my child will need therapy...

a day in the life, to put it simply...

but first, some proper background music from the movie, "little miss sunshine"...

last week was the 'next to the last week' of school for eli....i myself begin to get that pumped up feeling of it's almost over, goodbye sixth grade, goodbye carpool, goodbye alarm clock...


so as always, i began the week off with; next to the last monday proceeding to announce the 'next to the last' each and every day...


testing was what all last week was about at school, stress levels are up, school stresses good nights rest and nourishing breakfast....so as it goes we were asked to provide breakfast for 88 children on one of the days...well this isn't a big deal in a way because hubby has a restaurant where he works and he's the boss, so you know what that means....chef will lovingly make a wonderful breakfast for 88 kids and hubby will deliver it...easy street!


the night before hubby realized that chef was out of town....he said o.k., no problem, he would grab the mixes that we needed from the restaurant and we could make the egg casseroles...now i do not have a full size oven; yes, i hadn't heard of it before....but i figured this out when i tried to shove a turkey in the oven years ago.  i pointed this out to him and asked him to measure the pans....he gasped, oh my....but being that this was just going to work out one way or the other, i asked my dear neighbor if she would mind if i cooked these in her oven since she was out of town...and she being the best neighbor in the whole world, said of course!


so hubby called me on the way home and said he was in over his head, the restaurant was out of their egg mix....we figured out what he would need to buy at the store, beginning with 9 dozen eggs...as he arrived home and i began to see what it takes to feed 88 people, i whipped out my 'no problem' hat and began mixing eggs, egg whites, egg beaters and cream.  fried up the sausage and pre-measured amounts per pan...then we hauled soup pots full of yummy stuff over to the neighbors house late that night; for at 5:30 a.m. i am to head over to preheat the oven...


ok, as the teenager goes; 'what, chef isn't doing it?, what YOU are doing it?, oh it's going to be horrible',  i just love this age don't you?  well it all turned out just fine, the only mistake i made was not to allow extra time since it wasn't a commercial oven, so we were late on our end, but perfectly timed to arrive at school for breakfast...and the kids loved it, however ours didn't....and of course he was horrified that his dad was serving...oh well, signs of normal


then on friday, you know, 'next to the last friday', i was assigned to bring in 300 paper plates for an after school party...eli and i found the greatest colorful plates at big lots, they screamed PARTY...honestly, i felt like i should get the mother of the week award; breakfast and now PARTY plates....my arm was sore from patting myself on the back...


when i picked up eli friday after the party, i said last friday!!!  one more week to go!!!!  yippeeee!!!!  he looked at me stone faced and said, 'no mom, we have two more weeks of school, it's on the calendar in the hall, not one week mom, but two weeks of school; and by the way it cost $3 to get into the party and one canned good, i borrowed the money from mary's mom....


poor child...
will need therapy....


so today when i dropped him off at school i said 'next to the last tuesday, this is the next to the last tuesday', he looked over at me trying not to grin and got out of the car....and i'm glad i can't read his thoughts...


poor child...
will need therapy....




happy mothers day....


for game board therapy, here's my link:  dallison.squarespace.com

almost sold out....

if you are signed up for my email updates then you already know that the baseball dart board is celebrating the season with a $25.00 discount....






for any of you who do not get my updates with special prices or the introduction of new limited pieces; you may want to go ahead and sign up....just drop me an email and i will do the rest!

dianeallison@charter.net

there are only a few pieces of 'the game' left to be made before it is retired....so if it is a piece that you love, please let me know and i'm happy to make one for you....







and feel free to browse if you'd like:

http://dallison.squarespace.com/

a day with God...

it was just about a year ago when eli, then 11, said that he wanted to get baptised and confirmed at the boone united methodist church, for classes were just about to start...






hubby and i looked at each other and inwardly sighed....for if you knew what we have gone through trying to "pick" a religion or a church, so to speak, you yourself would sigh right along with us...



this is a family of many religions meshed together, this family of ours are steadfast in their beliefs, this family is always thinking that we do need to be at church every week, but which one, which faith....it's been a merry go round involving religion and which church we felt worked for the both of us and our different beliefs...and of course we've taught eli along the way, all these different cases that we plead for 'our' religion, but he wanted more, he wanted the whole enchildada, he wanted to belong somewhere...





well as kids sometimes do, eli tired of the back and forth of his confused parents, and he went on ahead of us...








parents out there all know that it takes a village to raise a child, and part of that village is a church too....









eli chose his church....eli chose his path....and we followed him....(click photo below for baptism)








after nearly a year of studies and words that can't even begin to describe his journey, his leaders, his friends, his work, play and questions; he was finally baptised this past weekend....









we are very proud parents of this young man; a young man who is strong enough to break away from his very confused parents, find his own road and lead us for awhile...

studio shuffle....

sometimes you just wonder, you really wonder, what the universe has in store for you... for after all, my life in or out of the studio has been a constant shuffle... it seems to me that the universe must have a different plan for me, or it's just messing with me. either way i'm standing firm and saying enough is enough...

it all began january 1st, now this was a very good day. and i figured whatever we did on the first day of the year would certainly be a prediction of the days to follow...so we headed down the mountain for the day to gather with friends and go to an NCU basketball game. well i will admit that i've never been a fan of basketball, really any sports at all except good old baseball, but i'm really trying since eli is such a jock. mom's have to do what they have to do right? so we had the best of times, well then...the next day it all began...

hubby went to hospital, and yes he's fine, but a scare nonetheless...
the same week my sweet little belle the beagle died...i don't think i've ever been so unhappy or sad, my best friend, my shadow gone from my home and studio... heartbroken is understated
i was sick
eli was sick

eli at hospital for x-rays
i was sick again
eli was sick again
we battled just about every illness that we've ever heard of...and just days ago my oldest son, davey, called saying he had the flu...

so that's what this year has brought....scares, illnesses and sadness

well as i think back to the basketball game, all the running, jumping, bodies hitting the floor, leaps of faith, jumps of triumph, cheers against wrong doings and celebrations and disappointments all mixed into one hour...i see i am receiving just that....every facet of life pumping into a short amount of time...

what have i learned? well of course the obvious, be careful what you do on January 1st, but also to accept, and accept some more and then some more...that whatever i'm given, do it all with love, feel every moment, don't rush through life, everyday is really a gift to do what you can for those you love, to stand strong, to sit and be moved by the birds coming back to their home...to wake up with the window open and to a symphony of birdsong...yes, life is good.

i can't tell you how happy i am to see spring has arrived...for there is that bit of hope in me that thinks maybe this was just a winter thing? no, i know better, it's life in all its greatness...

painting away in the studio and pondering new designs in my head....doors are open to the soft breeze...it can't be better than this...

if you need some color, here's my link: dallison.squarespace.com

the luck of the ole' irish....

(this is my dad at one of his favorite places to play golf, st. andrews golf course in scotland, of course, on his way to ireland!), one good looking irishmen...and as the story goes....

but first, 'proper' irish music for you to enjoy while you read....

from the time i opened my wee little eyes, my father announced to me that i am irish, and he has never stopped. this 'fact' has been bred into me for half a century now, i'm sure to the dismay of my mother. after all, she is a fine mix of scottish, german and other bloodlines. but we don't include this, oh no, i'm 100% irish, and what a fine thing to be.

and as the folklore continues on, i too, have convinced my children that they are irish, and apparently that leaves no room for anything else. and that's just the way it always has been, and always will be until i am gone myself. i have told them that there is an entire county named after them in ireland, that they once had a castle in their family and great great great (something or other) was beheaded (boys love this part), and the castle stolen from our family....the stories go on and on and on.. and that someday they should reclaim their family castle (they love this part too).










I have taught them that 'their' people had to leave their own beloved country due to hunger, slavery and religion, and how they were mistreated by others when they arrived to america...










for them to be proud of their heritage and honor the irish' past....their blood is green, they are irish...and that's that...







and today i live in a mountainous area that the irish came and settled, the view reminding them of their own country....i guess it is a blood 'thing', after all i was drawn here, for no reason, just drawn...

so today i honour the bloodline that i have been blessed with, the fight of the irish fight that i now live; to be treated equal and fairly and to live the religion of my choosing...





just a footnote: it's that time of year when one of my kids announce that they HAVE to wear green so they don't get pinched....i give them my best serious mom look and state clearly - "you are irish, your blood is green." and i know my eyebrows are raised, indicating that there is so much more that i want to say, as i'm biting my tongue....for what i want to say is: You are Irish, Act Like It, If Anyone, and i Mean ANYONE pinches you, take them down...you are a fighter, don't forget it....

support your local irish artists:

www.dallison.squarespace.com/

my valentines gift to you...

i just love valentines....i'm truly an old fashioned type of girl....love the candy, flowers and valentines....the tradition of sending a valentine to those you love i find so sweet...

celebrate valentines with me; my valentine to you is a $25.00 savings on a hand painted game board....i pour lots of love into each and every piece that i craft, thinking of you and your home every step of the way. you are loved and treasured...


happy valentines! (special expires wednesday, february 15th)......

to browse game boards, here's my link: diane allison-stroud

but i don't want to....

as 2012 approached us, i just didn't want to change to a new year....i pretty much was trying to stick my feet in the sand and resist the pull of another year. i don't recall doing this in the past, i remember feeling anticipation to see what the new year would bring to our lives...but i liked 2011 and wanted to stay there...

i didn't pull out a 2012 calendar until just days ago thinking that days may go ahead and slip away, but i wasn't going to acknowledge it...so i stayed a bit longer...

but now i'm carefully and cautiously getting in a groove of beginning a new year....fighting it, yes, but taking a step forward in my own stubborn way....

i've been cleaning the studio and have much reorganizing to do before i welcome 2012, for i like to have a clean slate that i can fill with creative thoughts of color, music and ideas....so i'm giving myself the next couple of days, for i will begin 2012 on monday, january 16th, because i can if i want too...

here's my link in case you want me to dive in: dallison.squarespace.com/

O Holy Night

my hopes for you and your families are that each of you feel the joy in your hearts this season...that a child shares a moment that was long put away in your own heart, that you are surrounded by family and friends that love you and when you look into the sky you think of the journey long before you...

she's here! a new piece

finally i can formerly introduce the new gee's bend piece that you've been hearing about....






i think this must be one of my favorite pieces, for there is nothing more striking than red and white together...i love red and white quilts so i'm not surprised that this piece is one of my favorites...






"qunnie" - is her name, dedicated to Qunnie Pettway, wife, mother and quilter....

bright red (but not to bright, and antique white for warmth)
$210.00 + shipping.... small edition of 15 pieces, then retired (only 12 left at this time)

if you would like to order "qunnie", just let me know and i'm more than happy to make it for you to enjoy for the december holidays...


if you would like to read more about this pieces inspiration, read the earlier blog below.

or to browse other pieces, here's my link:

dallison.squarespace.com/

a new gee's bend...

i thought, well the holidays are coming, i should do something special in the studio....a new piece of some sort...then it struck me a new gee's bend piece would be not only a creative challenge but so special this time of year...so as my fingers went page to page, talking to my mom all the way in florida over the phone saying, 'what do you think of this one, what about this one (for she too has her own book)', i finally decided...

the new piece is named: Qunnie after the quilter Qunnie Pettway who was born in 1943. the piece that inspired me was her 'housetop' quilt, circa 1975.

here's a small glimpse of the area of gee's bend where she lives; taken from 'the quilts of gee's bend'...(2002 Tinwood Books). Qunnie is on the right in this photo.

"The neighborhood has been home to many of the area's most important quiltmakers. On one of its streets, a little dogleg land of no more than 600 feet, in Roosevelt-era 'project' houses, live Leola Pettway, Lucy T. "Lunky" Pettway, Annie Bell Pettway, Arlonzia Pettway, and Lizzie Major. There will be no ongoing legacy here: the youngest quiltmakers in Sodom, and the only two even moderately active ones, are Rita Mae Pettway and Qunnie Pettway, ages sixty and fifty-nine.

tonight as i was reading through the book gathering information and searching the internet for more history on Qunnie, I sadly came to her recent obituary. i was truly saddened for this life that is now gone, but her work and inspirations will live on. my new game board takes on an even more special tone to me, for i hope i did her proud...

Qunnie Pettway:

"The great-granddaughter of Dinah Miller who is said to have arrived in the United States aboard a slave ship from Africa - the Clotilde which docked in Mobile Bay, Alabama prior to the Civil War. Qunnie learned to quilt House Tops under the tutelage of her mother, Candis Pettway. In 1960 after she married, she found her unique artistic voice and began making patterned quilts including Wedding Ring - which she learned from her sister - Chestnut Bud, Bear Paw and Crazy Z. Qunniea’s daughter, Loretta P. Bennett is one of the youngest quilters actively creating extraordinary quilts today."

the painted piece is on the drying racks...it will be a week or so before i can post my 'inspired gee's bend' game board...

to see other game boards, here's my link: dallison.squarespace.com