Monday, July 7, 2008

Post Holiday

The week has been so busy with festivities and company. All of the activity is so much fun, however, it certainly can fill the time that I would normally spend with the computer. Hmmm. I do realize that I am not alone in this dilemma as I read of so many fellow bloggers taking breaks from blogging at this time of the year.



Our July 4th holiday was absolutely perfect. We always have a big family get together for games, great food and evening fireworks for the little ones. The firework show is very low key with sparklers, worms and fountains but the kids love it. This year we had around one hundred family members who attended and many laughs were shared. One would think that we never see each other and yet we all live close by and see each other often. We are blessed with a family that gets along well with one another and cousins who have best friends who are other cousins.



The afternoon starts off with a sand volleyball game. That gets the competition rolling. We had perfect weather and fun was had by all. This year my husband cooked tri tips and brats on the big Santa Maria BBQ while we set up all of the side dishes that my DILs brought. Everything was delicious.





Waiting in line for your turn at sparklers is always the highlight.







A few of the red, white and blue flowers from the yard for the centerpiece.

By the end of the evening everyone was exhausted and ready to head off. Several of the group went on to watch the public fireworks display, but we were ready for bed.


Sometimes you need a good place to rest and grab a few chips to snack on.





Even our old dog needs a little TLC while resting.





This is our rescued tortoise, Cooper. As you can see, he apparently was munched on by some animal as he is missing a part of his shell covering his hind foot. He loves a party and will instantly come out when people are around to see him. The kids love the big tortoises. They are well fed when the little ones arrive.




Our son and DIL were down for a few days with the youngest grandchild. It is always fun to have them here and catch up on their busy lives. The baby has started to eat solids and it is always such fun to watch the faces when they eat. You would think they were eating some horrid food with the espressions they make. They do, however, keep opening their mouth for more.

This is the highchair that his daddy, aunt and uncles all used.







With the house quiet again, I have had a chance to get into my sewing room and work on a few projects. There was lots of mending to do but also a little fun stuff. I finished my small quilt for the Four Season's Summer Quilt Swap and will get that in the mail later this week.





I received my class brochure for the Road to California Quilt show next January. There are so many wonderful classes to take and I find that I want to take them all. I will have to limit which ones I take because the days overlap. It is a fabulous show with incredible quilts.


And now....the continuing saga of my whirlpool tub. As I wrote before, the Aq*uatic company decided to replace my defective tub after months of fighting with them. The new tub was delivered last Wednesday when they picked up the old one. The plumbers arrived on Thursday, uncrated it, water tested it outdoors and installed it. It works perfectly EXCEPT the company sent the wrong color. It is white instead of biscuit like the toilet and sinks. Of course everyone whom I need to speak with is out of town this week. What would I expect???? Do you think they could finally get it right? This is definitely a company that I would NEVER do business with again. On a positive note, we do have a tub that is working until something is done about getting the correct one installed.


My tortoise eggs are coming along nicely. I candled them over the weekend and it appears that I will have seven hatchlings from seven eggs. They should be out sometime around the beginning of August.


The fires in California sound numerous. We have been lucky enough to have most of them north of us which frees us from the smoke and ash. I know how awful it is to breathe that air and I really feel sorry for the folks with fires in their area. I have to hand it to the brave firefighters who do an incredible job fighting them. To imagine over 1400 fires all burning at one time is almost too much to fathom.


I hope that everyone will have a great week.

19 comments:

  1. Sounds like you had a wonderful family reunion. Wow, I can't imagine having 100 family members living close. Our family is so scattered across the country.

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  2. I love your little quilt for the Four Seasons swap! The striped fabric around the curves is awesome.

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  3. What a fabulous 4th you had! Loved seeing all your pictures and all those cute grands!
    That tub saga just doesn't want to be over does it!!
    We now know first hand about fires nearby and the smell of smoke in the air is awful. We're blazing hot here with a wind. The worst fire conditions you can imagine. I agree that firefighters are our heroes. After this weekend, we know it all too well..
    xo

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  4. Oh Mary, that quilt turned out so well! It's just darling. I can’t wait to try that technique myself.

    You must be ready to give up ever being able to take a whirlpool bath! How frustrating!!

    You're a lucky woman to be surrounded by so many loving family members at the holidays. :-)

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  5. Wow! So much news, so many people, such fun! Your weekend looks really special, and how wonderful you could all gether together to celebrate and have fun. I love the photos!

    Your quilt is absolutely lovely, Mary. Beautiful.

    And the tub saga - well, we will be waiting with bated breath for the next episode. Maybe you should put the name of the company in the title of the next post about it. Tell them you are blogging about your on-going problems to the world. They have trackers monitoring all mention of their products these days. Bad publicity hurts. It is one way they learn very fast how bad press works! And maybe your problems will be resolved fast!

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  6. Go to scribbit's blog, and go back a few weeks and see what happened when she named and shamed a company! It worked for her, and no hate mail at all. Companies are all too aware of the power of blogs! There is a link to her in my sidebar.

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  7. What a wonderful 4th of July celebration! I enjoyed seeing all the pictures and your quilt is so pretty!
    ~Kelli

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  8. What a wonderful celebration you had this holiday!Looks like you have a large yard, like a park!

    I haven't done much posting lately with older family members that need extra care and lots of outside work!

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  9. 1400 fires!! I hadn't heard that piece. Wow, incredible.

    YOu have such huge family gatherings - what fun, but lots of work?!

    I am truly enjoying retirement. Every day. I had breakfast with a colleague this morning and realized how glad I was that she had to head for the office and I didn't!

    I love that little quilt - just so creative. I am enjoying Jennifer Chiaverini's books - but since I don't speak "quiltese", it's sometimes kind of a puzzle sometimes to visualize what they're talking about. But I love the stories. She's a gifted write.r

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  10. I forgot to say - I love the snapdragon earring idea!

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  11. Looks like it was a fun time! Your centerpiece is really pretty too!!

    I cant even begin about your tub saga !!! I have been without one for 2 months now :( This remodel project is for the birds! We do however have a hot tub outside that works great, but sometimes I just want to take a bath!!

    Hope you have a great day :)
    Stephanie

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  12. I'm sorry for I wasn't here to wish you all the best for THE 4TH OF JULY.
    For me and my family this date is also important because it is my husband's birthday.
    We where in Marseilles south of France at that date with a glass of wine celebrating:).
    All the best for you and for your gorgeous family!
    Hugs, Sma

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  13. What a wonderful time to have family all together!

    Great quilt! Wish I was so talented!

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  14. looks like you had a great family day.
    We have heard about the fires over here.

    That was a great road trip you took me on in the last post but I do hope all are recovered from Chicken Pox.

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  15. I loved reading about your July
    4th celebration. The flowers were so lovely, the baby adorable, the turtle amazing! What a nice time you all had! Love the quilt too!

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  16. I was just wondering if you had any new tortoises this year. Guess you are going to have plenty!!
    I agree, you must have a HUGE yard to handle that many people!
    Had no idea there were that many wildfires going at once. That is just horrible, I think I would be a bit nervous about it all.
    Your newest grandbaby is certainly growing up, solid food no less. She is awfully cute, I just wouldn't want to put her down for one minute!!
    We have DIL's b-day party tonight over around the new pool. Don't think I will take my bathing suit, those days are gone forever! ha!

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  17. Re your comment today - the twins are definitely developing their own little personalities. So sweet!

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  18. This looks so much fun. Thanks for sharing with us.

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  19. What an adorable post! Your grandbabies are so CUTE!!!! I love the little guys lounging and eating chips, so adorable! Love his McQueen Clogs too! Those would be a hit in my house too! The baby is so precious eating solid foods. I know what you mean about the sour faces too, lol!! It looks like you had a wonderful holiday with family!

    The quilt is beautiful too :)

    Hugs,
    Amy

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