a blanky day

Every now and then I get in the mood for this.

It started this weekend, doggedly shopping for fabric.

Hmm. I should have taken the pictures against a plain background.  The bedspread isn't really working here.

I love this. The panel is pre-made. It was a little expensive, like $18, just for the panel, but gosh I couldn't do that--and for less than $20?  Never.

And this one--I climbed over the lego table and perched in the closet, looking at all the bins of scraps.  There are about five big totes of scraps--the scraps from other blankets sewn in the past.

I did this once before when Tim was a baby, and all I remembered was that it required 81 squares and it sewed up fast.  I don't care if the corners all meet exactly right or things end up a bit crooked. This is not precision work like the handmade bedspread underneath it.

This is to be dragged around and spit up on.

Anyway, I was pleased. It's a fine use of scraps and the kids were very interested in seeing this take shape, me chopping out squares in the kitchen and sewing the strips together.

They asked if they could choose fabric from the bins to create some blanky tops.

Sure.

And while I was doing this?   There was a screaming incident that kind of hurt my throat.

While I was sewing in the dining room, out in the family room, suddenly lamps went flying!!  Lamps!!  My lamps!  Why do they always break my lamps?   AAAAGGGHHH!

Why do all my lamps gotta be bent and busted? You little jerks.

(Okay, that's how the rant started out.)

Tim was throwing couch pillows at Julia and she missed and it hit the lamps and I yelled at the top of my lungs, "Bullshit!  You do not EVER THROW THINGS IN THE HOUSE NO MATTER WHAT!"  Good LOR-ed.

The lamps?  They were unbroken and unbent.   We needed one new light bulb, but that was all.

Sigh.  What's wrong with me, 30 years into this, still raising my voice, lamps still airborne?

Obviously yelling hasn't done any good.

I missed the boat somewhere.

Onward to Wednesday, and a fine Tuesday it was, up until my lamps were in peril.

Tim?  Regardless of the lamps, I love you.   Just please do not break my lamps or trust Julia to catch anything near lamps.    love, Mom

saturday, oh yeah

 This is what we have going on this morning--drilling ice, trying to get the Power Ranger guy out.   We've got a lot of creative ways to use a drill around here.

Yesterday they practiced writing their last name over and over all morning so they'd be ready when we went to the library in the afternoon for library cards.   (They did good--signed their names just fine.)

Then we checked out books and p.j. rolled around on the rug in the play area.   This old library was remodeled a few years ago and it's beautiful now--huge windows, lots of children's computers.   We have to go back more often.

Last night this happened though--an impromptu pizza party for no reason.   Everyone was here. It was loud and the dogs were nuts.  We kept kicking them outside and they kept coming back in.  It was a good night.  I squeezed my l.c. a lot of times,

and even got a few hugs on t.c.   He's fairly busy, hugs take up time he doesn't have to spare.

I didn't take many pictures, just a few faces for fun.

 Yeah, the bed never did get made yesterday.

 I don't think t.c. even noticed.  Bigger things were on his mind.

Sharing a few Fruit Loops:

 Here are Julia, Lydia, and l.c. looking up photos of the Loch Ness monster.

No idea why.

 And the Legos.   At some point in the evening, Tim asked me whose birthday it was. Were we having cake soon?

Nope.  No cake. Nobody's birthday.   He peered at me, said nothing, and ran off.

 Okay, and now for the creations--yesterday Jay brought us all McDonald's for lunch and they saved their cups and filled them with water and put toys in, then put in the straw for a handle, and froze them in the freezer.

"To make giant popsicles with guys in them!"

Why?

Because kids are nuts, that's why.

 The blankys were sewn this morning:

And now it's time for lunch.  Happy Saturday.   love, Val

edith grace's blanky, and just so you know

Okay, I went to the fabric store this afternoon, looking for COLORFUL fabric for her second blanky.

This is what it ended up to be:


This fabric was so plush and buttery and gorgeous. Yeah, it's hers. I bought enough to make one for little Olive too. Forgot all about that colorful thing.

And this: Heidi and Joe are sleeping in their own house tonight, the first night they've slept there since November 19th. On the night of the 20th, they'd been through a fairly traumatic evening, watching their house burn, and guinea pigs and dogs with them, here they were, Joe in Jay's pajamas, and who knew it was the beginning of a three month odyssey of construction mismanagement and stupidity.

Sigh.

But it's done now, and it was a little hard to tell Joe good bye tonight when he left for a night project at work, "I'll see you, when? Not tomorrow. Not Wednesday." We both laughed and he grinned at me and shook his head. I love him very much, more than before.

Heidi stayed for a while though, and Kirsten and I told her about the dreams we've been having about her baby, which are fairly ridiculous.

Later on, Heidi left and took that amazing belly with her and I'm lonesome, but happy. She's at her own house where she needs to be. The baby is due soon and the picture was permitted only if it didn't include her swollen feet or the softness of her very lovely pregnant face.

Okay, fine. That's why God invented cropping.


Anyway, a perfect Monday is approaching bedtime. much love always, Val

pictures from the weekend

My sweetie came to stay.


His brother is pretty sweet too. He tried to wake up Uncle Tim, but Tim was NOT in the mood for morning. I overheard him telling t.c., "This is the reason I'm keeping the quilt OVER my head--because you are loud and a-noxious." Wow. That's blunt to an overly energetic nephew first thing in the morning.

But t.c. didn't take it too seriously, just groused at him, and then moved on to more awake people.

Yesterday he went along to Tim's basketball game and he cheered with all his might. He had a lot of questions and being there in the bleachers with him made me so happy, just the two of us watching the game together. Who knew life held a HIM?


There were other people sleeping over too. Jay made so many pancakes and so much sausage, and fried so many eggs, it felt like breakfast at the lake.


That little girl in the black shirt was here too, hilarious. I love her.


This is what Jay found last night at midnight, after he started running bath water and came to get his pajamas: A bed full of daughters and one grand-dog. He's a good sport, and they were gone by the time he came back. His face though--that I don't have a picture of.

(Can you see the picture on the wall way up on the right? That's the two of them back in 1987. The green frame on the left is something John and Dan did for us in 1996. It's pictures of the first six kids, each one at age two.)


A bunch of new babies have been born, so I've been sewing blankets tonight. This water lilies one is for a baby girl named Allison.


This is for a baby named Edith Grace. I'm going to sew her a more colorful one too.


This one is for a tiny girl named Olive, born two weeks ago. The fish blanket at the bottom is for a friend of Dannell's who had a baby boy not long ago. We don't know his name, but that's okay. He gets the fish blanket.


And now it's now, and kids are laughing down the hall, not sleeping, though their dad is sprawled out here, sleeping like a rock. Thank goodness for loud, rowdy Saturday nights full of wild kids, and beautiful, quiet, wonderful Sunday nights too. Onward to Monday, and hallelujah for MARCH. February's been great and all, sparkly, brilliant winter. Good. Done that. March is all about spring. Let's go. love, Val

ice and wind and baby blankets

It's so cold here! It said 13 degrees on the dash, but when we went to Target tonight it felt like -10.

Oh my gosh, that cold wind cut right through a wool coat and hood. Dear LOR-ED, how long until spring?

We came out and I was pushing the cart, scurrying in the painful wind as fast as I could over the glacier of the parking lot, wheels of the cart pounding. In the dark I realized this wasn't my car!

Heidi was behind me doubled over laughing her head off, over near our car. She tried to yell to me, but between the wind and the wheels of the cart pounding over the ice, I couldn't hear her. Laugh it up, Chuckles. Glad to amuse. Actually, I was so cold I didn't care.

When we came home, once the house was quiet I sewed blankets for the baby shower in a couple weeks. I'm getting used to grabbing little moments of time, getting better at it.


But the blankets, I've been sewing for years for many dozens of beautiful babies. They're not fancy, but babies love them. Probably it's the satin binding.




I've sewed them for my own babies, for t.c., for l.c. for b.g., for friends children and grand babies, nieces and cousins, everybody. Sometimes they come back and ask for more blankies, which I'm happy to do. But now I'm sewing them for THIS little peanut.


The contractors working on their house say they'll be back in it next week. Heidi threw back her head and laughed--just howled with laughter. Then she said, "I'm good with miracles. Bring it."

We want her home. In her own house. But regardless what the contractors and insurance adjusters say or do, that little darling is ours for the kissing.

Love you, Peanut. love, Grandma.

a cross country meet

She wants no pictures of herself running by, which I understand.


These guys were pretty happy about the playground.




Later, supper and blankets sewn for a friend's new baby. All in all it was a lovely day. love, Val