2008 Oh Happy Quilt!

OK, I know it is a new year and I am already behind on posting - uham, that was my goal to post 2 times a week.... but the twins' breathing treatments day and night have kept me strapped down a bit more than I like lately :( Let just say Tuesday's and Thursdays I look like death warmed over when I finally make it to drop Nora off at Preschool around 9:30am!....... but 'nuf about that ;)

Anyway, tonight while surfing, I was reading over on Mary J's blog about charity quilts and she linked to this post over at Annie's Quilting Adventures about her Happy Quilt and immediately upon seeing the photo of her Happy Quilt I had an "Aaaaa HA!" moment. :c)

You see, in the summer of 2005, one night I sat down at the computer to search for "I-Spy" Fabric swaps thinking this would make the perfect crib quilt for my then soon to be 1 year old daughter.... that night I found the HGTV quilter's message board. Until then I had not ever searched the Internet for anything quilting related... well within only a week I was involved in a swap and that was the beginning of a wonderful swapping adventure! :) and as they often say, "the rest is history" ;) That was the official "kick-start" of my quilting hobby!

Nora is soon to be 4 years old in June and I still have all my swapped fabric charms in zip lock baggies. :( I have been feeling so guilty for not making her, her very own special quilt but now I have a solution! I will make the Happy Quilt pattern for her!

Honestly, just getting started felt so overwhelming... starting with choosing a design. I bought Ami Simms' book but they all appear so busy and i don't have a lot of extra time to keep it all straight, I don't have a design wall.... and with a 3 year old who is now old enough to want to "help" and 7 month old twins...

But the Happy Quilt looks so bright and fun with just simply framing each block with a colorful frame. I will get the blocks I have collected out and start framing them here and there when I have time... let Nora choose what colors to frame each one and had them to me... oh and maybe she will remember the experience of getting to help make her quilt :) .....some of my favorite memories of my mother are of us in the basement with her piecing quilts and me "helping" :c)

Then when we get lots of them done, one day sit down and lay them all out and sew together! PERFECT!!! I may actually get this done by her birthday in June! Guess now I should shoot for a generous "lap size" that will grow with her or perhaps a twin size for one day when she graduates out of her toddler bed.

I am so happy to finally have a plan that I feel I can accomplish!!! I am getting out my charms tonight! Happy in Texas ;) ~Bonnie

OH - I thought I would add this in to share with you. Two nights ago Nora woke up in the middle of the night 4:34am to be exact screaming crying! She was having a bad dream so I quickly ran to her room to comfort her.

"It's OK, Mommy's here... it was just a dream... Your OK..."

she is still sobbing and I can't understand her...

I ask her some questions... did you see a wolf? (generally her dreams are of a wolf)

everything I ask, the answer is "no"...

...so puzzled I ask, were you scared? "no"

what was wrong then?

I was very DISAPPOINTED! and balls again...

tell me why you were disappointed... what were you dreaming about?

"Me and you were in a store and I wanted the THREE QUILTS, the brown one, and the white one, and the other white one, and you wouldn't buy them for us to take home and I was havin a fit because I was so DISAPPOINTED!"

A fit?! a screaming fit?! You woke me up for a fit? for something that wasn't real? Not b/c you were scared or terrified, but b/c you didn't get your way??? I haven't had a continuous 4 hours of sleep in almost over a year (7 months of Paul Thomas not sleeping thru the night, and many months before that having to get up to go pee 3 times in the night....of which the last 3 months before they were born I had to use a walker at night!) URGH! Guess I should be thankful that I just had to deal with it at home in the wee hours of the morning rather than in real life in a public store! LOL :P

But it's OK b/c I LOVE you and I will come a running again when you cry out in the night again. Why? Because I am your mother and that is what we do! I love you ALL the time!!! :)