[mle bb]

wow! lots of activities for everyone! lattemama whew! it will be so nice to have the rings home!

I wasn’t sure where to post this, but I had a very exciting pair of finishes recently when I finished 2 quilts for my Aunt and Uncle. My uncle was diagnosed with bladder cancer and has been going through chemo and is about to start radiation so he is on the path to recovery. The quilts were very special for me to be able to make (I made one for each of them) and I even called up family members and had them contribute prayers for me to write inside the bindings of the quilts. My Auntie and Uncle got the quilts this Monday (they live in another US state) and I am so happy for them to be at home with their owners! I just wanted to share my happy finish! 🙂 Thanks!

My blog post about it is here: http://emilybeckerbruzzini.blogspot.com/2013/02/billy-and-eileen-two-special-people-two.html

[cybele727]

Congrats on the finish AND good luck with the recovery.

[needlewoman]

Absolutely!!

[Tamara]

Wow! That is such a special thing to do! So much love and time goes into making just one quilt but to make it for a specific relative going through a specific health issue in order to aid recovery – you need the niece of the year award!

Latte mama, my son is studying “Vikings” at school. They have group names but I am not sure what his group is called. I haven’t told him yet that he is descended from Vikings himself – he may think he’s an expert on the subject!

What age do the children start school where you are Lattemama? I find it interesting how different countries have different educational strategies.

Meanwhile, I think we are having a focus on music activities this year. We have piano lessons on Monday after school but miss 10 has signed up for choir and guitar lessons at school! Now she is rapping in the shower!

[meleliza]

I limit the kids activities too, partly becau I believe in down time and free play and partly because the costs add up! We live downtown in a major city, so there is no end to what we could do. There are endless cultural opportunities, which is one of the reasons we want to live in the city, but we failed to understand the expense of it all. We alternate museum and other memberships every year, for example. My middle one is at an expensive preschool, so right now he gets nothing else. They do lots of art and music, so that’s good enough. My oldest does soccer fall and spring, and takes piano lessons. Middle one will start pianonnext year in kindergarten too. They will all learn until they can really do something with it, then I’ll let them choose, I studied classical music for many years, so I consider it an important part of their education. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough music in most schools. Baby girl does nothing now but a very excellent structured playgroup that all my kids did. It’s just once a week with me and she loves it! I do plan to start her in ballet in the fall, though. I’d like my oldest to take some art lessons, as they don’t get nearly enough in school. I think my middle one would benefit from drama classes and I’m searching out the right thing. Last summer, I got the boys swim lessons while at my parents. This summer, all three will do it. They don’t want too, and I don’t love swimming either, but it’s an important life skill. I’d like to do some camps for them this summer, but we’ll see if we can work it out. We go to the zoo a lot, especially in the summer, and fruit picking at local farms. Last year, we did the natural history museum, this year its the Franklin Institue of science. we have both beaches and mountains close at hand, not to mention the beautiful Amish countryside where there a living history farms and an historical railroad. Oh, I can’t wait for summer when we have time to actually do stuff again!

I hate the amount of homework they send back for little kids. The expensive schools don’t have it at all in early grades, and I think that is educationally correct. However, I struggle between feeling like I know a little better than the teachers and warning my kids to respect the schools authority.

How great to spend time helping out on the family’s farm. They’re outside, participating in the business, bonding and developing a good work ethic. One day, we hope to break free from the corporate drudgery and open a family business. I think it would be terrific for the kids to learn about. Not a farm, mind you, a nice city shop. 🙂 Hubby wants to open a pub, but don’t they all?

[meleliza]

Emily, those are wonderful quilts! I’m sure your aunt and uncle will appreciate them. Randomly, I have an Aunt Eileen and UncleBill too. Weird.

[lattemama]

In Sweden kids usually start daycare at 1 year old, then Preschool classes in Autumn the year they turn 6 and proper school the year after at 7.

Sofia goes to a fairly unstructured daycare. They let the kids play without too much adult interference in the way of daily schedules. They have a few items on the agenda but I know they are very flexible if the kids start a game of their own that works very well they sort of go along with it.

At preschool classes it’s still a bit like daycare but with a bit more structure. It’s worked very well for my oldest who turns 9 in July and starts third grade this Autumn. I think Sofia will settle in nicely too.

I would love to open/run a pub! That would be so much fun! A bit more work though than the teeny tiny online fabric store I operate (domestic only) these days parallel, with my (almost) full time job.

[needlewoman]

I’ve just heard on radio about terrible snow/wind storm hitting the 5/6 most northerly states on US’ East Coast. All non-essential travel warned against. Hoping that any forum members affected are ok, and that houses/trees/cars alright too. Will be staying tuned in for further news. Let us know you are ok, please.

Fiona

[needlewoman]

Checked out your quilts, Emily. They are just beautiful. Particularly impressed by your skill with modern quilt/quilting. I’ve been quilting for about 15, and am really taken by this new trend. Not so keen on the use of plain/solid fabric for background since it shows seams so much, but thrilled abt quilts that will appeal to a younger generation. Thanks for sharing your work.

[cybele727]

We got about a foot. It is a running winter wonderland, and during WeeGee’s nap time, the boy will go out and frolic.

We have a reputation for lots of snow, although undeserved. We get blasted with bad storms every couple of years since we are a land mass at the end of a large open body of water. weather systems move across, pick up water, and his the slightly warmer land, and DUMP! Lots at once and then none!

Last year we had green ski slopes. 1977 made our permanent snow reputation with 50 foot drifts.

Back in 2001, we got 6 feet over a 36 hour period. But we have the expertise to remove it quickly, unlike most major east coast cities. Not only that we have the expertise driving in it.

So we are normal here!!

[Tamara]

We had no power here the other day (did I mention that already?) so I haven’t had the chance to do much sewing this week. I felt exhausted yesterday it was 43 degrees and my fresh looking veggies were really wilting by the time I got home to 45 degrees and air conditioning! Thank goodness for that!

So this morning after running to catch up on a few things, I broached the subject of a possible instrument replacement with darling hubby, again! The kids have been learning piano (third year for miss 10 and second for N) with a lady in town who has taught just about everyone! Anyway the instrument we have been using is this stage piano given to us by my late mil and originally bought for my nephew (the almost adult one). Well the sound has never been great but I couldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth so we have plodded along with this thing and every year have vowed to have it looked at and possibly fixed. Well last year was the final straw when the middle “d” key went altogether in sound. It wouldn’t even show up on the display as being a note, unless you put it on song!

This morning I declared that it just had to be looked at so hubby in his diligence to oblige (and to save a few $) turned the thing upside down, unscrewed the many screws and pulled the back off to take a further look. We shifted keys (and accidentally broke some), we wriggled the keys to examine the mechanism and we even got the mini air compressor to clean it all down. After all that and the replacement of the back, it still didn’t work! I walked away in disgust and made a coffee and the next thing you know, hubby gets online and orders the digital piano I’ve been eyeing for the past few months!

I feel like I’ve won the lottery! My good husband has finally come through and we can now look forward to playing (and listening to ) a decent instrument – and fingers crossed there are no arguments regarding practise! The first lesson for the year is tomorrow so it won’t be here for that but by the end of the week I am hoping we will be settling it in.

[mle bb]

oooh a new keyboard sounds awesome! (puns love it!) I hope all are safe with all that snow though i am sure that the kiddos really enjoy it and a day off school too! Over here it is all icy but it will melt soon enough…

Thanks for all the nice comments about my quilts, my auntie called me and let me know that they love them and they are snuggling with them! 🙂 meleliza weird Eileen and Bill are good aunt and uncle names i guess!

[needlewoman]

That’s great! So good to hear from the giftees.

[rastis]

how exciting to get a new keyboard! hopefully it will excite the children to play it!

you’ve reminded me i need to get my piano tuned!

[meleliza]

The “big storm” here was about 1/4″ of snow. Kids were way disappointed. Maybe next time.