Work Space part 3

To help sign you out for a weekend of cookouts and bug spray here's the final installment of my Work Space.

This is the table that I love the most.  It's so cool and compact and made just for me ^_^

Look familiar? This is probably the cleanest it's been since the Christmas rush.

(note the hinges)

Firstly you have to pull out the legs.  They're designed so they look like one, solid leg when it's all pushed together.  We like streamlined things in our house.

The nifty leg "mechanics"

Remember those hinges in the first picture? That's because there's two pieces of wood there.  Now flip open the table!

Try not to be too envious of the space this both gives and saves me.  It's ingenious. 

I don't recall the exact measurements but it's enough space to really spread out.  

Have a great weekend and wear your sunblock!

A Fresh Quilt and Sun Tea

I've been busy taking a quilting class on Tuesdays at a local quilt shop (well more like 45 minutes away local). I really just wanted to be able to refine my "self-learned" quilting techniques.  I'm pretty keen on seeing how to baste a larger quilt.  This is for my niece Abby.  I love traditional quilts but sometimes they just need updating.

Also I think Summer is already here.  It's funny because each year I'll complain about how it needs to be warmer in May all the while completely forgetting that it gets really hot and humid by Memorial Day weekend. I'd say we're right on track with that weather pattern.

I've been itching to make some sun tea too.  I remember my Mom's big, glass jar that she would fill with tea bags and set out in the sun.  It had a red lid that would get so hot in the sun. I like to ask myself why no one makes big, glass jars anymore and then realize oh yeah, plastic is cheaper and lighter and everyone's all about cheap these days :(  But I've learned one thing, plastic doesn't brew the same good tea and it sure as heck doesn't hold up as well.  I'm crossing my fingers hoping I'll find one soon.

Hella Busy

May has been hectic.

The months leading up to May were pretty mundane and average but now it's like life is hurtling forward in some frantic attempt to cram everything eventful into the next 4 months.  Let's look at this shall we? Everything with an * is an event I'm either throwing or helping with.

May:

- an outdoor wedding (PRAY it doesn't rain because there is no real back up plan)

*quilting class every Tuesday this month

* Memorial Day cookouts (yes plural)

June:

* my annual tea party (also outside)

- the local Strawberry Festival

*my sister's bridal shower

July:

- the 4th of July cookouts

- the bachlorette party for my sister (o.m.g.)

*Chris' Birthday

*Tumus's Christmas in July Sale

*my sister's wedding

* Dayton Celtic Festival

August:

- Dublin Irish Festival (I'd volunteer for this but it's near Columbus which is an hour away)

*Disney Vacation (hello Florida humidity)

~Deep Exhale~

In perspective it doesn't look like alot but it's the planning that kills me. I just kind of want to skip summer and get right to Disney so I can relax.  Oh and did I mention my garden is really hopping now and then there's the home improvement shenanigans that need to be brought under control and finished. At least the kitchen and front door are fully painted and done (check mark).

Double Rainbow! (what does it mean)

Even though there's more rain forecasted for Sunday, even though there's been so much horrific weather in my area and down South, and life feels strangely hectic because there's nothing big going on.... I  think Mother Nature is giving us a much deserved break.

It's so good to see the blue of the sky again.

Where Have All the Dry Days Gone?

 

I miss the sun.  My cats miss the sun, my lawn is growing like a crazed monster and because of the inclement weather pattern the rain barrel we've purchased is still sitting by the wayside not collecting an ounce of this valuable runoff.  Hopefully we can manage something on Sunday.  This week alone we've had approx. 3 inches of rain in my area with another 1-2inches expected tonight and tomorrow. I even shuddered at the 7 day forecast which, you guessed it, called for scattered thunderstorms up till next Thursday.

I don't mind all the rain, but it's been excessive this Spring.  Our Winter was already incredibly wet to begin with and the water tables are very full.  With the ground saturated we've actually had to deal with flash flooding around our area.  The Great Miami River flooded incredibly bad once in 1913 and all of downtown Dayton went underwater.  Because of that there are now 5 huge flood gates and dams build along it's path and tributaries to prevent flooding downstream.  Here's a brief wiki about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Dayton_Flood  but even the dams are getting a historic workout with this constant deluge.

Still we live far enough away and our city is on a natural ridge above the valley that the only flooding we have to contend with is that of our basement and overworked sump pump :(   You could instead say a prayer for Texas who needs the rain more than us.

Things Are Gettin' Green

The flower beds out front are really putting on a good show this year, which is encouraging because it's taken quite a long time to get things planned out, put in place and started.  It's hard to think of Spring in the Fall and it's even more tiring planting all those bulbs and praying they all make it.  But after 4 years of nurturing our rather crappy and clay filled soil, everything looks really bright and cheerful and above all beautifully cute.

Even the Irises that were separated last year and moved around seem to be coming back very well.  I've had a few rotters that didn't make the wet winter, but Irises are sometimes hard to keep going if you don't get them planted right the first time. And then it's just soft rot and fungus central....

If you think my planting is done, trust me it's not ^_^  I've got Trilliums to put out (in the bed that never grows), a new version of coralbell called Sweet Tea that's just going to be AMAZING once established and some cyclamen too.  Oh and my garlic and onions are sprouting thanks to the unseasonably warm weather.

There's alot to be excited about right now.

She's My Cherry Pie

Bet that song is stuck in your head now ^_~

In any case I've finally managed to have some sit down time and get back to sewing on some new ideas. It's funny how when you finally get the urge to create you can literally go for hours which is exactly what happened last night.  Was good to see that I still had the drive in myself after a few months of not feeling very productive.

(sneak peek at a new pincushion)

p.s. Flickr is telling me I'm nearing my mark of 200 pictures so looks like I'll have to upgrade soon.  At least then I can figure out how to organize everything into neat and tidy folders.