Running Stitch

In fitting with the Retro theme this week (which I may be able to stretch out over two weeks I just realized) and because I’m running behind, (Packed? No. Leaving for Vegas tomorrow at 6am? Yeah.) I present a quilt thirty years in the making.

While digging through her closet for The Man’s baby clothes, after we found out we were pregnant with Mr. Moo, my Mother-in-law came across these quilt blocks she had started when The Man was just a Wee one.

A long time ago, In a Galaxy far far FAR away.

She asked me if I like them. HELLO!? Historical quilt blocks made in the seventies in orange and green. Loved them was more like it.

She finished a few blocks added a turtle. Is that not the cutest? I love the flower in it’s mouth.

and a slug, because (in case you are not up on the Northwest) We have a lot of slugs. A lot of slugs. So many slugs that my husband actually wrote a haiku about them in the fifth grade.

Thus the slug tribute. She just finished this quilt, just in time to start one for the new baby. Her theme this time? Sock monkeys……we are so retro. It hurts.

As you can see by my sidebar (pregnancy stats) I’m in training for my first marathon ever (as a spectator). I realized yesterday I had less than a week till the marathon and I can barely walk a mile.

So yesterday I drug the dogs out for a walk, and made it about 3/4 mile before I had to go to the bathroom. So I successfully walked 1/2 mile yesterday.

Unfortunately today is a TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR day. So our schedule walk is slightly delayed… This training is hard stuff.

In other news Riona at I run Seattle as volunteered to blog Vegas live as the runners hit the checkpoints. So check her site out Sunday to keep track of all your westside RBF’rs.

Here is a baby quilt I made for a friend around 2001. I called it Turtle Power. I think I made up the design myself but can’t remember (so I hope I didn’t just incriminate myself there!).

Its a turtle. Just so you know and I quilted large flowers all around it…thus the name…Turtle Power. I Know! Totally clever! How do I stand it.

Anyway I loved this quilt, but I made it during a time period where children seemed so far away and it didn’t occur to me to keep anything I quilted in case I had nieces and nephews or my own kids. Now I’ve learned to keep some quilts. If I totally love it…I save it. Yeah that has happened once, because usually I have in mind someone when I sit down to the machine.

In other news: The Moo has not actually climbed out of his crib yet but has spent many minutes dangling from the railing. This has caused me many stressful hours hovering in front of the baby monitor. We put our futon mattress on the floor in his room (mostly because my sister’s were visiting for Thanksgiving but also in case he plummet to the floor) but as you can see in this picture, he doesn’t stay on it.

Note the futon on the left, the crib on the right and behind the crib…..this

Yeah so that is working……

We are thinking we will have to just put his little boy bed together, he seems to really like his room always hanging from the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs and looking up saying “nigh nigh….mama….nigh nigh”

Now if he was just fascinated with sleeping there.

As the holiday season rushes towards us ( I have my first gift exchange tomorrow evening) I find my wish list growing and growing. Not my wish list but rather the list of things I want to accomplish, you know Secret Squirrel projects 1-100, none of which I can post pictures of until after they are delivered by Santa.

Every blog I visit has new and exciting pictures of gifts going out in the mail. A creative explosion for the holidays. Since I’m restricted to post Christmas picture posting I decided to have a retro week (pictures of quilts past I haven’t yet posted) and I think next week will be UFO week, (because of course I still have UFO’s to post!)

This is the first quilt that I quilted by hand, it is also the first quilt I pieced although not the first one I finished. I realized suddenly this weekend that it wasn’t on my sidebar! After I made Denim Grandmother’s Garden for my sister, my mother gave me a beginning quilting class as a birthday gift. The book we used was Quilts! Quilts! Quilts! which I still refer to for patterns. So here it is, my first OFFICIAL quilt although definately not the first one I finished!

I’m starting to get caught up in the Vegas folks excitement. This is the way to participate in a marathon. I mean seven months pregnant. Enormous belly. There is no guilt! No one saying to you, “how come you aren’t running?”

For all they know, you ran Boston last year and kicked some serious running rear. (stop laughing…I know where Boston is!)

First of all I’m awfully proud of my disgustingly fit husband (I’m fat, feel bad for me) who one day last spring said, “hey I want to run a marathon, even though I haven’t run in months” and now is. (yeah there is a little bitterness at the gene poole there and how he came out on top). He started following blogs like Jeff’s who came up with the Vegas RBF Fest in the first place, and now promises to have a fun get together for all of us the Saturday before the run.

My guy went on and designed and distributed Running Blog Family (west side) shirts for the run. I of course will be wearing mine so that all the RBF folks can pick me out of the crowd. Otherwise I would be hard to see, Redhair, enormous belly (did I mention that already?).

It’s nice to see that others get nervous before a run, it makes me feel like less of a freak, I always start to panic about this time, ten day’s out from a run. Of course we have never bought plane tickets to any of my runs, but I try not to complain, after all I get to give birth to gigantic babies. So I’m fulfilled.

Speaking of babies, I’m not sure how Arlene is going to deal with the fact that The Moo won’t be accompanying us to Vegas. Scott’s got this weird thing about wanting to sleep the night before the Marathon….whatever. Frankly I’m afraid Arlene will get violent during her pre race jitters when she discovers we haven’t brought the cutest family member. Maybe I’ll bring a big doll to distract her. Or chocolate.

Keith and Drew will be there too and Natalia and I will be cheering hard from the sidelines, provided that we don’t get lost at a strip bar……Or frankly in my case an Internet cafe.

So as we rush forward into the Thanksgiving Holly Daze and out the otherside, tumbling Pell Mell towards V-Day (Vegas), be thinking of me….home, with my feet up, not freaking out because there is no pressure, other than to be awake and possibly standing at the finish line to cheer my number one dude to victory.

Go baby Go.

Every once in a while, Someone, does something that make you say…

“Poop, I wish I hadn’t yelled at him about not taking out the garbage just now…”

From the mouth of a three year old at play group…

“..and then we went to Fred Meyers and then we saw the big big Santa (those blow up Santa’s and reindeers) and then I said to Mommy….’Mommy what is that Reindeer doing to Santa?’”

Apparently someone was having fun with the blow up dolls at Fred Meyers…….

I’m starving.

It is basically my new state of being…..Starving. All the time. Nice.

Everywhere I go there are trains…trains and more trains. Under my feet.

Today I have to figure out how to make more of these…..

and pick up my sister at the airport, and go to play group (PLAYGROUP!) and go to the grocery store.

Luckily the Moo has spent the day trying to train the kitties, (see babe, those quilting hoops do come in handy!) so far no success. But they have started running away from him as opposed to thier usual trick of playing dead.

and the Dogs have the worst Gas anyone has ever lived through…..Why are they in the house then? I’m hoping the stench will knock the Moo unconscious for twenty minutes….all I need is twenty minutes.

Look at my new video buddies. That’s right we start ‘em young here on the video games. Here we see Moo helping Dad with some game I forgot the name of, because frankly…I don’t care.

Well, first the really bad news and then the spectacularily bad news.

Last week we learned that Pixie Potter was moving away. She leaves tomorrow. We are very sad. I haven’t been able to tell The Moo yet. But I don’t think he’ll take it well. Good luck Pixie!!

The really spectacularly bad news which is compounded by the bad news about Pixie. Is that Mr. Moo has learned to climb out of his co-sleeper. He was rumored to have done this Friday evening while I was at school. Today he has done it five times. I caught the last time on tape.

This of course means….no more naps for Moo or Mama. (And trust me, Mama needs one right now). It also calls into question bedtime….and what will happen. This of course is made even worse because now Pixie won’t be coming over on Tuesdays and Thursdays to save me from insanity…

*pathetic begging on knees* Pixie! Don’t go!!

Here is yet another UFO that I found lurking in my closet. This project is somewhat of a Round Robin. It’s a quilt for my Dad, my sister Lauren (one of the Mad Quilters) made the intial star shape in the middle, My Dad’s Mom put together the picture border. And his two sisters picked out the green fabrics on either side of the picture border.

I bordered each section with the red sashing and am working on making a large sawtooth star shape (as you can kinda see from this picture). My other sister, bought fabric for the final border. Maybe my brother can help me quilt it and The Moo could throw up on it!! Then it will be an all family affair.

There you have it, yet another UFO relegated to the waiting list. I have to admit though, I sometimes inspire myself by getting these out and airing them on the web!