I hope everyone had a fabulous Mother’s Day! My girls and I got out into the yard- I planted 3 of the four Austin’s, finished mulching the main beds and fertilizing, and got the Barden Bed half weeded, so I feel quite accomplished. Still have more weeding, mulching, and edging but things are getting there! Lily planted her first plant- a tiny boxwood that came free with my polyantha order.

Thanks again, Larri. You’ve given me a lot of good ideas and fuel for thought. Just the idea of turning a simple rolled hem, has given me room to think more broadly on this binding task. I haven’t yet purchased any wooly nylon, but I think it will/can work in a sewing machine. I looked into decorative stitches with just a sewing maching — my serger only does a (forgot name again) ~ overcast likestitch, overlock stitch. But I remembered that Aside from machines with fancy “embroidery” stitches, I also have a Distinctive(r) Braiding Foot. And as I thought more about the hem/binding, I appreciated that since there is a lot going on with the colorful floral pattern, anything fancy on the hem might just get lost. So I may just make a 3/4th inch hem (or 1/2 inch) then just stitch something like a machined feather or Greek key, duck or tulip stitch atop it. I saw a video of an Indian sewist using a very inexpensive plastic Sm (sewing machine) to create a simple binding design of two opposing scallop pattern that made an oval. like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qeQft7ZBiA (Near end of video) Thanks to you, I am more confident that I can come up with something nice. At least I can just do something reasonable and get it finished. Quilters have a saying, something like “finished is better than unfinished ‘perfect’.” I will try to post a photo of the end result. Thanks again for helping me get unstuck.

Happy Mother’s Day to all ❤️ We had a small group of DH, me, DS2and my mother. The kids nominated DS2 to buy plants for my mom and me. We had a very lazy day, with lunch of quiche Lorraine I had made yesterday, and a dinner of chicken prepared like schnitzel ( cutlets pounded thin, dusted with flour and paprika, dipped in egg and rolled in panko and cooked in the smallest amount of oil possible), on a bed of creamed spinach and mushrooms, served with saffron rice. Watermelon pieces as a salad and coconut cake for dessert, all made by me. Our club restaurant isn’t open for sit down meals yet, and I did not want to risk going elsewhere just yet, so I had this all planned and it took just an hour to put it together. We ate in the informal dining area and I used one of the azalea plants the kids gave me as a centerpiece. Nothing fancy for a change, and I found a box of unused tray liners from Hester and a Cook when we moved and used those as sort of faux placemats. So glad we did not have a big do that required a lot of cleanup, as after dinner DH got a call, his mother died on Mother’s Day evening. She was in her late 80s and had Alzheimer’s for more than a decade, cared for in her own home according to her wish by round the clock helpers. DH and DS2 had driven to Alabama to see her the day before and found her especially frail, so it was not a surprise to anyone. Still, any passing is a blow, a jolt in the road. I’m more thankful than ever to have my mother! DH’s brother, a physician, was with their mom at the end. We will have a very quiet family funeral in a few days. “A life well lived is not to mourn, but to envy and inspire hope.”

My DD and her fiance came out, and my dad treated us all to lunch at one of my fav local Mexican food restaurants. I’m still thinking of my veggie chili relleno with queso fresco. Ahhhh. I wish I could eat it every day. :) I tried to convince them to move in with us, but they won’t. I’m not doing Empty Nest Syndrome well. I want to be with her every day. It’s been years since she moved! She’s 27! When do I get used to it?!