Donkey's in Wellies, Birds in Chairs and a crinkled quilt top

It just makes me giddy with excitement to look at these journals. Giddy. Who would not love to write their inner-most thoughts or mundane to-do list in a journal with a donkey wearing super cute wellies? Just brilliant! The birds on the chairs, well they are pretty cute as well!

I picked these up from Laurie Wisburn's ETSY shop, Scarlet Fig, and must say they will be hard to let go of. I had intended to use them as gifts and now I am sure at least one is a gift to my favorite person, me! So stinking CUTE.

It is H - O - T . . . HOT today here in Upstate New York. At noon the temp gauge on the car read 101 and I failed to mention it is humid too. I am really missing the Pacific Northwest on days like today! We have been in the pool for days and when not actually in the pool, thinking of when we can jump back in. Sewing has been a stolen moment here or there.

Here is what I have been working on. This is the quilted side that we will sit on and the other side is a cotton laminated Nicey Jane print. I am not sure how practical this picnic throw/quilt will be, but it sure is going to look cute! My idea is for one side to be wipeable and can go on the grass and then we will sit on the cozy soft quilted side.

I have the cotton laminate cut and squared. Just finished sewing the strips to make up the quilted side together and then quilted diagonal lines going both ways. Then I washed it to get that puckered quilted goodness going . . . next up is layering the two sides and sewing on the binding and then finishing it off by hand.

It will be interesting to see how it holds up. Although you can wash laminated cotton in a washing machine, many advise against it. I am hoping I can always just wipe down the laminated side and not spill anything on the quilted side . . . if I end up having to wash it, then I will cross that bridge . . . Washing is said to cause wrinkles in the laminated cotton and they can be relaxed by warming the product in the sun or using a low heat iron on the cotton side.

I hope to have it finished in time for a Teddy Bear picnic at camp later this week and will get some photos!

The kids and I have been loving the pool the last few days, I even grabbed the camera for a bit!

Hope if you are facing the heat, you find some cool shade, a nice breeze or some water to cool off in!

First Swim of 2009

We have had the pool open for about a week, added the salt, got the chlorine generator going and just passed the water test - so all systems go.  The weather has been AWESOME and the water has heated up to the mid-60's.  Our plan was to turn on the heater, get the temp into the 70's and we would be swimming when the sun came out later this afternoon (forecast in the 70's).  Max however took the plan to mean, get your bathing suit on before breakfast and jump right in.  We tried and tried to reason with him as we turned on the heater this am, but he just couldn't wait.  

About 45 minutes into the swim, he started to look cold.  He of course wouldn't give up until he turned blue and his lips were shaking.  He is snuggled under a down comforter now trying to warm up, so he can swim later with the rest of the family.

Sam hates being left out of the fun.  He and I put our feet in and soon he was swimming in the PJ's with Max for a few moments.  Ellie stuck her feet in, splashed a bit and declared "cold" and then went back to chasing the frogs we rescued from the skimmers.