When I come home from a vacation I always feel that the race of life begins again before I can even unpack the first bag, this vacation is no exception.  Car is unpacked, load of darks are in the wash and the hum of life has begun again.  Slowly sorting through the mail and emails.  School starts in less than a week and teachers need to be met, clothes need to be bought and preschool back packs need to be sewn.

We had a wonderful time in Alpine, it was so nice to feel cold again!  The weather was wonderful and the area was simply beautiful; we hope to go back in the fall. It was so nice to not have computer access or cell phones- we really left everything behind in an attempt to enjoy our time together as a family.

will be adding more photos to flickr as time allows if you are interested.

heading north and east for cooler temps and one last hurrah before the son starts school next week.  will be back in a few days with lots of pretty pics.  husband took this one in oct. 2004, pretty huh?!

feeling a bit drained, it has been a long week with a lot of late nights.  Found some great books while thrifting today, but no chair for the sewing room.

willing to part with the grammar books if anyone is interested (email me).  hope to show illustrations from the 365 book later in the week (potential for embroidery patterns).  so many things i should be doing now, but am gluttonly clicking my way through the Boden summer sale and drooling over this dress but i can’t bring myself to spend  $64 on a single dress for myself.

alright enough whining, i’m going to go fold laundry but not before i slip on some soft jammies.

…here we go again!  I coordinated a last minute girls night out last night.  Two of my favorite girlfriends and myself went to see Mama Mia.  What a hoot!  It is every bit as cheesy and over the top as the reviewers say but to me that was the charm and humor of the film.  The acting was over exaggerated, as you would see in a stage production, but I really enjoyed the whole thing.  I have to say my favorite part was the “Lay All Your Love on Me” song when the men come out of the ocean in fins and dance on the pier, it was the ultimate in cheese but I couldn’t help but laugh out loud!  I’ve since spent the rest of today listening to Erasure’s ABBA-esque.

The best part of the evening was the 2 hour gab fest we had in the parking lot after the movie was over.  Nothing beats good old fashioned gabbing with your friends.  My husband has the hardest time trying to figure out what we could possibly talk about for 2 hours in a deserted parking lot!  If you are looking for a fun girls night out movie, I totally recommend this one.  Make sure you stay through the closing credits so you too can enjoy the humorous visual of Colin Firth and Peirce Brosman in aquamarine spandex!  Since my goal was to have a fun night out with my girls I would say the mission was accomplished!

added two new bib/burp sets to the shop, a quilt is soon on the way (hope to finish the binding tomorrow), and a kitchen towel is also in the works.

A dip in the pool while dinner cooked.  Sadly the water temp is in the upper 80’s so it isn’t all that refreshing until you get out.

After dinner I was captivated by the reflection (above the fence line) of the setting sun on the still pool.  Makes me think of the end of summer when all the toys, pools and such are still as the children have returned to school.

the end!

new blanket in the shop- more stuff will be added this week.  suffice it to say that my left shoulder aches from leaning over my sewing machine.

Once a month we gather with our nearby family for  Sunday dinner.

sugar cookie base, cream cheese frosting (8oz cream cheese + 2c powdered sugar) and fruit!

The Winners Are:

#15 -  Cori Gilkey  “Since my chickadees are teens now I would have to choose the pyrex. Love the orange color; however, the skirt is adorable!” -please send me your address!

#8 - Jen Byard “Skirt please! My little niece Olivia would look adorable in this…pick me!” please send me measurements!!

Thanks so much for everyone who participated!  I have enough fabric to make 2 more skirts, email me {heather(at)heatherhalesdesigns(dot)com} if you are interested ($10 skirt + shipping). Thanks to everyone who sent in an order- if you are still interested let me know as I may come across another sheet!

Another repuposed/upcycled outfit for my daughter (made using Simplicity 3511)!  I found this sheet at a local thrift store and just loved it, I paired it with some pink thrifted bias tape and voila! I love this summer sewing thing, next week will be pajamas for my son!  Only 1 more day to enter the contest!