Top finished-

I finished working on the top this morning and took a photo of how it looks now, before quilting. I know it's not a scientific answer to the question, nor is it a depiction of the sky itself. I chose to depict a child as they ponder the question. Luckily, I have a handy model in the form of my 8 yr old, Delaney. We took a walk down to Tablerock Lake and I just took several photos of her as she did what came naturally.

Beyond the obvious, I like to think this quilt deals with the issue of overscheduling our children. So many of the kids nowadays are spending time in organized activities, watching TV and playing on the computer (when they aren't in school) that they rarely have the quiet moments in their lives to sit and wonder about anything. Kids just don't ask "why is the sky blue?" or look at clouds or watch ants.

If you think my home is any different, think again. I have three kids and they are involved in some activities outside of school, my son can sit for hours playing computer games but won't crack a book and my 11 year old jumps from watching teen TV, playing teen computer games and singing kareoke in her room. My youngest spends the most time in active motion outside (when she's not bugging her siblings)

Cartoons, when I was young, were only on Saturday mornings and (sinfully-some on sundays we never saw) an event.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a right of passage to most 13-14 year olds. It was a great story and an accomplishment to say, "yeah, I read the trilogy". Now, all of us who loved the books rejoiced when the movies came out so well. Finally, someone could do justice to the books that held our imaginations for so many years. But, my son says, "I saw the movie, why read the books?" It feels to me that children's imaginations are taking a hit these days. Not a lot of original stories happening in their minds. Maybe it's because they are never still enough to listen to the inside questions. Maybe it's because there's just too many easy options for entertainment.

Today, my youngest received a letter from her New principal in the mail. She liked getting the letter (but was a bit confused about why there was a feather in the envelope until I pointed out that the Principal had written she was "tickled" to start a new year. ) it just reminded me that school is around the corner and it meant I still needed to buy some school supplies for the kids, I have a meeting on Monday for Subs, and those 5:30 am alarms will be coming soon.