Summer Projects

This summer has just whizzed by....I'm a little sad about it, but also excited for this school year.  My girls are both excited about being in 3rd and 5th grade...I cannot believe it!!  This week I am working on some decorated clipboards for teacher gifts and getting the girls' stuff all labeled, organized, and packed up.  One of the items I wanted to make for them this year was a personalized pencil pouch.  I love to paper piece, but these little letters were the smallest I had ever made!  The pattern was created by Diane at from blank pages  and can be found on etsy here.  It is very clear and easy to use, but it still took me 3 hours to do all these letters, ahh!  I love how they turned out though!!

Here are the finished pencil pouches!  I didn't want the other fabric to be so busy it took away from the letters.  The girls LOVED them, I'm sure it's because they had their names plastered across the front :o)

Another fun project I have been working on this summer is another EPP project, pattern by Becca at Bryan House Quilts.  I decided to just use a ton of different fabrics, with the low volume for my neutral fabrics.  This picture isn't stellar quality, thank you iPhone,but you get the general idea.

 I need to start using my "real" camera again, but I still have to dump 1500 pics off my memory card, eep!  Guess I know what I will be working on this fall!

Unexpected Break

I did not plan on being out of the blogging loop for 2 months!!  After getting back from our vacation, it has been non-stop with catching up at work and the girlies' activities.  Vacation was amazing....no other word for it.  I took a little over 1500 pictures and just haven't had a chance to go through them all yet, but soon!  Almost everyone has asked me what was my favorite city-London, Paris, or Rome? Honestly, I loved them all and each one was so different that I can't nail down a favorite.  Although, Paris was pretty much amazing and I wish I could have stayed there at least another forever.  But I felt that way about London and Rome, too.  I confess that I did do a little job hunting while I was in London, you know, just in case :o)

Our days were packed with site-seeing, tours, activities in general.  I loved every second...even when I fell out of the abnormally high bathtub in London on my first day and got a HUGE bruise on my leg that lasted for 3 weeks :o)  Travelling internationally was interesting, too...I got a FULL pat down in both Paris and Rome.  Definitely no boundaries there!  I have to admit though, after the 3rd hand-on experience, I was starting to feel a bit violated and was ready to get home where the TSA agents aren't so touchy-feely!  I missed my girlies the whole time, even though we face timed every day, but I can't imagine taking them at their age.  I fully plan to take them one day when they are older though!  Until I get my camera unloaded and sorted, here are some iPhone pics that aren't half bad :o)

This was taken while we were in the London Eye, amazing views!! London was truly awesome.

One of my favorite churches in Paris, the Sacre Cour.  Set on a hill, overlooking the city.

  Love this pic of my husband doing the Heisman pose.  The Eiffel Tower was breath-taking.

The Trevi Fountain, no other word but incredible.  We went twice while in Rome just to sit and take it all in.

The Colosseum, so much history, monument to Christian martyrs.  Absolutely awesome!