Show and Tell: Mrs. Grider's Quilt

I finished up Mrs. Grider's quilt just in the nick of time last week. I have made all of Eli's teachers a quilt at the end of the year and I plan on continuing that until he goes to middle school and has seven teachers. I just don't think I'm quite up to that! Next year, I plan on making Phoebe's teacher a quilt, too. 

A quilt is a big gift, sure, but these women deserve it. Even if she wasn't my most favorite teacher my child had or we wouldn't have been friends (acquaintances even) outside of this setting or maybe I didn't agree with all of her teaching practices,  I know that this teacher worked hard. No matter who she is, she spent hours a day teaching my child. She spent her own money on classroom supplies. She spent time during the summer learning and planning on how to make my child successful at school. She (probably) went head to head with him over something. She loved on him. She worked darn hard this school year! These women deserve a quilt!

Mrs. Grider's was fun to make. I do love piecing a quilt, but sometimes the fabrics would not have been what I would have chosen. Like THIS one. It turned out pretty, but I probably never would have made a Harley Davidson quilt unless Mrs. Summers was a biker chic. 

Mrs. Grider, on the other hand, loves pink and green, which worked out quite well because I like pink and green, too. And choosing the fabrics is one of my favorite parts of quilt making! (I'm pretty sure I'm addicted. There's no Fabric Anonymous, though.)

She also loves frogs. Way back in November or December, I came across THIS line of fabric. Since I had no idea what pattern I wanted to use or anything, I bought a few 1/2 yard cuts. It incorporates frogs without being obnoxious. To say the least, this fabric was awesome!

So awesome, in fact, that I bought it in pink, too. :) I like it so much, I'm debating about buying a few more pieces to keep in my stash.  You just never know when you might need a frog-that-looks-like-damask print!

The photo I took of the back was uber-fuzzy. I did a pieced back with the pink spots you see below and  the lime green swirly that above the pink frog print in the previous photo. Maybe you can use your imagination. And while you're at it, be sure to imagine that I miscalculated on the size I needed of each piece (shocking, I know, considering my math abilities!) and to had piece it way more than I intended! Let's all hope she focuses on Eli's letter more than she focuses on the backing. 

Sweet boy. Even if the writing of this label caused a few angry tears because I wouldn't let him use one where he had to scratch out a word because he misspelled it. 

I used scraps for the binding...which I'm pretty sure is my favorite way to do binding, if given a choice. 

We took it up to school on the last full day before school let out for summer. She absolutely loved it. 

I know most people would enjoy receiving a quilt, but sometimes you get the feeling that they don't quite know what to do with a quilt (or anything handmade, really). But not Mrs. Grider. She really liked it. She said she couldn't wait to put her first grandbaby (being born this summer) on it to play. 

Now if that's not the best quilt compliment ever, then I just don't know what is!

Time To Cry Over Spilt...Cheese Sticks?

Oops. It's been a week since I posted! I didn't meant for that to happen...especially after all the hoopla surrounding my last POST. We just had a super busy week and I looked up and it was Wednesday already. Sorry about that, folks!




We were sitting in the Sonic parking lot. It was our last "Thirsty Thursday" that Phoebe and I would share. We've had a standing "date" the last three years at Sonic on Thursday afternoons. I always had about 30 minutes to kill between picking Phoebe up at preschool and picking Eli up at school. On Thursday afternoons, we stop at Sonic, get drinks for us and Eli and Eli's teacher (it's only a $1 and you know she deserved it!), and share an order of Sonic fried mozzarella sticks. Phoebe had three, I had two, and we would spend a little time talking about her week at school, who she sat by at lunch, what songs she sang, what "art" they did. It was just a handful of nice little moments over three busy years.

I loved Thirsty Thursdays. Not just because I had all day to look forward to a large Diet Coke with lime and extra ice and a couple of yummy cheese sticks, but I loved those few minutes with Phoebe. Sure there were times when she was cranky or I was cranky or it wasn't just as lovely and serene as I imagined it would be, but for the most part, it was nice.

That Thursday was our last one. Oh sure, we'll have other special times and find other small ways to connect for a few minutes every week, but it won't be over Sonic drinks and cheese sticks on Thursday afternoons. And at that moment, the full impact of how our lives would change when she started kindergarten hit me.  I cried. It was one of those rare times when you know it's the "last" of something you've so thoroughly enjoyed with your young child. I'm not much a crier. I usually don't cry at pre-k graduations or first days of school or any of the other designated "mommy cry" times. Those always seem a little stiff to me. I know I'm supposed to have this swelling of emotion at this big event, but I'm usually still stressed about trying to get everyone where they are supposed to be at the right time or worried about camera batteries or thinking about how to coordinate dinner to be uber-emotional at the actual event. I cry at the unexpected times of closure...long before the event or after. Like sitting in the Sonic parking lot crying over my cheese sticks.

Phoebe was so sweet. She climbed into my lap and rubbed my back, asking what was wrong. I told her that it was the last time we would stop for drinks and cheese sticks on Thirsty Thursday. She started to cry, too...only she was crying because she thought it was the last time she'd ever have her beloved cheese sticks!

That girl makes me laugh!


P.S. She was fine after I assured her she would get to eat cheese sticks again! I'm editing the photos from her Pre-K Graduation later today so (hopefully) I'll post about that soon. 

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

We're wrapping up Eli's baseball season. He played in a different league this year and it start earlier, which means it ends a little earlier, too. We only have one game left! 

It's been a fun Spring. He played on a team with only one boy from his school, but a buddy from church was on his team and lots of that boy's schoolmates. I had Brad take some photos for me at Tuesday night's game since I was busy finishing Mrs. Grider's end-of-year gift in the bleachers! It was nice, cloudy night so the photos came out pretty well....after I told Brad just to put it on auto. :)

Chatting before the game with his team mates. I'd love to hear what they are talking about because it always looks so cute! I'm sure it's boy stuff, though, and mostly about bodily functions and legos. 

It's always fun to watch your child play a sport. I'm not really one for sports. In fact, I'd rather have a root canal than watch a game, but it's different when it's your child. It seems the whole thing is tinged with wonder and excitement and awe. Being pretty clumsy when it comes to anything athletic, what Eli can do kind of amazes me. Like he's a whole other species. 

And it's not even that he's that good (although to hear him tell it, he's the best thing in baseball since Nolan Ryan), but he's pretty good. He's not going to make it to the pros, but he's not picking weeds in the outfield, either. 

But it makes my heart happy to watch those long, lanky legs run the bases. To see him hit the ball or make the out.  It's like my heart is bursting open and what spills out is, "That's my boy right there."

However, those white pants are the bane of my existence right now. Who knew I'd turn into one of those old laundry detergent commercials that imply that I'm a failure as a mother if his pants weren't their whitest? They seemed so trite at the time, too. Sigh.

Our "Other" Little Runner

Not one to be left out, Phoebe decided she needed to run in a "race" just like her BROTHER.  Or maybe her little friend, Ellie, invited her to walk/run with her in 1 mile Fun Run Fundraiser for the elementary school. (There was a 5K that Eli wanted to run, but he had a baseball game that night at the same time.) 

Have you ever seen such cute girls getting ready to run?!

Ellie's mom, Rhonda, and I we're going to walk this race, too. Rhonda had already run the 5K in record time...27 minutes. Anyone who can run a 10 minute mile or better impresses me. The girls planned on running the entire race holding hands. 

Ready. Set. Go!

They were off! I don't think the holding hands lasted that long. We wouldn't know because I made Rhonda stick to her "no running" promise and we were left behind pretty quickly. 

So far behind, in fact, that these turkeys "fell asleep" waiting on us. Sheesh. 

In their defense, Rhonda and I did come in dead last...even behind the woman pushing two kids in a jogging stroller and carrying one on her back. 

So I made them cross the finish line again for the photo finish. 

Too close to call!

We had to skeedaddle pretty quick after that because we had a wedding to go to in town. It was too bad because Eli (who I had signed up before I realized he had a game) won a door prize and Phoebe didn't get to enjoy her after run bagel. 

It's okay, though, she's already planning her next "race". 

Show and Tell: Teacher Appreciation Canvas

My friend, Kristi, over at I SHOULD BE MOPPING THE FLOOR is having another MOP IT UP MONDAY! She has them every Monday and we've been so busy that I haven't had anything to link up!  But I do today! Yay!

Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week at Eli's school. His elementary always does theirs a week or two late due to some other scheduling conflicts. That just gives me time to see everyone else's good ideas and steal borrow them. Ha! 

I pinned THIS "Family Rules" canvas way back when I first created a Pinterest account, thinking it would be something I'd want to make someday. And so it was...except I turned it into a "We love Mrs. Grider because..." canvas. 

The canvas had roughly four basic steps. 1) Write or print the words on fabric or paper. 2) Paint the canvas. 3) Cut the fabric/paper edges. 4) Decoupage the fabric/paper to the canvas. 

I went back and forth between using fabric and paper as the medium. They each had their own pros and cons. I thought about fabric because I have a ton of it (no buying!) and I think fabric is easier to decoupage than paper. However, I wanted the kids' sentiments to be in their own handwriting which would require the use of a paint pen and I think they tend to bleed a little around the edges.  On paper, they could use sharpies to write with and I found a paper stack that was really pretty (and I don't usually love the paper prints I find) in the colors I wanted to use.

 In the end, I used paper. It was easier on the kid end of things, but the canvas did have a lot of air bubbles I couldn't get out.  I think part of that problem was due to the fact that I had to use a lot of tape to keep the pieces together...especially on the ones where the kiddos spaced out their sentences to take up all the space provided. Lesson learned: Don't give the children too much extra room. 

My canvas also ended up being 30x40! It was h-u-g-e! It had to be that big because I did the writing first and chose my canvas afterwards. Next time, (and there will be a next time it was so cute!) I'll choose my canvas first and have the paper cut to fit. 

My silly boy wrote, "She gives us suckers when we get 100 on our math" with dots on the letters for a different "font". He had originally planned on writing, "She's extremely old, but not very tired," but I think one of the other boys told him it would hurt her feelings so he wrote something else. I told Mrs. Grider about it and she just laughed. She said she tells them that all the time! 

I *loved* this project! I have plans to make one of "Family Rules" for my living room and one for Eli's room with Star Wars quotes using the leftover fabric from his bed quilts I recently finished. (They are at the quilters right now. Hopefully we'll get them back soon!) The possibilities really are endless!

Happy Monday! Last one (for us) this school year! Yay!!

Costume Photos

The day of Phoebe's RECITAL, I didn't get too many photos of her in her costumes.  And let's be honest, the costumes are on the best parts of being in ballet class. So we just had ourselves a little photo shoot here at the house. Since we live on the prairie, there aren't that many "photo opportunities" around our house. The boring front porch had to do...at least Phoebe wasn't boring! 

I *loved* her tap costume. She was an elephant! When her instructor first showed us the photo of the costume she had ordered, I wasn't too sure about it. But she was cuter than a bug's ear!

Those should tide us over until next year's recital! 

Recital Weekend

Phoebe's "Recital Weekend" came and went pretty fast. I went to sleep Thursday night and when I opened my eyes, it was Monday. Whew! My sister posted about the weekend HERE and I'm adding my photos to the mix.

My parents, sister, and her kiddos drove in on Friday in time to make Eli's Friday night baseball game. We didn't really get to enjoy each other until the next morning. Saturday was a (mostly) lazy day until 4:00 when we all scattered to four corners of the county for the recital and baseball game that were going on simultaneously. (Isn't that always the way it goes?)

I don't think this looks like a very good idea, either, but they were having fun!

Lola just enjoyed the lovely weather.

Nena with the girls.

This boy is always working! :)

A picnic lunch after running through the sprinklers. Lincoln had already changed out of his underwear Redneck Swimsuit.

Why, yes, we did let Lola hang out in a laundry basket. :)

Then we let her have her hot tub time, though. 

At 4:00, the girls headed up to the high school for the recital and the boys took Eli to his baseball game. Phoebe feels so grown up when she wears stage makeup. 

After her amazing performance, we found her and gave her the flowers we'd bought. I'm pretty sure this was the most wonderful thing about her recital experience. Then it was time for photos with everyone we know!

Sweet girls. Dacie was getting some photos with her family so we only got one with her.

I posted about last year's recital, HERE. I still feel the same way. There's nothing else in the world like watching your child perform onstage (or field or court). It makes my heart burst every time!