it's so hard to say goodbye

The kids are back. Summer is officially over. I know the date that school is supposed to end next year already too. But only because all teachers know this information. I am not rushing it- that is not really my style. I can't wait to get to know my new students. All 140 ish of them. My hope for the year is that I can make an impact on the kid who likes to fly under the radar, convince the big voice to also listen to the quiet moments, spark an interest in some writer they would not have known and to get papers back in a timely manner. Unlike my students who came dressed in their new duds to show that they are ready, I am wearing my clean slate. I am not jaded, I am not all meetinged out (I know it is not a word) and my desk is clear. So summer is a cool memory and I am ok with that. Look out Eagles (our mascot) it is time to soar :)

Adorable Fridgies

My pyrex collection is growing! Well I found this adorable fridge set while I was vacationing in Vegas. It is in great condition and the wonderful lady who sold it to me was such a jewel. I am not really a pink person but this set is GORGEOUS and how could I refuse? I love it and I think I just need to cook so I can have some leftovers to put in these beauties ;)

Who ticked off Mother Nature?

Wow, she is showing her might. I am sure this breaks some kind of record. An Earthquake on Tuesday and Hurricane Watch on Saturday. What a week!

We are bracing for the storm. Our flashlights are ready, we have our water and our cupboards are full of junk food ;) Hope that this storm is a dud and everyone comes out unscathed.

Earthquake!

Yikes! Could you feel it where you are? A 5.9 magnitude earthquake can really rattle your nerves. Luckily everyone in my family is ok. I will feel better once my hubby gets home from work. I hear that traffic leaving the area is a huge mess.

I was at work in meeting (#220,981 of the year that started yesterday) when the quake hit and we were all stunned and scared. My immediate thought was of my little boy and according to his teacher the earthquake did not wake my little one from his nap. So I got to him as quickly as I could.

When we got home there was some minor traces of the quake. Some things had fallen but no real visible damage. I know this quake will be the talk of the town for a little bit of time.

The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat

One thing that brings me a great amount of pleasure is reading. Most of the year I allow the bizillion things I have going on get in the way of reading for fun. Seriously for most of the school year I only read things related to work and that includes a huge amount of torturous essays ;P Well another perk of my trip to Maine was finding a moment to read. I read this great little book about Haiti and the time of Papa Doc Duvalier. I will say that my connection to Haiti and the plight of Haitians is limited; however, I do remember the fall of the Baby Doc Empire when I was in school. The biggest thing that I got from reading the book was that there is duality in people....rarely are people all good or all bad. Also after they atone or change where do they fit in? Can you truly forgive yourself for your past and what do you gain from forgiving others? A very thought provoking little book.

My connection to the text: I really struggle with forgiveness. I mean, I can and do hold grudges. So I say all of this to say, how do you forgive people? Is it easy? Difficult. Have you had an aha moment about forgiveness. Seriously let me know what works. I am all for bettering myself and your way could be the breakthrough I need :)

Maine- Postcard Perfect

I was struck by the beauty of Maine. It is super lush and between all of the trees and waterways it really is just breathtaking. I also loved seeing the lighthouses, kayaks, ships and lobster traps that make Maine unique. I loved Maine!!

Maine Vacation- Vintage quilts

Just getting back from our wonderful Maine vacation. There are certainly many reasons why Maine is known as, "Vacationland": the temps (cool breezes in August), the yummy lobster, the numerous waterways and the activities. We had a fantastic time and one of the cool things was the turn of the century restored farm house that we called home. The house was decorated with so many cool touches. One of my favorite things was the quilts that she used to decorate. I really would love to know the story of who made them and why but it was enough just to feast my eyes on them.

1. A quilt that was hanging in the hallway 2. Quilt that was in my room 3. Close-up details of the quilt in my room

Apples, tee hee- A Laptop Sleeve

The night before my trip to Vegas I realized that I did not have a small bag to put my laptop in for my travels. I was already feeling like a bag lady, between my son's stuff for the 5 hr flight, my stuff, assorted medicines, snacks and the like I needed something that was not huge. After scouring the net for a limited 30 mins, I combined a few tutorials to make my sleeve. It was a quick and easy projects that only required the materials that I had at my fingertips. It took me about an hour to sew and that included some minor seam ripping :)

The verdict: Glad I needed to sew this instead of packing our stuff. I still need to work on my sewing straight lines and my pinking shears were a great little tool to edge the fabric. And well the apple fabric for my Mac was just too silly for words. So that means I love it.

my apologies to the 2-3 tutorials I used to make this, I can't seem to locate you anymore...super sorry! :)

Hope

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all. ~Emily Dickinson

I have decided to participate in a Craft Hope project. I have linked the info so please visit for all of the details but essentially it is a call for stockings for tornado victims. While the deadline is soon (Sept 23rd) and the school year is starting (super busy me!), I figure this project is easy enough for me to do without too much seam ripping :) So if you would like to participate please head on over. If you decide to help out, let me know so I can have a buddy in these efforts.

sunset in California

Driving on the Pacific Coast Highway with my bestie and two riddled up little ones in the backseat was truly one of the highlights of my summer. My only regret was that my time in Cali was too short. Cue the LL Cool J, "Going Back to Cali" and insert the when :)

What has been one of your best summer moments so far?

for the love of fabric

(a cool vintage machine)

Whilst hanging out with my bestie, fabric was calling my name big time. My bff doesn't sew but she loves fabric and color and fashion and all things pretty SO she was game on these fabric quests with me. We went to the cutest fabric store, Sew Obsessed - you feel like you could stay there forever. We met the owner's sister-in-law and she was so helpful. We stayed in there for about 2 hrs and she helped us every step of the way. I purchased a cute pattern and all of the fabrics I need to make it. Just gorgeous. I will say that I don't have much experience with little quilting stores but my experience was nothing like a lot ofthe horror stories I read on the web. She had no problems helping a novice and there was no minimum on cutting fabric. Aside from all of the amazing fabric, the decor was so cute. Loved it!!!

1. Crates of fabric 2. Close-up of displayed quilt 3. Adorable decor