...and then there were two

We are back down to two and the kitties are feeling better.  Wren has stopped licking her belly naked (I think it took her a reality-check that things weren't as bad as she thought - Ha, ha!).  This only issue seems to be that Tulip has begun stalking Sera and Sera has not been using the litter boxes appropriately...sigh.  We just took Sera to the vet and found out that she has a UTI - that might be contributing to the issue.  Antibiotics and L-Lysine for her...sigh.  We hope she feels better soon.

We are seeing the household come back into normality, or as normal as it gets around here.  

It was just announced that we will be having the membership fees waived for the next year at the gym on campus!  What a treat!  They have aerobic machines, a walking track, and two pools - one shallow/warm and one deeper/lap.  I will be taking advantage of that again starting on August 8th, when we go back to school - Classes start on August 15th.  I will be teaching 3 sections of the exact same class - I don't know if I should be excited or scared - LOL!  I made a "class diary" last semester when I taught 2 sections of another class, but this will be a new experience - I think it will be good.  I am not sure about the exams...2 classes on M/W, and 1 on T/Th...How do test them without them talking to each other and spilling the beans on what is covered?  I guess I just have to be patient and do my best and suggest that they might not find it adventitious to blab.

We have had some neat weather around here lately. But most of it seems to miss us - we are not getting the quantity that we expect - most of it goes north and east of us - I guess that is because of the winds coming off the ocean - though we are ~10 miles inland.  

some really cool mammary clouds - though I thought they usually came *after* a storm, they came before the rain here...(we were at Lowe's Home Improvement, of course - we always seem to go when it is raining!) 

a bit better/closer view of the clouds.  I have only seen this type of cloud in-person one other time - In Columbus, with Mom - we were driving back from one of her treatments and we saw these over Riverside Hospital.

 

The next day brought more threatening weather... ^^ the view from the front porch... 

 

^^ the view from the back porch.  Neat.

I have also been working on a quilt for the youngest that was here - a monster quilt from a pattern in "Happy Quilts" a new quilt book by Antonie Alexander at Red Boot Quilts.  I love this woman's sense of whimsy and joy.  She has a TON of patterns for quilts and softies - the book has 10 quilts and a softie that goes with each - I do plan to make a softie that goes with the monsters, too :) ... Fonda has been helping me with balance and more...

First, we had to pick out the backgrounds and the associated borders (all black-on-black, white-on-white, black and white, and two grays) - You don't know how hard it is to balance this until you try!  Apparently we are not big on grays - it was a struggle to find some in our stash!  

so...I had to trace all the pieces onto fusible-web, then cut them out...then pick fabrics for each monster - thank you Fonda for helping: 1) choose colors, and 2) getting those that kinda matched! and then, 3) helping me to kinda put the right monster in each block.  I wasn't sure about the pupils - if they would be buttons or sewn on...the monsters don't look as cute without pupils (as seen above)...I decided that because it is for a 3yo I should not use buttons...so...

 

a bit *more* tracing and then a bit *more* fusing and cutting...and now the monsters have pupils and are starting to look kinda cute...now...to actually sew everything together...each piece got sewn around each edge with a coordinating color of thread...I thought I was finished, Fonda recommended I double check everything...so: horns, eyes, body, teeth...horns, eyes, body, teeth...ten more times (at midnight, when I need to be at school at 9am)...I forgot ONE SET OF HORNS!!!!!!!!!  Luckily, I had not put that thread away yet...done around 1am with all the sewing, pulling threads to the back, and tying off and trimming...

eventually - I got them put back together in the right order and then sewn together (as seen above) - I skipped the photo of how I threw them up there at 1am...it was a mess - ha, ha.  I am not sure how we got two green-guys together, but it works out OK.

 

 then on to the borders - again, trying to make the b&w/gray borders appear random - harder than it should be - ha, ha.  Gotta try to make the pieces not match the one next to them or the square inside!  Anyway - Fonda and I got it together and then I had to pick some colors for the inner border...

And *finally* the top is done (YAY!)...now, all I have to to is 1) layer it, 2) baste it some way, 3) quilt it, 4) do the binding, and 5) put the label on it...and then do the final 5 steps with three more quilts for the other grandchildren! This has to be a labor of love...If not, it wouldn't be worth it.  

I am officially on vacation (minus going to help with registration tomorrow [Monday])...I get to sleep in for the next few days and I am totally looking forward to it :)  

There are plants to plant and water and there are hummingbirds to feed...so I guess I am off for now...One more photo - of Wren the 2nd oldest of our clan...She is 17 yo and has recently taken to the basket on the table between our computers.  She is my original sweet-tart-girl.  

Peace.