Busy, Busy, Busy

The combination of school starting, the High Holy Days, and another health issue made September an absolutely exhausting month for me.

Still, there were plenty of good times. I love the services, and my friend Richard always makes amazing challahs for the Yom Kippur Break Fast. Those white dots you see are coconut. It turns out that coconut challah is delicious.

And we always have a good time eating in the Sukkah, which is in a friend's back yard. Usually we freeze while we eat in it, but this year the weather was warm and the problem was mosquitos!

School is as crazy as ever, but I am lucky to work with great colleagues and kids. I enjoy it, but there's just too much of it. When I come home, I'm drained and all I want to do is knit. So, I have made some progress on my Vodka Lemonade sweater.

I'm getting close to the end of my chaotic embroidery project. I'm just finishing up the white background, like this:

I just don't like the way it looks on white fabric:
 
Nancy asked me what kind of embroidery hoop I use. Until recently, I used the cheap plastic ones from Joanne Fabric and other big box stores. But I've discovered Morgan hoops:

This is the best hoop I've ever used. By far. It is truly a no-slip hoop. I found mine at a local fabric store, but I've since learned you can buy them online from a number of sources, including Joanne Fabric.

As for the health issue: Did you know that if you see flashing lights in the periphery of one of your eyes you need to get medical attention immediately? I didn't. Fortunately, my friends did. I do have some attachment issues with my right eye, but not a full retina detachment (whew!). 

Keith and I were going to go away for my birthday weekend, but the weather is rainy, so we decided on a staycation. (Six years to Medicare -- Yay!) I also want to take a vacation from Supreme Court news. I am so upset that a man who was part of such a drunken, sexist group of young people could even be considered for a lifetime job on the highest court. I work with hundreds of young people every year, and very few of them would even want be part of the 100-Keg Club. That behavior is neither normal nor acceptable. That's all I'm saying. I'm on staycation!

Chipping Away

 In the whirl of school and the holidays, I haven't had much time for crafting or blogging or blog reading -- though I've squeezed in a bit of that. I have chipped away at a few projects during my morning coffee.

I'm almost to the heel flap of my Winter Rose socks.

My unnamed embroidery is getting more filled in.

I made my sketch group for the first time in months at a cafe in Verona, a Madison suburb.

The cafe where we sketched had this sign:

I have to mention that there's a yarn store in Verona. My friend wanted to go in, so we did...and I came out empty-handed. No yarn was acquired!

This weekend I'll be cooking for the Yom Kippur break fast that I host every year. It's always fun, but it's a big event and it's a relief when it's over.

It's THAT Time of Year

Well, it is if you're a teacher. Today was freshman-only day, and I'm exhausted! I did stay late for an IEP meeting, so that doesn't help. But I'm excited for tomorrow when the rest of my students show up. I want to hear how their summers were.

 There hasn't been a lot of time for crafting. My weekend was busy with driving to a family gathering in Chicago and working. But I did finish a Winter Rose sock and get a start on the second one.

 And I assembled another mini-quilt. I want to go through the whole process soon -- before I forget everything I learned at the workshop in August.

And along with the start of school, the High Holy Days start at sundown on Sunday. I took this photo of our communal granddaughter at services this past weekend. I told her that we stored all the good girls on this shelf, and she climbed right in!

I'm hoping to get back to work on my Vodka Lemonade sweater this week. Do you have any projects that you've been neglecting?