Last Friday: done with school!

Today was (finally) the last day of school for the kids.  They had a half day.  We got home, dumped all of their stuff by the counter, finished packing, took a short nap, and then headed out for vacation!

I *think* I finally figured out how to tell them how to dress.  Joshua likes shorts and a T-shirt if the high is going to be about 63F or warmer, but is willing to bring a jacket.  Isaac likes pants until about 70F, and usually will take a sweatshirt regardless.  (In the pictures above, Isaac was going to be outside most of the morning and Joshua was going to be inside.)

Wednesday: no school

Well, today felt a bit crazy.  It was the first day of summer vacation being home.  The kids did a great job, but I also felt like I only got half of my normal work done.  This was a bit of a problem because I had 1.5x the work to do today because we just got home from vacation.  I chose to do several things with the kids and it was definitely the right choice, but I didn't get some important things done.

We went strawberry picking first thing in the morning.  It's a hot week, but there was a nice breeze and strawberry picking really doesn't take that long.

Joshua started to incubate his hedgehog from the children's museum and I got some jam set up.

I also played several games with the kids, taught Isaac how to do his laundry, and attempted to get some normal chores done.

Thursday: good news, bad news

Local Quilter Semifinalist in International Quilt Show 

Paducah, Kentucky, USA – Amanda Hilldore from Holland is a semifinalist for the 2022 AQS QuiltWeek® – Grand Rapids, Michigan held August 17 – 20, 2022, at the DeVos Place Convention Center. Amanda has been chosen to display the quilt, MESHING TOGETHER, along with 389 others in this AQS contest. First, Second, and Third Place prizes in seven categories will be awarded, along with seven overall awards including Best of Show. Winners will be announced at the show and posted on the AQS website, Americanquilter.com. More than $50,000 will be granted, including $10,000 for the Best of Show and $3,500 each for Best Wall Quilt, Best Traditional Design, Best Original Design, Best Hand, Best Stationary, and Best Movable Workmanship. Regardless of how MESHING TOGETHER places in the final judging, all semifinalist quilts will be displayed at the show. 

AQS President Bill Schroeder says, “AQS has a longstanding history of having the best of the best quilts in our contests. Just when we think the quality of the quilts can’t get any better, quilters step up their creativity even more and set a new standard of quiltmaking. This year’s contests are no exception and these quilts are truly exceptional.” 

Quilts were entered in this international contest from 38 US states and 12 countries. Come see a wide range of special exhibit quilts including: New Quilts from an Old Favorite: Wheel of Fortune; The Diana Cherrywood Challenge Exhibit; SAQA: Wide Horizons VII; The Ties That Bind Us curated by Wendy Brackman; along with a variety of quilts from the West Michigan Quilt Guild. 

The American Quilter’s Society hosts several shows annually, each with its own quilt contest. Besides the Grand Rapids, Michigan show, AQS hosts other prestigious shows in Daytona Beach, Florida; Branson, Missouri; Paducah, Kentucky; and Des Moines, Iowa.

The bad news is that I'll be on vacation and not able to actually attend.

Wednesday: roof

Shingles were delivered today for our new roof.  I don't notice the roof line often, but it was quite noticeable with the shingles!  Next we need to see a duck on the shingles.

Tuesday: gas

Today I paid more than $5/gallon for gas.  ($5.199, to be exact.)

Monday: quilting

Most quilting things don't get posted to this blog, but the random picture of the day was late at night, when I'm quilting.

I'm currently making a bunch of half-square triangles (HSTs).  I think it's a dumb name, because it makes it sound like your base block is a triangle instead of a square.  Perhaps triangle in a half square would be better?  I'm not really sure and I really have no power to change it.

I have about half of them made that I'll need.  I've been trading out cutting the squares, sewing them together, cutting and pressing the HSTs, and trimming.  It's been nice because I don't get too sick of doing one thing over and over.

Oh!  As I was looking at my pictures I also found some of Joshua's work that I found funny.  I feel like he really got stuck in a loop while sounding out museum.

Sunday: table

Today I'd like to show you a clean table.  It's a rare sight in this house, as the children seem to think they can just put things on the table and leave them there.  We had a discussion about how they should start taking something as they walk by and putting it away.  I don't know if it'll stick.  

I suppose it's better than having toys all over the floor as we used to have with small children.  

(Oh, I oddly stopped cleaning it in the middle, did some other stuff, then took the picture.  Don't worry, the whole table's been cleaned now.)