Starting To Feel A Lot Like Fall!

It is beginning to feel like Fall here in Iowa.  Cooler temperatures and leaves are starting to turn color and drop from trees.  Fall mums and pumpkins are appearing in stores and on front porches all over town.

It is the perfect time to fix the sinking front yard.  Over the past few years the area in the picture has sunk so much that we were close to seeing the bottom of the driveway pavement.  Bill decided it was time to level it out with dirt and reseed.  Better to do this in the Fall as in the Spring you get too many weeds in with the new grass.  It took 85 bags (1.5 cubic feet each) of dirt to level it out and a huge bag of grass seed.  We are expecting this weeks daytime temps to reach almost 80 so am hoping to see shoots of grass soon!

I've been making progress on July by Prairie Schooler.  I'm surprised at how fast it is stitching up.  However, I decided to take a break from it over the weekend to begin stitching another project. 

This is Halloween Cubes by the Primitive Hare.  I saw this design and knew it was perfect for a piece of "accident" over dyed fabric that a friend dyed.  I pulled it out and I loved the contrast of the colors of the design on the orange fabric.  Yes, it is 9 letters that will spell out Halloween and each letter has some Halloween related design to it.  Of course, I thought I needed it for this year's display so am stitching quite a lot right now.  Thankfully the stitch count is 47 x 47 but I'm here to tell you that is still a lot of stitching.  Let's just say I'm not working on it right now as my hand is so sore from stitching so much since Sunday night.

I purchased some Camaro fabric to make a lap quilt for the car - well really for Keith in the car.  Sometimes when taking a drive before we get home it can get a little chilly and Bill and I end up putting one of our jackets over Keith's legs for extra warmth.  I'm going to make a trip to Creston to Quilts and Notions to buy some coordinating fabrics.  They have such a huge selection of really interesting and different fabrics that it will be worth the 45 minute drive to get them.  I also want to get some fabrics for the Halloween cubes I am stitching as well.

I've also signed up to walk the local Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure here in Des Moines on October 4.  Many of you know it is a cause near and dear to my heart as my mom passed away from breast cancer.  

I hope you will visit the website of BlueRibbonDesigns and purchase Belinda's design called "Five Houses of Hope".  Belinda has designed this special piece to raise money for the Komen 3-Day she is walking in November in Dallas.  It is 60 grueling miles and this will be her second year walking it.  She has been training since she took her last step last year after her feet recovered and I'm so proud of her for walking again!

I'm not getting as much reading time in right at the moment as I'm so busy stitching.  I am, however, still reading Hitler's Furies on my Kindle App while doing the treadmill at the gym and started rereading Dan Brown's the Lost Symbol.  I've been wanting to read it again ever since we returned from our trip to Washington D.C. a year ago after walking a lot of the places featured in the book.  

I'm thinking it is about time to give my blog a new look.  You know a new photo header, maybe different color scheme, font, format.  I've not stared at it long enough to figure out how I want to change it but hopefully soon an inspired thought will come to mind.