Getting back in the swing of things

After nearly a week of NO stitching whatsoever, the Blockade quilt is finally back in the hoop and there's another basket block laid out next to the machine ready for stitching.  All's well with the world, at least for the next week and half til the next onslaught of company arrives and everything gets packed up and put away again for the duration!

Some of the kids and grandkids, and grand-dogs have been with us for the past week, and the good times ensued.  The enthusiasm of youngsters is so contagious as they explore new things, like hand-crank sewing machines!  Here's our just-turned-seven year old grandson intently stitching his 4 inch squares together.

He persisted and stitched four rows of squares together before they left for home, and took all his work home so he could show his friends.  Would love to be a fly on the wall during that conversation!  So enthusiastic, he may just be our next generation quilter - that or an antique dealer - he's also the kid who can't stop looking and playing with a 1905 copper Sterno coffee maker my BIL found at a yard sale years ago and gifted us when we returned from the west coast last year.

Then, little sis got into the act.  She was able to stitch a few of her squares on the old Sew Handy until it got balky and she got bored.  She's just four, and much more interested in hugging the dog and playing in the creek these days, but also insistent on doing everything her big brother does!

Probably not much stitching today - mowing lawn and weeding the gardens has to be top priority when the sun shines!   Plus, we discovered an invasion of Japanese beetles in the garden yesterday, but not before they had decimated some of the basil crop and made inroads on other goodies.  Had forgotten about that particular menace, we didn't have them in Oregon.  On the plus side, the first roma tomato is nearly ripe and summer squash will be ready in just a few days.