Back to it

Here it is the end of summer where I find myself like I have every year for the last 16 years. The girls go back to school and I deep clean and organize a few things that were put on hold during the summer months. I eventually sit down in the over sized office chair, spin it around to sit squarely in front of the computer, and then stare at the screen for a few days.  Wanting to encapsulate the last few months into words, I sit here and surf the Internet instead. And play a billion games of solitaire.

One daughter returned to college. The other entered her senior year of high school. First apartments. College tours. Passports obtained.  Quilts made. Coaches met. Trails hiked. Lakes paddled. Cars repaired. Gardens harvested. And many hours sitting in the living room waiting for one or both to arrive home in the dark stillness of night.

The above quilt is from a pattern called "Stripe Me Lucky" by Michelle McKillop for Jen Kingwell Designs.  It is one of my favorite quilts I've ever made. It's scrappy and you know how I love a scrappy quilt. And that zig zag border is just so cute. I collected dozens of 100% cotton striped shirts from thrift stores for this quilt in order to have a variety of striped fabrics. Honestly, that has changed they way I think about buying fabric.  I've got a keen eye at the thrift store now looking at clothing as possible quilt fabric.  This winter I'd like to amass a good variety of corduroy and try something new. We shall see. 

I also made this solid 2x4 quilt (it's a free tutorial from Film in the Fridge and this is the third one I've made.) That new apartment needed a new quilt and my daughter wanted it to coordinate with the quilt I made her for her dorm freshman year. She picked the fabric and helped pair them up for each block. She also kept me company and opened safety pins for me while I basted it. Love is stitched into each and every seam. 

I also made this quilt after seeing @jaceynotjc on Instagram making similar blocks. I loved, loved, loved making those blocks and can totally see myself making more in the future. The color palette was a fun departure for me. I used brown in each block and didn't use any red. The end result feels very vintage to me. 

That's summer. In a nutshell. With so many of the delicious details brushed aside that make summer special. Like the music of the crickets floating through the windows. The fireworks exploding over the sunset lake. A crowd of people eating popsicles to remember Papa. And the notes left on my bathroom mirror telling me thank you for this and that. 

Fall is my favorite. But summer is pretty alright too.

-dana

Spring snippets (including a finished 2 x 4 quilt!)

A week before my oldest left for college last year I pulled a hamstring. It was a doozie and in addition to taking forever to heal, it caused me to compensate and use muscles in different ways.  It caused a ripple affect and made my back all wacky and hurt most days. Why am I sharing this?  Hang in there a second.

This spring my youngest daughter played (again) two varsity sports. Most weeks had two soccer games and a track meet. I spent many days wrapped in warm clothes and quilts on metal bleachers cheering her on. This is where I would normally share photos of her on the field or track. However, several months ago I made the decision that both girls should tell their stories instead of me. Which means I instead share photos of the elk on the side of the road as we left a soccer game. And of the cinnamon rolls I baked because she asked.

Sending our oldest off to college was hard in an emotional sense. I've written about it before. And though she has been many miles away from us, we have seen each other often, talked daily, texted multiple times a day and, really, remained very much part of each other's daily life. I've missed her but I've really handled it quite well.  Better than I would have predicted had you asked me beforehand.

It's no secret that I make a lot of quilts but so far 2018 is a banner year for quilt making around here.  My most recent finish is this 2 x 4 quilt.  It's king sized and made especially for our bed. 

The colors and prints in this quilt are my favorites. It feels vintage and truly makes me smile each and every time I look at it. One print in particular reminds me of my grandmother. I remember running errands with her when I would visit in the summertime. She was always so prepared for any occasion. She had this bag with a hard plastic handle that snapped at the top. This bag was always in the back of her white station wagon ... or was it yellow? I think she must have had both a white car and a yellow car at different times because I remember them both.  Anyway, this bag. It was always in the back of the car and was always there if we needed a way to carry something. The lining of the bag must be a close match to one of the prints in this quilt. It must be because it's acutely familiar and every time I see the print I think instantly of grandma's bag.  Did I mention that the bag also contained an umbrella with the matching print? 

I used Yours Truly and Welsummer fabrics from Cotton & Steel for a majority of this quilt. I used this tutorial from Film in the Fridge to make the 2x4 blocks. 

So, my oldest has been home from college for summer for a few weeks now.

Guess who's back is no longer hurting?

Like an overnight miracle.

I guess I wasn't handling her absence as well as I had convinced myself I was.

-dana

While I'm on the subject of that 16 year old

That sixteen year old I was talking about the other day likes to run. She's good at it too. I've spent most of this fall taking photos and keeping track of mementos that will fill her ever growing scrapbook of athletic achievements. Things like fourth place at Conference. Fourth at Regionals. And in the top thirty at State Championships.

I tell you, that girl is going places. 

And I'm desperately trying to keep up!

-dana

16 years old

You've never ridden a school bus to or from school. There are lots of reasons for that but there is one reason I haven't shared with you. And, honestly, it's probably the biggest reason.

Since kindergarten, I purposely time my arrival at the end of a school day so that I can be near the front of the pick-up line. I always turn off my car and sit in silence and wait to see you emerge from the building. Construction paper crowns. Macaroni necklaces. Friends. Boys. Cell phones.  And, always your big, bright, contagious smile.

Whether you waved excitedly while wearing your big, puffy coat and snow boots over your striped tights, or ever so subtly glance my way and change coarse towards my direction, I've always known the exact moment you realize I'm there to get you.

The days of me sitting in the pick-up line are numbered.  Being sixteen and all.

SIXTEEN.

But I'm still watching the wonderful story that is you. And I'll be there at pick-up anytime you need.

I love you.

Happy birthday!

Love,
Mom

These photos were taken by my youngest daughter. Frozen nighttime temperatures ended their riot of color weeks ago. Actually, probably more like five or six weeks ago. Over a month and yet it feels like yesterday. We've driven here, there and everywhere so much lately. Cross country meets. Parent weekend. Clogging.  Here, there and everywhere.

The season has shifted. And I sat down with the intention to write about where I find myself in motherhood right now. But I can't really find the words. I don't know how to express the feeling of parenting one from afar. Or holding on extra tightly to the one still sharing my roof. But I can say that next week is Thanksgiving and I plan on wearing thick, woolen socks, making yummy food, and smothering each of them with my physical presence daily.

Fall and winter really are my favorite. I like staying inside my cozy home. And I'm feeling wistful about the fact that when my girls were younger we had long stretches of days together with no immediate end. Not to mention my mothering role was so much clearer then. Well, clearer in that an outsider could visibly see what I was doing and recognize it as mothering without explanation. I'm still mothering. I finished a text exchange moments ago where I let one know that the professor will like her concept and she'll feel much better after talking to him. That exchange isn't as obvious. It's invisible almost. But it's still very much there. Necessary. Important. Cherished.

Growing up. Spreading wings. And dang drivers licenses. It's all good.

-dana

Creativity is contagious

My fifteen year old daughter is cool. The other night she wanted to drive up the road to photograph flowers near sunset. Cosmos are beautiful. But pink cosmos, at sunset, with gorgeous mountains as a backdrop, perfect weather and a stunning blue sky? That was alright.  But jumping in the car to chase a creative endeavor with my kid? The BEST.

-dana

Mini masterpieces

The girls and I have been painting this summer. One of us hauls out a few supplies and before I know it, all three of us are sitting at the kitchen table painting. Sometimes it's quiet as we are each in our zone. Other times it's loud with music and chatter. All the time my hand hovers over the mini canvas as my eyes take it all in, my chest wells up with gratitude, and I do my very best to imprint this luxurious moment in my memory.

-dana

How summer goes

Ah, summer time. Free time to spend. Art to make. Bears to see. Road trips to take. Puffy clouds to watch. Lakes to paddle. All the best fruit pies to eat. Cupcake wars to have. Ukuleles to play. Flower bouquets to gather. Races to run. Marshmallows to roast.

I'm doing all of the above with my people. I hope you are too.

-dana

Graduation. Sunset. Procrastination

A few weeks ago my oldest graduated from high school. Family in town. Parties. Hiking. Rafting. Sunsets. And me procrastinating. Procrastinating about cleaning up after the guests left. About pulling the photos off my camera. About finding a place for the giant cut out photographs of her head that we waved around at the ceremony. About flipping the page on the calendar or booking a hotel for orientation.  That girl makes tears flood down my face with pride. I get so deep into my ugly cry that my heart is inside my throat making it very hard to breathe. And then I do that thing where I enlongate my face in order to make the tears go back into my eyes. You know that thing, right? It's followed by a deep sigh, a nervous giggle and the resolve to get stuff done.

Such good things. Really, really good things.

-dana

Colorful days

I remember the days of hours stretched out ahead and activities for little hands to fill those hours. Like blowing bubbles on warm spring days. Or drawing with chalk on the sidewalk. Those days were yesterday and eons ago simultaneously. My girls are teenagers. Our days are very, very full. Snapping pictures of pretty snippets found in our busy days keeps me in the moment and not fretting about the next. Colorful. Full. Loud. Hectic.

Beautiful.

-dana