What It Means To Be A Mom

Today I sat in my screen porch in my favorite chair and as usual did one of my favorite things in the world and that is watch the birds. We have an abundance of colorful songbirds who enjoy our backyard. As I wrote earlier ,we have a wrenthat was so impatient to build a nest and start a family that we didn't even have a chance to put the bird house up. I had a bird house on a post just leaning against the corner of my screen porch when she started to build the nest. It didn't matter to her that it hadn't even been nailed upright. I explained to all my grandchildren who were of course very curious that they musn't disturb the nest as she was going to have baby birds very soon. Well, that just made them all the more curious and it wasn't long before the post got knocked over and lay precariously on it's side. Again I warned them to leave it alone as I was afraid that the mother wren would certainly be done with that house after all the comotion. It wasn't long before the mother wren was back and sat very quietly on the edge of a wooden flower pot and cocked her head from one side to the other as she wondered what had happened to her house. She seemed reluctant to go inside but finally did and quickly popped her head back out and did a 360 of her head as you could see her trying to figure out what happened. Well, being the good mother that she is, she continued to nest but I think it took her at least a day and about 100 trips in and out of her house to get it situated the way she wanted it. I was relieved, it looked like she was going to stay! A week passed and one of my grandsons came and he decided that the post had to be uprighted so up the post comes and of course an angry mother wren quickly flew out and lit on one of the nearby branches and very loudly let us know that she was not happy. I always wondered how such a little bird could have such a loud presence. I knew I had to intervene in some way to make this house a little more permanent, at least long enough to bring these babies into the world. I propped the post up into the corner and planted a heavy flower pot against one side of it and then pushed a flower box against the front of the post so it couldn't go anywhere. In doing this, I made sure that the front of the bird house was now visible from my favorite chair. Now I am in heaven, (that is what my sister-in-law calls my screen porch) I can now watch her even closer as she is only about 10 feet from my chair. Now, I can't wait for the grandkids to come and sit on Grandma's lap and watch the birds.As I was sitting there today, being reflective about my special mother-in-law who just passed and thinking about her role as a mother to my husband and watching the mother wren do her job (the babies are here now, we can hear them very plainly) I found myself comparing how we as mothers are much like bird mothers and how much our children depend on us for the things we do.Somedays I look at my house and it seems like it has tipped over, because everything is out of sorts, and even if I get the family to help, it is still me, the Mom who orchestrates everything. When it comes to nourishment, it is me the Mom who initiates the cooking and I am the one who makes sure the meal is balanced so the family is properly nourished. Just like the mother wren, it takes about 50 trips around the kitchen to get it all together and feed the brood. She, the mother wren never seems to tire, as she is always, alert, chirps like she had a swig of serotonin, and flits about like she nevers needs Ibuprofen or Aleeve to get her through the day. And I will bet that she nevers eats the last worm either.She gives it to her kids. Ay least they don't have to do laundry and keep track ofwhether or not the family has any socks left or where that blue shirt is that was in the laundry last week. But I do believe they have good memories, because every year they have to fly all the way back from down south, and how in the world do they remember this weather beaten little 6 x 6 house on the corner of my porch. Can you imagine how many houses they must pass on their way up here? And the other thing that is so amazing, as I have been watching it for years, they always arrive on May 9th. Coincidence?? I don't know or just a darn good Mom keeping track of everything as usual??Mom's are amazing people who have amazing strength and do amazing things for their families. I know I will be keeping close watch on my deck family, I just have to see those babies take their first flight. I have a feeling I will have lots of company, because my grandkids and Minnie (my cat) are very interested in the activity in that little house. This will be my stitching spot for quite a while.
Happy Stitching! Carol

Designing Thoughts

Recently, I was thinking about all the new designing ideas that are starting to fall under the realm of the "Quilting Umbrella." Nowdays, you can walk into a quilt shop and find designs and patterns from anything from little girls dresses to aprons, totes, quilts wallhangings, towels, stitchery and many other items. I think we have the quilting industry to thank for the renewed interest in sewing again. However, also the fabric designers themselves. The selection is overwhelming, and the colors are spectacular. We owe a lot of gratitude to the shop owners also for their never ending willingness to help customers with product selection, demonstration of new products and also classesthat are designed to utilize the products invented and also the different uses of the fabric designed. When I had a quilt shop, I had an older customer come in one day to shop and look around and she finally shook her head and said, "Oh, how I wish I had been born twenty years later." I think that pretty much sums up how a lot of of the older generation of quilters felt.
I am grateful that I have been able to live and see this "renewed interest in quilting and sewing in general. Now we just heed to get our younger generation involved and teach them the newest tricks and techniques.
Happy Stitching! Carol