Another quilt

I've been bad at keeping up! But hey its been a busy winter and now almost spring! Yesterday it was 60 and sunny here in PDX. Never mind its raining and 50 now. Spring is certainly in the air because my garden is waking up with spring bulbs!

I digress... I wanted to show this quilt I made for our nephew Vihaan. Combination of vintage Micheal Miller transportation pieces. I love Micheal Miller.
My sewing machine has been threaded for weeks... my other projects will debut here soon...

The Travel Bug

We LOVE to travel, and the wanderlust did not skip Anjali!
Our trips usually involve long flights and I like to make sure she is occupied.
Last year my SIL got her this fabulous Posh International roll-on bag that is small enough for little kids while making them feel like adults. In it are her favorite small toys: Manike, her globe trotting doll baby, a doll blanket, washable markers, a kids activity book (coloring, writing), a small reading book, a cell phone ('cause you have to make a call when you land!), and always a little surprise. This time it was a little (Barbie) Kelly doll with her own clothes and shoes! These kept her occupied for hours much to the flight staff's surprise.

New Cousin

A new cousin entered Anjali's world on November 17th. Vihaan Akshay Prakash. We are very excited for my SIL and husband. And for us, of course. I love how the families are slowly getting bigger. I envision fun family gatherings with kids running around. Anjali continues her reign as the queen of the brood! We cant wait to meet the new cousin and parents soon.

Flu-ey

Halloween was fun, but then came the sore throat and the fever (104 to be exact)!
A midnight call to the Dr. on-call confirmed that it might be H1N1 (as most all flu at this time is), and to take it cool. She was very calming and informative on the phone, I needed that.
Its been an abysmal week; Anjali has not been out of the house and the most nagging thing is "Ammi I am bored, tell me what to do".
Sometimes I feel like she is always sick, but then I came across this article by Dr. Green who says kids can't develop an immunity without being sick. He says 8-12 times in the first year and 10-12 in the second and so on... On those accounts I feel better, she's been sick about 5 times this year. But kids sicknesses takes everything out of us parents. Its hard to watch their little bodies try to cope. I dont like to give OTC medications but sometimes we have to. This time I tried a new tea that seems to work well. Its one of my favorite cold symptom relieving brands. While we are sipping the tea, we will dream of warm weather in virus-free beaches.

A Happy Halloween

Another Halloween with its ghoulish allure has come and gone.
The busy week started off with Anjali's schools' annual lantern walk.
As kids walk on an illuminated path at night among trees, teachers passed out hand-made/gathered natural treats. This year the walk ended with a show by awesome fire dancers.
Of-course I made the Dorothy dress from a vintage simplicity pattern. I loved making it and my favorite feature are the satin sleeves. More photos here.
Halloween day was a eventful with a 4 years-old and later a 40 year-old birthday party! Phew... and now its November already.

The Quilt - Its finally done

Its finally done after mother and grandmothers spent hours on it. Its our Apple Blossom Fairy Quilt. As with many inspirations in our household this one started with a book by Cicely Mary Barker, who will always be the queen of flower fairies. The book was a gift from our lovely friend and doula, so it has special significance. The songs (or poems) are beautiful and very English (British). For example the Wild Rose Fairy song goes:

I am the queen whom everybody knows,
I am the English Rose;
As light and free as any Jenny Wren,
As dear to Englishmen;
As joyous as a Robin Redbreast’s tune,
I scent the air of June;
My buds are rosy as a baby’s cheek;
I have one word to speak,
One word which is my secret and my song,
‘Tis “England, England, England” all day long.
It so happened that one of my favorite fabric designers Micheal Miller produced a series with Cicely Mary Barker's illustrations. I couldn't help but launch on a quilt project for Anjali. Thanks to my mother-in-law for helping me finish it . Its just gorgeous!

Bilingual Child

Our efforts to teach Anjali Sinhala was kicked into a higher gear after we picked up this book at Powells (the coolest bookstore in the 48). I learned some new things about teaching another language such as OPOL (One Parent One Language) and to not translate words into English if she cant understand them. The results have been amazing! Its totally rewarding when she says "Ammi harii lassanai..." followed by "Thaththi chuttak lassanai". We are hoping she's got her fathers aptitude for language acquisition. Now we have to keep at it. Its harder for us to remember to speak, than it is for her to learn.