Embracing My Holiday

Now that the house is settled, waiting for Wilder is all I truly have left to do. It has been uncomfortable for me to accept my leisurely role in this interim, but the quietness instigates new challenges and tasks for me to conquer. I am reading up a storm -mainly fiction now that I have exhausted my pregnancy and birth books- and reminding myself that this is a rare treat I am enjoying now as my time will soon be consumed with caring for our little man. Allowing myself to embrace this holiday of sorts guilt-free, I am filling the days with peace, friendship and the activities of a domestic goddess.
Yesterday morning I had another Mommy Play Date with our good friend Katie and her two young daughters. To let you all know, Wilder will be marrying Madison, Katie's youngest, who was born in June. Okay, we won't force him -but they will definitely be good playmates. We enjoyed the natural wonders of San Gabriel Park and I got a taste of inter-mommy mingling that will inevitably occur once Wilder is old enough to interact with other children. There is a whole new realm of etiquette for me to learn at parks and playgrounds with other parents and their children. It was wonderful seeing Katie gracefully maneuver this (new to me) territory with her two year old, Olivia, as she balanced caring for Maddy.

After lunch I decided it was highly appropriate to make peanut butter oatmeal cookies. The result was heavenly! Such a wonderful blend of crispness from the butter and chewiness from the oatmeal! I enjoyed a couple of them over a hot cup of tea as I continued my read of Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw" -an appropriate Fall read as it is a classic ghost story. Even though the temperature is still in the upper 80's I can't help feeling like it's fall. Thanks to air conditioning, I can stay indoors and pretend it's 40 degrees (like it is in Alaska) outside and curl up with a hot beverage and book without feeling utterly ridiculous. If I was on vacation here I'd be at the neighborhood pool from sun up to sun down and be completely sun burnt. Since I live here -and it's supposed to be fall, at least where I come from- I'm embracing my instincts, regardless of the sweltering heat. It's fall, whether it feels like it outside or not.
Afterwards it became an afternoon and evening of musicals and thread, an intermingling of showtunes and the expeditious churning of the sewing machine which resulted in my first quilt. First I watched "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, " then "My Fair Lady, " followed by another round of the first, and the hand-stitched binding was completed with "Moulin Rouge." I must say, "Seven Brides" is a quintessential quilting movie. I felt so home-on-the-range-ish while I pieced together the brightly colored patterns and my top quilt came into being, listening to "Goin' Courtin'" and "Sabine Women." I felt that Millie and I were one. Pioneer life is so charming, yet realistically undesirable, so it's fun to pretend you're tapping into the roots of America while enjoying old traditions in the comfort of air conditioning and indoor plumbing.
I am amazed how easy this simple block quilt was to put together. Well, at least the top quilt was. The batting and, particularly, the binding were my greatest challenges. On the whole, it was a learning experience (as most things ought to be) and I'm a stitch wiser now for my next quilt -whenever that project comes around. With the completion of Wilder's curtains and this quilt I think my sewing bug is exhausted for the moment. Hm... now, which hobby will over take me next?