Getting Things Together

We're hoping to get to South Africa in August, to visit DD#1, DSIL, and our grandson. DH, DS the elder, and I are hoping to make the trip. I am the only one of the three of us who has seen the baby, and of course he's grown a lot since I saw him as a newborn. It is hard being so far away from our daughter and her family, and we try to stay in touch as much as possible. We are accumulating stuff to take with us, and it looks like Zak will get at least one suitcase full of things. Sort of spoiling when we have the chance.

The seasons are opposite since they are in the Southern Hemisphere and we are in the Northern Hemisphere. Looking for a couple of outfits to bring was most easily achieved by checking the clearance rack which is handy. August will be winter there, but towards the end of it. I found a couple of outfits with short sleeves but that had hooded jackets too. DD#1 told me Zak needed pants and I found 3 pairs that can be long or cuffed and buttoned into shorter pants.


I am an avid reader, and tried to pass that onto my kids. I seem to have succeeded in four of the five kids. It's time to pass that love of reading onto a new generation, so I need to bring a few books too.


We can't just bring the baby things, so I've been working on a few other projects. I got all of the green centered blocks done for DD#1 and DSIL's new quilt, and I'm hoping to get at least a few of the blue centered blocks done tomorrow. The center of their quilt will look like this, but this is not enough to give you a feel of the layout. Once I get a few of the other blocks done I can layout a bit more so you can get a feel for the overall design the blocks will make.

I've also got some other things started for Zak, like some blocks and some play food. If we don't get to SA, I'll be shipping several packages. I'd rather see them in person, but mailing them would be better than nothing. I'm hoping it all works out.

On the sewing front, I didn't anything sewn today, but I did give DD#3 a sewing lesson, and she made a top hat for a costume she's wearing at a comicon (comic/anime convention) this weekend. I wanted to take a picture of her hat for my blog, and she said no, that I had to use a photo of her in the whole costume. I guess maybe I'll be able to post a photo of her hat next week!