Inspired by Soulemama’s moments
Sun break.
Our day has be a serious of internet outtages, wet chickens and fire building. There were also fevers, napping and snuggling on the chair.
How was your day?
* I Feel Fine-Beatles
Mama: So tomorrow, you (8 year old) will go to Grandma’s to spend the night. And you (6 year old) are going to your friend’s house while I’m at quilt group
Six year old: ahhh, it will be nice to spend a whole day without you (points to older sibling)
Eight year old: (Unmoved)
Shocked Mama: What?!
Six year old: (shrugs)I don’t like the naughty ways he goes somedays.
Mama:(notion of precious, loving brothers, shattered)
*Yesterday-The Beatles
Because somedays are out of tune and some days we don’t get a lot of accomplished. That is the list Mom makes doesn’t have any check marks, but dragons were still discovered and nurture (no slaying of dragons by these boys, oh no St. George is their fiercest enemy). The shiny bright thing in the sky made it too! hot! for Coats!!! except that it was only 42 degrees and one of you had a temperature and cough all weekend, so yes coats, you are wearing them.
“Mom, am I hilarious? I’m hilarious right?”
Lily, uncertain as to how this will work out to her advantage, stretches, in case she needs to suddenly sprint away, or in case you want to throw a ball. A ball? Where!?
And so ends another day at the Burrow, on the not quite warm enough porch, with some silly photos of ourselves. We may not have done the dishes, but we read some Harry Potter, discussed the difference between Geology and Geography, because yes they do sound the same. We had some grown up conversations (for 8 year olds) with our friends. And as I Listened to those conversations and wondered at how big those kids are getting, I decided that the chores could wait for now. And instead I took some silly pictures with my six year old, who has his Dad’s chin. When did that happen? When did that baby face elongate into his father’s?
* With a little help from my Friends-Beatles
There was something shiny and bright in the sky this weekend. I’ve seen it before, I just can’t remember where.
It as warm, there was enough of it, that I started to think about seeds, and gardens and almost forgot the mud and snow.
I got all crazy and washed thins, and hung them out to dry. And it worked.
I hear that it is Spring. Maybe it’s true?
*Here comes the Sun-The Beatles
Inspired by Soulemama’s moments.
There is a certain calmness that comes with snow. It blankets the earth and just seems to quiet it somehow. I realize that I don’t have anywhere to go, in fact the snow is keeping me at the table grading those final papers. Even last night as it began to fall it calmed me, as I sat there (grading those papers) sipping hot water with lemon and eating cough drops. The snow covered the car and the driveway and I went to bed confident in the lack of school.
Unfortunately for reasons I never understand there was school today, and so I was up with the alarm getting a very grumpy boy ready for kindergarten.
It wasn’t that much snow after all, and our day proceeds as normal. Not quite as calmly has I had predicted.
But with a little more fun, after all. What’s a little snow between friends? There is always next week to start seeds.
*The Sounds of Silence -Simon and Garfunkel
Getting things finished is never really my goal at the quilt retreats, my goal is to often to start things. It is sometimes hard to focus (what? shiny!) at my house. There are legos, and things to grow in water and violin to practice and dogs to walk, eggs to collect, bathrooms to clean (what two small boys?! they almost, totally, at least sometimes hit the bowl). The quilty allure of the quilt retreat is that I can spread things out, really look at them, think, and then get started.
And of course there is the inspiration. This group project was what we worked on the night we arrived (well some us arrived earlier than others and so some of us were still working on this the next morning *cough*). I may sound like a broken record here (me?) but one of my most favorite things about quilting is how you can take the same pattern and make a quilt completely different than anyone else. Here you have seven variations on one theme. That is always amazing to me, how each one is totally different.
Yes I know there are more than seven variations in that picture, some people are over achievers! It is fun this week while I’m grading, grading, grading to look at the projects that are waiting for me next week. It almost helps keep that urge to move all the furniture at bay. Almost.
Gotta be startin somethin’- Michael Jackson
After spending three days sewing at the beach with no distractions but eating (oh the eating) I got a lot done. Of course by a lot done, I mean comparatively speaking. I got a lot done for me. I started three quilts and finished one project. Getting the quilts started is huge for me because I am not in love with piecing.
Sewing at the machine, hour after hour is not the part of quilting that I love. I love the quilting, the applique, the sitting on the couch watching a movie, listening to an audio book, part of it all. The stress reduction, just meditating on the stitches part of the process is the part I love. So the rows of machines at the quilt retreat are daunting, but it is productive.
Mariner’s Compass (not mine)
This year’s group project was a red and white quilt inspired by this exhibit The challenge is to use only two fabrics, this is harder than it sounds. The quilts in progress this week was varied and inspiring.
Not mine…Mariner’s compass
I am attempting a reverse applique (yikes) red tree on white background. A tree inspired by the necklace my son gave me for Christmas. It’s mostly applique, which is time consuming and difficult but can travel easily and be worked on in the middle of a fort, or lego town, from the overseers’s perch at the train depot or sitting the car, for whatever reason we are sitting in the car today.
*Don’t sit under the apple tree -Andrew Sisters
This weekend was our bi yearly quilting retreat at the beach. I had a whale of a time.
I started a few projects that have been waiting in the wings for this weekend to get started. Like this snail trail for our Dragon Island friends.
S picked out all the fabric for this twins size bed quilt, these snails trail block will be the border around a denim middle made of a some scrap jeans belonging to Dragon Island residents and also a few folks from The Burrow.
There is a real danger is starting a denim quilt, I made my first over fifteen years ago and people are still sending me jeans in the mail 
I have a plethora of old jeans, yet another pile of things I need to go through and reduce. Right after I finish this quilt, the one for the Dragon Island Baby (yay babies) on it’s way, the one for my sister’s wedding (yay weddings!) and the one for the Red and White Challenge our Stitch in Time group is putting on.
Many posts to come, because I’m trying to stay organized here
A Whale of a Tale-Kirk Douglas (20,000 Leagues under the sea)