Memorial Day has always signaled the beginning of summer to me, and this year really isn’t any different, even though my son still has two days of school left this week. It’s one of my favorite holidays because it means that from now till the end of the year, there is at least one three day weekend every other month, and who doesn’t like a little extra time away from the job?

I’ve spent this weekend hanging out with Chris, grocery shopping, watching movies and playing EverQuest 2. But what I’ve enjoyed the most is playing with my new Brother Innov-is 2500D sewing machine. I set out with the idea to buy the Innov-is 1250D, which is a very nice machine. It’s not as fancy as the 2500D but it’s nice and it would suit my needs just fine. What changed my mind? The 2500D was a refurbished machine, with the complete factory warranty, and it was only a few hundred more than the Innovis. It made buying the machine a no-brainer. I got the refurbished machine for about $1200 under sticker and about $800 under street price. Not too bad, I say.

And it’s very, very pretty.

I’ve also been working on the studio a bit over the last few weeks. I moved the closet organizers into the closet (isn’t that where they go, after all?) and put the baskets on the studio floor.

In fact, I put a LOT of the stuff I don’t use often in the closet.

It’s still far from perfect, but I finally feel like I’m moving in the right direction. I think another set of baskets would help a LOT … but those won’t happen for a while now …

I finished the quilt I was making for Chris but neither of us really love the colors. I’ve started a new quilt for him and the one that I made is destined to be a Christmas present for … someone. 🙂 Once I have the new quilt finished I’m going to do a red, white & blue for July 4th … I’ve decided that I’m going to do a “holiday” quilt for each holiday. It may take me two years but that’s my goal. In fact, I would love to do a different quilt for each month for our game room. The one thing we never seem to have enough of is blankets, and the ones we do have are in serious need of the trash! I’ve never kept a quilt I made, so this might be a nice switch …

Today’s question … would you rather receive a handmade gift or something bought from a store? Most people will jump to say “handmade” but I wonder – how many of them are being truthful?