Growing

There are lots of things going on, and growing on, around here. Despite my best intentions, my "to do" list is one of those things that grows out of control, like Kudzu, and thwarts all attempts to keep up with posting here. Gregory has turned eleven years old this month. Eleven! One thing that doesn't seem to to grow is available time: that shrinks! Seriously. How can it be November already? Here's the birthday boy and his sister, who's growing at the same break-neck pace as her brother. 

She spent the night with us last week; we were entertained with an interpretive, dramatic, reading of "How The Elephant Got His Trunk" after dinner. 

My list of UFOs is growing once again (even with all of those completed tops being rounded up and out of the BOM bins from years past) with the addition of two more Blocks-of-the-Month that I've signed up for (I'm unable to resist) this fall. This is one of them, "Lady's Scrap Basket", so far I've got Unit One completed, along the way I discovered a great little tool for dealing with those pesky "folded corner" triangles, it's made by Creative Grids. ↓

Rather than drawing (and then sewing on) the line, one simply aligns the "Folded Corner Clipper" with the strong diagonal across the corners of the stacked pieces and trims away the excess beforehand, stitching 1/4" away from the cut edge. It works really, really well. Thanks for this tip, Annie! 

My DIL sent this photo the other day. Gregory decided to mend a tear in his pants by himself. He raided his sister's sewing box for the needed items and set to work before it ripped any further. I couldn't help but think of this  very similar illustration from "Sam Johnson and the Blue Ribbon Quilt", maybe it's just the red hair. 😉

A recent retreat weekend saw something else take shape and grow: Great Granny Squared. It's one of those quilts from the always-growing "to make" list that finally rose to the top. I already love it and it still needs two more borders, it will only grow more and more lovely. I'm using Lori Holt's Bee Basics fabric line, it's a bright and cheerful day-brightener. 

A quilting friend finished this top while we retreated together, isn't it great? The pattern is one that's fat quarter friendly: "Inkling" by Patchwork and Poodles. This one really piqued my interest (like I have any business starting something else new!!). 

I have everything, except for the vine border, stitched on this sampler; at long last! It has been temporarily stowed now as and my needle, linen and hoop are being redirected toward Christmas stitching. One more growing obsession... and SEW it goes! 

These are golden days right now, it's hard to keep up with things indoors when it's this glorious outside!

What's going on ( and growing on) at your house?

Life is Good!

Room To Grow

This is but one of many little dish gardens that sweetly sat on the tables at our son and daughter-in-law's wedding reception. The dish gardens were given to friends and family members to take home after the wedding reception was over, that was back in May of 2008, nine and a half years ago. Since then there has been growth, lots of it: over time our son and daughter in law bought a home and spread their roots. In 2010 their son was born and in 2013, their daughter; more growth, their family has changed a lot since that day back in 2008.  Given room, love and the right conditions, growth will happen. I remember a pastor friend telling me many years ago that change is growth and growth is life. Well, that is most certainly true, and especially in the case of this little plant. One of the dish gardens from that wedding reception nine and a half years ago went to my good friend, Quiltkeemosabe. A few weeks ago she asked me if I would like this plant. You see, it is a surviving Palm plant from one of those original dish gardens; it had outgrown its space at her home, she was looking to tame her jungle. "Yes", I said; "I would love it". And so, it has come to live at our home now. It is a floor plant today and it's been given room to grow and spread its roots in my husband's study.

Given room, love and the right conditions, growth will occur.

Once there was a little palm plant, it didn't understand the word "can't". 

It spread its roots, its limbs stretched too. 

It did the only thing it knew to do, because it was cared for through and through,

it GREW! 

What are you cultivating in your life today? 

What needs room, and love, to stretch and grow?  

Life is Good!

Growth!

Do you remember those geraniums I was wintering over? Well, let's say it's been a huge success; the growth that they have put forth has been phenomenal. There are oodles of flower buds set and it won't be long before they're blooming for real. Speaking of growth-- this picture was taken just two short years ago.
Same girl, same flower pots, same porch.  Yes; with nurturing care and time, growth will happen. We simply need to take a deep breath and be prepared. As mothers, and grandmothers, we understand that whatever you do: don't blink!

Happy Mother's Day!

Life is Good!

As Much As Things Change...

... it seems that they remain the same! I keep a journal, I have for many years. I record hopes, dreams, aspirations, goals. While hunting for something else(!) the other day I happened upon a journal from 1996, this entry from early January caught my eye and held my attention, it was a list:

1. Become better organized.
2. Finish old projects before beginning new ones, namely (here was a list of 6 quilts I was working on at that time)*
3. Pay attention to weight by eating smart.
4. Be more patient.
5. Exercise daily. ( see entry #3!)
6. Pray deliberately and diligently.

*It might be of interest to note that only 3 of the listed 6 quilts are finished~ 12+ years later!

I could easily write this very same list today! It's sobering (and a little scary) to discover that my hopes, my goals, haven't changed one bit since then. I'm still working on, and wishing for, the very same things! And yet, as much as it seems that things remain unchanged, our little Mason is changing... he's ten weeks old now and growing sweeter and more precious by the day!

... I think I'll go to work on a new list...
Life is Good!