Of sandcastles and pencil erasers

The end of summer snuck up on this unwitting household.  Too late to plan a weekend getaway before the beginning of the school year, we took the kids for a day of sun and fun at Seacliff Beach.  Note to self:  Next time, find a spot upwind of the concrete ship and it's many fine-feathered inhabitants.

With the "big kids" back in school this week, Kieran and I had some quality time together.  I also planned to spend some quality time with my Singer 301 while Kieran napped.  I was foiled yesterday, as Kieran decided to stick a pencil eraser in his right nostril.  My husband and I tried to dislodge the thing, working under the assumption that it was a wadded up piece of paper.  We finally took him to Urgent Care, where we were surprised to see said eraser.

I managed to piece this little stack of 2.5" hourglass blocks before the eraser-in-nostril incident.  They're part of a secret swap project for the Love Circle at do. Good Stitches.   

I also did a bit of stitching on the binding of a charity quilt, but stopped when I had trouble focusing my eyes on the needle tip.  A trip to the optometrist confirmed my suspicions: my aging eyes are going to need bifocals soon.  For now, I can get away with a pair of reading glasses while wearing my contact lenses.

Before I go, look at this stack of goodness arrived on my doorstep yesterday!

Now that the almost-3-year-old knows not to stick foreign objects up his nose, I hope to cut into these lovelies today for the Vintage Holiday Quilt-Along hosted by Heidi at Fabric Mutt.  I took my color scheme from Shiny Brites.  I chose Dear Stella Linework in grey for the sashing- going for a silvery tinsel effect.

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced.