Back from Vacation ... and I need a nap!

Is it just me, or do you get back from a long vacation almost as tired as when you left because you did so much while you were away?

We had lots of fun with family while we were in Wisconsin during the past two weeks--playing cards, taking photos of fun places, sharing meals, talking and laughing. We also celebrated my DH's birthday, which was a lot of fun, too--especially with a chocolate cake baked special by my SIL.

I visited two quilt shops that were new to me. The first was The Silver Thimble Quilt Shop in Green Bay. It carries a very nice variety of styles in fabric with a good selection of batiks (which will please me every time). Not a lot of fabrics that will work if you're aiming for an 1800s look, but more toward modern themes.
At least two of the quilts hanging in the shop were blue ribbon winners!
And I was delighted to find quite a selection of fabric on clearance at 40% off! I bought two beautiful batiks along with some fabrics with designs resembling bricks and wood grains. The wood grains and bricks will work well in some art/wall quilts I've got in the planning stages.
You can see the shop on the Web at http://www.silverthimblequilts.com/index.html

My SIL and I also cruised through the Kindred Spirits Quilt Shop in Denmark, Wisconsin, just a few minutes south of Green Bay. What a fun shop! If you love the look of Civil War or Colonial quilts, you can find the reproduction fabrics here. Now I'm thinking about a Civil War style bed quilt for a cousin who loves Pennsylvania history. Hmmmm.
I like punch needle embroidery, too, and found quite a selection of supplies. I also spied some wonderful hand-dyed wools that could be tapped for a wall-hanging that's on my "to do" list. And I saw some really terrific info and models for rug hooking, too. Oh, boy. There's just too much to learn and do.
Here's the shop's website - http://kindredspiritsquiltshop.net/default.aspx

I just LOVE getting to visit shops that are new to me. And my SIL, bless her heart, found some things to give as Christmas and birthday gifts. We both had a blast.