How does the Sun still Rise and Set ~ if the world has stopped turning?

Today we saw the faces of our children.

they were beautiful

they were perfect

I woke up this morning

to feel them both kicking.

Playing games.

they tapped in unison

1 – 2 – 3 – 4

Saskia & Arne

were born Tuesday

28 February 2012

We held them

as long as we could

and then we said

our farewells.

They are in the arms of angels now

keeping watch over us.

This chapter of our lives has ended

and we don’t know where the story will pick up again.

We don’t know when we will feel alive again.

Maybe the coming Spring will warm our hearts.

Maybe it will come with Christmas,

when it’s time to celebrate the birth

of another Child.

the One that will help us through this agony

-------------------------------

I am going to step away from my blog for a while.

I don’t know when we will be able
to pick up the phone again, answer the door.

Do not worry.

I will be back but I will take my time. 

The brick and mortar shop will be closed indefinitely
but if I have the strength and ability I will try to release some of my projects
(Nesting and Oma Lena) ... watch for small updates know and then.

Blog posts are likely to be sporadic ... as soon as I can I'll add a few blocks to
Morning Star, Morning Bright and release the border pattern for Got Dots.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

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Do You Mind if I Knit

To keep my hands busy but my head quiet in the evenings I have a new hobby ... of course I don't have a "stash" to support this crazy hobby (hmmm, could it be worse than quilting?) but I have been pinning loads of project ideas.

So yesterday I went with my iPad in hand to Stoffenidee in Gent ... and came home with this ...

We're still not 100% about the babies' sexes although I think it's safe to say we're not having two boys. Shopping when you don't know can be very interesting ... here in Belgium the neutral is beige, blech - lots of beige.

So I'm trying to cover myself in the case of all contingencies. Friday another scan is scheduled so hopefully we'll know more and I will stop the incessant worrying - or does that ever go away? Tomorrow we're HALF WAY - 20 Weeks already. I'm still waiting for someone to pinch me and say "ha, wake up, you were dreaming." 

I don't have anything to show for all my yarn yet but you can get an idea of what I I have in mind  here on Pinterest. Have I mentioned lately that I am addicted to Pinterest? ... oh yeh, and Chai :)

So now I have a weird question - do you think it would be weird to add yarn to my baby wish list? We already have oodles and oodles of baby clothes and are now saving up for the big ticket items like a stroller and carseats, cloth diapers and the perfect rocking chair. And I've gone a little weird and added a few of my favorite holiday cartoons to our Amazon wish list - but is it even weirder to ask for yarn? 

There are sooo many things I want to make ...

By the way if you're a user, you can find me here.

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One Cold & Snowy Saturday Morning

The shop is open but it snowed yesterday ... there's enough traffic out there but I'm not expecting visitors - Belgian quilters just don't like to go out in the snow. But that's ok, I have a rotten cold and I'd rather not share it with anyone. I still got up this morning after a "reasonable" nights sleep, showered, dressed and opened the shop at 10 - just in case. Then I flipped the switch that turns on my sewing machine, desk lamp and iron and sat down ...

 

Three hours later I had this!

Well, three hours minus plenty of stops to eat a bowl of warm soup, blow my nose countless times and let the cats in and out and in and out. The dog? Oh, she'll gladly just stay in and curl up next to my new pellet stove ... or rest her nose on my lap looking at my with those sad eyes saying "are you sure you don't want to come out and play in the snow with me?"

Did I mention it's a balmy -9C / 16F out there! Hey, it's improving ... we woke up to -11C!!

I'll stay in, thank you, and play ...

Now, if this static would just go.a.way! I was cutting the squares yesterday to get started ... and having to peel them off my cutting mat.

The little strips from squaring up, instead of falling into the waste bin like I wanted jumped and stuck to the walls. That is - the ones that I didn't have to shake off my hands first! UGH!!

I'm going to take a break now and go whip up a batch of cookies for the hubby ... he's working this weekend. It's football (soccer) season so they're working 12 days straight loading trucks to head out to venues for finals. I thought he might want a nice cuppa tea when he comes home ... now if I could just decide what kind to make - any ideas??

Enjoy your weekend, Jovita




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When your JOB is what you LOVE to do ...

... it's hard to take a break.

I love quilting, quilting is my job. So I often find it hard to take time out and not think about a project that needs more work or a design for a new quilt. Wonderful color combos? I see them everywhere? New ideas are endless. Controlling the urge to start a new project - almost pointless. And don't even get me started with Pinterest ... just what an over active mind needs (not!) ... a place to see what everyone else things is wonderful.

Add to this wonderful mix the fact that I am pregnant ... don't get me wrong - I am completely over the moon. Today I am celebrating the beginning of week 19! After years of disappointments I am still waiting for someone to pinch me and tell me it's all a dream.

So this pregnant thing is adding a dimension to my quilting that I hadn't expected ... more excuses! Why I need to do this or shouldn't do that or can't (won't) have do another and even worse I don't have time. Being tired and having to alter clothes are one of those excuses.

Which explains the need to "relax" ... just take it easy ... when a couple of weeks ago I needed to reward myself for finishing two quarters of tax filings for our two businesses. Nevermind that the house needed cleaning and there was plenty of "work" to do ... it was the weekend. And I was too tired to knit - my new "hobby."

I needed instant gratification. NO math, limited color choices and basic skills required. I had been fighting the urge to start yet another project ... but I caved. And I'm glad I did. This is MY project. I don't have to think, I don't have to plan I can just grab the pattern and go ... well almost.

Enter the "Just Takes 2" block of the month quilt along hosted by Gay Bomers and Brenda Papadakis.

You can read more about it here, but the premise is two make a two color quilt using traditional patterns as seen in the Infinite Variety exhibition shown last summer at the American Folk Art Museum in New York. If you missed it (like I did) there is a very interesting (and free) iPad app ... I am still oogling these quilts!

But I have other plans for a red and white quilt so went down a different route when I began considering doing this BOM. Tangerine and Snow! Wow, huh? It's a real zinger. Then I remembered an amazing stripe I have from years ago - nearly an entire bolt. I had always pictured it in a young boys room but hadn't found THE quilt. So there you go ... I'll plug away at a quilt hoping that one day it will go in a little boys room with curtains of the same stripe.

But true to style I am making changes again ... reversing the values, leaving out blocks I don't like, substituting blocks I think make more sense because I'm not going to do the optional "redwork" embroidery, etc. These are the blocks I've made so far ...

1. JT2-A, 2. JT2-3, 3. JT2-4, 4. JT2-5, 5. JT2-2, 6. JT2-8, 7. JT2-7, 8. JT2-9, 9. JT2-11

And the next installment was just released. Luckily although slightly disappointing it's only two blocks. But I'm off to print and plan until hubby comes home. 

Unfortunately stitching will have to wait as we have a *house job* tonight. 

Our very mild winter finally succumbed to those Siberian winds and our temps plummeted ... 

to -7C / 19F last night ... leaving our bath tub and sink drain frozen solid. 

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Camaraderie and Quilting

Wow! What a fabulous way to end the month of January and celebrate a whole pile of friendship. Fourteen ladies trickled into the shop yesterday for the first Patchwork & Quilting BEE of the year. 

We laughed and stitched the entire day away.

I even managed to snap a few pictures. 

Stunning isn't it? The combination of Silk and Kaffe Fasset never disappoints!

You might recognize this! Antoinette did a lovely job of interpreting my free pattern.

Eveline is busy with our original Oma Lena BOM ... aren't her colors fascinating?

Bernadette had a new project with her today ... I can't wait to see what comes next ...

Proof that the sun was shining and they were still able to concentrate and chat and nibble.

All in all I couldn't have asked for a better way to kick of a year of quilting bees. Sad to see that the month of January is already over but excited about February - we're celebrating two years of the shop in Kalken! Stay tuned - that means a sale and special events!

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