fall creeps in

I was walking Raine to school one recent morning, and I noticed some yellow leaves on the sidewalk. Huh? It's still warm in the mornings. Hot in the afternoons. Well, it is finally September, though. OK, then I looked in the trees along the way. hmmmm no yellow leaves up there. AH wait! there's one. And on the other side of the tree, there's another. More yellow leaves on the ground than in the tree.

I got to thinking (dangerous, yes, I know) about those trees, and wondering if they felt about those first few yellow leaves the way most of us feel about those first few gray hairs. EEEK! get them out! It certainly seemed that way, walking Raine to school, and noticing these things.

Maybe the trees really aren't looking forward to fall this year. Look, my leaves are really all green still. Maybe the heat has lulled them into a false sense of summer security, and they should take better care of themselves - like most people I know should have.

Still, those few yellow leaves are only the beginning. Wonder whether we'll get to watch the leaves change and fall, or will it be - as it often is here in Las Cruces - that most of the leaves will be green until we finally get an overnight freeze, and then they all drop over the course of a day.

spore shirts

I finished the shirts I made for Raine & Ezekiel. They weren't awake (in one case) or here (in the other) when I got them done, so I had to photograph them hanging, which I did. Now, I have not been really happy with the results of my clothing photography on several occasions. For some reason, I can't seem to get the stillness right, or the light or some combination of those plus operator ignorance. OK, it's true. I am NOT a professional photographer. There, I've said it.

Still, this evening, after trying several different settings with unsatisfactory results, I think I hit on a setting that may be the one I've been needing to use. I think the shirts look pretty good. They are not blurry, and there is light so you can see the design on the fabric. This is the fabric that reminds me of the Spore game that Raine & Ezekiel like to play so much. I sure hope they enjoy their shirts!

I'm going to try for a little closer shot on the fabric, and if it works, I'll post it too, if this is the only picture here when you read this... well... Let's just say I won't type in all the cussing.

i remember... i think

I think that I remember what i wanted to blog about... and you know what's funny? Yeah, it had something to do with remembering itself.

I finally remembered to take a camera to Saturday sewing. I've been trying to keep a record of the projects I've made, but when it came to going to Roxanne's, and packing up all this stuff, it never seemed like the camera called out to me. This past Saturday, I finally remembered. Here are a couple of the pictures. You'll have to excuse the blurriness, I think the camera thought the fabric was moving.

Tenna bought this fabric for her Eastern Star installation. She paid a seamstress to make tops and skirts for the women involved (OK, the women paid for their own, but you get the idea, more or less). She wanted a black A-line skirt with a band of the top fabric at the bottom. She got a gathered waist skirt with a ruffle at the bottom. She was rather disappointed. AND the tops weren't anything special either. T-shirty. BUT she had all this fabric left over, and Roxanne didn't have a top, so we looked through the patterns, and got this drape necked shirt that was harder to cut out than it was to sew. Last weekend we got Tenna's all put together. This weekend it was Roxanne's turn. We also cut out and sewed up Tenna's A-line skirt, only since she had enough of the print, we made it out of that. That print is a very versital one and will go with so many colors, so both pieces will be flexible.

I also worked on a couple of matching shirts for Raine and her buddy, Ezekiel. All that is left is to sew on the buttons. No, of course I haven't taken pictures of those yet... come on, you can't expect miricles! The fabric was so cute and reminded me of a game they both like to play called Spore.In addition, we worked on Carl's birthday shirt. It still needs some work, but maybe I can get to it tomorrow. I'm hoping.

Not only that, but Dev brought over bags and bags of fabric, donated by a friend. We're going to have a great time going through it and imagining what to sew. There is so much there! Dev is planning to get back into fencing, too... hmmmmm

elusive

I guess that is why one would theoretically write these things down. See, I have an idea. Something that I would like to blog about. But, when I sit down at the computer, I can't think of what it is. I must be too busy creatinating.

I know I have this topic, because AWAY from the computer, where writing utensils are not handy, I think of it, much in the same way you think of something you need that is in another room, but when you get to that other room, you can't think of what it was. You know you went in there for something, and you wanted the something, but now that you are here where it is... well there is just too much else distracting you.

I remember thinking about this topic multiple times. I'm just in the wrong room right now, to remember what it was I needed.

interesting word

Yep, I'm a word fiend, too. Fran wrote recently about one of her current favorites, and now its my turn.

I play Wow, and this is no big revelation or anything, but in Wow, when I am crafting (and maybe some other times too, I'm not really sure) I get a message that says "creatinating." Usually I find myself not only reading it, but saying it almost outloud to myself. Creatinating. What IS that? I like creating... I wonder if creatinating is even better?!? I like the idea of creatinating.

Maybe "creating" was too overused, or too obvious. I dunno. but I was at it again this evening, creatinating.

tired

I'm tired. So tired. Blame it on someone else tired. Blame what on someone else? It. Whatever "it" is. It MUST be their fault. Cranky? Oh yes, and ready to spout about it too.

I yi yi... I got Raine through her homework for the day, too. I didn't even yell at her, even though she did need redirecting at times. She did well with the math, and the reading... but writing sentences just takes all kinds of time... and gee imagine that, her mom the English teacher has standards for her to write to...

But I missed my Sewing Guild meeting, and I had been looking forward to it all week.

Next time.

grades grades grades

Well, the gradebook program at school seems to be working now. I've been entering grades this evening. I had 3 sets, and didn't even realize I was that far behind on entering them. Other teachers are still having problems, so the administration has pushed back the progress report grade due date. Next week instead of this week. Probably just as well.

There is an added bonus because I can go through all the late work, and all the papers that the kids turned in without their names on them, and plug in those scores now. I've only been trying to do that for a week... and the pile of papers keeps growing. I can also make some calls and notify some parents that little Johnny's grade won't be so shiny because he won't turn his work in. I have one student who doesn't have any grades!!! None!!! Yikes.

I can also work on the pile of to-be-graded papers some more. I've been doing better this year, but there is still a pile. Ahhh a teacher's bane. I tell my students that if they REALLY want to torture me, they will turn in every assignment for me to grade, and make a lot of work for me. Zero's are waaayyy too easy.

Well, back to the grind...