Okay, so I'm REALLY bad at keeping up on things...

Well, I'm finally getting a chance to post an update....again.....

I've finished my coursework for my teaching certification - FINALLY!!!! - and taken all the necessary tests, so now I'm waiting for my scores and a final transcript (okay, so I need to finish one paper in order to get a better grade....sigh....) and hopefully I'll get my certification credentials and be able to find a full-time teaching job. If anyone knows of a school system near Lewiston Maine that needs a wonderful social studies teacher for grades 7-12, I'm available.... :)

Seaside Treasures has been on hiatus for several months while I've been finishing up my school courses - I just haven't had time to even update the website, never mind worry about orders or new colors. I actually have several new colors that I just need to scan in and upload....just now need to get myself organized again and motivated toward that end.

On the home front, we've had an ... INTERESTING... year. Curt finally took early retirement from trucking last May due to health issues, and was working as a custodian for the schools, which was great...until his heart decided to give him fits around Christmas and he very nearly died on us. However, after a week of hospitalization and some cardiac surgery, he's doing better than ever. He stopped working full-time for the schools and is working part-time for a private custodial service, cleaning a kidney dialysis center 4 hours a night, and that seems to be working out very well for him physically and emotionally. Financially, we're struggling, as is most of the country, because of the health bills and the cutbacks in the paychecks we were used to from trucking. However, he is able to draw Social Security, which is helping keep us in the house, at least... :)

News on the boys....Michael is 14 now and headed to high school this fall - I can't believe my little guy is that old! Not only is he a teenager, he's taller than I am, has a lovely deep voice, and is sporting a mustache! I'll have to get some current pictures... :) David is 9 and ready for 4th grade. He's wanting to learn to play the guitar VERY badly and loves to tap dance - so we'll be looking for a good student sized guitar for him this fall, and getting him set up on lessons soon, I hope. Joshua is 8 and ready for 3rd grade....yikes! He's also scarily intelligent and very involved in all sorts of activities, from scouts to choir to wanting to start karate this fall.

Finally, on the stitching front - I've finally started stitching again! I finished an iris bookmark kit I had received as a gift a while back, a Prairie Schooler Thanksgiving sampler, and Bent Creek's Lighthouse ABC, as well as started and finished a Mill Hill kit called Making Lemonade. I'll scan them in and post photos after a bit. Now to figure out what I'll work on next.... :)

So, this is a rambling post, but its been such a long time since I've said anything here, I figured I'd better get as much in as I could. If you've made it this far, that's great! Off to see what is happening upstairs - its much too quiet.... :)