Winter Project

When I was growing up and at home, my Mom and I always decided what we were going to do through the winters. I couldn't get out like a lot of people because, well, cold makes me hurt (what a strange moment this is for me for everyone to know the truth) and she wasn't a winter person at all. So, the weekend after Labor Day we would decide on what our Winter Project was going to be.

Sometimes Mom decided on making a quilt or clothes and I would sometimes decide on a crochet project or a cross-stitch project. We would work on these all the way through the winter, because winter is long and it needed to be a project that wouldn't get finished all that quickly and occupy our time.

One year Mommy taught me how to hand-quilt a quilt the old mountain way. We first embroidered each and every square of that thing (it took more than a winter for this one, we began in July that year) and then we sewed each and every one of those blocks together. Then we quilted it.

I can't tell you how many times I pricked my fingers making those little quilting stitches. Sometimes I would quilt and then Mommy would quilt, and sometimes we were both quilting on it at the same time.

As always, Mommy had her cup of coffee near by and her beloved cigarettes (those horrible things killed her), but she was happy. I was happy. We were both happy.

Daddy would check on our progress and compliment us and say little things like, "That's going to be a prize winner there!" Or, "I bet that will be the warmest quilt ever!" He always knew what to say at times like that. Mommy would just beam, and, much to my surprise, so would I.

Well, Labor Day has come and gone and I have decided on doing a Winter Project of my own. It was a tradition my Mom and I had, and, quite honestly, I believe it is a good idea for me to keep it up.

Last year it hurt too much to decide or think about a Winter Project. It hurt so deeply I was positive I would never be able to take a deep breath again. This year, I am going to do a project.

What am I going to do?

I am going to do a quilt and a lap quilt. I am a little nervous about it. I've never done a quilt all by myself before. I am excited and nervous about it. I hope Mommy looks down on me from Heaven and tells me where I'm messing up, and I sure hope Daddy can give me those wonderful encouragements.

Most of all, I want Hubby to do it, too. I want him to be just as proud of what I'm doing as my Daddy always was. That isn't bad, is it? To need that unconditional approval?