Boys will be boys... or not...

Being the mom to six boys... well, it doesn't take long before you discover that there really is a big difference between boys and girls- and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. My sons love to play with "guns." From the time they were old enough to hold a stick, they were pretending they were shooting things. Then, there came the wrestling. Like little puppies on the floor. Never once have my daughters involved themselves in a wrestling match with each other. I must say, that is one "guy" thing that I just don't understand. I must leave the room before the first bloodshed- or the first piece of furniture is broken. My boys tend to like things orderly, where the girls like things pretty.

But they all love being creative. My sons have all spent time at the sewing machine and most are anxious to get their turn, still. Joe and Dan made their first quilt when they were 12 and 11 years old. They seem to like trying whatever I am doing. I was sitting and doing some embroidery a couple of weeks ago and my #5 son comes in and watches a bit. We got him set up with fabric, a hoop, thread and a needle... he took right off- knowing only a daisy stitch and a french knot- he loves french knots. After watching me some more, he figured out how to make a daisy chain and then... well, I'll need to post a picture of his latest creation. He's thinking he'll make pillows for a living when he grows up. Of course, one of the advantages of having so many children is that you rarely have to teach the same thing, twice- I learned this when my 3 year old potty-trained my 1 1/2yr old. Well, DS Jak sits down with his older brother and his cousin and sets them up with their own hoops and thread... they had their own little sewing circle going!! I was curious as to what was going on when I heard Pavarotti singing at the top of his lungs in my sewing room. I stepped in and found them happily stitching on their little samples. How adorable is that?! I was curious as to why they had chosen Pavarotti ... seems they were just imitating me! "But Mom, we can't understand what he's saying." To which I say, "Why muddle up such a beautiful song with meaning? Can't you just feel what he's saying with your heart?" A blank look on their faces... ok, boys are different than girls.

The last picture of Abe is just included because the boys pitched such a fit to find the girls had dressed their little brother in a tutu. The girls thought it such fun- they were giggling their heads off. The boys are standing there with frowns on their faces, gritting their teeth, chanting, "Take it off!" The head piece was an original- a doll dress. When I grab the camara, the boys about fainted in horror that I would want to immortalize this humiliating moment... Ah come on guys, it's funny! Only if you promise not to blog it. Who made you boss of me? Guess I can be just as stubborn as a boy!

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.

Red For Oe...

My great grandmother's name was Oe Miller. My Mom(www.teelsidemama.blogspot.com ) and Aunt Isobel(www.marylandmama.blogspot.com ) have been strolling down memory lane, this week, so I thought I'd contribute a little from my own "stash." This eight-pointed star is one that Oe made and I love it. I am noticing all the water marks on it and I'm thinkin' the next time I visit my mom, I'll have to wrestle that thing into the tub with a bit of ivory snow and Biz. My mom's neck bothers her, so I wouldn't want her to mess with a wet quilt, by hand, but it is really too fragile to machine wash. The fabrics are a very loose weave. I love the string work in the stars. My mom says that Oe was particularly fond of red. It is a cheerful color. My only memory of her is her sitting on the porch in a rocker and her hair hung in braids past her hips. And it was still blonde. My thanks to DS Daniel who held up an entire parade of quilts for me to photograph- no easy feat on the ole arms.

Still a no-go on the quilting front. I did get 3 GM flower garden blocks done, yesterday. Normally, I only get one done a day, but I spent a good bit of time in Dr. offices, yesterday. (Just routine stuff for kiddos with allergies and then the nursing home with Bill's mom. She was having a not so good day.) My fingers are raw, I'll need to take a break for a day or two. I've tried thimbles, but that just seems to sends signals to my brain, "Now that you have a thimble on that finger, hold it clear out of the way!" Bandaids send the same signal. I do have a a quilt on the frame... but I'm just not inspired and I say, "Nope, not today." Needless to say, not a lot is going to be accomplished that way. I did get a book on "altered" book making and I'm having fun looking it over and trying a few of her techniques. Well, I need to make this brief as it is uber-windy, today and that just reeks havoc with my modem connection. Hope everyone is finding their own inspiration.

Happy Birthday Bekah!!
Bekah is five years old, and she and Eva decided that they would like to celebrate their birthdays, together, this year. Their birthdays are three days apart so they decided to split the difference. They want strawberry cake with strawberry ice cream, with strawberries and whip cream on top! Maybe they like strawberries...Bekah wanted 4 "bobbies" (Barbies) and of course, her daddy got her five. I heard her whispering with her sister that she was going to ask for 4 so they could both have 2. Being a sweet Daddy, he got her the little miniature ones that are dressed like pretty princesses instead of the unrealistically proportioned ones that are dressed like... well, you can't even say what some of those dolls are dressed like. What kind of parent would buy those dolls dressed like.... It just mystifies me. And then they wonder why their 11 year old is acting a bit too old for her age... OK, end of rant, It just doesn't seem right to see children or their toys dressed in ways that an adult should be ashamed of dressing... Really, end of rant. I never had this problem with GI Joe! Everyone teases the girls that they better brace themselves for their courting days 'cause with five older brothers, it isn't going to be easy!!

Happy Birthday, Evie...

Eva is 7. She and Bek are still at the age where they like being very helpful. I was thrilled when Eva volunteered to snip the threads between my chained blocks. While she clipped, I sewed. It was a great partnership. She wants a bike for her birthday and it made me cry because she wasn't really to be trusted on a bike before(or with snips)- with seizures, it isn't a real good idea. But now, she is able to do some of those normal kids' stuff. Isn't that just wonderful? I am so thankful. She added corndogs and chicken nuggets to the menu- oh, and strawberries that you dip in choclate and strawberry dacqueries. Yep, I think they like strawberries.

Flower gardens in March...
are pretty pitiful, here, but I did see some lovely golden crocus above ground, this morning. Finn, here are the 9 GMFG blocks that I have finished. I bought enough chubby 1/8s and fat quarters to do almost 12 more. My blocks are not near so tiny as Lucy's- whose pieces are smaller than her thimble. These pieces finish out at about 1 1/2." Small enough for me, my eyes start to cross as it is. I can do one block in an evening- that includes frequent staring off into space and such nonsense as that. Not that I do one an evening. They also make a great, very small, take along project. I am hoping to finish this for our first grandchild- yes, I'm slow, slow. I am surprised at how difficult it has been to find fabric with tiny flowers on it. I remember when that was about all the quilter had to choose from- tiny flowers(calicos) and solids. Now the scale is larger than ever, but I am enjoying the hunt. I am planning on using blue for all the centers- repeats are fine. Different yellows in the first round of petals and then assorted flower prints in the final round of petals. I was hoping to put a bug(butterfly, dragonfly, bumblebee, lady bug) of some sort in every flower, but now I realize that I was narrowing the field too much. Thinking I'll set them in a nice leafy green- maybe literally a leafy green.

I bought this little book at an antique store, today. The cover was so sweet, I couldn't resist. Finn, I know how you like vintage things. This is circa 1933. The little girl reminds me of pictures I've seen of my MIL- who would have been about the same age as that Little Red Riding Hood. She is going into a nursing home, tomorrow. It is such a sad time for all of us. They call it "rehabilitation," nowadays. What does that word mean and where does it come from, I wonder? To be "re-" anything, one would assume you were already there. "habilitated." But you know, I think there are some places you can't go back to. I guess it's a way of being hopeful. And you never do know, do you?

Chocolate...
The universal language. I met the Goodwill Ambassador to Poland, yesterday. Actually she's a nurse at the hospital where my MIL is staying. She gave my DH a bonbon, and he, being the sweetheart that he is, saved it for me. Actually, York peppermint patties are about as exoctic as he gets when it comes to chocolate. But he is still a sweetheart. The candy was by a Polish candy-making company called Meisko. Man oh man oh MAN!!! Was it good. I couldn't quite put my finger on flavor of the creamy center... very rich. My goodwill toward Poland has grown by leaps and bounds. So, of course I had to track down the nurse. Of course. She was a doll and had the loveliest accent. Her sister sends her the candies, and she shares so she doesn't eat them all- and to let the world know that Poland makes very fine candy. Very FINE candy. The unusual flavor might have been the vodka... Oh, guys, it really was lovely. Alas, she said that it couldn't be bought here in the states. Now I took that as a personal challenge, but I'm afraid she might be right. I did find a Canadian importer, but they don't send to the states. Ask me how I ascertained this when their website was entirely in Polish. Well, I can recognize the word Praliny z Advocatem when I see it! And one of the ladies there speaks very good English. But now all my hopes are dashed. sniff. The Lindt chocolate- Swiss, made in France- is decent. My sister loves it, but then she is a big fan of Cuban coffee. Splutter, splutter, cough, cough. It is the one chocolate that I can leave out on my desk without fear that the little people will snitch it. Oh, they might try a nibble, but it will be promptly returned to it's rightful package.

The sewing and quilting activities have been severely squelched around here. A sad state of affairs. I have started working on my grandmother's flower garden, again. 9 blocks, so far. I have one more cut out and then it's time to find more fabric. No, no, please don't pity me because I have to go fabric shopping. It's such a trial, but one I'll bear up under, no doubt. Now if the shopping trip involves lunch at my favorite Chinese restaurant... well, such is life. Sarah, why must you live in Alabama? Sarah sent me a notice that the quilt shop, Needles, is for sale, so I pressume they are closing and wanting to reduce inventory... That involves a little road trip. Maybe I'll need to visit the tea room, instead of Chinese...hmmm.