Thursday, August 18, 2016

It's Official

Summer is officially over with the children returning to school.  How did that happen?  Where did it go?  I think summer needs a speeding ticket.  It has been one odd summer for us with foggy mornings continuing through August.  That is typically our May and June weather.

The garden has struggled with the weather.  I wish we could help take away some of the flooding waters in the South.  As well, we've been battling with pesky raccoons over the ripe tomatoes.   They seem to be winning.  The one thing they are not interested in is an experimental crop I tried this year - just for fun.  I had a cotton ball with sixteen seeds and tried planting them.  They all came up and have the most beautiful flowers.  The foliage is also so graceful and pretty.  I have no idea what I will do with my cotton balls, but it was fun to grow them.





We had five little ones here while their parents were on vacation.  The week was really busy, but we had a great time.  There was lots of help in everything we did!!!



There was also lots of excitement as a second batch of cockatiel eggs hatched.  Each morning the children would rush out to see if a new egg had hatched.  They are just little balls of fluff - two yellow, two white.  I'm going to link these up with the Pets on Quilts.


This is our grown baby- an only child- from the last eggs that they laid.  He is such a love - so tame and already talking.


Needless to say, there has not been a lot of sewing going on here, but I did get ahead on my September Bee blocks.....fun sewing.



The county fair was last week and the girl's pigs went to market.  They had a great time hanging out for the week in the livestock area with all of the other kids.  I'm guessing they will do the project again next year.


I've been enjoying the Olympics and am sad to see that the end is near for them.  The summer Olympics are always my favorite with the gymnastics, swimming, equestrian and volleyball.  Four more years...............

19 comments:

  1. Great photos of the little ones...and the big ones at the pig market.......
    nice you were able to keep up with your blocks.

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  2. Your chicks are adorable balls of fluff for sure! Love your cottonball flowers. They are gorgeous! What fun with a house full of love. Yes, summer is coming to and end. More good times to come.

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  3. Boy have you been busy but I bet it is a good kind of busy! Love to see all you get from your garden. It surely isn't fun to fight all the little "friends" who think you planted the garden just for them. My DIL and her raccoon friends have been fighting over her persimmons...guess who won? I, too, am enjoying the Olympics but watching them with my 6 year grandson has been the most entertaining. He has so much enthusiasm for all of the events!

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  4. Oh Mary!!! I've never seen a cotton blossom before...gorgeous, as is the little hatchlings! You must have had a fun week with the children too. The girls are beautiful young ladies, growing up too fast. Too bad the raccoons haven't let up on your garden...they can be relentless.
    Sad to see things coming to an end..I have my peas and beans in the freezer, and getting ready for pickles and carrots now. Summer has left us too quickly!

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  5. I love your little ones' photos, especially the weepet with the overturned scrap basket. Looks like you had lots of fun. Our schools don't start back til 1st Sept. I agree its hard for those who are having so much rain. The weather is so strange these days. Your little balls of fluff (the chicks not the cotton) are very cute and may do well in the pets on quilts. Lovely post.

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  6. Wonderful newsy post as usual Mary.

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  7. The littles look like so much fun. And those baby birds, I'm jealous. Have a great day!

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  8. Oh I just love that face on your little sewing "helper." LOL Maybe you could use your little cotton balls in a pincushion?? Your posts have such variety and I love that. I've been noticing Fall recipes, decorating, etc...all over the place now. I heart Fall but I also like the slower pace of life. Fall will get here when it's ready. I love the Olympian stories. Enjoy what's left of August.

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  9. It must have been so much fun to see the grandkids wonder and excitement over the hatching birds. And all that help. Wow! What a blessing.

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  10. I know I can hardly believe our summer is coming to an end...we are off to the lanter fest next weekend to say goodbye to summer..love your sweet pics of your wee ones....oh my ..

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  11. What gorgeous cotton blossoms. I didn't realize they'd all be different colors.

    Having the littles is always a lot of fun, isn't it?

    The Summer Olympics is my favorite too. Love diving, volleyball, equestrian and of course swimming (especially while watching it with my own little swimmers).

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  12. A delightful post that I really enjoyyed!!

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  13. What a post of fun things and fun activities! You were kept busy from sun-up to sun-down with the grandkids, and what fun things they all experienced with your gardens and the cockatiel eggs hatching. I'm impressed that you already finished Rachel's word--I need to do that when I get home. Thanks for another fun post!

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  14. Glad you had fun with the little people, and your new feathery/fluffy babies are very cute. Didn't summer fly by? We were talking about school starting in 15 days. Oh my!

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  15. The cotton flowers are so pretty! I can’t believe how fuzzy and small those hatchlings are, and the little cockatiel has grown into such a beautiful bird. How did you ever manage to create such perfect blocks with the kiddies around?!! Thanks for sharing the fun photos, Mary!!

    -Soma

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  16. Love your pictures Mary, and I agree... summer should have a speeding ticket! This has been a summer to remember and it is going to be hard to let go, but there is so much ahead with the changing of the seasons. I so love having seasons. You are always a joy to visit and I hope you will eventually win the war with the raccoons...lol. I am growing some heirloom tomatoes. They have been taking forever to ripen, but when they do... I think I may have to send some your way because all 17 of my plants are as big as trees! I don't know what I am going to do with all of them ripe at the same time.

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  17. It's hard to believe we're ending our summer time, but I'm looking forward to a little more quiet and sewing. Beautiful flowers!

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  18. Your grandkids are all so adorable Mary! What wonderful times you all have together. You must be the busiest grandmother I know. Does everyone have dibs on adopting a cockatiel once they've grown? They are such wonderful pets!

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  19. What sweet grandchildren and baby birds too. At first I thought it was just some feathers in a bowl. So tiny.

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