New Year’s Eve 2007 Monday, Dec 31 2007

No pictures.  No profound thoughts.  I end this year with a sense of gratitude.  My teaching career ended last June; I’m beginning to relinquish the thoughts that I need to prepare my 7th graders for the MEAP.  Still having some troubling dreams, but they are just that—dreams.

Of course, there are places I’d still like to see:  Grand Canyon, Whidbey Island, Boston.  My dream of visiting Scotland was fulfilled in July.  I’m content. 

A prayer in Blessed Be Our Table by Kathy Galloway:

Strong, sheltering God,

we bless you for all the beautiful things of home;

warmth and shelter when the wind outside is bitter

food for the body and for the soul

treasured gifts and treasured memories

stability, acceptance, care.

We bless you for the chance to be ourselves

for the tasks that weave the pattern of our days

for the sweet, familiar round of ordinary things.

Blessed are you strong, sheltering God.

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Decisions Saturday, Dec 29 2007

Whenever I begin something a tiny bit new or different, I can feel myself freeze.  Somewhere within me I hear that nagging voice saying, “If you can’t do it perfectly, don’t bother.”  Where DOES that come from???

 Anyway, I’m to the point in my quilt that I needed to decide on patterns for the quilt.  I have stencils, but I felt myself turn to stone once again, for fear I’d make the wrong decision.

Now I’ve decided and I’m free again.  I’ll have a different motif within each color.  The white will be as shown in this picture; if it’s only one block, I’ll just use half of the design.  Yellows/oranges will be one simple flower; pinks a heart-based design; magentas, a rather squarish pattern.  I did the black already but it hardly shows. I’m wondering if it needs to be quilted again, using a more visible stitch. 

 Anyway, I’m excited now about continuing.  It’s nice to be “thawed” again.  And, besides, I don’t have enough time left in my life to wait for perfection before I DO things.

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This ‘n’ that Thursday, Dec 27 2007

The Gaelic Rune of Hospitality from “Blessed Be Our Table”:

We saw a stranger yesterday,

we put food in the eating place,

drink in the drinking place,

music in the listening place

and, with the sacred name of the triune God,

he blessed us and our house, our cattle and our dear ones.

As the lark says in her song:

Often, often, often, goes Christ in the stranger’s guise.

This was one of the graces used during our session at the Scottish Churches House last July.  I liked it then; I like it now.

 Today was a laid-back day.  I wrapped and mailed a birthday present, walked two rounds at our local mall (starting over once again to exercise more faithfully), did some more reading in the “Persian Pickle Club.”

Yesterday Pat, Chris, Lorraine, and I met at Anna’s for lunch;  I met David and Wa for dinner at Zingerman’s Road House.  As always, both groups shared good food, good conversation, and good company.  Yesterday and today were both good.

Perhaps I’ll continue working on my quilt project tomorrow.

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Christmas Day musings Tuesday, Dec 25 2007

“Thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.  Isaiah 30.”

“Agreeing to go forward where there is no road, giving up control of events, counting on something more than one’s own strength: that is the attitude the prophet describes with the words ‘quietness’ and ‘returning.’  If salvation is found there, that is because quietness enables us to assume our own vulnerability and not to view it as an obstacle on the road to freedom.”

“Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary, at Christmas you offer us the joyful message of your Gospel. All who listen, all who welcome the gifts of the Holy Spirit, by day as well as in the vigils of the night, discover that even with very little faith, with almost nothing, the essential is offered.”

From the book:
Peace of Heart in All Things
by Brother Roger of Taizé
published by GIA Publications  

         

Left photo: close-up of pinning for border attachment. Middle: long view.  Right: ready to mark and stitch. 

The small quilt’s border is now attached. 

On the wall are two valued pieces, both gifts.  The print on the lower left was done by Garth Williams for the Wilder book series, Little House on the Prairie.  His daughter, gave me the print as a gift.

The upper right print was done by Garth’s granddaughter.  It is a print of rooftops in Brussels, Belgium; it too is a precious gift given to me by the artist.

A long line of significant connections; I am blessed to have them both… the connections and the prints.

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Progress Monday, Dec 24 2007

                      

My small quilt is completely pieced together in the left picture.  The right one shows the border strips I will stitch around the quilt.  Changes it quite a lot, eh?

 After I stitch on the border, I can cut the batting and backing, pin and get ready to stencil and quilt.

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Three things today… Thursday, Dec 20 2007

 Since I’m getting so near to having the quilt top all pieced together, I wanted to be all set with the next step.  I bought four stencil patterns today (2 from Country Stitches, 2 from JoAnn’s).  I will use the longer one for the border, haven’t made my decision for the squares yet.  I’m getting eager to begin stenciling and quilting. 

 Another pattern, called a “shell,” appeals to me but the one I found was too large for these 4″ squares.

The middle school is having a farewell potluck for Mike’s student teacher tomorrow and I’m invited.        A friend convinced me it would not be overkill to take the same cookie bar recipe again.  So I am.  The two little ones are for Mike; he is allergic to nuts and they are nut-free. 

This morning I stitched the fourth row of blocks to the rest of the top.  Only two more to go.

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Quilt progress Tuesday, Dec 18 2007

 The piecing of this quilt top is half done. 

Most of the larger photos of my quilt-in-progress show the center blocks as black, which they are; however, I’ve added this closeup to show how those blocks relate to the rest of the quilt. 

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Handknit slippers Tuesday, Dec 18 2007

My friend, Lorraine, was motivated to learn to knit so she could duplicate the slippers her Finnish grandmother used to make for family members at Christmastime.

I’m the lucky beneficiary of the bright red ones! 

I commissioned the two blue sets so when guests visit in the winter time and feel obligated to remove snowy boots or shoes they will have these warm slippers to wear in my house.  All of these are made of Wool-Ease so they are washable.

I think I’m going to commission two more; that should cover most of my guests’ cold feet. 

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Party for four Monday, Dec 17 2007

Pat made this shadowbox for Chris.

 Pat made this one for Lorraine.

Pat made this one for me.

We really enjoyed looking closely at each of these tiny “rooms” indicating interests in our lives.  To make something like this, one really needs to know that person very well.  We all agreed Pat pegged us all correctly.

 She put “real” objects in for many of them, found some at scrapbooking shops, others intended for doll houses, made some because she couldn’t find what she wanted.

These are delightful, amazing gifts for each one of us!

More pictures of us during this party are on my flickr site.

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Snow storm Sunday, Dec 16 2007

No quilt piecing so far today.  Had to run my snowblower twice on my driveway and sidewalk.  It has been cold and windy, which causes a lot of drifting.  Parts were almost too much for my small Toro.

Also made a pot of black bean soup from my Moosewood cookbook. 

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