Happy Birthday, Aunt Adda and Kim

This is my best picture of the woman who baked the cake....Linda in the middle...

It was a very rich coconut cake -- and I love the alphabet candles on the top...

Sandy was surprised by something, eh??

Aunt Adda shares her birthday with cousin Kim.  Here are the two birthday girls that day...

We had a nice group to sing Happy Birthday...

Aunt Adda, with two of her sisters -- Betty and Caroline.  They look like the Andrew Sisters..!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Every week, when Lilly is here, there will most likely be some baking....

On this day, it was Red Velvet cupcakes...and I'm not sure if you can see Lilly's RED, RED tongue...

That red cake batter got all over everything...and permanently stained a yellow dishcloth!!

We were headed to the last concert of the summer -- at the Bettendorf Library...

Lillian LOVED the new sculpture there -- and she borrowed my camera to take some pictures...

I always love to see a child's perspective through a camera lens....

Lilly enjoyed sharing her red velvet cupcakes...

The occasion was Sandy's birthday...

But Sandy didn't come!! That's okay -- we all ate cupcakes in her honor...

This is my favorite picture of Lilly with her special pen-pal friend, Sandy...on the day she took a bad fall on the sidewalk...Sandy had to do some tag-team Grandma'ing (yes, I made up that word)...

Good job, Bettendorf!! And Puyallup, and Tacoma, and Moline, and Dubuque, and Minneapolis, and Lansing, and Duluth, and Erie, and Hannibal, Savannah, Janesville, Springfield, and a hundred other cities and towns that do free summer concerts. Many of you sent me letters, telling me about YOUR town's summer efforts!!

Yes, we are already missing summer....

Buffalo Bill Museum

The BEST ADVENTURE of the summer was our day trip to the Buffalo Bill Museum in LeClaire, Iowa.  My sister Deena was having "Grandma Camp" at her house for her two granddaughters, Madeline and Avery. The girls live about 3 hours away -- so they come to Grandma's house for a whole week...

This charming little museum is just down the road from my house -- and I've never been there!!

When Deena's granddaughters came last summer -- they LOVED the Buffalo Bill museum...

They have a clipboard "scavenger hunt" for the kids -- and Lilly and Avery LOVED it...

Madeline was too busy being the official babysitter-for-Warren!!  (and he LOVED her)

The girls LOVED pretending they were captains of the ship...

The Lone Star was the oldest wooden tug on the Mississippi when it was dry docked in 1967,

HEY -- WHAT A GREAT TIME WE HAD!!  Thanks for inviting us, Deena!!  We are already looking forward to NEXT year...

Penultimate Porch Post

I can only imagine how TIRED you are of hearing about my 2014 porch project. Yes, I know...I go on and on and on. You'd think I was redecorating Rockefeller Center. I KNOW!! I keep trying to stop...BUT I JUST CAN'T GET OVER IT...

And this last porch accessory came to me via my daughter-in-law, Emily. I am delighted that she enjoys treasure hunting -- and one day, at a garage sale, she found this beautiful wall hanging...

I laid it on the sofa to take this picture.  I love the fabric collage technique.  But the reason Emily bought it was because two of the fabrics WERE USED WHEN I MADE SLIPCOVERS FOR MY OLD PORCH FURNITURE...

Take note of the fabric down the center of the chair on the left...

THAT wall hanging art piece will turn into the perfect fabric to recover this bench ($5 at a garage sale)

To bring the OLD upholstery into the NEW porch -- I added a few blue pieces, some yellow...a few words...oh, yeah, zebra...

Here it is, the final detail....at the end of the table...it is sturdy enough for TWO people to sit and eat!! I LOVE IT...

AND -- I never planned to change the porch valance. I have always loved it...see THAT fabric, at the top, is the same fabric in the hanging art piece -- which is now the new bench at the end of the table.

YES, I KNOW -- IT'S TOO MUCH, ISN'T IT??

Hey -- it's over....this is the end of the 2014 porch project...almost.

I have enjoyed every minute. The sewing was so much fun, planning the fabric, painting with Lilly, finding one treasure after another that just FIT PERFECTLY...HOLY COW.

And, since I started (way back in May) -- it has been a great summer to be on the porch!! During the various stages -- we've had many, many wonderful meals on the porch with family and friends.

The hummingbirds have been cooperating...they are here in droves now.  John has to change two large feeders every single day.

Warren loves the hummies and his new high chair at the porch table...

I am officially declaring my porch DONE...and not a moment too soon. The kids are going back to school -- so the summer is over.

Porch Party Sew and Tell

It was the day of the porch-party-reveal....I was so excited to have my friends see the finished porch sofa. NOBODY has a more appreciative audience than I do...

I took a picture of Sandy, taking a picture...

Sandy, Linda and me -- sitting on the new sofa....

THEN -- Sandy shared her own Sew and Tell.

Can you see what it is? Sandy made a jelly roll quilt....you buy this roll of fabric that has already been cut into strips. The first step is to sew all the pieces together.

The colors were pinks, white, grays...

Unlike me, Sandy is a very picky seamstress.  Can you see the PERFECT detail of her joinings??

Even the BACK side of her quilt is picture perfect...

Again -- here's what I love about sewing. EVERYBODY DOES IT THEIR OWN WAY. I cut up and sew old t-shirts, some of you enjoy heirloom sewing, or tailoring, fitting, fashion, bridal, baby. My sister Deb must do machine embroidery EVERY SINGLE DAY. Millions of you, like Sandy and Linda, love quilting. But no matter what kind of actual sewing you prefer -- the end benefit is always the same. It's creative, it's relaxing, it's YOU making SOMETHING. There is such a feeling of accomplishment and personal expression.

The big question that day was what should Sandy use for the backing and binding of her quilt?? Hopefully, I'll be able to post a picture of her finished quilt. She is one of those GET R DONE girls...

Beach House T-shirt dress!!

For Linda's GREAT-SUMMER-ADVENTURE -- I decided a t-shirt maxi dress was in order...I'm calling them patio dresses now....and I think they are the PERFECT ATTIRE for a beach house in North Carolina!!

AND I've been saving this wonderful graphic woman's face shirt for just this occasion....

I placed this picture in the front of the skirt...Don't we all feel like the black sheep in our family?? Well, on some days anyway.

This sentiment was on the bottom of the skirt...and it is soooo our Linda!!

HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME....it's all about making those memories. Enjoy the wedding, enjoy the beach...live, love, laugh...and don't forget to SLEEP NAKED...

Porch Accessories

Okay -- here's how my real life works. On the DAY I delivered the two old chairs to the Salvation Army -- I did a very quick walk-through of the store. I mean -- I was there for a reason -- right? SURE ENOUGH -- I found the 2'x4' zebra runner rug...

Then, I was looking on t-shirt mountain for just the right color of blue -- and the shirt I found had this zebra on it...

NO KIDDING...so, I had to incorporate it into the stool itself...

Of course, the stool wasn't finished until I included some t-shirt fringe....

AND -- remember the monkey? 

I found this large round ceramic tray at the Goodwill for $2.38.  All it took was some construction adhesive

It is the perfect little table to hold a glass of ice tea or a cup of coffee...

THIS fabulous zebra area rug has been part of my household for a long time. It isn't an outdoor rug, but I just couldn't resist. IT IS TOO PERFECT...and I've owned it long enough...if rain and weather ruins it -- well -- IT HAD A GOOD LIFE!!

Wow. I declare it PERFECT.

I have had a wonderful time this summer focusing on the porch remodel.  I HATE TO SEE IT END.  I tell everybody I "sewed a new porch sofa". And we couldn't have had better weather for it. I love to start my day sitting out there with my morning cup of coffee. And Lilly loves setting the porch table and picking out the napkins.

This was the summer Warren noticed Grandpa's hummingbirds...

Yep.  It's finished.  There was ONE FINAL DETAIL....and it's another amazing stroke of Ritaluck....