My Year So Far.

My Peace Rose bush in bloom.

So, I have a chronic undiagnosed illness. People are always telling me I need to keep a positive attitude, to which I reply "What's the point? I'm sick, deal." So Sunday I'm trying. I really am. I'm not feeling too bad, so I decide to clean the living room carpet. I have the machine; it's like vacuuming; no big deal. So I'm going along, getting into the rhythm of the thing (back and forth) and thinking after I'm done with this, I'm going to go through one box. I have a billion boxes full of "stuff" post divorce/ moving/ working/ kids/ being sick etc. One box is all I have to do today. Just one box and I'll be one step closer to  THWACK! 
 I stand looking at the machine. This is not a noise you want any machine to make while you are standing next to it. A yellow streak goes past. Kevin the wonder cat, who isn't afraid of anything, has left the room for parts unknown. I empty the water out of the machine, flip it over, and there on the bottom is a piece of what I assume is a fan for the motor sticking out of the bottom of the machine like a little shark fin. I don't think it's supposed to do that. There are little pieces of plastic all over. And water. And soap. So now not only is my carpet not cleaned, it is also wet, soapy, and the easy job turns into me on my hands and knees with a bucket and sponge and towels (which I have to now wash as well) trying to mop up the mess...
That is pretty much how my year has gone so far. And that one box did not get emptied.

100 Pretty Little...Mice!

Fabric scraps

 Someone gave me a bunch of small fabric scraps to use in teaching sewing classes. I experimented by making these mice pin cushions from "100 Pretty Little Projects". These mice turned out to be too difficult- they are too small for beginners. I do think they are cute. The directions say to put a rock in the bottom to weigh them down, but I had some big washers, which worked well, and make the bottoms flat. I still have to figure out what I want to use for eyes and noses. (the ears are held on by straight pins in these photos) I really wanted to use buttons for eyes, but did't have any small enough. I ran wire in the tails, so they can be twisted.

First mouse...

 For my class, I think I'll make a bigger pattern for a porcupine, and the pins can be his quills.

Second mouse..

A pair of mice.

  
I checked-out this book from my public library.