It’s officially fall — bring on the Halloween decor

Last night was open house at school for my teenager. To state that he wasn’t into it is an understatement. He likes school a lot this year (as a junior, they are moving into a more interactive model of instruction — more like college than simple rote learning). This makes me happy. But anyway, his best friend (the Boy scout who came to rescue Boots, if you recall) came to the house while his mom went to open house alone (better mom than me — but I love her just the same).

 

 

I love to hear those boys discuss their day when they forget that I am around. They are good kids and I’m trying not to focus on how quiet it will be when they are both at college.

Meanwhile, Cindy is posting the Vlad Vampire Mug run on Fave Quilts today. I love their website and the emails that arrive every day in my inbox. It is a bright spot in my day, full of inspiration and fun. Fave Quilts has lots of patterns for all skill levels and every reason and occasion. The generosity of other quilters is amazing. I’ve found tons of new blogs to follow because of Fave Quilt’s curated content.

And we’re preparing Frank’s pattern to join Vlad in the Halloween line-up.  You can download Frank’s pattern by clicking on the link below:

Frank N. Stein Sept 2017

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I love the expression on Frank’s face!

Happy first day of fall!

Life in a Twizzle

Since my brand new sophomore returned to school, it seems that time has sped up. There is so much happening, it’s a good thing that I have my planner, because I’d never keep all of this straight!

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He wasn’t completely thrilled to return to routine, but I do believe that he was ready for a change.

As my son is tackling trig, the bathroom renovation that I’ve been dreaming about has finally begun. Seriously, this project has been 1+ years in the making, but I still haven’t finalized all of the details. I think I am one of “those” customers

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Demolition nearly complete

And then there is soccer or soccer practice every night. Meanwhile the lawns needed to be mowed, I’m starting to think about winterizing the house and for goodness sake, who’s making dinner? Don’t get me started on the holiday planning….

Just when you think you might have a lazy afternoon at the farm, a first cousin arrives for a visit for the first time in 5 years.

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Since my grandmother died long before I was born, it was nice to hear my father’s cousin speak about her “Aunt Jessie”.

I’m not complaining about any of this activity — I love the early fall and the promise of things to come and time with family. But it certainly has curtailed time in the studio. It’s a good thing that I worked a little ahead.

Several months ago I developed a little Frank N. Stein mug rug to match Count Dracula. Cindy sewed and quilted Frank. Isn’t he the original patchwork man?frank_watermark