Grandma and Grandpa Camp 2024

 

     This year was not a Breencation year so we decided to have Grandma and Grandpa camp at our house for a week. We had the four oldest grandkids get dropped off at noon on a Sunday with scheduled pick up time the following Sunday at 4 with dinner for everyone.

     The first thing we did was plan meals and head to the grocery store.  They picked out fruits and veggies for the week plus the things we needed for meals including some snacks.  Next they hit the beach to play in the sand and water.  Then it was cleanup time and dinner.  

     On Monday we went to the library where they played and then checked out a bunch of books and a game to play.  The rest of the day was outside playing including GaGa ball.  Tuesday we went to the matinee movie and saw Migration.  That evening Maggie and Sam made pizza, including making the dough in the bread maker.  

     Wednesday was the Lake County Fair.  We walked there in the morning to scope everything out.  We found that my granddaughter's First Communion dress that I made for her won Grand Champion.  After a totally not nutritious lunch we walked back home.  It is only about1.5 miles from our home so it was a doable walk for them.  After some rest time we went to the Grayslake farmers market where we bought more fruit, some cheese sticks and cookies.  Then back home, unloaded the the food and headed back to the fair via car this time.  After checking out the animals, we bought them the unlimited rides wristband and they just went from ride to ride.  They went on the rides multiple times, definitely worth the money. We didn't leave there until 9PM.  Some very tired kids.

      On Thursday we were originally going to go downtown but decided everyone was too tired.  Instead we spent the day playing, learning how to use the SUP board, and taking a shorter walk.  That evening Colton and Miles made spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread for dinner.

     Friday we packed up the car and drove to Iowa to visit their cousins out there, our two youngest grandkids.  We stopped at Little Wrigley in Freeport for a picnic lunch and some playing time.  That afternoon they played with their cousins and we had dinner with them.  It was our first meal indoors all week.  After checking into the hotel for the night, we spent time playing in the pool.  The next morning we met my son, daughter-in-law and the two little ones at a nature learning center.  They played in the outdoor area in the morning, we had a picnic lunch and then headed inside to play.  

     Then it was time to start heading home.  First we stopped to get a little cleaned up and change into nicer clothes.  Then we went to Mass and headed out.  Stopped at McDonalds for dinner and then got some ice cream.  One more pit stop after that and then home after 10PM.  Straight into bed for everyone!

     On Sunday we took turns playing and cleaning up.  By the time their parents arrived at 4 they were all packed and everything cleaned up.  We enjoyed a nice meal, but inside because of the rain.  It was a fun week but exhausting.  They were so good, a few meltdowns but nothing unreasonable.  I hope we can do it again.

Handprint Pillows

 

Finished Pillows

     My mom passed away in November.  When we were cleaning out her place, we found a sweatshirt that we had done for her 20+ years ago.  Obviously no one in the family really wanted it so I decided to take it and make small pillows from it.

Prepping the cut square

     I cut out each handprint and added fusible interfacing to the back.  Then I sewed white canvas fabric to frame the handprint and cut them to size to make the pillows.

Flat pillows

     I bought some pillow forms from Amazon.  They were really compressed for shipping.  After opening them up, they still were pretty flat, so I placed them in the dryer on air fluff with some clean tents shoes to fluff them up.

Just opened pillow forms

Pillow forms after the dryer

     After sewing the pillow cover and inserting the form, I opted to just sew them closed by machine as there were ten of them and not a high end design pillow.

Front of the sweatshirt

Back of the sweatshirt

  

     As one of the co-executors of the will, it was my job to write out the inheritance checks as dictated by my mom's will.  I then placed the checks with a note explaining about the pillows and mailed them off.  My youngest niece was not born when this sweatshirt was done so I used the sleeves of the sweatshirt to make her a pillow and embroidered her name on it.  I wanted to make sure each of my mom's grandkids had a piece of her memory.

ASG Conference 2024

 

     I went to San Francisco two weeks ago for the last in-person American Sewing Guild Conference.  It was a mix of good and bad.  The flights are long, especially when in a middle seat.  On the way out I had two armrest hogs and on the way home I had someone that didn't know what deodorant was.  Getting to and from the airport was a breeze, my husband took me there and picked me up.  In San Fran, the BART system took me right to my hotel from the airport.  So easy to use, helpful people and clean.

       The classes were a mix also.  The two classes (Serger 101 and Intro to American Bojagi) I had with Katrina Walker were amazing.  She puts in so much effort into the handout, a booklet in a three prong folder, that you paste all your samples.  It is no wonder that she was inducted into the ASG Hall of Fame this year.  I had a class on the history of sewing patterns with Julianne Bramson that was very interesting.  My last class, Leather Sit & Sew, was not that great.  She had a one page handout with very little info.  It was hard to take notes and sew at the same time.  We did a bound pocket but I didn't know that I will be able to duplicate it because I couldn't take enough notes.  

     I was going to buy a classroom serger, it sewed like a dream.  When I went to get it on Sunday after the last class, my debit card was denied and when we called to get it corrected, there was going to be a long wait time to talk with someone.  I just didn't have the patience.  I had woken up at 4AM that morning and I was hungry because it was lunchtime plus they didn't have a morning break for us that day.  So sorry I missed out on getting it.

     The lunches were okay, except for the last one.  The lunchtime talks were good.  The fashion show had some amazing items.  One woman had made an anorak jacket from her mom's wedding dress.  A practical way to be able to still get some use from it.

     The last day I did the fabric shopping trip.  We first went to Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics.  I bought quite a bit there.  Then we went to a fabric discount warehouse where I bought a few more pieces.  Last stop was Britex where I bought one piece that cost about what I had spent at the two other places combined.  I was prepared for this fabric shopping trip.  I had looked through my Itch To Stitch patterns and written down the yardage I needed for each. That made shopping more enjoyable.  I also took photos of the pattern with the fabric so I would remember what I bought each piece for.  Now I just need some time to sew up everything I bought.