Tuesday, August 31, 2010

This and that

I've been meaning to do a few separate posts about stuff, but have kept procrastinating, so now they are going to be lumped together.

1. Earlier this month I was the reviewer and hostess for my book club.  This book club has been around for a long time.... about 27 years.  Long before Oprah had a book club.  There are very few of us who have been around for that long, but we are continually adding women.  Others drop out or move away.  It is an eclectic group.  The book I was reviewing was "My Life in France" by Julia Child and I had warned the group that I was going to "go Julia" on them and to wear their pearls.  I made beef bourguignon (just to give them a taste - not a whole meal) and chocolate mousse.  I rented the DVD of her TV series "The French Chef" and showed a clip from that.  I wore my mother's dress from the 50's.  I forgot to take pictures, but here is a picture of my mother in the dress:
We had a great time discussing the book and shouting Bon Appetit!

2. A year ago I went to a quilt show and saw a Halloween quilt displayed there that I fell in love with.  I bought the pattern and knew that I would never get it done in time for Halloween 2009, but decided to give myself a year to complete it.  I got it back from the lady that does really intricate quilting for me and it looks fabulous:

Oh, and that quilt store I went to in Oregon?  There was a quilt hanging there that I just had to make, so I came home and ordered the fabric and got the quilt top done.  I can't wait to do the quilting myself on this one:

3.  Last week David informed me that he needed glasses because he was always squinting.  Nice of him to mention it just 10 days before we take him to college.  But fabulous Costco came through for us and he picked these up yesterday:

The optometrist said that his vision wasn't terribly bad, but his astigmatism was and even though David told him he thought he just needed them for classwork, the doctor said he bet David would want to wear them all the time once he realized what he was missing.  When David walked into the house with his glasses he was amazed at how good the world looked!  He could see leaves on trees!  Colors were brighter!  Signs were readable!  He said walking around Costco he couldn't stop smiling!

4.  I can't even talk about the fact that my last child is leaving home.  His car left with his older sister on Sunday morning and I came into the house and cried.  It's really happening.  Where did the time go?  This was something I dreamed and fantasized about when in the throes of raising 6 kids.  But it signals an end of an era for me.  I am no longer a mother in that sense.  Something that I have been on a daily basis for 34 years.  It has been part of my identity as a person.  It makes me sad and makes me feel old.

7 comments:

Allison said...

Yay for glasses! I remember the first time I got mine, and each time I would get a new prescription. Trees have leaves! His glasses look great.

And #4 made me tear up. 34 years? This will be an adjustment. If the house is ever too quiet, just call me and I'll put chatty Emaline and screeching Annabelle on the phone. Put it on speaker for an hour and then you can go back to enjoying a quiet house.

Or just come visit.

Katie Ross said...

Those quilts are gorgeous! About 2 weeks ago I started making quilts for the boys for their upcoming twin beds. But it's a MUCH slower process than before they were born.

Anonymous said...

Love the quilts - gorgeous .. as always.

Love that David is your "Last Minute Man". He's so funny. Love the glasses on him - makes him look a lot like Mark. I remember when I got glasses (in 3rd grade) I had NO idea trees even HAD leaves. I just thought they were all green blobs. When I walked out of the dr. office with my mom and told her about all the things I could see, she cried. She felt terrible that I hadn't been able to see the world up until then.

Can't believe David is off to college. How crazy! I remember when he wasn't even IN high school. Time flies by for all of us. Enjoy your time with Mark! It's like honeymooning ALL over again! =o)

Sarah said...

1. I covet that dress.
2. YAY! The quilt looks FANTASTIC! 3. DOOV! He looks great. And classic that he tells you about it right before he leaves. Like it's the last project he needs to you do or something.
4. Now I'm sad. Are you going to come to my house and just cry? Because we can do that.

Becca said...

Aww now you make me cry!! How dare you say you are not a mother in the same sense! I still call you crying every couple of weeks just like I'm a toddler!

laura said...

Doov looks so handsome! I can't believe he's really going to college. That is ridiculous. Also, I bet you looked SO CUTE in that dress.

I want to come give you a hug.

kris nielsen said...

I love this post. The quilts, the dress, and thoughts about entering a new stage of life. I also love your daughters and their comments. What a wonderful family. Being emtpy nesters isn't all that bad. Yes, there are empty spaces in your home, but there are no empty spaces in conversations. Technology is great!