Ahhhh... now doesn't that feel good!?

A new picture, a new post. Sarah said she was beginning to wonder if it would ever happen again. She even called to make sure I was still alive and kickin'. Well, I'm alive. Kickin'? Maybe kickin' and screamin'. Have you read her blog about the 6 weird things about Sarah? I'm laughing my head off about her staying awake at night trying to figure them out!! And her weird things were so... honestly, weren't they normal? Just goes to show that opposites attract- 'cause we're very good friends and I'm pretty sure I could come up with more than 6 things that are weird about me right off the top of my head! And they don't keep me up at nights, either! I bet Sarah could name more than a dozen. Not that we'd want her to share with the whole world everything she knows.

We did make a trip to the ER, this week. But it wasn't me, it was DD Eva. She's fine, but things got a little dicey with her meds. Tummy 'flu just isn't conducive to keeping things in your system. All's well that end's well. It was too much to hope for that I would escape unscathed. And if we're honest here, living in dread is... well, dreadful. I'd just rather do it and get it over with. So I did. I slept for 48 hours. and I'm feeling better. Now that I know I've already had the plague that's hitting everybody else in the house, I can concentrate on getting something done in regards to our trip... in three days!! No, I'm not panicking. I leave that for the last 12 hours. No need to rush things. And how on earth would anybody ever be ready for such a cataclysmic event? Much less me?

My Mom and Dad came by and spent the night on their way home from Missouri. My Dad promised God that if He would get him out of there, he'd never go back again. My Dad is a man of his word, so I guess he'll never see Missouri again. They're just not the touristy type- but went to see family. They'd rather be home- Dad rootin' around in the garden and Mom with her paint brushes. She picked up her "Midnight on Mars" quilt. She seemed happy with it and family are likely to tell you differently if such is the case. It took four people to hold it down(three behind the quilt) as the wind was threatening to carry it off- and DS Daniel was whining about getting blown off his chair- featherweight! And it wasn't even "windy."

I'm still not finished with... I'm enhancing my calm...the flowergirl dresses. When you guys see how simple these are, you'll be rolling your eyes and callin' me a big ole crybaby. But I have about figured it out... it's the blue. A lovely shade of blue. But, blue makes me moody. Moodier. Just one weird thing about me. I plan on finishing them, today. There's still 9 hours left. I could do it. And won't it feel so nice to slip the cover over them and say, "Done!" Yes, yes, very nice. For now, I am procrastinating by baking. Another weird thing. I power bake when I should be sewing. I made a "picnic cake"- a very old recipe with bananas and marshmallows. They get all toasty on top...mmm... Then we made a lemon pound cake- Daniel's favorite- to make up for the featherweight jibe. We glaze ours. (1/2 c. oj concentrate, 1/4 c. butter, 2 c. powdered sugar, boil one minute and pour over hot cake.) A tablespoon of lemon rind is extra good, too, but we're just simple country cooks, Captain, not a doctor. Good thing I'm over the tummy 'flu, huh? Made a pot full of chili for hotdogs and an Asian chicken salad, too.

Need to get some labels made for the quilts I've finished and plan on handing out in the next couple weeks. Four in all. I made some 8x11" Bubble Jet sheets, and now I have a sneakin' suspicion that I'm running low on printer ink. Ain't that how it always is? Ah well, I'll make do... Maybe there's some blue ink left... Now... before I lose my nerve, I'm gonna rip off this apron, and go out to the sewing room and tackle those dresses. Adorable dresses.

Wayne Sneath, wherever you are...
Thank you very much!! Across the aisle from my Uncle Greg's quilt- at the Chicago Quilt Show, there was a very interesting quilt. It's the tiny little stars on the top. Decided I needed a picture to share with you all. In case you didn't know it, there are strict restrictions about taking pictures of the art quilts at quilt shows. The traditional quilts are open to pics. Typically. So I stand back and snap a picture of this one... there came a deep voice in my ear, "That'll be $5." I about jumped out of my skin. I figured that $5 was a pretty reasonable penalty for taking a forbidden picture. The guy starts to laugh when he sees my startled expression. This was his quilt and he was getting a kick out of people's reactions. This quilt was called "Singing In The Rain." One of the center blocks(1") in the stars had a tiny couple with an umbrella. The cornerstones in this quilt were 1/4" squares- just to give you an idea of the scale. Well, Wayne and I struck up a conversation- one thing that Sarah and I have in common- we can talk to anybody, and frequently do. I'd say Wayne is about 60 years old and he described himself as a novice quilter- been quilting 4 years, he said. I'd say he's some kind of prodigy novice! The following two quilts are also his. He's from Northfield, Illinois. He was a delightful person. Very Charming. The Singing quilt reminded me of Lucy, and Dawn.

I've been playing nursemaid, these past few days. The three youngest angels have a been quite sick, but they have been so sweet I hardly mind being up most of each night. They share a room and I am so hopeful that they are the only ones to succumb to it. I don't know how I'll avoid it. Eva says, "Don't forget to wash your hands, Mommy!" She's a little mother hen. The "bb's" complicate things for me. Shouldn't be a big deal, the stomach 'flu. 24 hours of misery and then on the mend. Doesn't seem to work that way- it's the ER or the ICU and I really don't have time for that, right now! I've got places to go and people to see! So I'm running around trying to get everything done as soon as possible so that if the "last minute" becomes the "impossible to get it done" I won't be completely forlorn. And you know how it is when you are surrounded by sickies- it's hard not to feel the need to sleep with a bucket, 'cause you know you feel a bit "off" yourself! So far, so good. Waking each morning, intact. shew! Taking my vitamins and getting out in the sunshine. DH felt sorry for me, today, and even took me out to lunch- been stuck in the house for a while. Not something I actually mind, but it's nice to eat a meal I didn't have to cook. Yes, Sarah, we went to Ming's.

So things I'm doing...I finished Aunt Eva's quilt, Marianne's quilt, Michael and Rosemary's quilt, 8 rows done on Sarah's quilt(5 to go), the flower girl dresses are coming along. I just can't bring myself to work on them for too long at a time. They take a lot out of me. Need to sew the crinolins in and hem them and then still need to put the zippers in. hmm. Oh, got the flower beds weeded and even planted a bunch of tiger lilies. You see, the field next to ours has thousands of Tiger lilies by it. And every year, the farmer mows them down. Never gives them a chance. So I figured that if he wants them gone, I could do my part to help. So DH and DS #1 & #2 go down there with shovels and dug me up a few. Not even a drop in the bucket. He still has plenty to mow all summer long. But I planted them around the outside of my garden fence. The girls helped. And I cleaned my room- I once heard someone say that the condition of the master bedroom was very telling- as if it were a judgment that you don't value yourself if your bedroom is a disaster. Well, it might just mean that you put everything else before your bedroom. And I even cleared a path through the closet. And I scrubbed two toilets(Until you have 6 sons, you can't begin to imagine how filthy... I know I have never seen a more disgusting sight in any gas station, in my life!) I let them have it!! It had better not come to that EVER again. Then there was the 3 bathroom sinks and the 1 whirlpool and the 1 bathtub. And 5 loads of laundry. Would have been more, but I got a little discouraged after DH left his chapstick in his pocket! That stuff just leaves these oily little marks all over everything and it all has to be sprayed and put through, again. I didn't have that much fun doing it the first time, and I kinda lost my momentum. Now I'm headed to bed so that I'll feel all fresh and ready to go when they wake me up at 2 am. Nighty night!

Relay for Life...
This quilt was made by Judy. She is struggling with Pancreatic cancer. She wanted to make a quilt for the American Cancer Society- for them to raise money by selling or auctioning it. This is a picture of Tanya- she is the owner of the Quilter's Toy Box in Muncie, Indiana. (Darcie- I know you wanted to see the inside of the Toy Box, but this is the best I could do. What you see is maybe 20% of her shop.) She very generously donated the fabric for Judy to make the quilt. I quilted it for her. Both Tanya and I have sisters who have had cancer, so we were happy to help her. Who hasn't been touched by cancer? Unfortunately, Judy was unable to finish the quilt as her chemo treatments have left her really weak. Tanya was able to find some friends to finish the top for her. I received the top a few days ago, and I was afraid I would be unable to finish it before I left for Florida and that Judy would not be here when I got back. (While I am avoiding the packing for this trip, getting 10 people ready for a 10-day vacation is a daunting task!) We all decided that a simple quilting design would still be alright and allow us to finish the quilt more quickly. It is being bound, today. Tanya and her friends also pieced the backing out of the scraps that Judy had left over and I thought you all would enjoy seeing it. That backing is very typical of Tanya. As a quilter, I am not as fond of a pieced backing 'cause it can give you grief on the quilting frame- the batting can get hung up on it and cause creases and also, the seams kinda stand at attention and can make a bump on the front. But it's frugal and definitely gives a quilt extra personality. Judy is donating it to the Relay For Life.

One for Aunt Isobel...
just to prove I haven't a shred of pride, dignity or self-respect. Here's my flower garden for the world to see. Poor Dad. Cringing in utter despair. Naked of mulch. Need to mulch, but with the trip to Florida coming up, it isn't in the budget. I once bought mulch by the dump-truck full. It wasn't a good experience. The first load was filled with pieces as large as my arm- I said, "That might be called mulch around here, but where I come from, it's called kindlin'." I'm still turning it over in the flower beds. I figure that in another 10 years or so, it'll compost down. So they brought another load- ground so fine... I said, "They might call that mulch around here, but where I come from it's called pottin' soil." Weeds loved it. The next load was just right, but by the time I got it... I was just too tuckered out to move the mountain of stuff to the proper location. Eventually did, but that's history and now I need to start all over. Amazing how much easier it is to weed and work in a garden when you're not pregnant. I am so amazed. No, I did not have a load of rocks delivered for the borders. I dug each of those out of the ground, myself. When I was pregnant. I don't particularly like stone borders 'cause the weeds love to grow up around them...oh, that's right...mulch. But the stones help the sweet youngin's stay out of the flowers. Those purple flowers are money plants that my mom brought me from WV. They are the first thing to bloom. The strawberry plants are all up and spreading. Why are the strawberry plants in the flower garden? Jacob got a strawberry plant from his Sunday school teacher and we just set it in the flower garden, since there was only one plant. He lovingly tended it, but... Well, every March- on the first warm day, I get the urge to hoe- willy nilly, and I wacked up his beloved strawberry plant- forgot it was there. So I replaced it with another one. Next year- oops! Did it again... Well, he was so heart broken... I bought maybe a dozen to try and make it up to him... and now there are many more and I am thinking that we might need to make a strawberry patch out by the garden like what Grandma used to have.

Are we sure it's not Monday?
seems like Monday. I'm slow starting and I have loads to do. Here is a picture of the eggs we made with 15 pounds of peanutbutter fudge and 6 pounds of chocolate. The eggs contained about a cup of fudge, each, so they were monster eggs. I'm thinkin' I do everything BIG! So there you go Jane, enjoy. No calories and no fat. When I told my mom what I had done, she asked what I was going to do with them- I could tell she was holding her breath. Like most moms, she's the food police. I'm glad I could allay her fears and that all of the eggs left the house- I kept 2 for the kiddos and yes, I had a nibble and they were quite tasty. Guilty?... no, not really. I have a keychain that says,"I'd stop eating chocolate, but I'm no quitter!"

Are we sure its not Friday?
Feels like Friday. I'm feeling like a celebration and all I want to do is play! Lookee what I found on my sewing table when I got home from work, yesterday!! What fun! And an "I love you" post-it-note on the machine. I guess I can't have any doubts about that one, huh? True love is a new sewing machine... lacks poetry, but I think most of you would agree. This is the Singer 301. It is the big sister to the Featherweight. Doesn't she just look like a big sister? Very buxom. No offense to big sisters everywhere. I needed to swap out the bobbin that came with it, and it works great, now. The cord is needing some attention- might get zapped if I wiggle the cord wrong- but what's a little zapping compared to the joy of sewing?

Happy Birthday Jake!
Jacob is 13. He's DS #3. His birthday was yesterday, but since it was already a holiday, we decided to postpone until today. Of all my children, he is the most difficult to describe in words. He is creative- he built me a beautiful bedside table- long and narrow, with only three legs, but very stable. He loves to cook and even has a notebook dedicated to his favorite recipes. Personality-wise... it's hard to say. He is more easy than my other children. He is considerate and thoughtful. He notices things. When he was only 2 he quit taking naps- but stayed in bed the entire 2 hours- daydreaming. He has never needed anybody to keep him company, but he is very sociable. He loves being outdoors and hiking and swinging from trees. He has the type of personality that catches subtle humor when it passes by everyone else. He's the kind of kid other people notice and offer him business cards, so he can call them when he's grown and apply for a job. He's goofy and playful. Determined and driven. And now he's a teenager. Gulp. And we love him to pieces.

There are moments in time...
when you catch a glimpse of what your children will grow up to become. When Joseph was about 10 months old, I can still see him so clearly standing on fat, wobbly legs, looking out the storm door. The sun was shining on his face and his full lips were pursed in concentration and it hit me- this child of mine will someday be a man. The moment I saw 2 year old Daniel running in the sunshine, with mischief in his wide eyes, as his daddy sprayed him with the garden hose- it hit me, I can see the man in him. Well, I'm crying now as I look at these pictures and I realize that they are who I saw... only better. I am still seeing the men they will someday be, but they seem so very, very close now. It is quite a jolt. This is before their first big night out- they just went together. Buying the suits was easy- the shoes, another matter. They wear size 12 and 13. Now that, I didn't see!

22 down, 2 to go...
Just thought I'd share the progress I've made with the GFG blocks. I am almost done with #23, and #24 is cut out and waiting. I am hoping that I can get those 2 done before our vacation. I need to find some setting fabric... then I can work on putting it all together while I'm gone. No, not all together, but work on it. I'm leaning toward a pretty leaf-green hand dyed.

The day has been more productive than the past couple days. I was up until 6am, this morning. Fell asleep to the sound of the birds waking up. At 6:10am a freight train made it's way through the fields and kinda spoiled the mood, but not for long. Slept until nearly 10. Still...

The 2 oldest boys are getting ready for their first formal. It is an alternative to kids who don't dance and the boys seem to be looking forward to it. Daniel needed his pants taken up and Joseph needed his pants let out... typical of those two. Joe says he's all brawn and Dan says he's a lean machine. They have a banquet and then all the kids change and go to the middle school to play in the gym.

We made 15 pounds of peanutbutter fudge which we shaped into eggs and coated in chocolate. Down, Sarah. I am getting ready to pipe flowers onto them as soon as I get the boys' hair cut. See? This is my break. The little ones colored 5 dozen eggs and, after that, I needed to walk away from the kitchen. I don't know that there is an odor more... less... well, vinegar and boiled eggs... it just doesn't do anything for me.

I got the girls' bodices done for their flower-girl dresses. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Now there's just the skirts and the horror... a zipper. I've never had a happy experience putting in zippers. I feel a bit guilty as this is the first year I have not made the girls a new spring dress. But they'll get to wear these fancy dresses in just a couple weeks. My nephew is getting married on the 5th of May.

I did some quilting between 4 and 6 am. Probably not the optimal time to be doing that particular task. I'm thinking about ripping it all out and doing a meander. pitiful. I need to get it done as there are a couple more that need to get quilted before... vacation. I hate deadlines. My mom says that she used to invite people over just so she'd be motivated to clean. I think I might do that but when the guests arrive- I'd be long gone. Fight or flight? I'm a runner for sure. But I'm being a good girl. Two hair cuts, coming up!

Been a "funny" kinda day...
I finally feel like I've caught up on my sleep. We have never changed to this daylight-savings thing, and now that we are stepping up with the rest of the country, I miss that extra hour in the morning! Then, the Chicago quilt show got me up very early and kept me out very late... But this morning I woke up feeling pretty much myself again- didn't hurt that the sun was shining and the weather, warm. Supposed to be thunderstorms and maybe tornadoes, later. Figures.

• I put two more rows onto Sarah's quillt for our quilt challenge. 6 down and 7 to go. Almost halfway there. I am wanting to get all of the top finished before I go to Florida in a few weeks- that way I'll only have to quilt and bind it when I get home.

• I should have worked on the two flower girl dresses that I cut out, yesterday, but I didn't. I still need to cut out the lining- acetate- read that, slick as snot and I am not looking forward to it sliding all over the place. Plus, I have two and a half more weeks until they need to get done. All the time in the world, right?

• Worked a while on binding a quilt for a graduating college student. I have two weeks to finish that, so it shouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, I tried something new. I have heard other people talk about sewing binding on with a quilting machine. Haven't a clue how one would do such a thing. Tried it anyhow... very wavy binding. Oh well, I figure it'll do. Then I realized that I cut a corner off that same binding when I was trimming the quilt- something I usually do before I bind. Oh well, if I pull it tight, I can bridge the gap. More waves.

• Made a huge dinner and now I am feelin' ill that I ate so much. Sometimes you need to do that- just so you'll remember how lousy it feels. And you won't do it again any time soon.

• I worked on my "bones" quilt. Now that was fun- in a dysfunctional kinda way. I had all of the letters for the words together. Even had two of the borders of words together. Then, I know I worked longer on one word than I did the entire sentence. It was a 4-letter word. YOUR. Now doesn't that look simple? But I wanted to bend it around the bottom left-hand corner... and that's backwards to my way of thinking. Ugh! I finally got it put together in such a way as I can live with it, not thrilled, but I'm more than willing to settle at this point. I thought I was going to be able to finish all the borders and maybe even put them on. Should have known that today was not a day to finish things. I ran out of Kona black. I have used scads of the stuff. And I am so closed to being "finished!" Ah well.

• Wanted to take a picture of it to blog, but I am all out of batteries. Been that kinda day. Close to being perfect, just not quite.

• The picture above is of Wonder Wallets, by Lazygirl. I like her patterns. This little wallet has four pockets and will hold folding money, change, business cards and credit cards. Perfect to put in a jacket pocket when you don't want to carry your purse. A fat quarter makes two. The top one is, of course, Sarah's. They are supposed to have buttons sewn onto the front flap... but I couldn't find my button box... See? Been that kinda day. Funny.

Dahlias for Darilyn...
Darilyn (www.tropicalscreamer.blogspot.com) has been planning a dahlia quilt. She bought the templates and ordered the fabric. But she has recently chosen to set the dahlia aside in favor of a "sampler." I didn't know of this development when I snapped a picture of a dahlia quilt at the show in Chicago. I liked it for its unconventional colors and I figured Darilyn would enjoy how bright and cheerful it is. Of course the fabrics are hand dyed. It certainly doesn't look traditional and doesn't it seem to just glow? Enjoy, Darilyn! Are you sure you can't work on the "sampler" and the Dahlia at the same time?

My little haul...
may seem kinda pathetic, but I am delighted with what I have and you might get a glimpse of how my mind works. Scary, huh? First, I tend to be single-minded. I wanted some new pantographs. I find I have a love/hate relationship with pantos. They do seem to be a quick fix for those quilts where no amount of quilting would ever show, but at the same time, they seem to go on and on, forever. I only have a few, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to pick out a few more. I had a mission and I bought 3 pantos. A Keryn Emmerson(my favorite- she's all loose and flowy- "Flourish",) a Nancy Johnston, "Dragons Breath" and a Judy Allen, "My Favorite Leaves." That was my main goal for the day and I was done within the first hour of the show. Now what? The problem with these things, for me, is sensory overload. I like so much of what they show, how could I ever decide what to get? I tend to just give up. I want to be sure that I'm not buying something that I will later not be so thrilled with. Impulse buying. Nothing worse than buyer's remorse and in my book, I'd rather wish later that I'd gotten this or that than wish I hadn't, you know? My other 2 "big" purchases was the nifty little 1/4" seam allowance pressure foot for my featherweight. I am already so excited about this $16 splurge... I have been sewing up a blue streak for the past couple days. Ahh... the security of knowing where the 1/4" seam falls!! I also found these little rubber feet for the FW. Mine are dryrotting. $2.50. My Dad would roll his eyes and say I was ripped off, but I thought it was neat that they had them available. Then, at the end of the day, I came across a box full of old orphan blocks, or "bones" as I call them. Felt like an expectant mother looking through a nursery window. "ahhh..." "ohh..." When I came across these 2 maple leaf blocks, I had get them as they were just like a quilt my grandmother made. $2. each. gulp. I plan on making a wallhanging out of them. There were a few other small purchases for Sarah- mostly giggle items. All in all, I came away feeling pretty good about it. There was some hand-dyeds that tempted me just a bit, but then, I figure that if I ever save up some money, I'm headed straight to Darcie's. So there was no rush there. I saw a nifty cup holder that clamps onto the side of your sewing table. It had a little place to hang a Wal-Mart bag for clippings. That way you don't have to worry that you'll knock your tea cup over onto your sewing. But my son pointed out that you might find strings in your tea and that wouldn't be so good. Good point, I thought. But I'm still thinking about the cup holder part, and wondering if my ingenious husband couldn't whip me up one. There was some lovely reverse-applique items and squares at very reasonable prices... that was a tough one to resist. But, again, I couldn't make up my mind, so I walked away with none. And really, working at a quilt shop kinda keeps the "over-eating" under control. The Quilters' Toy Box, in Muncie Indiana, has all of my favorite things. Lots of hand-dyeds and batiks. And I know that if I see something I like at a show, like a pattern or a gadget, I can just let Tanya know and we'll pour over catalogs until we find it. How cool is that? Most people don't realize that a lot of smaller shops will do this for them- at no extra charge. I'm such a spoiled brat. Now if I could only figure out how to pace myself with chocolate chip cookies...

The Chicago Quilt Show...
As I was getting up at 4am, Friday morning, I was wondering, "Why?" I have never gone to a quilt show without Sarah. And who's idea do you think it was to go to those? Sarah's. So I guess I decided to go to this one just to prove that I could do it by myself. And I might actually enjoy it... you never know. So I got on the bus at 5:30am and rode the 4 hours to Chicago. I decided to do the vendors first, as it seemed everyone else was crowding into the exhibit hall. Found some goodies, I'll post them, later. Then I went into the quilt show and was enjoying the traditional quilts and finding the art quilts... interesting. They had the aisles set up so you walked through art quilts then traditional, then back to the art ones and then traditional again. It was kinda nice and kept things from blurring all together. About a 1/3rd of the way through the exhibit, I looked up and stopped dead in my tracks. My jaw dropped to the floor and I grabbed the lady's arm beside me and said, "I know this quilt!! This is my uncle's quilt!" She looked confused and said, "Your uncle made a quilt like this?" NONONO!!! This is his quilt!! I was so tickled to see it there. I found the posting that said, yes, the quilt was made by Gregory Leighton of Perrysburg, Ohio. My mom's twin sister's husband. He had sent me some pictures of the blocks as he was working on them, but I didn't know that he had finished it and it had been quilted- and such a beautiful quilting job! (Thought I'd remember the quilter's name, but after getting in at 2am, my brain is even mushier than usual.) I didn't tell him I was going to the show- I live a lot closer to Ohio than to Illinois. What a wonderful surprise it was. I took lots of pictures and kept telling everyone who stopped to look at it, "My uncle made this quilt!" Isn't it gorgeous? A beautiful, maverick quilt! Entirely hand-pieced. The far right corner isn't in shadow, it's just the way he placed the darks. The lady I was with said she was surprised that I had recognized it, but how could I not? It is very distinctive looking- it's just so Greg! The block is a very old pattern, but the fabrics are mostly hand-dyed. He loves the hand-dyed and uses grey as a neutral instead of the more traditional cream. l love it, love it, love it!! It was worth getting up at 4am just to get to see it hanging there among all the other beautiful quilts! When we returned to the bus that evening, I found my friend Martin and his wife Sharon and I started to tell them of my exciting news- then Martin says, "The one called "Fish Chowder?" Yes, yes!! He remembered it, and thought it was great also. He said to be sure to tell Greg how much they liked it and they even remembered the name. How cool is that? I bet Sarah would have recognized it, too. Well, I need a nap. I just wanted to share my thrilling news.

Bouncing,
or bumping, the bothersome beebees are buggin' the buggers outta me...

Been running a bit this past couple of weeks and when I'm not home much, I start to make mental lists... Lists of things that I'm gonna do when I'm home for more than 2 consecutive hours. Things like laundry and baking and blogging and quilting- and not necessarily in that order. But then, the problem arises when I'm finally home and I'm too pooped to tackle the list. Told my Mom I was having a difficult time focusing... she asked if I were bouncing from one thing to another and I said, "Nope, more like a dull bump." I haven't the energy to bounce.

Eva has made radio and television commercials over the past week. For those of you who may think that I'm some kinda crazy Hollywood mom, just let me say that this is a once in a lifetime- mine- occurrence, and it is mainly as a favor for any other children who have concerns about getting MRI's or CAT scans. It doesn't hurt a bit and that's what Evabeth wanted to let others know. Eva had a blast. This is a picture of her when we returned home after the last day of shooting. She wanted Grandmother to see her "butterflies." None in her tummy. Boo went with us for the radio and photo shoot. When they decided to take a break, and offered the girls some chocolate milk, Eva says that Mom can't have any, "because she's on a diet." I get the look-over, you know what I mean, and I'm sure they're thinking, "Yep, some crazy Hollywood mom trying to look like a teeny-bopper." And I roll my eyes and consider explaining... when Boo pipes up, loud and clear, "Mom has beebees 'cause her pancakes don't work." It was a painful moment of silence as they stood there looking at me in complete confusion...to which all I could do was start rolling laughing, and making them even more certain that I'm a crazed Hollywood mom.

The Kansas troubles are put together for my Aunt Eva who has been asking for a quilt for a number of years. This is the second one I've started. Seems to be a cursed project. I ran out of the soft turquoise fabric when I really needed two more blocks. Bummer. Decided to put it together anyway. Do you think it'll be alright even if it isn't balanced? It measures 50"x65" as it is, now. I have a little bolder turquoise and brown which I plan on piecing into another 5" border of triangles. I can't even tell you how many triangle points I whacked off in this little project... might be easier to figure out how many triangles are actually left! Technically, if a triangle has more than 3 sides... it isn't a triangle any longer, eh? The alternate blocks are made of a Japanese fabric that is regrettably striped, but that's what I do- stripes, paisley, waves and plaids all in the same quilt top. But I think the scale is ok, so it doesn't bother me. Wonder if Aunt Eva will feel the same.

Oh, and I didn't explain about the beebees to the TV guys. But I will to you. I have diabetes because my pancreas doesn't work. I do NOT have beebees because my pancakes don't work. There are some things a 5 year old really just cannot understand, eh Benjamin?

Happy Birthday, Joe!!
Joseph is sweet 16, today. He's a great guy. He was born almost 7 weeks early and started off as a tiny little thing. Now, he is bigger than his father and it seems hard to believe how fast 16 years can pass you by! You all would like him- everyone likes Joe. He isn't loud or obnoxious, but he hasn't a shy bone in his body- a rare thing I've decided in a guy his age. He quietly goes about meeting people and doing his work. Smiling. If he sees someone he doesn't know, "Yo! My name's Joe. Come on over and join the rest of us." Easy as that. He has a great sense of humor and loves little kids- gets a kick out of them. He can get the baby to do what he should with just a frown, but Abe still wants to be held by Joe when it's movie night. My favorite thing about Joe is his ability to always keep things in perspective. He's very cool. No teenage tirades about the injustices of life. Being the oldest of 8 children, I guess he just figures that life ain't always fair. And that seems to be ok with him. Life is usually fun. His mama is real proud.