I'll try again...

to keep up a blog. Life takes its ups and downs and twists and turns. Going through Colon Cancer with our older son. What a roller coaster ride that has been. He has just started on maintenance again since the second time cancer was found in his lung. Right now there is no activity on the PET scan. Hopefully this time it will stay away.

I am finished with my emeritus hours and so this year takes an entirely new turn. As far as traveling is concerned, all is up in the air, however, as we wait and watch what will happen with the cancer.

I've been working on my quilt UFOs and have gotten a lot done this past year. Will have to take photos. Also on pair number 6 for socks. Working on Dear Jane again. Have now completed row H. I have some in each of the final rows to complete, but some rows only have a few more to do. That's been higher on the priority list though. So exciting to be doing it again.

Also been working on the house. New sun room, and painted kitchen. More painting to come in the living room and halls and my bathroom. Have the paint purchased for those. Also have to work on our son's house as he has decided to sell it. Lots to do! I am going to try to get myself on a sort of schedule to keep up with the computer and exercising, and meditation. I want to, so I will do it. Otherwise I just drift along with the flow, and don't choose how to spend my time. Wish me luck!

Holy Moly...

life sure has been crazy! Highlights:

-closed up the camper after weekends in September
-went to a quiltchicks retreat and completed the bookcase quilt top
-went to a medieval feast with our friends who are in SCA
-already have first report cards and parent/teacher conferences done
-quilted Chainsaw Massacre (finally) this weekend
-getting ready for the Rahr Art Gallery show which is Dec. I should have 5 things in it if I can get them done (a good thing to have a deadline)
- have read a couple of books
-going to Yoga
-going to the chiropractor for pay in my neck and TMJ
-still not getting enough sleep
-DH had his 61st birthday and is now counting months until retirement
-DGD is in 6th grade this year!
-slowly am getting things done around the house; today I was cleaning in my studio. closets are done, drawers are done. I am learning to get rid of things. have to make another visit to donate at St. Vinnie's.
-cats are doing great. Daisy loves to cuddle and Darwin acts like a dog. woof
-have a new phone- a blackberry, or crackberry as I call it.

that's it for now!
Angel

I fell asleep...

after supper and now I am awake late! We had a work day today for school and I was exhausted when I came home. So I let myself sleep. I thought I'd be able to fall asleep again at the regular time because I took a muscle relaxer about 4 hours ago. That's from my trip to the oral surgeon yesterday. He says I have muscle spasms in my jaw muscles. the good news is that I don't have wearing bones or arthritis in my jaw. We are trying a month of muscle relaxers, wearing my splint at night (which I always do), heat application and soft food. Hopefully that will calm my perpetual jaw muscle spasms! It was easy to get back into the grind at school, and I am looking forward to meeting my new students next Tuesday. Now I just need to figure out when I am going to exercise. I want to keep up with yoga, and walking. Tomorrow DH and I are going out for breakfast and then taking a trip up to Door County. Hopefully we'll get a chance to see some of our former camping buddies.

And so it begins...

another school year. I fell asleep right away and woke up at 2:00 to go to the bathroom. Then Daisy comes and cuddles and I don't fall back to sleep. Lots of stuff on my mind. We had inservice today (yesterday??? it is almost 3 AM). It was all about data and what the data team did in June. I had my department in my room later, and it was a big waste of time. Today we go to hear the superintendent talk and then back to school for more. I have no idea what we'll be doing today.

After school I took the cats to the vet for their annual check ups and shots.

After leftovers for supper I painted a second coat of paint on the bench for the front porch, and two shelves. I did the first coat on Tuesday. Nothing like waiting till the last moment to do something that's from my list of things to do this summer!

I still haven't been able to get the thread I need to quilt Chainsaw Massacre.

Is it June yet?

It's a start...

I have the quilt, "De Pere Chainsaw Massacre" on my machine. This is in reference to the unfortunate and untimely death of some baby squirrels when my DH was cutting down a tree in our front yard at our last house. My DH and I love squirrels and feed them so they will come play in our yard. We name them by what they look like, examples, White Ears, Scruffy Tail, etc. One we had was One Eye. Poor One Eye must have had a run in with another animal or man made contraption, and had lost an eye. It was a small squirrel and we discovered, too late, a female. She had made a nest in a dead tree in our yard, but we didn't know it. When DH went at it with his chainsaw, at the point of cutting down part of the trunk, we heard a horrible screaming and blood flew everywhere. Oh, the horror! DH felt TERRIBLE! We found he had gone through a nest of baby squirrels. Later, One Eye would go sit on the tree stump for long periods of time. More guilt on DH's part. So, like the good wife I am, I decided to commemorate it with a quilt. The center was made with my friends group, Seamster's Union. We all bought two fabrics and then traded squares and made crazy nine patches. It looked to me like a chainsaw had at the fabric. I put a border around it with leaves. That part looks like an peaceful beautiful scene and then the chain saw comes along. I have a squirrel applique in each corner. It's for DH, of course. So, finally, after all these years, I am going to finish it. I got it on the machine yesterday (with some help from my cats) and am going to go start quilting it right now. I'll keep you posted.

Only a week left...

until I go back to school. It goes too darn fast!!! I've been in a cleaning frenzy- cleaning out cupboards and drawers and closets. I've made three trips to St. Vincent de Paul with donations so far. I've wanted to do that for a couple of years, I think. My best friend at school, Kathy, spent almost her whole summer with her sister who died recently from kidney cancer. I helped her clean out her sister's closets, and then came home and started doing my own. I have some more to do in the kitchen and the closet in the laundry room, but got a lot finished. Of course, that means other things didn't get done and I haven't been getting a lot of quilting done. I did finish my Christmas blocks, and did my blocks for a mystery quilt with my former quilting group in Two Rivers. We got three fabrics from someone and had to make a quilt with those, adding other fabrics, too, if we wanted. I made flower blocks, and have to get them together and quilted before November. Today I am going to finally get a quilt on my quilting machine and start quilting! I have a number of others that I want to quilt. Maybe I can get on a roll. More soon!

Some Photos of quilt tops...

The first picture is a lap size quilt top I made during "Scrap Therapy" at Silver Thimble Quilt Shoppe. We take leftover scraps, cut them into 5", 3.5", and 2" squares. We get two patterns every two months that use these sizes.


The second picture is a quilt top for a baby quilt that I used the leftover pieces from making Ana's Crib Bumpers. I just cut 6"strips out of the already sewed together strips, sewed them together and added the borders.

The third picture is a rail fence baby quilt top. I made two of these. The first like this is quilted and given away. This one I finally added borders to.



Lots of bright fabrics! Not my palette for my house, but I like the brights for baby/toddler quilts. That is what each of these will be. Now I need to get QUILTING!!!

My body is screaming...

with using it so much lately! I've finally been home and right now I ache all over with all I have been doing.

I sewed two days ago and put borders on two quilts. Yesterday I started Gentle Yoga. Yesterday and today I worked in the garden. Today I also finally went to the Chiropractor about my neck pain. I actually have some degeneration in between two vertebrae. He is working on some things with me, though and also I had a treatment to try to get the inflammation down. I have exercises to work on the strengthen the muscles in my neck that hold up the head.

I put a few more perennials in the garden and have been weeding, cleaning up and trimming plants. I didn't get into the garden much until now and have to make up for it. Very pretty. I love my flowers. I bought plants that will bloom now, as that is what is needed in a few different areas.

I've had a couple of emotional days. My friend Kathy's sister died and I went to the funeral on Monday. Right now Kathy is in Missouri where Carla is being buried near her father. Next week Kathy and I are going to go to Wyoming. More about that later.

I am going to take some quilt photos and post them soon. I pinned the scrap one up on the wall to photograph it.

Off to do some more fun stuff!

Middle of July???!!!???

Oh- my- gosh- my summer is half over and I have not been home at all until this week. I don't know what to do first! I sew for awhile and then go weed in the garden and then take a walk and then read and then clean something, and then I start all over again. I feel like I am running in circles. I need to be able to slow down and actually live in the moment! It isn't that I haven't had fun, but just am waaaaaaaay too busy.

I bought a new phone today. One I can use to e-mail, etc. I will have to play with it and read the book and look at the CD they included with it to figure out how to use it.

I joined "Scrap Therapy" at Silver Thimble. I cut fabric into 5", 3.5", and 2" squares. Then they give you patterns to use them with. One each time (bi-monthly) we get a commercial pattern and our wonderful teacher does at least one more that she writes up directions for herself. It is fun. I made one quilt top, but am not going to do the July one because I need to FINISH some of my "aged" quilt projects. I want to get my Nolting machine going again and get some tops quilted. I will continue cutting up scraps along the way. It's good to do when watching TV (not that I do that much!).

Although I HAVE been watching some of the movies I buy all of the time. I love movies!

I'm going to try to do this more often (write) and if I do that it will be shorter and it won't take much time. How's that for a plan? I want to post more photos, too! My photo download program doesn't work for Vista, so I have to do it on the computer that has XP on it., and put it on a jump drive and transfer it to another computer. I've been using my laptop a lot more, but still need to put the printer software on it or network it to this computer. I really do love new technology. I just wish I had more time to figure it all out!

Well, that's it for tonight. Daisy is on my lap and arm and half on the keyboard!

Where did the last three months go?

Christmas, then going to California and then being very SICK. Yesterday and today Rich and I took down the Christmas decorations... finally. I came downstairs to get the Swiffer electric broom and instead read my e-mail. So soon I will take that up and clean the kitchen floor and then I'll get my Scooba going to wash it. Really, we are getting a lot done and finally it won't be overwhelming me!

California was more fun than I thought it would be. Going with school kids wasn't my idea of a good time, but since I didn't have to pay for the trip, I decided to "go with the flow." The USS Green Bay was awesome, and the commissioning ceremony was fantastic. We went on Thursday to do the "Geography Bowl" on the ship and our students performed for the crew and then we all had tours. What a great experience. The actual commissioning was on Saturday, and when they were finished and the sailors all ran up the stairs to go on board and they all lined up along the rail of the top deck and saluted it gave me shivers.

We also went to Disneyland on Friday and the show choir and jazz band preformed there. That was fun except it rained most of the day. I was lucky that I was a chaperone with another teacher and a mom for 8 girls who were really good. No problems with them. We also saw the Getty Art Museum (mostly outdoor gardens because it was the first day we arrived and the kids needed to run around), ate at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co. and went to Hollywood and Venice Beach (but both of those were too quick for me- we didn't get to stay long enough!) The flights went well.

A lot of the kids got a cold, and I got it when we got home. I ended up staying home from school Thursday and Friday. Then over the weekend I got the stomach flu to boot! The ugh awful kind where you are sitting on the toilet holding a bucket to barf in...

So now I am finally feeling better and can catch up a bit here. I haven't caught up at school with correcting. I missed a total of 5 days with the trip and then being sick, and I just keep plugging away at it for correcting. Grades are in a couple of weeks, so I will be ready for that, I hope!

DH and I are driving to FL for spring break. We'll stop in Chattannooga on the way down, to see my sister. We will spend a few days with our DS there and then come back taking our time. We are planning to go to Universal Studios Park. Haven't been there yet. DS is coming with us there.

Can't wait to see DS. He is finally feeling happier. Things are going better for him. I got a text one day; "Life's good!" =-)

Better get back to work!

Today is DH's 60th birthday...

but we are celebrating tomorrow. I have to go buy his present yet, and "Over the Hill" stuff that DGD wants to have tomorrow. He is helping his brother cut up wood right now.

School has been soooo busy. The kids are mostly good; a few kids who can't keep their mouths shut. That bugs me. It is so disruptive for the other kids. I have some detention slips handy because I need to get them in line.

I like teaching, but I am getting so sick of all of the testing and all of the stress that comes with it. People talk about "merit pay" for "good" teachers, but when my students are tested, it is based on what they have learned previously to being my student, so how that that say anything about me? It is so high stakes that we have incentive prizes as a raffle. They get one ticket for taking the test (if they are "minimal"), two tickets for basic, three for proficient and four for advanced. We have a separate incentive program just for 8th grade science and social studies because they only take those test in 8th grade, not 6th and 7th. You have to bribe kids to do their best on the tests, because many are lazy and don't care how they do on the tests. But somehow it is the teachers' fault. That is the part I am sick of. Can I retire this year?????

Enough feeling negative! I just have to keep at it. I can't believe how fast this first part of school has gone, because we have already had our first 6 week grade period report cards and Parent/Teacher Conferences. I still have one night of PT conferences this coming week. I didn't have too many people sign up. (OK by me!!!)

I have been cleaning up in my studio so I can get sewing again. I have a lot of things here to file. I love going to the trailer in the summer, but I don't get much done at home once school starts, and we are still gone every weekend.

Speaking of camping, we have moved our camper to a different campground. We moved along with 36 other families who were fed up with how the seasonals were being treated. We are the only ones who moved where we are. The rest went to four other campgrounds. The people we are mostly friends with moved to a campground together, but it is farther away and we don't want to have to drive so far. We will miss our friends, but still get together in the winter, and also we figure that we didn't know any of them 5 years ago, and we will make new friends at the new campground, too. I am actually excited about the new place and starting over, in a way. It wasn't as much fun this past summer with everybody complaining and being negative. DH did the move with a friend of ours whom we paid to pull the camper (he has a bigger truck). DH will have to rebuild the deck next spring, but we will be able to use the wood from our other deck which he pulled apart and we took with us.

DH will also be buiding a deck at our house next spring. I will be digging up sod and be putting a brick or stone patio next to the deck and for flower beds around the deck, too. I have a plan in my head. Lots of work, but I like doing it. I'll be redoing our shade garden next spring, too. DH just threw stuff in it and it looks like it. I want it to look more landscaped. This past summer I really worked in the flower beds and moved a lot and cleaned up a lot. I spent a lot of time doing it, but it is gorgeous. I still have more to do... I just keep getting new ideas!

Time to get going so I can go shop. Hugs to you!

First Day of School...

and I am exhausted!!! It was a boring day and short and long at the same time. My brain felt so fried I couldn't think what to do next. I'll just keep plugging away at it, but my energy level is low. Every year I am a year older and the kids are the same age! LOL

I was "declawed" 2 weeks ago. I had my right big toe nail taken off. The Dr. killed the root, so it won't grow back. It will still look like there is a nail (indentations) with hard skin. It is still healing, so I am wearing sandals. I am having the same done on the other big toe in 3 weeks. The Dr. said my toenails have been traumatized all my life because my toes bend up where they are not supposed to bend. So I keep injuring them. He told me that it will actually look better with no toenail than with the ones I have/had. Now I know what my cats felt like!

Speaking of cats. We are just enjoying ours soooo much! They are just a joy to have around and to play with and to cuddle with. Darwin just relaxes in your arms and purrs. Daisy cuddles up to me, even in the middle of the night. She tends to come to me over Richard, and I think he's a bit hurt! Poor guy!

I have to go now. DGD is sewing and ran out of bobbin thread and needs help!

Workin'

hard here. I just finished washing the second half of my studio floor. I had to do it the "old fashioned" way, with a bucket and sponge mop! My robot has a broken part, and I am currently woring on getting that fixed. Poor little Scooba! Any time I do any physical labor I just start dripping sweat... oops, I mean I start to "glisten." (I'm a lady, after all!) My Principal called me yesterday and I was like, "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" After all, I have a whole week off yet. Except I don't. I have to prepare something for the staff development day. I will work with Penny and we'll get paid. It'll be easy, too. BUT... it cuts into my TIME! Next week is looking pretty busy, with Dr. appts., a trip to Sheboygan to see an Aunt and Uncle here from Arizona, an adventure with my friend, and now this work. Won't give me much time to sew. I have lists and more lists. Floor is dry. Better get back to work!

Here are the photos!

No, no, no,

it's not August already!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to have to remind myself to "be in the present" and enjoy every moment I have. I will have to start working on school stuff though, so I am ready to start the year with our new curriculum.

DH and I are going to go on vacation. He's at work today and then we start for 9 whole days. Most will be at our camper. I will bring my Dear Jane things along and sew when we are there, and not gallivanting around. I also need to make sure I exercise. I'm not secure in that yet.

I was quilting my last of the crazy nine patch baby quilts (FINALLY) the other day and sewed through the side of my left index finger. Ow. The quilt was hung up on the table and then let loose and my hand flew by the needle. I hate quilting on my sewing machine!! I couldn't do it on the Nolting (I tried!) so I've been putting it off, and now this. I did manange to work on it another day, and have it about half done. Meanwhile my finger is slowly starting to heal. It is very sensitive right now and still bled yesterday when I took off the bandage. Ow.

Our kitties are doing well. They follow us around and sleep with us when they finally stop playing. Even DH has been very patient with them. I think he has mellowed as he has gotten older. He keeps saying, "They are a 'hoot'!" They really are fun to watch. And both are affectionate. Just what we wanted. =-) I am going to add some photos today! I finally have them to add. Enjoy!

I'm cooling down

after my walk this morning. I am working on getting back to exercising. Today I finally walked a 2 mile route. I've been so out of shape! I am also doing yoga and small weights alternating days. Man, I am aching all over, but I know it's a good ache and I will get stronger every day. I decided I had to FORCE myself to do this as I feel like such a slug. Now that my medication is straightened out, I need to work on my body. I hate the fact that I weigh more than I ever have in my life. UGH!

Our kittens are so much fun! They are really bonding with us. We have Daisy on antibiotics again, because she was still coughing. I hope this time it clears up. I feel so bad for her when she starts coughing.

We had our DGD with us at our camper this weekend. She is really growing up. Memorial Day weekend we had her there and we gave her money so she could buy stuff at the ranger station. This time she brought her own money. She earned it doing chores. So after that was gone she decided she would do chores for us. She asked where the dishes things were and did the dishes. Then she vacuumed the camper. All pretty good, since we would have just given her some money. I think it's good for her to earn it. She also is starting to care about her hair and put on nail polish (fingers and toes both) she bought at a rummage sale. Then she had me put it on and told me I looked really "cool" It was shiny bright red. Not MY thing! It lasted one day and I took it off! I'll stick with my clear nail strengthener. Now we have to get her to brush her teeth without being told to. =-)

I didn't have much "me" time with DGD there, but I did work on a DJ block while sitting watching her swim. I just have to cut it down to size. I was also sewing beads on a post card while sitting around a fire. Almost finished with that. I am having fun making post cards. They are like mini quilts. I can try different things on a small scale.

Today I am going to work on quilting things. I will finish my post card, and I think I will piece the back for a quilt so I can get it on my frame. I'd like to get one quilted this week. I will also start another DJ block today, I think.

Today I am feeling good. =-)

Has it really been four months

since I posted? Well, I have had a somewhat rough time lately, in some ways. First losing my cat, then a hard end to the school year (can I retire NOW?), and losing some friends because I wouldn't be mean to someone, and I think they think I started something that I didn't start, but was caught up in (and I know who DID start it, but that doesn't matter- it's just hard to be seen as a "traitor"). I haven't been feeling very well, so I am on a mission to "get healthy" again. I think that part of it is eating too much of the food I am still sensitive to. And I recently found out I am now allergic to strawberries. Damn. I've started back on a walking plan, and I have started Yoga and small weight lifting for strength. I am soooo out of shape. But, I am taking baby steps and working on it.

I spend several weeks in June spending a lot of time in my flower gardens. I thinned out, transplanted, weeded, etc. Then DH and I put cyprus mulch on. There is more I want to do, but I decided that this is it for this summer. I want time to sew, too. The flowers are beautiful, though! Some of my vision will have to come after I retire, I think.

DH was watching me mourn my cat, and he decided that maybe we could get a new cat now, instead of waiting. Then he decided we needed two. =-) He picked both of them out at the Humane Society. They are kittens, now about 3 months old. I'll post a picture of them, and some other pictures, as soon as I figure out how to get them on my new computer. It doesn't want to recognize the software to install the card reader. I might have to do it on the computer that still has XP on it instead of Vista. We'll see... The kittens are so much fun! Their names are Daisy and Darwin. Daisy looks like she could be part Siamese; she is cream collored with some orangey tan down her back and a stripped tail. She is very dainty with long legs. Darwin is a black and white "tuxedo" cat. He is going to be a lot bigger than Daisy. They get along so well! They play, clean each other and sleep together, sometimes with their arms around each other. It is so cute. =-) I've got the camera out now where I can grab it quickly.

I finished the baby quilt for our good friends' new grandson, and gave it to the parents on July 4th at a party. One of our dear friends' daughters got married on July 5th. A fun time. After the party on Sunday DH and I went up to the camper and stayed a week. We had too much going on, though. We had our DGD stay Sunday through Tuesday and one of DH's brothers, his sister and her spouse came up one day. We had a good time, but we hardly did anything else that we had wanted to do. We'll be back up there for another week soon and are going to be very selfish this time.

At the camper I did work on my DJ blocks and got 5 of them done. I am almost finished with number 6. Those are the first ones I have done in almost two years. I'm in the mood to keep going now. I am in the 120's of the 169 squares, and have a few triangles done, too. I really enjoyed working on them. I'll be taking them up to the camper again, but will also do some here. I just might get on a roll and finish my squares. (Dreaming! I have too darn many things that I want to do.) Next week I am planning to sew, but the week after that I will need to buckle down and do some unit writing for our new curriculum this fall at school. I don't want to fly by the seat of my pants (what's that mean, exactly, anyway?) all next year. That is too stressful. This will be my last new curriculum, because I hope to retire after 3 more years.

I want to quilt another of my quilt tops this coming week. I picked out the "De Pere Chainsaw Massacre " quilt to do. I'm still practicing on my Nolting, but am not too bad at it anymore. I am excited to get some of my tops quilted.

We've been seeing a new financial advisor and I really like him. As we get toward retirement, we are trying to move our money into safer areas, but now is NOT a good time to pull out of the stock market. But, we're not in a recession, right???

Speaking of our government, I dread the political races this fall. I am already sick of the ads! I'll have to tape everything so I can not watch commercials, or mute the commercials, or something in order to make it through.

Yeaterday I made some Dr. appointments with new Drs. since my insurance changed. I will get some help in my get healthy goals.

I'd better get back to work here. We are taking DGD to the camper tonight for the weekend. We had taken her to a county fair two years ago, and she liked it so much she asked to go again. It's more of a Junior Fair, so not too big, and lots of fun things to see. Lots of 4-H stuff. Rides, too. I did put my blog on my list of things to do today, so I'm not cheating! LOL I promise it won't be another 4 months before I post again. Thanks for reading... =-)

Sad...

I took Tuggy to the vet today and had her put to sleep. It was so sad. I stayed with her because I knew how nervous she is with other people, so I wanted to be there to hold her. She was just getting so weak and was throwing up and peeing outside of her litter box on a rug. She just wanted to lay next to us on the couch and get petted. When I took her in to the vet I held her in my arms and cuddled her and she let me do it. She never wanted to be held, but she let me hold her today. I got her wet with tears dropping on her while I cuddled her. The people at the vet were so nice and our regular vet came in to talk to me and pet Tuggs, and to tell me I was doing the right thing. Another doctor did the actual deed. I had not stayed with a pet before. Usually I made Rich take the animal in, and he never stayed. So this was a new experience for me. A very sad experience. Tuggy was really my cat. She had a special connection to me from the minute I saw her. So this was very hard today. I woke up about an hour ago, thinking about her and what she looked like when she died. I couldn't sleep, so I got up and came down to work on the computer. I needed to post this so my friends know that it is over.

Tomorrow is the day...

we get to pick up our new computer! It is exciting, because it is going to be more up to date and faster and and and... woooo hoooo! I spent tonight backing up my documents so that I can put them on the new computer. We will still have the other computer, and will update it and put it upstairs for DS and DGD to use. We have been looking at desks to get one for it. We won't get a very expensive one, but it'll be good for the guest room.

I only have the last borders to put on the baby quilt for our friends' grandson. Then I can quilt it. I have spring break coming up in two weeks, and if I have that one done I can go on to quilt another one. We have four days of school next week and four more the week after, and then 10 days off. I am going to make a list of what I want to do. I am in the mood to clean things like closets, drawers, etc. Maybe it comes from always doing spring cleaning when I was growing up. It'll feel good to get things clean and tidy. Now, if only the spring weather would come with this wanting to spring clean! Being able to open up the doors and windows would be nice. Oh well, at least I'll get things straightened out! I have to keep myself off the computer playing games and also buying things! I ordered thread for my fun quilter. I ordered some things for the house, and I ordered things for my Scooba, like an extra battery and cleaning solution.

I need to get moving so I don't fall asleep!

20...

That's the number of times that I still have to do grades before I retire. I finished grades yesterday. I don't know who sets up this school schedule, but they sure aren't thinking about teachers! We are in the middle of parent/teacher conferences (last time tonight for this go-round), and grades are due. We also had a half day staff development before conferences on Friday, and I was a presenter. Then we had a department meeting, and I have to add things to our action plan to send to the Principal for her report. I have to put in a supply order, order things with our parent money (Parent Communication Association, or PCA, has a fund raiser each fall and gives each department $800). I also have to type up department meeting notes to send to the principal. OK, are we having fun yet? Do we have enough STRESS yet? Hmmmm? And people wonder why we make all this "big money!" Oh yeah, and before this 12 hour day, I woke up at 4:00 and couldn't get back to sleep. Coffee is ready. Time out to get a cuppa.



Oh, and after tonight, only 18 more sets of conferences.



Our cat has diabetes. With her being so skittish, I couldn't see giving insulin shots, and the oral medication didn't work, so she is dying. I told DGD about it on Sunday, and she really cried. She just hates losing pets. I talked to her about the cycle of life, and how animals don't live as long as people, and how it is still worth having pets, even though we lose them, because of the joy and love they bring to us. After while she calmed down. I gave her my camera and let her take as many pictures as she wanted to. Then I took some of her with her head on the cat. That tells you how sick the cat is... letting DGD "hug" her instead of running away! But... I think the cat felt her distress and it was a way of comforting her (tolerating the hugs). I'll print pictures for DGD to have when the cat is gone (soon now, I think). DGD was angry with me for telling her, but this way she has the pictures with the cat, and she has warning that the cat won't be here one day when she comes.



Last night I met with the knitting group. Mostly it is just me and one other person. She is younger than my boys, but we have fun. She considers herself a "geek". She majored in statistics in college. I think she is a very intelligent and friendly young lady, and I like her a lot. The Green Bay group meets twice a month. We have had other come, but not come back (guess I scared them away). Sometimes some come from Appleton, where the gal is who started the group, but not last night. I am on my 3rd pair of socks. I am doing this one with the 40" circular needle, using the magic loop method. So far I like it (once I got the hang of it, and after starting the sock 5 times...) I am on the heal right now. we'll see how the rest of it goes.



I finished some blocks for one of the members of my Dear Jane group. Somehow we got making blocks for each other. I didn't want to be the only one who didn't want to do it. It is all so new for these gals. So I said I'd do it. Now, we aren't making DJ blocks, mind you, but we are making 9" or 12" blocks for each other. I have one set to go. I'm last, which is OK with me. I have to make some churn dash blocks yet. I am having them make 9" double nine patch blocks for me. They should be able to do that if they can make DJ blocks. The ones I did this time are somthing I designed. She wanted hearts and crosses on hers, in green and pink. So I did a 16 block, on point, with a different color to show up as a cross when on point. Then I added semi-circles to two sides to make it a heart. I appliqued the heart on to a background. The backgrounds are pink, the hearts green and the crosses are bright pink. I did it that way because then I could make them out of fabric I had here. I had more pinks than green that would go together. So, I hope she likes them. She better appreciate them with the extra time to applique them! (I know she will.)



I bought some batting so I can finish the baby quilt for our friends' grandson. I have the blocks up on the design wall. I did a rail fence with blue and orange making the zigzags, and yellow and green in the centers of the squares. I found some dinosaur (cartoon type) fabric which I used to pull the colors from, and it will be the borders and backing. I put it up on the wall, and decided I didn't like the dino fabric right next to the blocks. So I went and got some red fabric to put a narrow border and also the binding. I hope it does the trink. There's no red in the center, but there is red in the dino print. I have enough fabric/blocks to make a second baby quilt, if I back it with another fabric (which I also bought). This is the only fabric I have purchased recently. I am trying to only buy fabric for the four "B's"- borders, batting, backing and binding. And that's only if there isn't anything I can use in my stash. I don't have a lot of "baby" type fabrics, being more partial to the darks, so for that I had to buy some brights. I won'[t have much left for a stash though. Some day I'll use all my bright scraps to make one more baby quilt. They look great with black and whites. Time for more coffee. Boy, I really need it... I just came down with a cup with only cream in it. I forgot to add the coffee!



This Saturday I will get back to that baby quilt and at least get the top done. I have spring break coming up soon, and I hope to get that and another UFO quilted. It feels so good to be getting things done!



I need to make another throw rug. I have fabric to cut strips from, but can't find my pattern or size Q crochet hook! So I went out and purchased a new hook, and asked a friend for the pattern since I lost it on my computer when it crashed last year. Haven't heard back from her about it yet. I know she has it, because she taught classes on rug crocheting and had typed up her version of the pattern. I have fabric that my aunt gave to me when she couldn't sew any more. I've been using that in rugs because I am a quilt shop fabric snob, and this is from JoAnn's. I just know for quilts I want the higher quality fabric. If I am going to put that much time into it, I want something that will last, and not fade, etc. But for rugs, it works fine.

The other day I ordered a bunch of thread for my fun quilter. I love King Tut thread (Superior). It works well on my machine and it is varigated. I bought colors that I can use on my UFOs. I also ordered floor washing solution for my Scooba. Plus an extra battery. Then DH and I went out and ordered a new computer. It is being built at a local place and should be ready to pick up this weekend. I am also going to get a laptop. We also looked for new furniture for our living room, but didn't find anything we liked (I have a "vision"). Everything out there is retro 50's and 60's. UGH! UGLY!!! Maybe it's a good thing that we didn't find anything. After my other expenditures, I might have to save some more!

Speaking of saving, I've been making double payments on our house. It will be paid off before we retire. Then all we have to do is figure out how to pay the property taxes...

Better go now and pack my lunch and get ready for school. At least waking up early gave me some time to write this! A bit long, huh?