The House is A'Rockin'!!!

Scenes from My Front Porch

How will I ever get across the street to Par-tay with the kids over in that red brick house!

Yes, 20 weeks of road work. It starts outside my window at 7 a.m., and ends 10 hours later.  Geeezzz....aren't these guys unionized???

See that blue hose across the sidewalk?  That's our neighbourhood's source of drinking water.  I kid you not.  A city guy came by when Itty Bitty and I were replacing the front porch steps earlier this summer, put down his tool box and knelt by the hose. I watched him for a few minutes, and then, being the curious sort, I asked him what he was doing.

HE: "We come by once a week, and test the water to make sure it's safe."

ME: "Is it safe?"

HE: "It was a week ago.  I don't know about this week yet."

Everything in me that is flirting with a greener, more ecologically aware, tree-hugging, whole living way of life evapourated as I peeled out of the driveway and floored it to the grocery store to stock up on bottled water.  Sorry planet!

About yoga: I went to my first yoga class at Serenity Now Yoga -- loved it!  I was really surprised about how well I did, and that I was much more flexible than I imagined. When it came time to do some kneeling poses, the instructor Nicole grabbed a blanket from a shelf and gave it to me to kneel on.  The floor was already padded, plus a yoga mat, then a folded up blanket - - so my knees didn't complain too much at all. I noticed a very little soreness across the collar bone areas this morning, but it's gone now; we had done a lot of shoulder work last night because many of the students had shoulder issues. (I only complained of PMS - is there a pose for that??)

Must Be Wednesday...More Flowers!

Eight more hexagon flowers, which brings my count up to 64 - wow!  I expect I won't have as many as this to report on next Wednesday.  See...I like to work on my hand stitching in the evening in bed.  Last night, and the next few nights, I'll be sewing down the binding on my Lucky Stars quilt!

In case you've been wondering how my Simple Abundance Project is coming along - - I'm noticing some very pleasant changes.  As STUFF is moving out, my capacity for joy and serenity is increasing.  A bold statement, indeed, but how else can I explain the breathless giddiness I am feeling? I'm conscious that the content of my thoughts is so much more positive and generous.

Did I mention I'm going to give yoga a try?  I am very concerned about the lack of flexibility I have - - my knees are pretty crunchy, and I have an old nurse's spine - - but I had a long phone conversation with the instructor about my worries, and now I'm excited about experiencing something new. 

Lucy's Home!

And the first job I gave her to do was putting the binding on "Lucky Stars" - which will be the 2nd of 9 quilts I intend to finish this year.  I've put my Featherweight for the time being.

Another thing I've been tinkering around with is a quilt using these funky fabrics, for a fundraiser for the music program at Itty Bitty's school.  They are having a trip to New York City next spring, and this is meant to offset some of the expenses.

Some things never change...Gibby Kitty has taken over my chair.  He's such a helper!

Time to go find something good on TV, so I can start handstitching the binding down on Lucky Stars!!!

Ah...and the Summer of Nancy continues!

It's been a wonderful summer so far -- since I declared Summer on April 29th.  And lots of good stuff still to come.

We celebrated Canada Day at my nephew's place with a potluck barbeque and one of the funniest, most fabulous fireworks show I've seen in years.  Wish I could expand on that, but I don't want to incriminate anyone!  (Advice to my nephew: next year, wear short pants so you can run faster!)

The Weather Man is calling for a week full of HOT and SUNNY weather.  Yes, people - I can even control the weather conditions in the Summer of Nancy!  Woo Hoo!!!

And in one week from now, I'll be recovering from the big Elton John concert at Copps Colliseum.  I can't wait!  My ticket was a special treat from Hubby, and I'm going with two girlfriends.

Sailor Boy is coming home for a visit at the end of the month.  I'm already making a list of little jobs I want him to help me with while he's here.  Wouldn't want him to get lazy on vacation!  On the subject of jobs around the house, our brother-in-law is here at this very minute - - I think my The 2010 Bathroom Demo/Reno from Hell will be FINISHED today!!!  EEEEEK!!!!!!!  That means I can get started on my NEXT home reno project: The Bedroom!  I think I've chosen a paint colour for the walls. 

Afraid there's been not much in the way of sewing or quilting.  I've been so busy - though I'm not sure with what!  I still haven't picked up "Lucy", even though she's been repaired and ready to go for about two weeks.  Oh well, I'll pick her up tomorrow, for sure.

Can it be the last day of June?

I can't believe half the year is over already! WOW!

Well...I got six more hexi flowers done.  The centres are slightly different, a shade darker, but close enough. Another difference?  I've used a bit of all of the vintage fabrics I have, and these all came from my stash of reproduction fabrics. These six bring the count up to a total of 56.

The rest of the day?  Well, I've procrastinated as long as I can, and I simply MUST catch up on course work for the two classes I'm taking online this summer.  UGH!  Online course are not for me; there are too many distractions. Laundry, dishes, errands...the list is endless!

New Summer Cocktail??

I stumbled upon Amy's blog: A Quilting Sheep and discovered her recipe for Lavender Pressing Spray! I nearly always press with a spray bottle of water in hand, and had enjoyed Mary Ellen's Best Press spray, but it's impossible to find locally, and very spendy when I do see it from time to time at quilt shows.

The recipe calls for distilled water, liquid starch, vodka, and essential oil for fragrance. I'm thinking 8 drops was too much!  Whew!  But lavender is supposed to be good for stress relief and a zillion other things.  If you are interested in aromatherapy, here's a link about lavender.

Amy also included a link to Karen's tutorial to make a pretty fabric spray bottle cover. (I love this blog.)

Flowers? For ME???

Absolutely!  And just why did I buy myself flowers today?  Well...part of my Simple Abundance Project is to trim down everything in my life - even me!  And to that end, I've lost 5 pounds. 

C-4 Sister's Choice

I made another block for Sylvia's Bridal Sampler yesterday. This is number 68 of 140. 

I found this wooden tray at the thrift store, and gave it a coat of "Bahama Sea" blue paint.  Strangely enough, this plastic cutlery tray fit inside if perfectly!  This will work nicely to organize the strips for my Log Cabin quilt blocks. 

Last week, Itty Bitty and I were in North London, so I slipped up to Cotton-By-Post to see if they had a fabric to match the green centres of the GFG's I've been working on. They did!  Just thought I'd share that they are celebrating Canada Day this coming Friday and Saturday with sales, and taking Canadian Tire money at par!

Now, I don't think I'll be getting back there for the sale - - but if you want to maximize your savings, Canadian Tire is offering a great deal on June 29 & 30. If you spend $40 and pay using cash, debit or your Canadian Tire Mastercard you will get an extra $10 in Canadian Tire ‘Money’ rewards. This 2 day deal excludes giftcards, gas bar purchases and auto services. You do need a coupon to get the extra $10 and they can be found in the June 25- July 1 flyer on the front page.  It's certainly not hard to spend $40 at Canadian Tire! Hmmmm...I need paint.....