Quilts around the house

Most mornings I make the children's beds. I go through their rooms in the morning to open the blinds and let in some light. Now that the clocks have turned back, I'm craving all the natural light I can get.

I just love these quilts--I made them for the kids for Christmas last year. I have no such plans for any huge undertakings like that for this year. Cranking these three out was a job and a half--my mom and I were hand-stitching the binding to the backs of the quilts on Christmas Eve day!
This is Caitlin's quilt. I think her room is my favorite. It's sunny and yellow--just like her! She is a crazy sleeper, and her quilt is usually pulled off the bed by morning, so that's why I make the beds instead of torturing myself to get them to do it.

With these dark blue walls, Bobby's room is the darkest in the house. While it's great for going to sleep, I just can't stand to leave his blinds closed once he's up--it's like a cave in there!

Yes, that bed was his big sister's (it's white and a little girly, but it was free). He hasn't complained about it. My mother-in-law offered to give him her old bedroom furniture. It's more masculine looking, but it's a full sized bed, so that will have to wait until...(until he gets a bigger room? Don't see that on the horizon.)

These are Bobby's dirty clothes. That wicker basket is the hamper. We're working on this. I am trying to get the kids to put their dirty clothes in the hamper. I'm trying not to nag them about it, but I have told them that I will only wash clothes that are in the hamper. Also you see a pile of Halloween costumes...

And here is Caroline's quilt. It's queen sized, and it was a beast to quilt, even with the simple cross-hatching pattern. I like all the different fabrics. It's busy, but I love to get lost in looking at all the patterns.

Shel Silverstein has a poem titled, "Hector the Collector." I often call Caroline "Hector." You can see why. She doesn't like to close her dresser drawers. Ever.

So there you have a brief tour of quilts and my children's messes. We are working on "contributing" to the family. They are supposed to be contributing by putting away their clean clothes and by putting the dirty ones in the hamper. Also putting away their shoes. It's a work in progress, and it doesn't appear to be going well, judging by these pictures. I think that the kids are more than capable of doing these tasks, and I am trying to restrain myself from sweeping in and doing it all for them. If I'm going to let them learn responsibility, I have to let them own the tasks, even when they appear to be failing.

And now I need to go work on some of my own contributions to the family--namely, decluttered kitchen counters!