LAZY, HAZY, CRAZY DAYS OF SUMMER--OR WHY I HAVEN'T BEEN BLOGGING

          May to August with no blogs...hmmm...I just can't seem to keep up with this blog.  Here's why:
DAD'S SUMMER PROJECT:  Finishing the decks and trim on the house.  Still not finished, but it's looking beautiful.  He had planned to stop at putting on the railing; then decided on a pergola for the lower deck.  In addition to the decks, he's done yard work and stockpiled lots of wood for the winter.

MY SUMMER PROJECT:   Couch covers for the two living room couches. The one in the top picture is designed around a block called Courthouse Steps.  I'm learning to quilt large quilts on my own sewing machine.  Machine quilting is no easy skill to learn.  ALL of the fabric in this quilt is leftover strips from other projects. 

        The second quilt I call  Wonky Pineapples.  The blocks in Wonky Pineapples are made from fabric scraps as well.  To make the pineapples, I'm learning a quilting technique called Free Motion Quilting.  Some of my pineapples look like handgrenades; some like pumpkins; some almost resemble real pineapples.  Lots of fun.

          The "blurps" in our summer have been electronic!!  Dad describes me as the "techie" in the family, so you can guess that we struggle!!  Susan and Eric bought me a streaming device called a Roku, so that we could have Netflix on our tv.  Installing the Roku to our tv involved replacing our outdated gorge network setup, numerous calls to both our network provider and the Roku techs AND me crawling under the table in the sewing room about 20 times.  Now, however, we're old hands at this Netflix business.

         The second blurp involved my sewing machine and a very sweet tender mercy.  While I was working on a graduation quilt for one of the girls from church, my Pfaff broke down.  You can't be a reader of this blog without knowing that I count on my sewing machine, so you can imagine how devastated I was when our local repairman told me that he no longer worked on Pfaff machines.  In desperation, I borrowed one of the church machines to finish the quilt, and it BROKE.  There was nothing to do, but  take my machine to a Pfaff dealer in Portland.  In a telephone conversation to a tech in Portland, I learned to my dismay that there's a minimum charge of $160 to open the machine and do a diagnosis!!  On top of that would be the charge for the part replacement and the labor--estimated at $400 minimum.  Gulp.  However, it had to be done.  The repairman kept finding this and that wrong, and I kept praying that I could pay the bill.  In the end, he said with a grin, "Let's make it $50.  It's a slow day, and you're a nice lady."  Whew.

       Enjoy these Dog Days of Summer.  Hope all are well and happy.  We are.

Love, Mom

Listen to your heart. Even though it's on your left side, it will always be right! :)