Another KnitNight

The quilty peeps and I still get together occasionally (we miss you Gurney!) to knit. We're very casual with our schedule and we don't have a set night or anything. We just get together when it's convenient. It's a good thing for me -- it keeps me regularly knitting. Otherwise, knitting might be swallowed up by my everyday activities. Lorna and I are still arguing in between working on my little Scruffy project.

Tonight, Junie brought her finished bag that I showed you way back when. Can you believe this was her very first knitting project??? She did a fabulous job, and I'm very proud of her! It's looking very stylish on her bum, don't you think?
This bag is called the Coco Bag and you can find the pattern here. She started one of these little bags tonight and it will be a breeze compared to the Coco Bag.
With the pink and brown, I think Junie's bag would be very pretty mingling with MeMum's coneflowers. MeMum has the prettiest patch of coneflowers. I was there the other day and there were bees and butterflies everywhere.
A few odds 'n ends:
I might just have to buy a yoyo tool. Have you seen these? Them'r cute!
I'd love to have this sign in my kitchen.
It's no secret that I love to camp. How cute are these?
And, do you have a fabulous brownie recipe? You should enter this contest -- you could be the next browniebabe and just look at the super apron you could win!

XOXO,
Anna

Random, Random

The very fun and interesting Meggie has tagged me to do the random posts. Like Meggie, I've already done a random post which I turned into a list of random UFOs. This time, the topic works out, 'cause I seem to only have a bunch of randomness to talk about!

1. I hope everyone in the U.S. has a wonderful 4th of July. We had a great time with family and friends at a cookout. We played basketball, volleyball, and cornhole. And cooked and ate lots.
2. I know it's been raining like crazy in other parts of the country/world, but here in the midwest, it's dry, dry, dry. My flowers are very happy that I have a hose.3. Yesterday, Daisy Cottage said "It's Friday already! Now, how did that happen?" Forget Friday. It's JULY already! HOW did THAT happen??? (Furthermore, wasn't it just yesterday that we were planning big parties for the turn of the century??? How did 2007 happen???)

4. When we moved back to Indiana from Minnesota, my boys lived with my sister for a month so they could get going in their new school while we attended to move details. Somehow, she managed to teach them to take their shoes off at the door. What a great gift that was! After we got settled, I painted a big bucket for everyone to dump their shoes in.5. I love it when my little big boys are home. TheSecondChild is home for the July 4th break. He brought lots of laundry with him. When he dumped it on the laundry room floor he said "Look Mom! Aren't you proud of me -- I even brought my bedding!" Yes, dear, I'm very proud that you've remembered that sheets need washing too!6. Why is it that in art and needlework the thistle is so beautiful, but in our gardens, it's a weed? By the time I saw this little weed, it was waist high, so I decided to leave it to see how pretty the blooms are. I can't decide quite how long to let it go -- though I think the end is near.7. I've had a great time these past few days being off work. Just lazing around -- a little cooking, sewing, reading -- all the things I love to do. I'd like to figure out how to have the whole summer off. Then maybe I could add a little cleaning/organizing to the list. The sewing room organization appears to be stalled at the moment!8. I think I'll follow Meggie's lead on number 8. I do enjoy this blogging community. "Meeting" so many people from all around the world. I just love the opportunity it provides to see how much alike, yet different we all are. And I think of my Grandma who probably never even went anywhere on an airplane. How much fun she would have had to be able to "talk" to women so far away. We're SO very lucky!

Now. Hmmm. Tagging is the hardest part for me and I'm not managing to come up with 8 more people to tag. I think most everyone I know has done this already. So, I'll use the standard lame line...if you haven't posted random things yet, or for that matter, if you want to do it again, then consider yourself tagged!

XOXO,
Anna

Bags.

I'm having a busy few days, with not much time for sewing. Work all day, book group last night and a wedding tonight. I'm hoping to work on those pesky blue and white squares a little this weekend, but I'm also planning on working a little at the job too, so I can take Thursday and Friday off next week, making it a 5-day weekend. Woohoo!

So, with nothing new to show you, the classic fall-back is to show you something I love. This time around, I'll show you some of my favorite bags. The quilty peeps and I have been exchanging gifts for years (although we're currently in a lazy spurt and need to get back to it.) We always make 4 of whatever item we make, that way we all have the same goodies. Over the years, we've made a few bags:

I carry this little gem, made by Gurney, all around the house with me. It holds all the little tools that I need for hand work -- hand quilting, mending, etc. It's the perfect size.Junie made this little bag. I didn't use to be a bag person, and I remember when she gave it to me I wondered what I would use it for. It was too small for a magazine but too big to be my little "handwork" bag, as pictured above. But, that was before I became a sock knitter. It's THE perfect size for my sock knitting project du jour. It travels everywhere with me!And my big bag, made by Jewels. I love big totebags. They're great for everything. This one currently cuddles a sweater that I'm working on.I'm such a lucky girl to have such good friends. I luv me my quilty peeps -- and the bags they've given me!

Have a great weekend everyone!
XOXO,
Anna

Step Away From Your Blog!

Aack! I've been "off the grid" for a few days and my bloglines is lit up worse than a Christmas tree! I fear I'll never get caught up on all of your lovely blogs. I'm on business travel, which usually isn't a problem because I can catch up with you in the evenings. But the preparations for the trip and then the weather delays, and just real life got in the way of my addiction.

Storms on the east coast yesterday. I should have had an easy flight from D.C. to Newark last night, but there were ground stoppages (is that a word?) So, I rented a car a drove. I SO wished it had been daylight. I've never been to Delaware (woohoo, check that off my list of the lower 48 states to visit -- only 5 to go to make all 48!) and the short blitz through there looked as though it might be beautiful. I really wanted to see the Delaware Memorial Bridge with the sun -- as I crossed over it, it looked as though it may be huge -- with big supports that reminded me of those on the Golden Gate Bridge. But then it may have been my imagination -- it was dark and rainy, so I'm not sure what was out there.

I've just barely, and I mean just barely, read a few blogs this morning and it looks as though you've all been busy! Summertime activities and sewing! Look at this great new block! I just love Leanne's stuff. And check out Miss Marzie's new apron that Lululollylegs made. They had an apron swap and Miss Marzie made Lululollylegs a fabulous apron too! That's some serious swapping!!!

Unfortunately, I must run to meetings now. You all need to take a break. Go rest for a few days. Give a poor blog reader a break!!! I'll leave you with this wonderful picture of these adorable pincushions that the very clever and funny Vallen sent to me a few days ago. Just because she read that I wanted to start a pincushion collection. Aren't they cute??? Check out the cute little birdie, the nest and that adorable little china cup. Oh so clever! Thank you SO much Vallen -- I just love them all!!!

Remember, you're all resting......
XOXO,
Anna

Happy Father's Day!

I'm one of the lucky ones. I have a wonderful father! Here's a picture of BigDaddy when he was a little boy, taken around 1934 or 1935. He's the little guy, next to his big brother. Isn't he a cutie? You can just see the mischief in his eye. I would loved to have been around back then. I suspect he was a handful when he was a little boy.

As an adult, he's been a lot of fun. He was such a gentle, loving father. He came by it honestly -- his father was that way too. When I was very young, my maternal grandfather was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. Long before the days of Hospice, BigDaddy took a 4 month leave of absence from work, and our little family of four moved to my Grandma's house, so that BigDaddy could take care of his father-in-law in his last days. What an incredible thing to do -- that's the kind of big heart BigDaddy has.

I never remember him raising his voice to MyDadLovesMeBestSister and me. We adored him, so if we were acting up, all he had to do was look at us disapprovingly and we straightened right up. I also don't remember being spanked. I do remember the one time I learned just how smart he is. MyDadLovesMeBestSister and I must have done something to make him really mad. He told us that he would spank us in 30 minutes. Oh the suffering! 30 minutes (which is forever to a little girl) of worrying about a spanking-to-come was FAR worse than an actual spanking. We spent our 30 minutes trying to figure out how to soften the blow. Our final solution was for each of us to tuck a kitchen pan in our pants to shield our rear ends. I don't remember the spanking, but I sure remember the suffering that preceded it!

BigDaddy has always been surrounded by women and he's learned to go with the flow. Always game to visit a quilt shop or just hang out with the ladies. Remember that picture I posted in March of us in our aprons? That's typical Dad. But he's not a girly man! He holds his own with the manly men. He can do anything around the house -- from hang wallpaper to rebuild a car engine. And he's a fabulous woodworker.

Really, I must stop now. You get the picture. He's just perfect and I love him so! Happy Father's Day BigDaddy. You're a Good Egg!!!

XOXO,
Anna



P.S. Here's a sweet video, not really Father related, but perfect for Father's Day. It's been mentioned on several blogs, but if you haven't seen it, it's well worth it!

Strawberries!

On Sunday, while I was sewing, MeMum called and said she'd made some strawberry shortcake and wouldn't I like to come over? Well, no one has to twist my arm! MeMum makes awesome strawberry shortcake. Except, can you call it shortcake if there's no shortcake? We've always called it shortcake, but it's really an angel food cake. It's one of my favorites and the highlight of this time of year!The sponge cake is sweet, moist and just heavenly. Nothing like those little angel food cakes they sell next to the strawberries this time of year. In the event you might be interested, I thought I'd share MeMum's recipe:

Angel Food Cake

12 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 cup sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat egg whites (at room temperature) and salt until foamy. Add cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form. Add 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.

Sift remaining 1/2 cup sugar and flour together. Gently fold into egg whites. Add flavorings.

Spoon the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Invert cake; cool 1 hour or until completely cool. Remove cake from pan. Yield: one 10-inch cake.

Add strawberries mixed with a little sugar, and whipped cream. (Cool whip, if you must, but this cake really cries for the real thing!)

In the meantime, I've been trying to keep up with all of you bloggers. You're all wearing me out -- in a wonderful sort of way! I think maybe we should have one blog-free day a week. You know, kind of like in the old days, how Sunday was a day of rest. Probably wouldn't work though -- everyone would just save up what they had to say and then double-blog.

Apparently, Julie just can't sit still. Look what she's come up with now. She's incredible!

Here and here are some samples of the cute quilts at Dogged.

And check out this little beauty over at Barefoot Daydreams. Very inspiring.

I feel a nap coming on. See you next time.
XOXO,
Anna

A Beautiful Weekend

It was such a nice weekend here. The weather was perfect. I attended a high school graduation party yesterday, and then high school graduation. It was fun to see several of my sons' friends who have been away at college. This was their common reaction: "Well hello, Mrs. Thimbleanna, what are you doing here?" You know, not having a graduate and all. Well, I just love going to graduations. Love seeing those eager, pensive faces. So happy to be done. Yet wondering what the fall will bring. And graduation is always full of traditions -- the speeches, the awards, the bagpipers and the proud, teary-eyed families. Not to mention the outdoor ceremony, which makes it even more enticing. It all made for a more than pleasant Saturday.

Today, I managed to sneak in a batch of flapjacks and then a little sewing. A new apron, modeled by one of our big pine trees in the backyard. TheManoftheHouse ventured into the dungeon this morning, wondering what I was making. "Don't you already have an apron?" Why, yes I do. But they keep making cute fabric and I can't think of anything to make with it. So, I made another apron.My camera hungry petunias were just a little jealous of the pine tree, so I promised them the close up. I did the little embroidery on my machine -- it came from Embroidables. I think a little piece of hand embroidery would look really cute there too -- maybe an embroidered version of one of the desserts on the Susan Branch dessert print. I probably should have waited for Susan Branch's new embroidery patterns to come out. Guess I'll just have to make something else with her fabric when they do!

XOXO,
Anna

P.S. Do you think there are any flickr tutorials? 'Cause sometimes I just don't get flickr. Like browsing flickr. And adding pictures to other groups. And lots of stuff like that.

A New WIP

Just a little one. I need a diversion from socks and from fabric folding. My stew-dee-o sewing room is such a pigsty so I'm doing a little cleaning. I'm finding the fabric folding method to be very helpful, although pretty slow. Hopefully I'll be done before TheSecondChild graduates from college in two years.

Not much else happ'nin around here. The quilty peeps and I are in a high state of distress. Our LYS closed and we've been rendered Cascade220Less. If you have any good recommendations for great yarn mail order places, we'd love to hear them!

Remember when I posted about s'mores? I found these and these that look heavenly. Definitely on the list to try. Btw, I tried the Eclair Cake and it was a big hit with TheManoftheHouse and my extended family. Yum, Yum.

And if you haven't checked out H2's blog, get thee there now. She's been doing a great series of posts on the SLC quilt market. Have you ever seen a booth so beautiful?

TheEmptyNestChild told me this better be a scarf for him. Hard to believe that sweet innocent face could have those balls of yarn spread all over the house in a matter of minutes.

XOXO,
Anna

A Happy Day!

WooHoo! Look, LOOK, what was in the mail today! My first package from the Flibbertygibbet Fabric Swap was fabulous, so I could hardly wait to open this second package, all the way from Jade in Australia!

Look how smartly she wrapped everything. Those tags are too cute! I almost didn't want to open them -- it's so fun to have pretty presents sitting around. Yeah right....I ripped into them to find:Underneath those tags: with For the Swap, there are three fabulous Heather Bailey prints (YUM!); with A New Project, a cheater piece of fabric with pretty flowers on it; with For the Stash, some embroidery floss and ribbon to match the fabric; and with For Your Sewing Kit,

OHMYGOSH, an adorable pincushion. Oh Jade! I've been wanting to make one like this 'cause I want to start a pincushion collection. And now you've done it for me. Thank You, Thank You, so much Jade. I love it all! I do believe, my dear that you've set the gold standard for us all to strive for in future Flibbertygibbet swaps.

What a lucky girl I've been to get packages from both England and Australia. And btw, thanks so much to Gail for organizing the swaps -- they're so much fun!

And, as if that weren't enough, three other things made me really happy today:
1) Your comments indicate that I'm not the only one with lots of UFO's. (Ok, I already knew it. Just trying to get you all into the 12-step program.)
2) I went to MeMum's and BigDaddy's at lunchtime. I loved being able to remind BigDaddy that today is his mother's birthday. She was born one hundred years ago today. We both really miss her and wish she were still here. I made dinner tonight in her apron in her honor!
3) I had a wonderful surprise this morning! Gurney posted in my comments section! She listed 7 of her UFO's. And since this is a long post, I'll save you from having to go look at those comments by reposting her UFO's here. Gurney said:

Geez, only 7? Where to start?
1. Katie's high school grad. quilt - still working on applique butterflies. (She just finished her first year of law school.)
2. Still cutting out the bow ties from the blue fabric exchange.
3. Pieced a few blocks of the millennium 2000 square exhange. Were we nuts? 2000 fabrics?
4. Quilting the I Spy quilt from the I Spy fabric exchange.
5. Quilting the "Minnesota" quilt.
6. Looking at the 4" squares we exchanged. There are like 100. Need to set them together. Anna's is finished. (Slut).
7. Cara's wedding quilt. Her 4th anniversary is in July. Bit off a bit more than I could chew with this one I think.
8. What? I'm only allowed 7? There's so much more!

Excellent list Gurney! Do you all see the subliminal message between the lines? (Blog, Blog, Blog....)

Thanks for hanging in there for this long post and sharing my happy day. Wow! After today, tomorrow is sure to be a bit of a disappointment!
XOXO,
Anna

Memorial Day

In the US today, we remember those who serve our country and have given their lives for our freedom.

The Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor

Everyone celebrates in their own way, but here are some suggestions.

XOXO,
Anna

A Little Surprise Amid the Work!

Whew! I'm sure glad we're done with that little mulching task. After two long days, we're done and I'm sore. Fortunately we only subject ourselves to that pain every other year. It rained on and off all weekend, so we got pretty wet and dirty. I felt like we were shoveling mud. The good part is that I planted a few new daisies, coneflowers and hydrangeas before mulching the beds, so it will be fun to see how pretty they might be!

I did have a little excitement in the middle of it all. This afternoon, I took a little break after I realized that we had been so busy yesterday, we'd forgotten to collect the mail. And just look what was waiting for me in my mailbox!It's the first of my two Flibbertygibbet swap packages -- this one from Sarah way over in England. I was SO excited to open it (I had to wash that brown muck off my hands first!). Look at the fabulous red fabrics! (Jewels, I know you're salivating now -- for the rest of you, Jewels is ALL about red!!!) Sarah also included a lovely hand made tag, a cute little notebook, those mod Cath Kidston tissues (how could you ever blow your nose into those???), and such adorable kitty-ness -- some kitty stickers and that cute kitty magnet! Thank you SO much Sarah -- I love it all. TheEmptyNestChild joins me in thanking you for remebering his kittyhood -- and he says hi to your three cute kitties! ;-)

The best part about this swappy stuff is that you "meet" new people, and now I have a new blog to read. Sarah, I'm enjoying your blog and I'm loving your package!!! ;-)

Now, I think I may have to take Shropshire Girl's advice and go have a nice long soak.
XOXO,
Anna

I'm Baaaack....

...and look what was here to greet me!I was hoping it would be here -- a beautiful new little corsage from Ragged Roses. And just look how prettily she had it wrapped. Underneath the bow is a lovely notecard, with what looks like a close-up of one of her tea cozies. So cute!But wait -- there's more! She put in a few extras. An adorable smaller corsage and a link to a recipe that cracked me up. She mentioned on her blog that she doesn't like mashed potatoes, so I teased her about how could anyone NOT like mashed potatoes??? Very funny Kim -- and thanks for the recipe!Kim's corsages are WONDERFUL! C'mon -- I know you want one! Rush on over and you too, can have one of your own! Thank you, Thank you, Kim!

It's a good thing I had such a fun surprise, 'cause it will carry me through my weekend of work. I'm hoping to get a little sewing done and of course, this time of year, there's lots of yardwork. Last weekend I managed to get a few flowers and herbs planted. (You're probably thinking those herbs are planted awfully close to each other, but they never grow much -- it's either WascallyWabbit or HerbChallengedGardener (that's me!)).

And do you know what this is? Anyone?It's a new season for HysterectomyLove. (Yes, it's important to knickname your plants.) Last year, my lovely friend Jewels sent me the most beautiful hydrangea for a post-surgery get well gift. I kept it in the house for 3 or 4 months and when it started to look a little wimpy, I decided to plant it outside. After which all its leaves fell off, so I thought I had killed it. But no...it's come back to life!

Which only goes to show you that when I introduced my friends to you, I was absolutely correct about Jewels. She does have a heart of gold. My friends teased me about how I characterized them -- assigning Jewels the heart and Junie the style. Jewels jokingly said she wanted to be the one with style. You just wait Jewels....when HysterectomyLove blooms, everyone will see that you have a fabulous sense of style too!

Have a great weekend everyone!
XOXO,
Anna

*Marquee courtesy of HowAboutOrange, HappyZombie and RedKid.net.

My Favorite Apron

It's National Apron Day! And another "after the day is over" post for me. I'm so behind. You know, 'cause I had to work, mow the lawn, feed the family, pay the bills, and squeeze in a picture of my aprons while the sun was still up. ;-)

The minute I read on Randi's blog that it was National Apron Day, I knew I had to post my favorite apron. It was my Grandma's. Grandma has been gone for over 30 years now. She died when I was 14 and I tucked her apron into my hope chest. It stayed there until we moved into this house and when I found it during unpacking, I decided I'd really like to wear it every now and then. Not too much though -- it's getting pretty old. Grandma was a great cook, so when I need extra special good cooking karma, I don grandma's apron and go for it.

Most other days, I wear this apron. (I should have taken a cue from Randi for how to pose in a full length apron -- her cute pose is much better than the dorky look you see here!) I'm a slob, so I really need a full length apron. Although, I must say, that Amy Butler 1/2 apron is sure tempting me! (For a super cute version, check out Weathertop Farm!) I love the little pleats. I wore my aqua apron most of the weekend. It probably still has beehive cake residue on it. Speaking of which, thanks for all the beehive cake comments -- I'll look online for pan sources and the recipe and post them in the next few days.

Hop on over to Randi's blog and view other apron participants. I love aprons and have fabric for several more ... just need to get sewing!

XOXO,
Anna

A Late Happy Mother's Day!

Well, now that the day is over, rather than wishing everyone (everyone that celebrates today, that is) A Very Happy Mother's Day, I'll just have to say, I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day. The weekend got away from me, and before I knew it, it was gone.

It was a wonderful weekend here in the midwest. Perfect weather. TheManoftheHouse started it off early by bringing me a present from work on Friday. Now, some of you are probably saying, "Oh, poor girl, she's married to one of those." But, this is the kind of present that makes me do cartwheels! (Well, not really -- I've always been athletically challenged (unless you count sewing olympics), so my cartwheels are all in my mind.)

Back to TheManoftheHouse. I've ruined him. He's always been the perfect present-giver. Very romantic and thoughtful. But, I've always been a practical sort of girl. So, appliances are always welcome. Or in this case, yard tools. I was doing yard work on Friday, and the weedeater died. So, I left a message on TheManoftheHouse's answering machine at work, requesting that he "take care of the problem." And he did! I'm so excited about a battery operated weedeater grasshog (calling it a grasshog instead of a weedeater makes me think of a Tim-the-tool-man grunt.) I've never been strong enough to start a gas powered weedeater and the 100 ft. cord on the electric one was really a bother. Hopefully, this battery operated technology will be effective. Report next year! ;-)

There's still a bit of his old romantic self left though -- the weedeater was in one hand and these were in the other:
As for the rest of the weekend ... it was spent cleaning house and preparing a brunch for MeMum. MyDadLovesMeBestSister and her family were also here and we all had a good time. I even tried out my new beehive pan that MeMum gave me a few weeks ago. The recipe that comes with the pan was delicious!
Happy Monday!
XOXO,
Anna

Odds 'n Ends

It seems this new book appeared at my doorstep today:
Now, I know you're probably thinking...How could you have a whole book on s'mores? Or, even better, who in their right mind would buy a book about s'mores? There's nothing difficult about them. Even children make them around the campfire.

So, here's my defense. I LOVE, LUV, LURVE, s'mores. They have the best of what's edible: graham crackers, CHOCOLATE, and marshmallows melted over the open fire (or in the oven, as the case may be.) My lil' ol' heart pounds, just thinking about them. And my second defense? The pictures in this book sucked me in. They're beautiful. I love beautiful pictures and if they're of food? Well, I'm screwed, so to speak.

There really are some fun ideas in this book. Most of the s'mores have chocolate and marshmallow in them. The graham cracker part is sometimes substituted with different varieties of cakes or cookies (there's a version with sugar cookies and white chocolate!) Then there are chapters with fruit (that way you can rationalize that you're being healthy), "extreme" varieties (one puts a banana nut muffin crown on top (that one's for you Gurney!) and check out this one with popcorn in it), and even holiday favorites where there's a smore for every major holiday (strawberries and blueberries for the 4th of July, peppermint for Christmas, etc.) Here's one that looked good to me 'cause I love these girl scout cookies!At first glance, many of them seemed too "out there", but the more I looked at them, the more I wanted to try them. Can't wait for summer -- I'm going to have to experiement!

A few cool things I've seen this week in blogland:

I LOVE this 365 Challenge idea. I'm going to have to figure how to work it into my giant pile of UFO's.

Check out this cool paper cutter that Finny Knits blogs about. I wonder how long it will be before they're making an affordable at-home version.

Love these log cabin blocks. Please disregard the fact that she mentions boobies in the same post.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a hot date with Sawyer and s'mores. Well, not really. There's no s'mores. I just wanted to see if I could type Sawyer and s'mores in the same sentence and remain perpendicular to the floor.

XOXO,
Anna

(Sawyer, s'mores, champagne. Sawyer, s'mores, champagne, fabric. Sawyer, s'mores, champagne, fabric, bubble bath. Sawyer, s'mores, champagne, fabric, bubble bath, beautiful sunset....)

*UPDATE: Thanks to Junie for letting me know that *#&*$&# Microsoft apparently has no sense of humor. I tried to progressively shrink my font on the last comment and it shrunk all other posts after that. I would never have noticed it, as I use Firefox. Thanks Junie!

A Graduation Quilt

First things first. The very sweet Kim has tagged me to name seven weird things about me. Kim, I'm sorry, but there's no way I could top not liking mashed potatoes! ;-) That's definitely weird, 'cause I think mashed potatoes are almost my favorite food on the planet! For the first six weird things about me, you can read here. Hmmm. A seventh? How 'bout, I'm not terribly fond of backrubs. I think most people love them, don't they? I'm supposed to tag someone to name weird things, but I think almost everyone has listed their weird things at some point, so I'm tagging anyone who's been missed. Go ahead and name them!

Not much sewing, knitting, or anything creative has been going on around here. And judging by the mess that's been created by two college boys and all their sh stuff coming home, I'm we're going to be cleaning for awhile. So, because I like to post with a picture or two, and because it's that graduation time of year, I thought I'd show you the graduation quilts I made for the boys when they graduated from high school -- TheFirstChild's quilt now and TheSecondChild's in a later post.This was a complete surprise for TheFirstChild. I had all of his friends sign blocks. Then I gave the quilt to him at a family dinner the night of graduation.

He was so cute -- he had to leave immediately after dinner to go to a graduation party and he didn't want to leave his quilt -- he was so busy reading all the blocks. This quote has always been his favorite. He had me write it on his bedroom wall, so it had to be the quote to go on his quilt. It was a great surprise and I loved that he was so touched by it all.

XOXO,
Anna

(He has a "no-u-turn" symbol on his quilt, because he had a car accident in high school -- he made a u-turn and one of his best friends, who was following him, hit his car. There has been quite the discussion ever since then about who's fault it was -- they both got tickets!)

One Small Step...

...out of Tuition Hell, One Giant Leap for TheFirstChild.

I'd thought I'd leave my post for this weekend at that, but since so many of you love to take pictures, I wanted to mention an important lesson I learned yesterday at graduation. When the graduates were all lined up and marching to the outdoor stage, I was squished among the crowd trying to get a picture of my graduate. That's always so difficult because they are on the move, people step in front of you, etc. After I snapped a pic of the TheFirstChild as he walked past me, I happened to glance at his father, who was on the opposite side of the procession. I had the camera on the wrong person. And by the time that realization hit me, it was too late. The expression of pride that appears on a father's face when he spots his child in the crowd, is one that should be captured. It would have been a much more valuable picture than the blurry image I caught of TheFirstChild walking by. There are so many opportunities to take pictures of the person who is the center of the activity, but often, because we are so focused on that person, we miss the reactions of the people around them. It's a lesson I hope to remember for future events.

XOXO,
Anna

Swimming in Chocolate

Thank you so much for your kind comments about my little bags. They're so fun and easy to make -- I do hope some of you will try them!

It's a busy time here at Thimbleanna's. I spent all day yesterday on the road to "gather up" TheSecondChild* from college. And what do college kids do when they're done with their finals and they're waiting to go home?Don't be silly -- they go Swimming in Chocolate!Tomorrow we'll travel to spend two days celebrating the graduation of TheFirstChild from college. Then we'll move him and all of his belongings back home. I'm looking forward to having the pitter patter of big feet back in the house again. Obviously there won't be much sewing or productivity going on around here this week. But there will be lots of picture taking!

XOXO,
Anna

(*I've had the urge to try new names on the boys. Son1 and Son2 just weren't nicknamey enough for me. So, we'll see how these ones work out.)