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Back from Vacation

We just got back from a wonderful vacation in our favorite vacation spot -- Hilton Head, SC.  The weather was pretty much perfect, making walks on the beach & afternoons at the pool thoroughly enjoyable.

There is actually a little yarn shop/used bookstore on the island (the ultimate combo for our family!) and I bought some new yarn for the first time in ages. I even started a new knitting project!  I can't wait to get a little more knit up so I can post photos here, because the yarn is *wild*!

We came back to beautiful fall-like temperatures (and a broken washing machine, but I'm trying not to dwell on the negatives), and I'm feeling that cozy, autumn nesting thing.  

I absolutely love vacationing, but I love coming home too.

 

Back from the Beach

Last week we took a road trip down to Hilton Head Island for what is becoming an annual getaway.  Nothing fancy, just beach walks, swimming, hanging out and relaxing.  The weather was beautiful this year -- although I'm told it was even hotter back here at home. 

That's okay -- there aren't oceans in Joliet.  We discovered that the sunset beach walks were our favorites.  As the tide went out we discovered all kinds of thing.  Including a little crab that made the most incredible pattern in the sand.

I already miss the beach, but I'm super glad to be home. 

iPad Protection

While my Macbook is pretty compact and lightweight, my iPad is even more petite, so I knew I would be bringing it on vacation with me.  And while I have one of those fancy magnetic covers, I wanted a little more protection for my iPad since my carry on luggage is not well padded.

I whipped up this little felted wool case in literally 10 minutes the day before our trip.  I have a bin of pre-shrunk thrift store wool sweaters, so I choose this colorful, stripey piece, stuck the iPad between the front and back of the sweater and pinned very close all the way around 3 sides.  Then I simply sewed inside the pins, clipped the seems very close and turned it inside out.  to make the flap, I cut straight across one side and made a rounded edge on the other.  I ran a line of stitching about 1/4 in. to the inside of the rounded flap to keep the wool from stretching out of shape.

Instant iPad case for next to no $ and very little time or effort.

Back from the Pacific Northwest

This past week we flew out to Seattle & Tacoma to watch our nephew graduate from college and have a little vacation.  The weather was mostly overcast, but mild, so we were able to walk around the city quite a bit.  We visited many used bookstores (6? 7?) and found some good gluten free eats.

The Seattle Aquarium was one of our favorite stops -- small, but with a good variety of exhibits.  I found the colors of these starfish quite inspirational and may be doing a little wool dyeing in the near future as a result. 

In Tacoma we spent a lot of time with family, but also made it out to Point Defiance Park which was really lovely.  It had a pretty little beach which was covered with giant pieces of driftwood, a beautiful 5 mile drive, and many lookout points along the way.

It was a nice trip, but I started getting sick the last day and am super happy to be recovering at home.

The License Plate State Game

How do you pass the time on a long car ride?  We had about 32 driving hours to kill on our vacation, and while I drove most of them (Mainly due to car sickness -- it's much better when I drive and much worse when I'm a passenger.  And don't even think of sitting me in the back seat!), it was still boring after a while. 

Enter the License Plate State game!  Each of us made a guess as to how many states we would see -- cars and other passenger vehicles count -- no semis!  Maddie kept track, thus learning her state abbreviation.  On the drive down to South Carolina I won, so I got a prize:

I use my Le Creuset French Oven and Stockpot all the time, so the Le Creuset Soup Pot it was!  A bit smaller than the French Oven, which is perfect for our little family of three.  Thank goodness the Le Creuset outlet was open early Saturday morning when we drove past!

I won on the way home too -- so I guess I have another prize coming.  I think I'll combine two of my loves -- video games and knitting -- and purchase Kirby's Epic Yarn for the Wii when it comes out next week.

Tomorrow I show off my recently completed quilt!