Reminiscing

I love this time of night, when I'm actually home and everyone else is sleeping. I got a long nap this afternoon so I'm not tired at all. I've been looking at all of my pictures on facebook and shutterfly. I can't believe how fast the kids have grown up and how much they have changed. Pictures are so wonderful, they make me laugh, smile, cry. I don't know how people can not take a ton of pictures of their kids. I want to remember everything they do. I think part of my obsession with pictures is due to losing all of my pictures twice growing up. Both times in house fires. Once when I was 7 and then again when I was in college. I even go as far as putting my pics on cd and putting the cd's in our fire proof safe. Craig used to think I was crazy putting stuff in the freezer when we first met. I would put our Country Jam tickets in a zip lock baggie and in the freezer, after my Dad's house burnt in 2004 he realized what a good idea it was.
I remember getting that phone call. It was early Feb 2004 (I don't remember the exact day). My Dad called at 6am and told me the house was burning. It was one of the worse calls I've ever gotten. I, of course was very glad that he was ok. Thank God for smoke alarms. I was pregnant with Teagan and so thankful we weren't there. After the initial shock wore off, I just kept thinking of all the things that I had lost; yearbooks, pictures, clothes, family heirlooms,etc. The majority of the material things are replaceable, but some things were not. It took me a very long time after my Dad built the new house for it to even feel like home. Even thought it has been almost 5 years already I still see the old farm house sitting there every time we drive up my Dad's road.

I haven't shared much about my Christmas on here yet. For the most part it was pretty much the same as every Christmas. Although this year my Mom gave me the most wonderful gift. She made a 9 patch quilt made out of all "recycled" fabric. She used the denim from old jeans and fabric from different scraps she had left. Ok doesn't so too exciting yet right? Well... the fabric scraps are all from things she made like clothes for me when I was kid, a wall hanging for my Great-Grandma who passed away last year, curtains, bandana print from shirts she made for my cousin and I when we were really little, my first communion dress, etc. Teagan and I were sitting on my bed looking at the quilt and she kept asking me "Mom, what was that one?" This was the best gift I could have gotten. Every time I look at there are so many memories. I would really like to put it away and save it but my Mom yelled at me when I told her that. She is a believer that quilts are meant to be used, not looked at. I'll have to add a picture of it sometime soon, but Craig is asleep with it right now and I'm guessing he wouldn't be to happy with me if I blinded him with the flash of the camera.

Quilting has always been a big part of both sides of my family. My Grandma Wanda (my Dad's Mom) made so many quilts. We are lucky enough to still have a few of them left after the fire. I have a crazy quilt top that she made, that someday I will get backed and tied. Of course that one will be hung up on display, never to be used as a quilt. Grandma Wanda would be rolling in her grave if she heard me say that. "Quilts are to be used until they are shreds" she used to say "They aren't to hang on the wall"
My Grandma Wanda was a very amazing women. She was all of 4'9" in maybe 100lbs soaking wet, but she was a spit fire. She raised 10 kids, my Grandpa died when the youngest was 5. She could do anything from building her own kitchen cabinets to quilting to gardening to baking and cooking. You name it and she could do it. I grew up just down the road from her and I spend countless hours with my Grandma. Every year at Christmas time she would hand make all the Grandkids Christmas gifts. I would always get to help her and she'd let me pick out which one I wanted. She would read me "Little House on the Prairie" books, I'm sure we read the whole series at least 10 times. She died when I was 13. She would love my kids. I always say Teagan has Grandma Wanda in her when she's being extra spunky. I really miss her. When I was young I took for granted that she would always be there.

Growing up so close to my Grandma is part of the reason I'm so set on moving back to Black River. I want my kids to have that, I want to be close to my family.

My very first album on shutterfly is one from Summer 07 in Green Lake. I can't believe how little the kids where. Teagan has a pair of bibs on that have now been passed down to Noah. Noah had very little hair and was a chubby little boy. One of my favorite pictures of Teagan is in that album, she's sitting on a ladder in my Mom's cabin holding a flower, it's just precious.

Ok, I think I'm getting tired and should end this. I hope that 2009 is a great year with lots more memories made, and of course lots more pictures taken.