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One of my college buddies, Phil, married the sweetest girl (Meg, not pictured, sorry!) two weeks ago in a gorgeous outdoor ceremony. I made this dress in July, specifically for the wedding and have been meaning to get a picture of it since. This is the best picture showcasing the dress from the event, as unfortunately, I still have not photographed it on its own.

This pattern was a breeze. I cut a size 8 - one larger than normal - since I used a woven instead of the recommended knit. I also fully lined the dress as the pattern only called for a partial lining of the bodice and I'm not a fan of wearing a slip. Other than that, I didn't make any alterations. This dress went together like a dream. I don't know that I'll make it again, but if I do it will probably be the longer version.

Concord Grape Pie

This is one of my absolute favorites. I have been waiting a year for grape season to attempt this pie. Its a little labor intensive but worth it if you like grape and/or a tart pie.

For this recipe you need:

5 and 1/2 c concord grapes, washed
1 c sugar depending on the sweetness of the grapes
1 T tapioca
Double pastry for a 9 inch pie

First, remove skins from grapes and set aside.



Next, bring the pulp to a rolling boil for five minutes in a heavy bottom pan.

Then, put pulp through a colander or a food mill to remove all seeds and pour hot, de-seeded pulp over skins that you had saved.


Let sit for 5 hours and then add sugar and tapioca. Pour mixture into pie crust and dot with butter. Add "floating" crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes longer until crust is brown and juices begin to bubble.



Enjoy!

On the quilting front

A little fabric goodness showed up on my doorstep yesterday.



Two more charm packs in Pure by Sweetwater, a Whimsy jellyroll, and a Bliss jellyroll. Oh, and a yard of one of the colorways from the Pure line for sashing.

I didn't waste any time cutting into the two charm packs. ;)

And so these...

>

Became these...



Which will be added to these...



And hopefully very shortly I'll have another finished quilt!

I'm learning to love precuts. The last quilt took nearly 7 months of dragging out all the cutting. This one may just come together in a matter of weeks! After this... no more blue and brown for a little while. I need some color in my life! I think the two jellyrolls are going to be just right for that... :)

For a Cause

Let me just say that I don't jump on every band wagon cause that comes down the pipe. I just don't. My heart goes out to each and every need out there but... I just don't. No idea why.

This one though, this one is fun. This is doggies parading in costumes on the boardwalk so that other animals can find homes and love. Not that its any better than any other charitable need, its just every morning when Dex is trying to cuddle while I'm trying to get ready for work I'm thankful that God told me to go to the SPCA and get a cat that day. This cat was suppose to come home with me. This cat was mine before I met him. And I was his. He definitely picked me. I think this is a baby step toward parenthood but we won't go there.

And so, I've signed on with my sister to raise a few pennies for the good folks at the Virginia Beach SPCA so that they can get more animals into the homes they were meant to have.

If there's anyone out there in blog land who would like to help me, here's my website:

http://www.firstgiving.com/annajohnson3

I greatly appreciate anything and everything that you might be willing to give. Even an encouraging word. :)

OBX

But just for a day.

My bff vacationed with her family for a week in Outer Banks and I drove down to spend a day with them. I had never been to the beach there. It was beautiful. Totally different from the beaches here in the Hampton Roads area. I'm still pretty partial to my little corner on the bay but OBX makes a pretty awesome second. Especially when the ponies decide to make an appearance.

This is Amber, my bff, and her bf. And one of his bffs. Like the tween speak? It only comes out every once in a while. ;)



She and I together. The only pic I have of the two of us from that weekend.

More Route 127 pics

Here's just a few more taken on my point and shoot. The previous pictures were all taken on my DSLR.

We were pretty proud of our tent construction abilities. Less than 15 minutes, no instructions. Once a girl scout, always a girl scout.



Molly decided camping was kind of okay. She might be interested in doing it again

We found a pooch more spoiled than our own. Check out her doggie sunglasses!

Her owner told us she was a rescue dog. I'd say she's found her way home.


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Route 127 Sale

My sister and I traveled to Jamestown, TN, the first weekend in August for the World's Longest Yard Sale. The sale stretches along Route 127 from Alabama to Michigan and the main hub is in Jamestown. We've been trying to make this trip for a few years and this year things finally worked out.

We camped at Cherokee Ridge and headed south the first day and north the second day. Below are some of the more interesting things we saw on our trip. Beware: picture heavy!










Notice that this man had his dogs in one side of the box and his chickens in the other.







These kids raised $1,000 last year selling lemonade for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. They earned a brick for their efforts and are trying to earn another brick again this year. Such awesome and adorable kids. And super awesome lemonade.










While on our way back to the beach from Tennessee we stopped to visit some of my side of the family. Megan had come to visit me the weekend before, coincidentally, but the others I hadn't seen since winter break of '06. A lot has changed since this. Good, bad, and sad. But seeing them made it feel like it hadn't been quite so long.

This is me with my uncle, Ken. He's the older of my mom's two younger brothers. He drove up from NC on his motorcycle just to see me for 10 minutes before heading back to beat the sunset.



Here I am again with my aunt, Monica, and cousins, Gavin and Megan. They all belong to my mom's youngest younger brother. I hadn't seen them since before he passed away. It lent a touch of bittersweet to the visit. But just a small one.



And, my sister and I. She survived meeting my crazy side of the family. I actually spend a decent amount of time with her crazy side but this was her first encounter with the Blevins. Kind of weird to think about.