It's Half Time!

 

 

 

   It's been two weeks since I arrived in California to visit with  The Babes,
   with still two more weeks to go!

    And, what have we been doing?

 

 Celebrating Birthdays

Sitting out Hurricane Hilary at at Water Park Hotel
(instead of a trip out to the desert as originally planned.)

Still Sunday was wet and spent mostly indoors...you'd have thought we were in Oregon!

 

 

(Who is missing from most of these pictures???  CASH!  Now at 17 he is off doing almost-grown-up stuff,
i.e., traveling to Hawaii and Oregon with his football team and taking driving lessons, etc. )

 

 

 I have a long list of people to visit in the next two weeks
and still more fun to come with The Babes! 
My time-with-the-babes tank should be full by my departure date....is that even possible???

Changes In Latitude----Up and Away

Out-and-about yesterday and it was a breezy and cool-ish day.  I could feel Fall in the air!  Can you believe that?!
Friends and family are posting "First-day-of-school" pictures on Facebook...where did the summer go????  Before I knew it summer had flown and my summer sewing never quite got off the ground. (Did you catch the flying puns?)

I'm so far behind I think I'm first!

And nothing will be happening for the month of August, either as I am flying away soon, headed west to see The Babes! 
NOW, that the reservations are all made and plans are set in stone...NOW I feel like sewing!  Go figure!

But, I am so excited to see my Babes.  I'll be there for a whole month!

One is missing from this picture.
She was on her class trip to New York and Washington DC

 *Free Motion Quilting

Finally - It's Time

Even though I have not been sewing, quilting or even cooking for the past few weeks...I have not been idle...No-Siree-Bob!

I really love my new cabinets but I'll admit I probably wouldn't have bitten off such a big project if I had known how much work it would turn out to be... one of those projects you're happy to say "I did that, once."

There are some rough spots and touch up painting that needs to be done
but if I were riding a horse through the kitchen...
at 40 mph ... naked and I glanced over at the cabinets
I probably wouldn't notice a few rough spots.
So, I say "good enough."   I'm pretty happy with the result.

Now back in the studio I go.

Supplies & Tips: Paint is Sherwin Williams Emerald Cabinet and Trim paint. 
Colors are Retreat # 6207 and Alabaster # 7008.  I did use an oil base primer. 
(Don't use an oil base primer if it is really humid weather...it dries too fast.)

I used a few different brands of brushes.  Take it from me, don't use cheap brushes.
(I had to do those doors over.)
Purdy has nice brushes.

Paint-can-pour-spouts and "Super Lids" were so helpful.  Look on Amazon for these.

AND, I bought myself a cordless drill from Harbor Freight.  Not an expensive one. 
It performed very nicely!

Finally, I added a slide out drawer for my trash can.  (I will paint the front of that drawer.)  Can I just say ... this drawer was a pain in the B-U-T-T to install !!  I would have called my D.H.* except I wanted it done!

Total cost was about $700**

* Dear Handyman
** Including the drawer and drill and new shelf liners.

 

The B I G Reveal....

 ...I'm not ready.....  I bit off a B I G hunk-O-project and even though I had five days off.... it's not finished ...
and I want to wait until I'm done to show y'all.

I'm pretty far...about 2/3 of the way finished...I'm already liking it and I'm quite proud of myself.

It will be worth the wait.

It's JULY !!

We are officially half way through 2023 ... Welcome, July!

I took a few days off from work and in conjunction with the 4th of July holiday, I have 5 days off!  Five days is a big chunk of time so I wanted to do something B-I-G....and, I am .... I started yesterday.

I will have the B-I-G reveal on Wednesday.....hint....it's not quilting...

And, speaking of celebrations:  The Quilting-Auntie Nyla has a birthday on the 3rd.... I'm celebrating with her in my spirit.

And Happy Birthday the United States of America!

  

Long Haul

 June came ... and June has pretty-much gone .... June has been a L-O-N-G  H-A-U-L !

But there is HOPE.  The signs are clear that work is beginning to slow down a bit.

There is a holiday coming up....July 4th.  This year it falls on a Tuesday.
I've decided to take a few days off in conjunction with this holiday.
 

I'll have FIVE WHOLE DAYS off!

 

Not making any promises....Let's just see what gets accomplished!

National Sewing Machine Day

Whatever Works, Eh?