New Projects

Well, since I received the packages from the wonderful fabric swap, I've been able to begin work on my next projects. I have some sets of Art Cards for my Montessori materials which need(ed) custom storage. I already have some nice decorative boxes but I wanted to make fabric pouches/envelopes for each set. 

These are really fantastic for several reasons:

1. They keep the sets separate so I can get them out without sifting through to find where one collection ends and another begins.

2. It's a great way to create mystery and intrigue the child. It's like unwrapping a little gift and discovering the special surprise inside. 

3. They're developing fine motor skills in figuring out how to open the clasp and unfold the material. 

4. They're pretty, of course!

Shown above is the Monet set

Radiographs by Steven N. Meyers

So, there you go! I've got several more to complete and I'm psyched about the way they've turned out so far! Anyone else start on their swap projects?

Fabulous Fabrics!

I found out about this 'Continent Swap' set up by JoJo over at A Bit of This and a Bit of That. A number of us signed up to be a part of this fabric swap and she set us up in groups of 4 people. The goal was to choose a traditional and a modern fabric from your country or a country of your choice. 

I had an excellent group of women to work with and we had a great time exchanging some gorgeous fabrics. We're all from North America but we all chose very different patterns! Here are all of the packages I received (including the one I sent):

Cranberry-esque from Massachusetts

Gorgeous Greens from Toronto

Perfect Prints from ChinaTown, Boston (not sure why it's loading upside down!)

And my picks from Naples, FL

Thanks to Jojo for putting this swap together! I can't wait to participate again :o)

There's No Place Like Home!

I'm so glad to finally be home! The travelling has been wonderful--lots of work any play. But it's just exhausting to be on the road all the time and in several different beds. I didn't realize how cozy my OWN bed felt :)

I know I already shared the photos and experiences from New York. From there, I was home for 3 days then headed up to Washington DC for another work trip. Here are a couple of shots from that trip:

Lots of old cobblestone type streets, lampposts and carved stone buildings!

The view of Washington Monument from our hotel room at night. 

Well, after a weekend in the Capital I headed out the very next morning for my trip to Florida. It was so great to see my honey (it's been about 3 months since he was here), his family, and my grandparents! So a few more pics to share from our wonderful trip :)

Yup, I love that guy <3

My beloved Nana and Papa 

We spent half of the time on the road and had a fantastic time!

All right everyone, that's the round up of photos from my latest travels. Next time I'll share the wonderful fabrics I received from a recent 'Continent Swap' I enjoyed taking part in! 

It's good to be back!

Home for a moment!

Whew! What a whirlwind! 

Spent last weekend in New York, NY for work and wow, I'm glad to be home. If only for a couple of days! The City got 21 inches of snow while we were there and it was absolutely beautiful! Now remember, it's been about 5 yrs since I moved from my home state of Maine so my blood has thinned and I've missed the cold winters and loads of snow. 

Well, we got our fair share! I have to say that I very much enjoyed the snow despite being cold and wet for two days straight. I didn't own a pair of boots but made the investment on day 2 of raisin-like toes :o) I thought I'd share a few photos of our adventure...

We had a blast trudging through the snow-filled streets--even had a snowball fight in the middle of Times Square!

 We walked 12 blocks to go to this fabulous Thai Restaurant (PongSri) and it was worth every cold, wet moment of it!

I so wish this photo did justice to just how deep the snow had gotten and how wet my legs were! Needless to say, I was wearing a pair of heels with my jeans and was soaked up to my knees...too much fun!

By the way, it's off to Washington DC this weekend for yet another work trip. I hope to catch up on my blog after that!

Happenings..

New York City this week.

Washington D.C. next week.

Orlando the following week.

That's about all I have to share at the moment. Photos and events to come.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

For the first time since I left my home state (Maine), I got to experience snow today! It's been about 4 1/2 yrs since I've even seen snow so this was a wonderful thing to wake up to this morning! Looking at the photos, it doesn't look like there's very much--it was 4 inches, I swear! The main issue we have is that we don't have the manpower or equipment here to plow or salt the roads. Add to that the fact that no one here knows how to drive in the snow and you've got a complete disaster :o)

I hopped out of bed and went straight outside to do a little snowdance! 

And I even had to get out a broom to clean off my car... needless to say, we don't even own a brush/scraper anymore! But yay for snow!

Long Time No Blog...

Hello again everyone! 

It's been far too long since I've taken a moment to sit down to write on this blog. Too long since I've taken a moment to sit down at all! There's a lot going on right now...

1st. I'm a part of the music portion of the V-Day Monologues in my community. V-Day, for those of you that don't know, is a yearly fundraiser established to fight against violence toward women all over the world. I'll admit, it's a pretty controversial performance and there are moments where I still sit with my jaw hitting the floor. But it's powerful and has raised a lot of money for women in our community. 

All that to say, I'm super busy with practice for the big night! I'm part of a drumming group and I also sing in an a-capella piece for the program. We're practicing 3-4 nights a week and everything's really coming together. It's fun but I'm definitely looking forward to the performance and having some time at home once it's over! To hear a taste of the amazing song we'll be singing click here!


2nd. We lost two girls at work. One had given us lots of notice as she was moving. The other was let go rather unexpectedly. On top of that, we had already planned on hiring an additional person because this is our busy time of year. And! One of the girls needed to take a week off because she was moving locally and needed to get situated. Needless to say, myself and one other coworker were covering the workload of 5 people as a result. In order to help in the transition of new employees, we each took on an overtime day to cover the shifts. So, for the past two weeks we've only taken one day off. I love the effect this has on my paycheck but my body and brain are ready for a break! 6 day work weeks can be very tough on anyone--even if you don't have obligations every night of the week on top of it!


Whew! This has made for an interesting and eventful month. I'm not complaining by any means; it's been a great month and things are going really well. Now that the new girls have been trained, things are beginning to smooth out a bit. 


Aside from all of the stress at work, there's some great adventures to look forward to as well! I think I've mentioned before that I'm in a tourist driven area--and I work in the customer service end of our company. We're in the travel industry and national travel shows are coming quickly. They're going to be in D.C. and NYC at the end of Feb/beginning of March. I've been asked to go this year to represent our company along with my manager and another coworker. We're pretty psyched to be a part of it and have the chance to get out of the office as well! 

I guess I look at this as a reward for all of our hard work and determination! Okay... So, if you don't hear from me for a while again, you'll know why. V-Day performances will be from Feb 8th-10th. Support your local V-Day events if you have the opportunity!