A bit of sewing... vog... and thoughts on my sister

 light brunch for so hot a day

 labeling my rows 

 pumpkin bread snack 

 catching up on laundry 

Yesterday I had a whole day for sewing. Those days are the nicest... I know that large chunks of time won't always be available forever - so I really cherish that time to myself... years later when the seasons in our life shift, I want to be able to remember the peaceful quiet of sewing, and tea, and reading, and the joy of household chores and be grateful that I had this time.

It has been horribly hot and muggy - the vog (the ash that gets sit up from the volcanos in the south) has  been so thick this past week. I can barely see the ocean from our front windows because the air is so bad... it has been hard to breathe - and it has been hard to be motivated to do much. My childhood asthma tends to act up and I try and not push myself...

Today the vog seems especially strong. I haven't had the energy to continue working on my sister's quilt top - the most I did today was some cutting while Ross is at Jujitsu... at least it's all lined up though for when the vog clears and I'm able to jump back into sewing.

Since finishing my Coming Home To Kuuipo quilt top - I've been inspired to keep going on constructing quilt tops. It doesn't seem as daunting as I thought it was before. It is nice seeing it come together. I get excited at thinking of my sister getting a handmade quilt that she can cuddle up on the couch with while she reads her kindle.

My sister is finishing up her last year of graduate school. She is getting her Masters in Library Science. I couldn't imagine doing my Masters while running a household and raising up three little children... but she is almost at the finish line and I am so proud of her. So I want to make her a quilt for her birthday because I think that she really needs the encouragement - and hopefully it will help her and give her that last push until she finishes up.

My sister and I share the same birthday. We were both born on February 22, and being a part in distance is difficult especially around that time. Since we were young we always celebrated our birthdays at the same time... so hopefully if I can't be there in spirit in February 2014 - I'm hoping to be able to give her something special.  Growing up it was always just the two of us so we're really close.  Skype and texts and phone calls at odd hours (three hour time difference, so catching a time that works for both of us can be random) is how we like to communicate. It is especially nice being able to catch up on Skype. One time I was able to help my niece (the oldest of the three) with her homework - that was really special. Hopefully there can be more Skype time in the future.

Ross just got home from Jujitsu. We were planning on going to the beach when we got home, but he said that it might be worse if we go south - so we are planning on a nice relaxing day at home. Which is all fine and dandy with me.... hopefully the trade winds come back... I'm missing our clean air breeze.

Happy Saturday!
K.