Summer's End and More Family Fun

We were so excited when we got a call from our niece in California saying she and her family were coming to visit!!!  It had been so long since we had seen them and could hardly believe they were going to be coming our way.

Only one of her children had ever met only one of our grandchildren and that was when they were both babies so, of course, they didn't remember. 

 We had so much fun!  We did all of the country life sort of things like riding in the back of the truck, feeding the cows...

a little alligator handling...

and a little fishing

We took a little trip down to the beach for a little cousin time.

There were mermaid tales to build.

There were little crabs just begging to be caught.

And wheelbarrow races are ever so much more fun in the water.

 The water and sand were great fun, but...

 what we enjoyed the most was just being together!  I hope we get to do it all again really soon!

Part Two of Our Vacation

The next leg of my September journey started when I left Utah and headed to meet my husband and several of  his family members in South Carolina.  

They had all attended the wedding of our nephew at the Biltmore Estate while I was out west.  It was one of those times when I truly wished I could have been two places at once.

Once we all arrived we had so much fun just hanging out together and catching up with each other.  We ate some very tasty meals, and enjoyed shopping and checking out some of the local scenery.

The trees are my favorite part of this area of South Carolina.  The strong and graceful boughs of the ancient oaks reaching up toward heaven, and outward as if in welcome just draw me.  Those laced with ghostly wisps of moss are hauntingly beautiful.  The moss sways to and fro in the gentle breezes like paper fans in warm southern church services a few years back.

I really loved Edisto Island!  

It was like nothing I've ever seen.  The beach was blanketed inches deep with shells, and the trees grew right up to the edge of the beach, so unlike any other beach I've visited.  

The trees along the water's edge were barren and weathered which added to the beauty in radical contrast to the lush greenery just a few feet inland.  The water was so calm on the day we visited, and everything had such a peaceful feeling about it.

Our next outing was a little surprise to us.  Our niece's boss took us all out on his sail boat for the afternoon.

 It was a beautiful day for it!

We sailed along the Battery in Charleston looking at the beautiful historical homes and churches, and the fort.  It was amazing.  It's hard to be in a place so full of history and not get pulled back deep in your mind to another time. 

Sailing was so much fun, and a really great way to experience Charleston.  However, it is certainly not a leisurely pastime!  The guys and our niece were constantly moving from one duty to another.  My sisters-in-law and myself mainly just enjoyed the ride.  

We all really hated it when our time together came to an end, but now we can begin planning for next time.

A Little Sewing and a Show Like No Other

My sewing seems to come in spurts. So here is part of  the result of my latest spurt. I've made several diaper bags lately, but this is the only one I took time to photograph.

I also made a few bibs and burp cloths

 This bag I did from a tutorial I found on Pinterest.  It is reversible, and I actually up-cycled the outer layer from a pair of pants. The reverse side is small red gingham. It needed a little something so I embroidered a little flower based off a design I found in this book.

While some of the grandchildren were here they decided to put on a show.  Angel Eyes asked me to stay in the kitchen while they got ready.  Soon everything was set, and they called me into the room.  I was informed that every audience member would get their back scratched during the performance.  

They had a stage set up with props, and upon seating me the promised back scratch commenced.   However, the actress of this one child show, staring Sweet Cheeks,  developed a serious case of stage fright.  

The play was cancelled, and I started back to the kitchen to finish my work.  As I made my way to the doorway the crew began to invite me, gently at first and then more insistently, to fill in and put on a show for them.  I agreed and did an impromptu monolog that brought a great deal of laughter. 

When they saw that I was willing to make a complete fool of myself they began to open up and lose their stage fright.  They all wanted to participate and asked if I would pull out the dress-up box.

Soon they each had a role and I was delightfully entertained for the rest of the evening.

These two put on a fashion show.  

This little nut put on a combination opera/comedy routine.  It was hilarious!

And who knew that Superman played the violin?

"What violin, Mimi?  That was a fiddle!"

More of the Beach

This time I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.