Getting Back In The Groove Of Things

I got back from Ohio a few days ago after being gone two weeks to hangout with my daughter, son-in-law, Monkey Boys and that sweet Monkey Girl. It was fabulous!

I didn't have my sewing machine (gasp) so there was a bit of withdrawal at first. I got over that quick when the home improvement projects began at my daughter's house. 

Monkey Boy #2 is quite the handyman. He installed this ceiling lamp and laughed at the big shock he got when accidently touching two wires together. I didn't laugh at the big flaming ball that flashed for a moment. It took a while for the numbness to leave his hands. I'm too old for that kind of scare!

We painted the 1960's colored walls with a nice gray with white trim. Even I got up on a ladder and did my share, and the rest of the family pitched in, too. The youngest boys did their part by supervising while using their electronic toys.

There was swimming at the hotel pool.

Shopping for football shoes.

He got into a mechanic's class, so we went tool shopping.

There's only one little quilt shop in the area and we went so my quilting/fabric shopping

needs were met and it helped with the withdrawals. I bought one thing.

We went to Ritter's ice cream place...yum!

Their trampoline has a net around it and I managed to squeeze this chubby and old body

through the opening. No photos of me and no paramedics were called to extract me from it

when we were through playing in there. I got out on my own. 

She wasn't sure about having grandma on her trampoline.

These two stayed at the hotel with me on two different nights. It was nice to have the company.

It was so hard to leave!

One nice thing about coming home was that Carla from Creatin' in the Sticks came to visit.

We had a blast getting a Starbucks treat, visiting two quilt stores, going to lunch,

visiting the Bellagio Garden, and dropping a few bucks into the casino machines.

We also might have won a little bit!

The Bellagio Garden is so pretty to walk through.

One day wasn't enough with this sweet lady!

I've had trouble with my email subscribers, so if you like knowing about the blog hops and other things happening on this blog, please click below to sign-up even if you did it over a month ago. Thanks!

Picnic Party is coming soon...last call for signing up. Email me ASAP if you want to play.

There's plenty of time to sign-up for this one.

Sew your project with dog themed fabric or applique/embroidery of dogs.

As an added challenge, if dogs don't ring your bell, think vintage.

Vintage blocks, quilts, fabrics, or whatever old designs makes you happy.

Check out Moosestash Quiltings blog hops and sign-up for her subscriber list, too.

Here is the link for her next challenge...click HERE.

Unplanned Trips Have Their Perks

Two years ago we found out that the Monkey Boys were going to be moving. Covid delayed it until two weeks ago. The reality of knowing that the whole family, including the newest Monkey Girl, were leaving to live clear across the country hasn't been easy to deal with. Warning: This is a long winded/photo heavy post.

It was a whirlwind of a week with final packing, graduation party, and graduation ceremonies (and no sewing or blogging.) The oldest Monkey Boy graduated a year early and was Student Body President. He excelled in all his classes...he definitely didn't inherit his amazingness from me! 

The speech he gave at graduation was wonderful, timely and of course, he was incredible in my eyes!

Monkey Boy #2 played his cello at the graduation. He's first chair in his orchestra, was class president, and was the volleyball teams captain. 

He was also a huge help to his mom during the time dad was away and during all the packing. Monkey Baby loves her big brother!

The Dreaded Day...Time To Go

Are they levitating or jumping for joy as they start that 30 hour car ride, not including stops, with seven kids? Note: Monkey Baby cried the majority of the trip. Poor thing!

I'm going to miss this face!

We left right before they drove off. I couldn't watch them drive away! Fifteen minutes after they hit the road to head to Ohio, we got a phone call that their car was having issues. After trying to figure out what was wrong while standing on a black asphalt parking lot in 100 degree temperatures, we unloaded some of the stuff in the back of the car. That didn't help so we unloaded everything they absolutely needed to take and put it in our car and sent them on their way. 

We took their mini van home with what was left in the car and unloaded it in our garage. A trip to the dealership and a three day wait (three day weekend, unfortunately) and they found nothing wrong. Ugh...isn't that usually what happens!

A day later we loaded the mini van with their belongings and what we'd need for the trip. It had been a long time since I'd been a mini van driver! 

We stopped to see my wicked friend, Joan Kawano, in Denver. We had a quick bite at Roadhouse Grill, met her cute granddaughter, no pictures (darn), a hug, and I missed her as soon as we drove away.

We had some stormy skies and saw LOTS of wind turbines.

Would you believe I'd never seen the Mississippi River!

We arrived in Ohio four days after leaving Las Vegas and the weather was not even close to the dry heat where I live. It was muggy and unfortunately, the air conditioner in their new house was broken. Yikes! We were all dripping wet from trying to unpack, clean, and organize in the heat and 75 per cent humidity. The boys were all taking it in stride.

Add a broken washing machine to the list of "WHAT THE HECK!" things they were dealing with, including laundry for seven kids and four adults (including us.) I had no idea how expensive a laundry mat was when you had to use at least six machines on two different days. It's a lot!

We put the trampoline up with the boys help and they LOVED their grassy backyard!

Three days in Ohio, a family photo, and we were back on the road to Las Vegas. 

The oldest Monkey Boy came with us to get ready for college and live with us. We tortured him with a couple tourist stops...John Wayne's home and Boot Hill in Nebraska. He had no idea who John Wayne was, but he made the best of it.

I've made a couple John Wayne quilts with fabric by Riley Blake Designs.

Boot Hill in Nebraska was an interesting stop.

The details in this statue were beautiful!

Even though the trip was long, the perk of it all was seeing them sooner than we planned to. It was so worth it, but it was very hard to say goodbye again.

Time to get back to the real world!

Thanks for stopping by.

Thank Goodness For Color, Chocolate, And Boys

I watched a movie last night where the leading character only wanted to take black and white photos. Though I love the look of b&w photos, I can't imagine the quilting world embracing this idea. Thank goodness for color!

Just not the same without color

Much better!

One thing I'll really miss when the Monkey's family moves away, is Sunday dinners. We had tamale pie and a chocolate cake last Sunday. This may not look very good, but it was delicious! The frosting goes on while the cake is hot and melts down into the all the corners. 

The Monkey's family took pics this week and then we went for shaved ice. Yes, dessert is the focus of most of our get togethers!

If it is there, they will climb it.

Peace Baby!

Hanging out in my front yard with my favorite four year old.

If you haven't checked out the videos/shopping with the Sew Yeah brothers, you need to.

Sign-up for their alerts and join in the fun. I must warn you, though, it can be addictive.

They are regularly on YouTube Tuesday and Saturday at 5 p.m. PST.

Even when I'm not in a buying mood, it's fun to watch the guys and see the fabrics they show.

Their website is HERE. They also have Facebook sales. Register HERE.

This was my latest purchase from one of their flash sales. How fun is that SPAM fabric!

I'll be sewing this pattern with my quilty friends soon.

One Way from Purple Pineapple Studios.

Of course, besides shopping and hanging out with the boys, I'm sewing.

Benartex Warp and Welp gingham is really nice fabric.

Don't forget to sign-up for the June blog hop...you know you want to.

Here Comes The Sun Blog Hop

June 20 - 24

What is the challenge for "Here Comes The Sun"?

Sew something that has a summer theme like:

sunglasses, beach items, sunny skies, and/or yellow colors.

It can be a quilt, a bag, a toy, or whatever you want it to be.

What is a blog hop?

It's like a "show and tell" online.

Our blog hops feature sewing and quilting and are like joining a quilt guild without leaving home.  Once the theme (challenge) is presented we set to work sewing.

We inspire each other with projects, tutorials, or patterns.

Anyone can follow along.

You have about two or three months to sew something and join in on the fun. 

The Simple Rules:  

Post on your assigned day at 12:00 am Eastern time.

Have a giveaway or don't have a giveaway. It's totally optional!

Visit everyone's blog on the list and leave a sweet comment. Make friends!!!!

Are you in?

Send me an email with the following information:
Your first name
Your email address
Your blog name

Your blog URL

Thanks for stopping by for a visit...I love it when you do!