Generations of Love

P is getting big but she has so far resisted the idea of getting a "big girl bed."  She does not want to give up her crib.  She likes to read books in her crib at night and to stay in her crib long after she is awake in the morning.  I thought that she might like the idea of a big bed better if we made a quilt for a big bed. My Grandmother and her neighbor, Margaret, used to make quilts together for the babies in the family.  They made D. this Dresden plate baby quilt when he was born.Margaret was also the one who helped my mother make "Dutch Girl" blocks using feed sacks as background when she was just a child.  My sister, G., now has those blocks.   I thought it fitting that I ask Margaret to make the blocks for P's quilt.  We have chosen 25 from the blocks she sent and they will be put together with sashing and cornerstones.  This is a special family project for me. Though neither my mother nor grandmother lived to meet P., she'll soon be sleeping under a quilt they have both had a hand in creating.  I like to picture her sleeping under three generations of love and stitches.

A Place to Play

My sisters and I used to play for hours at a time under the hemlock tree in our back yard.  We had a pretend town under it.  We played with sticks, nuts, and other found objects. We felt like we were very far away all on our own but we were really just a few feet from the house.When my husband and I moved here 20 years ago I tried to imagine where our children would play.  It was all open - just barns and fields.  We did have two lilacs right by the house, one purple and the other white.  Our first spring here we dug some of the small plants growing at the base of the established lilacs and planted them other places in the yard.  In one area we planted them in a ring with an opening away from the road.  I thought this would be a fun place for children to play when the lilacs grew and filled in the ring.The lilacs grew slower than the boys so they never played in there.  It has become a chicken hang out.  P likes to visit with them there.Her favorite.I think P will like it over there even more when all the leaves are out and the flowers are in bloom.

Three Ring Circus

Springtime here is often like a three ring circus.  It becomes difficult to keep up with it all.  I am still trying to work on some needlework projects like this quilt I am finishing up.  My grandmother embroidered the blocks and I am finishing the quilt for my aunt. The weather is warm so we are also trying to get the garden planted in the bits of time after school and work before it gets dark.B is laying out the irrigation hose and D is tilling.M spreads mulch for potatoes.P wants to be a part of everything, even if that means she doesn't have dinner until we all come in after 8:00 p.m.There is always an adjustment for us at this time of year. The longer days are very welcome and we want to stay out and enjoy it.More flowers are blooming every day.  There is, however, still the usual indoor list of things to do too, house keeping and homework.

It Finally Came

Spring finally came.  Yesterday was our first real outdoor day since fall. We slept in and had a late breakfast.  It was sunny and in the low forties and we thought we should take advantage of the nice weather as the rest of the week is predicted to be wet and cloudy. We even found some rhubarb coming up in the garden.We got out and shoveled a truckload of manure out of the chicken barn and spread it on the garden. We fixed the wire on the chicken barn windows and replaced a missing pane on the milk house where some of the hens had been getting in to lay eggs.  We also scythed down last year's raspberry canes.P skipped her nap so that she could join in on the outdoor fun. She loves to visit the "girlers" in the chicken barn and feed them corn.P had her bath and then we had dinner. We were all chatting and then noticed that P was very quiet.The boys went out in shorts to play badminton after dinner - with a little snow still on the ground!

Be Careful What You Wish For

Guess who helped me baste this quilt.I remember the boys used to love helping with my quilt projects. They would sit on the floor behind me and play with the fabric pieces. Some of their first math skills came from quilt designs.  They would"help" me figure out how many of each block I would need to make for a quilt of a certain size.  They would arrange the pieces so that they had different kinds of symmetry.  Sometimes they came up with great designs that were better than what I had in mind.  They would choose different fabrics that looked GREAT.   As they grew older and started school I got used to having my own time.  I could start in on a project and go with it.  I could work all day and not worry about lunch.  Sometimes I just want to get a project done without P's help, whether it is making dinner or a sewing  project. That was my plan when I started the basting project. I was going to get it done during her nap.  I am glad now that she woke before I finished.  All of those pins stuck in the quilt make me smile.I need to remember that making cookies, fixing dinner, whatever I do is an event.  I shall try not to rush through the everyday things. They are, after all, what it is that I am doing- what I want to be doing.

Easter Surprise

I took an egg decorating class in Ann Arbor about 20 years ago. We learned how to make Ukrainian pysanky eggs.  I made some with the boys a few years ago. I love how the colors are so rich and vibrant. That color is very welcome on a white Easter day like today.The Easter bunny visited our house last night. He hid eggs all over the house, put some goodies in the baskets, and left a little surprise on the back porch!I don't think the Easter Bunny gets to do this very often.  P likes it.

Collecting Eggs

I made this basket over 20 years ago, when I was in college.  We use itto collect eggs and bring up potatoes and onions from our basementstorage area.My basket is made in the same design as this one, which was made by my great grandfather. I only use this basket for display now, as I am afraid it will break. It is old and brittle.Both baskets were used at our wedding reception.  I lined each with a cloth napkin and put birdseed in them.  Before we left the reception a couple of children walked around with these baskets and offered birdseed to the guests who wanted to toss some on us when we went to our car.I have been thinking about family heirlooms and how they get to be "heirlooms."  My great grandfather probably made more than one basket to be used on the farm. This one happened to last long enough for my mother to save it after it fell out of regular use. I doubt is was more special than the others he made except for the fact that this one lasted. I am using the baskets I made years ago. In fact, we used one so much that the reed weaving on it has broken and fallen out. That one is no longer usable and  I have it in the basement with the idea that someday I will reweave it.This makes me wonder about what things will be passed down in my family. Which things that I have made will reach future generations?  Will it be the "ugly" quilts that don't get used that end up surviving or the things that are very special and only seldom used?  The family favorites will be very worn, maybe even "worn out" and thrown away.  I am sure there is a bit of luck involved too.  What is it that we learn about our ancestors from the items they pass down?  I would like to know about the much loved heirlooms that didn't last. What stories could they tell? What treasured family memories are lost with the items that helped make them special?

While We Weren't Watching

Yesterday, the snow that blanketed us almost two weeks ago melted enough that we could see areas of ground.  It always amazes me that snow drops can come up and bloom under the snow.P is like these snow drops. She is changing and learning new things when we are not looking.  The other day she and I were drawing together.  She wanted to draw Humpty Dumpty.  She tried several times and was frustrated with her result. We turned the paper over and she amazed herself.  First the egg shape, just like she wanted. Then she added eyes and a mouth. On to arms, hands, legs, and feet. She paused excitedly and then added eyebrows. Lastly, she said, "I going to give him hair too!"Then she had to draw moreand more.These are cats.I can't wait to see what's next.

New Pajamas

P is growing fast.  I made her two pair of pajamas this weekend. I used the pattern shown here. This is a well used pattern I picked up at a rummage sale when the boys were little. I made pjs for them and also for some of my nieces and a nephew.I like that I get to use this favorite pattern again. This pair is out of a soft flannel with a rosebud print. P loves them. The other pair is a cotton teddy bear print. Both fabrics were given to me by a friend when she cleaned her sewing room.I think P is trying to show you that it has an elastic waist. Either that or she is trying to tell me she is tired of pictures and would like her breakfast.

It's Official

P is officially signed up for preschool.  She will be attending the Chelsea Children's Co-op just like her brothers.  Of course, it was very different when the boys attended.  I was a much younger mother then.  We did not have email.  The school was in the basement of a church and one of the parents had to come in and set up the school every Sunday evening. Other parents packed things away every Friday afternoon.  The parent helper jobs are easier now.  The school is now housed in the first floor of this building.For  many years this was the parochial school for St Mary's Catholic Church. In 1998 the church sold the building to actor Jeff Daniels and his wife who then donated it to the Chelsea Center for the Arts.  The preschool has three classrooms on the first floor. Thursday, P and I attended the open house and got registered for the fall. She really loved her play time there.  She enjoyed play dough, snack, puzzles, art, rice table, the indoor slide, and the play kitchen (where she called Dad on the wood phone). She also got to paint at an easel - where they have APRONS! They even have a library and the teacher let her check out a book.  It will be a long wait until September. She is already asking to go to preschool again!She will have to keep busy with her books here.She already spends a lot of time on her "homework" after the boys are home from school.  She can concentrate very hard on her serious pencil and paper work.

Little People

P was playing with our Fisher Price Little People; she dug in the bin to get just the right people, matching tables, and matching chairs. Then, she said they needed dishes. I handed her some coins and pony beads to use for plates and cups.After arranging those on the tables, she said, "They need silverware." She ran out of the room and returned with some real, life size forks from the kitchen and seemed surprised that they were too big for her little play scene.  It made me laugh and reminded me of when I was small, and the boys too. I remember getting gifts and thinking that ANYTHING was possible. A tiny little box could hold a pony or a bike. The package size or shape gave no clue to what was inside. I remember that feeling of mystery that everything is possible. It is sad that we lose that innocence when we grow and learn. Of course, we need that knowledge for grown up tasks, but wouldn't it be nice to keep that feeling of wonder and amazement?

Growing Up

I know it happens. I just don't think about it every day. I notice the changes in jumps. Last night, for example, we saw an eclipse of the moon. It was not a "moom." Today we baked cookies not "tookies." These changes are bitter sweet. I am glad P is growing and learning but it is sad, in a way, to see the baby ways disappear. At least we can still eat "compatoes" and play with Mr. Compato Head!It also seems she is getting to be all arms and legs.  That big, red sweater her auntie A made her when she was born is now rather small - and she used to wear it with the sleeves rolled up.P and I are working together to make a new and BIGGER sweater.  P helped wind the yarn on the ball winder.  She learned how to keep winding in the same direction for the whole ball.My sisters and I used to wear sweater and hat sets from this pattern when we were small.  My mother made many of these popcorn sweater sets for us and for gifts.  When my aunt sent me a copy of the pattern, I knew I would be making one for P.   I do wish my mother could see P in her little popcorn sweater set when it is finished.

Think Warm Thoughts

We have had several days of VERY cold weather. I am now thinking warm thoughts to years when we stretch President's Weekend into a trip to Florida to visit B's brother who lives in St. Petersburg. We camp on the beach at Fort DeSoto and soak up the sun and warmer temperatures.Here is M in 2004. He made a friend at the Tampa Zoo.We also enjoy sunrise walks and picnic breakfasts on the beach at Fort DeSoto. This is D in 2005. It is amazing the colors the water and sky can go through in such a short time at sunrise.We see a lot of beach life on our early walks.P  has not been to Florida. Perhaps next year...

Doll Cradle

B made a doll cradle for P for Christmas.  It was actually made after Christmas so P was able to watch the process.  B uses mostly hand tools.I think the only  power tool step was cutting the board in half (the skinny way) on a band saw.  She liked that the cherry wood was pink when it was first cut.  The cradle was designed to fit this doll.View from the foot.P likes it a lot. Her baby spends a lot of time in it.Here, Baby and the Esthers are napping. Don't you just love their hair? I made those dolls and could not get the hair right. That is why we bought the other baby.Sometimes she adds other dolls and snuggles them all in.This is where I found the matryoshka dolls when I needed to wrap them to mail them for my swap.They are now on their way to Israel! What did we do for entertainment before the internet?

Millionaire

Saturday night I got a call from my teenage niece. I was her lifeline in a birthday party game of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." I could feel the excitement over the line as she had me on speaker phone. The pressure was on as she had called me long distance rather than calling her mother, my sister. I waited to hear the question.In the Curious George books what color car did the man with the yellow hat drive?The image popped into my head immediately. The man with the yellow hat and George driving away in the BLUE convertible with a bunch of balloons blowing in the wind.I recently made a greeting card out of that picture. My niece picked her lifeline well and won the  million dollar question. I am sure she will be sharing the million dollars GIGANTIC chocolate bar with me.I have been making more greeting cards lately. I am restocking my supply and will be putting some in the shop.

Handkerchief Doll Tutorial

As I mentioned here, my grandmother could entertain children all day with a button, a handkerchief, and a piece of string. When I was little she taught me how to make a doll from a handkerchief. The boys eagerly volunteered were given baked goods as payment for being hand models for a tutorial on how to make the doll.First, stand or sit opposite your friend. Each person take two corners of the hankie and roll them towards each other to meet in the middle as shown below.When the two sides meet, rotate the hankie 90 degrees so that each person now holds two corners that are touching.One person then folds his or her corners down about one third of the length of the hankie. These corners will be the feet of the doll.The other person then folds his corners up leaving a little of the hankie showing above the corners. These corners become the hands.The last corners that were folded up (the hands) then get crossed through the loop formed when the first corners were folded down. Each person then tugs a little on the corners in their hands to stretch the arms and legs.Last, slip a ring or tie a string just above the arms to shape the head.Now you have a finished doll.If you want to use the hankie or make another doll just remove the ring or string and shake it loose.

Calm Before the Storm

We heard the forecast for a big snow storm and did our prestorm preparations yesterday. We let the chickens out to scratch for whatever they could find. I wonder if they suspected anything. We stopped by Farmer's Supply and got a few bags of chicken feed.Stopped at the library and picked up a selection of videos and books.Then, went to the grocery and bought as much milk as would fit in the refrigerator and other groceries for meals.At home we brought in some firewood from the barnand washed the wool socks.The evening was spent doing homework and hoping for a snow day while watching an episode of Planet Earth!We woke up this morning with a bit of snow and a SNOW DAY off of school.  An additional 6 or more inches of snow is predicted today.Today we shall try making pretzels. I have several recipes so we may attempt them more than once this weekend.

Family Focus - winter white

Ice on the Huron River taken by B on his way to work.M found hugs and kisses in the driveway.D took this one at midnight the other night. He went to close the chicken barn and came running back for the camera to get this moon shadow of the redbud tree.Today, I will be traveling to Grand Rapids with the High School Symphony Orchestra for their performance in the Michigan Music Conference. I have my knitting packed for the bus ride!  If I can possibly manage it on the bus, I'll work on the December Lights Tam (designed by Mary Jane Mucklestone) shown on the cover of Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2007.Don't ask me why. I have never worn a tam. I don't need a new hat. I have two and am already knitting myself another hat. It's just that my friend A got the magazine and, well, she and I drooled all over page 38. We were practically fighting over the magazine. We finally broke down and ordered the yarn. We figured that if we went in together and just ordered one extra skein we could get two hats out of the yarn. Dear A  divided the yarn last weekend and now I am dying to start. I know that she has started and she knits really fast. I can't let her finish first!!!If I can't do that project on the bus I can always work on simple socks.

Great Grandmother's Gown

Today I'll share photos of a gown my great grandmother made before her wedding in 1914.The padded satin stitch petals are amazing.Isn't that hand stitching incredible! I love all of those little eyelets.Look at the edge stitching on the cuff!!I hope someday to be this good!

Family Talent

I come from a family of makers.My Aunt made this pink blanket for P when she was born. It has become her blankie. She sleeps with it every night and takes it on all trips.P  also still tries to squeeze her head into that little hat.