quilts and such

marley and i with the quilt i just finished (with the help of my wonderful mom)
marley needs to test each quilt for cuddlebility


i went to put marley down for a nap and came back to this...maybe ben needs more time off
a self portrait on our anniversary
marley with her new mimi doll, which helps her learn how to dress herself. she loves it
on the way home from the quilting adventure. marley offering jude some comfort
on our way to the quilt store. marley is very excited. jude is apprehensive.

so yesterday marley and i introduced my friend kelly (jude's mom) to the world of quilting. we had high hopes and were very excited. we decided to drive to giddings to the shop there. it's the closest that has a decent selection of material. well, unbeknown to us, it was their birthday sale. and it started that day. there were cars around the block and a guy in a golf cart gave us a ride to the shop after we parked. he was very nice. and that is where the niceness ended. some of the helpers were pleasant, though i assume they were more frazzled than anything. but the customers were pushy and mean. it was WAY overcrowded in there. we could hardly walk and no one was going to budge to let us through. and while we were waiting in line to get material cut, two ladies cut in front of kelly! it was very traumatic. mostly for jude. but we survived and kelly got some cute material. so now i get to try to pass on the love of quilting. for those of you who don't quilt, a lot goes into a quilt. at least for me. it starts with a person. i always decide who i am going to make the quilt for first. and then i think of them as i shop for material. and i fall in love with something and start the process. an average full size quilt takes me about a year to finish. but i am slow. you know, i do have a toddler to run after(although i was slow before). so it is a year of laboring over something with someone special in mind. it is therapy. it is love. it's me time. it's me thinking of them time. when i finish a quilt, i am so proud. the hours upon hours have finally turned something out, and usually so much better than i originally thought. a quilt is a work of art to me. it is a little piece of me, given to someone i truly care about. i treasure all the quilts that i have been given, all made with love for me, for ben, for marley. so as i attempt to instill the love of quilting in someone else, does anyone have any pointers? i'm a terrible teacher, but i am patient.
on an all together different topic, we are doing boot camp potty training in our house. no more diapers at home or granny's unless she is sleeping. and so far so good. we really don't have that many accidents. primarily when she is getting tired or i am too slow to respond. she has even pooped in the potty the past couple of days. so, woo hoo! we are nearing the end of diapers. i hope. fingers crossed.
this morning it is not ghastly hot, so we are headed to the park to play a bit.