The No Title Posted Post

Well, it's Friday.

Again.

One week closer to spring.

I think.

I hope?

The other day, Me decided she really, really liked the blue, bird fabric.  Enough that she bought a 1/2 yd.  Something we almost never do!

Myself thought the striped fabric would go perfectly with the blue and green floral I picked out.

1/2 yds each.

Why don't we usually buy more than a 1/4 yd at a time?

We think buying fabric in smaller portions (LOL) forces us to constantly be on the look out for new fabric, encourages us to use what we have and we end up with lots of scraps for our scrappy quilts.

Maybe crazy, but it works for us.

Before I forget, check out Sew & Tell Friday Finishes!

I haven't been over to Amy's blog yet, but I'll catch you there later!

Last night, I made up another little New York Beauty using leftover fabric from Amy Butler's Love.

Marianne shared a beautiful quilt she's made of similar blocks.  I've tried to convince her I'm worthy of a donation, but I don't think she's buying it! 

I think I'll make more, I'm so inspired by her beautiful quilt.

That Dog Just Dont' Hunt!

I am too lazy to take a picture of my machine.  Go figure?  So, I Googled "feed dogs" and this is what I got.

Cute.

Cuddly.

Something my machine is not!

I've been happily humming away on my Janome.  I think even people in Canada could hear my machine a sewin' over the crowds at Vancouver.

I finished Jennifer's New York Beauty block

and for all my anxiety, it actually turned out 8.5"x8.5".

There are really three colors in the points.  I alternated chartreuse/grape with chartreuse/dk cranberry.

Sheesh, I sound like a Wyler's commercial!

The floral fabric (which I just had to get in there) is from my stash.  A flannel with colors that match or compliment the batiks we were sent.

I wasn't quite sure how to work the colors together, but the floral seems to pull it all together nicely.

I think.

I like it enough to maybe do something like this for me as a quilt or a gift or a swap.

Pause here to tell you how awesome my mother in love is!

I've had a cold since Monday.

A knock down, drag out, hang onto the wall as you're walking 'cause your head's so full of crap--cold.

And no, normally my head isn't full of crap as some of you are want to think.

It's fluff up there.  Pure and simple fluff.

So let's just move on.

Last night she brought us home made vegetable soup.

I love her.

Where were we?

Oh.

Sewing happinly on my newly repaired and returned machine.

I got this far

front

and

back on my Pillow Talk Swap pillow.

While C-man is at school, I have a 45 minute window of wonder!

Time where it's just me, myself and I.

We all went to Joann's to find thread to quilt this puppy up! (the pillow, not any real puppy--'cause Lady is looking at me with panic in her eyes!  she reads my blog too you know!)

I get home, wind my nifty lookin' thread onto the bobbin, thread the needle, put on the free motion quilting attachment (while consulting the instructions since it's been a while, thank you!), set the tension, drop the feed dogs...

and decide I will not free motion quilt, but instead do a simple straight stitch.

Which requires switching everything out and putting on my walking foot attachment, adjusting tension again and raising the...raising the...raising the...

not raising the feed dogs.

What?

I swear, if I'da had a hammer, I woulda whacked the thing and been done with it!

As it it, me, myself and I are loading the machine up and taking it baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaackkkkkkkkkkkk to the dealer/repair shop.

Sigh.

Not to mention another way I was lazy.

I bought boxed vulture cat food (Friskies, 'cause I do love her no matter how gross, annoying and loud she is) at Big Lots yesterday to save me from having to go to

wal mart

and got home, gave her a big ole dish.  "Yum.  Yum.  Why did it take you so long to bring me my food, lazy slacker human?  I was (gulp) starving!"

About ten minutes later, I discovered little, grubby worms all over the counter where the box was sitting.

yuck

I took the vulture cat food back and explained what had happened, very quietly 'cause I was still really grossed out and didn't want any one else possibly vomiting through the story if they heard it, and she took my name, address and number in case--well, you know, something

bad happens

to the vulture cat.

I kept the box and the worms in case--well, you kow, something

bad happens

I figure the vet will have something to go on?

Javi, as you read this, please do not tell your brothers.

It was gross enough living through it once and thinking about what might happen to the vulture cat.

Just one more thing to have to worry about!

Sheesh!

It's worth it!

To click on and enlarge this article.

FAFSA

This poster temporarily away to work on the

FAFSA

(Free Application for Student Aid)

for her child.

Please visit us again when the insanity is over.

(insert favorite elevator music here)

FAFSA is now complete.
We return you to your regularly scheduled program.

TTL!

New York Beauty Block

Yesterday, I got to see the cutest, funniest, most inspiring video from Des over at Quilt Taffy,

It will bring a smile to you this morning when you go check it out.

I finished up my test block for the NYB.

Sew now I have two quilt blocks for my "Copy Cat" quilt that I'm making as the bee goes along.

I'm waiting to hear back from Jennifer about the finished size.

I used a pattern from here and I'm pretty sure that it's supposed to be 8.5" x 8.5", but Joan and I are having the same difficulty since we chose the same block.  Great minds think alike!

Our finished block is coming out 8.25" x 8.25".

I've offered to try another block and try to finagle the size if Jennifer would like me to.

She's pretty easy going and I like that in a quilter!

You should check out her blog!

She has some incredibly beautiful blocks and quilts!!

Making progress on my Pillow Talk pillow too!

I love having my machine back!

What do you guys think?  Too cutesy?  I know it's not like the flickr example, but I liked the color play and didn't want to put the birds in the bottom, right hand corner.  I might do the back that way though.

Javi's dance is tonight.

It's snowing.

We have junior high and varstiy games about an hour away from home tonight.

It's snowing.

Which makes me a little bit anxious about all the different places all of us are going to be tonight.

Prayer would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you for all your kind words and compliments.  They are so uplifting and encouraging, I'm starting to become an approval addict!  LOL  Is there such a thing as Approval Addicts Anonymous?

Have a totally awesome weekend!  

She's Here!

But I haven't taken her out of her case yet.

Almost too spooked to do so, you know?

Like, I'll hook her all up and--she won't work.

Yikes!

I'm clearing off the sewing table and throwing scraps into bins and boxes so I can get to work on

this New York Beauty block for Jennifer.

Not in these colors though.  She sent us purples, grays and chartreuse.

I'll do a test block first because some of the ladies in our bee are having difficulties with the finished block's size.  Off to the printer to have the pattern printed off and then to work!

Last night, while C-man was at practice, the weather gods were kind, the stars aligned and hubby snookums, Bean and I went to my NSLQS.  Where they have Amy Butler's Love fabric in stock.  My pillow pal likes this line and I was able to finally buy some from a brick and mortar store.

I am a tactile person.  I like to feel.  Touch.  "Taste" fabric with my fingers.  I get my fabric cut and then carry it around the store (much to the consternation of the clerks, but they all know me, so it's okay!).

It's like holding a baby.  Very experiential.  Very weird!

Here are the fabrics I picked.

Three of the fabrics are Amy Butler and the polka dot is who knows.  This was the last fat quarter in the store of this pattern and it has no selvage.  But I love the way it blends with the Heart and Soul fabrics.  Free Spirit's Lovebirds and Butterflies blends perfectly, don't you think?

I'm doing the block found on flickr.  The birds will be in the bottom right hand and I will sort of Log Cabin my way out from there.

On a side note, I picked up the Heart peonies (pinks and aqua blue), an electirc purple solid and some yummy Hollyhocks from Rowan Fabrics.

Yummy!

Today is the Day!

My baby's comin' home!

LOL

Tuesday (after my little rant and whine) I got a call from the hospital.

My sewing buddy was just getting out of surgery.  Everything went fine.

Yesterday the surgeon let me know my Janome was out of recovery and ready to come home.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a free moment to go pick her up.

Kids dropped off to school.

Kid up and schooled.

Hubby lunched.

More school.

Drop one kid off for his class, pick up two more from school, pick up other kid.

Run to the bank for hubby dear.

Afternoon snacks.

Working on science poster for C-man.

Working on Integrity essay for Bean.

"Mom, there's paper I need to pick up and have signed so I can go to the dance Saturday.", says Jon.

???????????????

Yes.  It's time.  His first formal.  A Sweetheart Dance with a friend from another school and did you know that if you're not a student from this school, attending a dance, you have to go through Security?

A paper signed by your school's principal to say you are who you say you are and probably won't cause trouble?

And an evening schmoozing and oozing all of Javi's accomplishments for a scholarship application.  If he can win this one, combined with the Presidential Scholarship, his entire college career is paid for.  How awesome would that be as a way to celebrate all of his hard work and diligence through high school!

Dinner for me and the kids.
Dishes.
Dinner for the bring home the bacon hubby.
Dishes.
Videos of AFV and one episode of "The Unit".
Bedtime for all.

Sew, by the time my day was done, the hospital was closed and my baby had to spend another night away from home.  Today is the day!

This means I can work on my New York Beauty block.

And I simply must make a trip to my NSLQS for fabric to make either this

originally uploaded by Crystal

or this.  Not sure which one I like better and I need to choose between Amy Butler "Love" fabric or Kaffe Fassett fabrics.  Our LQS and anyone else for about 45 minutes worth of driving has everything but these two favorites of my Pillow Talk bud.

Work has progressed on the hexes and it is now much larger than mere pillow size!  LOL 

This thing is taking on a life of its own:

which is exactly what I need!

He lives!

Hubby was very happy to wake up this morning with head and heart intact.

Thank you to all who voted and helped me decide where I would be spending the next few years.

although, I think any judge would have sided with me and given me home probation!

On the sewing front.

Do people not understand how attached sewers are to their machines?

How we miss them when they're sick?

That the mail should run on President's Day since that would get my machine back home that much sooner?

Deep.  Heavy.  Weary.  Sigh.

Sew, I indulged with a Ghiradelli.

Raspberry filled.

It looks so harmless laying on my hand project (so thoughtfully suggested by many of you).

Scraps of this and that floating around the big, empty, lonely, sewing table.

Little hexes to keep me sane.

family absolutely thinks this is a lost cause! but it keeps me busy and off their cases!

Monday is co-op day.  45 minute drive blowing innersections (I hope there are no policemen or women reading this, if you are, it was totally unintentional!) and hydroplaning on slushy, crappy, nasty, ugly ice.

I think if snow and ice stayed white, I wouldn't mind so much.  But, the longer it's on the road and the more cars that drive over it, the dirtier it gets.  It just offends my senses as a mom to see Mother Nature leave stuff lying around like that!

Anywho-arrived white knuckled, but relieved to be safe for the next three hours-only to be told "We're cancelling."

What? asks the poor little waif just delievered into safety and security and warmth.

My basketball bud and fellow homeschooler was taking their oldest to a teen government camp at the state capitol and asked if I would be in charge of her other three kids for the morning at co-op while she was gone.  Well, with co-op cancelled, they got to come home with us!

yes, she knows me, and yes, she's been warned I'm not the most stable person to put her kids into the care of :o)

So, I load my sporty little car up with three extra people

figured the extra weight on the snow and ice would help too!  LOL

and this time it took about 1hr and 15 minutes to get home as the roads were increasingly worsening.

I'm calling it a recess/time in the hall/bathroom break/period between classes/gym/interpersonal relationships day.  Hee hee.

C-man and our friend Joe were outside carving ice and snow sculptures.  So, I guess I could say we had art too yesterday!  Score!

This is a fish.

Not taken yesterday, but this is C-man and his igloo that he and Joe played in.

Thankfully, everyone we knew who were on the roads yesterday (including Javi and Bean) made it home safely.  We're under another winter storm advisory and the road conditions make me glad I drove the two to school this morning!

Hoosier Madness!

Our JV team placed 3rd in the State this Valentine's weekend!

The boys played hard and it paid off for them with a trophy, plaque and medals!

These boys have really come a long way.

I'm so proud of them and I know next year many of them will be returning and hopefully bringing their friends!

Thanks Coaches Smith, Martin and Johnson for all your hard work to help the boys make it this far!

Would You Let Him Live?

I am not the world's thinnest person.

In fact, I'm a little "doughy" around the middle.

Too many kids.

Too many good meals.

Too little exercise.

Hubby Valentine had flowers delivered to me at home Friday.  A dozen, long stemmed roses and baby's breath.  A valentine card from the boys and the dog on the front looks almost exactly like Lady.

He ordered the Jane Austen movie "Persuasion" (the version with Ciarnan Hinds) for me.

A funny valentine from him to me in the morning.

A serious valentine from him on my pillow last night.

What a sweetheart!

So, we're wrapping up the day last night.

Talking over events.

How much we miss each other since his work is 14-16 hrs a day right now.

He lays his hand on my tummy and starts squishing me.

Firmly rubbing and patting my middle.

Looking very intent.

I ask him in a "I can't believe you're playing with my fat like this" voice, "Just exactly what are you doing?"

He replies, "I'm just kneading (needing) you."

Does he live, or should I wait until he falls asleep and pop him upside the head?

Pillow Talk Round 2!

Reads like a "Who's Who" of blogland for me.

I watched the stars shine during Pillow Talk I.

Wow!

Incredible stalking, stashing, sewing and swapping going on.

A few weeks ago, the call went out.

Round Two!

I barely made it in under the wire.

Whew!

I'm a proud member of the Perky Padding Posse.

This is a blind swap.  Meaning I know who I'm sending a pillow to, but I don't know who is sending me one.

Excitement and anticipation galore!

You can find a flickr mosaic I did here to help my mystery pillow maker see my likes.

Check out the link, because there are some creative and beautifully inspirational mosaics and sewing going on!

I'm waiting to be able to make a quilt store run (or find the right fabrics online) and my machine to be fixed before I can really start on my person's pillow.  I think I know what I'm going to do, but will just have to be patient.

Ratz!
Hee hee, scratch my previous poor pea brain idea!  I love flickr!
I'm so pumped because I found an inspiring block I want to base the pillow's design on.
No more Amy Butler "Love".
Kaffe Fassett, honey, here we come!

And today is KT's birthday!

We met over 14 years ago and the friendship just gets sweeter.

Happy Birthday KTbug!

Thank you for sharing your family with me.  Laughing when my kids get their heads stuck in the fence at the McDonald's playland.  Sharing your sorrows with me and sharing mine.  For all the scraps and the soft scarf.  For Mormon shopping trips.  Swimming the afternoons away.  Movie nights at the Alexandria Theatre.  The "talk me down from the ledge" phonecalls.  All the information and support to homschool.  For your treasure and my hubby sweets being buds.  For a future daughter in law.  I mean really, you have enough to share and surely one of yours would tolerate one of mine?

Love you sew dearly!

Snowday. Round Deux.

Here we are again.

Yay!

Snowday!

I love having the boys home, it's all the golldarn snow that's irritating.

And to top if off, two have their school canceled today and the other one will still have his one class at public school.

Ahhhhhhhhhh.

The sweetest sound in the world outside my house.

A snowplough.

My secret:

I do nothing when the boys have a snowday.

I mean, beyond the normal two-three sinks of dishes and the itinerant laundry.

You know.

The laundry that travels from one room to the next on its actual way to the hamper in my bathroom.

It starts by lying on the boys' bedroom floor.

"Please put your clothes in the hamper."

I next find it downstairs.

Then in the downstair's bathroom.

Then the family room.

Finally, on top of the washer.

Close.

Update:

I have been asked to wash underwear.

Which must now be gathered from the four corners of the house.

As I leave to comply with this request, I'd like to share some Lady photos with you.

The ones I started to take I won't share because she decided to do some doo doo as the shutter was shuttering.

Dogs!

She loves the snow, but hates the cold.

I hear the snowplough too!

Time to go investigate.

What?  Javi is at the backdoor in shorts and barefeet after letting me out?

Thinking I'm going to come back in without chasing the snowplough?

Thankfully, the child with sense could slip his shoes on and help catch the errant pooch.

There's also a picture of C-man and his igloo.

Lady is trapped inside.

There's no carpeting in there, so I'm sure she's not tempted in the least to let fly inside.

A day in the life.

Under the Snow, Under the Weather, Undersewed!

All I see is white and shades of gray!

This is not where I live!  If it was, it might be more bearable because the sun is shining.  Here, it ain't!

LOL

My laptop has been under the weather.  Like, all weekend.  No browsing.  No blogging.  Nuttin'.

Hubby smarts has patched things up and I'm quasi capable of connecting to the wide, wild, world.

First, my Janome.

Then, I got inspired (and cabin crazy) and got out my trusty Singer.  He has tension trouble, but hey, don't we all?

I cleaned him up.

New spool o'thread and bobbin.

Practice fabric to see what I might be able to sew and----

--no needle.  Nowhere.  None.  Zip.  Zilch.  Nada.  (noodle)

Sigh.

What's a girl to do?

Lest you think I've been lazy, three new scarves are hanging out around our house.

One for hubby sweets.

One for sister.

One for C-man.

I am also reading, reading, reading.

Finished two books this week and started another one.

"The Independence of Mary Bennet" by Colleen McCullough.

I am an Austian fan of huge proportions!  Meaning, I like her a lot, not that my proportions are huge or anything!

And I liked McCullough's "Anthony and Cleopatra" and "The Thorn Birds" was all the rage when I was a teenager.  Ooh, and "The First Man in Rome" by her too.  I had high hopes!

Bummer in so many ways.  Disappointing like a drunk relative.  You still love him or her because of the history you have with them, but, the little things you're told or that they do make you cringe and long for something better.  Wrapping it up today and thinking "I could so much better than knocking Lydia off with a feather pillow!  My goodness woman, what were you smoking when you wrote this book?"

Idiot.

Today, we have a snowday!  Our state map is all white too!

Schools closed.

Hubby safe is in the SUV (and people wonder why we have them...duh!  two words.  Midwest.  Winters.  I could probably throw in some other words like ice, sleet, black ice, 6-12 inches of snow, freezing rain, slide offs, wrecks, pile ups, drifting, blowing and long distances between towns and crazy people who live in the country!)

C-man was to be decked out in some spanky clothes today!

Suit coat from local menswear clothing legend store.

Manly man leather shoes and belt. 

Smokin' creme colored, pinpoint dress shirt.  Freshly pressed and k-e-r-i-s-p!

Way cool retro tie that pulled it all together with dark chocolate brown trousers.

(even bought new tshrits to wear under the shirt, we're so hip and prepared in case we were in an accident and needed new, clean underwear!)

to go page at the state capitol.

Ain't happenin'

Because of those "other" words I just used above.

He's thoroughly disappointed and the other boys had projects, papers and things they wanted to do at school today.

How could they cancel?

I mean, really, they wonder why our kids can't read.  It's not anything but these snowdays.  Our kids don't want to miss school and ruin their future careers and earning potential.  Instead of going back to phonics, we just all need to move south.  Where they never have snowdays and the kids can go and learn, and enjoy themselves for seven hours a day, every day!

Me?

Eh.  I didn't really want the day to go quilt store shopping.  I mean, it's not like I stole Javi's laptop to look up quilt and fabric stores in the area or anything.

Writing down their addresses to program into my ready and waiting, loaded in the car GPS.

It's not like I hadn't packed a new book of checks in the checkbook, charged my phone and located anything remotely rectangular in shape made of plastic with magical names like "Visa", "Discover" and "Mastercard".

I absolutely did not get out my comfy, walking, serious shopping shoes.

Or pack my eco-friendly shopping bag to put all my loverly new babies in.

Sob!

Pout.

Wimper.

Whine.

Sniffle.

Happy Birthday to Javi!

Who turns 18 today!

Was it just a short 18 years ago that your Dad was stuck in another town when it was time to go to the hospital?

With all sorts of snow, ice and cold temperatures?

Then at about six months old, Daddy and I were sitting at the dining room table and heard you babbling and laughing.  Heard it getting closer.  And closer.  And realized you had somehow gotten yourself out of your crib and were at the top of the stairs wanting to come down.

Hazel eyes.

First smile.

First steps.

Long afternoon naps with you upstairs in our sunshined warm bedroom.

Reading stories to you and playing Play Doh together.

The time you took all the labels off the canned goods in the cupboard when I wasn't looking.  Mystery meals for a while.

Your blue blankies.

Adding a little brother.

Preschool.

Aladdin.

Kindergarten.

Meeting Joshie.

Adding another little brother.

Fishing at the lakes.

Swingsets.

Riding bikes.

Army men.

Buzz Lightyear.

Gameboys.

Gamecubes.

Trombone.

Losing your blankies at the hospital.

Junior high and off to camp.

All the trips to the beach.

Boogie boards and body surfing.

Shelling.

Snorkeling.

Scuba diving with Josh.

Wanting to be a sniper.

Learning to drive.

Cell phone of your own.

High school.

National Christian Honor Society.

Volunteering at the library and tutoring.

X-Boxes.

Tae Kwan Do.

Teaching it to the little kids.

Happy Birthday!

Love, Mom

Sewing Machine Birth Defect

Yesterday was a bad day.

But through it all, your comments helped and I could feel you all out there.

My mom, who is so good at reading between my not so subtle lines, called from her snowbird home.

Hubby called and I cried a little on his shoulder.

Georgia's Quilt from RPQ

Days like yesterday make you really stop and think.

About a lot of things.

Mostly opposites.

Cold. Hot.

Dark. Light.

Up. Down.

Good. Bad.

http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/kraftasmic/category/pretty-fabrics/

Maybe one of the reasons I appreciate the heat and humidity so much is because of how cold it gets here.

I know I value a dark room when I have a migraine and the light hurts.

I enjoy a good downward coast on my bike after huffing it up a steep hill.

Knowing that I can even call something bad, means that something good has to be out there to in the world of balances.

Andrea at Bad Birds

So, yesterday, I focused on the good.  The bright.  The blessing.

Creation

And today, the sun came out (not here, but somewhere, I'm sure it wasn't hidden behind snow clouds!).

My children woke from their slumber and smiled at me at least once.

Hubby dear went off to work when so many didn't.

My home, while not 74 degrees, is a comfortable temperature.

I have running water.  Hot and cold.

Our pantry if full of somewhat nutritious and somewhat not, food.

I'm not going down to the creek to beat my clothes on a rock or heat water over an outside fire under a kettle to do laundry.

My car has heated seats.

One day, I will understand.  Someday, wrong will be made right, and all the hurts will be soothed.

Until then, I will count my blessings and see them as the gifts they are.

What are your blessings to count today?

Update:

My baby was born with a birth defect.

The doctor just called.  When my Janome was being put together, he thinks the lower shaft was scratched or twisted.

The bushing has seized to the lower shaft.

We'll be on the list for a transplant, that with shipping time, could take up to a month to get.

Sigh.

Good news is that we're still under warranty and all that I'm out is shipping.

But, in the meantime,

no sewing for me.

Mornin'

Have you ever been at war with yourself.

Not known who this person, thinking these thoughts, is.

Hating the turmoil and unsettledness of your feelings.

Wanting a return to the you you know and are comfortable with.

I live a unified, compartmentalized life.

On the whole, a pretty balanced life.

I like myself.

Know contentedness as a good friend.

Stable for the most part.  As stable as life will allow me to be anyway.

~~~~~

I am a mom living inside and outside of her feelings.  Trying not to take things personally and angsting over every little thing while managing to push aside most of my fears.  Fiercely loving her children and wanting to wrap them in bubble wrap, but knowing it would only suffocate and cripple them.

A wife who isn't complete unless she's totally independently dependent.

A daughter who misses her mom, but is happy her mom is happy where she is.  Thankful for this time in her life with those she loves-so far away from me.  Seasons.

A sister who is a friendly stranger and I'm not comfortable or content with that, but I'm sort of stuck here for now.

~~~~~

A friend who tries.

~~~~~

  Mostly, I know who I am and trust this person I've become.

A unity of personas I live that are separate, but intimately twined in my heart, mind and soul.

~~~~~

This tragedy that has entered the lives of others has rocked the boat of my life.

Questions.

Questions.

Reflections.

Pondering.

Asking.

Listening.

Silence.

~~~~~

A shaking of the head.

A hurting of the heart.

A "spilling of grief".

~~~~~

My heart and head are playing tug of war.  And my soul feels as if it's losing.

I fleshly think one way.

And my spirit pulls away.

I determine to think and feel a way I think and feel are right.

And find myself reconsidering.

Rethinking.

Reexamining feelings because I know, for the most part, they can't be relied on.

~~~~~

Scanning the paper for news because I don't want to involve myself with the opinion of others.

Or gossip.

On the outside, looking in.

Helpless.

Unsure.

~~~~~

One minute I'm defending her to myself and others in my head.

And the next, questioning my judgment in friends I choose.

Did I, in not judging, miss something I shouldn't have?

But, she's been nothing but a friend to me.

No unkind words.

No reason not to like her or think anything was out of the ordinary.

Someone I had liked and valued her opinion.

~~~~~

Shaking my head.

And here I am.

Waiting for answers.

A settling of the waters.

A stilling of the heart.

A ceasefire in place.