Projects

I've had a case of project mania recently.  It started with Christmas presents. I spent a significant portion of my time making/painting these:

I made a frame for each one of my nieces and nephews (and in fact my brand new baby great nephew).  It was a fun (though time-consuming) project.  Then I put a picture of me with each person or their family, or of them in the frame. It was so much fun!

Then I took on this painting project:

It is an unfinished nativity that I then finished.  Tania delighted in watching me paint and mix my colors.  I wanted it to be just perfect and gave it to one of my dear friends.  It came complete with

Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus

a shepherd and his sheep

Three wise men bearing gifts

an angel (sorry it's sideways)

who sits on top of the stable by the way

and last but not least: a stable, donkey and cow

My four-year-old niece kept informing me that I was painting them all wrong, because in the picture (on the front of the package) Mary was this color and I made a mistake cause the shepherd is supposed to be that color.  I couldn't convince her otherwise.  I know when I fight is lost so I just did the whole project the "wrong" way.  Mistake after mistake!! :) It was fun to do.  I want to find a Noah's ark to paint and give that to someone too!  So fun!

MIA

So, as a few of you may have noticed, I sort of went MIA for the last month.  What a month it has been.  To make a very long story short- I basically completely fell apart the last week of classes spent almost the entire Christmas  break at my sisters house being a hermit and being not responsible for anything at all, sleeping, eating, living.  Those were the primary goals.  And finding housing for my final semester.  That felt like a never-ending nightmare.  Why is it that I see all kinds of posts about housing that I would love to take except when I am actually in need.  I looked at about 3 different houses that I adored (one of them even had an organ, I mean, I didn't even need to see the rest of the house to know I wanted to live there!) but was told each time that there was "one friend" who was "considering" moving in.  Surprise surprise, every single friend decided to take that spot.  In the end after a long haul, a lot of very confusing communication with people I'd never met, and a lot of help from another sister, I had a townhouse to live in and three roommates to share it with.  I left my sisters on the 4th of January and moved to my new place on the 5th. On the 6th I went to see a physician who has been my doctor for quite a while who recommended that I take at least a week of off school for medical leave. Don't worry, I'm not dying or anything.  There's just been a ton going on and I am slowly turning into a mush of oatmeal instead of a strong, normal person! :)  That one week turned into a month based on the schedule of the hospital and my own needs, etc. So I've spent the last almost two weeks moving in, collecting my possessions, cleaning, and setting up home while also dealing with "life". Now that I finally have access to the internet in my home, I expect I will post a bit more often. Hope you all are well.

p.s. Be looking for photos of my new home and furniture in the very near future! I'm almost settled in!