Sorry I've been away for so long.  No really, I feel badly about it.  I've just been spending every available moment working on the house, these past few weeks.  Because, you see, something amazing happened.

My mother came to visit.

We've lived here for the past five years and she hadn't been able to make the trip until just now (she left for home this morning).  It's not that she lives so far away, it's that our family is so spread out and it costs a lot of money/time to see everyone (Canada is big, yo).  My disabled brother no longer lives with her - he's in a home just outside of our hometown (2,500 km away from her) - and he understandably gets priority, visit-wise.  Still, it was starting to get to me.  I hadn't seen her in almost four years. 

Anyway, my mom is a professional organizer, so there was no way I was going to subject her to the disheveled state of my home.  I spent three weekends straight, painting every room in the house (there aren't really that many, but you try and paint rooms when they're still full of stuff and you'll appreciate why it took me so long).  We also cleaned up the yard, did some gardening, cleaned all the windows (!), had the electricians in to start making sense of the rat's nest that is our lighting and a host of other little odd jobs that needed done.  All on top of working full time and commuting.

Phew.

I like having a pending visit hanging over my head as motivation, but I must say: I am a bit pooched.  Am looking forward to things going back to "normal".

It goes without saying that I haven't gotten much knitting or sewing done lately.  The argyle vest is crawling along and I've started another pair of socks to keep my hands busy when they haven't been holding a paint roller.  This week, while we were visiting and sitting on the beach (FINALLY - SOME SUMMER WEATHER!!), I managed to get a bit further on the socks.  I made much better progress on my sunburn, however.

{Can I just say that all this rainy weather has done some devilish things to the local mosquito population?  Holy crap.  And the no-see-ums.  Oy vey.  My mom is a magnet for all flying/biting insects and she was continually ambushed.  Thankfully, she brought this totally amazing Benadryl creme that she applied to each bite and it kept the swelling/itching down.  If you're one of those lucky people beloved by mosquitoes, you must try it.  Awesome sauce.}

Oh, and it was my birthday this past weekend.  Only, I kept forgetting.  Doh.  I ordered myself a birthday treat a few weeks ago, which I will share with you in the next couple of days, when I get it home (it's in town, at the UPS station, and it's being delivered to my office tomorrow) and set up.  Hopefully, I will also have a chance to get reorganized in my sewing so that I can put together my next tutorial for you: how to take a simple pattern for pants and make all sorts of different styles out of it.

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Before I forget, did you see Amanda's post about her garden?  Swoon.

Oh, and do you love this as much as I do?