17...

     My childrens birthdays tend to be an emotional thing for me.  I am so happy to see them grow, learn new things and improve on who they are.  But then there is the very emotional side where I miss those chubby little faces, the squeaky little words that were mispronounced, the stumbly little steps that followed me every where.  The little person who would wait the whole 10 minutes at the oven door to watch the cookies bake, every time.  The little eyes that would be staring at you first thing in the morning while a little person would be on tiptoes to see over the mattress so they could tell you "Hi my little Mommy".  It's just plain hard.

     Today is such a day for my oldest daughter, my second born.  I am ever so proud of who that little person of days gone by has now become.  She is strong willed, a go getter and very goal driven.  She is not afraid of learning new things but loves to continue on with the things that she loves most.  She is kind but firm.  She is loyal until you show her that she should not be.  She has common sense that is not seen in most kids today.  That I am so very thankful for.  She is a very hard worker, at home and at her part-time job.  If things aren't done right, it bothers her.  She has an old soul which we adore.  She has respect for herself and those near and dear to her.  She has a sense of style that is beautiful.  She gets giddy about making her own clothes.  She loves traditions which include her favorite meal and dessert for her birthday that I will continue to do for her for as long as she asks.  She has an infectious smile and laugh.  Happiness just flows through her.  She is going to accomplish big things.  She said so.  I have no doubt.  She has a list and she's checking that thing off.

     For all of that and more, I am so glad she is our sweet little girl.  Forever.

~*~

Kar

Mom's Christmas quilt...

     This quilt.  What do I say about it other than I really LOVE it!  It was definitely a work of love for sure.  

     When we convinced Mom back in September to come up for Christmas I just couldn't think of anything that would be a good gift to give her.  After a few days it came to me.  A quilt of course.  Being that she loves all colors I couldn't pick just one.  So all the scraps bags were pulled out, sorted through, some very specific fabrics were added in and extra bits were cut just in case.

     I was so intent on getting this quilt finished well before she arrived.  Everyday for a few weeks were spent working on squares after the girls schoolwork was finished.  Everyone kept staring at what had been completed so far and kept saying that it was fabulous.  I was feeling it also.  Then the top was finished, hanging on the wall for all to look at every time they passed by it.  Being that I can't just put a plain backing on a quilt I make, a plan was made, specific fabrics were pulled out of the stash and a couple more were bought to make the design work.  Love the little bees next to the flowers.

     The quilt was finished with days to spare.  Washed, dried, crinkly and wrapped up waiting for Christmas Eve to come along.  I was getting impatient.  Finally the day arrived.  Mom was given her present first.  The anticipation of the paper being torn apart killed us all.  Then her face lit up as she ripped the paper and saw what it was.  Perfection!  The moment was all I hoped it to be.  She sat on the couch wrapped up in her quilt as she opened the rest of her presents with the biggest smile on her face.  Mission accomplished.

     More pictures were taken of the quilt just before it was mailed back home for her.  I might have made a statement or two that if she really didn't like the quilt she could always leave it here and I was sure that someone would put good use to it and love it dearly.  The quilt was quickly removed from my bed, folded up and placed in the box to be mailed.  I guess she wasn't having any of the nonsense.

     At least it is well loved and being used every night.

     I think I'm going to have to make a similar one to have around here.  Ugh.  This thing with quilts will never end!

~*~

Kar

Changing of seasons...

     I came to the realization that it has been a while since I last posted here on the blog.  Life just grabbed hold at some point in November and didn't slow down until after the holidays.  At least I didn't forget to take some pictures from time to time to remind me of just what went on around here.

     Pictures of Fall leaves reminded me of all the pretty color that we will all have to wait for again for another 9 months  at least.  Brightly colored sunrises reminded us of beautiful sunrises we would wait patiently for each morning.  Those beautifully colored sunrises also make us remember the story of how pink skies in the mornings and evenings mean Santa, Mrs. Claus and all the elves are busy baking cookies for Christmas, a story passed down for many years in our family.  It's so wonderful to see all the little ones faces when they see those bright pink skies and squeal about all the baking going on at the North Pole.  And the ever important letter to Santa was written in time with personalized art work added in just because.

     Handmade Christmas gifts were finished with plenty of time to spare.  Although one little person's gifts turned out to be a bit of a challenge all because he has to be bigger than others his age.  All turned out good in the end.  Then my attention turned to making things just because I could.  I love making things when there is no real time constraints attached to them.

     We were able to convince Mom to come up for the holidays.  It was a wonderful 3 weeks which passed by way to fast.  But at least we got snow for her to enjoy.  She's not one to slow down so when I said "you don't need to help shovel snow", she didn't listen.  Then there was a snow fort that needed to be built and a snowman.  A few mornings even brought us freezing fog and beautiful hoar frost everywhere.  There were lots of things being baked while Mom was here.  From our traditional cookies to first ever macaroons for us and quite a few Apple Strudels were made by the girls and Mom.  How lovely that was to sit back and watch the girls bake together with Mom like I would in years past.  And then to listen to her stories about how things were done when she was little just made me melt.  That has to be my favorite part of her visits with us.

     Christmas Eve was quiet and relaxing.  A wonderful treat.  Reindeer food still had to be put outside because the poor reindeer are working hard also.  I love how this tradition has not been forgotten yet.  Hopefully it won't stop.  Then watching the girls sit by their bedroom windows for a bit looking at the Christmas lights outside, staring at all the glowing lights against the snow.  We were able to sleep in on Christmas morning for the first time in years.  I really didn't know how to act due to our normal wake up call is at 4 or 5am other years.  This year we slept till 7am.  I'm thinking the girls were being easy on Mom, although she is a early riser anyway.  New Years came and went. A few days after meant Mom was heading back home.  We were all sad.  Even the girls thought that the house was too quiet without her here.  Not that she was all out loud and rowdy while visiting.  It just meant that our game time and puzzle time and shopping with her had come to an end for now.  I will never play Scattergories again without thinking of some of the answers she and Glenn came up with.  We hadn't laughed that hard during a game in ages.  Crazy people.

     Now we are back to our normal schedule filled with school work and being our normal selves.  Not that there are any complaints about that.  I will just have to fill the evenings with new projects made from pretty yarn.  Someone is asking for a pair of crocheted socks just because I've never crocheted socks before.  I might have to kick back on the sofa and tackle that challenge.

~*~

Kar