Various and Sundry Monday: Vol 10

Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade? –Benjamin Franklin

Summer Is Officially Here

OK, so technically, summer doesn't start for 15 more days. But the Summer Fun has officially started at Bug Cottage. The Little Bugs have been out of school for a week and we kicked off the holidays by taking them to see Pirates last Monday. We've had an unusually cool spring, but it finally warmed up enough that we could break in our season passes at the water park on Saturday. This is one of their favorite summer-time things to do. I *think* this is our fourth summer as season pass holders. We go once a week and spend a few hours there splashing about and having a wonderful time. I like it because we get our money's worth {and then some} out of our passes, but only have to spend a few hours there each time we go {which is about all I can take anyway}. Our passes are also good at a fun center, so our summer will include at least one round of mini-golf and maybe some go-karts, bumper boats and rock climbing.

Besides all of the water sliding you care to do, we have lots of other fun things planned for the summer. Like daily math and spelling worksheets and summer reading logs. What? That doesn't sound fun to you? It doesn't sound fun to the Little Bugs either. But they have to do it anyway. And after the school work and chores are done, we're going to have a lot of 'stay-cation' kind of fun. Next week is our city's Festival Days and we have the Fireman's Breakfast, the Children's Art Festival, the Hot Air Balloon Launch, the Parade, the Car Show and Fireworks on the agenda. Following that is Grandma Week, which promises to be full of cousins, places to go and things to see, lots of sunblock and hilarious kid quotes {my favorite part}. And I heard a rumor that there will be a bouncy house at Grandma's this year.

Later in the summer, we're going to Lagoon. It has been so long since we last went that the Little Bugs hardly remember going at all. In August, we're going to take advantage of $2 Tuesdays {crossing our fingers they have it again} at Thanksgiving Point. We'll definitely visit the Dinosaur Museum and Farm Country and if I can talk them into it, the Gardens as well. It promises to be a really fun summer.

I ♥ Peonies
Another peony has started to bloom. This one is called Karl Rosenfield and it is in the front yard. This is the first year this plant has flowered. I love the color. The little purple flowers are a hardy geranium. I think they look so beautiful next to each other. There are two other peonies to the left of this one, and I hope they hurry up and bloom so I can see them all at once.

I went around counting peonies again, you know, just to make sure they are all there. And guess what? I found a peony that I thought I had lost. I'm really happy about that. It is not going to bloom this year, but the fact that it came up at all is a miracle because I haven't seen it for the last two years, and suddenly there it was. Of the 16 17 plants I have, 12 will bloom this year and that is really exciting to me. And don't worry. I'll make sure you get to see each one as it blooms.

Snowball Night: Week 53½

The snowball quilt is coming along. I finished the label, got all the baby snowballs sewn into a row and the back is all put together.

The snowballs for the top are also all together and the borders are in progress.

I'm not sure if I'll finish this quilt in time for the quilt show entry deadline, but I'm going to give it my best shot. I need to have it finished by Friday night so I can submit it for entry on Saturday. I'm going to do some pretty detailed quilting, so we'll see how it goes.