This has been the longest week...

And yet it has flown by. That doesn't sound like it makes any sense, but in my reality it does. The days with the students in class seem to pass quickly, and yet it feels like we have been back in school for months, not just 8 days. Yikes!

There has been some teenage angst this week too, just to add to the fun. My youngest was having a few adjustments to her new life as a freshman in High School and it hasn't been the easiest of transitions (for any of us!). She was feeling some pressures both academically and socially and was not willing, being a typical 14 year old, to open up to Mom about the situations. I felt so helpless..she was upset. But things seem to be a bit better today and she is actually in the midst of planning a movie outing with her friends for later today. (sigh of relief)

College child is doing ok. I try not to nag..things need to be done by her with out my assistance. She seems to be adjusting well to sophomore year. Classes seem to be ok for her, although her roommate situation is not. But she is working it out and then life will be good.

My college days are going along ok too. I discovered that if I do participate in class discussions, I will not burst into flames and die on the spot as I had previously thought. Even though I am the "geezer" of the class, my theory is, so what? I may actually have more insight to some of the topics with my "wisdom that comes from age" than all the rest of the teens and twenty-somethings. As long as I can keep up with the readings and homework, I think I will be ok..or at least well enough to sign up for another course for next semester.

On the quilting/knitting front..not too much happening. I have been knitting sporadically on the mates to the Socks for Soldiers socks. I really need to get going on those as there is a first mailing/shipment that is going to be sent overseas in mid October, and I really want the 2 pair that I am working on to be part of that initial package. I am going to start practicing knitting and reading at the same time and see how that goes. Is that physically possible? Hmmm...must ponder that one for awhile.

I also decided to rejoin a quilt guild that I used to belong to over 10 years ago. At the time, my DH and I both had meetings that met on the same evening. Both of the kids were small, and it became an issue over who could go to their meeting and who would stay home to watch the kids. As it turned out, it just didn't pay to belong to a guild that I could never get to. As the years passed, I was able to join another guild that met on a different night ( I still belong to that one) and have subsequently joined another one last year. I really don't need to belong to 3 guilds..but perhaps all of that inspiration will help me finish all of my UFOs! That means that at least one week a month I have meetings on Sundays,Mondays and Wednesdays and school on Thursdays. hmmm...perhaps I should rethink this schedule too!

I think I will go and knit/read/study/and watch "Under the Tuscan Sun"..one of my favorite movies. Hope to post some photos of more finished projects soon. (I did manage to actually mend a shirt for my DD that has had a hole in it for months..I'm a terrible mother! LOL! I guess that counts as a UFO!)

I've made it through the first week...

TGIF! It's been a long, tough week! Labor Day has come and gone and so has the summer! We've delivered the first born back for her second year of college. I started back to work at the high school with a professional day on Tuesday full of paperwork and meetings. Wednesday brought the freshman only to school, with my youngest daughter being one of them. Several days later, some of her anxiety over this major life transition has been somewhat relieved. She seems to be enjoying her classes and teachers and is making new friends. As a mom..this is a "whew" moment! My classes consist of 3, count them, 3 math classes! The teachers that I am working with are great and so far, so good on the students too, so all is well on that front.

My first night of college classes was also and experience! I was "Ma'med" by a student who mistook me for a professor when he asked for directions to the classroom. I had to laughingly tell him that I, too, was also in his class as a student and was also looking for the classroom. Of course, with the exception of the professor, I am the oldest of 30 in the class. I hope I can handle all of this work..tons of reading..and writing. I will try my best, that's all I can do. Fingers crossed! (I am definitely going to have to practice some time management strategies)

On the knitting front, I was able to put several inches on the BBS mate on the trip to college with my daughter. DH drove the 4 hours round trip which left me with tons of knitting time. I generally like to drive due to some motion sickness issues, but getting this much un-interrupted knitting time was definitely a luxury!

Tomorrow is my monthly trek to a LQS with a friend. We usually have lunch and enjoy catching up on what has happened over the past month. She is also returning to school to earn her doctorate degree, although it has only been a year since she was in school completing her mastor's. We joke about graduating together, using our walkers at the ceremony and, at the rate I am going, that image is not far off the mark!

I should be in bed but...

I just can't sleep. It's nearly 1 a.m. here and my mind is working overtime. Today is the day that I bring my oldest back to college. I pretend like I am happy that she is returning....but in reality it is a difficult thing. Thankfully this is going to be a very busy week. I go back to work on Tuesday and school begins on Wednesday. I start my college class on Thursday and the weekend is already over booked..so hopefully I won't have time to miss her. Let's hope...

On the crafty/quilty side of things, I did manage to finish a project that was technically started last winter. (Is the purchase of supplies for making something but not actually starting it considered a UFO or WIP? details shmetails)
Last Christmas I had planned to make pillowcases for family members including my niece and nephews. I found the perfect fabrics for them at my LQS, reflecting their hobbies or personalities. Unfortunately, as usual, I ran out of time in December, so I planned to save the project for their respective birthdays. My niece's birthday was in February and I did manage to make her the figure skating pillowcase for that event. At the time I thought that I should make the ones for my nephews, as I was on a roll, but I just packed the fabric away and that was that. Weeeelllll, Thursday was one nephew's 12th birthday and Saturday was his brother's 18th. My brother was planning a 5 pm party for them on Saturday, so true to my usual form, I started scrambling to find the fabric late Friday night. I gave up but returned to searching on Saturday morning and, after much cursing and cussing, managed to find it late morning. I probably started to work on them around noon time...and managed to finish both of them by 3 pm or so. (I then had to scramble to make something to bring for dinner...I managed to scrape together a spinach dip with stuff I had in the fridge...yeah!) I have always been able to pull it off when it came to tight deadlines..but why do I put myself through that stress all the time??

Here are some photos of the finished pillowcases. I think I have a picture of my niece's skating one somewhere..but that will take some researching. In the meantime here are Saturday's creations.


Here is Trevor's (he's 12)


And here is Ricky's (he is 18 and a hockey player)