Summer Vacation is a Full Time Job

Oh, wow. I can't believe how long it's been since I last blogged. Yes, it's definitely summer vacation! I'm taking advantage of double play dates and a nap to get a post in.

I was a bit spoiled this past school year. I had two kids in school full time and a little one who took a nap without a fuss every day, leaving me plenty of time to sew, blog, whatever. As you can imagine, the first week of vacation was a little rocky as we all got used to being together (constantly) and the loss of our routines. Now we're in the groove of summer, though, and it's been great fun!

False Indigo in bloom at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

Hiker Paul

We've been on nature hikes, spent a day downtown at the gorgeous Minneapolis Central Library (where we saw the national unveiling of the new USPS bicycling stamps), listened to live music while eating ice cream cones at our beloved Lake Harriet band shell, took a carousel ride, been to the beach/pool about a million times, played on amazing playgrounds with monster slides and rope ladders, and we've been to 3 movies (Mirror, Mirror at the fabulously retro Riverview Theater, Madagascar 3, and Brave).

Anticipation!

Alex was the only one brave enough to ride a horse. The rest of us sat in a carriage. Next time...

It's fun being a tourist in our own city. Here's a fraction of what's still on our list:

A day at the Science Museum of Minnesota
Camping
Rent a surrey bike at Minnehaha Falls
A trip to Open Field and the sculpture garden at the Walker Art Center
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Geocaching
Gibbs Farm
Hit some local nature centers

In between it all, I drive my son Alex to tennis camp, baseball practice/games, soccer, and saxophone lessons. The best part of the day, though, is when the neighborhood kids gather in our front yard and just play. I pick raspberries from my enormous patch (what I consider my full time summer job) then the kids devour them. That's what summer is all about, don't you agree?

In between it all I'm managing to squeeze in a bit of sewing. Check out these bags headed off to their new owners. Now I'm feeling inspired to make more bags (and use up some of the obscene amount of fabric in my stash).

Since we don't have central air conditioning in our 104-year-old house, most of my stitching and pressing must be done in the wee hours of the morning or night. While we do have window units (it's already been in the high 90's - ugh), they are reserved for living spaces and sleeping spaces. The sewing room didn't make the cut! That's okay, we've got plenty of winter here in Minnesota for doing mountains of sewing. Gotta enjoy summer while it lasts!

What's keeping you busy lately?

Happy sewing,

-Annik

Field Trip Friday

Not so long ago, my dear sweet 2 year old decided she wasn't interested in taking a nap. I was deeply annoyed by her decision but was determined not to let it ruin my day. I loaded her up in the car and off we went to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts to check out a fabric exhibit.

The show is called Optical Effects: 1970s Printed Textiles and here are some highlights for those of you who aren't lucky enough to have this wonderful museum in your neighborhood ;) Please note that I took these photos without the benefit of a flash, which means the pics don't do the prints justice.

I should have just taken a nap...

This was my favorite print in the collection.

Delicious selvage

More delicious selvage

So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed the field trip. If you're in Minneapolis, MN the show runs until 2/26/2012. While this exhibit is small, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is not to be missed!

-Annik

P.S. Dear sweet daughter passed out in the car on the way home. Figures!