One of my other resolutions, not listed, was to try to update my blog more... I love to read everyone else's and want them to update more, so in golden rule light, I should update more too. But I have a hard time doing that.
It's been busy, getting back on track, but I feel like we might be starting to settle in. I finished getting the Birthday cards ready for the year, I always feel a little antsy when I haven't finished that, but now it's done and everyone should get cards and I don't have to worry about forgetting someone. It really does feel relaxing to me to get that done. Sending Birthday cards makes me happy. Getting them all organized ahead of time is like a little present to myself. I get to have the joy of sending them all year long, without the hassle. It does take a little while, but it's not too bad. I address the ones that I think will be in the same place for awhile, and by the end I have the big families addresses memorized, so that's easy, and then I just put a little sticky note with the date and file them in the Birthday box and take them out one month at a time and put them with my bills. So cards may not arrive that close to the actual Birthday, since I send them all out on Tuesdays, but it's close enough, and easy for me.
I have a student teacher this semester! His name is Adam and he's the brother in law of a friend of mine from K-State, a sweet girl I student taught with. I'm pretty excited about it, it'll be so nice to have another teacher in the classroom, we'll be able to do centers, and small groups, and he's already done tons of the little things that I never find time to do. It makes me nervous, I want to do a good job and I'm not terribly sure how exactly to do that, but at least I like teaching, so the experience can't be worse for him than my student teaching with the teacher who hated her job.
My crafting basket is overflowing. I have so many projects and ideas and things to try. Katrina gave me a
beautiful book for Christmas, and I want to make EVERYTHING. I want to keep sewing clothes for Anna, and play around some more with altering clothes for myself, and I want to make a t-shirt quilt, and there are 8 babies coming! It's fun to have so much sweet project motivation.
The January mantel gives me fits. Maybe you can help. I never feel like it looks right. Linda made me these "orbs" to put in the silver bowl, because it looked funny with the empty silver bowl, but I still think something looks wrong. More orbs? Last year I had flowers in the bowl, but I didn't like that either. I thought maybe the flowers on the bottom would give a feeling of snow, and that the sparse look would be sort of wintery, but I'm not sure about any of it. I don't feel like I have this trouble with any other month. Here's a picture--input welcome.
Hmm...this post seems boring to me. I'll try to get some Anna cuteness or projects posted soon.
I also made Anna a skirt out of an old sweatshirt that was in the goodwill pile, that was fun and it's pretty cute. I don't know if it looks cute here in the picture, maybe I'll get one of her in it, that'll make anything cute. 
I'm working on another star blanket. I found a simpler explanation of the pattern on Craftster, and this one is looking lots better than the first one.
Tonight Matthew made dinner (bliss!) so I had time to make a pair of tights/leggings out of an old scarf that was soft and pretty and that I've had in the "make something out of" basket for quite a while. These turned out really well. Anna's in bed now though, and I forgot to get a picture so you don't get an "action shot" of these. I think I'm getting pants figured out. That's exciting. 
