Sewing and such

This is what I have been doing the last couple of days (see pic at right). I'm making curtains for Kathleen's kitchen. I like the orange and green combination that she decided on. I am donating the quilt to the Christian Appalachian Project (CAP). A bunch of people who like to sew have decided to send quilts which are being handed out by the CAP. I think the last count was 118 that have been received. For the one you see at the right I just used a bunch of scraps on hand in my sewing room. The pattern is called "stacked coins." It is fun to make because anything goes! And it's fast. I like quilts that are not so fussy that you have to be afraid to use them. People out in blog land got motivated to make quilts for donation after the Diane Sawyer special about poverty in Appalachia. The people with CAP are happy for the help.  

Things I learned (or was reminded of ) from my kids:

Warning: Some of it is heavy stuff.

From my youngest son:

Guys really ARE clueless, and doing their very best to understand women:)

The things that people do that hurt us the most, are the most important things to forgive.

When someone takes a risk with their life, we get really mad at them because they forced us to imagine our world without them around. This comes after we are so happy they are still here. Delayed reaction.

It is entirely possible to have a chronic medical condition and remain genuinely cheerful.

A smile is contagious, day after day.


From my oldest son:

When things your spouse does drive you crazy, remember that they also do lots of things you like.

Take life easy and enjoy the small stuff.

No matter how little you have at times, you can still give back.

There are many ways to view anyone, any action, or anything. Be careful not to judge.

There is nothing like a kind heart.


From my daughter:

Pretty girls can be engineers.

It's Ok not to do everything perfectly.

Life is for having a good time.

It's Ok to be a woman and be confident, and very smart.

Go for what you what.

Laugh.

Good food is important.

Rambling at the airport

Ok, Ok, so I haven't posted anything in a month or so. Is anyone really going to notice? Well, Peter noticed. I just get sidetracked with other things that (to me) seem more pressing (like reading my quilting magazines, sewing, walking Tally, making any excuse to walk to the coffee shop, ice skating lessons, watching Oprah or Dr. Phil). I do wish I still had Jamilla because the vacuuming, cleaning and laundry won't go away. Half the time I forget about the laundry because the washer and dryer are so far buried in the basement. What can I say? I am still in the honeymoon phase of being back in a first world country, and in denial that I don't have a housekeeper. I have already digressed before even started.

I am currently sitting in an airport on a 3 hour layover. I have watched my 30's rock episode and one of my Tutor episodes, had my Starbucks, and read most of my "O" magazine. I am charging up my computer so I can ration out one more episode of Tutors on the next leg of my journey. So, I will post. (Oh yes, and I tried to call my cousin but couldn't reach her. We are always good for at least a half hour of phone time. Usually more.)

So, the topic begins as "Rambling at the airport." I have no idea how much airport time I have logged in my lifetime so far, but it has to be a bunch. I can tell you I don't miss those layovers that were middle of the night body time. I don't miss filling my suitcase with as much long life food as possible, and the 2 precious heads of lettuce I always tried to squeeze in at the last minute. I don't miss the coolers of meat that we had to disguise by loading inside a big duffle bag. No sir. I get my lettuce these days at Safeway or the local farmer's market. But those days of world travel did have their advantages. We saw a lot of the world, and our kids grew up understanding how different cultures can be. I am really glad the kids got to travel so much in their formative years. Oh yes, back to today . . . I am on my way to a wedding. It is my nephew's wedding. You know, I barely know any of my nephews or nieces, except Sarah Beth. I have two nieces and (let me count) seven nephews on my side of the family. Wow. Since we lived overseas for so many years we just never got together to get to know them. (I will just leave out the family dysfunction and all that . . . you know . . . stuff.) We just didn't get together. I am rather sorry not to know my nieces and nephews better. I am sure it would be fun to have more of a relationship with them, but I am trying to make those amends now every chance I get. So off to the wedding I go! I hope it will be fun. Weddings usually are, eh?

One of these days I am going to write a post about Jamilla,  Cowsar, and Margaret. Stay tuned. Umm. Time to check my downloads.