Making...

There's been lots things being made around here the past few days.

Homemade bread in the dutch oven.  I have died and gone to heaven!  This is absolutely the easiest bread I have ever made.  There is only half of this loaf left.  Another will have to be made this weekend.

You really must try this book out.  It's amazing.  It's clearly the best I have had my hands on in a long time.  You won't be disappointed.  

Then there is the blanket for our great nephew who is a few months old now.  Just have to make a special label for it and it will be sent off so he can do some snuggling.

Hopefully this weekend will be comprised of more making with some fabric scraps and a few movies in between.  And finishing up with a few school books.

Looking pretty good so far.  

~*~

A smoky sunset...

A trip to our sunset spot to see the sun set behind the wall of smoke we have been dealing with.  This was a clear sky compared to others the past 3 weeks.

These pictures don't do the actual sunset justice.

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Enjoying the weekend...

After a long night at the Fair riding as many rides the kids could possibly cram in within 5hrs.,

watching Little Man enjoy all the lights and sounds,

and devour the best corn dog he has ever had,

today is a day for relaxing and trying to get rid of a brain fog from too much sugar and junk food that I subjected myself to.

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to do that on with the temps being in the 70's, breezes blowing and all the windows open in the house.  Let's not forget not a bit of smoke in the air either!  Loving it!

With all this wonderfulness happening outdoors I have decided that starting today for the rest of the weekend I will enjoy being outside near my flowers and just be happy about being able to get outside for a change.

And I'm going to be a complete rebel and turn the oven on and bake a few batches of cookies, start dinner and let it simmer all afternoon just so I can straighten up the back patio a bit and stay out there for as long as I want.

Who knows maybe I will bring some supplies out with me and work on a project.  I'm just going to enjoy doing what I want, when I want.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend also!

Be a rebel!

~*~

Finally...

It is finally complete.

The great Blanket of Awesomeness!

Made for one awesome guy.

A guy who so patiently waited while everyone else in the family got their own awesome blankets.  A guy who patiently waited for me to decide how each square was going to look and shook his head each time he heard me say "the colors have to talk to me".  No two alike.  144 individual squares all coming together to make one huge cozy, comfy, snuggly blanket just for my special guy.

Now it waits patiently for that awesome guy to come home and relax after a hard days work.  Just some quiet time to relax with a good book.  And to enjoy the squishy softness of his very own special blanket.  All his.  Not to share with anyone.  Unless he decides its necessary.

~*~

First Place...

Wow!  I absolutely lost track of time here on the blog.  Hard to believe I haven't stopped and shared things here since the beginning of the month.  Geez!  It's been a busy and reflective month so far I must say.  The weather is still hot which I'm not a fan of at all.  Going outside just has not been an option here lately with all the smoke hanging in the air the past couple of weeks.  We are all feeling the effects of it all with stuffy heads and sore throats from breathing all that smoke whenever we do venture out.  It's no fun being a homebody when it is forced upon you.

 And to make matters worse, there is no escaping up to our favorite spots in the mountains because of all the fires and smoke in our state.  It's beyond sad to say the least.  The girls and I come to tears just about every night when we watch the news to get updates about the fire that is threatening one of our favorite places to escape to.  We get sad because we know that all that beautiful scenery will be forever changed and then quite upset to know that it was caused by a careless someone roaming around the forest.

Anyhoo, there was so great news concerning the Fair for two girls around here.  There was a special trip made just to check out the animals and the exhibition halls.  No need for rushing through all the great stuff of look at.

First stop was to see how the girls did with their projects.

Miss B got First Place with her bunny!  She squealed so loud that she scared quite a few people standing near by.  She was very happy to say the least.

And Em got First Place along with a Special Achievement Ribbon!  She was strutting around all proud of herself also.

With the day being hot, we stayed in the exhibition halls as much as possible only to venture out to get some good fair food and then a trip to the butterfly exhibit.  Nice and cool there especially with the misters going the whole time.

During the times when going outside is just not an option because you just can't breathe, serious work has been accomplished on Glenn's blanket.  It has taken a bit longer than just during the Olympic games but it is nearly complete.  Life gets in the way at times.  Nothing left but all the little white tails from each square.  Thank goodness I tucked all the others in as I went along.  I would be crying right now.   

 Just like I did when I wrote out the check for the power bill today.  Seriously!!!  I want my cool mornings with breezes back so I can have the windows open for the majority of the day and the a/c stays turned off.  I'm officially ready for Fall to come our way.  Cool temps and some rain would be welcomed with open arms by me.

~*~

Hot summer days...

Venturing out has not been high on the list here the past week or so.  Just too hot.  Sick of it already.  So to keep busy, projects are being completed and checked off our lists.

The second set of shams are now adorning Miss B's bed.  Who knew that this is all it would take for her to make sure her bed is made every morning and have it looking "gorgeous".

While I've been busy with the sewing machine, the girls have kept themselves occupied with their own creations.  It's nearly fair time.  And the creative bug has taken hold of the girls again.  

Em completed her upcoming entry.

Even Miss B went all out this time and hand sewed a bunny to enter this year.  Hand sewn all by herself!  No help from me except for little suggestions of what would work best for her to complete it.  Very meticulous work for an 8 yr. old.

And when the pillow sham were completed, there were two projects left on the sewing list that I just had to get moving on.

A summery dress for the hot summer days Miss B must endure.  Not like she will be outside any time soon after her mishap with a hornet yesterday afternoon.  She has sworn off going outside the rest of the summer so she won't have to deal with the little buggers again.  At least until the fair gets here.  Gotta love her.

And a summery top for Em made with her very own fabric choices.  She loved the ones I made so much that a trip to the fabric store was made from her own picks.  It turned out way cute for her.

As of tonight I will be working on Glenn's blanket in hopes of getting it finished soon.  I figured that during these next couple of weeks will be a perfect time work on it while tuning into the Olympics.  Slowly but surely he will get his comfy blanket to cuddle up with.  Cross fingers that lots of progress is made during this time.

~*~