A Fast Two Weeks (Lots of Pics)

My head has finally stopped spinning.  It's been a crazy two weeks!!!  Thanks for all the comments on my last post about the antics with my son.  Nothing ever came of it for which I'm happy (and so is he), but he learned a great lesson and there's been a lot of egg jokes flying around here.   Actually, he's pretty embarrassed about the whole thing.  I hope that's the worst that we'll ever face.

My sister was here for eleven days and left yesterday.  We had a great time, although maybe not as crazy as in prior years given the fact that my son's foot was really in poor shape after his soccer field collision, so it was hard for him to hobble around.  But we had a lot of fun and I'm always sorry when she leaves!!  We did our annual Chicken Dinner thing at Frankenmuth, went through all the stores except Bronners (I think it's been too hot around here for me to envision Christmas right now), visited antique shops, etc.  She also got me into a lot of trouble buying things (gotta blame someone, right Sis?).

Stitching took kind of a back seat and quilting was nil, but later in the evenings when we were resting, I did get a little more done on Susanna - not much, but a little:

She coming along slowly but surely, and I do like the colors in it quite a bit.

We found some great new antique shops, although one reminded us of a place out of a Stephen King novel (definitely not a place I want to go to again), but we found some really great new antique shops, consignment shops and barns, and, of course, I can't come out without anything, can I?  I think I would have done more damage if my son's foot was feeling better, but I didn't want him walking on it more than he had to, and crutches are definitely not something you want to take into an antique store.

First find was a chippy table for my craft room!  Just what I was looking for!  And the woman at this shop was practically giving things away.  In fact, when I looked at her in stunned surprise when she gave me the final price, she said that she wanted me to come back so therefore the great prices!  Like Arnold says, "I'll be back!!!"

Some of the things on the table were from a few other places we came across:

This child's lunch pail - just had to have it - it's RED!!  And for some reason, I've really developed a love of these things.

Lots of little things - three pincushions.  The silver slipper is stamped with "Bruno" although I don't know if that means anything; three pairs of antique scissors, molds, rulers, a glass jar and another Anchor Hocking piece.  I think it's just a candy dish, but a frog fits on it perfectly.  I think there are a few other things, but I'll post those another time.  They were all for great prices and I think I've found the secret to cheap antiquing - get a long distance from the big cities.

Then I came across this cabinet - I've got this thing for little drawers, so I just had to have this as well:

Then a baby's antique gown to hang under the shelves in my craft room or I may frame it - not sure yet:

We also made it to the quilt store - a couple of them - and a yarn store.  Not a good move because I didn't come out of those places unscathed either, but I won't post those things now.  My sister did see a quilt that she liked and since she lives on the coast, it's perfect.  She doesn't quilt, so I've been recruited to make it.

Luckily the center is a cheater panel otherwise she'd be waiting for years until I got my applique skills honed, but since I also put her to work while she was here, I think that she deserves a quilt.

Her vacation wasn't quite as leisurely as she probably hoped.  I put her to work helping me put up shelves in my craft room.  I've wanted new shelves for ages, but it's a two person job, and DH has been working on his own shelving adventures in the garage, so I recruited Sis for the job, and this is what we did!

The closet!!!  Oh happy day!  There were some of these funky wire shelving things in there and they weren't worth the power to blow them to Minnesota, so we ripped those out and installed these.  I've got a little spackling and touch up work to do from the other holes, but TA DA!!

Then we put some over where my sewing machine goes:

TA DA again!!!  And we also put one up over my cutting table (no pic).  The reason the level is on the shelf is that my husband didn't seem to think that two women could put up shelves and make them level. Typical male, right?  Well, all were level except that bottom one.  He snuck down when we weren't looking and said it was off 1/16 of an inch.  Okay, now 1/16 of an inch is no big deal to me, but......we hightailed it up to the local hardware store, bought some washers, inserted them above the brackets and screwed those babies down!  Perfect!  We'll show him!  HA!

Now my room is really a disaster and I won't be able to get in there for a couple more weeks as I'm in for a couple more busy ones.  Today is one of rest, but tomorrow, I've got to start packing for our trip up north.  It's been such a full summer that I'll almost be glad when the kids get back into school so I can relax........and stitch.......and quilt!  Well, in fact, I will be glad when they go back to school, just don't tell them!!

Well, that's it for me for now.  I'm really sorry that I haven't been able to visit blogs over the past couple of weeks, but I'm going to try to catch up at some point.  I know that I've missed reading everything and seeing what all of you have done.  I'll try to catch up soon and thanks again for all the wonderful comments on my last post.

Oh, and I may have to start up Comment Moderation soon.  Seems that I've been getting too many Viagra and weird comments, so I may do that.  I know it's a pain, but I'm tired of seeing comments about how I can improve my sex life or requests for money because someone is a prisoner in some jail in some country I've never heard of before.

Stitch lots and I'll try to catch up on everyone's blogs soon!