Weekend Progress Report #19

Yes, I did miss the 18th weekend progress report and the 19th is being posted a day late ... not surprising given all the craziness at this time of year in my professional life ...and this progress report will be unimpressive, at best, for much the same reasons. This Saturday, though, marks the beginning of the end of the madness with regularly scheduled classes, a 7th grade review for the Comprehensive test and then [joy of joys] the first walk-in registration for next year's program. But said Comprehensive test will be administered on Monday, marking the end of all Monday classes. Tuesday classes have already ended, Thursday classes will end 5/20 and the Saturday session has only three classes remaining 5/22, 6/5 & 6/12.

This means I will soon be able to fall back to more normal levels of chaos: grading the remaining 7th grade exams; finalizing the progress reports for Thursday & Saturday classes and 7th grades; reorganizing the permanent records cards for students to facilitate 2010-11 registration; a couple of sessions with our computer expert to learn new ways to input data in such a way that we can go paperless for the next registration in May 2011; testing and grading all the home study students; ordering textbooks and certificates and other supplies for 2010-11; updating some 45 catechist binders [after wresting them from the fingers of the volunteers - always a challenge]; meeting with the fundraising chairperson to plan next years projects; finalizing next year's volunteer roster and the 2010-11 calendar ... as well as processing the registrations as they come in. While this list sounds impressive, I do have till the end of June to accomplish many of these tasks.

And then ... pure bliss ... the entire month of July off ... two weeks of which will be spent on Maryland's Western Shore.

The only stitching I have done this week has been on Lisa's piece for Linda's RR ... but at least it is almost done and will be ready for mailing Wednesday or Thursday. I am happy with the piece considering I only picked up the fabric Sunday 5/9 and had to go into turbo-stitch mode to accomplish this much. Though I am not overly fond of snowmen, I find this particular chart [Stitches & Stones' All Wrapped Up] very appealing, perhaps because I have a thing for scarves and shawls and other assorted wraps ... no doubt a vestige from my Catholic elementary school days when the swirling capes, shawls and other wraps that the nuns wore with their habits captured my imagination. I am working the border and dividers in Smyrna Crosses marked off with a Snowflake motif at the corners of each section. The Snowflake motif is from BH&G 1001 Cross Stitch Motifs and is worked in boxed cross stitches, half cross stitches and long stitches. I still have to stitch in the phrase "all wrapped up" in my own section, but will wait until the borders are complete so I can see just how much space I have ... I expect to do some serious re-charting, since the letters in the original chart were big and funky ... I'll be doing considerable down-sizing to fit the phrase in. If you click on the photos, you'll get a better view ... the lighting wasn't that great, nor are my photographic skills. All I can manage is one of those click and point digital cameras: I did use the wide angle option and then flipped the photos upright and I hope that helped.

When I tried to take the photo outdoors, the bright sun completely washed out the piece. So, dark as they are, the indoor shots are actually the best I could come up with.