Creative Homemaker

End of the year, (ok, actually beginning of the year actually, but I did these last year...) tally. The first finish was Robby's Winds of Sodor quilt.  It's made from strings and crumbs--wonky log cabin style.  It's the second in a series of three quilts for my boys' room.  The back of Robby's quilt has a train panel given to me by a friend who knows I quilt.  I added extra wonky log cabin blocks around the perimeter of the panel.  We now have a sort of two-sided quilt. I quilted it in a overall swirl pattern. It's interesting to see the improvement in my quilting.  That first wonky log cabin is, well, quilted, but not good at all. The pattern is laid out in a "streak of lightening" pattern, The light colors zig-zag across the quilt diagonally. You can see the stitching better here.  Robby says it looks like wind. The next quilt I finished is from February.  My father in law died and it's made from his shirts.  It's styled...

The kids are in bed, tucked safely in. All is still at my house when {Whoomp!} the windows start rattling, and the floor shakes. Then again 30 seconds later, and another two on the heels of the last. Whoomp! Whoomp! Whoomp! I'm used to it, I guess. I live near the firing range and boy do these soldiers like to blow things up! Call it training, night fire; some of my neighbors may call it annoying and wish they hadn't moved so close. My kids are used to it. They'll sleep right through. They have grown up near the firing ranges most of their lives, they don't even ask me what that noise is anymore. That's part of being a military family, part of being near a military post and part of being truly an American. That is the sound of freedom. The sound of peace in action, the sounds of protection. I don't find it annoying at all. I find it to be a great comfort. Whoomp! Whoomp! Whoomp!