Little pink houses for you and me...

It's been awhile since I've really felt like writing.

We've been busy. Who hasn't...



Everyone's been helping, but I still feel like I'm behind. The kids 'discuss' who gets to vacuum, mop, and scrub toilets. Apparently those are the coveted jobs around the house.

The kids made the most of the end of summer.

I finished this quilt for the next door neighbor. She's headed off to college. College. Glory days. When asked, her mom told me that the favorite colors were: orange, bright pink, and lime green. I did my best to accommodate. It's backed in bright pink fleece. Snuggly.

There was a lot of 'hanging out' before school started- if that's what they still call it. At least they take their shoes off at the door...

Now we're in homework and assigned reading territory. Ugh. At least I don't have to do it - just monitor it. Monday the Big Girl brought home her math problem of the week. It gave me pause - something about a box, kittens ears and paws, and how many kittens in the box. My daughter asked me to help her with the answer. I could not tell her. We had to do it the old fashioned way - using our fingers and toes to count.

One of the big projects I've been consumed with is switching up the girls' rooms.

It was finally time to put away the toddler bed. It gave us a six good years of service. Continuous use. From one to the next, not because they'd outgrown the crib, but because another baby needed it. Yes, it tugged at my heartstrings a bit, but I do not want another baby. Being a parent has made me painfully aware of the march of time. It does not stop.

Toddler's Before:
We moved the Big Girl's bed into the Toddler's room.

Big Girl's Before:

I spiffed up my old desk with a fresh coat of paint. My dad had used it before me. We joked about the pristine condition, given the lack of use.
I also painted the white dresser the same color. Much better. My parents brought the antique bed frame - it was my maternal grandmother's - and bought a new full size mattress and linens. I found a remnant for the brown window treatment; it was a quick sew.

Big Girl's after: Toddler's after:

Of course there are the Ballet pictures I feel compelled to share.I wasn't kidding when I told people she ran in.And yet this feels like just the other day...

Now she wears her hair in a bun.

Time marches on.

My latest project is a quilt for my grandmother. She'll be 95 in October. Ninety five. She was born in 1912. Think about the world in 1912. The stock market hadn't crashed. The Model T was only four years old. The Titanic had gone down just six month before her birth. Time marches on.

Now? No chocolate, no Diet Coke. Everything is pureed. She's had a rough month.

I'm hoping this will lift her spirits:

Arranging and fixing the backing.

It's together with the batting, but I need to get it 'quilted.' I can't quite decide the color of thread - something dark, light, or in-between. This generally doesn't happen at this stage of the project, but I am stuck.

I'll forge ahead, as this project can't get lost in the Berumda Triangle of Half-Finished/Half-Assed Projects, aka my dining room.


Look at that rat's nest. My plan today was to sort it out and make a list of what needs to be finished. Instead I decided to sort through the kids' papers from last year and make room for this year's stuff.

Yes. I said last year's papers. I am continually amazed by the sheer amount of papers my kids bring home. As a "keeper" (see above picture) it is easier for me to hang on to them for awhile, as I gain a little perspective on the importance of the stuff.

Lest I leave you with a picture of one of my flaws, I'll leave you with this:
A double rainbow. I know it's blurry, but the car was moving at 70-ish miles an hour. Unfortunately, I could not get the driver to pull over to get a picture of the whole thing. Yes, the whole thing - left, middle, and right - this rainbow was not messing around. When was the last time you saw a double rainbow? San Francisco does not count.

The kids thought it was pretty cool. So did I.