We are slow at picking up mail here at The House of Peevish. Usually we get junk mail and bills, and who wants to trudge to the mailbox every day for THAT? Not I. (Possibly That Baby, but she’s nuts for the Outsideland just now.) So we leave it for a week or whatever.

But this week, I was out walking That Baby and thought, “Meh, what the heck. I’ll check it.” And I am GLAD I did, because with all the bills and flyers there was a lovely surprise.

Kirsten sent us out some squares and a wish!

Now Kirsten is another friend who I have met through this whole Internets thing. She had been reading along with our adventures here, and one day decided to comment… and from that point on, we have emailed back and forth. It is amazing what we found we had in common.

Kirsten is in the midst of a long wait to adopt from Ethiopia, but like many of the adoptive parents I have “met” on the Internets, she seems to have it all together. She’s funny and bright and keeps a positive attitude despite the many stresses that come with this process. So, it was no surprise, then, when I opened the parcel from her to find a bright, sunny piece of gingham:

Now, who doesn’t love gingham, I ask you! It’s just so cheerful and homey. It’s the most comforting of fabrics.

But along with the gingham, Kirsten had prepared something gorgeous and crafty to add an incredible personal touch to That Baby’s quilt. Have a look at this!

Isn’t that incredible! What talent she has! I was so touched that she took the time to do something so beautiful and intricate. It will be a special square for That Baby’s quilt.

Now, I am not so much one with the craftiness. I knit, and I have been known to sew, BADLY, on occasion. But Kirsten not only embroiders, she makes lovely wishes too:

So pretty! (I am embarrassed to say that I have no such skills, and the wishes I sent out were so plain by comparison.) And, because I have strategically placed the card to hide Kirsten’s name and preserve her anonymity on Teh Intertubes, here is what the wish said:

“We all have the extraordinary coded within us, waiting to be released.”

My wish for you as you grow older is that you will always believe in yourself and the potential for greatness within you. I have always believed that the only person who stands in the way to fulfilling our dreams is our selves. If you have faith in yourself, there is nothing you can’t do.

Isn’t that wonderful? Who doesn’t want their child to fulfill their dreams? It’s the perfect wish for our dream baby.

With these, she had included a little note about the fabric, which was really cool. Both pieces came from items that had some significance in Kirsten’s life, which added a really lovely personal touch to them. They will be fun stories to tell Stinkerbelle when she is older.

The package we got from Kirsten was such fun to go through. All these wonderful items, all in one package! And all because Kirsten decided one day to make a comment on a post.

So thank you so much, Kirsten, for the lovely package and for the friendship over these last few months. Both are so very greatly appreciated!

And, as a lesson to all of us out there who lurk but never comment: Go ahead! Take the plunge! Comment! You never know what wonderful things will come of it.

Okay, gather ’round, fellow babies. For I have a story to tell you.

Once upon a time, there was a woman who had a baby. (A FANTASTICALLY GORGEOUS AND HAPPENING WOMAN, just so you know. And also? BRILLIANT. But I digress.) And that woman decided to make her baby a 100 Good Wishes Quilt. (This despite the fact that this woman has, like, next to no friends and doesn’t know 100 people, but hey. Hope springs eternal.)

Now this woman also has a blog, read by at least, say, one or two people out there on Teh Interwebs. And on this blog, she wrote about many things, most of them of no interest or import to the world at large. But one of those things was her quilt.

One day, she got a comment from a stranger. This stranger was named Carmen, and she was from Spain. She said she was also adopting, and would they like to exchange squares?

Now, the woman knew that the Intertubes were chock full of crazy people, and normally she would have just ignored such a comment. But there was something about this woman Carmen that made her think maybe it would be okay.

So she emailed Carmen, and they agreed to exchange squares.

And that started a very nice friendship, that lasts until this day.

The End.

Gripping stuff, right? Well, I agree. And it is all TRUE.

I know!

Squares #16 and #17 came to us quite out of the blue, from someone who is, in fact, named Carmen and who does, in fact, live in Spain, and did by some chance stumble upon my blog and suggest we exchange squares. And that was the beginning of what has turned into one of the best parts of this whole quilt-making adventure, because I have made a new friend.

Now, Carmen is one of those people who you just know has it all together, from the minute you begin talking (or in our case, writing) to her. She is funny, and well travelled, and always has something kind to say about what’s going on with you or your life. And this is despite the fact that she is going to be a single mom, and is currently in the midst of a torturously long wait for a referral from China. I mean, a 3-plus year wait. And yet, she always has something nice to say about what she has read on my blog, or to take an interest in what’s going on with That Baby. I know I would be curled up in a corner rocking and crying after a 3-year wait. But not Carmen. She’s just one of those people who seems to really take an interest in her friends’ lives.

Case in point: shortly after we exhanged initial emails — and I am talking within a week or two, here — we got a package in the mail. We opened it to find this:

Isn’t that ADORABLE? I was thrilled.

Carmen said she knew that while I was waiting for That Baby, I had a thing for giraffes. And sure enough, she went out and got this bright, sunny, baby-friendly fabric with giraffes on it.

SO PERFECT!

But it was also around Stinkerbelle’s first birthday, too, so out of the package dropped this little treat:

I know! SO CUTE! I started to cry. But if THAT was not enough, her wish for That Baby was also so gorgeous:

Now, I am not at ALL crafty. Ask Carmen or Shannon or anyone else that I have sent out fabric to — my wishes are all plain and boring. This? This is going IN THE BABY BOOK, man.

So if that were not enough, over the summer, Carmen went on vacation to Norway. (I know, right? Doesn’t she ROCK with all the travelling? I am jealous. But in a good way.) And shortly after, I got this:

She said she saw this while she was travelling and thought of us. Being the cat person I am, I loved it. Enough that I thought, “Ooooh, I could decorate a ROOM around this.” Just gorgeous. And a wish to match:

It’s a lullaby in Spanish for That Baby. So now, we will need to teach That Baby some Spanish!

See what I mean? Carmen’s just thoughtful like that.

So, thank you so much Carmen, for the fun, bright, thoughtful packages, and the lovely wishes for our daughter’s book. It will be fun to curl up under the quilt with her one day, and look at all the fabrics and wishes from everyone, and tell her that these ones came quite unexpectedly from across the world from someone who we are very lucky to now be able to call a friend. And a friend who we are wishing and hoping that will one day soon gaze upon the face of her beautiful child.

And the moral of our story? Even though there are a lot of crazy people out there on the Interwebs, if you are very lucky you will meet some wonderful people who could become friends. And if you are luckier still, they will be as awesome as our new friend Carmen.

So, I know there are those of you who have come here to read the latest adventures in my slipped back joint hokey pokey, or to find out what That Baby has licked today. But I have been terrible, TERRIBLE I TELL YOU, in keeping up to date with my Quilt posts.

I am, in fact, a procrastinating bastard.

So if you are here to read about That Baby or her kitty (who this morning pooped a hair elastic) then I am sorry to disappoint you. You can go and do other useful things and come back in a few days and life will go back to surreal.

But for NOW? Lookit US, we are getting ORGANIZED. And I am getting CAUGHT. UP.

Now, fortunately, because of the generous good nature of some of our quilt participants, this will be an easy task. Because the next two people who sent us squares sent us MANY GOOD THINGS! So catching up will be easy.

First up are squares 13, 14 and 15, all from my friend Joanne.

Now Joanne is a friend that I had the good fortune to meet when we both worked in HELL.

TWICE.

But we survived through good humour, which Joanne has in spades. She is also very creative and artistic. And she is not afraid of COLOUR. Oh no, she EMBRACES it. And she is a cat person of the best kind.

It is safe to say that Joanne rocks on many levels.

Joanne, one of the few people invited to our little wedding 6 years ago, threatened to wear orange, her favourite colour. And I told her to BRING IT. Because this? Is the fun and merriment and life that Joanne brings to a party, and this is what we love about her.

So it was no surprise when, in the squares she sent along for Stinkerbelle, orange was front and centre:

Each square came with a little bit of a story, which are just as funny and quirky and full of life as the woman who sent them. But they are personal, so I am not going to share here.

The wishes, however, are wonderful, and should be shared with everyone:

“My wish for you: a life lived exactly as you choose it. But, if you ever have to compromise, make sure you negotiate something that will make you happy.

Wish number two: the confidence to be happily who you are.

Wish number three is that you’ll laugh and play whenever the opportunity presents itself.”

I love them. They are exactly what I would wish for our daughter, who barrels joyously, loudly and without abandon through life. And what I want her to do, always.

So, thank you, Joanne — after years of understanding and encouraging these things in me, it is wonderful that you have now passed their magic on to my daughter.

And for splashing a little more orange into our lives. Because who doesn’t need a little more orange?

The 12th square in Stinkerbelle’s quilt comes to her from her awesome cousin Autumn.

The animal print is a special choice, from a girl who LOVESLOVESLOVES animal print. Autumn is rapidly advancing on her teens, so she loves fashion and basketball and (eep!) boys, and all things popular with kids her age nowadays. But she’s also someone who has taken the time to ask her mom about where Stinkerbelle was born, and to learn a little bit about Ethiopia and Africa while she was waiting for her new cousin to come home, so her choice of an animal print wasn’t just a happy coincidence.

I remember when Autumn was born, so sometimes it’s hard for me to remember that this is a young lady and no longer the tiny little girl I used to demand hugs from at every meeting. She still humours me with hugs, however, even though it’s not really cool to be seen hugging an aunt. And she’s still the pal I most enjoy playing Sims2 with, although the time for that is short nowadays.

But she IS a young lady, and I see that whenever she is with Stinkerbelle. She takes the time to play with her and talk to her, and is always interested in how she is doing. She’s gentle and kind and I hope will be that cool older cousin that Stinkerbelle can grow up to look up to and admire.

Autumn also loves to write, so I am going to be very interested to see what wish she comes up with for Stinkerbelle when the time comes!

So thank you Autumn for sharing your fashion sense with such an awesome square!

Our next two quilt squares are a fun pair, and they come to us from Stinkerbelle’s Auntie Sherri and Uncle Mike, and her cousin Maddie.

Isn’t that neat? A pair of squares to represent the two continents of Stinkerbelle’s life. I thought it was a fun idea!

Sherri has been on my blog since forever, lending her support and wisdom to almost every adventure we embark upon here at the House of Peevish. She has been on call for every life emergency and silly question we have had with That Baby at every hour of the day and night, almost from before she was born. And she loves That Baby like nobody’s business, even in the face of Stinkerbelle’s smunchy faces and wet diapers! And That Baby loves her Auntie Sherri, and delights in snuggling and playing with her. And Uncle Mike was making That Baby giggle from their first meeting, so you know he’s a hit, too!

Maddie — also known as the legendary Madd Dawn of song and story and much adoration from Kelly — is Stinkerbelle’s closest cousin in age, and, if you can believe it, wins the “baby chubby cheeks” competition hands down. Stinkerbelle’s chubby cheeks pale in comparison to the round apple cheeks of Maddie’s babyhood. But now that she is a Bigger Girl, she refers to her cousin as “Baby Stinkerbelle” which has a bit of the protective air of the Older and Wiser Cousin, which I hope persists as they grow up together. No doubt, now that That Baby is older and a little more interactive, their next meeting will mark the beginning of a fast friendship.

Now, there’s one more square to come from this little family — one from That Baby’s bigger cousin Autumn. But we’ll give that one a post of it’s own.

I know how much thought went into choosing these squares, and how much Sherri and her family wanted to find the perfect squares for their contribution to Stinkerbelle’s quilt. And I have to say, they did a pretty awesome job, don’t you think? Thank you so much, guys!

Our lucky number 7 quilt square comes to us from the active and aware soon-to-be-Supermom Nicky and her awesome husband JRock.

Bright and sunny and brimming with colour, isn’t it going to be a cheerful addition to Stinkerbelle’s quilt story? I thought so too.

Nicky and I have, from time to time, commiserated on agency woes, paperwork, wait times and general adoption peevishness over the past year and a half now. But we’ve also been able to celebrate referral happiness, Stinkerbelle’s homecoming, and hopefully soon, the homecoming of her two gorgeous girls. She is also one of the very first adoptive parents I ever “met” online, which makes this square a special one to us.

And her wish was simple and lovely:

May your future be full of flight.

I thought it appropriate for our little Queen of the Slipstream, in a literal sense… but also captures all the possibilities that lie before her as she grows.

She also included a pretty verse from Kahlil Gibran, on the same theme of flight:

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.

Lovely, isn’t it? So full of possibility!

So thanks Nicky and JRock for adding some sunshine-y colour to our quilt!

The sixth square in Stinkerbelle’s quilt comes to us from Barb, who had a blog but she recently shut it down because she’s gotten kinda busy these days. Because, oh yeah, she’s got her HANDS FULL with TWO brand-spankin’ new children! (Wheehee! Double the fun!)

But before she got crazy busy with her two new little loves, she sent off this:

Very sweet, no? And all sorts of great colours (although my picture is a little dark) which is lovely.

And the wish she sent along was really, really wonderful — perfect for how we have come to think of our daughter. She sent:

“Love is just a word until someone comes along and gives it meaning.”

May you be the meaning of “love” to your family and friends.

I thought it just simply and beautifully expresses the way one feels for their child — the way we certainly do for our daughter. And no doubt, it also expresses the way Barb and Dion are feeling times two for their daughter and son.

So thank you Barb!

Well. It’s about bleeping time I did some of these posts, isn’t it? Because I have a lovely collection of quilt squares and wishes and haven’t gotten around to posting about them.

And so, it’s fitting to start with the person who started me off on this project — the incredibly talented and crafty Shannon (and husband Dan, of course).

Shannon is the person who gave me the idea of doing a quilt for Stinkerbelle, if you recall, way back when. So her square is a special one for Stinkerbelle.

Coffee! How Ethiopian is coffee? (Pretty Ethiopian, I’ll just tell you.)

And the wish she chose for Her Babyness:

“Life is not measured by the breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away”

is, coincidentally, the same one that is on the cover of a journal I bought when we got our referral, to journal our thoughts and feelings and preparation for the imminent arrival of That Baby. Mind you, the wish she sent is a work of art in itself (beside which my wish for her daughter looked a bit… boring… but oh well).

Now, we’ve long since reconciled ourselves to the fact that we might not have a 100 Good Wishes Quilt so much as a 25 Good Wishes Quilt or a 37 Good Wishes Quilt, because we don’t know that many people — well, certainly not people who would be inclined to seek out fabric. But browsing Shannon’s blogs, I get inspired to be crafty. I have all sorts of ideas about how to supplement the squares we do get, if we want to, or to decorate Stinkerbelle’s room, or to put together a life book.

So thanks for the inspiration Shannon!