Their large toads certainly garnered a lot of attention.  And when I say they are BIG, I'm not kidding!  These were as big as hub's whole hand.

The lily pond blossoms were so beautiful.

Getting a good picture of the jelly fish wasn't an easy feat and I could have watched the ones in this tank for a long while.

I found Dory!

All day Saturday and Sunday morning were spent exploring and enjoying the Mystic Seaport.  Based on his love lately of all things related to that period of time, we knew that Jammer would eat this place up.  Yes we took tons of pictures but I don't want to bore you with all those so I'm just sharing a few.  It was amazing to learn how they went about making everyday items such as barrels.

It's a good thing we were tempted to put the lid on the barrels and ship off these contents to ports in far off lands. :)

I even came across a vintage sewing machine or two. This one was tough to get a good photo of as I was behind the rope and the sun was shining in the window bright.

Until I saw the sewing machine in this Sail Room, it hadn't occurred to me that they would have used machines to make them, once they were invented of course.

Although these spools held strands for being twisting into rope instead of thread (a fascinating process BTW), they still drew my attention.

Sunday after lunch we explored a sweet little shopping village were happened to be the 1 and only fabric store in the town was.  The shop was very tiny and therefore didn't have a ton to offer but they did have a lot for the space they had.  I didn't find anything that I just needed to have but Jammer sure did.  The shark and map fabrics called his name and we found a couple of coordinates to go with them.  Now we are on the hunt for just the right simple pattern for him to use them for.

If you haven't been to Mystic before, you should plan a visit.  It is sweet and quaint and a perfect little New England seaside town just right for a weekend getaway.

Once I got home I was able to finish sewing together the last rows of the quilt for the 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop.

Once that was done, it was time to decide what I wanted to use for the backing and the binding. I knew I wanted to use fabrics that are actually in the quilt and I was able to find these perfect ones at Stash Addict Quilts.

While browsing her holiday fabric offerings, I came across these prints and they just magically added themselves to my cart.

My order arrived yesterday (thank you Stash Addict Quilts for the speedy service) and came with a little bonus surprise in the form of this mini charm pack of Miss Scarlet by Minick and Simpson.  I have no idea yet what I'm going to do with it but I'm sure I'll think of something. 

On a side note, because I've been burned a couple of times in the past when ordering online and not receiving the actual yardage that I ordered and paid for, I always unfold and check when my packages arrive.  This order was no different and I am happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised.  Not only did I get the yardage that I ordered, but she sent me a few inches more on each of the cuts.  That is greatly appreciated.

It seems like a simple thing (and a not so costly one at that) to add an inch or two to an order so that when the customer squares up the fabric, they have at least the total of what was ordered.  Yes I'm aware that the inch or two adds up for the shop but having a happy customer like me who doesn't have to buy an extra 1/4 yard than needed to ensure I have what I need will ensure that I will be a repeat customer.  I wish more stores, both online and brick and mortar did the same.  I learned in retail many years ago, a small cost to the business in the beginning can reap years of additional profits in the future.

My day to post for the 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop is on the 21st, so be sure to check back in to see the final reveal.