Tuesday is Sewing Day

Greetings, and Dear Cynthia,

I REFUSE to take this as a sign:Yes, it is so cold and windy today (and SNOWING! -- only flurries, but HEY!) that my daffodils, my "flowers of hope", are severely drooping. The foliage from my bleeding hearts is looking similarly droopy. Does anybody know if they are going to make it through this and still be able to flower?

You are making great progress with all of your projects! Your goal-setting reminded me of a quote I once heard. "Reach for the stars; you won't always reach them, but you can chart your course by them." I commend you for your lofty goals, and also for your progress!

Speaking of goals, and to answer a couple of questions, I'm working toward applying to the Physical Therapy "DPT" program at UW-Madison. I worked as an electrical engineer, and then as an engineering manager, for GE for over 13 years. When my first son was born, I quit my job. There was a time when I "loved" my job. Toward the end, I was weary of it, and it was never my "passion". After I had kids, I started thinking about what I want to do once they are in school. I want to work only part time, and I want to have more meaning in my job than primarily focussing on how much money I am making for the company's shareholders, which was strongly emphasized at my job. And, many people have said that I could find these things in a health care profession. And so, on the very day I turned 40 years old, almost three years ago, I registered for a zoology class at the local tech school, after being out of school for 17 years. Now, trying to schedule my last couple of prerequisite classes has proven to be a challenge, as I still consider myself primarily responsible for my kids during the day. I've done several evening classes, and a couple online. I keep telling myself that if it is meant to be, then things will fall into place. What has been most surprising to me is that nobody thinks I'm off my rocker. At first, I wondered to myself if I was crazy. But, the feedback I've been getting from almost everybody I discuss this with is to go for it....so, we'll see how it plays out. I really feel like my life is at a good place right now, and I have passion for raising my kids that I never had for my job, so going back to school would be "icing on the cake". Anyway....now you're probably sorry you asked.....

I decided that I have to set a day aside for some sewing, and so now, Tuesday is sewing day. I've had some projects piling up, so yesterday I mended some clothes and then thought to myself, "Hey, why not make a valence?" One of my friends told me about a trick to make windows look bigger. The next two photos show windows which are the same size:By hanging a valence "high" over the window, not only does it let in more light through the window (which my dh is very insistent about), but I think it really makes the window look more prominent, bigger.

Unfortunately, on the small-looking window, I am hindered by the dropped ceiling, so I am unable to mount a valence very high above that window, so I decided to try something else:It covers up the roller shade underneath it when it is all rolled up, and adds a finishing touch to the window without blocking any light. I'm still not sure that it is big enough -- it should maybe hand down just a little bit more -- but I'm going to live with it for a little while and make a decision on it later.

OK, so I'm trying to get my work area organized, so today's project is installing some shelving. Wish me luck!

Warm regards,
Laura (YarnThrower)