I'm seeing stars...I think this is the last picture of quilts that I took while in WV, last month. Mom, who made this one? It looks like Oe, but the fabrics remind me more of Grandma Jessie. And she often quilted on the diagonal. This quilt is stuffed to the gills and feels very thick and heavy. I think I need to make labels for some of these old quilts...
We had company over for dinner, last night. I am sadly out of practice. There are several reasons(excuses) for that. When we moved into this house, 6 1/2 years ago, we had no walls. Not conducive to hosting. We have been living in the middle of a construction zone, ever since. And you know, I think that men are even more self-conscious about these things than we women tend to be about housekeeping. I think DH felt guilty about inviting people over- worried they wouldn't be comfortable, or that they would worry that we weren't comfortable- when in fact, we are as happy as pigs in mud. Maybe too accurate a description than not. Another reason is having 8 kids kinda slows you down. I mean the actual having the babies. And then, last but not least, I am not a great house keeper. I know my mom is cringing as I write this, but that's the truth of the matter. It's not that I mind doing it. Though there is that whole, "Didn't I just do this?" sinking feeling when I am washing out the microwave. And the, "This is taking way longer than it ought" when tackling the bathroom. And the, "What's the point?" feeling when I'm sweeping the floor for the umpteenth time... OK, maybe I don't like doing it so much. But I really do think it is just because I would rather be quilting or baking or gardening or reading books to the kids... Plus, I have a perverted way of doing things and so...every time I give the house a good cleaning, I feel compelled to rearrange the furniture and hang new pictures on the walls and make new curtains... my poor DH. I remember when we were first married and he'd come home and find the house turned upside down... Traumatized. Apparently, his mom never rearranged the furniture. He is getting used to it. I told my mom that I was hanging some new pictures, yesterday, and that I discovered that I had very few blank spaces to choose from... And I was trying so hard to go for a more spartan look... Ah well, a busy mind lives here. But! I did get a reasonable amount of house cleaning done, yesterday, and we had a nice visit with friends. Their two boys stayed the night. House cleaning's rather like cleaning out the litter box- you dread doing it, it's not as bad as you thought it would be and then it is so nice to have it done.
I love both quilts . the quilt made by Oe and this one. absolutly a beauty :c)
ReplyDeleteanother wonderful quilt nines-and I love re-arranging furniture as part of cleaning..sort of like the reward of the boring cleaning part -you know dust is falling almost as fast as you wipe it away, but that furniture won't be moving so fast!
ReplyDeleteI am with you Nina, the only part of housekeeping I like is when it is done. Since there are only two of us here now, it is a little easier. I finally found someone to come in and help me tackle the jobs that I just can't do anymore and if there aren't any of those jobs, then he just does general cleaning which leaves me lots of time to carve--and create more dust.
ReplyDeleteI'm the youngest of 7 and my Mom wasn't the greatest house-keeper. We had lots of "clutter", but the house itself was "clean". I KNOW this from talking with my sisters and looking at photos! But, we had FUN! FUN, FUN, FUN! Mom never minded a bit of glitter on the floor! OK, maybe a lot of glitter on the floor, but then again we didn't have a TV to entertain us! I remember fun and laughter and games and playing - not the clutter. So, don't beat yourself up too much about the cleaning bit - and we hardly ever had company for dinner either! At Thanksgiving Mom would always tell people that they were certainly invited, but could they please bring thier own chairs?!...
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Evelyn
Your quilt is wonderful, Nina! I think making labels is a grand idea! Your kiddos would probably have a lot of fun helping you...and it could be a family history lesson too.
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of the same beliefs as you on the housecleaning. And with fiber and kids always being *on-the-move,* who can keep up? For now, the quilting and the raising is much more important! We'll have plenty of time for immaculate houses when our kids are grown and gone.
Oh yeah...but then...we'll be quilting up a storm.... So scratch that notion!
I"ve missed my time to browse your blog. This is a great quilt!
ReplyDeleteI make a huge mess whenever I try to organize anything. This workroom thing has made a huge mess. I tend to do things from the inside out. Right now it looks like the room has exploded. :)
ReplyDeleteYour quilts are such treasures. Thanks for sharing.
Darilyn
Your kids will remember that you took the time to read to them, and theres so much more value in spending time with your kids, and making quilts!!! than in cleaning the house.
ReplyDeletePeople before things is one of my major mottos!
You're lucky to have such beautiful quilts in the family. I hate cleaning too - bleck.
ReplyDeleteIt's unanimous!! NO one likes cleaning. Me neither, really. But we love the end product. And you get the moving honest...GF comes in, shakes his head and says "not again." Well, the space limitations at the Barn have curbed that a little. But you are so right, you have to make a BIG mess to clean up a little one, most times.
ReplyDeleteThe quilt is Grandma Jessie's - she had stars in her genes, I reckon.