Time flies when you're havin' fun

I just can't believe summer is almost over.
Say it ain't so.
I feel like we've been in fast forward since the first of July.
Here are some of the things we've been up to:

Before my step-son had to leave for camp we stole a day and visited an exotic cat rescue in Center Point Indiana.
Of course we picked the hottest day of the entire year.....and I mean hot.
But, it was still fun....the guy that founded this rescue is amazing and really has a passion for these big cats. He's been on Animal Planet a few times.....that's where I found out about him and I couldn't believe he was right here in Indiana.

On the way there I glanced in the back seat and this is what I saw.....
a sleeping turkey and a monkey with a bag on her head.
Yep, these are my kids....Michael is 18 and Taylor is 5.
My step son was happy he didn't get caught in this pic : )

Check this girl out....she is beautiful.
And if it seems like we're close.....we are.
I could have reached my hand out and touched her.
Thankfully there was a fence between me and her.
Tony Stuart donated money for this enclosure....it houses 3 tigers.
My MIL is a Tony fan so we had to take this pic to show her.

This was Taylor's favorite.....a white tiger.
She is gorgeous. And you would never guess she is blind.

We had the best time and hope to go back on a cooler day this Autumn.
There are lots more than just tigers. We saw leopards, lions, cougars and bobcats.

Oh yeah....they offer a little over night cottage on the property.
They say it's awesome to sit outside in the evening and listen to the cats roar.
My husband and I plan on sneaking away before winter for an overnight.
I think it would be pretty cool to sit outside early in the morning and drink
my coffee with the critters.




And a few weeks later we were at Norris Lake in Tennessee.
Our family vacation destination.

This is the view I had from my pink blow up chair everyday.
The water was unbelievably warm, clean and clear.
We were told that it was almost 60 feet deep of the
end of our dock.....wow.

And there were no bugs. I still can't get over it.
We took tons of bug spray thinking mosquitoes would be terrible.....
but we never touched it.
Here at home it's a different story......there are mosquitoes around here
that could carry off a small child.

And here is my daredevil.....Taylor is the one in the middle screaming with excitement.
She loved this and didn't get off of it one time the whole day.
My nephew is on the left and my hubby is on the right.
She was even standing up on it like a surfboard.


Two days after we got home from Norris Lake I was on the road to Kansas City where I taught
at Primitives of the Midwest.
It was a real treat.....I had the best time.
Thank you again to all that attended my classes.
And a big thank you to Rita and her wonderful staff at Quilter's Station.
I spent a little time with Maggie and I got to see all the projects from her new book
~Comfort Zone~
Wow....wow...wow
She is amazing. Her book wasn't out yet so as soon as I got home I ordered it.

I also got to spend some time with Sue Spargo and Renee Plains.
I am such a luck girl : )
Renee's new book ~A Bird in Hand~ is out and I got to sneak a peek at it.
She is awesome and her book is gorgeous.



Last week we visited the Indiana State Fair.
We always get a good laugh at all the weird foods they have.
This year was fried butter.....yep.....fried butter.
I tried to talk my son into trying it but he wouldn't go near it.

And here are a few other things that caught our eye.....

What on earth.....the boys actually said it sounded good.

And fried bologna......you can't come to Indiana and not try fried bologna : )
My personal favorite is a good old fashioned elephant ear.

Hahaahaa....this is Michael again. Thankfully he doesn't look at my blog or I would
be in big big trouble.
This is a game we play.....or I should say I play. I try to catch him off guard and snap
his picture. This one trip to the fair I got about 20 sneak pics.
He's a funny kid....but by the end of our trip his patience was wearing thin.
He paid me back by throwing me into the pool.


So Michael is back in school....he's a senior this year. And Taylor starts school next Monday....thank goodness : ) She is in kindergarten.
Taylor is very excited about school.....all she wants to do is ride the school bus.
Next year is going to be very interesting....Michael will be in his first year of college and Taylor will be in her first year of private school. Ugh....I'm starting to panic already!!!


But even with all this excitement I have found a little time to stitch.
I have 2 projects for Boxwood & Berries done. I'll be posting pics this week.
Jeanne at Country Sampler said there are still a few openings in the second session so give them a call if you are interested.

And I have some things made up for a few new patterns. I've had the best time stitching them....I don't want to stop. It never fails....when I'm working on one project I get ideas for more projects.

And we can't forget about Malabar Farms....that show is just around the corner.
In The Spirit of Friends
Sept. 18th
Malabar Farm
Lucas, OH
I've been stitching and stashing some finished pieces to bring along with some new patterns and kits.

So....that's what I've been up to....what have you been up to??