Take it away school!

It's over.  Summer vacation is over.  I feel like crying.  There has been a noticeable absence from this blog because the summer was packed.  That is as it should be.  There was also a noticeable absence from sewing, knitting, crocheting, or any other handcrafts.  That isn't as it should be but it is what is.  When there are children here almost everyday and as many as 7 of them, there is no time for sittin' and knittin'.  I did miss sitting in the  yard and doing that though.  Our yard is secluded, shady, and perfect on even the hottest days to sit and enjoy.  Ahhh, well, the kids are only young once.  I did sit in the yard but more as a peace keeper with the sprinkler and hoses going.  As I said the summer was packed.  Below are a few of our adventures:                       

                                      Trips to the local water park

Time for napping

            Somebody turned two!  That was just one of the 10 birthdays we celebrated this summer!

                                             There were blue ribbons won at the fair!

                                     There was soap making

                             There was the family campout to Ft. Stevens.  The weather was perfect for playing on the beach, swimming in the lake, and riding bikes.

                           There was some Nonny cuddle time with a book.

                         What would camping be without hot dogs?

                     There were visits to the Battery for hide and seek and photo ops.

                  There were baseball games and routing for the home team.

                 There was painting in the yard and then sprinkler play to wash off.

             On a really hot day, inside play at Pump It Up was great fun.

                      There was one last trip to the water park.

                     And the last day before school starts, a trip on the rails, complete with a hold up.

Yep, summer was FUN!  And PACKED!  There was time for learning too.  We watched the entire series of Liberty Kids from OPB in half hour increments each day.  We all came away with a knowledge of the Revolutionary War.  I did manage a few sewing projects in the last week.  Little ones that will eventually make it on the blog but for now, I'm reliving summer and my eyes are misting over.  It went way too fast.  9 months until it's summer again!  In the meantime, there is fall and winter and spring fun to plan.

Monster mash

It's been a crazy busy summer and I am trying to reap the most out of the last days.  We celebrate birthdays all summer and that means, usually, a lot of knitting or sewing.  This year it was knitting.  Monsters.  8 of them to be exact, or 10 if you count the 2 baby monsters.  There is a sampling below but all but one are pictured on my ravelry page.  Why monsters?  We went to see Monster's University for 4 of the birthdays.  So monsters.  They were fun to knit.  And I would do them again.  Maybe for great grandchildren.  I so appreciated my daughter's help.  She did all the stockinette in the round.  I did the shaping.

 This last week we've been making the use of the days.  Being children.  Lots of fort building going on inside and out using whatever is available.  Mattresses and couches and blankets inside.  Sticks and whatever outside.  A lot of art work to keep hands busy and fighting to a minimum.  Homemade play doh  bought me two hours!

 Painting rocks and paper, another 2 hours.

 And today, tye dyeing shirts for football season.  Duck colors of course!

 As well over the summer we worked on some sewing.  Learning some basic sewing on the machine and cutting and ironing.  All of the simple skills went into making 20 dresses for the Dress a Girl Program via a friend in Washington who is active in the program and is planning a return trip to Africa next summer.  We were glad to add 20 dresses to her goal of taking 1000.  More importantly than the sewing skills they learned was the way their hearts were touched for little girls in Africa without dresses.  One of my granddaughters prayed for the little girls as we were sending the dresses off.  That ranks success in a project to me.

Two more days of summer for me to play with them.  I will miss them dreadfully as they don backpacks and lunches.  They asked for mac and cheese...again.  My answer, yes!

It's almost gone.....

Summer, that is.  But while the bees are still buzzing and busy, we'll grab on to the last days of summer.

 The days are still warm enough to play golf.  The rain hasn't started yet.

 Summer wearing into fall means the salmon are in the river and the days are still warm, but not too warm, to be out in a boat trying to lure them on to the end of a hook.

 It's cooler, but still perfect for outdoor craft projects.  And where better to tie dye shirts than OUTside?

 The water is still on at the local water park.  So before it's too late, there is time for another play day there.

 But cool enough that after a bit of water, sitting in the sun to warm up is a part of the day.

 Late summer evenings are perfect for outdoor volleyball games.  Or spectating if you're not quite tall enough for volleyball.

 Summer evenings mean the hand knit sweaters come out and go on.

 Late summer is a perfect time to view the abundance and beauty of dahlias at the dahlia festival.

 And the end of summer means the end of birthday season and time to get the portraits that mean they are another year older. 

 Outdoor portraits are the best and summer weather means outdoor portraits are possible.  When the portrait session is all said and done, there is time for enjoying the park.  And stopping along the river for a game of pooh sticks. 

What last minute activities are you fitting into the last days of summer?