So, After May...

... there was lots of working, and sewing, and keeping the household afloat between bouts of summer partying, graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, the end of one school year and the beginning of another, halloween...

...and now it's November once again. Wow.

It's official. I am the world's worst blogger. Yet somehow I can't quite give it up. And as usual, I have a hard time deciding how to pick up where I left off.

Which would be... June.

Oddly enough, it was my biggest June quilting project that brought me back to my blog tonight, so I guess that's a good place to start. I recently received an email from the Wrapped in Hope project, and stopped by to add their link to my sadly neglected blog list, and here I am. :o)

So, a little about Wrapped in Hope: One of the various projects of Margaret's Hope Chest (which has, to date, donated 722 quilts to people in need), Wrapped in Hope provides birthday quilts "to bring HOPE and comfort" to children who are missing a parent in prison. When I heard about the project, I was excited about joining in, but choosing one child from a list of those in need was a real challenge. I finally chose a little girl named Emily, because she shares my youngest daughter's name.

And this is my Wrapped in Hope quilt for Emily, who turned 11 on July 9th.


I was told that Emily liked dogs and cats and the color green, and as I collected dog and cat prints, I noticed a definite "brights" theme developing. I decided on this pattern from a back issue of American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine called, "Daisy Mania" (AP&Q, April 2004).


I changed up the floral theme to "dogs and cats," using lots of cheery brights -- heavy on the green! A few closeups of the appliques:










I hope little Emily is loving her quilt, that it makes her feel happy and loved, and brings her much comfort and HOPE for the future!

Good grief.

I haven't written a blog post since January? Wow. I can't believe how time flies since I started my new job. There just aren't enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do, not to mention what I have to do. Not that there ever were enough hours, but there are a whole lot less now. Funny how my "part-time" job has become more and more "full-time" as I've gone along. Still, I have squeezed in some sewing time here and there. It's almost a necessity when you're surrounded by fabric all day, talking to people who have fun, creative projects going on at their house. It's more than a little contagious.

So this is what I've been working on since... January. (Still can't believe it's been that long.)

A Noah's Ark Disappearing Nine-Patch baby quilt for a friend at our church, who recently had a beautiful baby girl...


With my first attempt at a pieced quilt back...




And another scrappy Fun with Bricks baby quilt for my husband's cousin, who recently had an adorable baby boy...


I used a coloring page as a pattern for the puppy applique (someone had to be responsible for all those paw prints on the border)...


A bag for my daughter (she picked out the fabrics and the McCall's pattern -- very cute pattern, but a real bugger to sew. Tons of gathering.)...


And yet another fleece blanket, this one for my mother-in-law's birthday (after the Great Fleece Blanket Binge of Christmas '09, I thought I'd never want to make another one -- but they do make a great gift, and making just one is actually fun)...


I have another major project in the works, though I don't want to spoil the surprise, so I'll save that one for another post (hopefully NOT in three more months). I've also been playing with my new chenille cutter on some flannel quilt blocks, so hope to have something finished there soon, too.

And since it happens to be Friday -- or at least it was Friday when I sat down at the computer -- I'm linking up to Sew & Tell Friday at Amylouwho's blog. Looking forward to seeing all the latest projects!

Yet Another Room Redo...

My youngest daughter, Emily, is turning fourteen next weekend, and it was decided that what she really wanted for her birthday was to have her room redecorated... again. This time she's promised me that she'll love it for at least the next four years -- when she can move out and redecorate her own house every month if she likes. LoL

At any rate, here's the "before" picture, mid-furniture-shuffle, showing the blue and green with baby jungle animals from not so long ago (sigh):


Emily is a musician through and through, a singer, guitarist and songwriter, so the new theme is MUSIC in black and white. With Thanksgiving coming up, we wanted to get the painting done early, so this weekend we painted the walls satin white. Quite a change from all the color in there before!

And one thing she's always wanted in her room is a wall mural, so we took an idea from some prints in the school's music room and decided on a musician silhouette. Yesterday, while Emily was gone on a church service project, I got busy painting and surprised her with the finished silhouette. Having never painted a mural before, I was shocked at how nice it turned out! (This is the same corner as shown in the "before" picture above!)


There's more to come, but the rest will have to wait until after the birthday, since I know she's stops by to read her mom's blog every so often. Don't want to spoil any surprises...

In other news, our poor, sad Bayleah has been sick:


She developed a bad limp last week, which has been a recurring problem, and our visit to the vet resulted in a positive blood test for Lyme Disease. The good news, though, is that she's on medication now and feeling 110% better than she was on Friday morning. Hopefully we can get it under control and keep her that way.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, live is never dull around here.

Friday Show and Tell: Nesting Treasures

It's Show and Tell day over at Kelli's House! I'm relatively new to Show and Tell, and I'm already having a hard time finding things worthy of showing! I think my post today is a bit unusual, but it does have a great story to go along with it. At least, I think so. ;o)

I have a thing for birds' nests. I'm amazed at the intricate, detailed work that goes into them. I'm inspired by the care taken in the construction of these little works of art, designed for the specific purpose of comforting and protecting their young. Like this one, for example, a high-walled, cozy little cubbyhole, tightly woven with soft, grayed moss. My dad found this one abandoned in his garage, and gifted it to me.


Besides this little beauty, I have a couple of nests that grace my Christmas tree each year (I've heard that this brings good luck for the coming year). However, there is one special nest that holds a place of honor in my china cabinet, year round. This is the one with the story behind it.

The story begins with an ending. In April of 2005, my friend and companion of 28 years, my horse, Tristan, passed away at the age of 35.


It was expected at her age, but still, a devastating loss. I had spent most of my life with this animal, from age eleven to thirty-nine. We had spent countless hours together, from long, lazy trail rides to high-energy horse shows and 4-H meets. We'd been through it all, including the births of seven babies (three of hers, four of my own). We were as close as a human and animal can be. Happy times, sad times, she was there.

And then, she was gone.

Shortly after she passed away, one of my kids found a tiny abandoned bird nest near the little barn where Tristan had lived, loosely woven from wispy grass -- topped off with a generous lining of Tristan's soft, white hair. It's not the most beautiful nest ever created, but to me, it's a treasure. A precious reminder of Tristan that I still cherish today.

Sunday Scribblings #99: Passion

As I contemplated the whole “passion” prompt this weekend, my thoughts turned to the things I enjoy doing, the self-fulfilling activities that bring joy into my everyday life. I found it difficult to zero in on a theme, however, so I mentioned it to my 13-year-old daughter:

“Oh, that’s easy,” she said.

“Really. And what would you write about?”

“Music.”

Of course! For her, it is easy. She eats, sleeps, and breathes music. Oh, there are other things she enjoys; her friends, her family, her pets, the occasional video game, but for the most part, it’s all about music. She sings, she plays guitar, she writes lyrics, and if she’s not singing, playing, or writing music, she’s probably online, printing out more lyrics. At this stage in her life, music is her life.

It was easy for me, too, at that age. I ate, slept, and breathed horses. I spent my earliest years desperately wishing for a horse of my own, saving my every dime in a little tin box for the day my dream would come true. When it finally did happen, the passion grew stronger still. The promise of going to the stables was what dragged me out of bed each morning, and that passion continued right on through high school. My horses were my life.

It’s one of the privileges of childhood (or at least, it should be), having the time to devote to finding and pursuing your one special passion. But as I progressed to adulthood, to marriage, to married-with-four-children, it was increasingly difficult to eke out time for myself, and I found my interests changing. They became more home-centered, and more fragmented, in competition with a greater passion, my growing family. I moved sporadically from one interest to the next, at times criticizing myself for my lack of "stick-tuitiveness." I had smaller chunks of time to devote to my hobbies, and yet, they continued to develop and mutate to fit my ever-changing lifestyle. I’ve since become accustomed to the variety, and learned to embrace it.

I still love horses today, but I no longer have a horse of my own. There isn’t the time or money for that, but I do have passions that are just for me. I have a passion for creating, whether the medium is needle and thread, pen and paper, or a computer screen. Writing, quilting, scrapbooking, needlework, photography, decorating, these things give me joy and fulfillment. Despite the time-crunch, I cling to them, nurture them. For I know that the day will come when those passions will help to fill the echoing spaces of an empty nest.

And when that time comes, maybe… just maybe… I’ll have another horse of my own.


2008 © Heather Haapoja

Tackle it Tuesday: Sewing for Charity

Off to a slow start today, as I just got home from my daughter's high school variety show this morning, an annual event for "Snow Week." She sang Taylor Swift's "Our Song," and it was just beautiful! Someday maybe I'll figure out a way to upload videos to this blog.

Anyway... what I should be tackling today is my sewing room. I haven't made any progress since last week, though we did get our son moved into the room that I painted. I should be diving into that pile of sewing stuff today, but something else has come up.

And it's more fun.

And should is a bad word anyway. All it does is promote guilt. hehe

SO... here's what I am tackling today. I belong to a local crafting group called Charitable Crafters, which donates hand-crafted items to our local hospitals and other organizations. I was reading their blog last night and saw that the animal shelter is in need of Cage Cozies. Coincidentally, I had just replaced my youngest son's very old set of flannel sheets that were ready for recycling, and perfect for Cage Cozies!


So I cut them up and got enough 19" x 29" pieces to make seven cozies.


Then I dug into my pile of batting scraps and found that I have plenty of scraps for the project (stash busting, that's a bonus!). I layered one pair of flannel pieces with a piece of batting and stitched a 1/2" seam all the way around, catching the batting in the seam, and leaving an opening for turning it inside out:


After turning, I stitched a 1/4" seam all the way around to finish the edge and then quilted a couple of big hearts to hold everything together:


And here's one finished cage cozy.


Today I intend to finish the other six, and that's probably about all I'll accomplish today. I do have a charity quilt top that needs to be layered and pinned, but I'm not biting off more than I can chew today. If I get the quilt pinned, it's another bonus!

Update: 6:00 p.m.

Finished!


What a great feeling! There's nothing better than taking something old, and giving it new life for a good cause. We adopted our dog, Bayleah, from this shelter, so it's especially nice to be able to help them out in this small way. She even gave them her "seal of approval."



Once again, Tackle it Tuesday got me through the whole project, start to finish, in one day. Thanks to Janice and Susan, from Five Minutes for Mom, for the awesome motivation!

Photo Hunt #95: Narrow

This week's Photo Hunt theme is narrow, and I had a really hard time finding a photo to fit the theme. Then I came across this picture of our cat, who is always peeking through narrow spaces, waiting for her chance to pounce:


I know, it's a stretch, but there ya go...

Happy hunting!

Wordless Wednesday: Keeping Warm

Wordless Wednesday: Bunny Foot Massage

Our bunny, Texas, is on my mind today (see yesterday's post). I've never seen another rabbit lie back for a foot massage. We miss you, Texas!

In Memory...

Texas came into our home in June 2007, just a little ball of the softest fur you've ever felt. She spent the summer in her hutch in a shady corner of our backyard, enjoying the cool breezes and daily doses of love and sweet clover. I've never known a rabbit that so enjoyed being held and cuddled.

When the cool fall weather turned to wintery cold, Texas became a house rabbit. She lived in Emily's bedroom closet and learned to use a litter box. Being so close at hand, we all grew more and more attached to her.

Sadly, Texas passed away today. Why? We don't know. It seemed she was fine one moment, gone the next. As I told Emily, sometimes these things just happen. Small comfort to a devastated child. But we'll find comfort in knowing that Texas' short life was a good one. No rabbit was ever loved more.

And she will be missed...

Wordless Wednesday: Ho, Ho, Hum

Photo Hunt #88: Small

This week's Photo Hunt theme is "small," and Rainbow, the betta fish, is the smallest member of our household. Don't mind the hungry look on the cat's face. She really just likes to drink fish-flavored water, when no one is looking. I usually shoo her away when she attempts this, but I couldn't resist taking this shot before sending her off to find her own water bowl.

Mission Accomplished!

Whew! All of the camel costumes are done. See? They really weren't too complicated, but making eleven of anything can be tedious. Needless to say, I'm relieved!

Here's Tim, modeling his costume. We still need to get a tan shirt and pants to match...


... and a side view, with a backpack "hump" underneath...



I'm sure we won't feel the full "camel" effect until we get together in a big group, with all of the donkeys and sheep. I'll have to get a picture on Sunday.

But for now, I'm pretty much camelled out! ;o)

...But Where Do the Ears Go?

This week's project is to make eleven camel costumes for the 3rd and 4th graders in our church Christmas program. It's an easy enough costume, really. Just a little poncho with a hood attached, so I should have no problem getting them done in time for the program this Sunday.

I hope.

Today I'm attaching the ears to the hoods, and for the life of me, I couldn't picture just where a camel's ears were placed on his head. So I was happy to find some great pictures at Fohn.net's "Camel Pictures and Facts" website. (If you ever want to know more about camels, this is a great resource!)

Hopefully I'll make some progress today, and have a photo of the actual costume to share soon. Then I can move on to other things, like making and shopping for Christmas gifts. I have a whole two weeks yet... right?