I’m feeling guilty!

So I’m feeling guilty since I have not taken time this past week to post my many thoughts….I wish I could post everything I always intend to but….hmmmmmmmm procrastination? or actually I find the computer the easiest way to help procrastination set in so I have been working at shutting it down at times….

So while visiting up north in MI I did manage to complete the chairs I owed my nieces as go a-longs with the baby quilts I made Tyler and Rayna….better late then never and just in time for Tyler’s second birthday so at least I was not too late!  As you can see Rayna seemed to enjoy hers……I look forward to getting new photos from my nieces showing the coordinating quilts along with the chairs, I had to design from memory so not sure how well I did regarding them coordinating? 

I have been back in VA a week now and even though I KNOW I have retired I think after being a teacher so many years my mind is stuck in summer mode! And yep all my buddies keep saying just wait till August hits and you don’t have to go back……it will finally sink in???  Strange though cause I realize August I’ll  be busy in Denver with Caleb and my daughter, then Sept 6 the new baby will be here (AKA = my new grand daughter, name to be decided at a later date) and then even more busy the end of Sept; Sept 26 ,09 in specific = My baby boy’s wedding day! Heck I’ll be looking for a shut down come Oct. and who knows then maybe finally retirement will sink in?

Till then I have much to do and somehow I need to fight my procrastination or possibly fears?…I’ve set my mind that my next chapter in life will consist of being a grand GRANDMOTHER AND a fulltime fiber artist! So time to try to set forth some good habits and get started….now lets see? First I must make the list, then try to stick to it and move forward……

#1. might be to update my blog info…noticed I should change my title and info to no longer include Middle School Art Teacher? Let’s see now? Teddi Munslow – Art quilt Artist – Artist?

#2. Complete a big-boy quilt for my grandson Caleb the soon to be big brother!  For those of you who might read my blog you might have noticed long ago some fun monsters I was preparing for his big boy quilt? well mommy and dad have now decided on a new theme = Chicago bears????? yuck! but what’s a good granny to do except……So we have a start…have 3 more t-shirts off EBay arriving shortly and intend to add some quilty squares, triangles, other such additives or designs to jazz it up….

Today I set up my HQ16 to experiment with….maybe I can complete some of my ideas and test drive the machine at the same time? Here is what I messed with today? As you might be able to read….Life has loose ends……. ;-))) some of my rusted dyed fabric quilted together into little art quilt?

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Can you say multi-task???

So we are heading into the ending stretch of our MI working vacation….this is when I start to panic and try to squeeze in as much of my to-do wish list as possible. Can you think multi task? It’s also when it finally pays to be ADHD lol lol one needs the excess energy.

So today I started off the day getting rid of some type of bug cocoons from the kitchen windows (see pic) have no idea what they were/are but knew they had to go! That of course meant the next multi task would be to wash some screens

Next up was to spray the rest of the kudzu and poison vines in the front yard since I sprayed the back yard a couple days ago and the stuff seems to be doing the trick!

I have 2 of the dining chairs recovered but still 4 more to go …

I actually got this fabric last year but ran out of time…

 

 

but first I knew I must get the garage door

painted with the first coat of paint…will complete the second coat tomorrow… 

After I got my to do list done I finally managed to take some flowers over to a friend who just had open heart surgery! Then quick visit with my folks , then out to Harsen’s to meet my hubby who had taken his 81 year old aunt to the doctor.

Now to remind you,  Harsen Island is reached by ferry, it was a perfect MI day and I finally got out for a boat ride…probably the first in 2 years on our boat. We had a lovely ride over to Dickerson' Landing for dinner then back to the dock and back to Oneida for a nights sleep and also one more quick chore tonight……

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I managed to get the first coat of varnish on the painted chairs ;-) It’s looking like I will get them completed thankfully..you can see I turned my kitchen into a makeshift studio this week so am happy to have them finally in the basement for the varnishing. My son is thrilled to have his table back to actually sit and eat from lol….

 

Welcome to the Colliton Lodge!

So 4th of July weekend in MI and we’re being hosted ;-) at the Journey’s End AKA The Colliton Lodge/Hunting lodge.  It’s going to be a good time by all….

We all ended up meeting at the Knot Hole Bar in Comins, semi by accident.  We  stopped there for dinner, I couldn’t give Jan and Jack a call to me us due to lack of cell service AND I somehow between Oneida and Journey’s End lost my note pad with the lodges phone number in it along with  the photo’s we picked up at Costco of the wedding shower… misplacing items seemed to follow me all weekend…lol….Anyway we were sitting there enjoying our beer and nacho’s when in walked Jennifer and Bill….they gave Jan a call to alert them of our near arrival and asked them to join us at the Knot Hole when in walked Jane, Dave, Lauren and Adam at the Knot Hole BAR…..so we’re all here and we’re all geared for a grand 4th of July celebration!

After a nice time eating and chatting to catch up a little we  headed out to the lodge to get situated. Bill got a grand tour of the lodge and we settled in near the family fireplace chatting the evening away. Plans were discussed for the coming days. Saturday we first would hit the Comins 4th of July parade then the men would split off to golf and the women would visit Jennifer and Bill’s place in progress and swim at her lake.

The parade consisted of the local folk along with many tractors, old cars such as the corvair, corvettes, mustangs.

Loads of fun to behold!

Jennifer’s place is coming along, of course it’s a show place to soon behold…come back this time next year!

We girls got to sit down by the water’s edge in the sun and chat, saw a young friendly deer….then back to Journey's end for our pot luck dinner.

It’s 4th of July MI style!

So this is a first for Bill and I….

it’s 4th of July and we’re not going to be at Harsens Island or VA….we’re heading up north to the “Colliton Lodge” for a fun filled weekend of golfing for the men, floating in the lake for the women, and on Sunday we’re rafting from Gott’s Landing.  Now I’ve been thinking we were going to canoe the AuSable River but now am realizing the invite states Rafting  lol lol so time will reveal all! I actually vote for rafting..lol…my old body would much rather float casually then have to paddle a canoe. So time will tell…..stay tuned.

We’ll also visit the famous Knot Hole Bar in Comins MI and during our visits to the Knot Hole I’m sure some will try to obtain membership ;-) I am a proud member already along with  my mom and Jan. (Jan Colliton-hostess with the mostest) So presently we’re driving good ole Highway I-75 north,  we made a short stop in Frankenmuth MI home of the famous Bronners Christmas store open 361 days a year and chicken dinners probably served about that same many days a year….wanted to locate a cigar store for Bill. Notice my photo of the cute quaint shop.

Now of course driving on I-75 on a Friday afternoon AND a holiday we’ve just (exit 164) hit bumper to bumper traffic….nothing out of the norm for I-75 on a weekend…..heck folks from Detroit do love their hideaways or summer homes up north! It till weed out to do-able traffic the farther we go up….

So Happy 4th of July to all and may we remember our servicemen in our prayers, keep them safe in their journeys.

It’s a working vacation?

Well it seems no matter how much I tell myself that this time will be different… sadly as usual our visits up north always end up being a working vacation… it’s silly to believe it could work out any other way because when one owns a house over 500 miles away it becomes neglected and thus your visits ARE spent working or trying to help the home stay in decent shape. Here you can see one of our chores this week is to get the sump pump feeding back to the back part of our property. If you recall my photo from Christmas time you’ll remember we noticed the pipe had either frozen or somehow broke and instead of the pump feeding the drainage to the long tube underground it started bubbling up on side of foundation which then kept  the sump pump running 24/7.  We jimmied the pipe to semi work till we could get to it this summer! Well it’s summer  lol so Bill dug out two 15 year bushes and dug down to the break.  Luckily we have discovered the underground tube still is in tact so once we get a new elbow this chore will be done but sadly while Bill was working on his chore and I was completing some of mine I discovered our 15 year old Dogwood tree is dead!. Not sure what killed it so have to locate an arborist to help, notice my front yard …these trees are full of bugs? Being eaten alive! Time to spray….So  you can see our vacation is once again a working vacation!

The good news is we do manage to fit some good times in with the work! Sunday was my son Brian’s and Heather’s 2nd and final wedding shower, it was a wonderful shower and day. My parents also attended and as you can see from the photo they are doing great thankfully after their difficult winter. My dad is a walking miracle. 

Then I also made a trip out to Harsens Island on Saturday to pick up the guys..they drove our boat from my niece's canal dock to our Harsens dock to stay for the 2 weeks we’re in MI. Water on Lake St.Clair is up!

;-)))) YAY!

Notice the little slide show of my ferry ride over to Harsens…the only way to get on the Island, then our dock along with Sandy (the dog) watching guard lol lol…..we enjoyed some pizza at the local pub…then headed home….stay tuned….

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