Back from the blog grave!

Thanks to all who haven't given up on me (Yes, April, I do still have a blog) during my prolonged absence. We went on a long cross-country road trip to visit family -- 43 days, 21 states, and more than 7,400 miles. Whew! And let me give a grateful shout-out to www.doggoes.com, a fabulous app that provides detailed information about dog parks nationwide. Wherever we were in our drive across the country, we could easily find a dog park for the girls--some even had ponds and lakes! It helped ensure that Sophie and Zoey were happy little travelers (okay, not so little!).

We started our trip in Boston with a wedding celebration for Trisha and Nino, dear old friends from my days working at a prep school in Cambridge. They've been together for more than 20 years and have finally tied the knot! Sending them much love and best wishes for decades more of adventure, laughter, joy, and romance! I haven't seen many of the BB&N folks for ten years or more, and it was so great to have the old gang together!! My brother and his wife live in Boston, so we were able to stay with with them for several days. We were also able to catch up with my oldest childhood friend Jill (she's 91, ha! Sorry, terrible, old joke) and my great college friend Julie and their great kiddos. So fabulous to spend time with them!!

We then headed south to New Jersey. I gave my mom her Lilly Pulitzer quilt, which was a hit . . . despite the intense heat and humidity she kept snuggling up with it! We got busy at my mom's house and painted the first floor of her condo. She had gone out of town for part of the time we were there, so we wanted to surprise her by repainting her place. Looks great! Karen then got inspired and made a headboard for my mother's bed! This was definitely not a typical restful vacation! While in New Jersey, we also visited my uncle and aunt at the beach. Overall, during our NJ stay, we had lots of lobster, clams, fish, and great Jersey corn!

We then headed west to visit Karen's family in Kansas and Texas. And man was it hot!! We pulled out our paintbrushes again in Kansas at Karen's parent's house--yes, we actually traveled with our own paintbrushes and tools! There Karen discovered a wonderful old cedar chest of her mother's and she restored and distressed it using chalk paint. Looks so great!

While in Kansas, Karen's mom and I hit a few quilt shops where I added a bit to my stash. Karen's mom also very generously opened up her stash to me--yay!! We spent some time sewing while we were there. I made a little zippy pouch, although it is a mad, mad mess!

I used Ayumi's pattern, although any errors are clearly my own!! I love the fabric choices, I just am frustrated that I didn't catch all the fabric when I was sewing the zipper. Drat!

I also worked on my Denyse Schmidt charm square quilt. I got the charm squares through a charm swap that Made with Moxie organized a few months ago, and I've been itching to put them to use ever since!  I'm using the same pattern I used for my Rainbow Sprout quilt, which I got from Hooked on Needles' great rainbow quilt tutorial.

That's it for now friends, but stay tuned . . .  I smell a giveaway in the air!! Check back in tomorrow folks!