snowed in

Here's a picture from this morning, looking out our back door...

Yeah, that's at least six inches of snow on the picnic table. And there's a good deal of ice too. Looks like I'm not going anywhere today. That's okay, because that gives me time to do this....


What laundry? :)

ragged squares

Here is the quilt that inspired the pillow pattern. I got the pattern from crazy mom quilts. I love her quilts! This quilt is called a ragged squares quilt and it is in the process of being basted in this picture. I actually have about half of it quilted already but I had to take a break to work on the pillows. I haven't started working on it again yet because I am working on a project for a set of twins that will be born sometime next month. I'll share that with you soon too.... (Are you bored yet?)

christmas sewing

I said that I would get around to showing what I made for Christmas presents this year. And whether it takes me one day or say, 40, I'll always do what I say. :) So, now that Christmas is but a memory (and we FINALLY got rid of the tree today), here are the things I made.

They are quilted pillows. I have been getting into quilting and knew I couldn't possibly get a whole quilt finished in time for Christmas. But I took an idea from a quilt I am making (pictures of that to follow...) and adapted it to make a few pillows. The red one was for my sister-in-law, the blue for my mom, and the green for my mother-in-law. I assembled the front panel like you would a quilt square, then basted the quilt square with batting and a back. I machine quilted it and then attached it to a matching back. I inserted a pillow form and stitched the bottom closed. They aren't perfect but for my first try at sewing and for not having a pattern, I think they turned out alright. And best of all, I think the recipients liked them. That's all that mattered to me. :)

jpg - unity

little man's take on Martin Luther King, Jr. and the inauguration...

...everyone happy together.

amen.

peanut butter jelly

i don't know how it started
(i'm sure my husband remembers)
but somewhere along the way
our family began singing
that annoying song about
peanut butter and jelly

i don't know
if we sing the right words
but there's even mention
of a baseball bat
which totally cemented the deal
in our family

anyway
the song evolved and
peanut butter jelly time
now means one on one time
for handsome and little man

not to be outdone
and feeling a little left out
the girls of the family
(that would be me and baby girl)
came up with our own
ketchup and mustard time

so now there can be
peanut butter ketchup time
ketchup and jelly time
peanut butter mustard time
and so on

in the shower yesterday
after i was all prayed up
(what? you don't pray in the shower?)
i was solving the world's problems
(seriously, if I had waterproof paper
i could prove my genius
but it all leaves my brain
the moment my foot hits the tile)
i contemplated
the peanut butter jelly assignments
and they are remarkably accurate

handsome is the peanut butter
keeping our little family
all stuck together

little man is the jelly
sweetness that none of us
can resist

i'm the ketchup
it goes well
with just about anything

and baby girl is the mustard
a little tangy and sometimes spicy
but still very well-loved

just an interesting observation
from this quirky little brain of mine

now i've got to run
it's ketchup and jelly time...

remembering

when i was growing up
this week of january
was a pretty good one

the after christmas blahs
would have settled in nicely
the plethora of new toys grown old

and along came two birthdays
my godmother's and my best friend's
a day apart from each other

i knew there would be cake
and probably a birthday party or two
to herald their new year

every year i'd count
as the years added up
in my godmother's age

the numbers seemed so far
from that of my best friend's
(and soon my own)

how i grieved
the summer the numbers stopped
for my godmother

but lately
more than i have in a long time
i miss her

i think it's the sewing
yeah, me, sewing
she'd be surprised too

so many days
i sat at her feet
as she sewed and quilted

i wish i would have paid closer attention

quite a few times
in the past couple of months
i wished for her advice
her knowledge and skill
her friendship and love

now don't get me wrong
my mom sews a mean stitch
my mother-in-law too

and they would be willing
to guide me along
as i rip out seam after seam

it's just that
for me
sewing means my godmother

and now that i'm actually doing it
it would be great
to share it with her

she filled the empty spots
in my childhood
the memories are so rich

the hole she left in my life
when she died
just got a little bigger

good thing i know how to sew

now that's me...

i have this picture
it's cut from the newspaper
a comic strip really
by a local guy

it's a guy and his mom
sitting facing each other
and both of them
are saying the same thing

i can see you and
i can hear you
yet i cannot comprehend
anything that you say or do

that pretty much sums up
the way things are with
my daughter these days

it would be easier
i think
if she was just spiteful
all the time

but instead
glimpses of that sweet girl
peek through
when i least expect it

and i mourn the loss
of my little girl
again

i remember being
12
it wasn't all that fun
and it was hard

and i'm sure
i took it out on my mom
because she couldn't possibly
know how i was feeling

and now that's me
the one who doesn't know
who can't understand
yet i do

and it's also me
that is supposed to
encourage yet discourage
guide yet allow independence
be open yet closed
set rules yet compromise

and pray

pray hard.

jpg - my guitar hero