Happy July!

I missed wishing you all a Happy 4th of July, but, today, I'll wish you a happy July instead! Our flag was flying proudly yesterday, as always, and we're keeping busy as these days grow increasingly warmer. The potted flowers in front have never been prettier than this year, I can't take any credit, all I did was set them into the pots. Recently, we've had additional heartbreak where our nesting bluebirds are concerned. For the second time this year we've lost two families of fledglings to black snakes! Both times the reptile attackers have been removed, permanently. I am at the point where I want to simply take the nesting box down, as I feel responsible for them even coming here and setting up housekeeping at all. Mr. Goodneedle wants to persevere and has been doing research on new pole baffles and more effective deterrents than those we've been employing. We've learned that snakes are one of the most common predators; this is all new to us after twenty years of blissfully watching our bluebird friends arrive, raise their families and launch those scruffy little bluebird babies out on their own without so much as a care in the world. If any of you have any sure-fire solutions to this situation please let us know! Nature, for all its beauty and wonder, can also be so cruel.

The new laundry space is ready, at long last, for countertops! The folks from the stone place are coming out this afternoon to measure and "template" the top for the quartzite that we've selected. The room should be completed in two weeks. We've installed the new washer and dryer; there's so much more technology than I've been accustomed to from a major appliance! They're bluetooth compatible (I get a message on my phone when the clothes are dry!) and have many other handy features, ones that I never even would have thought of! The washing machine has a reservoir for the detergent that is filled for 40+ loads. The soap is dispensed based on the weight of the load. There's been a LOT to learn, it's all good.

I've begun quilting on "The Workout" quilt (pattern from Wonderful Curves Sampler Quilt Block Book). It's been a long time since I've feathered a wreath. 

This arrived in the mail last week! I had pre-ordered a copy back in January and almost forgotten about it until the amount hit my credit card. Oh, yeah. 😉 It's everything that I hoped it would be, and more! The premise of the book is to use up the scraps that you have on hand and includes a system for organizing those leftovers from other quilts so that they're ready for any of the patterns published here. 

From the last fat quarter bundle that I purchased I had little to no leftovers whatsoever! Believe it or not, I pieced quilt #1, quilt #2, bound those block boards (#3) and pieced these minis for doll quilts (#4) all from one bundle (plus the background) of fat quarters. Now I can start all over again, creating new  quilts and more scraps! Just like the title of the book above: Scrapiness Is Happiness; it really, truly is! 

This is proof that the above was a really, really good fat quarter bundle- 

good clear down to those last too-small-to-use strings and threads!

Life is Good!