June 3rd 10:00 a.m.

They smelled so sweet. I said they smelled like Heaven, he said "You're right Momma, they smell like God."

--Got to love a 4 year old with a slight chocolate milk mustache.

JMB

PS

Sometimes you just have to have photo essay days. There are quilts being made, sometimes they just take a long time.

Let it rain...

Not from today, but some time last week. There was a lot of rain. A good friend once told me that "sometimes you have to behave your way out of a funk." This day I remembered. I grabbed my camera and got to work. The rain was not so oppressive once you walked out the door. Thank Goodness!

JMB

P.S.

The lettuce is a speckled romaine variety from Territorial seeds. When you plant edibles, they might as well be beautiful. These little lettuces are and are quite good to eat.

Hello Little Mango, 9 months old!

My little Mango. You are 9 months old. I can't believe that you have now been out of my body as long as you were in it. You are just now getting your top teeth. While they were working their way out you liked to grit your gums together and make a spitty "SHHHHHH" noise. We just got back from Grandmanu's birthday at the ocean and you were the best traveller, very easy going and willing to roll with whatever the day brought. (thank goodness you don't take after your mother in that way!)

I love that your sense of humor is developing. If there is some one laughing you are happy to join in with your infectious giggle. You love to make a smiley face that your Auntie refers to as the "hamburger face". This past week you have become obsessed with my coffee mug (maybe because you see how much I love it... and what is in it.) and balls. More than any of my children you love to play with balls, large ones, small ones, any size. It is fun for us to roll them across the floor and have you chase after them.

You crawl conventionally now. I never thought you would. I always thought that you would move on your belly like a baby seal pup until you walked. It does help with your swift and stealthy movement. You can disappear from a room as soon as I turn my head. I appreciate how you like to help with the laundry and enjoy playing with your brothers. Everyone remarks about what an easy going little girl you are. I have to agree. It seems that where your Dad and I go, you like to go too. Thanks for that, you are a wonderful little girl.

JMB

Poker face...

Imagine this song (can open it in another window and listen if you want) playing in the background...

Here we are at the ocean, visiting the beautiful city of Bandon.... oh wait... you didn't see that picture??

It is a beautiful sunny morning with waves crashing on the huge haystack rocks.

This one is of the man across the street. He is feeding his cats... wait look closer there are 8 of them (maybe more, they are all so excited that it is hard to count them.) They are all eating in a line on his deck.

Here is one of the raccoon climbing up the stairs later in the afternoon. He is so sneaky, he is going to eat all the kitty leftovers.

Here is the one I took of our whole family standing by a huge root ball that has been tossed and tossed by the ocean. It is wedged between two huge rocks. Those are my two sisters, my brother-in-law, Big Daddy and the kids. There I am at the bottom of the picture looking pained. I am laughing REALLY hard. I just leaned my face on a bag of my doggy niece's poo. I was trying SO hard to frame the perfect picture that I didn't notice until the stench overwhelmed me...then I tripped over a log, fell to my knees and had to crawl in to the frame.

What a family picture! Happy Birthday Mom!

This one is us playing Apples to Apples late in to the night. Sometimes I am the winner.

The boys are having a great time playing "Guess Who?"

Ahhh memories...

Maybe next time I will remember the plug, so that I can actually upload the picture TO the blog. We will always have the memories.

JMB

Why it all is going to be OK, or you CAN have fun when it is raining...

A few pictures for me to remember that "Fun" does happen, even when it is raining.

-To remember that babies love to be part of garage cleaning, even if they just spin around and around.

-To remember that sometimes in Oregon, it only looks like it is rainy from inside your own house, but when you venture out... sometimes you get a sun break or two to play in. Hallelujah for that!

JMB

(I have been working diligently on Blondie's apartment I spy quilt, I think that it will be finished this weekend. I can't wait to show you! Hooray!)

Wrap ups... finally some wrap ups!

Time for a little bit of show and tell:

I have been staring at this on my design wall for MONTHS... it needed to get to the next phase. Now it is ready for some hand quilting! Hooray, forward motion is good. I started this last July in this class. I really loved working with solids, now I want to add them to everything....some people haven't been as welcoming, but to each their own, right?
Here is what I made from my sister blocks left over from my Placemat quilt swap #3 project. Another bunch of blocks off the cutting table! Hooray! (I like it, I don't feel like it is finished, but I feel like I can put it away for awhile.)
My placemat made for this lovely quilter (I have been drooling over her chair quilts for years now!) (I made all of my geese using this tutorial...I love it, they come out surprisingly accurate, and we all know that I am not the most accurate quilter) She told me that she was feeling pastel and springy and I was surprised at how many things in my stash fit the bill. It was a great partnership...
Look, at the lovely chair that I received!! Full of dots and cheerful colors, it is an instant favorite. Thanks L.!

My to do list is getting smaller and larger:

NO, no more babies... but Big Daddy and I are in talks about moving to a house that will better accommodate our growing children. I have a studio space on the wish list and he wants a walkable neighborhood. We have been in our current home for 10 years. A decade! It is the longest I have ever been anywhere and the thought of moving away from my garden sent me in to quite a funk last week. I am working through it and on alternate days I am sick to my stomach and very excited. I wish for choices that are black and white, but the older I get the more life tells me that big choices are in the grey area...

That's it, I will just have to start making quilts with greys to get comfortable there, in that space.

On another note: My 300th post is fast approaching as well as my 4th year anniversary... what to do, what to do? Maybe June will find us in a bit of a celebratory mood?

Happy sewing today!

JMB

Happy Mother's day!

Hi there,

Do yourself a favor today and read this. I did. I laughed. I cried. I breathed deeply. It is OK to be who we are.

JMB