July Is Slipping Away!

Wow!  I can't believe how quickly this summer is slipping by me!! Here we are in the last weekend of July and no blogs!  Yikes! Its not like I have been so busy there was no time to blog.  Quite the opposite.  Time just got away from me.

I'm still working on a couple of projects that I started earlier.   Not much progress in the quilt room.  I've been working on the Midnight Stars quilt, a blue and white applique on a feathered star quilt. It's done nothing but frustrate me, so no pictures yet.

I finished  two sweaters.  I showed you the green one last time as it was being blocked. I made that one out of Berrocco Comfort. It is an acrylic yarn.  I made another one out of Summer Linen by Universal Yarn Company.  What a difference there is working with those yarns!

 

Here is Lauren in the acrylic Comfort yarn. This was a DK yarn knitted on #6 circular needle. My gauge was about 5.5stitches per inch.  Sometimes, it seems to get looser as I knit...

Here I am in the cotton/linen.  It hasn't been blocked yet. This is also a DK yarn but I got about 5 stitches per inch on #6 needles.  Interesting!! It looks like my knitting was VERY loose....( This is the Buttercup pattern. ..BTW)

My brother David and sister-in-law Marcia were here last week for a doc appointment at the U of I.  He is 2 years post heart transplant!! Hard to believe!! And, he continues to do very well!!  As a treat, Marcia and I 'kidnapped' David and took him on a surprise visit to LeClaire, Iowa to visit Antique Archeology.  Otherwise known as the "American Pickers". He really got a charge out of that!

While we were there, Lauren and Bob were in Chicago to help celebrate grandma Strug's birthday.  She celebrated her 92!!

Here is Bob and his sister Carol with Grandma Strug.
Also this month, Cooper had surgery on his bladder for stones.  He is recovering nicely.
Hard to believe school starts soon!! Even harder to believe that Lauren will be a junior in college this year!  Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Happy 4th of July!

Lauren's home from her Geology Field class!!  And she had THE BEST TIME..EVER!!!!!!( her words.)  Really, she was so excited when she got home. Her enthusiasm was bubbling over!  She couldn't say enough great things about the experience.  Loved the camping, the hiking (wants to hike EVERYWHERE), the flora, the fauna, the people, etc., etc.!

I was so relieved.  You may recall how I shed a tear or two when she pulled out of the driveway because it was very obvious to me that she DID NOT WANT TO GO. But, it turns out that most of the fear was from not really knowing anyone and just the UNKNOWN.  But, as usual, Lauren stepped up to the plate and forged ahead.  It also helped that everyone on the trip was great, too!!

 Here are a few pictures that I stole from her Facebook album. Not necessarily in chronological order.

  Here she is on a mountain somewhere on Wyoming! Lots of suntan lotion, water, hat and well broken-in hiking boots was the fashion of the day.

Lauren with the presidents at Rushmore. The Beloit group explored the Badlands, the Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore, Devils Tower...so many awesome sights. Then into Wyoming to the Big Horn Mountains, Sheep Mountain, Crazy Woman Canyon, Sinks Cave, and the Seminoe Mountains. Just to name a few...

Here's Devil's Tower behind a goofy Lauren.

This is their campsite at the Seminoe Mountains. (I think) Anyway, it is how they camped every night!

Lauren's caption with this photo explaining how many trees are in Wyoming...

This is the final mapping of the area in the Seminoe Mountains.  This is a week's worth of work using tools and methods of geological mapping.
Lauren was very excited about future geology trips...Colorado, Hawaii.  Who wouldn't be excited!?
So, I guess we better enjoy our time with her while we can...