Hearts, Plans and a Package

Oh my.  Here it is, July 7 already.  Our 4th of July weekend spilled over until Tuesday as my oldest daughter had another day of performances at Summerfest, and we made a family affair of it.  Yesterday was a catch up/get ahead day, filled with stuff that didn't get done on the weekend,  and today is busy, because in just a few hours, youngest and I set off tomorrow for a couple days at the Mall of America with a friend of hers! Oh, and then I drop the oldest off at band camp, 150 miles away, on Sunday!  Busy, busy!  So, today's post is a bit of a catch-all. Between trips this weekend, I will prepare a post for my stop on the New Blogger's Hop.  My day is Monday!   (Good Lord, now I feel completely overwhelmed!)

OK.  Deep breath, one step at a time!

Above are the hearts that my daughter and I have made to contribute to the #QuiltsforPulse block drive.  These blocks, and TONS of others, sent from across the world, will be made into quilts by the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild and given to those affected by the nightclub shooting there, last month.  I am planning to bring our couny to 12 by making more hearts from the rainbow fabric and the great "love" text print below.  The text print was given out to 100 sewists interested in making blocks for this great cause by Marcus Fabrics.  It just arrived, so as soon as I have a free half hour, I will make my last blocks, and send them off!

I would have loved to contribute a finished top, or even a completed quilt.  But, this is what I can do right now, and giving something is always better than doing nothing.  If you want to have your heart lifted AND revel in some quilty goodness check out #quiltsforpulse on Instagram.  Ahhh.Mazing!

Are you a fan of Quilt Alongs?  I have never participated in one, but that's about to change.  While working with Bernie on our SewAlong with the 241Bag pattern, I found that I really liked having a partner in the process.  It's great for accountability, it's motivating to have someone to share the process with, and it's just really fun!

So, I've decided to try my first Quilt Along!  Amanda at This Mom Quilts has just started a Quilt Along with her pattern,  Facet + Plus.  It's such an elegant modern design, and it really appealed to me.  I think the timing will work well for me. too, so it's time to jump in!

So far, Amanda has shared the fabric requirements for baby and lap sized quilt layouts.  I need to do a little thinking and planning.   My stash is lacking "large" cuts  - most of my stash fat quarters or smaller, unless I purchased something for a particular project.  I really don't want to buy anything new, as I will be reorganizing my sewing room soon, and just don't want MORE fabric to deal with....right now.  So, I am going to print Amanda's coloring page and get a bit creative with color placement.

These colors are speaking to me, but I have some thinking to do before the next step of the QAL.  Check out Amanda's first post, and let me know if you plan to join in!  I look forward to seeing how all these quilts come out!

And lastly, but Oh-so-not-least...  I got quilty mail!!  My fantastic pen pal Rose sent me a parcel packed with SO much fun and love!  Just look at all this!!!

The most anticipated item in this box was my block for the round robin exchange that Rose and I are doing together.

I made the center, up to the first navy border, and Rose added on the beautiful outer borders.  Aren't those little birds just adorable?  Now, of course, I have some serious work to do, designing my next round.  I hope to have it back in the mail on its way to Rose by mid-August.  But, she and I are both busy moms, and since it's just the two of us, we can afford each other some grace when setting our "due dates".

I hope to get in a quick Five Things To Be Happy About post from the road on Friday, because, truely, there is SO much to celebrate in this summer time life.  Be sure to check back on Monday for my BIG post on the New  Bloggers Hop.

Five Things to Be Happy About Friday (#3)

Thank Goodness It's Friday!  There were summers, when my kids were small, when I barely noticed the weekends.  The days all had the same feel to them and everything ran together.  As the girls have gotten older an involved in more things, and as I've started to become involved in some week day happenings, myself, the summer weekends have become more noticeable.  And more cherished.  This year, I am not taking any tutoring students on Fridays (I'm working with 7 kids this summer, some for 2 or 3 hours a week, totaling about 20 hours a week of tutoring, prep and follow up correspondence with parents.  It started a few years ago as something easy to earn some cash and turned into a part time summer job!).  

So, this summer, by the time Friday rolls around, I am tired, and ready for a day to relax and have fun!  A whole day with no obligations outside of our home.  TGIF, indeed!  

Again this week, I've been so grateful for Five Things To Be Happy About Friday hosted by Amanda at Gypsy Moon Quilt Co.  When life gets a bit crazy and I'm feeling a bit unbalanced, it really helps to look for the good, you know?  So, here are my Five Things for the week, with a bit of an explanation, and a glimpse into our crazy, busy, fun week.

Aren't they so fun, stacked up like that?  These are my heart blocks for #Quiltsforpulse.  I will do a post on these next week, but but it sure made me happy to carve out some time to work on these this week.  And I am over the moon happy to see all quilts, blocks and support for this project pouring in on Instagram.  I'm sure you've seen it too, but you can check out the information page for the project, organized by the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild, here.

Books!  A good book never fails to make me happy.  And the best books make me a bit sad, too.  Here's the stack that's being read in my house this week.  I LOVE having three Readers-with-a-capital-R in the house.  While this stack in all YA, two of them are actually my reads for the week.  Have you read Wonder?  Oh, my.  If you haven't please do.  It's a quick read, and everyone should get to know Auggie, the hero.  I'm almost done with Auggie&Me, the companion stories.  The gem on the top of the stack is shared read out loud that my daughter and I are doing.  It's getting its own post, soon.  There's a quilting connection, I promise.  What are you reading?

These girls. Happiness. I just love them, so.  I was minding my own business on the deck (reading!) and suddenly realized they were doing a hand-clap rhyme I haven't heard them do for years.  They were just so sweet together.  I snuck some pictures and *almost* got away without them catching me.  A bit later, they were in their childhood sandbox together.  Just look at their faces in the top pictures.  You can see how much they love each other.  And that is the happiest thing of all for this mama.

Our little local swimming hole.  Like the Library I posted last week, it's not much to look at, but it's a hub of social life in our little town.  It's a man made pond, with a sandy bottom,  It's clean, well maintained, and only costs $3 to get in.  You can stay all day, even get a hand stamp to come back later in the day.  It's a deal!  We took advantage of a near 90 degree day and cooled off at our little beach.

And this girl.  That's my oldest, Isabelle, whom I have referred to as SingAndDance, sometimes, on my blog.  She was so excited to get to perform with her show-choir type group at Summerfest.  Summerfest is a big deal here in southeastern Wisconsin.  A really big deal.  Her group perfoms a few shows on the children's stage every year,  Usually, its the older kids in the group that perform, and this year...she is one of the older kids.  She looks so grown up here, that it makes me a little sad.  Where's my little girl?  She just shines on that stage.  I smile like a crazy person watching her.  She makes me so proud, in so many ways.

Thanks for checking out my smiles this week.  What's got you grinning and grateful?  Join in the fun and link your post to Five Things To Be Happy About Friday.  Be sure to visit the others who are participating and leave them some comments!  Enjoy your weekend, and to those in the US, Happy 4th!