I got my printer/copier/scanner hooked up to my new laptop and down loaded the necessary driver. Then made a bunch of copies of the paper-piecing patterns from the Down in the Valley book. I was thankful that all the computer connections worked...
Next, I made my first tiny house using scraps from my Civil War quilt. I have lots of those!
It went faster than I thought it would. If I didn't have to stop and get ready to attend my 45th high school reunion, I would have made another tiny house block.
FYI - The block is 5" and finishes at 4.5".
I live in the house I grew up in. My father built it and my parents and I moved in when I was a couple of months old. A lot of history here. My parents loved working in the yard and planted hundreds azaleas, camellias, dogwoods, and other stuff.
I moved back home in the early 1980s and reared my children here. I moved out and rented the house when I went back to college to finish my undergrad degree and then grad school.... and the yard was not tended for a good 8+ years. When I moved back home, I did my best to get control of the "mature" shrubbery but it's become more difficult as the years have gone by and my balance has declined.
I don't trust myself with a chain saw anymore, let alone a ladder. Also, yard work is complicated by my heat intolerance and allergies... so I am pretty much restricted to working in the yard during the winter.
I got me some yard dudes to get the yard under control so I can go into "maintenance" mode but they arrived before I had a chance to take some "before" pictures so.... to give you an idea of the scope of this project... I played around with a couple of "after" photos.
First up, a "before" shot of the front yard from the road.
The dark green is shrubbery that was against the house and the lighter green is the shrubbery on the side of the front lawn nearest the road. The yard was sort of a forest glen... with shrubbery all around it. Next, is the "after" photo...
The "before" view of the road from the front of the house.
...and the "after" view.
I'm giving some thought to what I will plant back but nothing will be planted until later in the fall. It's just too dern hot to plant anything now.
And, just in case you think I am exaggerating how big the decades-old shrubbery had gotten, here's a view of the left side of the house. The azalea to the right is over 6-ft high.... and there is a gate into the back yard at the back center...
The yard crew is scheduled to return on Monday to tackle both the side yard and the back yard. No, I won't be "helping" but I'm sure I'll be called on for lots of decisions. Plus, the guys seem to thrive on attention and admiration of their efforts.
I'm not sure where June went but it was a busy one. I even drove up after work one evening to watch my youngest granddaughter play softball in an 8-under league.
I spent the three day weekends visiting kids and grandkids. The girls and I worked on t-shirts for them to wear using color Sharpie markers and then using rubbing alcohol to get a water-color effect.
Each shirt was an experiment because I was using several tutorials found on Pinterest... but both turned out well, I think.
I found a calla lily blooming in the kids' yard and wanted to take a cool photo to show you all... but guess what I found in the middle of the calla lily???
It was special to see the quilts I made for the girls on their beds... soft and snuggly, keeping my babies warm and cozy at night.
I also had a good time visiting with the kids in Wilmington, taking them the pillows I'd made for them.... which were immediately appropriated by the grandkids to watch TV.
Even Gussie the Sweet and Adorable wanted to get into the picture taking act!
Hated to leave but worked called. However, the Goodyear blimp (in town for the US Open) welcomed me back home.
My last day of work was this past Monday and I've been moving flat out since then. I'm having a bunch o' yard work done (think: "mature" shrubs) as well as doing some painting (front door and deck). There's so much I can't get done when I'm working that I'll be busy this entire month. I'll need a vacation to recover from my vacation!
I hope you all have a safe and happy Independence Day!
