The Patchwork of Life

Packing up and moving...

2007-09-21T22:40:00.000-05:00

My son has influenced me to move my blog over to patchworkoflife.wordpress.com. I do like their templates, and I'll be able to use some of the great pictures we have as a header. So...same content...different place! Looking forward to seeing you there!

http://patchworkoflife.wordpress.com

Make it from scratch...pancakes!

2007-09-14T17:42:00.000-05:00

Today at breakfast, while we were eating our pancakes, I told the kids that when we first married, I was using Bisquick to make pancakes. I characterized them as big, fat, and ugly. One Saturday we were hosting a pancake breakfast at the house for a small group, and I ran out of Bisquick. Betty Crocker, what do I do? I got out the trusty red cookbook, and set to work making pancakes from scratch. I probably didn't have any buttermilk in the house, but I might have used sour milk (made with vinegar).

Needless to say, I had saved the best for last, and we never looked back...at the Bisquick box. I transformed myself into a buttermilk cook like my mother, and now we have made from scratch, whole wheat pancakes on a regular basis. Very easy, and oh, so tasty!

Here's a recipe in case Betty Crocker doesn't live at your house. I like my pancakes pretty thin, so if you like fat ones, use the same amount of flour and buttermilk.

Buttermilk Pancakes

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
2 T. oil ---beat these ingredients with a whisk, then add:
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, pastry or regular
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
Mix with whisk until smooth.
Bake on preheated griddle (325 degrees on my electric skillet) until bubbles form, then flip carefully. Makes 12-14 4" pancakes.

Deja vu? or maybe not...

2007-09-11T17:55:00.000-05:00

I invited Mother and my sister down for hamburgers Friday night. When we eat together, it's much more likely that we do so at Mother's, but I thought it would be good for them to get out. Mother walked in the door, and was amazed at all the books, just like all the other visitors who have never been at my house. She said, "I don't think I remember being in your house before!"

Mother has been to my house many times...just one of the pieces of memory that have fluttered away like a butterfly in the wind...

However, we had a great time, and it really didn't matter if she thought she'd ever been here before! I got out some single quilt blocks I'd made, and we admired them. She said quilting skipped a generation with her, but I reminded her that she's always loved quilts, just never got around to making very many of them. That love of geometric patchwork definitely passed on to me.

Make it from scratch!

2007-09-09T12:41:00.000-05:00

Recently, I had plenty of laundry to do, and I remembered how I was really needing a new clothespin bag. I'd already worn out one from Goodwill, another from Wal-mart, and now the plastic bag the clothespins came it was in shreds. I really didn't feel like a long involved sewing project, so I just grabbed a pair of jeans my son had outgrown, whacked off the legs, and sewed across where I had just cut with a zigzag stitch. Voila--a clothespin bag! I used ribbon to tie it onto my laundry basket, through the belt loops. I was finished in 15 minutes, and ready to launder the world. My son thought it was cool--"Was that my jeans?"

What's Quilter Mom been up to this summer?

2007-09-07T16:35:00.000-05:00

This has been the summer of baby quilts. Four babies born, four quilts to make! Here's a close-up picture of one. I think these smiley suns are just the cutest thing--and I made this one from scraps! Of course, now I have almost no yellow scraps, but plenty of blues left. The other boy quilt was a farm theme, with black and red gingham, and applique blocks featuring Overall Sam and some quirky black-headed sheep. The girl quilts were scrappy nine patches set on point, one with sea green background, and the other with graduated shades of pink. They turned out nice, considering I didn't go to the store and buy a bunch of expensive coordinating fabrics!

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

2007-06-16T16:32:00.000-05:00

Headmistress at the Common Room has introduced us all to DailyLit, a tiny piece of a novel conveniently (and insistently) delivered to your email box each day. I took a look at the selections, and chose A Tale of Two Cities. I was assigned to read this in high school, and did so, but can't remember a thing about it except that it's about the French revolution. So...since we'll be doing House of Education year 9 next year, I thought this would be a good choice. Maybe this time around I'll get a better grasp of the deep meanings...(I know they're in there somewhere :-) I read the first portion today, and felt like there were a lot of insinuations that I didn't understand, because I'm a 21st century American, but I will press on.

QBQ!

2007-02-23T11:09:00.000-06:00

I was listening to Dave Ramsey the other day, and he had a guest on named John Miller. He has written a book called QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, and was talking about it. You may think that's a weird title, but it's actually a very interesting concept. Basically, when problems arise, instead of asking the usual questions, such as "Why is this happening to me?" or "When is so-and-so going to fix this?", the question behind the question is, "What can I personally do to make this situation better?"

Mr. Miller, of course, speaks to business people about his concepts, but I can see where this would work in just about any area of life. My husband and I have been working for churches all our married life, and seen numerous situations arise where this would be helpful, and would have eliminated a lot of finger-pointing and blaming others. The results of asking this question and following through with it leads to personal accountability, and better productivity for your team members, whether they be your family, your church or your business associates.

What do I have in my hand?

2007-01-12T10:47:00.000-06:00

There's been a change of attitude around here--a subtle one, but with far-reaching consequences. After being inspired by a Common Room post about using what you have instead of buying something new, I have found myself using that idea in many ways. For example, I volunteered to make a twin-size quilt for a local children's home. In the past, I would have picked out my pattern, chosen my colors, and gone to buy new material, using what I had ONLY if it fit with my plans. Instead, I noticed that I had a huge bag of blue scraps, so I chose a pattern that uses all shades of blue scraps--thus I had a free quilt instead of spending $25-30, and it will be a lovely one. (The batting and backing were donated.)
Another place I have used this idea is in the kitchen. We're trying to spend as little as possible this month, so before going to the grocery store, I made a list of items I already had in the pantry, and what I could make with them. I made another list of what was in the freezer, and what I could make using those items. In the past, I usually got out my recipes, and chose whatever I thought we would like to eat, and bought what those recipes required. This change has been good for me, because I don't like leftovers, and I tend to let things languish in the freezer forever.
I've found that a lot of frugal living has more to do with attitude than just squeezing pennies. Our attitudes about spending money are formed from childhood, and we often do things automatically without asking ourselves, "Why?" For years, I have spent money pretty much the way my parents did, with the exception of investments, which they didn't do. It has been interesting to challenge some of those ingrained ideas, and look for a better way.

I'm back!

2007-01-08T11:37:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I haven't posted anything in 6 months! Obviously I don't have as much to say as some folks, and it's more fun to read others blogs than to write. But I think I can do better. My son says, "Write just once a week, Mom!" So we'll see how I do.

My sister's coming today! Ever since my sisters grew up, married, and moved away, it's always been an occasion for celebration when they come home. This particular sister has been spending at least a third of her time, a week or so at a time, here with Mother to give us some time off and give Mother some more personalized attention. So...we see her a lot, but I'm still really glad she's coming! We are ten years apart in age, but look enough alike that people recognize we're sisters even when we're not together. That's cool, don't you think?

The college search is on, the search for scholarship money is on--oh, and we still have our high school classes to do at the same time! The list of colleges my son is interested in is rather short--two to be exact--but that's okay. His sister is just a year behind him, so we have to keep that in mind. I've told them all along, "It's just a game. You play the game by their rules, and you can win, but it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with what kind of person you are or how intelligent, or the really important things in life." I read all the time about how colleges don't pay as much attention to test scores, but when your son gets a 30 on his ACT, and they offer a full-tuition scholarship for that--I'd call that a great deal of attention! So the sister will be studying... Actually he's still studying, because he took it at a residual testing center, and the score won't transfer away from that school, and he wants to make an even higher score!

Time to go pick up the sister at the train station. I wish you all could see the beautiful house finch on the bush outside the window--I love birds!

Thankful for the little things...

2006-06-24T14:09:00.000-05:00

I called Mother as we were returning from a youth retreat today...she couldn't remember where we had gone, or when we'd be home...at least she remembered that we were not home. I must be thankful for the little things...

College blues...

2006-05-30T14:35:00.000-05:00

We received our local paper today, with a big insert of senior 2006 pictures from the local schools. I usually look through to see if I recognize anyone. But I couldn't help feeling a "little panic attack" when I see the lists of honors and scholarships these young people have earned. Will things go that well for my son, whom I've kept out of my alma mater all these years? Will we be able to successfully navigate the college maze? Can he earn the degree he'd like to have without going into debt for umpteen thousand dollars?

These are the questions that run through my head. I've done the research, know it can be done...but it's just scary when you've never done it before. After all, he only has one life to live...

Kids say the funniest things...

2006-05-30T14:31:00.000-05:00

I teach a Bible class of 5 year olds, and we have one young student who is rather outspoken--we never know what she will say! This past Sunday I was relating something my 16-year-old son had done when he was much younger, and she said, "Why...he's a man! He's taller than everybody else at church!" Te-he-he. She's telling the truth--he is taller than most everyone else, and she just couldn't imagine he had ever been little like she is. Now that I think about it, it was just the other day he was so small...

Quilting Accolades

2006-05-20T20:35:00.000-05:00

My quilting guild held an auction this month, and I thought a miniature quilt might be a good item to donate. It is pictured here, and measured 8" by 9". My husband and I were celebrating our anniversary that night, so we stopped in to see how the auction was going. Much to my amazement, this little quilt racked up $220 in bids, and was the most expensive item auctioned! All I could think was "Wow!" I never imagined it would bring so much. Some people think I'm crazy for making such little quilts, but they sure take a lot less fabric, and I get quite a sense of accomplishment when I'm done. I've also been wrestling with machine quilting a queen size quilt for a wedding gift, and I was just vastly relieved when it was done. Just thought I'd tell you what the quilter's been up to!

Every day is Mother's Day

2006-05-14T22:20:00.000-05:00

Mother's Day is a bittersweet holiday for our family. We lost my mother-in-law rather suddenly three years ago, and we are losing my mother very slowly to some sort of dementia. We live close enough to Mother to care for her on a daily basis, so in a very real way, every day is Mother's Day.

Every day I make sure she's taken her medicine. Every day I pick up the little messes she's left behind. Every day I try to encourage her when she feels depressed about her lack of memory.
And almost every day, I struggle with the anguish of her becoming someone besides the Mother I once knew.

We are so thankful, though. I could make a good-sized list of the things she is still able to do on her own. She still knows and recognizes all of us. She still understands a good joke and laughs. She still enjoys looking out at the birds, flowers and deer.

A patchwork quilt would seem trite and uninspiring if it did not have some trials and struggles of life woven in, to provide contrast to the good times and the blessings.

Things No One Ever Told Me...

2006-05-11T17:17:00.000-05:00

When my homeschooled children were small, no one ever told me that eventually they would grow up. Oh, yes, people said, "How will you ever teach them chemistry!" And I just thought of my medical technology degree and smiled. But no one ever told me what beautiful people they would become.

No one ever told me that grown up kids really do learn how to spell eventually, with occasional help from the spellchecker, despite the umpteen spelling programs I've purchased and discarded.

No one ever told me that grown up kids have an excellent sense of humor, and there would be times of family laughter and jokes that I never imagined.

No one ever told me that grown up kids could learn so much more that I ever knew at their age, or even today--that they could have such great insight into deep theological ideas.

No one ever told me what tremendous pleasure and pride I would feel in reading things that my children have written--really awesome, imaginative stuff that other people compliment again and again.

If I had known that grown up kids were so much fun, I think I would have been willing to overlook a few more diaper days.

Patchwork of Life

2006-05-09T20:28:00.000-05:00

So this is the big wide world of blogs! Up to this point, I've only been a blog reader, not a blogger myself. However, I think I'll give it a try. I chose "Patchwork of Life" as a title because I am a quilter, and I see many parallels between the stitches of my quilts and the stitches of my life.

Every time I make a quilt, there is something I wish I had done differently--not necessarily mistakes, but doing things the hard way when I could have chosen the easier route. In life, many times we cannot go back and change a thing, but sometimes a situation occurs again, and we have a second opportunity to get it right.

Every time I make a quilt, I learn better how to choose carefully the colors and fabrics, because a wrong choice can make a big difference in the overall effect of the quilt. Our lives are filled with many choices, and sometimes a poor choice affects all the rest of your life, and how it turns out.

Every time I make a quilt, there is someone or some situation I am thinking about as I stitch. It may be a new baby in the family, or it may be a tragedy on the news that I can't stop thinking about. Those thoughts are intertwined with my stitches, and become a part of my quilt, so that I think of them when I see the quilt again.

May the stitches of your life and the patches you choose combine to make a beautiful life in the end!