Looking Forward and Back

As I sit grading papers, watching my students take semester exams, I am reminded of my own high school finals, and the differences between us.
It's been over 10 years since I entered high school. It seems odd to put it in that light. I was a shy teenager, and am still a close-to-the-chest adult. But, give me a topic that I have an opinion about, and I can talk your ear off.
I see bits of my teenage self in my students. The ones who are passionately interested in a particular subject. The ones who meticulously finish their work, but still have a bad day now and then. They are the ones that remind me every day of the joys of teaching, and the blessing it is to work in a Catholic school.

I'm discerning a job change right now. I love my students, my co-workers, my boss, but I have a little one at home, and driving nearly an hour to work takes its toll. If you would pray for me, I would appreciate it.

St. John Bosco is the patron saint of my homeroom-- each of the 8 homerooms has one. I will be praying for guidance from him as well as my patron saint, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. I would love it if you joined me.

Thank you & God Bless!

St. John Bosco, pray for us!

St. Margaret Mary, pray for us!

Monochrome

WIP

A slouch hat and a pair of convertible mittens, in shades of grey, are in my project bag for the week. Hoping to finish them soon so I can move on to something more colorful in these dull winter months. Though the greys do match my mood as well as the snowy, frosty trees.

In the midst of exam week, so reading is limited to lesson prepping and essay reading. 

Linking with Ginny. 

No School

Day one: Below zero temperatures. Definitely not what I want to deal with. Luckily, school officials thought that below zero temperatures that hovered near -20 F warranted closing school for the day. So I get a day with my snuggle bunny, a gas stove, and warm tea. Well, and exam prep, but we'll pretend that's not there for a while...

Who can work with this cutie around?

Day two: snow snow everywhere. Last night I closely watched the school closings, and I dreaded the morning as I saw many school districts along my 40 minute drive to work announcing that they would be closed. Luckily, my district also decided to close for this snowy and cold day. 

So another day to get things done. But day two gets to be more interesting than day one. 

As part of my 6000 g weight stashdown, I present dryer balls

Wool dryer balls are a great way to use up stash that just appeared in your closet. No, the yarn didn't just appear, but I never had a plan for it-- a co-worker was destashing, and I find it hard to resist wool. I'm contemplating offering these for sale in pairs, but am struggling with the best way to market them. 

Mitten Cuff

I'm working on mittens for a friend who requested them in time for cold weather. Oops. The cold is already here, and the mitts aren't done. Patterns were eluding me, so I'm adapting several to fit my needs and vision.

That's all for me on this pair of snowy cold days-- off to do less glamorous (but totally necessary) chores like laundry and dishes. :)

God Bless!

Something like Progress

This has been a busy week for me. My students get their semester exams next week, so this week has been a push to wrap up material and review. As I didn't get as much done over break as I had hoped, I've been quite swamped with work. The students are also holding their breath for a snow day, which makes them out of sorts. And JT's been fighting off something yucky, so my sleep schedule is completely off.

But progress still happens:

This blanket is snuggle size, though still not finished. Maybe this weekend....

Vacation's End

Christmas break was extremely busy at our house. From work (my husband worked Christmas Eve and Boxing Day) to travel to relatives visiting, I would say our break was not as relaxing as I would've hoped. Not being relaxing doesn't also mean unenjoyable though. Probably too enjoyable, as I got very little school planning done-- but live and learn!

Sister in law brought Jamberry nails for us to try- I'm not sold, but it was fun. 

And JT got to hang with cousins! :-) 

I give semester exams in a week and a half. Then we'll be on the trek to the school year's end. Seems odd, but exciting at the same time.

Happy New Year, everyone!

January 1, 2015

The first day of a new year doesn't always feel different. Last year, we already knew we were expecting a new little one in our lives. This year, I know I am hoping for something a little more low key. To be honest though, I don't have many expectations for this year. But I can have a few hopes and dreams...

• homeownership
• new job for my husband- or at least a promotion
• expansion of my home business
• a renewed teaching contract-- I'd love to work another year at my current job
• debt reduction-- college loans are still looming, and we'd like to get them down significantly this year, especially since we are still house shopping
• expansion of garden-- we grew a few of our own veggies this year, but because I was heavily pregnant/dealing with a newborn during harvest time, we were not as successful with our crops as we could've been. Hopefully we will be able to put more up this year.
• good health all around-- back problems and migraines have plagued me throughout 2014, and we'd like to find a solution for them soon

While I've  known other people to choose words or themes for the coming year, I've never done it myself, but this year one found me. I have a habit of writing quotes on notecards when reading, especially if something good strikes me. I found this one while cleaning:

Notwithstanding my weakness, I am no longer afraid. 

I have placed my confidence in God, who can do all things 

and from whom I hope all things, for I rely not on myself. 

~St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

So I'm adopting that as my theme for the year, and plan to continue to pray and reflect on how best to place confidence in God.

Blessings in the new year!

Love,

Mary

Yarn-Along

It's been a while since I properly shared with Ginny's yarn-along, as work and baby have kept me busy. Oddly enough, I don't have any pictures of finished gifts. They were finished just under the wire, and gifted to my family out of town.

because I need more cosy blankets

My mom and sister have a tendency to pick up Lion Brand Homespun for me, for my craft show projects. So although I just started my 2015 Stashdown-- with the Knit Picks (and more!) Stashdown group - 6000 g net loss by Dec 2015-- I got a few **cough**8**cough** new skeins of yarn. To counter the yarn gain, I started another Rectangular Sampler Blanket. This pattern is great in any weight yarn- for the homespun, I just take out the bobble rows and do more granny rows. Also, since this is a bulky weight yarn, I may do fewer rows-- or just keep going for an adult sized blanket. 

My little one is getting so big!

My little bundle of love is four months old now, and loves chewing on things, wiggling, and standing. He's not crawling yet, but with the way he's moving, we expect it soon. I still have a few WIPs for him, but hopefully will get them finished before he gets too big.

Linking with Ginny!