Quilt Strips & Foxy

I can't believe it. I accurately predicted how much I could get completed in a day. Here they are:

Now Nearest & Dearest can help me figure out the colour combinations in preparation for day 2 when I will sew the strips together. (Please try and ignore the chipped nail varnish on my toes.)

Meanwhile I see that Foxy is having a grand time:

Life is good! Time to tidy up. I'm ready for them to come home now.

Quilting Day

Oh my gosh, the new way of being able to upload all your photos at once is so much easier!! They don't come in all out of order now, this is good.

ANYWAY. When we were in France, I decided that I wanted to have one day per month to call my own, and that I would use it to work on quilting projects. I took a quilting class 3-4? years ago, and really enjoyed it. Then we moved to Canterbury, and my life involved driving and fertility clinic appointments. I stopped sewing. It's not like knitting, I can't do it when I'm tired or watching television.

Luckily, Nearest & Dearest agreed to this plan, and she and Foxy are currently in Eastbourne with Grandma and Gramps. Last night I went out with my Mum chums and had a GREAT time. Because I work so much, I don't see them as much I'd like, and it's really nice to compare notes. Foxy is not alone in hating being changed/dressed. I laughed heartily at everyone's strategies and unfortunate incidents and feel 100% better about Tuesday's episode.

Before going out, I dug out my stash for making a brand new quilt top. There was a batch of fabrics chosen by me:

And a more sophisticated palette chosen by Nearest & Dearest:

I tested them out against the colour of our bedroom, and both sets looked fantastic. So I'm going with my stack. The fabric is now washed, dried, and ironed:

I have about 3 more hours, which should be plenty of time for cutting. That's the plan, to have all the pieces for a 5 X 6 Rail Fence quilt top cut by the end of the afternoon.

I'm listening to Knit Picks (podcast) as I work. It's not as great as Cast On, but still heavenly.

Bad Morning

Strong as the temptation is to present a perfect life via the blog, the urge to get this past morning out of my system is stronger.

I have never been a morning person. I struggle. It was the biggest reward in stopping breastfeeding. I wonder if Foxy is such a good sleeper because he knows that I need my sleep in order for EVERYONE to be happy.

Anyway. Our mornings have been going pretty well, it works well for us all to get ready and leave at the same time. Usually that's possible, but not always. This morning I was not ready in time. On Tuesdays the cleaner comes. Yes, I feel the need to have the house tidy for the cleaner, mock all you want, but she is a CLEANER, not a housekeeper.

Another 15 minutes was all I needed. Foxy could play in his pen, it was going to be no problem. He must have fallen over or something, because he was rapidly NOT happy. And he had done a HUGE messy poop. He is not an easy boy to dress these days. At least not when you are in a hurry. He detects the tension and makes it ten times worse. Then I start shouting and carrying on, it really gets ugly.

I hate myself for getting that way. It is so maladaptive. I need to stop these diatribes I have (mostly yelling at myself for being a terrible mother) before Foxy can really understand them. I really admire Nearest & Dearest. She has NOT ONCE lost her patience with the boy.

We recovered of course, and I was only 30 minutes late. Like it really matters.

From the mouths of babes...

On Sunday we made a family visit to the gym/club. I took Foxy swimming, and then Nearest & Dearest fed him his lunch and played with him while I exerted myself. Enough said about that.

When I was done, I found them in the children's play area, surrounded by 3 little girls. I grabbed the Fox to put him in his pushchair. The following conversation ensued:

Girl: Is he yours or hers?

N & D: He's both of ours. He has two mummies.

Girl giggles, then looks serious: He must be really well looked after.

N & D: Yes, I suppose he is.

Girl: Wow, he's so lucky, two mummies!

I hope her Dad didn't overhear ;-).

In case you were wondering...

We had a wonderful time in France. For me, I am really loving being home, very much enjoying the back-to-school feeling. I am working on a post about our holiday with lots of photos, but we have had company much of the week, so I am behind.

15 Sept - 15 Oct I am having an alcohol and driving-free month. So far so good. I really like getting the train to work. It takes longer, but that's mostly walking (the train ride is all of 6 mins), which is better for me, and more interesting/wholesome for Foxy. All good.

A Week in Provence

We spent a wonderful week in this splendid house:



with this fantastic view:

with these lovely people:


Foxy perfected al fresco dining...



And we did our thing...

We also found a playground:


but swimming was everyone's favourite activity:




We finished off a fantastic week with a first dip in the Med for the boy:



20

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yesterday was my 38th birthday. I think it was my best one ever. I dropped Harry off at creche, and then spoilt myself. Waxing, mani/pedi, and I got an iPhone!!!! It is beautiful. I did not have time to play with it because I was whisked off to dinner in the evening. Everyone made my day super special, it was terrific.

What a difference to two years ago when we were living in Canterbury and I was having a miscarriage. I am so, so lucky.