Ivy Arts

Our blueberries are getting set to ripen. I never knew that the dark blue-purple of the berries starts out as a bright magenta. Pretty.

I love a project that moves right along, especially after a long and difficult one. This quilt for the boys is a simple focus fabric block alternating with nine patches. The nine patches are ready to chain piece together and this beauty should fall together in no time (fingers crossed).

When to get stitches.

The only times I’ve ever gotten stitches is when my wisdom teeth were removed and after childbirth. On none of these occasions did I inspect the wounds. I simply don’t know when they’re warranted.

One time I thought I needed them. I dropped a utility knife on my foot and had a 1″ gash with oodles of blood that ruined a favorite pair of Naot sandals. Nope, not then.

The small boy fell in the yard the other day and got two deep cuts on his leg. Both my husband and my mom thought they should be checked out. So we made our first trip to the ER as parents. Our little patient was a trooper, buoyed by an inflatable elephant he found in the waiting room. No stitches required. Just some gauze and a good cleaning. Good as new in no time.

My husband bought himself a chainsaw for Father’s Day. This is one happy guy.

There are a lot of changes that happen moving from a condominium community to your own home. There are lots of obvious ones but also some (still obvious) ones that I hadn’t thought of.

• In a condo, you never have to remember what day the garbage collectors come. The dumpster is there everyday.

• In a condo, you never have to worry about neighbors cutting their lawns at odd hours. (Meet our new neighbor, the Midnight Mower.)

• In a condo, you don’t have to weed anything. Or know what is or is not a weed.

• In a condo, you don’t have to worry about a fox trying to eat your pet ducks. My husband has set up a trap to entice the trespasser to our newly established “Fox Relocation Program”. So far the only applicant has been a baby possum… twice three times.

Ahh, it’s good to be home.

We like to share Ta-Da! moments in my quilting class… a difficult block, a great color combination, a finished project. Here’s my organized fabric stash happily living in my new sewing room!

(ok, I Photoshopped two photos together so you could get the full effect. I couldn’t photograph the cabinet properly and get a good view of both doors open.)

I’ll say it again, I’m so excited!

We’ve finished painting everything that was going to be done right now so now the real cleaning and organizing can begin. It’s really beginning to feel like home.

This is a before picture, formerly a guest bedroom.

And here’s the after – a first glimpse of the sewing room (paint = Benjamin Moore Hathaway Peach). I was able to start arranging and unpacking a bit yesterday. I’m really excited. I’ve claimed all the random shelves and tables that don’t belong anywhere else and so far it seems to be working. I haven’t even begun to unpack and organize my fabric stash yet. I’m saving the best for last. I’ll get a picture of that soon (I hope).

I think I’m going to have to put the scrap quilt on hold for a bit to start another boy quilt. The small boy is out of the toddler bed and so a new full size quilt is in order. I picked up this focus fabric which I think will be a big hit. I’m working on a simple grid of this fabric and some nine-patches like this one that is in the same room. My quilting teacher has a template for nine patches that sounds like fun. I’ll check it out tomorrow night.

We moved from a small, pristine New England coastal town with a gorgeous beach, endless salt marshes and a winding river to a developed, congested mid-size town outside of Boston. When I would tell people where we were moving to, I saw the disappointment in their eyes. How could I leave such a great little town for the suburban sprawl?

This is why.

Ok, I’m being a tiny bit defensive here. I have judiciously cropped out the scrap heaps behind the barn and the industrial park is right behind the tree line. But still. It’s a great yard and we’re very lucky.

More unpacking and organizing to do. I can’t wait to get started on the sewing room!

It’s been crazy moving in and I’m exhausted but here are a few reasons why it’s so worth it. The baby ducks are huge now. The kids chase them around for fun and I chase them around fruitlessly trying to herd them to their house at night. They’re not very cooperative. There’s lots of quacking and I end up running to and fro. It’s not a pretty sight.

We planted this herb garden for my mother-in-law last year and the sage, chives, thyme and oregano have already come back with a vengeance. I’ve added parsley, rosemary, cilantro and basil. Hopefully some tasty dishes are in our future.

I’m glad we got the internet back after almost a week. Lots to catch up on. More later.

Sorry to be so lax in posting of late. It’s moving day tomorrow. It’s chaos around here. Stick around for some fresh new updates next week!