Sunday was a long day for two little boys.
Well, one little boy. The other little boy..had a blast.
High fiving 10,000 people? More or less? Priceless
Elvis.
Dad. Mile 10.
Go Dad Go
(the man. Not in Seattle. San Jose 2008. Talking about running)
We are at the Seattle Marathon. Cheering on the Man.
Run. Man. Run.
(The Man, Turtledash 2007)
Lady Oliver the toe biter, has yet to show any sign of actually being a mouser.
Hai.
No evidence whatsoever.
Put the camera down, and back away.
All she does is lay around.
I know where you sleep.
Free loader. The mices….get them.
Tonight while you sleep? I’m knocking over the recycling
Lady Madonna- The Beatles
I finally got around to updating my About Me Page! Actually what I did was carefully read through Miss Zoot’s painstakingly written email for the hundredth time. In my defense there were no pictures…I do better with pictures.
Not only did I update the About me page but I shined up my Quilt Gallery, Who’s Who and UFO pages. See them there at the top? What bloglines who? The top! The top.
Well anyway I pasted my Shiny About me here for you to read, so you don’t have to leave bloglines.
(What do you mean not a real post? roll with it..it is that kind of day!)
8.31.09
First Day of Kindergarten (not for me)
I’m a WAHM. (Work at home Mom-is there another kind?) I’ve been married to my best friend Scott (The Man) for the last nine years. We met in high school when I was 14 and he was much older. He used to pull my hair and practice Tae Kwan Do moves on me in Japanese class. I learned very little Japanese.
And yet our love survived.
We were married in 2000 (which makes it so easy to do the math-good thinking!) We waited till after high school to get married. And after the Navy, and College.
In 2002 we bought The Burrow, (because it is held together by magic, that’s why) it was built sometime in the twenties as a log cabin, sometime in the fifties they lifted it and put a basement on it, sometime in the eighties they built an addition (the right side). We have been in the process of fixing up said catastrophe (we LOVE this house) since before the ink was dry on the mortgage.
In 2003 we both started our Masters programs, and got pregnant (cuz we needed a little somethin extra-plus my six foot five husband looked cute in all his maternity clothes. Ruffles are the new….)
In 2004 our son, (Mr. Moo-were non traditional like that) was born. And we learned there was this whole other world outside of email and websites called the blogosphere. We moved in.
2005 was a down year, but I documented in online anyway!
2006 saw the addition of our second and last son (because my husband says so that is why, technically to be completely truthful what he said was, I could have as many babies as I wanted…ahem) Wah. I also completed my MSW in June of that year. Hurray.
2007 nothing…..but still online documenting it!
2008 Scott graduated from his Masters program and we both finally had jobs in on our field and no homework..and apparently two little boys! Crazy.
Which brings us to 2009, the year of Kindergarten, and double income and both of us working at home. We had a garden this year and got that roof leak fixed, next year? who knows, we may paint!
Keeping us safe at night and stealing the blankets are Jonah the dog, Lily the dog, Lady Oliver the cat the toe biter, several goldfish including Humpty Dumpty, and many uninvited dust-bunnies.
I like to run, I love to quilt, I enjoy the outdoors, my childhood fantasy to live in the woods by a creek has come true at the Burrow and now that I have small boys I think DEAR LORD I LIVE IN THE WOODS BY A CREEK…..
breathe.
Welcome to my blog, please don’t write your name in the dust...that is so embarrassing.
Several months ago, now I talked several of my far flung pals into a Round Robin. Come on I said, it will be fun, no pressure!!
And they totally bought in.
Nice.
We decided to call it the Running Round Robin, since the one thing we all had in common, was running. At least in our minds, some of us are runners, even if they are currently only walking a mile a day, while others are planning to BQ (Qualify, for Boston…the Marathon) this weekend. (cough, overachiever, cough)
So Adorable!! love the road, the embroidery the border…everything! Awesome.
Best. Idea. Ever! The Robin, not the BQ (in my dreams, apparently). I know, I KNOW! I say this about every quilting project. But I love this top. It is already backed and pinned, awaiting those lazy days (ha!) of January when huddling by the fire is what I do best.
Toitles! by Mia
Currently relegated to the UFO pile, it is after all late November and I have hundreds of Christmas ideas. To sew, or not to sew. In my defense I would like to point out that of the eleven (sigh) projects on that list four are currently being quilted and one is awaiting binding, right here, next to me…minutes from completion!
Love
Round Robins have always held a special charm for me, as they combine different techniques, color palettes, skill level. But they are always some of my favorite works, like a good book, it takes you to unexpected places but it all ties together so nicely. This particular robin, is so close to my heart. Framed by Lady J, whom I barely see anymore (whatever nine hour car drive!) the two other borders done by ladies whom are real life strangers, and virtual best pals. In my mind Mia, Juls and I sit about drinking wine and discussing the finer points of boys, big boys and little boys and being the only female in the boys house. All three of these women…so special. Thanks for this ladies!
The Blogosphere, bringing you closer to your soul mates everyday.
You can see Juls top here.
Mia’s top is here.
Lady J? I’m dying to see yours!
Several folks have asked if I’ll be doing a quilt along or round robin and I have decided yes! I will, starting in February. I”ll keep you posted.
*Runaround- Blues Travelers
Oh hai! It’s Monday.
That was us without power yesterday. Again. I’m only partially panicked as we move towards Thanksgiving, mostly because we slow cook the bird on the barbecue, and you can buy pumpkin pie in a can….maybe I should do that?
Did I mention that this year at the Turtledash, I woke up and my oven didn’t work? Nice!
Dare I tempt the turkey gods…better not.
Oh right running. I had a running dream this week? I dreamed I was out for a run, and I felt guilty, because I kept going to all these doctors’ apt and here I was out for a quick six miler…
but it was just a dream. Still struggling with numbness when walking..sigh.
But hey, we have power.
In the holiday gear up we have been making our lists and checking them twice and I for one have been watching my belly shake like a bowl full of jelly.
Not good.
circa Christmas 2008
For Christmas Moo would like a new baby, sister that I will be growing in my body for Christmas. And If I don’t come through I hear he is going right, to Santa. Hmm. I’m going to have to outsource this one to Legolas who is expecting a baby girl this March…Talk about a real friend. (She’ll probably want some sort of gift….needy)
Overheard:
Wah: Brudder I growed up while you were at school! I’m a big boy now
Moo: Really? You’re a big boy now? Did you eat meatloaf this morning?
Wah: I’m big! I”m a big boy!!!!!
Moo: Oh I’m soo proud of you, now you are a big boy! You do not look bigger..
Wah: Yes! I”m much taller and stronger now!!
Things I can’t believe I’ve said….more than once
Stop licking the car?
What do you mean your bottom is broken?
Where are your pants?
Don’t hold the cat like that…
Things they’ve said that make my brain hurt.
Mom? Why do we have arms?
Dad’s response? “Because we would look silly with hands coming out of our shoulders”.
And that’s all I have from headache central, here is too healthiness tomorrow for sure!
no, the pictures don’t relate in anyway…..
*Twelve days of Christmas by Straight No Chaser (what!? I can’t stop I tell you!)
Tired…irritable. Mama of small children, who are no longer sick. And don’t understand that ‘please be quieter’ is not really a request today.
Daze like these, where I try to remember that it is the small things, that are important.
Like games of Go Fish.
And more importantly that it is how you handle the small things, that they will remember.
Which is why we just sliced all the thanksgiving cards open with a knife after someone helpfully licked them all shut, before we signed them…or maybe we just mailed them blank….
*Hit me baby one more time:cover by Travis (I particularly like the laughing on this track)
(pensive?)
Last week, we picked up grandma from the train station.
(love)
The cold, windy, rainy train station.
not happy no
It has rained for days.
(pretty much them, all the time)
Days, and days and days.
I only noticed on the days I went for firewood though because most of the days grandma was here, I didn’t feel, super.
There was lots of card playing, and coughing.
the hardest thing about being sick is the blogs…blogs of quilts, Christmas crafts, there everywhere, and I want to do them all, and yet I sit…tired, achy, not quite, ready, for anything other than bed.
At my last Quilt group meeting, one of the women who made me the quilter I am today (much to her chagrin I assure you) said in front of the group, to me, “I always say to people I don’t know why you come to hang out with us”.
It was the nicest thing to say. And really, really silly.
Every meeting contains hundreds of years of quilting experience. Each quilt shown is a compilation of life’s work and innovative new colors. Every project unfolded leaves me wondering why I show up each week empty handed and just what it is that I do with my time anyway?
Inspiration doesn’t come close to explaining what this group means to me. Family is maybe a little closer. Quilt Group actually sums it up quiet nicely. The quilts I’ve seen. The quilts I’ve been given (for the boys). The time spent explaining terms, and theories and talking slowly (for me) is a gift I treasure.
(my original round robin block from January)
The laughter that makes you cry till your stomach hurts ( get a group of menopausal women together and ….well…do it), the deserts that no one eats because they are dieting (whatever, I eat them) amazing! always amazing.
And then there are the quieter moments, when someone is diagnosed with breast cancer, or goes in for surgery, when someone’s house burns down or husband passes away. I have learned a lot about life in this circle of women. They have watch me grow with in their sanction. And many of them have mothered me through the young motherhood years. Sneaking Fabric in to my bags, gifting me ‘items’ they no longer need. Passing along gifts for the boys. Helping me learn to be a mama and women and to know the difference.
There are always surprises. Some of these women have know each other, since birth. Many, many years ago. There are so many things about them, I don’t know, that they take for granted in their friendships.
Old friends, and quilters who have gone on. Children grown and moved on.
(my finished round robin block, look how cute!)
Last year after Erik passed away, one of the quilters, sat with me, talking about things to pass on, things to remember, things to keep to myself. I remember when her husband died suddenly at 40 (oh so old) I was barely out of college and taking my first quilting class. Her daughters were around 12 then.
They seemed so ancient then, my quilter friends, in their grief. Forty? Old? Your life almost over? Drink some prune juice and move along. Now fifteen years later, I am older, and wiser, thanks to them. I have seen the world turn a time or two. I have experienced grief, of the magnitude, I would rather not and like each of them I have been able to rally. Again.
(mid quilting…also mid sick…great!)
They are a treasure I hold close to my heart, and my only really fear is that they will leave me behind. Some would take offense to the term grandmother, though nearly all of them are (some to children older than I) but they would laugh too. They are a peaceful, guiding presence in my life.
May you find such a treasure, of if you already have, then hold on to it tight.
Why would I hang out with them?
Why wouldn’t I?
*Straight No Chaser theme song-Straight No Chaser (no I can’t stop listening to them)