another photography lesson. I just take my phone camera and play with it a bit. The dam is flowing like crazy and birds have taken to the trees. I love it so much this time of year.
4th - It's a switch out day and Jen is driving the whole way since she has to drop off Jon at camp in Denton. We spend the morning making cinnamon roll dough and then a quick trip to the coffee shop while it rises. With a yummy treat in our bellies, it's back home to finish the rolls, do laundry and then work on woolies some more. We spend some time visiting with Jen and then it's a quiet evening with leftovers for dinner. Here is the Jared Visit link if you are interested.YES - I have wool everywhere right now.
The boxes are starting to fill though. Now THAT is a good sign.
5th - With sleepy grandsons, I have time in the morning to get a bit done. It's another woolie morning. Jared's request for the day is Jumpstreet. It is not a car day for us so that means DART and I arrange for our pickup in time to get to the train and connect to the bus correctly. Our pickup is late, thus missing the first train. When we grab the next one, our connecting bus has already left when we arrive at our stop. Great. It's about a 25 minute wait for the bus and Jumpstreet is about a mile away so I ask Jared if he is up to a walk. He gives me a big smile and says, "Yes." Let's go then. We set off and I am instantly regretting my decision as I did not wear sneakers and as much as I love these sandals, they are not wonderful for walking a long ways as they always seems to rub the bottom of my feet. Oh well, no turning back now. We get about 1/4 of a mile when I notice the sky really getting dark and it appears to be moving straight at us. Great. Suggesting that we get up on the Central Expressway so that there are businesses to dart into in case of a downpour, we alter our route a bit and continue on. As we near the 3/4 of a mile mark, it starts to sprinkle and I'm okay with that as we just kick it up a gear. As soon as we cross Royal and enter the parking lot (of which Jumpstreet is clear on the other side), it lets loose and we are running like crazy. Two soaked rats enter the trampoline park, but - hey - it is a memory, right? Even here, I am working on woolies. Time crunch in play. Grandpa picks us up and we get to have enjoy a fancy dinner out --Chick Fil A.
6th - I am getting so close with the woolies. I think I just have a couple to kit up but am out of fusible web. Amazon time. With a sleeping grandson again, I manage to finish ironing the pieces to the sample woolies I have completed.King Arthur is on the screen today and I love it. The funny part is that I find out later that Jared has had no idea what is going on throughout the entire movie. What? Apparently, unbeknownst to me, he doesn't know the story of King Arthur and got lost in the very beginning. Bummer.
7th - When Jared found out that Jacob went to Nickelrama to play the pinball machines, he put this on his list as well so that is where we are off to today. I used all my nickels at the first trip here, so this time we have to buy them. A cup later and when they are gone, they are gone.I play on the machines for awhile and then wander over and manage to win on the Candy Crush game -- 100 tickets for Jared. Then I move onto the 21 game and dang if I don't strike it right again -- 180 tickets.
While we are gone, the new cushion for the front porch arrives. Woohoo. The pillows arrive a few weeks ago but we had issues getting the cushion. Doesn't it look good. Love it.
For my afternoon fun, I locate all the fabrics for the quiet book backings. Thankfully, I don't have to buy any at all this time.
8th - The fusible web has arrived and I quickly set to finish drawing woolie patterns, iron them onto the wool, and kit up all remaining projects -- now, all I have left is to complete the samples. The boxes are officially closed to kits. My busy bag is packed and ready for my trip to Utah. Whew.
It's our last day together and Jared wants to make some brownies so we try my new cookbook by Mary Berry. These brownies test us both a bit as everything is measured by weight -- a first for me. While they are baking, I make another run to the doctor as my leg has had a repeat outbreak and I am flying tomorrow. A quick trip back and they brownies are out of the oven and looking oh so yummy. We cut into them right away -- before I can even get a decent picture.
Now, what to do for dinner. Oh my goodness -- we toss around all kinds of ideas and finally settle on going to check out the new Costco and get our membership cards. A pup and a pop is on the agenda and I am absolutely in shock that these are STILL $1.50. They have been this price for at least the last 10 years. Wow. There is some comfort in all of that. 
For my evening entertainment - I cut the pages for the quiet book and all the remaining drawings get finished as well. I am ready to start.
9th - Jared is picked up after we get laundry and packing finished. As Jen leaves with him, I have her drop me at the train station and I'm off to Utah. Goodness but these days are running together rapidly this month. My flight is spent graphing out the blocks for the new mystery and breaking down the clues. Fun times coming up. 
10th - I am in Utah and it is Oph's 3rd birthday. You can follow along with our fun day by clicking on this LINK.I WILL show you her parents creativity on this page though since it is indeed quite crafty. They took a washing machine box and converted it into this house where she can draw on the walls or lay and look at books. Dang cool huh? Yep, her daddy even strung lights in it.
11th - My early morning is spent working on the woolie samples. I have a ton of them so am working them all at once by thread color. Am I confused? Just a wee bit. Once the girls are awake, our fun day's adventures begin and are in this LINK,12th - It's another fun day in Utah. Today's adventure includes the aquarium. My evening is spent again working on the woolie samples. Come check out our fun day in THIS POST
13th - Woohoo! I have all the woolies attached and ready for their backs and hanging sleeves to be attached. Yes, I've stayed up late to get to th is point as we spent the day at Farm Country and I fly tomorrow.. To read about our day, check this POST out.
14th - Up, up, and away. I am once again having a travel day. The time on the plane is spent attaching woolie backings. They won't be touched again until another flight or car trip. I need to move onto the quiet book. Oh goodness, the days are counting down fast for it.
15th - Recovery day and I am working on pictures and blog entries all day. I so badly want to be totally caught up and stay that way.
16th - My focus today is on the quiet book. Period! I cannot even think about anything else. When all is said and done for this day, I have managed to create quite the mess but I think I have several pages ready to go.
17th - It seems as though it has been a LONG time since I had a day out with Mister but today is the day. Shopping at DSW (two new pair of shoes - woohoo), Marshall's ( a new suitcase - much needed), and JoAnn's (supplies for quiet book) before stopping at Bitter Sisters for some beer pleasure and then dinner at Fat something. What a great day! Period. We certainly have not spent much time alone together making this delightful. Once home to relax, we peek in on the herbs and discover that we have caterpillars in the fennel. Ooooh ---- butterflies on the way.18th - Sunday morning walk to the coffee shop with Mister and upon our return, Josh arrives for his days with us. First up: grocery shopping at Central Market and then back home to cook dinner. While I work on that, he and Grandpa take some time to photograph our herbal visitors.
19th - It's a JOSH day. We are off to the aquarium for some fun. To read all about our day, click on this POST.
20th - A morning in the kitchen baking cookies with Josh before finding a few minutes to work on quiet book pages while watching a movie together. It's one I've seen before so drawing and cutting pieces works well during this time. I get quite a few pages cutout and have to say, I'm pleased. Fantastic Beasts and woolies at swimming.Our evening entertainment is a swim park so I take along my woolies to work on. At some point I will get these under control. At least I hope so. I have one more trip this month in which to call them DONE.
21st - Today is ZOO day. We are off bright and early and if you wish to see all the wonderful pictures we got of BABIES, please click on this LINK (it is for yesterday too). Shortly after we get home, Jen arrives to pick Josh up. That's it with another summer camp session and I spend the evening working on the quiet book, cutting out more pages.It is starting to take over the house.
22nd - I spend ALL DAY on the quiet book pages and never take my camera out once. That is being focused.
23rd - It's another full day of quiet book pages being cut out. Yes, that's right, I'm still cutting the pages out. Not even close to taking a stitch yet. My sweet Mister treats me with a beer night out. We have tickets to a local event and you can read all about it HERE. (Sorry for the blurry shots below.)
Yes, Netflix is going.
24th - The boys from Colorado are arriving tonight so my day is spent cleaning house in preparation and finishing the last pages of quiet book cutouts. Oh my gosh. That is quite a stack of parts.Now off to Love Field to get my grandsons. They are flying alone and we have to have time to get through security to meet their plane. It's an easy task and we soon have three charges in tow and are heading home. It's late, so a quick meal and then to bed.
25th - Family Day! Yep, first the zoo and then grocery shopping alone before cooking a spaghetti dinner and walking to the school playground in the evening. If you want to peek in on our day, please click on this LINK
27th - I am home with the boys today and we need to get a start on their sewing projects. First up - cutting out the pajama tops. Since we only bought one pattern, Raef goes first with the largest sizes. He has chosen a tie dye flannel pants and pink/purple knit top to go with it. The pink is a super slinky soft knit -- should be interesting for him to sew with. Me too for that matter. I have sewn relatively little with knits, even when I was sewing clothes all the time. Our whole day can be followed by clicking on THIS LINK and it's worth it for the storm pictures and video.
Ryan is next so we cut down the pattern a bit. He has selected a blue/green leaf pattern flannel for the pants and blue and green knits for the top.Last, Caleb's blue shark flannel and blue/black knits get cut out. Yep, it's me doing all the work this go round but I make him stay right with me the whole time.
That means that this is OH SO BORING and he starts playing with my pins. Before long, he has managed to get one of the pins to stand on it's own and he is elated. Meanwhile, I cut away.
28th - We are having a total kids day. First the aquarium, then the lagoon, followed by Arby's and Nickelrama. One last stop for boba tea then home for tacos and another movie.
Again, we are cutting from largest to smallest as we are using the same pattern and I'm just too dang lazy to trace it onto another paper and cut it out. Seriously, I paid $1 for the pattern on a sale. No point. I'll just buy another one next year if I need to. After three years, I'll have all the sizes - hahahaha. To follow along on our day (and yesterday too) please click on this LINK.
Caleb actually makes a cut or two himself this time, although the pins are really beckoning.The rest of the day is spent making cookies and watching a movie.
Nope, no stitches taken, but a lot of fun had by all.30th - Today we are going to have fun with the cousins. Splash Kingdom is on the agenda and Jen is meeting us there. She gets delayed a bit so we have some time to kill and make a stop at the Fort Worth Water Gardens. I love this place so much. Come along and see all the fun we have by clicking on this POST LINK.
Complete fun is had at the waterpark and even though it kills some of them, a picture of the grands together is going home with me.Grandpa greets us with a cheese board dinner and cocktails. Yay Mister --- you scored bit time.
Links to Previous 2017 Monthly Update Posts:
February 2017
March 2017
April 2017
May 2017
I enjoy your blog. You are as busy as Bonnie Hunter! I am from Corsicana, but have lived in Dallas, Irving, Mesquite, Burleson and Greenville. We have lived in Amarillo for the last 25 yrs. Thank you for sharing.
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