Vacation Memories.....

So this is how things looked as we prepared to leave on Aug. 16:


I started wondering just how long we were going away for..... But apparently that was everything we needed to spend a week camping..... I was worried that at some point we'd hear a big 'bang' as we were driving along, but we did make it to our campground in once piece.

We were camping at a place called The Pinery. It rests on the shores of Lake Huron and is a fabulous campground for kids. There are tons of manicured bike trails to ride bikes on safely. There are hiking trails to wander through (mind the poison ivy though!) and if you're lucky, deer to see. And best of all, in the kids' opinion - a wonderful beach with great sand for digging in and shallow water to play in.


We also celebrated some birthdays - one of my nephews turned 8 and my FIL turned *ahem* well, we won't say how old he turned. He had a birthday though! :-)


It was neat to actually get a picture of all 8 of my IL's grandchildren - it's hard to get them all in one place at one time and many are still too young to really pose well for the camera. They range in age from 2 & 1/2 up to 12. They're all growing up so fast!

We were lucky that the weather held for the most part - it rained twice and of course one time was the night before we were packing to leave.... So, I'm still finding dirt, mud, muck and mess just about everywhere. The tent has to be set up to dry out, every dish, pot & pan has had to be washed and my house still vaguely resembles a camping store explosion. Thankfully I've got a DH who has pitched in sooooo much - he's managed to do almost all the laundry, put a good portion of crap away and scrub out the van carpeting (we had a little cooler leakage...). I'm sure there's more he's done too but I've gone and forgotten already. He's a good guy.

Oh, and last night I finally managed to sit down and finish (yes finish) Poppy:

Poppy by Nora Corbett
Stitched on 32-count Antique White Linen from Zweigart
using DMC, Kreinik and Mill Hill Beads

I so loved stitching this piece - it was an absolute obsession to get her done. She still needs a bath and some ironing but I couldn't wait to take a picture. Isn't she pretty? I just wish I was a better photographer so I could more accurately capture the colours and sparklies.... Oh well, you get the idea, right?

I'm still waiting on my models - I know one had fabric issues and I think the other is still in transit. I'm kinda glad nothing was waiting for me when we got home so I could finish Poppy. Maybe I can squeeze in a little time on my double flips before they arrive. :-)

Time to drag the kidlets out for some back-to-school shopping. I'm going to brave The Mall. I hate malls. They're full of people. *sigh*