My Mom

My Mom is amazing. I know she doesn't think that she is, but I (and many, MANY other people) know that she is. Here are just a few of the reasons why:

Mom has the ability and capacity to really love people. Not just love them, but express that love through kindness and service. I haven't ever met anyone that can love like she can.

She works and works hard.

She comes up with super brilliant ideas.

She has great faith.

She quite enjoys shopping, but is very thrifty about it and always finds the most surprising deals. Always! I really wish I had that talent.

She, just like her mother, has a great talent for remembering who people are. Not just their name, but also the names of their spouse, parents, children, in-laws. It's like she has a giant pedigree chart in her head where she stores everyone's names and all their connections and never forgets them.

She is beautiful.

She is incredibly patient.

She is very much in love with my Dad and is very supportive of him.

She is a very wonderful Nana.

Most of all, she is my Mom and she loves me. And I love her!

9 Patch Measurements

I mentioned in an earlier post that my 9 patch squares are bigger that the ones AmandaJean is doing. She is starting with 2.5" squares which gives her an unfinished 6.5" square and 6" finished square. I am starting with 4" squares so my unfinished square is 11" and when my top is all sewn together my finished squares will be 10.5". Since my squares are bigger I don't need as many to do a large quilt. I roughly drew it all out the other night. The finished quilt will measure 87.5" by 101.5" approximately.

Spring In My Yard

Doll Quilt Finished

I finished my doll quilt on Wednesday and am just now putting up pictures. I learned a lot from doing it. I was really nervous about the binding. It started out pretty bad, but as I kept stitching I think I figured it out and it was looking way better by the time I got to the end. I was actually afraid the binding would come undone when I washed it, but it turned out fine. I'm so glad I made it! I want to try a few more.

Friday's Fix-up: a kitchen cupboard

For today's fix-up I just did one cupboard in the kitchen. It is right above my stove and you can see just a little bit of my lovely golden harvest oven vent that is still left over from the 70's. Maybe someday I'll paint it. Anyway, the cupboard just had a bunch of stuff in it that could really go other places. I was not using that space well, and in my small kitchen every bit of space counts.

Before:

After:

After I got it all cleaned out and had more space to work with I suddenly wasn't quite sure what to put in it. So I put in my measuring cups, which have never had a good home. Until today they were just sitting on top of my microwave. I'm not positive that they will stay there, but at least for now I can put them away and shut the cupboard door. It's better.

This was actually a pretty small and quick project. Next week I think I'll go for something bigger. I'm thinking my pantry closet would be good.

More on the 9 Patch

A couple of weeks ago I wrote this post about the 9 patch quilt I'm slowly working on. Well, on Monday of this week AmandaJean of Crazy Mom Quilts announced that she is doing a quilt-along based on the same quilt! I actually first found out about that quilt through AmandaJean's blog. So I've joined in the quilt-along! AmandaJean has a list of all the participants on her sidebar and if you check it out you'll see another Aimee. Cool, huh? The goal is to make one square a day. I've already got about half of my squares done and my squares are bigger so I don't need quite so many, so my goal is to make 2-3 a week. I'm so excited! Here are some of the squares I've finished in the last two weeks.

Ode to Wordfull Wednesday

Today is Wordfull Wednesday, Hooray!

I'm so excited, but now what do I say?

Cocoa has chosen the topic so well,

To write our own poem, oh this could be swell.

I love to read poems by Frost and Blake,

But to write my own could be a mistake.

I joined in this group to stretch and to grow

But writing a poem...I just don't know.

Well look at that, as I've typed and I've sighed

A poem emerged, but not till I tried.

And so I say "Thanks" to Cocoa, my friend.

And now that I'm done I will call this, THE END