Inverted

(Sorry about the bad picture. I took it at 11:30 last night.) As I was sewing all those strips together, I remembered that the shop sample was an inverted trip around the world. And it was stunning. (It had to be, or I wouldn't have bought the kit, right?) So I decided to try that setting. Well, I think we have a winner. While watching Independence Day, I ripped the extra seams and laid this out on the floor. I really think it looks sharp. It is going to take a while to sew because I feel the need to pin every intersection. But I really think I will be proud to donate this quilt to Quilts of Valor when it is done.

More Update

All the strip sets are sewn, pressed, and now have been made into loops for me to cut. I am writing out the layout before I move to the next step because I don't understand the one that I have. It's a good thing my sixth grader needed graph paper the other evening to understand slope and intercept, so I know where the graph paper is located.

On a completely different note... I got accepted into the Georgia Teacher Alternative Preparation Program, which is the certification program to which I applied. I won't know for another few weeks if I passed the test. However, this program works with the school systems to place teachers from their program. So it is definitely a step in the right direction. Yea for me!

Updates

First off, kindergardener's first art class was this week, and he had a blast! He freaked out at first because it was not his normal routine to stay after school. However, his teacher called me from her cell phone and she and I managed to calm him down. I ran up to the school in case it started again, but the art teacher said things were great, so I went grocery shopping. They made clay animals that they will glaze in a couple of weeks. He is all set to go back. He said he made an elephant and a dinosaur.

What is it with my kids and elephants and dinosaurs? When my oldest was little, we didn't need a membership to the whole zoo, just the elephants. Of course, they don't sell them that way. Newt Gingrich has been known to hang out at the elephant compound at Zoo Atlanta. I try to keep a large distance between us. I have a gorgeous pair of ceramic elephant earrings. I stopped wearing them after someone asked me if it was a political statement. What? Only Republicans like elephants? So now I wear my stegosaurus earrings when I visit the boys' schools.

I have 5 of the 6 strip sets done for the Trip Around the World. My plan is to finish the last one today, do the sub-cutting, and tonight, while I veg in front of the TV, re-open the tubes. Hopefully this weekend I will get the quilt laid out.

Now I have a dilemma about this quilt. I am making it for the Quilts of Valor project, with which I am very excited to be involved. However, the quilt is from a kit, so it is not one of a kind. Is that ok? I feel like I should be doing something unique and wonderful for this young woman who has given a limb, eyesight, uterus, something for our country. I must say, it is haunting me a little.

Quotable Quotes

I took the test last weekend in an English classroom. The following quote was hanging on the wall:

You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.
~Rick Bradbury


I am currently reading Wicked by Gregory Maguire. I was inspired to read this book after hearing about a mom who successfully got an AP English teacher to take it off the syllabus. Nothing like a good book banning to make me want to read. I am not that far into the book, and I have yet to find it offensive. After all, it is just a book. I am not saying that if there is a book on your child's reading list you don't think they are ready for, by all means tell the teacher you want your child to read a different book. Suggest another book that will accomplish the same goals. But I don't think one parent should be able to change the reading list for an entire AP English class. We had a parent in my son's elementary school that tried to get a number of books removed from our library. She was told that she could say her child was not allowed to check out those books, but that they would not be removed from the library. I have yet to check if The Higher Power of Lucky (see Dorothy's post) is in my kids' school libraries. I suspect it is. If not, maybe I'll donate it...

Well, I had another quote, but it was pretty political, and I decided I didn't want to go there today. I am too fragile about things like that right now.

Back in the Studio

I went back into my sewing room today. I am working on a top for the 40 Quilts of Service. This one is for a wounded female soldier via the Quilts of Valor project. It is a kit from many years ago of a blue and white Trip Around the World. I already have 2 of the 6 strip sets put together. I have spent today ironing everything, since it has been in a bag for over two years. I am looking forward to getting it all together.

My houses and Nursing Mom are up on my design wall begging to be worked on. When I get this top together, I'll get back to them. Looking at the houses, I really don't think they need a lot more. Maybe some stars in the night sky or some trees or maybe a surfboard.

And don't let anyone fool you... Life with four kids is very busy. We have soccer Monday-Wednesday, an orchestra concert Thursday, a birthday party for both older boys to attend on Friday, soccer games Saturday morning and afternoon, and a soccer game to attend Saturday evening. Next Monday starts art classes for Ed, to add on to that above schedule. I am still hanging on to the whole family eating dinner together, but it is getting harder and harder. That was so important to my parents when we were growing up, and it is important to us now.

Thanks!

Thank you for all the good thoughts and prayers. I won't know if I passed for a month. And then, they only say pass or fail, not a score. So, I will do my best to relax for a month and do some fun things like reading and starting a garden and, of course, sewing.

Good Thoughts, Prayers, whatever appreciated

The certification test is tomorrow afternoon. I am getting nervous. I know I can do this math. I know I can. But, if you have a minute tomorrow, and you think about it, I would appreciate all of your good thoughts and prayers. Thanks!

And Monday, the little people and I will be in the studio!

I's Friday, I'm in Love

Who gets that musical reference? Amy?

Well, I am signing Ed up for the art class. It is about 3-D art, and I think he will have a blast. One of the little girls in his homeroom class is also taking the class, so that should be fun for them. Yes, he claims girls are ooey, but he just does that because he is supposed to.

We went to the school production of Oklahoma last night. I thought it was very good for 4th and 5th graders. The sets were very elaborate. The costumes were, too. I better practice my garment sewing before my kids get that age. Oh, and where do you find chaps for 5th graders? I guess they won't be doing Oklahoma again for Ed, but by the time Sam is there they may recycle it, and I might need some.

I think I will take today off studying and do some fun stuff. Maybe I will finish the heart quilt. Maybe I will work on my little houses. I probably will end up studying some, just because I will feel the need.

Have a great day!

Art Classes

I am signing my kindergartener up for an art class. It will be interesting to see what comes out of it. He is excited. The proceeds go to a good cause, the school foundation which pays for us to have an extra art teacher. I do hope the art teacher makes some money, because I am sure we don't pay her enough to begin with.

So what is your take on art classes? I never took an art class in my life. I did take piano lessons, ballet lessons, viola lessons, acting classes, etc. Are art classes similar?

(And I know some of you are thinking I was one of those overscheduled kids. I was not. My folks kept us busy. It was their keep us off drugs program, I am sure. However, at no time were we stressed out about all we were doing. It was a lot of fun.)

WIP Wednesday

Did you know they have Cliff Notes for EVERYTHING? When I was in high school, my parents would not let us use Cliff Notes for English class. Yes, we had to read all of those books, cover to cover. My husband, on the other hand, well, his mother would go buy the Cliff Notes for him. So it will be interesting to see what our household rule on Cliff Notes will be. With our oldest in 6th grade, I have a feeling it will come up pretty soon.

But, I have found out that Cliff makes notes about things besides literature now. I have been studying the Algebra II one today. It is pretty interesting. It tells you how to do the problems, but not a lot of the why. For example, it gives all the rules for logarithms, but it never explains why they work. Anyway, they are still the same bright yellow books they used to be. They just cover a lot more topics.

So what does this have to do with my Work in Progress? I am working on getting certified to teach high school math. So that is what is in progress.

Sparkles

As much as I have always wanted to make fun quilts, I have never really done any surface embellishing. Well, I have been having a blast adding beads and sequins to my watercolor heart quilt. My two year old helps pick out the sequins and beads. I am about 3/4 of the way done with it. I have not been working on it much because I am studying for my teacher certification exam. But that is in two weeks, so after that I should have some breathing time again.

So I am curious, what do you all add to quilt surfaces? What are your favorite things? Where do you get them? What are some of your favorite on-line resources?

The Amazing Reading Race

One of our family's favorite television shows is The Amazing Race. We have been watching it for a number of seasons. We even bet on it. I am not liking this "all-star" season as much as other seasons, but I am watching it.

I have been trying to think of ways to make the boys want to read. So today, we started The Amazing Reading Race. They chose the first book for the race. The sixth grader is reading "Spell for Chameleon" by Piers Anthony and the kindergartner is reading a Magic Tree House Book. I wrote them each a clue, which tells them how many chapters to read. When they finish those chapters, they will get a prize. The younger one is getting baseball cards. I think the older one will get a song from i-tunes. Or maybe he can get points towards a gift card to Target. When they finish the books, the prize will be bigger, like a movie night with Dad or their aunt and uncle, who like to take the boys to kids' movies.

If anyone has any ideas for prizes, let me know...