A Work in Progress

Since I last posted, I've had an unexpected curve in my work life when my employer offered an early retirement package. I'm one of a group of 25 in my school district who are eligible. The offer came after I had spent nearly an hour the previous evening typing a report into the on-line program we use only to be suddenly kicked off the program which, of course, didn't save my work. Just minutes before I saw the e-mail with the offer, I had had an unpleasant interaction with a parent who yelled at me when I asked him to let his child out at the corner rather than in the middle of the street. Leaving it all behind looked very attractive. I spent the weekend imagining how it would be to have time to stitch and quilt during the day, how I would be able to plow through the stacks of books laying around my house, how I would be able to devote more time to volunteer pursuits, how I would be able to travel with my husband and not be bound by a school year schedule. I'v...

Robin over at Crafting with the Stich Witch sent me a Beautiful Blogger award last week. It's my first ever blog award. Thank you, Robin! I really appreciate it! I've had a pretty busy week and I didn't get a chance to go over and grab the award until tonight. My sister, her husband and their daughter-in-law, along with the DIL's dog, stayed with us on Saturday night. My sister lives in Iowa and I haven't seen her for two years. We talk on the phone, e-mail and send pictures often, but it was so great to actually see her. And then there were progress reports for my students and the quilt guild meeting last night along with the time change which robbed me of a much needed hour of sleep. Rarely an idle moment here! So here's how the award works: 1. One must accept the award 2. Thank the person who gave you the award. 3. Add a link to the person who gave you the award. 4. Paste the award on your blog. 5. Write 10 things about yourself others mig...

Kim had a give-away on her blog a week or so ago and I won! What a surprise since I *never* win anything. I got the package containing the Rooibos pattern and the fabrics to make it in the mail on Thursday. I was going to wait for some sunshine in order to take a better picture, but it doesn't look like we'll have any in southeast PA any time soon. I have a couple of other quilting projects going, so this one may not get done right away, but I'll post a picture when it's done. Thanks again to Kim--go check out her blog. I think you'll agree she's a person you'd like to know in real life!

Faithful readers of this blog may recall my recounting of my daughter's college search. If the details have slipped your mind, you can refresh your memory with this post and this one. I only gave a brief mention of the drama over the college applications in one of my posts this winter, but trust me, there was a LOT of drama. My daughter ended up applying to seven schools, six of which will notify her by April 1. She's been admitted to the seventh school, but it was definitely in last place as far as places she would like to attend. About 10:30 this morning, she sent me a text that she has been admitted to one of the schools we visited in DC. It was the school that emerged as her top choice after all the campus visits. This wonderful institution which clearly has very wise admissions counselors would be a fabulous place for her to spend the next four years and we are soooo excited for her. I spent my lunch time ordering her a bouquet of flowers in the school's colors, buyi...

No, that's not a photo of my maid. (Did you know that if you type "maid" into Google images you get a lot of pictures of women in very skimpy black and white costumes? This isn't that kind of blog!). To return to the topic, I'm the maid around here. But having a super-clean house doesn't even make the top ten in my own set of priorities. And my husband's been out of town. He used to travel a lot more when all three kids were home and when he was gone, our routines became, shall we say, relaxed. I would make pancakes for dinner and sometimes treat the kids to "Cheesy Noodles", a culinary delight introduced to them by one of our sitters. It's a box of macaroni and about 2/3 of a jar of Cheese Whiz, splash of mik optional. Sooo good and sooo not healthy. My husband won't touch the stuff. I love it smothered in ketchup. So to return once again to my point, my husband has been gone since Tuesday and now that I only have one chil...

In several of her recent posts, Nicole had pictures of quilts from this book. I especially liked the Beach Cottage quilt and thought it would be a perfect use for the blue and green print that begged to come home with me from the quilt shop a few months ago. My copy of the book arrived this afternoon (along with a few other goodies from the Fat Quarter Shop) and I've been drooling ever since.

I love lists. It's genetic--I got it from my mother. At her funeral, the minister read the passage about the virtuous wife which says that "she rises before dawn" to which I mentally added "and makes a list." My brother-in-law swears that he once saw "make list" as the first item on mom's things to do. Anyway, I generally write down a few things I'd like to accomplish each month. For a long time, I used to do this for my needlework and then sometime last year I stopped as I realized I wasn't getting most of the things done. But with the weather improving in southeastern PA, I'm getting more energized and inspired. So here's my list of stitching related things I hope to do this month: 1. Finish stitching Petit Sampling Etui (need to finish Panel 5 and stitch Panel 6) 2. Finish Lights of Advent ornament #4 3. Finish candle ornament (canvas) 4. Assemble Fall Frolic quilt top, sew backing and cut binding 5. Finish comfort...