Recovery Mode

I think I'm finally back to myself after last weekend. It was a big job putting on an open house, but it was so worth it. What a terrific feeling to open your home to your friends, co-workers, and neighbors. Although I did my best to ask for "no gifts", a few managed to slip into my yard. The birds now have a bath in my back yard, I've got a few new fall mums to plant in my garden, a lovely rain gauge that is in my garden and these fabulous solar lights.

I had them opened, put together and planted in my walkway Sunday a.m. before my dad even got up out of bed!
I've been checking my mail on a daily basis, I've been waiting for my tax refund. Yes, I do know it's Sept, but the IRS has been double checking and auditing any returns with the "first house" refund. Finally it arrived. I was thrilled to see the IRS envelop but I actually opened this one up first.

I kept trying to figure out what I purchased online from Australia, and for the life of me, I just couldn't remember poking any buttons. When I opened it, this is what was inside.

How fabulous. This package came from Kate at Empty Field. She was trying to name her new Featherweight and gave all the commenters a gift! How terrific is that, so a big "shout out" to Kate Down Under!
Thank you, these are my favorite colors!
I don't have much to show for progress because I decided it was time to finally fix this project. The quilt was finished in 06/07. I loved this quilt. It's from Four Paws Quilting, it's called Surrounded and I love this pattern. I've made it in reds and whites, and then purchased all these greens while on a road trip to Jackson Hole with my gal pal Paula. Then came the final moving day from OR to WA. We were moving my longarm machine. Someone I rented a U Haul, the 12ft kind, the ones that are really 11 feet inside. No problem, I have a 10 ft table. Ya, that's 120 inches of quilt, not counting the outside bars on the table. Opps! So we needed to take a few things apart, and in my stress and haste, I threw this quilt at the guys and said "use this"! So they wrapped some poles with this quilt and by the time we got to our destination, the quilt had a few holes in it where the metal rubbed all the way on the trip. Here was my solution.

I'm putting a few more than necessary on the top, but the flowers that are covering holes will have flowers appliqued on the back. The others will only be on the top. Now I'll be able to use this quilt this winter, and I think the flowers really add some punch to this quilt. This is when being creative is a necessity!
One more work day. Here's Annie after our 1.7 mile walk tonight. It's exactly how I feel!

Have a great Friday, it's a long weekend!
Sharon