It's good to be home...

only because there is a hurricane poised to hit the Outer Banks tomorrow. I hope everyone is prepared and the damage isn't bad....

 Otherwise, I'd be wishing I was still there...doing nothing but walking on the beach early in the morning

 and in the evening.

 Sitting in a beach chair watching little kids build sand castles...TOO CUTE

boogie boarding with Meghan until we couldn't boogie anymore.

 A little retail therapy in the evenings and a few delicious meals out here, here and here and some pretty good ones in our condo too.... and I was ahhhhhh so relaxed.

Meg and I worked another puzzle.

The sky on this one was soo difficult, we started to think we wouldn't get it done. But we did and it's been "Mod- Podged"

and now just needs to be framed.

My sister, her husband and my nephew (Sam- U- L)

"HI Sam!"

(he is one of my followers!)

 came down and we spent Friday and Saturday together at the beach!

On our way home, we stopped at The Mount and visited our oldest son Paul. We got a quick tour of the grounds (Beautiful) and the buildings (Beautiful) and met a few of the other seminarians. 

Since the university is 11 (yup eleven) miles from Gettysburg you know we had to go there!  We showed Meghan The PA monument, went up inside and from the top we could point out many of the other big monuments. 

We only stayed about 1/2 hour which was enough for Meg- it was hot as heck, we'd been on the road since our 5:35am departure and we still had about 3 1/2 hours driving to get home.

 But FIRST we ate an early dinner at the Lincoln Diner.

I kid you not, eating here and spending about 1/2 an hour at the battlefield in Gettysburg was the highlight of Paul's vacation. 

A beach bum he is not! 

And now we're home and between dogs getting groomed,

Mr. Otis

groceries, uploading photos, figuring out that my camera is not ka-put just the scan disk (whew!) a surprise bday dinner for my FIL (84!).....

....and I think I need another vacation

*wink*

I've thought about quilting, wistfully but all I've gotten finished is the binding on Debbie's Beau

32 x 38

and a Zentangle birthday card for my niece.

work continues

on the basement (the walls are up! I can 'see' how it's going to look: good!)

And I'm sewing upstairs, which can be a pain when I need something that is downstairs, but I'm adjusting and it's a good reminder of how I used to sew all the time and how lucky I am to have a dedicated area for sewing/quilting now.

 I made these string blocks

and then when I was culling my binder of "Quilts I want to make some day"--you know the one that I'd have to live to be 400 to even come close and that's if I would quit adding to it; I found a free pattern that was given out at one of the Shop Hops from years gone by.

It's called Stack of Scraps by Susan Fuquay

These 3 rows are 6.5" wide and 60" long and then you're suppose to put a stripe fabric in between the rows (4.5 inches, I think) and then a wider one (6.5 inches) for the outer borders.  But I'm thinking of making another row or two with the stars. I got tired of making them and put it aside. 

I've been continuing the Zentangling. 

On Sunday, I brought my quilts out of hiding. There is going to be a cedar closet for quilt storage and I wanted to see how many I could fit.

This is a pile of 30!
It's not all of them. 
I refolded them to measure 14 x 35 as I think that's the inside area of the closet.
This stack measures about 40 inches high! 
Reminds me of the story The Princess and the Pea!

I started the Schnibble Winter White but couldn't find where I had put the pieces.  I found them finally yesterday and this afternoon I had a flimsy.
The fun continues.

Inspiration came in the mail and Zentangles

I received this sweet tiny quilt from Susan.

The quilt is perfect.

My picture is crooked and doesn't do her workmanship justice.

 I have it hanging in the dining area of our kitchen-perfect.

Of course, holding this in my hands made me want to make one too. 

(WHY DO I DO THAT?)

And I can because Susan also shared how she made it!

******

I've been doodling Zentangles I've occasionally read blog posts from others who do this and for a long while I've been intrigued but afraid to try. 

I'm not a "real" artist, ya' know.  (WHY DO I DO THAT?)

I started while watching TV.  At first I stressed about them, I still am, but not as much and dang I'm starting to enjoy them. 

 I think this is proof I have a 'feather problem'.  They seem to turn up everywhere.