Hello September!

Well, gosh. As reluctantly as possible, I am waving goodbye to sweet summery August, and welcoming in crisp and cool September.

I just can't explain why I am so ambivalent about leaving the summer months behind. I have never been prone to looking back with melancholy or sadness, but letting go of this wonderful summer is proving hard for me.

My best explanation: I feel like we accomplished so many little chores and projects around the house, all of which were exceedingly satisfying. Couple that with several mini-trips along with just enough days of no-particular-plan-at-all, and I just didn't want it to end.

Now here I am on September first, and I have finally completed my August collage. I really labored over selecting 9 pictures - so many more could have been included.

In the top row, first up is a sweet little craft made with my dear Frienzies on Friday evening. We were at Susan's house for dinner al fresco, and afterwards, she showed us how to make the candle stand out of a down-turned wine class and fall décor. Add a candle to top it off. Sweet and easy.

Top row middle is my long-arm effort courtesy of my "coach" for the day, Terry. I will have more on this quilt after my nephew's wedding. And last in the top row, the aged porch swing after it's power-washing. I am still in the process of getting the necessary hardware to hang it on our front porch.

Middle row - the Ohio State t-shirt quilt which will be quilted this coming week and then donated to the scholarship fund-raising effort of DH's fraternity alumni association. Center pic is of a long-standing tradition of swimming on the final day of summer before the kids go back to school. In this case, since all of my kids are beyond that age, we (my sister and I) used our twin nieces - they are now 6th graders! The last pic of the middle row is from Kingwood Garden in Mansfield. I sure did love visiting that garden. I never did a full post about this visit, and I probably should have. It was gorgeous.

Bottom row - Perry Monument on South Bass Island/Put-In-Bay, Lake Erie. We have enjoyed brief trips to the island for several years now; we have putzed around on a golf cart many times, and always enjoy the relaxing pace and familiar scenery. The reason we were in northern Ohio was because we had selected one afternoon game to go see the Indians; we had a bonus, as the previous night's game had been rained out. So we sat through a doubleheader, both WINS, and enjoyed every minute of it. Finally, last picture, I finished a UFO of about 15 years, Six Degrees by Miss Rosie's Quilts. It was fun to work on, and for the life of me, I have no idea why I had been so intimidated about completing this way back when.

Gosh, what a great month. Wouldn't it be great to fill September with equally fun and satisfying days? I am working on a goals list; knowing that my time is going to be limited due to classwork, I will be careful to choose projects wisely.

I do have one really big plan, and I promise to share it soon. I will tease you a bit. Hint: it involves my long-arm machine. *winky-grin*

Happy Labor Day Weekend, Peeps, and
Happy Quilting, Friends!