Christmas in July and you may even see a little Alaskan snow too!

It's Christmas in July today! 

And as busy as my family has been in the last few weeks it sure feels like it is Christmas time over here!

My son graduated as valedictorian of his high school and not long after that we went to the Preview  program for a few days at the university he'll be attending in the fall.  He signed up for classes and got the lay of the land so to speak. 

He's going to school where his brother went, so he was pretty comfortable with everything from the beginning, but it's still a big step.

While all this was going on, after pondering it for at least a year, I finally ordered a new machine for quilting!  The quilt tops are piling up and I decided it was time to move forward.  But I'll tell you all about that another day. 

Then in less than a week, we were off for an Alaskan cruise, Voyage of the Glaciers!

Wow, was it beautiful!  Absolutely amazing!  I've always wanted to see a glacier and we saw so many!  It was incredible!  And, I have to add, it was incredibly cold for this Florida girl!

It was difficult to picture how cold it was going to be in Alaska when we left hot, humid Florida.  Luckily, I was prepared because I did bring clothes to use as layers and boy did I take advantage of that!  I'd definitely go back and I'd recommend the cruise to anyone who is interested in glaciers and in Alaska. 

After the Parade today, I'll sneak in a few Alaska vacation photos for those of you who are interested in staying around and looking at a few.  Edited to add: Okay, now it's more than a few once everyone got involved!

Hildy sent in these two lovely pictures of her beautiful quilt.  She created her own mini version of Carrie Nelson's Village pattern.  Hildy mixed Vintage Holiday and Swell fabrics to make the spectacular quilt that you see here!  She calls it Christmas Candy Cottage.  I think its gorgeous.  Thanks so much for sharing it with us Hildy!

The rest of the Christmas in July Parade can be found on Sherri McConnell's blog, A Quilting Life!

Be sure to stop by and visit.

The project that Sherri and I have picked out for the next Parade is cute, sweet, and the pattern is free!  

You can easily find it over at the Moda Bake Shop.

I'm talking about Barn Charm Mini Quilts by Christine Weld of The Quarter Inch.

Image used is from the Moda Bake Shop.

Feel free to make all of them or just one.  You can use a single charm pack, add a little yardage and you are on your way to having your own Barn Star Mini Quilt!

Send in your photo to me or to Sherri before the first of August and we'll put you in the Parade.  Don't hesitate to email your questions if you have any.  New to the Parade?  We'd love to have you join us!

If you are interested in sticking around for a few Alaska vacation pictures you are more than welcome.  These were mostly taken by my son, Aidan.  We just got back a few days ago and haven't gone through all of the pictures yet, but here are a few favorites so far.

An old dock in Icy Straight Point, Alaska.

That time we canoed to, then hiked on the Mendenhall Glacier and although it was fun, I did wonder what I was thinking when I was told there would be a harness involved.

The view from our canoe looking at Mendenhall Glacier.

The Harvard Glacier from our balcony on the cruise ship.

The Harvard Glacier calving.  Calving is when chunks of ice fall off as the glacier moves forward.

Taken by my husband.

 Another view of the Harvard Glacier in College Fjord.

The view from our room in Vancouver, British Columbia where we got on the cruise ship.

Another scene from beautiful Vancouver, Canada in Stanley Park.

 Sea lions on a buoy during our whale watching cruise Icy Straight Point.

We spotted lots of Humpback whales.

Taken by my husband.

And we were fortunate enough to see Orca whales too.

Taken by my husband.

Luckily, we didn't sign up for this tour in Skagway.  I'm not so sure about the driver.

The Marjorie Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park.

Taken by my husband.

The Marjorie Glacier from a different view.

The John Hopkins Glacier

White Pass Railroad in Skagway, Alaska

 Whittier, Alaska, where we ended our cruise.

I'm glad you stuck around for the vacation photo portion of this post!  When my family found out I was including Alaska pictures in this post they wanted to show you their favorites.  I kept it simple, but if you have any questions I'd be more than happy to answer them!