When it Rains, it Pours

Looking out onto my backyard. Raining once again.

Everything happens at once some weeks. Not only have we had rain almost every day, but my normally quiet life has turned into nonstop go-go-go! Thank goodness I haven't yet reached the stage of "elderly" that I can do no more than doze in my rocking chair all day. This is a roundup of the week.

Sunday: Mother's Day. I sewed like crazy to beat the clock before my daughter came over. A while back she asked for a smaller case for her crochet hooks, something she could carry when she worked on a single project. I found a great pattern on Craftsy by Tulip Square. I made a few changes of course, adding a zipper compartment, and altering the binding. I barely got finished on time!! The afternoon shadow were getting long when I took these photos.

This is the link to the pattern:  http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/other/quilted-crochet-caddy-set-521/68741

Monday: It rained again, so our house painters were delayed. Again. Sigh. I focused on writing the Slice and Dice pattern during the day, working on the hand stitching on the binding, and preparing for book talks. More on that later.

Tuesday: A repeat of Monday interspersed with errand running and meeting a friend for coffee, and company for dinner. Yikes!

Wednesday: The sun came out and the painters arrived only ten days later than originally scheduled! Super nice guys and they do beautiful work. They had a day and a half before the rains returned, so they'll be back as soon as the sun shines again.

While the painting went on I began a baking marathon. Muffins first, so the painters had a lovely just-from-the-oven morning snack. After lunch I baked a batch of chocolate cupcakes that I needed for Thursday, book talk day. These came from a well worn Betty Crocker book. It's been a go-to favorite for twenty years. I'm sure you have one like it - smudged pages covered in sticky notes and a tattered cover.

Thursday: Book talks today. I head back to my former school and my fifth grade teaching buddies regularly each year, with books in hand. The day is spent giving book talks to four classrooms of fifth grade students. This month I had ten brand new books to introduce to them. Since they were new I'd read every one of them over the past few weeks and taken notes. Planning and preparation is time consuming, but I love having that "kid fix" now and then. I also love the chance to sit down and have lunch with my younger friends. That's why the cupcakes. It was Shelley's birthday, so I brought a treat.

Diane took this photo of me from a distance, but I cropped out recognizable children, and that's why it's blurry.

When I got home that afternoon I had a text from a friend who teaches middle school. A young girl with a love of sewing is hoping that her sewing skills can help her to earn some much needed money. A donated sewing machine was found for her, but she needs fabrics and other sewing essentials. I quickly trotted down to the sewing room and pulled out any larger pieces of fabric that could be used for sewing clothes and bagged them up to take over to her school. I tossed in some patterns, plus odds and ends of thread, zippers, and other notions that I likely won't need. I hope this will help her to get started.

Friday: Once again we're in the middle of a thunderstorm! It must be monsoon season in Nebraska!

Today, though, life will slow down a little bit. Aside from preparing meals, I have only to make a trip to the library, deliver the package of sewing odds and ends to the school counselor, give my hubby a haircut, and try to make real progress with my pattern writing. Wish me luck!

Slice and Dice quilting competed.

Wishing you a super special weekend. 

And sunshine! Lots of sunshine!