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Operation Quilt: Day 3
I sewed 31 squares today. It was brutal. Just kidding. It wasn’t that bad but I am sort of feeling weary of all this fabric and wishing I could just stuff it in a box somewhere and forget about it. But I can’t. I did that once before. I have a quilt somewhere in the depths of one of my mom’s storage sheds. I think I was fifteen when I started it. I should dig it up and see if I hate the fabric. It’s funny how tastes change with time.
I’ve been thinking how tastes in colors and combinations change with time as I sewed together odd combination after odd combination. I like clashing fabrics but I have this feeling that Bug will probably grow up to hate them. It will be cool again when she has kids but I wonder if the quilt will last that long?
It’s sort of fun to work carefully on something that might live longer than you do. I asked my mom if she thought this quilt would last longer than I will and she was doubtful. I guess it depends on how well I sew it, what Bug does with it in her lifetime and how long I plan on living. I’m aiming for 80 but who knows…
It’s great to sit at a table sewing and talk about life and things with your mom. Especially when your kid is happy and playing with your nieces. I should pay those kids for babysitting. They played all day long, only stopping long enough to wolf down lunch and dinner.
I’m not sure what Bug and SuperChic were playing here but they were pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend for a good portion of the day. It was hilarious. Poor Bug was the boy most of the day. I don’t know if that was her choice or if SuperChic bullied her into it. She didn’t seem to mind being the boy. Though at one point I heard her yell at Superchic, “You’re not going to marry me and I’m not going to marry you!”
I think SuperChic took the rejection well.
Anyway, I quilted all day. At the end of the day I ran out of thread. Not part of the plan but it was just as well because I needed to stop. Quilting, it’s not for the weak.
For those of you who are not bored of this quilting subject, below is the general plan.
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Craft Camp at Auntie’s
My niece, Rapunzel, has been staying with us for a week. She calls it “Auntie Boot Camp” because a long time ago I told her she could come visit me for a week if she’d let me school some manners into her. It was a joke, mostly, because she has this terrible habit of burping loudly and then sweetly saying “excuse me” as if young ladies burp like monsters all the time.
I don’t know, maybe burping is totally normal for 11-year-olds, but it drives me crazy because then Bug wants to copy her. Next thing you know I have a chorus of burp blasts and little excuse me‘s echoing around my living room. Personally, I think it’s gross.
Thankfully, aside from the burping, Rapunzel is a delightful tween and hardly needs boot camp for manners. She’s actually quite a help around the house and with Bug. She’s just old enough to go run errands without me having to worry that she’ll get lost between here and the neighbor’s house, yet still young enough to still enjoy a good swing in the park. We’ve been having a great time.
In fact, today I organized a craft camp with some friends and the kids I babysit. There were seven kids total. CRAZAY, I know! I couldn’t have done it without some key older mom friends (Hi Jen!), my super-fun artist neighbor (Hi Deb!) and my niece who loves crafts (What up, Rapunzel).
We had to do the craft at my friend Deb’s house because it is hotter than Hades in my house in the summer, and I do not have a yard in which to make messes. My friend Deb has a shady covered carport and that’s where we set up. It was great.
We made seashell mosaics. (A step-by-step post will be up at Alpha Mom tomorrow.) It wasn’t a crazy original craft but it was definitely a crowd-pleaser. Simple, fun, and a bit messy—perfect for bored kids on a long summer afternoon. I recommend it!
I think Rapunzel will go home with lots of memories of good times. We’ve kept her plenty busy so far and the week is only half over. Between trips to the beach to collect shells, our traditional breakfast of doughnuts on the lifeguard tower and a day of errands all over the place to collect supplies for my craft camp, we’re really packing it in.
Apparently we’re burning lots of calories while we pack it in because tweenagers can EAT!!! I knew I’d have to stock up on lots of extra fruit and snacks, but I had no idea she would be a bottomless pit. She eats a regular adult-sized portion of dinner, then has dessert, then goes back for seconds of dinner and then has some fruit…after that I had to cut her off, because sheesh! She’s going to eat me out of house and home. I’m glad Bug is only three. I’m sooooo not ready for a teenager.
But it’s been fun. Definitely fun for a week.
