Oh, it's Friday! Take a deep breath, hold it, now EXHALE. Whew. Another week, and this one has been a tough one. John's been in Torino (no, not for the Olympics, though I wish!). He's been attending a staff meeting for his company. And in the meantime, I've been dealing with Life. Thank goodness my work load has been light this week. It's been tough enough dealing with ear infections, sick kids, migraines (yes, again!), history reports, pinewood derby cars, and the ordinary life of a mom with three small kids, I'm ready for a break!!!
Let's dispense with the whining. I am so blessed -- to have generally healthy kids, to have an awesome nanny (who just also happens to be a massage therapist!), and to have terrific family support. And John appreciates me and knows how hard it is to hold down the fort while he's gone.
So after a week of popcorn for dinner, sleeping in one big toasty mass in Mommy's bed, and letting things slide around the edges, it's time to get everything ship shape before the main man comes home. And that means -- LAUNDRY.
While the load is in, I thought I'd give a little update on some of the goings-on in this part of the world.
First, I've been keeping up with the art journal challenge at Written Down. You can see some of my entries in this photo album. Let me know what you think! It's my first time trying anything like this, and I am really enjoying the process. It's tough, to let go of the boundaries that have defined me and the things I've created. It's tough to let go of what I think I "should" be doing, and to just go with the spirit. It's REALLY tough to stop asking, "How is this useful? How is this helping me discover my mission on this earth?" and instead just enjoy the process. I love it, but at the same time I hate how loose it makes me feel -- like I don't know where my edges are any more. But it's all good.
On the knitting front, I'm trying to decide on a project for the Knitting Olympics. I want it to be challenging, but also something I have a good chance of completing in the 16 days of the Olympics (including time out for my BIRTHDAY!). Marji wants me to do a sweater (she says it will be good for my development as a knitter, and she should know!), so I'm looking for a pattern. I have all sorts of yarn in my stash, so that's another consideration -- using what I have. I have a lot of alpaca -- anyone got any suggestions for that? What about the Hourglass Sweater from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts? Is that too ambitious?
I've been keeping up pretty well with "52 Projects" as well, though I'm a tad behind. My documentation for last week is in my art journal -- "End of the Line." I'll enter the journaling later.
On the envelope front, I've had a positive response! Not only did one agent ask to see my first chapter, she read it very quickly and asked for the full manuscript! My goal is to get that mailed to her today -- after the watercolor journaling class I have this afternoon. Wow, what's gotten into me??
What I'm reading -- "Prozac Nation" by Elizabeth Wurtzel and listening to both Augustin Burrough's "Magical Thinking" and Kate White's "Over Her Dead Body." PN is slow-going -- she's a tiresome writer (particularly on the heels of "More, Now, Again", and I can only imagine a tiresome person. Crisis, crisis, crisis. I want to tell her to sell her possessions and move to Rwanda if she wants meaning in her life. Geez. Not too sympathetic, I know. I'll post a full review of all three later, once I'm done. (Just a note -- I only listen to unabridged audio books, so in case you're wondering, now you know).
Other cool things -- A great gift package from Teresa in Portugal. It is so awesome, that it makes up for not ever getting a swap package from the thrift store swap last month! Teresa, you rock!
I know I've mentioned her here before, but if you have not already checked out Ali Edwards' blog, DO SO. NOW. You won't be sorry. She's inspirational, funny, touching, and just plain coolio. Wish I knew her.
Now go create something.
