Various and Sundry Monday: Vol. 2

In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip. –Daniel L. Reardon

My first Various and Sundry Monday post was clear back in November. At the time, I didn't think it would become a regular feature, and I'm still of that opinion. It won't get its own tag until I do a third VSM post. But I have a lot of miscellaneous stuff I want to post about today, so here we are at Volume 2.

The Little Bugs are So Clever
Friday morning before school, Grasshopper came into the kitchen and handed me a paper.
Grasshopper: Mom, I need you to sign my math test for me so I can take it back to school. If I do, I'll get a sand dollar.
Me: Do I need to sign it because you didn't do very good on it?
Grasshopper: No, I only missed two. See? If you sign it and I bring it back then I get a sand dollar in my class.
Me: You go brush your teeth while I sign it.
Grasshopper heads for the bathroom and LadyBug passes Grasshopper on her way into the kitchen. Having heard only part of the conversation, she asks:
LadyBug: What's that?
From the living room:
Grasshopper: My Hogsmeade Permission Slip. I need mom to sign it.
LadyBug: You're only a first year. First years can't go to Hogsmeade.

Complaining Never Helps
I really would like to meet the person who thought up Daylight Savings Time, so I can smack them upside the head. I mean, sure, it is still light outside at 7:30 pm, but we were getting there on our own. And now it is no longer light at 7:30 am, which I really miss. Having it be light outside when it is time to get up helps me loathe morning a little bit less. There. I'm done complaining. The only thing to do now is embrace it.

But I have to wonder what places that are open 24 hours like Hospitals and Wal-Mart do about staffing. It is probably kind of tricky to work out. For the guy who's on shift when the clock magically changes over, he's probably all, You want me to go home an hour early? Sure, no problem. See ya! But for the guy who has to get up and come in early, he's probably all, what? I was supposed to be here an hour ago? I didn't get that memo. Sorry man. And I can't even imagine the chaos an extra hour in the fall causes. I say, pick one and stick with it.

Cozy Posies

I started a new quilt over the weekend. Don't worry. It is on the list, so I'm not breaking the No New Quilts policy. But I was going to finish Mr. Bug's T-Shirt quilt before I moved on to this one. I still have about half of the unpicking to do on his quilt, and wanted to move forward with something so I cut the fabrics for this on Friday afternoon. By Saturday night the top was in three sections and I finished it on Sunday afternoon {yes, I sew on Sunday. I'm not sure how I feel about it because Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest. I love sewing and can hardly leave it if I have some free time, but it is kind of a grey area about whether or not it is OK to do. Is it work? Is it recreation? Or is it just a way to relax? The exception to that is if I'm making something someone is paying me for, which I don't do on Sunday because then that would be working. More than you needed to know about my inner conflicts on sewing on Sunday? Probably .}.

I also started working on the tag yesterday. Apparently I've decided that embroidered tags are the way to go . For indelibility, they are the best choice. But for ease and convenience, not so much. With each embroidered tag, I get more and more concise. And I increase the font size just a tiny bit each time. I've decided that I like the labels sewn right into the quilt back, so this is going into a strip of coins that will go across the back of the quilt.

I'd planned to finish the label, get the back all pieced together and baste the quilt tonight. I forgot to factor in homework with the Little Bugs, getting dinner on and catching up on laundry and could never have factored in the sudden compulsion I had to wipe down the entire kitchen floor on my hands and knees this afternoon. Still, I'm cautiously optimistic that I can finish this quilt by the weekend. Then I PROMISE the next quilt I work on will be Mr. Bug's.

A Little Thanks Goes A Long Way
I wanted to share the thank you note from Gracie's mom her for her quilt. This is one quilt I wasn't totally in love with even after it was all finished because the quilting I chose didn't wow me. The important thing though, is that Gracie loved it and so now I {and that Voice} can let it go. This really made my day.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Gracie loves her pretty new big 'Geeda!' I should have had you come with me to give it to her! She giggled forever and had to keep it with her! You are so very amazing. Gracie's Dad also can't believe all the work you put into it! He also loves it! Again, thank you so very much for all of your beautiful work!!! Love,

Gracie's Mom

Blooming Friendship
I have this friend who loves to garden. As a matter of fact, she is my gardening inspiration. When we first moved into our house and I was first learning how to garden, she was my go-to girl for anything garden related. Over the years she's given me tons of starts and we take turns helping each other out in our yards. She loves to experiment and often forces bulbs. One year for my birthday, she forced a dozen orange tulips and brought them over when they were just about to bloom. It was the middle of January and was the most cheerful thing to see those beauties every day. This year, she forced an amaryllis bulb in a little jam jar, and again brought it over just as it was about to bloom. It has been two weeks since she dropped it off and I've been looking at these cheerful flowers in my kitchen since then.