Missing in Action...

I could just type "school" and be done and you would all know what I mean: assignments, classes, exhaustion, trying to still maintain a reasonable degree of cleanliness at home (pretty much failing at that), 




and still maintaining connections with family members here (okay, I am doing better at that). 

But I finished another semester towards my degree, slowly but surely. Some things never change: I always feel like quitting in November and I feel completely in pieces when I am finally done in December. You would think there would be more bright colors of relief and satisfaction mixed in there, but somehow, the same colors get it all muddied up. It seems to take me awhile to mix everything together to see colors again. 

Too bad for my family that this exhaustion/relief/post traumatic stress of school doesn't kick my cleaning into gear!

What really seems to help me out of it is doing something with my hands...and that would not be baking, or cleaning. Creating something. It seems that at the end of every school semester, my house is suddenly exploding with fabric, spray paint, scrapbook paper, odds and ends and general chaos.  

So in keeping with way my creative brain overcomes stress,I went shopping and bought a Christmas stocking to remake for my sweet daughter that is presently serving a mission in Nova Scotia for our church.


Before

 And After!!!

I bought some other stuff to make grandkids presents, but their mommies and daddies might read this and see....

so you will just have to wait for those pictures. 
But I will post my final project for school: it had to be creative so I decided to try an altered book. 
Here is the book before: 

 and here is some of the insides now:

and the cover almost done:

So now that I am getting some of the creative back out again, I think it is time to go and wash some dishes!!