New Start, Beach, Stash, Graduation and Summer!

What a wonderful summer it's been! I hope all of you are having a great one, too. My husband, son, and I went on vacation last month, and it was probably one of the best we've ever had. The weather was perfect, we stayed just the right amount of time (5 days), and just generally had fun. What more could you ask for?

The shortened time really helped us prioritize our activities and make the most of our trip. My son has a tendency to become bored after so long, and we didn't have that problem this year. Salty Yarns was the recipient of a lot of my money this go round, lol. Oh how I love that place. It's right on the boardwalk, at 8th street, and it's just filled with cross stitch, yarn, and all sorts of fun things. Here's a bit of stash I managed to come away with.

Yikes! Sorry about the plastic glare, but there was no way I was taking them out and then trying to get them back in. If you can't tell, that's the Wisteria Snowman. I think it looks like a snow WOman myself however. The fabric is gorgeous for this one. You know, I thought I had purchased the Prairie Schooler Halloween card for this year, but I guess not. I'll have to rectify that very soon.

I am working on a project I bought last year at the beach.  There's not too much better than stitching on your balcony at 6am watching the sun come up over the ocean.

My son graduated from high school and turned 18 back in June. He's a big strapping young man now. We had a wonderful day. I have no words for just how wonderful it was. Beautiful ceremony. Afterwards, we had a great little party with family and I got to reconnect with a cousin I hadn't seen in years. My sister and her wonderful family were there, along with my in laws and my Mom and son's grandfather. It was great. The pic below was taken the morning of graduation.

Even though he can't drive on his own yet, his Dad thought he should have a memorable graduation/birthday present. He loved it. He probably won't be driving it by himself until next year though.

He is off to college in about 2 1/2 weeks. Unbeleivable, really. Seems like not to long ago, we were taking him for carousel rides and holding him in our arms while he napped. I swear the kid barely spent any time in a crib. My mother told me that the time would go by fast. I didn't believe her. I think I'm pretty prepared to have him go to school, albeit with a huge adjustment to my own daily routine. Now, his father? We'll see about that.

I'll leave you with one of my most favorite things about Summer - my moonflowers. The first one of the season bloomed last week. They are glorious! If you don't grow them, I highly suggest it. I am always outdoor at night stalking the moon anyways, and they just add to the enjoyment of the evenings. Speaking of the moon, be sure to try and catch the Perseid Meteor Shower this weekend! I do believe there's a supermoon as well!