Back at it!

It was a good trip abroad, but it is even better to be home again!  Virginia welcomed me back this weekend with lovely weather, and I have taken full advantage of it.  Friday afternoon, when I got back to town, I stopped by to surprise my kids at school and bring them back home with me.  They would have been home in 3 hours anyway, but darn it, I MISSED THEM!  We spent the rest of the day at home, where I spent a good deal of time getting reacquainted with my porch!

Today, it was back to my usual  busy-ness: selling popcorn and peanuts for cub scouts outside Walmart followed by a trip to recycling, the post office, and then a karate class.  We brought one of the kids' friends home with us for the afternoon, while I reacquainted myself with my sewing room.  A friend was having an Autumn Equinox party this evening (which was SO MUCH FUN!  Great people, great food, a pool, a hot tub, a campfire, a tree fort and a raucous game of Capture the Flag - what more could a girl ask for?), and I wanted to whip up a gift to bring.  I decided on potholders, loosely based on this tutorial from Oh, Fransson!  They are huge, 9.5" square, and if I were to make them again, I would make them a little smaller.  I also tried finishing the binding by machine instead of by hand since I didn't have much time.  It turned out much messier than I prefer - I won't be doing that again.  But she liked them, so, live and learn.

Not sure why the bottom one looks warped - they actually turned out square.

See the pocket at the back to slip your hand in?  I like this!

Oh, that trip to the post office earlier?  It was to put this in the mail to Becky, who won my giveaway.

2 fat quarters of newly purchased fabric, two skeins of perle cotton and two Britt Chocolate snack pyramids, one of dark chocolate covered coffee beans and one of dark chocolate covered cashews

Who says the first commenter never wins?  Mr. Random Number Generator chose #1 of the 18 comments.  I can't tell you all how much it means to me to be able to stay connected to all of you when I am traveling.

So, my 41st birthday is the Monday, September 24.  I asked for boxing gloves for my birthday so I could work out with the heavy bag in my basement.  My husband gave them to me early (today) and we did a quick, but killer, workout tonight after putting the kids to bed.  See me all shiny with sweat!