Been So Long

I can't believe how long its been since I last posted.  Where did August go?????  I guess we've been pretty busy, although I sure don't have much to show for it.  Jared has made it as far as one border being added.

DD went to Scout camp early in August for an entire week.  It was an unusual camping session called "All Around the World".  There were just three girls in the "unit" and three counselors -- all from foreign countries.  The theme All Around the World reflected the different cultures that the girls learned about.  The counselors were from Australia and England.  But they also shared cultures like China, New Zealand, Africa, etc.  The girl made scones and wore their jumpers (sweaters) when it got cold.  Pretty cool, huh?  DD came home speaking in an Australian accent.  Very funny.

DD (at right)  at camp with friend and counselor

After DD's week at camp, she came home for three days and then we went back up to Scout camp with her troop for 3 days.  We had 7 girls and 2 adults.  I have to admit, that my stamina wasn't good enough to keep up with the girls on the trails.  I was always lagging behind the group.  The girls had a great time cooking outside, swimming in the pool or lake, learning new camp songs, and making new friends.  But everyone was bitten by the making lanyards bug.  By the end of camp, everyone tried it and made plans to make more.

Making Lanyards

After Troop camp was over, DD and I headed to Ft Wayne, Indiana to visit my best friend for the rest of the week.  We had a great time running around and hanging out together.

Jennifer and DD

School starts in just three more days.  All the supplies have been bought, new school clothes have been bought, and we've practiced the new locker combination a couple of times.  We'll go back tomorrow to practice one last time and to drop off most of the supplies so DD doesn't have to carry them all to school in her backpack.  If your school list is like ours, it probably weighs about 20 pounds!

Hope your August was as wonderful as ours.

I'm Back!!!!!!!!!

Well, my computer is back to life so I guess I'll get back into the blogging groove. I've been pretty busy over the past couple of weeks, but I'll just give you the highlights.

At the end of June is DD's birthday and instead of having a big (expensive) party, I took her and two of her friends to the Milwaukee Zoo. The girls all had a great time and I managed not to break the bank.

For the 4th of July the family went out to Waukegan Harbor for their annual fireworks display. We had access to the docks and set up our picnic and chairs out there. The day was a little overcast and cool, but the fireworks were great. Here's my dad and my two brothers.

Last weekend we went camping over at Crystal Lake Campground. I did visit the quilt shop in town :) and then took DD and her friend to visit a winery. This winery is over 150 years old, and one of the oldest wineries in America. The grounds were gorgeous. We went on the tour (only $3.50 for me and the girls were free) which included a tasting.

This last week DD was at Girl Scout camp. Here she is in front of her cabin when I dropped her off.

On the quilting front, I haven't done too much. My mom sent some squares to put together into a flimsy for a baby quilt for Haiti and I did that one afternoon. I also completed another charm square bag. Today I'm getting back to the Sisters Choice quilt I started with Bonnie Hunter.

Summer seems to be going by way too fast.