Thinking about a big project.

I have an idea. actually not a new idea, just something I have not thought much about for a while. I want to make a quilt. A full sized patchwork quilt. But I want to make it little by little. one square a month over  the course of a year. Each square being 18 inches assembled with a six inch border between rows and around the outside.

One square a month should not be hard to keep up with, but I wonder if I could maintain my interest in the project for that long? or would I forget about it after the third month? And would I ever get around to assembling it? How would I do the quilting on it afterwards? what If I start it and then never finish it? I know I COULD do it, but the question is WOULD I?

 I want to start right now, but the middle of September is an odd time to start a year long project. It would make more sense to start at the new year, at least I think so. I could keep myself accountable by updating my progress here each month. maybe I could set events in my phone to remind me each month. Maybe the new year is not really the best time to start it. maybe any time is as good as another. maybe I should start it now. Well I will think on it and decide something. I may even decide not to do at all yet. not that anyone will read this.

tell me a story

I made this just for fun.

(A) birth month
JAN    Frozen      MAY    Ancient      SEP      Faded
FEB     Broken     JUN     Forgotten   OCT     Lost
MAR   Burning     JUL      Twisted      NOV    Ruined
APR     Secret      AUG     Final          DEC     Deadly

(B) birth day
1  test        9  journey    17  quest      25  princess
2  book     10  truth       18  puzzle    26 sword
3  song      11 history     19 king        27 beggar  
4  sack      12 castle      20 sea          28 forrest
5  planet    13 mystery   21 wizard     29 hunter  
6  ghost     14 tale         22 wolf         30 creature
7  flame     15 story       23 treasure   31 jewel  
8  map       16 tomb      24 ship  

(C) first letter of name
A doom          H fear             O light           V darkness
B peace          I  truth             P  fate           W fury    
C time             J  ice               Q fire            X rage    
D love             K life               R hope         Y magic    
E gold             L  time             S mankind    Z kings
F ancients       M night            T  evil                  
G tomorrow    N yesterday     U music

Now make up a story titled : The(A)(B)of(C)
Share your story in the comments!


The Frozen Sword of Hope

Once there was a kingdom locked in a frozen night by an evil sorcerer who had stolen away the magical jewel of flame that gave warmth and light to all the land. the only hope for the kingdom was a wonderful sword that had the power to defeat the sorcerer, but alas, the sword was frozen beneath the ice at the bottom of the sea so there was no hope and all was lost. the end.

Bedtime Battles.

I moved M from his crib to a toddler bed when he was about 18  months old, I know this is kind of young, but he could get out of the crib anyway, and I needed to free up the crib for P, who was due to arrive a month before M turned two. For the first week it worked ok. Then he started getting up and I could not get him to stay in bed. It became a nightly battle.

I tried everything. I tried spanking. I tried screaming. I tried taking him back to bed over and over. I tried sitting with him till he went to sleep. nothing worked. As soon as he was in bed he would pop out again. or he would stay on his bed and jump and yell and throw things at L on the other side of the room. This went on for a year. I was at my wits end. I hated bedtime and the battle it had become. I longed for the idyllic picture book bedtime where the mother tucks in the children and reads to them and kisses them goodnight and then they go to sleep.

One day I was talking to a friend about it, and something she said reminded me of how we deal with mealtime battles. When M rejects his food, I have a very simple strategy that works with him every time, with no fight. I just take away the food he does not want an set it on the other side of the table. He thinks about it for a minute or two and decides that he wants it after all. I had often wished I could apply this concept to bedtime, but I didn't know how. Now I had a seed of a plan.

When he refused to go to bed I did not force the issue. Instead I took away his bed, so to speak. I said, "If you do not want to go to bed, you can sit by the frige" and I put a chair there for him to sit in. He did not go to bed, so I sat him in the chair. There was still a battle, but the battle was no longer the bed. I made him stay in the chair, and he could escape this battle honorably by deciding to go to his bed. He fought valiantly for the first few nights, trying to sneak off the chair and run and play, but I stuck with it. After about a week, he decided that it was not worth the battle. Now most nights I do not even need to get the chair out, because he goes to bed on his own and actually stays there. I was prepared to give it two weeks before giving up if it didn't work, but it only took only one.

Will this work for your child? I couldn't say. What will work is to know your child. Study his ways. what does he respond to in other situations? Find a way to work with him, to make a way for you both to win.

Charades

Everybody building walls
Everybody wearing masks.
Everyone pretending
Everything's ok

Everybody Hurting
Everybody  hiding
Everybody too afraid
What someone else might say

No one sees another's hurts
No one knows another's needs
Everybody thinking
Everyones ok

We could help each other heal
We could help each other grow
But the masks and walls are
In our way

Masks hold in the hurt
Walls keep out the love
Everybody's dying
Day by day

Who will take their mask off?
Who will tear their walls down?
Who will let the world know
"I'm not ok"

Everybody reaching out
Everybody reaching back
Everybody sharing
Every day

Everybody being real
Everybody being raw
Everybody giving grace
Every way

No more hiding
Where we're hurting
Everybody loving
Anyway

Photo scavenger hunt.

I think it would be fun to have a photo scavenger hunt at an event, especially something like a family reunion or camping trip. Every player would need a camera of some kind, even a cell phone camera would do. and you would need a list of things to look for and catch on film. (oops we don't use film anymore. How do you translate that expression into the digital age?) Here are some ideas.

• someone eating watermelon
• someone sleeping
• someone laughing
• someone with a messy face
• someone playing a game
• someone climbing a tree
• someone holding a baby
• someone serving food
• someone playing with fire
• someone in the water
• someone cooking something
• someone wearing yellow
• someone going barefoot
• someone crying
• someone taking a picture
• someone kissing someone
• someone deep in thought
• someone hiding from the camera

or you could come up with a list of funny captions and see what kind of pictures people can come up with to go with them. I was going to make a list of possible captions, but I can't think of any right now, so instead how about you leave suggestions in the comments? You will? Awesome. 

You could have a prize for the first one to get all the pictures on the list (or the one who gets the most), or you could just do it for fun and the winner gets bragging rights. If you go the caption rout, you could vote at the end for the pest picture for each caption. If all the participants are on facebook you could set up a group for the event and have people post their pics there as they go whenever they get the chance. (assuming there is internet access where you are) 

I have not had the opportunity to try this yet, but it seems like it could be a lot of fun if it was done right.

song for my babies

You're just a baby for a while.
You won't be little very long.
so I will try to make you smile,
and sing you little baby songs.

I will keep you close
I will hold you tight.
never let you go,
till the time is right.
When you spread your wings,
On the verge of flight
I will fly with you
till the time is right.

So many things that are so new.
You'll want to try them on your own.
So I will wait until you're through
but never leave you all alone.

I will keep you close
I will hold you tight.
never let you go,
till the time is right.
When you spread your wings,
On the verge of flight
I will let you go,
But I'll keep in sight.

And when you've tasted of success
and when your confidence has grown
Then may I never second guess
that you can do it on your own.

I will keep you close
I will hold you tight.
never let you go,
till the time is right.
When you spread your wings,
On the verge of flight
I will let you go,
I will watch you fly!

Then I will hold you in my heart
although no longer in my arms
And even though we are apart,
I'll pray you never come to harm

I will watch you go
as your dreams take flight.
I will let you go,
for the time is right.
And my heart will swell,
and my eyes will well
I can not say no,
You were meant to fly!

Diaper designing!

My favorite part of any project is the design phase. I love refining an idea and turning it into a doable project, Laying out a pattern, making a prototype, noting where the flaws are and reworking it until it is just right. that whole process is just incredibly fulfilling to me. When I am designing I feel like I am doing what I was born to do.

Right now I am designing my own unique diaper pattern. I have made three versions of the diaper, all are usable, and will stay in my stash and be used, but they have some flaws, which I am working on resolving. Once I get the kinks worked out I plan to make a set for a friend who is expecting and is interested in cloth diapering. then I might try selling some.

If you use cloth diapers, what do you prefer? fitteds and covers, pockets, lay/snap in inserts, or all in ones? The pattern I am making could be used to make any of those options, I wanted to go with the pockets but I am having a little issue there, so I may try a different rout. or I could do all of the above, once I get the kinks worked out of the pocket style. When I get around to it I will take pictures of the diapers and post them. maybe. I plan to anyway.

If anybody ever reads this, I would love to hear from you in the comments. Is there something that when you do it you feel completely fulfilled? what is it?