September Already?!!!!

I should have been enjoying my tomato harvest this time of year.  My garden is an overgrowth of weeds, since I was too lazy to plant on Memorial Day weekend. Somehow, the thought of putting anything outside that would attract even more stink bugs to my yard was utterly distasteful.  So I opted out this year.  Now I'm regretting that hasty decision and hankering for the taste of a homegrown tomato. (if you have any extras you can send them my way....)

We returned in early July from our vacation at the Jersey shore.  I took the opportunity to return my shells to the ocean, although at the last minute, I caved and kept some of the pretty conch shells we had purchased. I just couldn't stand to throw them away.  Zachary, my youngest son, who is always a good sport, went with me to help get rid of the shells.  I was ok with watching him pitch the shells back into their ocean home until he handed me

one and told me I had to participate in the ceremony.  He said it was symbolic, and I needed to throw a few in. That was harder, but I prevailed and we threw the last couple shells in together, saluting my honeymoon, our  vacations, their childhoods, and all the memories.

 
This photos is one of my favorites, fashioned after a painting that was in our beach house. 

The Steelers really are Super!!

Can you believe it - the Steelers won their 6th Super Bowl championship!!!! What an exciting game that was! They took it down to the last few seconds, keeping the anxiety churning away at us, before they won that game. But how great we all felt when it was over (and we won). We were jumping up and down and hugging each other at my house -how about you? I'm a sometimes football fan, always a Pittsburgh fan. I've really enjoyed these last two Super Bowls and I regret now that I wasn't more "tuned in" to the 70's Steelers. I recall that I was immensely proud of being from the City of Champions and feeling the pride in Pittsburgh, but at the time, I was actually more of a baseball fan (you might recall we also won a World Series in 1979). Can you believe it? I didn't even watch the football games. I mean I was there, and I knew we won, and I celebrated, but I wasn't a football fan. Thank goodness my husband (after 30 + years of marriage) and sons have the patience to still explain the calls to me during the game, or I'd never know what's going on.

I hadn't even realized it's been a month since I blogged. I've been working on scanning the old photos I mentioned previously (which are now done) and am making CD's. I've been quilting a friend's quilt - unfortunately I'm still only capable of loop de loops and swirls on my quilting machine. I'm hoping to progress to pantographs at some point in the future.

Last week at Quilt Circle, I picked up my Cathedral Window blocks to hand sew. It's been so long since I did some hand sewing, I forgot how much I missed it. I tried out a new (new to me anyway) "under the quilt" thimble that actually works. It's called W'nder thimble. You can use it for hand piecing or under the quilt. The plastic is thin enough that it actually works. You can find it at quilterslittlehelper.com.

I don't think I mentioned this, but I got a quilting email about the dress Michelle Obama wore at the Washington Cathedral prayer service and to receive visitors the day after the inauguration. She's wearing a 100% cotton quilt-shop-only fabric design from the 'Empress Garden' collection. This is a photo of Michelle in the dress. http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/01/21/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4743183.shtml The fabric is from Kona Bay (a Hawaiian fabric company) and features cranes among the wisteria. You can buy the fabric from Peggyannes.com -they're making a quilt from the featured fabrics. http://webstore.quiltropolis.net/stores_app/Browse_dept_items.asp?Store_id=507&Page_id=17&categ_id=181&parent_ids=0

Two weeks ago, I had a super great exercise week. I walked on the treadmill 5 days in a row, then my knees started hurting, so I rested for a week. Now I'm having back spasms again and am doing PT again for my back. One step forward, two steps back. I keep telling my children to take care of your back - you don't realize how important it is until it gets hurt.

Well, I'm off for now to put a little heat on my back - the good news is that it's getting better.

Till later.