It Boggles

I was boggled, but now I'm not. Which is a very poor explanation of where I went for all those weeks and months, but that is how I look at it. Every day for the past month I've woke up and said to myself, "Self, you need to write on the blog today." And every day for the past month, I've procrastinated because I was boggled.

Here's the deal:

• I was boggled about the redundancy of Facebook and blogging since most of what I post on the blog is now shared in brief status updates on Facebook, and most people who read this blog are my Facebook friends (well, not my mom - she doesn't Facebook, and of course she reads my blog... she's nice that way). But with the exception of my mom, who wants to see my pictures twice and read about things more than once?
• I was also boggled about how to be myself without crossing the line of sharing things regarding my teenagers that they would not want me to share - although what they do most certainly affects me in a direct way. And I strongly feel that because their actions affect me, I have every right to talk about those things. Still, it's a conundrum.
• Additionally, I was boggled because I just can't seem to figure out how much to share and what to keep to myself, because the truth is: I don't like to sugarcoat things and I could never pretend to be someone I'm not - that's just not my nature. But the question remains, "Do I want strangers to know this stuff about me?"
• And finally, I was boggled because I wondered if maybe my blogging days had run their course now that my kids are almost grown up. I mean, really... who wants to read about boring me all the time? Seriously, all I do is worry about teenagers or celebrate their lives. And if I am not doing that, I'm crafting, which really isn't all that exciting unless you are me and find great joy in playing with fabric and yarn.

So that was the boggle in a nutshell. However, I have recently heard from a handful of people (okay, eight people to be exact) saying that they miss my blog. And so I figure if there are eight people who really want to know what is going on in my life, I am more than willing to share because the truth of the matter is, I miss my blog because it is a written journal of who I am, who I want to be, and what I am doing along the way.

So here I am. It feels kind of weird to be writing again. I think I've lost my groove. I know I lost my password because it took me forever to log in. I hope I remember how to do this.

Before I go any further, I want to share a favorite picture from my adolescent years:

I recently learned that my friend Alison Jones Kennedy passed away suddenly due to a heart attack caused by a virus. (Alison is in the back row on the right. I am in the back row on the left.) My heart aches with the loss of such a beautiful person, and I am still struggling with the reality that Alison is no longer on this earth. My prayers are with her two young daughters, Madeleine and Gabrielle. It is for them that I weep the most.

Last week as I scanned photos for the memorial service, I felt the pull of home - my childhood home - that place where all the memories of my youth reside. I now live far away from that home, and although I have created a home in Virginia, my heart will always be in Washington with my family and childhood friends. Throughout the week I corresponded with the people who helped shape the woman I've grown to be, and I felt such a longing to be with them because, as my friend Rick said, "we grew up in a movie and the kind of childhood we had cannot be found anymore." He is right. We had an idyllic childhood and only now, as adults, do we fully appreciate how lucky we were to grow up together wrapped in a cocoon of innocence and joy. We were the lucky few, and we do not take that for granted. Our friend Alison was a integral part of our youth and she will always be remembered as the girl who touched lives with her inner beauty, shared her generosity of spirit, and painted the world with her artistic nature. Rest in peace sweet Alison.

Now I will paint my blog with some of my recent colorful creations. I'm not the artist that Alison was (and boy was she talented), but I muddle my way through as I continue to play with fabric every day.

This summer I made my first two baby quilts. I gifted them to two of my scrapping friends - one who had a baby girl, and the other whose toddler had open heart surgery. I've not made baby quilts before (well, I did make one when I was expecting Alyssa, but that was so long ago that it seems like a dream). Making baby quilts is fun! There is something about making a warm cuddly for a little person that just makes me smile. Here are snapshots of the two little people quilts I made:

I also designed a my first circle pattern to use as a centerpiece for my kitchen table. Figuring out how to create a perfect circle was a real challenge and I was quite pleased that after much trial and error I actually figured out how to do this:

 

And of course I had to make more Greek letters for Alyssa. She has now come up with the brilliant idea of ordering Vera Bradley cloth napkins so that we can use the fabric to make the letters. All of the girls in her sorority now want Vera Bradley letters and I have an on-going list of orders coming in. The Vera Bradley letters are shown in the tee-shirt on the right:

In October I attended a quilt show (I went two days in a row, because one day was not enough!). While there, I found all sorts of nifty things to make. This is one of the quick quilt patterns that I purchased. The three panel mini quilts can be switched out with the seasons. I made the autumn scene first. Next up is JOY for Christmas and then I want to design a heart themed pattern for Valentine's Day. I've discovered that making my own patterns is almost as fun as sewing:

 

And now it is the end of fall, which means it is time for my annual holiday sewing spree. I am in the process of making three Merry Christmas wall hangings to give to my extended family units as Christmas gifts. The only glitch is that I need to have these completed by Thanksgiving so that they can be used during the holidays (I plan to give them to my mom and sister-in-law on Thanksgiving day when they are here to celebrate. Yes, you heard that right! My mom will be here for Thanksgiving, and if you know me at all, you have to know that I am over the moon excited for this rare event). I'm making progress, but still not done - this project is far bigger than I ever imagined. But the challenge has been good for me and the results are turning out quite nice.

 

Note that in this picture I am wearing gloves. John took the picture because he could not believe that I wore "Michael Jackson" gloves when I sewed. The reason I wear the gloves is because they have grippers on the fingertips and they help me rotate the fabric without having it bunch up. I LOVE my Michael Jackson gloves, but I will admit that I really do look like a dork when I wear them. Since this picture was taken I have gotten my hair cut - which really does help alleviate some of the dork factor.

So there you have it. My life in a nutshell. Alyssa is still attending George Mason University. She started her first student teaching this semester and loves it even more than she imagined. John is a senior at DHS and we have managed to dodge the H1N1 virus with the help of Tamiflu (my security blanket - thank God for a doctor who believes in preventative measures). So far this year we have done the senior picture thing, the homecoming thing, and the SAT thing. And all I can say about that is Alyssa was much easier than John because she took charge of these details; all I had to do was pay. With John, I am having to be a lot more "hands on" when it comes to the finite details of senior life. But, because I am well aware that each of these events is a "last time" experience for me, I am cherishing every single opportunity I have to spend time with my son. 

Back to the boggle - it wasn't so bad, which is apparent in the length of this post, which leaves me wondering why I allowed myself to be boggled in the first place.

Comments

[Susan]

Just when I thought you had flown the "blog" coop what a nice surprise to "see" you back again. So very sorry about your friend. We have had some unexpected deaths lately and it just never gets easier to hear those kind of things, does it?
Enjoyed all your beautiful work. Almost makes a girl want to take up quilting. Your family is very lucky!!!!
Glad you are unboggled Kelly. We missed ya.

[Jacqueline]

Sorry to hear about your friend...
I am glad you are back with your inspiring projects!

[Leah]

Love your blog! Glad you decided to keep doing it! So sorry about your friend......

Leah

[Coreen]

So glad you're back! Love the projects and sorry about your friend. Checking your blog and seeing a new post caused my heart to skip a beat - I'm so glad you're ok!

[kathryn m]

Thanks for coming back to blog land. You were missed!

[Amy So]

I've missed your blog too and am happy to have you back! I love the photo of you sewing...that's awesome. AND. I have admired that fabric that you used for your placemat several times, LOVE the grapes on it, but talked myself out of it because I just haven't had enough sewing time. I LOVE what you did with it!

[Marianne]

I was about to give up. Sure glad I didn't! Soooooo happy for your return. Keep on keeping on, Kelly!!

[pcsmart]

i am soooo glad you are back! i love your gloves! you know that i look to you as my guiding light on this dark journey of teen mothering - it is so good to hear things are going smoothly now.

[Marla]

Welcome back Kelly! I know exactly how you are feeling as I haven't blogged in months now. I'm all about Facebook too so I guess I need to be brave and make a decision about what to do myself. Thanks for the update and I'm glad to see you back :-)

[Wanda]

I am also glad you are back. You know that you could have a career in writing if you ever get tired of crafts!

[Randi]

So sorry for the loss of your friend. BUT .. So glad to see you back...I checked everyday and was wondering what happened to you. Life here goes on. Kelli is still working in Battle Ground she loves her work..Jim still works at Lowes and is planning a trip to Vegus to visit Michaels brother. Neil Andrew is now living in Renton, haven't been up there to see him yet..at least he is close now. Michael and I are going to Lincoln City on Dec 5 to see Teen Idle (featuring Mark Lindsay (Paul Revere and the Raiders), Micky Dolenz (The Monkees) and Peter Noone (Hermans Hermits)) . Michael really doesn't want to go but he'll go for me. I'm e-mailing you also..private things to tell you. Love Randi..

[Lynette T.]

So very glad you are back, I missed you like crazy. Sorry to here about your friend, life does have a way of throwing us off track.

[carol in seattle :)]

WOOHOO! Glad to see you back in blog-land. I can't wait to see your Christmas creations!

[slammie]

HOT DAMN! Condolences on your loss. Love the projects and can't wait to see what you're working on now. Have fun with your mom!

[wendy cooper]

She's Baaaack! Thank you so much for posting those great sewing projects you are working on. Very inspiring. Sorry for your loss. Glad your children are doing well.

[Covered In Crafts]

WoW! Great pictures!