time to give

 Basting is the final step before adding the tiny stitches to create a quilt; this one is for Titus who is already
 9 months old. .  slow but steady, I'll finish by his birthday.
Perhaps I'm a slow but steady grandmother-I totter a bit when trying to figure out exactly how to be one.
I know a few things . . .to give my grandchildren time and affection, to read and play, to share the gospel,  to show them how I love the Lord Jesus, to pray for them-and for their parents.
 
3 grandchildren live near and 11 live far away (actually I'm waiting to meet the 2 tiniest boys).
My grandmother Paula lived near during my little years and my grandmother Violet lived near during my middle years. I'm remembering my dear grandmothers and wondering how they stayed close even when far away.
 Lord, teach me . . . stitching quilts for my grandchildren is the easy part.

Last month a friend asked me to spend "grandmother time" with her children. of course- I have time to give.
So, one afternoon I packed some books in my bag and drove across town for a visit.
I listened to piano practice and recitations; we drank tea, ate sweets, and practiced knitting.
They sat close as I opened James Herriot's Treasury for Children. I read Moses the Kitten and Bonnie's Big Day and when we couldn't decide what to do next, I suggested we cast lots.
Really? they questioned,
"Sure, it's what we do at our house." I assured them.

Tomorrow  I'll carry Benjamin West and his Cat Grimilkin in my bag. . .(they will love it)


To be a grandmother, a woman should walk by faith--and be meek.

his consolations

A few weeks ago I took my little granddaughters on an outing to the yarn shop;
Selma surveyed the mercerized cotton, the palette of bright colors; silently I hoped she would
choose the lovely green . . . after all, green is a good color for red heads.
But Selma chose pink, she adored the pink, and so I bought it.
I knit it up quickly, on the train, in the car, beside the river, and the night before she flew home to Mexico City, Selma wore her pink shrug to bed. I think she likes it.

Today I'm thinking how a knit stitch is always a knit and a purl stitch is dependable like that too; knits and purls in the right combination create something beautiful, almost always- it's predictable.
Life is bumpy, confusing. . .so I knit away and  remember that for the Christ follower, heaven is predictable, totally predictable.
When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, your consolations cheer my soul. (Ps 94:19)

I'm working on a list I call God's consolations:

His mercies are new every morning; great is his faithfulness. . .He is on his throne and his kingdom rules over all. . . His understanding is beyond measure. . .Jesus is and was and is to come. . .nothing, absolutely nothing can separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. . .

When my soul needs cheering, I review God's consolations; the list is growing.

Yesterday afternoon my husband made me a deal, "I'll mow the front and back if you buy the mulch, 4 bags, please"  So, I agreed, bought and carried the mulch. . . And this morning, Aye my aching arms and shoulders! (maybe hauling mulch builds bone density?)
And my husband mowed like Indiana Jones in the blazing Texas sun.

We're mowing and trimming fiercely, getting ready to drive off tomorrow morning before dawn-headed for California to see family and friends.
I'm leaving behind an unfinished project. . .our Josu is 7 years old-the quilt I made him at birth got lost somewhere between Spain, Los Angeles and Mexico-nobody's to blame.
So,  I decided to make him a new one; it looks a little more boyish than babyish and I hope he'll be surprised. Just maybe I'll finish the quilting before he comes to visit this summer.
Last week I read Proverbs 4. . .rocking the needle in and out, with tiny stitches, I  prayed for sweet Josu and for all my grandchildren,  words of truth:

My son, give attention to my words, incline your ear to my sayings;

 do not let them depart from your sight, keep them in the midst of your heart. . .

watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.

memories in little bags

I finished Ivan's quilt--finally. . .and very soon he'll pick it up in person.
A few weeks ago Julia came for a visit. I was in the midst of cleaning out the project room closet.
 "I think this is your junk room!" she said.
"Well, it's a room full of junk from my closet; really there's fun stuff in here." I encouraged.

One box held fabric remnants from 10 baby quilts sewn for 10 grandchildren;  Julia discovered a nice scrap of the pink rose flannel that I used for her quilt-7 years ago.
We didn't find any pieces from Josu's quilt. . . his is the lost quilt- lost somewhere between Spain-California-Mexico City (but shhh, I have a plan!).
We had fun among the junk that day; Julia helped me stuff the remnants from each quilt in little zip lock bags and then she labeled each one-she wrote Julia on the bag with pink rose flannel.

It was like putting memories in little bags, and best of all I got to share the stories with Julia.
I told her, "Now I have to get busy making 2 more quilts, one for little Titus and one for baby on the way.
A grandmother can't just sit around remembering. . .

to stitch and pause. . .

When life gets intense and I need to pause. . .well, sometimes I dig in the dirt or pull weeds. Sometimes I knead bread or fold clothes.
And often I knit or quilt a bit.
Here's Gwyneth's global quilt-Aunt Mercy chose the fabric and named the quilt. I think she will love it.
The other day I completed the final tiny stitches-the rocking motion of the quilting needle is good rhythm, pause in a busy life.

raw material

Sometimes the raw material just sits at my house, month after month, waiting for diligent hands to create. . . but other times the raw material is so lovely, it sits there and I simply enjoy the view, thinking about the potential-

So- here I have some stripes, some grey and blue, a hint of orange and the softest wool yarn, called Thyme. Some may call it "work in progress" but really, there's no progress- yet.

But soon I'll begin creating. . . for a little boy to be born this spring in Ohio.

assembly required

When you must rip out knitting-and sometimes you must. . . then the yarn looks like ramen noodles-til you knit it up again, or throw it in the trash, or give it to your darling grandson to trot around in his pocket.
So, I've ripped this little boy vest-ripped 3 times and started again with renewed confidence.
One day I was ripping and muttering.
John said,"Knitting--assembly required!"
I kept ripping.
"That's a joke. . .you're suppose to smile." he said.
he makes me smile- and this post is for Rachel, who faithfully rips to create something more beautiful!

just a button

So, I'm writing a post about a button-curious, but then the tiniest details seem to weave our lives together, don't you think?
This sweater is ready to send off to sweet Florence, but it needed a button- just one.
So I spilled out the button jar and quickly chose 4 or 5 possibilities. Then I asked my husband his opinion. . .fully expecting that he would respond, whatever-all good. . .
But he didn't-instead he chose the large colorful button, and really, I love it- and I love that my husband had an opinion about my handiwork. . .

as you like it. . .

While John's in California I'm doing some extra stitching. . .
Gabrielle asked me, "How do you choose which fabrics goes where?"
"As you like it. . .that's my motto!"
My favorite part of making a baby quilt is arranging the squares. I just choose lovely fabric (these are by Moda) and play to my hearts content.
Maybe I'll deliver this one to little Florence in person next month.
We'll see. . .

half-finished

This week I'm working to finish up all that is not . . .so, I added a little collar here-mmmm, not a perfect collar, but I doubt she'll notice. . .the sweet grandaughter we're expecting in July.
And next the buttons-maybe wooden or pewter?
And there's more unfinished stuff around here. . .yarn and fabric, reading and writing, sorting and sending; for me there's delight in the process aswell as the product-I love the feeling of a home in process-
(I think I wrote a post about that, once!)
But honestly- half-finished seems to be the theme around here these days.
I'm working on it. . .
Mostly, though, I don't want half-finished relationships.
Today-how can I bring God the most glory?
So, this week I'll make some phone calls, send some notes, set up some belated coffee dates, arrange some visits. . . and love the people in my life, wholeheartedly, until the end.

. . . a worthy pursuit

projects. . .old and new

I finally finished Adalyn's quilt-Mercy chose the fabric for this one-
I love it! Spring break this week-we'll hand deliver. . .

And I'm on to the next one-a quilt for baby Florence. . .

8 lovely fabrics, some with polka dots- 4 inch squares-create!

And one more. . . Josiah and Lindsey's baby girl will arrive this summer.

hmm-in Texas, New York, Tennessee- 3 dear grandaughters in a year.

to the snow. . .

So, I'm getting on another plane (with a small book in my bag) -this time I'm heading East, to New York and snow. . .me, a California/Texas girl in New York in January, imagine that?

I can't wait-Abigail and Nathaniel are there-and baby.

I'm packing some gender neutral things for him? or her?

And I wonder. . .brown eyes and rosey cheeks like Abi? or blue eyes and freckles like Nathaniel?

Ahh-this little one, created in the image of the Great Creator.

Wonderful.

driving, reading, knitting. . .

Long road trips mean driving-reading-knitting for John and me; he drives and I read aloud. Last week we plowed through D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The First 40 Years by Iain Murray. (more on that later!)

And when my voice is exhausted, we listen to good stuff on the CD player and I knit and knit. . .a bag of unfinished knitting projects traveled with me last week; I finished this Baby Suprise Jacket (Elizabeth Zimmerman)-you knit away on this one while wondering, what in the world is this lump of yarn?. . .and then finally- you see the little sweater forming!

I'm thinking of our Adalyn Grace who will wear it. . .

red, brown, blue. . .almost finished

In August, after our long summer trip, I was itching to settle into a home project. Gabrielle and I visited my favorite San Antonio quilt shop, Las Colchas. We were on a misson to choose "boy fabric" for a crib quilt I planned to make for little Landis-due to arrive in September; with quilt fabric, well. . .I'm not very adventurous-but look at the fabric Gabrielle chose! I reclined at the cutting table nodding and hmmming as she selected and arranged the bolts (me feeling and stroking the fabric!). And now after months of stitching, here it is, red-brown-blue, a quilt for our sweet 4 month old.
Hand stitched on the blue border, to Landis~ love gran. . .

3 years old and a pink sweater

A few weeks before Julia's 3rd birthday in February, I pulled a tape measure out of my bag and asked if I could stretch it around her little chest; she complied and then asked me, "you make me a sveater for my birthday?" Well, of course, sweet child, and how did you know?

Pink. . .she wanted it to be Pink.
Hmmm. . .I'd already purchased the yarn-it was kind of pink.
Finally, the birthday sweater is finished-we call it watermelon pink, and I think she likes it!

process or product?

After a lovely 3 week visit, my mom is back home in California and I'm settling into the cadence of my daily routine, reordering my priorities and filling the squares in my little calendar for May, June. . .


And I'm snatching a bit of time each day to stitch on Josiah's quilt. . .for you see, it's been 6 years in the making; you know those projects, the ones which begin with vision . . . The year Josiah graduated from high school- we planned the quilt together, he chose the pattern and colors and I commited to make it. . . . Then 6 years ago our grandchildren started arriving- Josiah's quilt was tucked away and instead I worked on tiny baby quilts.

My son and I engage in cheerful banter about this quilt, Ah, I see, Mom, another baby quilt. . .? I've heard it said that some folks enjoy the process while others enjoy the product, hmmm, process? or product? Each is a worthy pursuit-however I need to commit with more vigor to completing this product!

Making the tiny quilting stitches, I think about Josiah, I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of your calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe (Eph 1:18-19)

"No man can do me a truer kindness in this world than to pray for me" Spurgeon

for Selma. . .

. . . hard to believe-but last year right about now, I was in Pamplona, Spain waiting for Selma's birth-this little grandaughter who lives across the ocean with her parents, brothers, and aunt; this week she celebrates her first birthday! So, what's a grandmother to do?

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. . . .and sweet Selma, I'm so grateful forJesus, the Good Shepherd; He calls his sheep by name-the sheep follow him because they hear his voice. Papi and I pray for you, lamb, that soon the voice of the Shepherd will resonate truth in your heart and that you will spend your life following him wherever. . . .

love, gran