Sunday, August 25, 2013

Puppy Love and Back to School

WOW!  I am back to school and it has been the roughest start I have had in my entire 17 years of teaching.  Our high school comfortably holds 3,700 students and we have enrolled so far this year, 4,200.  Quite a big difference let me tell you.  Not only are we extremely packed for space, we have almost 300 teachers on our campus and 65 of those poor teachers are homeless.  They do not have a classroom and have to float into other teachers classrooms. They get a rolly cart to hold all their supplies and push it from class to class. So, on my prep period, I have to leave my room so another teacher and their class can be in my room.  I have to pack up everything I might need to get taken care of during my 90 minute prep.  I can't go back if I forget something, I  just have to make it work!   Think of it like this,  you are in your office space and someone comes to you and says "Vickie, you have to leave your office space now and you cannot come back for the next 90 minutes.  Gather up everything you may need and then go find yourself a new workspace that is not being used by anyone else.  However, if someone needs the space you find, you have to relocate again to a different space."  Imagine that, and then realize I do this every day!  It really stinks.   We are praying the public votes YES for a new high school to be built.  

My stitching has really suffered.  I have come home these past 2 weeks of organizing my room and then the first week back just exhausted.  I come home, sit down and then promptly fall asleep.  Last week was really rough because Mark went out of town Mon- Wed and it was just me and the critters.  I came home the first day to a dead mouse and a lizard tail.  Which meant there was a live lizard somewhere in my house.  Luckily I found it hiding under my vacuum cleaner.  It is now hopefully surviving outside and growing a new tail.  Mark was really sweet when he came home,  because he fixed dinner for me while I slept.   I have been worn out.  

Bert, the mighty hunter brought a chipmunk in the house sometime on Friday, because Mark found him in my tablecloth drawer. He jumped out and the chase was on!!  All 5 critters and 2 adults was on the hunt looking for the little rodent.  I found him today, dead, under my chaise lounge.  He is now out of my house and I have a very angry cat who really wants his chipmunk toy!!!

On to Stitching...Here is my Puppy Love progress....I love it on the purple sparkly fabric



This is another Disney design that I am doing. I can't tell you anything because it is a secret Round Robin design.  

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There is a lot more to say, but it is time to go to bed because I have to get up early and do my weigh in on my Biggest Loser game.   I did not lose a single pound over the Summer.  However, I did lose several inches so I am proud of that!!!


Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Puppy Love and Sistine Chapel update

Even though it is summer, I feel like I haven't had time for much. It isn't like I have had a job to go to or any major projects going. I have just gotten lazy because I get sucked into Facebook, Pinterest and this slot machine game I play.  That is my whole excuse.   August just snuck up on me and now I have been spending a few hours a day in my classroom.  

I did pull Sistine Chapel out this past weekend.  I am still on the on the third page of the second panel.  It is moving very slowly.

Several people asked about my Disney Table Runner and where I found the pattern.  I bought this Italian magazine off Ebay a couple of years ago.  


I pulled out my Puppy Love to work on and I just love this design.  Mickey's butt looks so cute!  


I have been working out at home 4 days a week.  Here is my obstacle course that I have to go through when I workout.  They just want to encourage me I know.   I have not lost any weight this summer.  I am still the same weight I started at however, I have lost several inches so I am proud of that.


Friday, August 2, 2013

Disney Table Runner Finish!!!!

I cannot believe I have not posted since the middle of July.   WOW!!!  I have been spending my time stitching, and working on school work.  There have been many hours since my last post of cutting and gluing math problems onto math task cards. Then I had to make an answer sheet for each set.  Sigh.....I have to go back to work officially on the 13th.  However, unofficially, I have already spent hours in my classroom just getting things set up.  My classroom is just about as big as my living room. That has to hold 15 to 20 students desks, 2 teacher desks, book cases and all the other goodies we need to survive.   It is like playing tetris in my room to make it where we aren't squished like sardines.  I have to do like Tim Gunn says off Project Runway  " Make it Work!!"....

I had hoped to finish this by the end of July. However, I kept having to frog something on EVERY set of characters.  Donalds Butt wasn't stitched right, Daisy's globes where wrong...I started Pluto 5 lines BELOW where I should have and had to restart that too....sigh... But it is finished!!!!! LOVE IT!!  Now to find the perfect fabric to go around it so it can be a fabulous table runner!!