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Saturday, November 26, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  Me and the kids spent the day (still a little sick) with both sets of their grandparents.  Jake was unfortunately still out of state working.  They all came over for dinner and we all ate too much.  The boys were wired from all the excitement the entire day (and into the nite).  The next day we got up early to go Black Friday shopping with my mother-in-law and this is the conversation heard from the boys in the backseat:

O (3):  “Mom, I saw someone throw their tied up shoes over the big lines of power!”

Mom:  “Yes, I don’t know why people do that.”

A (5):  “It’s so they can dry them!”

Mom:  “Well, How do they get them down when they’re dry?”

A:  “They bounce on a big spring and then a pogo stick and get them down.”  

O:   “Aiden, that’s a good idea.  You’re very smart!”

A:   "I know.  Thank you."

It was very hard not to laugh at this conversation.  Everything was said with no hesitation and so matter-of-factly.  As if it's perfectly normal to see a man on a pogo stick getting down his shoes. 

I wonder sometimes what happens to our imaginations as we get older.  Kids are so wonderful! They are full of creativity and imagination.  Anything is possible for them.  They believe dragons are real and fairies and gnomes live in the garden.  And if you wish hard enough, you can make anything happen.  They believe everyone has some good in them somewhere and people bounce around on pogo sticks.  And you know what?  I hope someday I'm lucky enough to see a man on a pogo stick getting his dry shoes off the power lines, while a dragon flies overhead and shimmering little fairies laugh from the grass below.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

New Works in the Shop

First off, I'd like to start by saying I'm a bad blogger.  I've been gone from this blog for awhile now, and I apologize.  Now, on to business!

I have been really busy these last two weeks.  Finishing up quilt projects, taking care of sick boys and now (trying to) take care of myself and rest... Yes, I caught the bug from the boys.  I knew I would.  I always do.  No matter how early I start drinking my wellness tea and taking elderberry.  No matter.  This time I did not let it beat me.  I rested.  I'm still a bit under the weather but am not bed-ridden and have managed to get a lot of quilting done actually.  See, after we finished with the painting and the floors, I talked my hubby into moving my sewing room into the living room.  I still have all my fabric stashed in the sewing room (it's really the office now but the boys still call it my sewing room) and my quilting books and patterns are nicely filed on a bookcase in there as well.  My sewing table, machine and iron have relocated to the living room though.  It works great!  I have managed to get so much more done being right in the middle of everything.  I'm there to keep an eye on the kids and jump up and play.  They can also sit next to me and watch me make quilts - which they love - without knocking over things in my small sewing room.

So this is the new sewing space.  The weaving on the wall, by the way, was made by Jake's grandmother, Banu.



And on the other side is the rest of the living room.  Sorry, it's a bit messy right now.  Everyone being sick and all.


So here's what I finished a few days ago.  This is for sale in my etsy shop currently.  I had so much fun working with this fabric.  It's Whimsy from Moda.  The colors are so inviting and peaceful.  I just wanted to curl up in it while I was making it.  It finishes to about 35"x 44.5" which is a great baby size quilt I think.  Perfect for snuggling up in, playing on and using in a crib.  It's also a nice size for a toddler to snuggle under and drag around the house and yard with them. 


And this awesome table runner is for sale in my shop also.  I really love this one.  The fabric used was Fruitcake by Basic Grey.  I love this Christmas line! For one, it has snowmen, which I love, but it also has a very modern feel to it. 
The back is a bunch of presents all stacked up and piled on each other.  I decided to straight line quilt this in a diagonal pattern.  I also quilted a few lines going the opposite way to give it some interest. 

I'll post more tomorrow after I get some more stuff listed.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Being Mindful

As you all know, it has been a rather busy few weeks for us here.  Jake got home just before Halloween and those few days were spent preparing for our Halloween party and sleep-over for the boys.  The next day the carpet came out, wood floors went in, 4 children ran around the house in, out and around this chaos and there was coffee... lots of coffee.

Now that the wood floors are finished, the painting is (mostly) finished and the children are back down to just 2, there was a moment today when I sat in my newly arranged office and just... sat.  It was wonderful.  The boys went with their Dad to the "blue store" (aka Lowe's) and on a coffee run and I had caught up on most everything.  I just sat and took in this wonderful new living space we've created.  It was not easy.  It was hard work and very busy and chaotic and loud and at times stressful and tense.  But you know what? Even though all the rhythm and flow of our normal, boring, routine days were thrown for a loop, the boys were so wonderful. They hung in there like the great kids they are, and Jake and I didn't really even bicker too much at all.  Not even when we were tired (exhausted), low on sleep (and coffee) and just plain sick of working and doing.  We made it through, all of us, and now we have this beautiful house that is, although not quite finished, truly a home for us all.

I love our family... and our new home.

I hope all is well and peaceful with you and your families.