I'm back

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth nor did I melt away in Las Vegas though I could have. Vegas was Vegas and very hot (114) and a lot of driving. Seth's classes and woodworkers convention were down on the strip and Neil's brother lives about 45 minutes away. Seth had a great time with his classes and walking around the convention looking at the different vendors/exhibits. The team didn't win anything unfortunately, but it was a good learning experience. Better luck in 2 years.
Here's the cabinet on the display floor. It finally has it's doors and everything. I think it turned out great. This past year was the first year that woodshop was offered to the high school group. It's been a great class for Seth.

Hopefully you can see the other projects that were exhibited at the show. There was a lot of talent on display here. Fortunately for these other schools, they have state of the art equipment and a couple of years of woodworking behind them.

Here's Seth, Steven and Andrew at the awards banquet. It was an interesting evening, but fun. We left for home the next day. Tina had grandma watch while we were gone and she did a remarkable job.

Since our return I've been busy doing things that need to be done before I go back to work and school resumes. Like cleaning out our storage unit. We rented a unit last year to put all the flotsam from the garage into during our remodel, which is a whole different post. So I've been going through boxes I haven't opened in at least a year. Deciding what to get rid of and what to keep. I've managed to get rid of 1/2 of my fabric stash. I just don't have the time that I used to to devote to my sewing hobbies. I get a few things done every now and then. Not complaining, it's just life. I donated the fabric my kids had outgrown to the local quilt guild for their preemie quilt project that they do. So at least a good portion of it went to a good cause. Now comes the part of getting rid of other things harder to let go of.

Seth and I have been working on the yard and getting the school room ready. I finished that today. Yippee!! Work resumes next Thursday. Where did my summer go? I've also been working on the Pirate quilt for the library. Our theme this year is "Set sail for Adventure". It's a pirate/explorer theme and should be a lot of fun. Activity days will center around pirate activities. I'll be sure to post pictures of our fun year and of the quilt. The quilt is to be the grand prize in our paperback book drive. Everytime someone donates a new paperback book, that gives them a chance to win the quilt. We'll draw names for prizes probably in April sometime. I've already spoken to the principal and he's agreed to let us talk and dress like pirate's on National Talk Like a Pirate day (September 19th if you're wondering). I'm sure the kids will just love this. Well gotta run. Enjoy the pictures I've posted below. Hope everyone is doing great and happy in blogland.
This picture was taken of the bench that sits in the frontyard on May 10th.

This picture was taken June 3. The morning glory vine is taking off.

These flowers sit to the side. We planted Bachelor Buttons, Zinnias and a few others. They didn't all come up though.
This picture was taken June 21. It's just starting to cover the bench.
The Bachelor Buttons are just beautiful though.

This picture was taken July 25. You might be afraid to sit on it now. You can barely see the bench.

These pretty little hollyhocks grow behind the bench. It's a nice little surprise once you get around the "monster".

Remember this ugly picture of the backyard?

I just took this picture yesterday. It's much improved. The flower bed on the left though still needs work. We've been spraying the bermuda with Roundup. I don't generally use chemicals but bermuda demands an aggressive defense. I hope to work compost and gypsum in to it over the winter. ( I hear that song "she's got high hopes" playing in the background.)

This pretty little bed is to the right of the chaise. It's been doing great. We've had a few insurgent bermudas pop up their weedy little heads, but we've managed to dig them out and stay on top of it. This bed is shaded by my neighbor's gargantuan palm tree which is beginning to topple the wall. Yikes. I'll miss the shade though.

Hope everyone is well and happy in blogland.