Top Half of Jane DONE

 Look at the top half of Jane!  All the blocks are filled in!  Just 23 more blocks to call the bottom half done as well.  The triangles are a whole other can of worms, but I am sure I will get back to them someday soon.

 Until then, here are my blocks from today.  Three were plain old paper piecing and the other three still have a bit of applique to be sewn down.

Look at how pretty my birthday cake was.  Spice cake with cream cheese frosting -- my favorite.  The girls even texted Dad to bring home cashews (my favorite nut) to make a border.  Aren't they sweet?  

STILL on a Roll

There is an odd assortment of Dear Jane blocks today as I try to fill in open spots on the grid.  There is quite a bit of applique still to finish off, but those will all get done in good time.  We are all going out to dinner tonight to celebrate my birthday, so I'd better go see about getting dressed.  I did put on enough clothes to go to the grocery store earlier, but I'm not really presentable enough for a meal out.  

Moving Right Along

It was a calm day yesterday and I was able to get a few more blocks crossed off my list.  There was a fun family game of Dinopoly in the afternoon that nobody managed to win. The calm of summer has settled in.  Camps start next week so the calm will be interrupted with a bunch of driving in circles, but until then, I am enjoying every minute.  

Dear Jane Again

I'm back into my Rainbow Jane again and plugging right along.  Yesterday I took some time and printed out the rest of the blocks.  I did get a few sewn together, but it was an "out and about" day with the orthodontist, a free movie, and library filling up the morning.

Last night was a girls craft night out at a neighbors house, and I managed to get quite a few applique bits sewn down.  With no long car trips recently they had built up.  A few more marathon sewing days and I'll have the center blocks done.  How exciting would that be?

Mini Marathon

Oh how good it felt to dig into a little fabric and sew the day away!  7 little Janes are now done and happy to get added to the finished collection.  

Happy Memorial Day

Kurt's parents are headed home now after a nice weekend visit.  Because all three of the kids have summer birthdays, we got a big water slide and had a combined birthday party for all of them.  There were pretty much kids running around from the time the rental company delivered it in the morning until they came to pick it up again around dusk.  Now that the birthday parties are over and the company has departed, I'm going to get my sewing room out again and see if I can settle in for a little creative time.  

ScrapHappy Saturday - Last Blue Saturday

Another month is winding down.  I have LOTS of tiny nine patches and a slew of blue crumb blocks done.  They are all nicely put away in my shiny clean sewing room though, so no photos to share.  How about you?  Lots of pretty blue projects to brag about?  Use misterlinky below to post a link.

First Day of Summer Vacation

Yesterday was Ryan's last day as an elementary school student.  Kurt went the graduation ceremony.  I guess Ryan was quite the little public speaker.  Who knew two such introverted people could raise such an outgoing child?

 As much as I would have LOVED to spend the entire first day of vacation sewing, we have company coming and a birthday party to host on Saturday.

 I liked it better before.

But I am sure my in-laws will prefer the after version.  

ScrapHappy Saturday not too BLUE

I can't believe I have gone from one Scraphappy Saturday to the next without a post in between!  Just three days of school left and I will have lots of time to catch up again. Well, first I'll clean everything up for company, then I will catch up.  I did sew last weekend though, finishing up gobs of crumb blocks and working on itty-bitty nine patches for most of Sunday.

I love making these little blocks, even if they never turn into a quilt, the process of putting them together is so relaxing.  What blue plans do you have going on today?  Use misterlinky below to share your projects.

ScrapHappy Saturday -- Blue Edition

Last weekend I managed made 24 blue crumb blocks.  If I can make the same amount today I will have enough for a quilt.  I had a stack of blocks already started from last year, so it wasn't hard to finish make them a little bigger and then trim them up to size.  My bin seems to be more full than when I started, but I added in all my precut blue strips to have enough long pieces to get the blocks big enough.
I hope you all have lots of blue scraps used up so far.  Use the linky below to share your blue creations.

Home Stretch

Chaos surrounds, but my own tiny sphere remains comparatively stable.  Just 9 more days in what has been a too eventful school year.  Not everyone will be coming back next fall and the workload for those of us who managed to keep our jobs will be greatly increased.  Similar reorganization are underway at my husbands company as well and he came home yesterday with a different job than he had started the day with.  Big sigh. I guess having a job at all is something to be thankful for when security is escorting people from the building.

 Yesterday was Anna's birthday and she wanted too go out to Olive Garden for dinner.  We saw this car as we walked out and it made me laugh.  My car was not quite as scary as this before it got power washed this weekend, but love bug season is in full swing.  

Just Can't Resist

After reading Amy's latest post with pictures of SNOW in - in May - I couldn't resist this quick update as I take a break from sewing to watch the kids swim. Finally had to break down and turn on the air-- though with the rain we've had lately it hasn't been too hot. Sewing madly away at blue crumbs and hoping to dig out some pink for a new chemo quilt for Mom. For now though, just making sure nobody drowns.

Nothing Matters but the Weekend

I can't remember the last time I was so happy to see a weekend!  After the marathon of study sessions that was last weekend I am due for a little down time.  Things really are starting to wind down.  My little guys at school have already taken the end of course exam mandated by the state for graduation.  The bigger kids have just one week until the advanced placement exam that will determine whether or not they get college credit for my course.  No pressure though.  AP exams in general start on Monday with Chemistry, Psychology and Environmental Science.  Kids will be in and out for the next two weeks depending on which courses they are taking.  There is not much more to be done about all of that though, which means I will try to enjoy a little blue scrap time before starting the clean-up process for company coming up.  I am afraid I will be losing my sewing room for a while.  Not sure if I can set up in the dining room on a temporary basis or just find some handwork to keep me busy. Today though, will be all about the blue. First up is sorting, by then, inspiration will have taken over. I've already started to see blue popping up all over, so use the linky below to share your beginnings of the blue month.

New Month

I almost completely forgot that today is a new month!  I love new months because they bring new colors.  Before you dig into your blue, please do me a favor.  Blue is usually everyones biggest pile of scraps.  It is really too much to deal with in a single month.  So take your blue and divide it into 3 stacks.  Yes 3.  One for bright blue, one for pastel and the other for teal or greenish hued shades.  Hopefully the piles will all be a little smaller now and more doable in a single month.  Start with the brights first.  This will be a sapphire blue month.  Enjoy!

Missing in Action

If it seems that I have been absent from my blog lately, it is because life got in the way. The only reason that Dear Jane blocks are popping up is that they were finished long ago. The end of the year rush is in full swing at school. With three full weeks left in the year, we have already taken the end of course exam and covered all the required curriculum for AP. Those both needed weekend review sessions which left me ready for the weekend on Tuesday. Last week I flew up to Atlanta to visit with Mom and was able to go with her to meet with the oncologist. It was the second time I had missed school in two weeks which is never a popular choice when exams are near. So if it seems that I am noticeably absent from my own challenge, bear with me for just a bit longer while I dig myself out and search for the light at the end of the tunnel.