Trying to Catch Up!!!

Hello Everyone!!!

July is speeding by! And it has been HOT!!! and HUMID!!!!

The first week in July we spent celebrating Independence Day...Happy July 4th!!! I think I left off on my last post talking about getting ready for our Fireworks Festival.

The second week in July we spent cleaning and organizing.

The third week we have been visiting with company.

Next week I need to get ready for a workshop I am giving and brace myself that the summer is 2/3 over already. Ack.

In between all of this stuff, we have been trying to:  get to the pool or beach, visit with friends and try out some new crafts and activities!!

I've also been sewing!

Most of all we've been trying to stay cool!!! 

So here are the pictures....you know how I post way too many pictures! LOL! 

Lets begin with the Fireworks Festival...we had a BBQ with the neighbors then went to the festival! I made a cake!!! We watched the beautiful sunset and visited with friends. The fireworks were awesome and lasted at least 20 minutes!!!

  It was a fun night!!!!!!
Hey check out these amazing fireworks at Disney Land Paris recently.....click here!

Next up was cleaning and organizing week! Sarah totally cleaned out her room...like 5 leaf bags FULL of stuff...out! We are looking for new furniture for her room and the little girls will get her old dresser, mirror and desk. We are looking into some IKEA furniture and also keeping our eye out for a 2nd hand set. I also bought and hung new curtains in my room! Here they are:

 

 During the third week we tried some new activities and crafts. Devon tried roller skating, we all rode bikes, and we tried polymer clay crafts. The little girls made a scrapbook and Devon has been tying a summer journal. Brooklyn learned how to stamp and color with a cute little set from big sister. She has also been doing lots of cheerleading with Bella Cheerleader! We went to the library for new books and have been reading them. I've really had a lot of time to read more than a chapter a day in my bible...such a treat! I also listened to a few books on tape while sewing or driving. The girls also tried sewing and we are planning out "I Spy" quilts for all of us. I ordered a bunch of squares of different novelty/disney fabric from Ebay. My friend Marlo sent me some of her disney fabric and I used some of my own stash. The girls sat down and traded and selected squares. It took hours...very fun!!! So here are some pics from all of these events:

 

Picking out fabric for the I Spy Quilts.....

I had the girls pull out their stamps, journal and scrapbook to show you!!! Meanwhile Sarah was working on her Peace Sign Collage....in her now semi-neat room...hahahahaha!

I think I deserve an A+ for trying to keep the girls busy, entertained and educated!!! hahahaha!

Interspersed between these creative outlets, we have totally been enjoying the beach and pool near our house. Sometimes dad will come home early from work and take the girls over  to the pool for a couple of hours. I also have been hanging out at the Cape May Point beach with my friend Alice and her cute kids! The girls are FINALLY old enough (and brave enough) to ride the waves in on boogie boards and go out with me beyond the breaking waves and float up and down!!!! That is sooooo much fun!!!!!

 

That's Sarah...waving me away!!!!

We definitely NEEDED one of those showers when we got home!!!! 

Before leaving for the pool, I brought the trashcans in which the trashmen very creatively stacked......lol!

Snacks and a rest!!!

Besides swimming, I took the girls to a local garden called Leamings Run. It's a mile stroll through the woods and clearings with beautiful flowers, a rustic home and farm, and also a gift shop. It was pretty hot in the sun but the shade was comfy enough for us to really enjoy this little outing!! I couldn't stop taking pictures of the pretty gardens and flowers!!! 

After our big adventure we stopped and got ice cream with whipped cream on top!!! Yummy goodness!!!! That was a fun outing!!!

 

Brooklyn is a wiz on the computer....she can check weather, get to different websites, watch disney videos on u-tube! She navigates between my desktop and hubby's....its hilarious to watch her zipping around.  Poor girl fell asleep at the computer one day....with all of the heat and activities...she's been taking naps almost every day! 

What else have we been up to? Well, a friend of Edmund's from high school came to visit! He brought his beautiful daughters and grand son! The baby was only 6 months old and was the cutest thing...I had a lot of fun holding him!!!  

 We all went to the Wildwood Boardwalk that night...had pizza and rode some rides! It was pretty crowded though.

The next day we went to my favorite restaurant! And today we went over to say goodbye as they headed onto the next leg of their journey.

And I got to hold the baby one last time!!!!

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OK so I think I have you up-to-date on everything but my sewing adventures for the month!

I finished this cute set for my friend's son. They are going to Disney and we were trying to estimate what size to make everything for it. Hopefully it will fit!!!

This was a quilt block for a group gift for the most wonderful and talented gal...my awesome friend Carla! I am new at quilting and I followed a wonderful block pattern. It called for plain white (everywhere where I put black and white should just be plain white!) and I shoulda stuck to the directions!!! Oh well, I really enjoyed piecing it together. Our friend, Tom, who is such a talented guy and super sweet besides,  pieced our blocks together and quilted and binded the whole project. He mailed it off and we surprised Carla on her birthday! I think she was very pleased. I know we are all very blessed and happy to be friends!!! Here is the finished quilt:

Speaking of Carla, Jennifer Paganelli and the Scientific Seamtress have been busy collaborating on a new pattern. There is an adult and child version....and here is a tiny sneak peek...sorry I am NOT much of a model....but here goes...more to come on this!!!!

 And finally I get to my quilt! Its actually finished! I needed a lot of help from friends and the internet to get 'er done. But she is completed and on my bed finally! It took forever to stipple the whole thing. Then I used a simple embroidery pattern and a hoop to work on the border quilting. Then I finally cut and binded the edges. A few quick pictures and it was done!!!

Look, hubby's Father's Day pillow matches perfectly!!

A huge thank you to everyone who helped me on this quilt!!! And a special thanks to Jennifer for providing the most beautiful fabrics ever.......they are a dream to work with and so happy and inspirational!!! Love you!!!!

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And there we go everyone! I finally finished this overdue blog update!!! We are looking forward to the restart of swim lessons, a pool visit and tie-dying event at a friends, the Queen Maysea crowning and  Cape May Baby Parade. I think my hubby is even running in a race soon! I believe there is a fun vacation coming up as well!!! So I will be back soon with more updates and too many pictures!

I hope you are enjoying your summer too! I love and miss you all who I don't get to see everyday!

God Bless!!!