Yarn Along

July 1st is the deadline for this knitting.  One more week.  I have spent since January working on 2 very large projects and I can't say I will miss this.  Next week there will be a bath and blocking for this last part of the secret knitting and then my plan is to move on to a small project.  Maybe a shrug.

I've been shooting a lot of photos in the garden/meadow this week.  The colors are so vibrant and there are 2 newbies to the family...alliums and bee balm.

Linking up with Ginny!

A Meadow and a Pillow

As much as I planned this summer to spend time in the back garden, the wedding plans have overtaken that time and now I have to admit the garden has become more of a meadow.  Despite all the rain we had, which should have made the ground soft enough to weed, I lost the time and now the clay ground is hard again.  Getting anything pulled requires back breaking strength. I'm not ready to give up, but I am going to have to turn those back sprinklers on and give it some artificial help.

I removed tons of coneflowers last year as they were taking over everything.  I had no idea when  I planted them they were so prolific.  Take some words of wisdom and make sure you put them in a contained area!  But I do have to admit that mixed with he daylillies the colors are stunning.

This was my first year to put in alliums.  We had some in our first house just outside the back door and I loved that aroma. Yes it took me 27 years to plant them here, but its done.  And that Bee Balm was transplanted from the front garden where it just refused to bloom. Here in the sun it has taken off!

The lemons are growing at a very slow pace. I guess I thought I would be enjoying them by now, but again there is a learning curve.

I'm not sure whether the pumpkins will produce this year, but I am seeing blooms.  What a nice surprise that would be in the fall after the festivities are complete.  Dreaming of walking out to the garden after the wedding and seeing pumpkins on the vine.  A little reverse Cinderella?

Twenty-one years ago my sister -in-law stitched this ring bearer pillow when the first of our children's generation married.  Each name since then has been added to the back as a family record.  My two oldest daughters are there and now I am about to record another of my girls.  It is a very personal time when I stitch these names on.  I won't hide the fact that tears fall gently as I do.  It seems to be a parting as the needle pulls through the linen.  A gradual release of these daughters from our family into their new one.  It is very difficult that for me...releasing these girls.  Not a day goes by that I don't spend time wishing I had those days back.  But, since that won't happen, I make sure there is love coating the tears as I add names and dates to this piece of family history.

Happy Monday!

 Good morning!  A rainy weekend and beginning to the week. No one here is complaining because we need the rain so much!

I finished the design for the camera backpack for Drawstrings.  It probably doesn't look any different from the backpack.  That is because most of the change is not visible.  The bag is lined with quilt batting and has a firm bottom. I also added clips to the shoulder straps to keep them together.It works very well!

We had a baby shower yesterday.  You may recognize that blanket.  Added to it is the laundry size bag  in my niece's nursery fabrics.  She really loved both and said there was no way she would put dirty clothes in that bag.  I assured her is would wash!

The rain was a blessing and a curse for the garden. It makes it so easy to weed, but so hard to get to the weeds! And look at that pepper!!  I am so much a flower gardener, but not so much veggies.  So I began with just a pepper plant because we eat so many.  It's growing!!

I have a new bird feeder.  My youngest daughter ordered one from this etsy shop.  When she picked up her feeder, there happened to be an extra.  It just jumped into my hands and came home with me. This is just outside my studio window and I love watching the birds while I am sewing.

The week ahead is filled with lots of plans. A trip to the zoo is in order this week with a few of the grandchildren.  There is a new exhibit of giant bugs!

Hope your weekend was great!  Back tomorrow with Reflections.