{a little wordy}

I got a new chain for my favorite cross the other day; the old chain had survived a couple of grabby babies before G yanked it from my neck last summer.  When I wear a necklace, I tend to leave it around my neck always, fiddling with the chain or the cross whenever I'm nervous.  After the long absence of its comfortable weight, the chain feels good--like I've slipped on an old shoe.

Today I was thinking about other things I've let sit inactive for a long period of time. (Like a certain blog?)  The world is so crowded with things to do!  Aside from the daily care of my babies (large and small), home, and relationships, there are books to read! Projects to sew! Sweaters to knit!  Lessons to prepare! I've had quite a bit of difficulty lately narrowing my focus to just one thing, mostly because I want to do everything simultaneously and. right. now.

I did manage to gather all of my powers of concentration to make a quilt for Z's first decade.  It wasn't quite finished in time for her birthday, but I sewed last hand stitch this afternoon.  She wanted it on her bed right away, but I think there are still a few threads to snip here and there.  Z helped make many of the fabric decisions, and most significantly the fabric for the backing.  It's challenging to give up the control of making to an almost ten-year-old.  She and I differ widely in our preferences. The backing fabric is from JoAnn, and definitely not one I was drawn to among all of the choices.  An older woman, far more experienced in quilting than I, saw us deliberating over all of the fabrics and took charge.  She examined our quilt sample and began to pull bolt after bolt from the shelves, explaining each choice.  While I was beginning to get nervous about the mess we were making, Z zeroed in on one particular fabric and proclaimed it "the one."  The woman was ecstatic about it and went on about how it would bring the quilt together.  I wasn't so sure, but decided to defer to Z, the quilt recipient.  She chose well, and the back does indeed look all the wonderful ways that woman said it would.

I've also recently gotten my first Soul Gardening, and have read and re-read it.  It's taken me four children to settle comfortably into the vocation of motherhood.  Notice I didn't say "excel at" or "love every day of."  But I no longer feel like I need to be raising children and doing something worthwhile on the side.  Raising children is the something worthwhile.  Period.

B, never the sports fanatic, is following the World Cup and referring to the Greek team as "we."  As in, still sweaty from his run, "Let me have the computer so I can see how we're doing!"  We tied with Japan, which is not good news.  And I suppose he's now Dr. B--officially.  He defended his dissertation in November, but walked at graduation mid-May.  Every time I see the photo of our family (taken by my mother-in-law) it puts a smile on my face.  It's so typical!  B is saying something to M and T, who are paying more attention to G.  Z has a 20 lb. book in her arms, and is the only one looking at the camera.  I'm...?  No idea.

The photo of Super G was taken by a friend at our playground.  I say "our," but it's just the one that our kids request every time we get together.  A few days after this photo, he had a cape mishap and had to get stitches in his lip.  Weirdly, it's in the same exact place that M had to get stitches a few years ago.  The photo was also taken a few days before his first haircut, so between the lip and short hair, he looks so different.  His words have absolutely exploded.  Every day brings a few new ones, and today he learned the Greek for "myself"-- as in "I'll do it all by myself, thank you."  I hardly know him!

Some of these photos are a bit of an Instagram rehash.  Sorry about that.  There just don't seem to be enough hands or moments to whip out the camera.