Where have "you" been???

So- you may have been asking yourself what happened to "Merth"?  The truth is, the past few weeks have just flown by here and I have had nothing to show on a blog I have maintained as a way to share my "art". But, so you know I haven't been abducted by aliens, or suffered a catastrophic illness, I will share bits of my life. 
First- at work, we had what is called a "site visit".  This is usually done by an accrediting body to inspect an educational or health program to make sure the standards are being met and maintained.  Needless to say, there is a lot to do to prepare for one of these visits.  That is mostly how I spent my days at work, including working "extra" days due to things like the Labor Day holiday and upcoming time off.  During that same period of time, I was doing what I call a "company cleaning" at my house, in anticipation of Guy bringing home his fiancée!!  It was her first visit to our home, and I wasn't about to let her see the dust bunnies in the corners!

In the moments I found for creative endeavors, I managed to finish a pair of socks I've been working on for the whole year- or so it seems.















 I also took apart one of my UFOs.  It was a mix of blocks from other projects- and it was really ugly.  The frog blocks I kept (yes, I threw some away!) look kind of nice with the blocks from another UFO, so I may revisit that idea later.












And of course, I spend as much time as I can with these wonderful kids!  Now that school has started, I feel like I need an appointment to see Kiara!








At last, the day arrived, and Guy and Anna were home!!  We were busy the whole time they were here, and got the whole family together as much as possible while they were here.

The guys spent a day out in the boat (I can't say fishing because they didn't even see a fish!), so Anna and I went to the Genesee Country Village and Museum.  I'd never have thought of it if Anna hadn't been fascinated by the old houses we passed as we drove home from the airport. 

She just loves old things, and history so this was a perfect outing for us!

 In one of the houses, the interpreter was working with this tool, making cording to be used as ties, or drawstring.  It's called a Lucet. 








It turned out they sell a much less attractive version of this in the gift shop, so I am now "lucetting" myself.  I'll find uses for the cords, I'm sure. 

Anna is from California, and had never visited our part of New York before, so of course we went to Niagara Falls.














It was summery while they were here, so we had a family picnic, complete with a bonfire.

We were all fascinated by the blue/ green flames.








Another "Of Course" was going to Letchworth State Park- always a great day! 

And, all to soon, they were gone. 



The day before they left, I was asked if I would  be willing to foster a mom and 7 newborn kittens.  I said, Yes Please!
 It was the perfect remedy to the sense of loss I feel every time Guy comes for a visit, and goes back to his home. 

Who could be sad, looking at these little faces?











I am grateful for:
Having my family all together for a few days.
How much I love Anna. (Did I mention she asked me to help her learn to make a quilt?)
Jonathan's talking.
Sweet baby kitties.
Catching up with a friend I have missed.

I will try to stop in more often.