As We Wait

Miah enjoyed her back-yard Easter egg hunt, although it was a bit chilly out.

We were happy to have Paul and Kathryn here when they made a short trip up to retrieve their trailer, (another work of art by Warren).

Miah has taken a step up so that her little sister can have the tricycle.

She’s also taken an interest in hair styling.

We continue to have crazy weather.  As Miah says, “Spring has winter and summer in it.”

And Ami (yes, we’ve finally chosen a name) continues to wait for us in China.  This photo is thanks to another adoptive family who visited her orphanage in Dec./Jan.

Being Creative

I have such a talented Mom.  Isn’t this quilt beautiful?  (I think the “model” is pretty cute, too!)  Mom completed the top, “Starburst” pattern, as a gift for us quite a while back, but had never quilted it, so I got to do that last fall.  Here’s a close-up of the back that shows the quilting design.  It’s fun, but I still need lots of practice to be really comfortable at it, since I do it freehand.

Here’s another beautiful quilt, “Jewel Box” pattern, that Mom finished the top to, but needed it quilted.  So I did it for her a couple weeks ago.  It went a lot faster than the previous quilt.  (My little model was bored.)

Here is the back.  It’s easier to see the quilting design on the solid squares.

I had to look back several years to find a photo of Mom with one of her quilts.  She doesn’t claim to be creative, but I think pictures speak louder than words.

Here is Mom’s quilting frame (I guess I didn’t take a picture of the long-arm machine.)  It makes my job do-able.  I don’t think I’d enjoy hand-tying or hand-quilting or even quilting on a regular machine.  Isn’t this baby quilt adorable?  It was made by a good friend of my mom’s.  She has two more waiting for me to quilt now that I’ve finished this one.

When I’m quilting, Miah likes her one-to-one time with Grandma.  Their time is usually spent outdoors with the animals or doing chores.  While I was working on this quilt, Miah got to feed grass to the neighbors’ goats through the fence, and to see a brand-new baby goat with its momma.  I’m so glad we live near my mom!

This Week In Pictures

Another week has flown past before we could catch up with it!  Here are a few snapshots to document our busy lives.

Miah loves to curl her own hair (just the bangs), and I allow it with this particular iron.  She did touch the hot part once, many months ago, and handles it respectfully now, with no further incidents.

The puzzles go together quicker each time!  She always starts this one with the pink anemones.  (She used to pronounce “anemone” like “M & M”.)

I’m ready to quilt another quilt for my mom.  It’s called a Jewel Quilt, and she used lots of scraps to make the quilt top.  It’s quite attractive.  Instead of a solid back, she wanted to use more scraps, so I put together this ↓ BACK for the quilt which is actually a large scale of one of the small squares on the front.  Of course I didn’t think to take a photo of Mom’s quilt top before rolling it onto the quilting frame.  I’ll have to remember to post pictures of the finished product.  That reminds me, I made the same statement about another quilt a few months ago . . .

Books occupy a large portion of Miah’s day.  You should hear her recite The Three Little Pigs, or Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  Oh, and she has renamed some of her bunnies Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter Rabbit because of the Beatrix Potter books.

Yes, it was a busy week.  I needed a nap, too, but I had to drive the car.

Miah’s Little House

Miah is Daddy’s helper, too.  So what project have they been working on the past month and a half?  Miah started calling it her “little house”, but she now realizes it’s a shed for the teardrop and storage.

She was fascinated watching the big truck dump the load of materials, and immediately laid claim on the project.  When she can’t help, she supervises.

It’s been a challenge to complete, working on it only Sundays and evenings after work before dark.

Below are some snapshots of the progress.  Some of it will remain unfinished until spring (paint, etc.), but the garage door is now on, and the space inside is filled!  (She’s covering her ears in #8 because the compressor is too loud.)