I've Been Thinking...

Right now, since Blueberry's birthday, my grandbabies are ages 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Forget-me-not is due on March 7, and Lily on March 21.

Junior Asparagus turns 5 on March 4.

Forget-me-not needs to hurry up, so the babies will be 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Or she'll mess me all up. 0, 1, 2, 3, and 5 isn't as fun.

I like order.

So, Forget-me-not, go drive down some railroad tracks or something.

So I can stop worrying.

Fascinating

I keep telling myself *not* to stick myself with my needle while I'm quilting.

Though I *do* find it fascinating, watching that single drop appear when I squeeze my finger, and watching the Capillary Action as the kleenex absorbs it.

You realize, of course, that a cut of any kind makes a Hole in your skin, the largest organ in your body. You have Breached the Outer Boundary, and cut across a capillary. Or two or three.

What happens then? Your Vitamin K, platelets, and keratin (maybe I have the list correct, but I don't have my science book in front of me, I'm working from memory here...) go to work to make that architectural wonder, the Scab. Which I can then later remove Before Its Time, and watch the entire process again. Or, wait till it heals all-the-way.

But here is the fascinating part.

That beautiful, self-healing, clotting action of your blood. How come it only happens at the site of a cut? How come it isn't happening all over your body, all the time? (of course, *sometimes* it does, and then our heart or lungs are very. unhappy. But I'm speaking of Normally...)

Hmmm.

To me, it smacks pretty heavily of Intelligent Design, and smacks pretty heavily *against* Natural Selection.

Proofs all around us, if we care to look, eh? Psalm 139:14: "I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well."

I'm About to Bust!!

MacGuyver is home this weekend!! We haven't seen him for fourteen months, so he wanted it to be a surprise for Blackeyed Susan and Alvin Fernald. Here he is, picking up Susan after ballet class:
We drove home, and MacGuyver knocked on the door. Charming had Alvin answer the door, and that was his surprise. Picture Big. Bear. Hugs.

As the party got started, Laura Carrot, Sweet Pea, and Grandma work in some lip practice. Grandma makes a point to spread the Red Lipstick Love:

Here is Alvin, MacGuyver, and Johnny Tremain:

More handsome guys: Don Quixote, Rocky Balboa, and Joe Hardy:

Unfortunately, our "family" photo came out dark. Hope I can photoshop it to get a better quality. I'd like to make 5 x 7's for everybody:

Pretty ladies: Lily, 35 weeks along, Violet, and Forget-me-not, 37 weeks along:

These are my natural-born sons: Don, Macguyver, Alvin, Joe, and Johnny...

Add Rocky and Charming, and you have All My Men. Not a clinker in the bunch:

Here is Violet and Susan...

and Violet and Alvin, my oldest and youngest:

Here are the Out-Laws. Lily, Rocky, and MacGuyver's girlfriend, Tiny Dancer:

Now, I'm wondering...is this what I was looking forward to for so long?

Yep. My boy is back!

I loved, loved, loved my babies when they were little. Miss that time of my life terribly. But times like last night, with all my family together in one place, makes me feel Rich Beyond Measure. God is so Good!

Blueberry Turns Two

Looks like Blueberry's new quilt from his Mom-mom is a success. Happy birthday, Blueberry!

God's Valentine Greeting

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It ALWAYS protects, ALWAYS trusts, ALWAYS hopes, ALWAYS perseveres. Love never fails." ICorinthians 13: 4-8

Retro, Hip, and Tilt-y

I made my sister Janet an apron. If you can see the print, it is of a turquoise blue kitchen, with a cat in residence. My mother's kitchen in her New House in 1960 was turquoise blue, but nary a cat ever was in residence there:
Good times, good times.

For some reason, even if my photo software rotates pictures, Blogger undoes them and they are sideways again. But I really wanted to share a photo with you, showing Blackeyed Susan and Alvin Fernald in a moment where they are not only Getting Along, but Quiet to boot:

(sorry Alvin's head is cut off). Susan is not making a face at Alvin. Can't you tell that they are being Tragically Hip??

Not NEARLY so hip is my garland that I made out of my red puffy hearts (see post below.) It turned out just as I wanted, quirky and fun, and fit well on my china cabinet:

Photographer I'm not. Not only is Alvin's face cut off, but the china cabinet sits level on the floor, not tilt-y.

Tomorrow (Valentine's Day) is Blueberry's Number Two birthday. I get to watch him while his Mommy and Daddy go to the midwife for an appointment. Maybe Baby Brother or Sissy will come this week!

Hearts A'Plenty

I have wracked my brain trying to find where in blogland (and there were TWO places!) where I saw these fabric hearts for Valentine's Day. Just realize that they were not *my* idea. I made a bunch in pink fabrics. I like the fact that only one of the fabrics actually has hearts on it. I had fun looking through my button box for buttons that were left over from other sewing projects:
They were completely successful, as Blackeyed Susan told me she tried to "eat" one. She walked by them and thought they were cookies!

They were so much fun, I made a bunch in red, as well:

I think maybe I'll make a garland out of them. I'll post a photo if I do!

How to Make a Quilt Your Kitty Will Love

Step One: Gather a bunch of pretty fabrics featuring fishies, birdies, and mousies. Put them together in pleasing way, and call your quilt "Cat Food":

Step Two (and this is Most Important): Get Charming (Sherman's favorite person) to sleep with the quilt. This will impart the Eau de Charming scent, which is irresistible:

Step Three: Let nature take its course. Drape the quilt over Charming's guitar case, a favorite hangout...

Step Four: Be sure not to notice when Sherman deigns to snuggle down:

Step Five: Savor the sweet smell of success!

How Helen Did Polka Dots

I picked up this red polka-dot scarf at the thrift store yesterday for just 59 cents. I usually pick up anything red-polka-dotty when I see it. My love for the stuff began a lifetime ago...

My mother, tho' hopelessly un-cool by the time I was in high school, was uber-fashionable in the late 50's and early 60's. She had a fabulously tailored black suit she would wear to church with one of two different blouses. One was a light tan, and the other was White with Red Polka Dots.

Oh, that blouse was fabulous. My entire idea of what-to-wear when I grew up revolved around that as a basis for my wardrobe. But wait. There is More To Tell.

Mommy had matching white-with-red-polka-dot GLOVES.

She would put on the blouse and suit, put her red hat on her head (with a hatpin!) and then pull on those gloves. They matched her red lipstick exactly. Oh, she was beautiful!!

I used to play with her gloves. She kept them in the top left-hand drawer of her vanity. She had a few pair of white gloves, wrist-length and "shorty's," as well as elbow-length shirred ones. She also had a pair of navy blue ones (and, I presume, some black ones as well), and, well, you know about the Red Ones. She let me play with them as long as I washed my hands first.

Well, of course, not many of us have a Glove Drawer anymore, do we? A more genteel time, that by the time I grew up, had passed into hippiedom. My mother passed away two years ago last Sunday, and I'm glad I had the reminder this week of how wonderfully glamorous my Mom used to seem to me. I hope that my girls think I'm that cool.

At least *after* the teen years are over.

One More Bag

You may remember this post about two bags I made for Blackeyed Susan's friends for birthday presents. Well, Susan decided that she wanted to keep the green-apple one, so I made another one for her friend:
Verra, verra spring-y, with happy inside pockets:

Well. Susan decided she may want this one, as well, but I put the kabash (sp?) on that. I realize that I am the Queen of teen-hobo-bag fashion, but I Do have Other Things In My Life.

Like, finishing Blueberry's two-year old quilt, called J*siah's Jungle:

Don't know why the photo is sideways. I mean, I took it sideways, but I rotated it when I uploaded it. One of the mysteries of the computer universe, I guess.

But aren't the colors groovy?

I have two baby quilt tops done, and working on one for my kitty, who really needs one of his own, because he Loves all of Mine. I'll post pictures when I finish them!

Edited to add: My daughter suggested that the word was spelled Kibosh. So I looked it up in an online dictionary. That *is* the spelling, but, fascinatingly enough, it is not Yiddish slang as I had always supposed. It is ENGLISH slang, and first appears about 1836. Look here.