Starting My Journey of Fun...

I am officially not a student for the next eight and a half months. I took the longest, most difficult final in the history of higher education last night. Multiple choice and three, count 'em, three essays with no less than 5-9 parts a piece, all to be completed in 2 1/2 hours. I needed chocolate after that. Bless my little Liesl, she was really tired last night so I got to take my test with only a little disruption. We had our company holiday luncheon yesterday. Of course, the dogs are invited, too. So she had the very best time, and got to bring home a bone as a party favor. She got to see all of her favorite dogs and people, and got a few bites of lasagne noodles, so she had the time of her life. She crashed to sleep afterwards and for the rest of the day.

I am actually feeling relieved that I have the next eight months with no class assignments, exams, etc. I am really excited about having the gift of time. I have already started on my fun. I had to order my two carrot buttons, so ordered a couple of presents for myself. I have been looking for some nice pillowcases for months now. I really like a vintage look, particularly in my bedroom. I remembered the old needleworked pillowcases, and found that there are pages of them at 123stitch.com. This set was $8.99 for both pillowcases and they are exactly what I wanted. I also ordered the Red Threads pattern by Rosewood Manor, because, as I have shared in the past, I have a love of red, that borders on an obsession. Most of my friends also share this love of red. So I was thinking of making monograms with these amazing motifs as birthday gifts in the upcoming year. It means so much to me when someone takes the time to make me a homemade gift, so I really want to do this for my friends, too!

In addition to my stitching, I love books. I read every day at lunchtime, as well as when I climb into bed at night. After work today, I ran to the local library and got an armload of books. I also started reading the most beautiful book at lunch today. It is Henry David Thoreau's "Walden." This is the book that has the quote about "men living lives of quiet desperation." Today, as I read this book, I read a paragraph that said, "The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling. Yet we do not treat ourselves nor one another thus tenderly." I thought this was beautifully stated. I understand why this book is a classic. It truly resonates with a person and demands deep thought and reflection.

I am off to stitch!