Summer Rolls On. . . .

I just realized that I have two, maybe three quilting classes left - and for my twelve square sampler, I'm supposed to be making three or four 12 inch squares on my own.  I am behind schedule.  Most of the squares on www.quilterscache.com that I like are 'two pins' or require paper-piecing.  One-pin patterns are what we quilting rookies supposed to be choosing from but they are BORING, BORING, BORING, so I picked a one-pin, paper-pieced square to try my hand on.

After a few false starts, this is what emerged. It's based on a pattern called Carol's Star, but my variation on it was not to use my white fabric at the center, but to use my fifth fabric.  It looks like a ninja throwing star. . .or a hurricane, it has motion.  One down, three to go - or four if I decide the nine-patch that was machine-appliqued during the last class is not worthy of inclusion in the final masterpiece.

The kids are finishing up two weeks at Ying Hua.  Micah has declared that he does not like learning Chinese, so he's in for a surprise this Fall because his father is intent on putting him in the Chinese-as-a-Second-Language beginner's class on Sundays. He can register Micah, I already took care of Thea's registration for A07 in June.

Starting Monday and for the next three weeks Thea and Micah are back with the Ravens and Aliens at Princeton Friends Camp, which will mean no complaints about getting up and going to camp - and lots of singing of the groups' theme songs (Who's that coming through the door? Quoth the Ravens, nevermore. . . .repeat a few thousand times, adding a decibel or so each time.)  I still hope that the Quakers will have a civilizing effect on Micah, but he's still in his "I-am-a-karate-guy" mode with all of the faux Bruce Lee moves he can manage.  Both of them want to try karate, so finding a class is also on my to-do list.

Meanwhile I'm buying school supplies (Third Grade list, done; Kindergarten list - just found it on Infinite Campus last week, so it's on the "I'll get around to it" list), registering for Fall soccer, figuring out my schedule so I can use the Friday and Monday I have off to go to Maryland (yippee, I get to work two Saturdays in a row. . . . ), getting the kids' annual check-ups and ophthalmologist appointments scheduled, looking for a trial of ice hockey for Thea  Yes, ice hockey.

And find another quilting class for me. . . . ..

Saturday night, two-thirds completed

Messing with Mom's Head

I love my children.  They are the most lovable, aggravating, funny little people.  Periodically, they have clandestine meetings to discuss how to best mess with my head, I am sure of it but I have been unable to catch them in the act.

This weekend Micah's plan was to go into his room on Saturday morning and diligently work for over an hour to clean out his bookshelves and remove everything that he found to be to 'babyish' and then he put all the books he deemed worthy of keeping back on the shelf.   And then I when through the discards and return a few Learn-to-Read books and one that was a gift from one of his teachers.  Overall, he did an excellent job.

Today Thea and I were out running errands and I stopped at WaWa to buy a Sunday New York Times.  Usually when we stop for a snack, and for Thea, it's usually a Dov ice cream bar.  Today since we hadn't had lunch, I suggested sandwiches.  She breezed up to the touch-screen terminal and banged out her sandwich order, I ordered mine, grabbed the last Times and paid for it.  When we were in the car, she unwrapped her sandwich and exclaimed, "Mommy, I don't know how anyone could NOT love baby spinach."  Yes, my daughter orders a tuna on whole wheat with baby spinach.  Go figure.

Rumblings. . . . .

Micah likes to put his head on my stomach ever since he was a toddler.  Today, without his BAHA on, I was laying in bed with my Kindle, trying to read while Micah was working in his summer workbooks.  He leaned over and put his ear against my stomach and said, "I hear the bubbles. . ." and then bounced off the bed and got two of his maracas and asked if it sounded more like the wooden one or the plastic one.  Since I can't put my ear to my own stomach, I had to grab him for a listen and tell him that he sounded more like the plastic maraca.

Pretty amazing, once I thought about it a little.

Square Number Six, WIP - Part Two

The sewing machine is back from the shop and working great (though the platform that fits over the free-arm is missing.)  The shop put a sticker on it that it was next due for service in July 2012.  It has not been serviced from June 1982 until earlier this month so I'm not sure I'm going to be following that recommendation.

Tonight I finished the fourth square of the paper-piecing lesson.  On my own.  Four days after the class (i.e. enough of a time lapse to forget everything I'd learned.)  And I did it, so all that is left is deciding how to configure them for the actual square.

Yesterday the shelves were finished in the family room.  Major source of excitement in my life - about 22 feet of space for the piles of books that have been stacked and scattered throughout the house.  And there is still one stack left next to the bookcase in the living room.  Now all we need to do is replace the heinous green carpet that was installed by the previous owners (whose taste ranged from sparkly, abalone toilet seats and a navy room with a dried blood-colored closet).

Lastly, pictures of my sand rats from last Sunday:

Thea on the beach, July 10, 2011

Micah in Mantoloking, July 10, 2011

Square Number Six, WIP

News from the quilting zone:  It's a paper-piecing work-in-progress week.  Three of the four squares that will make this square are done and the teacher loaned me the ruler used to cut the stitching lines so I can finish it.  I think she was willing to loan out her ruler because I had the most improved attitude.  I arrived at class early and announced that from what I had seen on YouTube, I'd rather have a simultaneous root canal and rectal than learn how to paper-piece a quilt square.  But using her template and instructions, I completed 75% of the square even with having to rip out tiny stitches twice. I rock, at least in my own mind.

For the twelve square sampler, I need to pick three patterns from the Quilter's Cache web site, but most of the 'one pin' patterns (which means it is for a beginner) are dull, dull, dull.  They all seem to be a re-working of squares we've already done.  I bought the fabric for the back of my quilt, the blue fabric with the whitish coral-like batik print, my tribute to the fabric that just about everyone wanted me to not choose and which everyone seems to like now that it's in with the other four fabrics.

Meanwhile back at the Krebs Road homestead, two floor to ceiling built-in bookcases are being created by Mike, who is also painting the butt-ugly mantel white and re-hanging it (so it's level, which will be a new development).  The progress over the past three days has been phenomenal, from framing on one side with one shelf in on Monday, to both sides done and ready for painting today. The wall behind the bookshelves will be purple.  And once the paint is absolutely dry, in will go all the books that are stacked all over the living room, dining room, kitchen hall and wherever else.  For all the nights I've driven through Princeton looking in the windows of the homes at the walls upon walls of bookshelves, I will have a smaller version that are all my own.  Next the putting green green carpet will be out of the family room and the majority of the ghosts of owners past (and their horrific style) will be gone, at least on the inside of the house.

It's a full moon this week, which explains why the work week seems longer and longer, even though it's more than half over.  The level of neediness and craziness, either together or separate is escalating with each day. 

Square Number Five on July 5

Square 5 of 12, no particular pattern, just squares laid out in a way I liked.

Square of the week, made using an interfacing grid that made all the corners sharp.  It seemed like cheating, at least until I walked out of class early (which was a miracle since I arrived late, had to re-cut my squares down from 2.5 inches to two inches.)

This is what you get when you hear 2.5" instead of 2" (boring!)

 We had a good Third of July with friends from our 2007 trip to China.  Jillian and Micah share a birthday, shared an orphanage for the first 16 months of their lives and share an adoption day which is coming up on July 9th.  Thea and Micah had a blast with Jillian and her siblings - having a family with five children visit is like an instant party: there were games, sword-fighting, swimming and food.  We're very lucky that they were willing to drive down, and we're looking forward to driving up to the 2011 Cash Bash.

Albin and Cash kids, 2011

Albin and Cash kids, this time without Leigh Ann being cut out

Saturday was devoted to doing a little bit of cleaning and shopping to get ready.  The kids spent the entire day in their pajamas or bathing suits, and managed to enjoy a day where we could stay home rather than chasing a schedule.

Four of Twelve. . .

Tuesday was week four of Olde City Quilts' Learn-to-Quilt class.  Ten hopeful quilter-wannabes, one unfailingly cheerful and optimistic instructor.  Week two's square is at the bottom, week three's are at the left and top, and yesterday evening was is on the the right.

I love the one at the top the best, something about it and how the blue and white fabric looks just pleases me to no end.  And that blue and white fabric was the one of the five I chose that everyone was encouraging me to replace with another bolt, so that one is my "take that, haters" square.

It's better than therapy., and probably cheaper, too, and I haven't cut off any of my fingers with the rotary cutter, yet.

The class ends in mid-August, and by then I should have twelve squares done for a lap quilt.