CAT-NANA PILLOW

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A few years ago, when my grandkids were coming to my cabin to play, we often had "art days" where we'd use crayons, markers, construction paper, glue, tape, popcicle sticks, and anything else we had on hand, to make one-of-a-kind works of art. Granddaughter loved making rainbows, just as her mom had done many years before. Grandson often wanted to make cat pictures for me. He once asked if I could make a pattern from some of his pictures and I said I was sure I could. He sat down and drew a cat with a heart on it and then sketched a striped cat. I made patterns from both pictures, chose some fabric, and made the cat with the heart right then and there. Later, from his sketch. I stitched a pillow with a striped cat appliqued on it. The pillow required a lot of hand-stitching but I liked how it looked when it was finished.

I've saved many of the pictures my grandkids made for me. I also saved many things my daughter made when she was a child. I love thinking about all the times we were together making art and having conversations or just acting silly. The pictures remind me of those precious times. The grandkids are growing and maturing but I hope one day they'll look back and fondly remember our art days.

I think one of the reasons I tend to dwell on times spent with my grandkids is that I don't recall having fun experiences with any of my grandparents. I barely knew my maternal grandfather, who passed at a fairly early age, and my paternal grandfather passed when my dad was just seven years old. Neither of my grandmothers was the least bit maternal toward her grandchildren. Both grandmothers were strong, stern women and I suppose they should be admired in some ways, but they were neither fun-loving nor "child friendly". One of my goals in life was (and still is) to be a loving nana to my grandkids and provide them with special memories they'll always carry with them. They have surely provided me with many. I hope one day they'll be able to tell their children how much fun they had with their grandparents.