Happy (Sad) New Year

Hello Peeps,

Just popping in to say I’m still here.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and relaxing week after all the hubbub.  We had a wonderful Christmas day, in spite of a dark cloud hanging over us.  Dave’s mom fell ill after Thanksgiving and has declined rapidly.  She has been in and out of two different hospitals plus a nursing home just in a few weeks.  She’s now back in the hospital, a few hours away, with a prognosis of just a few days to live.

It has been very hard month for Dave.  We have tried to shield the kids from the details but the time is coming when we will have to tell them.   She is a wonderful grandma to them and it is going to be hard.

The photo is a detail from a quilt I finished last fall and just entered in the Paducah quilt show.  I realize that I can now count on more than one hand the quilts I’ve finished and haven’t properly documented on the blog.  Well then.  I guess somebody just made a New Year's resolution.  

Lots of love,

Em

This is Where I Wanted to Show You Photos of an Adorable Baby with a Beautiful Quilt But Instead It's a Face Palm

So, merely hours after we last spoke, I finished the quilt top, and was contemplating the backing and binding colors.  It has a lot of pink, but other colors as well, and I thought that I might bring out one of the supporting colors in the binding.  I texted the mom, inquiring about the baby's favorite color. She texted back:  "Well, she's not really a pinky girl, her room has lots of colors, kinda vintage look with faded red, sage, yellow, and muted purple and blue.  She's probably partial to the purple.  

This is the moment of the face palm.

Yes, call me an idiot for not inquiring as to the color selection before making the quilt top.  I believe that is the usual order of things.  I just thought I knew this particular recipient well enough to charge ahead.  

So.  Scrap the previous quilt top (I believe it's going to be transformed into 11-year-old girl size and going to a very good home so no worries there!) and start over.  Just not in time for Thanksgiving.  Luckily I will see this family again at Christmas.  And luckier still, the Mom and Dad love me and are not concerned with deadlines.  

Baby quilt top--take two.  Remove pink (maybe leave just a teeeensy bit).  Change white background to cream.  Add more, red, sage green, purple.  Yes, it is still a bit bright.  But I am Emily, after all.  Backing and border to be purple.  Photos with cute baby to follow, eventually.

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In other news:  last etsy shop update of the year tomorrow night, Tuesday, December 4th at 8pm Central time.  There will be Magic Balls.  Yay!

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And finally, I recently did some blog housekeeping and found this post from last spring which for some reason, never got posted.  I thought it was appropriate since this week is big birthday boy week and I am about to have a TEENAGER in the house.  I'm so old.

Lost post entitled "It Is Fun to Have a Twelve Year Old Boy":

Photo taken at the Getty, November 2011 by Uncle Kenny

Conversation with a twelve year old boy:

Ethan:  "Mom, we have a 6th grade dance next Thursday and no siblings or parents are allowed."

Me:  "Yah, I know. I got an email. I signed up to be a chaperone. Parents are allowed if they sign up to chaperone."

Ethan : "Nooooooooo!"

Me:  "Yah, I can't wait to get out on the dance floor with my smooth moves" (insert cheesy disco moves here).

Ethan:  Buries face in pillows. "Noooooooooooooo!"

Me:  "Yah, I can't wait to ask you to dance!"

Ethan:  Dies a thousand deaths.

Me:  "And after I ask you to dance, I'm going to ask several of your friends!"

Ethan:  Finally realizes I'm kidding. Nevertheless, runs out of room screaming.