Happy Mother's Day...

To all of you who are Mothers, Grandmothers, Godmothers, and Women who inspire and support others!

I plan on spending the day hugging on my sweet Shmoo, and remembering how lucky I am to be his Mother!

If you have not already, make sure you let those important Women in your life know how much you appreciate them.

Peace be with you

I'm not a runner...

But I run. I am short ( 5' 3") and I DO NOT have a runners body!

I've never been a " sporty" girl. I danced throughout junior high and high school. But, I started running in college, and never looked back. I completed my first half marathon weeks after graduating from college, my second months before meeting my husband to be, and the third, well, funny you should ask. My third will be in 4 days.

This is my first big run since giving birth, and let me tell you...everything is NOT the same as it once was. I seem to pick up speed during the last stretch in order to get to the potty ASAP.

My previous two runs were for me, to prove that I could. And, I did. However, this one is for others. I will be running as part of a team. Upper Valley Haven is a shelter/ food pantry/ transition center. Of all the teams I could be running for, I am proud to be a member of this one! My family and friends have been so generous in their monetary support as well as emotional support!

So, while I have been sewing quite a bit ( new post tomorrow on all that), most of my free time has been spent running. Hopefully all of my hard work will pay off, and I will not be the LAST person across the finish line:-)

Peace be with you

Census 2010

* Warning- this is a political rant written with the sarcasm of a mother who's been home with a sick toddler for 2 days!

So, last week I received the Census in the mail ( nope, not the letter telling me that is was coming...or the post card to remind me to complete the census, but the actual CENSUS). I opened it up, and began to complete it. Name, check. Birthday, check. Do you rent or own, rent! Blah, blah, blah. Then I get to the point of Race. Now this is where it gets GOOD. Are you Hispanic? Yes or No- No. Next, check as all that apply....

White? Well, yes, one of my parents Caucasian- but I'm going to let this one slide, as I understand that the Census needs to be accessible to everyone regardless of education.

Black? Well, no, in fact at this point in the year ( living in snow covered New England) I am more of a soft caramel color.

African Am.? Well, is that asking if I am of African Decent just in the morning time? Nope, I am BROWN all of the time. 24/7.

And this is where I really start to loose it... wait for it...

NEGRO? I'm sorry, but it is at this point that I had to check the front cover to make sure it said Census 2010 and not Census 1960. I circled the word and wrote " What?" next to it.

This is how I see this playing out in a lower socioeconomic house hold.....

Am I Hispanic? No

Am I white? Nope

Am I Black? Well, I am closer to brown, but let me keep reading that line to make sure this is the one I should check

Am I African AM? Well, no,I am brown all day long. Let me keep reading.

Am I a NEGRO? Oh, yes, that's me! Why didn't they just say so?

What is the world is going on here? Really, in 2010 we don't think that people will understand what Black means? And do we need to abbreviate African American? Do we really think so little of our country men and women that we would need to bring back a word that has been socially unacceptable for decades now?

We have a multi-racial president. I wonder what President and Mrs. Obama will be checking as they fill out their Census. Will they be pleased to see such an archaic word used to describe themselves and their lovely daughters? I sincerely hope NOT!

There are a myriad of other things I could go off about in regards to the Census, but I'm going to stick with this one point. Let's get it together people!

DQS8- Sent and received!

So, yesterday was the FINAL day to mail off our Doll Quilts for DQS8 over on Flickr! And, true to my usual fashion I was in line at the post office at 3 pm yesterday:-) However, I must say that I am very proud of this quilt. I pushed myself technically and design wise. J even asked if it was for us, as he thought it would look just perfect in OUR HOUSE!

But, it is traveling west, and should be there tomorrow!

I have titled it " Dresden Fruit Plate" even though there are veggies and even one nut in the bunch. I was so taken with how well it turned out that I have started a lap size version for my mom ( who say a picture and proclaimed me the most brilliant daughter around)!

And this lovely beauty is the Doll Quilt I RECEIVED from Erin! Erin and I have swapped before, and it was so nice to "know" who had made my quilt. A definite bonus to the whole swapping adventure!!! And, I just love it. The colors are perfect, and I am in love the fabric. It is going to be hung in the living room for all to admire.

Erin commented today that she was afraid that I would take offense to the naked mermaids...she clearly has not been reading my blog:-) So, no Erin, I am not offended, and frankly did not even notice. I was too taken by the quality of quilting, and the flow of the design. Thank you so much for the time and energy you put into this quilt!!!

I will have more fun things to share soon.

Peace be with you!

Winter Wonderland...

Some may say, but I myself am done with the snow! This is what we woke up to on Saturday morning. Beautiful, yes. Fun to drive in, NO! So, we played outside, took long naps, and did a little sewing!

This is my Doll Quilt for Series 8. A Dresden Fruit Plate. My partner asked that I make something that I wanted to make. Something that represented me and my style. Well, the fruit and veggie line is my all time favorite, and I've always wanted to make a Dresden Plate. So, here it is. I will be quilting it today, and will hopefully have it in the mail by Friday. I'm not adding a boarder, but rather will bind it in the same polka dot that adorns the center. What do you think? Will my partner like it?

The Loves of my life...

Enough said!

Note: Someone thought that my 3 year old son's bum was inappropriate for my blog, so it I have blurred it. Takes away from innocence of it, but seems that's the world we live in! Too bad, really!

Finally!

A quilt for US! I have started a couple of quilts in the last year with the intention of putting them on our bed, but none of them have really fit the bill. However, these scrappy stars are jut what the doctor ordered.

These amazing stars are the products of 2 virtual quilting bee groups...This one, and this one. I've used the extra white fabric that was not used by each person to fill in the gaps, and I am loving it. The stars range in size from 15.5 inches to 6.5 inches square. I am in love with the 6.5 inch squares. The are just so dang cute!!!

Even J loves it, and he is not always such a fan of such scrappiness!
There are about 6 blocks that I will be using on the back, and a few more than hopefully will make their way to me in the mail soon. I've picked out a Kona cotton for the back in Grass Green- read: BRIGHT! The only question now is do I try to quilt this on my small sewing machine, or do I rent some time on a long arm and take some of the stress out of it? We shall see!

Peace be with you!