Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

Unsung Heroes

Every working mother treasures them. They are the unsung heroes, humble in their mission, elegant in their execution. We rarely speak of them––for they are sacred.

Like a crockpot, they do one thing while we do another. They are the underwire of the bra of our lives. The Zamboni of our journey. They are different for every mom, but we salute all of them.

Here are 5 things I could not do without:

Laundry Room Cubbies - Every single day this room is worth what I paid California Closets. It created a beautiful absolute––shoes? backpack? school papers? gloves? They all reside here and nowhere else. No excuses. Because Mr. Rogers taught us all so much about hanging our sweaters and removing our sneakers.

Quicken - Take my food and water, my clean underwear and put me in a Turkish prison. But don't delete my Quicken file.

Grocery List - Recipe for sanity: Mix one "what's out" list to one menu and one shopping list (arranged in shopping order). Stir, bake overnight ("did I forget anything?") and, voila, all week meals unfold like magic (except that Mexican pizza last week that refused to bake...). After all, isn't the holy grail of motherhood the meal that makes itself?

Franklin Planner, Classic - My head might write web 2.0 code all day but my heart is written in my Planner (on paper). I have kept one for fifteen years. Do you know where you were on November 15, 1997? I do––I was hiking in snowy woods (lost, actually, but that is a story for another time).

Dyson Vacuum - Don't tell Mr. Dyson, but I would've paid twice as much for this handsome hulking hunk of purple suction. If I do nothing else, a quick vacuum saves the house from evil and doom. Fur, fabric, lint, erasers, dirty socks, Polly Pocket dolls, leaves, raisins, small whiney neighbor kids? What more can I say?

I want to know, what is the wind beneath YOUR wings?

More Fun with Blocks

Freelancing is great when you want to work barefoot; it's terrible when you need to turn off work. Even when I shut the office doors, it's still here, at home with me. And when I'm swamped, on the weekends it whispers, "Don't you need to invoice So-And-So? How can you be doing That when you need to be doing This? Wouldn't you love to jump into that new project?"

Yesterday I drowned out the noise by cracking open the stash box, and starting the Bento Box quilt. This one promises to be a treat--it's small, simple, and the fabric––oh my. Gratification through and through. I can recommend this popular pattern–it's flexible for both novice/expert and it is well-written. It's also perfect for fat quarters. Yes, I am planning future projects with it.

I completed two blocks before the kids found me. This is the fabric I got in Cincy. I tell you––once you start using rich, beautiful fabric, there is no going back. The delight for me with these Japanese fabrics is not only the design and color (which is exquisite), but the texture. Each fabric has a different weave and texture. I admit to being a true junkie.

My little colorful corner of the world, as it looks tonight.

Playing with Blocks

I am making Very Slow Progress on my bedroom quilt. I figure I am now halfway through the piecing. Not finding much time to quilt or sew––I've been working long hours and have had strep throat this week. Making Christmas gifts will become a priority soon. No matter. I am happy when I can do little bits here and there. On Saturday I completed two blocks and was trying to figure out whether I wanted sashing or not between the blocks (still undecided, welcome opinions). I wanted to go willy nilly scrappy-crazy, with each block very different but decided to go for more consistency and faster completion. Blocks are 15 inches square which I hope makes a bold statement in a large room.

It's a long day, a long way into your arms...

I've enjoyed The Innocence Mission since 1989. This video, of 5th graders singing "There," is beautiful and touching.

Going Boating

Today I told Matt that we were going to go vote together.

"Boating?" he asked.

"Voting," I said.

"I can't wait to get in the water!" he said.

New Bag

I practically threw myself on Cami last week, so happy to be in the store and see fantastic new fabrics. I haven't sewn for weeks (months?). Friday night I made this bag for a certain someone's 35th birthday. She says she never reads my blog (we'll see if this is true). It's in the same colorway as my quilt so now I'm psyched about doing more quilt blocks. I also have quite a few ideas for Christmas, if I can fit them in. Coming your way, Sis.