yawn.

Just not sure where to go next. I am up at 2.30am working on homework...I need to get some sleep soon, but I seem to work better this time of night. Sigh. I hate it, because then I am so tired. And I do have some time tomorrow.

Eh. I had more to say, but t tired to get it out. Some stuff I need to work out. Maybe tomorrow.

Cheap clothes and letters

Ooo so much to do!

I got my cheap mystery shirt yesterday. Pushmepullme.com....I love it! A bear fishing. Very fun. I want more, unfortunately!

Working on letters-those are due tomorrow. The whole alphabet in photos. I am making them into coasters. I am close-ish, but not close enough. Here is the last one I had to photo-I had shot this one months ago, but it was a touch blurry, so I reshot it today. I like this better anyway. The backs are all cork, and the transfer process is a little smelly and crazy. But I like the overall look.

And here is where mom/student collide. Tomorrow I have to miss a the first two hours of class for parent teacher conference. Anna's is tomorrow. Then Thursday I will loose out on about 45 minutes of homework time to do to Ethan's. I mean, I can not miss that, and the kids come first. But it is hard to make that balance work.

So far so good...

So one project going well. Another on the back (tomorrow soon to be front) burner that is also doing well. No plan for another, but time. Three weeks of crazy, one weekend of fun (American Thanksgiving... I can not wait!) and then one last week. I am scared, but I am ready to be done. Actually, I am not. As stressful as it has been, I have a routine. I do not do well without my routine. Summer was awful. I do have a huge amount of work to do on my portfolio, scary the amount of work, and I hope I can get it all done.

Bits that happen

See, this would all be easy if everything went according to plan. All the time. But it does not. Take this semester. So far we have had two weekends with guests (planned, but way more difficult then I planned, and both included birthdays of my children.) Then I got sick. Not bad, but enough to slow me down. Then I broke my toe. I don't need my toe to do design, but doctors appts. take time. And pain sucks the life out of you! Then the week of Flu. Anna, Ethan and Dan all had H1N1. That killed that week too. I am still coming up for air. Those were the big things. Now add in little stuff like our washer breaking (two days home to wait for repair people, time spend doing laundry elsewhere as it has now been almost two weeks with no washer. Sigh. And last night we had no power (that was at least 3 hours lost, plus a horrible night of sleep.) And then today was the kids school Fall Festival. I am so behind for the weekend. I need to not see the kids or Dan all weekend and get caught up. But...it is halloween. And Anna has soccer. So tomorrow is shot. If I am lucky, Dan will take them somewhere to get them out of my hair tomorrow and Sunday so I can work. And I will work hard tonight, and get no sleep. Again.

Just another day at the office

Well, in the office, anyway! We have a nice office in our house. Used to be a computer room. Gradually added an art desk. For a year or two it never got used for more then storage. The room has gradually been taken over by artwork! I love it, but I am out of space. Grabbed two bookshelves from college that were hanging out in the attic, those are now full. The storage is maxed out, and the work space is too small. I need to find a way to deal with that. But I love it, love that I am using this space, love that I am creating again. I have so much to do today, but it is lovely to take a moment to myself, enjoy my coffee, and contemplate my space.

Edited to add-I used Mac's PhotoBooth to take this picture...I never realized it mirrors everything... all this time I never noticed that! Sorry, this picture is backwards. Hm...

Balance

So, the theme of my life lately is balance. I don't seem to have it. This weekend is a great example. Anna (that would be the 5 year old) had a soccer game this morning. Can't miss that. Then lunch. Then home. Tried to work. SIL called. Talked to a friend (who I owed a call to.) Neighbor came over to chat (and I don't do well at getting rid of people.) I had about 10 minutes to work. Dan (that would be the loving husband) tried so hard to help by taking the kids out for ice cream. I got those 10 minutes while he was gone. Then tonight Anna and I had a date-dinner and a play (Mary Poppins!) That was a huge hit, but now it is 12.40 am Sunday and I am just getting to work. I can't even estimate how much time I need, but I know it is a lot. I am going to work as long as I can tonight (when you are doing work by hand you can only push past that tired barrier so long before you cut off something... hopefully not a finger!) Anyway, I will work tomorrow, but by doing so I have to give up the zoo (which I could count as homework, but it is work that I can postpone) which I was really looking forward to taking the kids too (halloween-they can wear costumes) but I can not justify. I will either be way to tired or way to busy-depends how long I am up tonight! Either way, I have again lost some balance. Sigh.

So, projects.

So there is this thing in school. Homework. Yeah, you all have heard of it. Well, I have quite a bit of it. One banner project due Monday, a documentation book due Wednesday, starting a new project last week that overlaps the old one...you get the point.

So help me out. I have to pick an animal. I need to be able to stylize it, get lots of facts about it,and I hope to enjoy it. Below are the best of the pictures I got at the zoo trip we took as a class (yes, the mom part of me was sad my kids were not there, but it was nice to get to walk around on my own!) So, pick which one you like best!

Sea Lion

Coqueral Sifaka
Otter (Asian Small Clawed?)
Owl (Burrowing?)
Merrkat

Why?

Why would I do this? I mean, I have school. Two lovely kids (Anna, 5 and Ethan, 3) and a Very. Busy. Life. But so does everyone else. There are other moms out there. A lot of them. Some even in school. And if you are even considering school (especially design) then hey, maybe I can help.