Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Today's life questions answered. Or not.


Today's life questions?  Best blog archive service these days? What to make with my long hoarded Liberty fabric? How to watch your first born get into a car and drive away?

Every year I've had my blog, I've used an online service to slurp the year's contents into a hardbound book. Well, not every year because the last book I have covers 2013. That means I have to get 2014 and 2015 printed and bound. Wondering if anyone has any great suggestions for a company to use seeing as how I've been out the game for two years. 

Bueller? Bueller? 




Second, I've been collecting Liberty fabric for six or seven years and finally pulled it all out and let it sit on my cutting table until I had a plan. I cut every last bit of it into 4" squares for a total of 1,350 squares. I'm making a king sized and a double sized quilt with it for my mom. She's a special mom deserving of special quilts. Plus, I'll be able to visit them often and make sure she is taking good care of them.  


Lastly, this one got her driver's license last Friday. As we were headed there, her in the driver's seat, I let her know the pitfalls of being a first born child. I know she is experiencing it daily but I thought hearing the words come out of my mouth might be  . . . oh, I don't know. Reassuring that I'm aware of her plight?  She has the unfortunate circumstance of being my first born. She is the one who has taken the brunt on teaching me all the parenting stuff first. Teaching her to drive Having to learn how to drive from me hasn't been easy. I haven't been the picture of patience. And I've dragged my feet on more than one occasion at the prospect of her advancement. It just all feels so very big. Watching her get into a car and driving away. By herself. Without me right there. Yeah, yeah. Wings. I know. I love watching her grow hers but the feelings are real. Big and real.

-dana

7 comments:

Susie Q said...

I am an oldest child who had to break the parents in.... but my sister 13 months younger use to gripe at me about getting my mom all worked up about something and THEN driving away...... and little sister had to listen to the upset mom for awhile. THEN one day my sister thanked me for being the oldest!!!! it was all worth it...

the momma said...

Oh, I know all too well how you feel! My 4th is graduating this year. We home school. He has always been home. And my heart just breaks every time one of his siblings nonchalantly says something (anything ;-) that even suggests at the prospect of him not being here ("It won't be long and you'll have to drive us to TKD 'cause Brandon will be too busy with college" that sort of thing...)
I'd love to tell you it gets easier, but, it doesn't.
(the Liberty is really nice though! Sewing it up will offer some distraction at least, from their business of growing up ;-)

sigh
~ Tracy
p.s. I keep meaning to get back and comment on your absolutely gorgeous 'plus inside of economy block' quilt, but that hasn't happened yet. I adore it!!

www.randomthoughtsdoordi.com said...

Ah parenting. I often tell my oldest, now 40, that I wish I could get him back as my youngest so I could show him how much he taught me. I'd be a much better parent to him. But you don't have to apologies because from what I have seen you are an amazing parent.

yarnivorous said...

Oh wow. You are giving your girls wings with which to fly - you're doing a good job - and wings might mean they can fly away but they can also fly back home too :-)

Osage Bluff Quilter said...

I remember when may oldest drove off for the first time alone. I was am sure more afraid then he ever was. But soon it lead to hey, can you take your sister...can you stop and get me some milk... drive yourself to the 6 AM practice. So in the end it was a big help. In case that makes you feel any better.

I am curious to learn about your blog archive service. I've never done that.

Denise in PA said...

Dana, I've always said (and particularly to my daughter-in-law - my grandson just turned 16 and got his driver's license), your child driving is the scariest thing every! I told her I was sorry, it just is and I had no good advice for her - LOL Yours will be fine...and hugs to you! o:)

beth said...

eeeeek!!! my oldest gets her permit in a few weeks... whaaat the whaaat???? i can't even imagine it yet!! but, as the oldest myself i know so well how she feels and am confident she will be a good driver, but i cannot imagine this stage of not being in control so very literally!!