Okay, well maybe not easy per se, what with all the kid whining and animal caretaking and rainy weather and what not, but still.  I have no shortage of pickles so it can’t be all bad, right?

Emily and Neve spent last week with my in – laws who showed them a marvelous time (and to whom I am eternally grateful for providing me with the break).  I was quite productive, despite Oona’s attempts to keep me down.  I got the girls’ room clean (and it took ALL WEEK).  I got some sewing done – pj pants and shorts for each girl, sleep masks for each girl, a skirt for Neve, 2 dresses for me, and a purse.  I know, right?  Here’s kind of  (some crappy pictures, sorry) what they all look like:

Oona’s pj pants, complete with grumpy morning face.

Sleep maskes, skirt, pj’s.  Taken while half asleep at about 2 am.

Purse – I am really happy with how this came out.  It’s an Amy Butler pattern and fabric.  I love that it’s not a mass marketed, logo over – loaded, every-clone has one kind of bag.  Sorry.  I used to be addicted to Kate Spade handbags until I got back into sewing.  Now I am addicted to one of a kind, handcrafted products.

We got the kids’ teacher assignments a few days ago and our supply lists and have everything just about lined up and ready to go for the big day when they go back to school.  School clothes neatly folded, shoes carefully cleaned and checked for fit.  I still don’t think it’s right that they are going back in the hottest month of the year, but who am I to argue?

Cucumber production seems to be winding down now, and the yellow squash and pumpkin production is just about to explode.  If you’ll recall, the last time I showed you my garden it looked like this:

That was exactly one motnh ago, on June 30.  Today my garden looks like this (same view):

It’s crazy.  I can barely walk in there.  But I am happy to see lots of pumpkins well on their way to greatness.  It almost makes up for the fact that my green bean plants never produced, and half of my pea plants died off once the heat hit (note to self: plant peas and beans earlier next year). I also never got anything out of my butternut squash seeds.  That’s a huge disappointment, considering my addiction to butternut squash.    I also haven’t been taking the chickens out to the garden because I’ll lose them in the leaves!  And then I’ll have to trample over everything to retrieve them.  And I don’t want to get bitten chasing chickens.  Darn rooster nipped me good on both hands the other day when I grabbed him.  Drew blood on both hands – in the same spot, in that fleshy area between your thumb and first finger.  Then Penelope the hen got feisty and bitey as well.  But today we discovered what her issue is.  She’s actually a damn rooster.  Yup.  I have two roosters.  And they are both crowing now.  I emailed the lady we got them from to see if I can trade one of the roos back to her for a hen.  Hopefully that works out because we can’t be having cockfights around here.  I mean really now!