Gawd, that’s like the biggest parachute clause ever.

Anyway, in 2011 I’d like to…

• Run a half-marathon, currently scheduled for February 20. This sucker is just for finishing, not for time.
• Reduce the amount of meat in my diet. I’m not going vegetarian (lo, but steaks are too tasty), but I do think that less meat would be good for me and my family.
• For the meat we do eat, find healthier options – hormone free, vegetarian fed, free range, yoga practicing chickens and cows for THIS family, if at all possible.
• Use more coupons. It is amazing how much money you can save by just using the discounts that stores and restaurants provide.
• Complete 6 college classes (18 total hours). I’ve got 7 semesters until that degree is complete, and this year represents 3 semesters towards that.
• Teach my kids to ride their bikes.
• Finish a pair of socks. ONE PAIR. That’s all I’m asking. JUST. ONE. PAIR.
• Try more new stuff. Break out of my norm, and be open to new experiences
• Find a pair of jeans that fits

What about you? What’s on your list?

Anyway.

So, this is My First Quilting Bee, and I’ve decided to use these fabrics:

and cut them into these strips:

and ask these wonderful women (actually, the correct term would be “hoars”, ’cause you know, it’s LSG) to make blocks for me. In return, I get to make blocks for them; I’ll get to try blocks that I’ve wanted to try, but haven’t had enough time to actually turn out a quilt using them. It’s like a quilt block buffet! All you can piece! I’m very excited about it! Hence the exclamation points!

We made it through the first day of school; Mom cried a bit, like a sucker, but The Boy could not have cared less. He was all, GET OFFA ME when I tried to give him one last hug before he went into class. So much for that touching moment complete with violins I was envisioning. He came home that evening completely exhausted, which amused me greatly. This is the Energizer Bunny of 5 year olds, and here he is asking me if it’s bedtime already, because he’s tired. Hell, yeah, kid – go crawl into bed! Can you convince your sister to do the same?

But it keeps bugging you.

And bugging you.

For me, it was a bead weaving technique called Tubular Netting. I saw a picture of a bracelet someone made on Flickr, and I was entranced. And for the life of me, I could not figure out how they did it. It was infuriating. After digging for a while, I finally came across a tutorial that is more letter diagram than tutorial, but at least I was able to puzzle through it. I give you…completed tubular netting bracelet!

And of course, it was TOTALLY EASY once I found that diagram. Like, ridiculously easy. I have no idea where to wear it (or it’s red and black brother), but dude. I FIGURED IT OUT. So, once I had that out of the way, I had to kick into gear with my OTHER obsession: star blocks. Specifically, the tutorial that cauchy posted on her blog caught my eye – I had the fabric, I had a week off for vacation with no plans in site, and so I ended up knocking out a bunch of stars.

There are more of them now, of course. Not anywhere near the 108 I need for a quilt, but you know…it’ll get there.The orange and the aqua are knocking my socks off. It’s just so gosh darn happy that I almost can’t stand it. I’m not a fiddly quilter, not really into heavily seamed projects or anything with wonky cuts, but for some reason these little stars are doing my heart good right now.

Next week, I will officially be the mom of a kindergartener. School age. Joining the PTA and all of that jazz. It’s freaking me out that he’s old enough to do this, to lace up a new pair of sneakers and slap on a backpack and enter into an actual school where he’s going to learn to read and write and hopefully pick up some social skills that include not screeching every nine seconds. He’s going to have a lunch card and homework and the whole shebang. I’m looking forward to it, but I also kinda think that Monday morning may be a little hard for me, when we walk him into the school for the first time and leave him there for the full day to navigate the halls on his own. I hope that he has someone to eat lunch with on the first day. I hope he likes the kids that sit at his table in his classroom. I hope that his teacher sees how sweet he can be under the HIGH ENERGY label he’s got plastered to his forehead.  Mostly, I hope that he does well, because this is just the first step down the path of school politics.

The first of 13 years of schooling starts on Monday, little dude. I hope you’re ready for it. I know you’re ready for it. I’m not sure I am, though.

For example, these checkbook covers are adorable. I want to make a metric ton of them. And also, adapt them to passport covers. They wouldn’t really take that much time, but I’d also like to finish that lace scarf I posted last time. And the socks. And maybe turn out another quilt. And let’s not even get into the inspiration that Flickr is providing these days – I have to restrain myself some days from running straight out and buying fabric for the tons of quilts that I see and love.

And oh, the cooking I could be doing. Recipes everywhere, but not enough time to dig into the really juicy ones. THANKS, JULIA CHILD. That cookbook is the devil.

But I’ve got these responsibilities – kids, work, school, keeping the house in somewhat of a decent state, showering…things that stand in the way of my so-called hobbies (but let’s be honest, I’ve gone beyond the “hobby” stage with this stuff. Just don’t tell my husband). Although, I’d say that if they want to keep me from snapping people’s heads off, they’d give me mandatory knitting or sewing time every day. It’s really a public service that I’m doing, sneaking in a few minutes here and there between chapters of Economics, bath times, conference calls and the like.

For the crafty out there – please stop being so awesome, at least just for a while. You’re really distracting me from the things that I need to be doing to keep up appearances as a responsible adult.

With all of that comes the urge to…quilt? Wait. That can’t be right! I should be outside, soaking up the sun! I most definitely should NOT be putting together a quilt backing for a very large twin sized quilt.

I also should not be trying my hand at free motion quilting on that baby blanket I whipped together from scraps.

And DEAR LORD, WHY AM I NOT OUTSIDE? (That’s the Half Squares Quilt that I pieced a long time ago, and finally quilted and bound. I luff it.)

To be honest, I have managed quite a few hours of hanging around out with the kids. The weather is gorgeous, and luckily none of us suffers too badly from the allergies that seem to affect the rest of Austin so horribly. We’ve made it through our first soccer game

and what felt like a million Easter egg hunts, but was in reality only four.

It’s a busy time for us, but it’s been good busy.

ANYWAY, I have put my time to good use – setting up the house, hosting parties, and trying to figure out exactly why my two-year-old is attempting to wear me down with the shrill sound of her scream. Whatever the situation, it’s apparently appropriate to scream your little, tiny, red-faced head off, making it difficult to determine if you are in actual pain or just being a pain in the ass.

(Hint: most times? PAIN IN THE ASS. Trust me on this.)

Regardless of how insane she’s been acting, I still found the courage to dress them both up and hit the new neighborhood for Trick or Treating this year. I was accompanied by Optimus Prime and a ladybug fairy. And no, I’m not really sure what a ladybug fairy is, either, but when you’re two it’s really about getting to put on a fancy dress.

They made a pretty decent haul on the candy, half of which was confiscated because it isn’t age appropriate – like, she can’t have small, hard candy because she’ll choke on it. The Snickers bars we took are what we like to call the “Parent Tax”. It’s totally legal, I assure you.

There has also been some sewing and quilting being done. This:

Became this:

And I’m now plowing my way through a giant effing quilt for my husband; there is nothing I’d rather NOT be doing than dragging a full size quilt through my machine, but in the name of marital harmony, I’m totally doing it. Do you REALIZE how much hand sewing is required to turn the binding on something that large? I have a strained wrist, no joke, because of it.  I will totally be sticking to baby quilts in the future.