Checking in and My Most Amusing Trip to the Fabric Store

Yep, I'm still here.  We had the rare (as in hasn't happened in 5+ years) opportunity to get together my husband's siblings and their dad this past week!  We were even all together on Father's Day, which is pretty special.  Come to think of it, we've spent all but one Father's Day with my father-in-law ever since my dad passed away, which has been a saving grace for me.  It was also the first time that all 7 cousins (my boys and nieces and nephews) had been together at the same time.  It was WONDERFUL!  I'm not too crazy about putting kid pictures on my blog, but here's a fun shot I took in Portland, where we all met that exemplifies the "Keep Portland Weird" motto LOL.

After having spent the last few days unpacking and doing piles of laundry, I took advantage of some kid-free time to travel to Walla Walla, WA to the nearest Jo-Anns Fabric stores to use up a gift card that I've had.  While I was there this storm hit.  I happened to have my camera with me, and took a short video.  It was funny how everyone in the store gathered at the window to watch.  Yep, we don't get too many of these torrential storms here (average rainfall is 12-13 inches per year).  That's me saying "wow" at the end :-).

Finally, I also had a $10 gift card at the local quilt store, "Stash" in Walla Walla, and saw, for the first time ever some Japanese "echino" prints that they'd just gotten in this past week!!  They only had a few dozen half yard cuts, but I think I touched each and every one of them!!  I must say that these are better "in person" than I ever thought they would be, even though I've been drooling over them via the Internet for a while now.  No 2 cuts were the same, and it was so hard to chose, but I'm thrilled!  I can't wait to play with them!!

I realized after I got home that 3 white T-shirts that I also bought at JoAnns are 50/50 cotton polyester blend.  I was hoping to tie-dye them with my boys, but now I'm not sure if I can.  Has anyone tried to tie dye with 50/50 blend T-shirts?  Any other ideas of crafty boy things to do with them?  I may just get a pack of RIT dye to use instead of the fancy tie dye kit I have (and save that for another time).  I'd love to get any input!!  Thanks!!