Oh, the weather outside is frightful

Photo from The Edmonton Journal

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We're in the middle of a snow storm here! Our first big dump of the white stuff this winter and everything's a mess. It took me nearly an hour to get home from work yesterday afternoon, usually a 10-minute drive. There are no distinct lanes on the city streets, big snow drifts in the middle of the road, and ice under the snow. It's horrendous.

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We have snow here five or six months of the year; you'd think people would have learned how to drive in it. But no... some of them aren't very courteous, either. I think I'll stay inside for the rest of the weekend. I've got enough to do to keep me busy (marking, marking marking - will it ever end?), so no need to venture out.

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I'm feeling very Christmassy, though. Mr. P and the OnlyChild are going to pick up our tree tonight (I hope) and decorate it tomorrow. I think I might just hand over the tree-trimming reins to them this year (gasp! how can I do that?) and adopt a laissez-faire attitude. What damage can they possibly do...?

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Okay, I can always "fix" things later.

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Pictures of our Snowman-a-palooza, tree, snow storm, etc. soon. Promise. I asked the OnlyChild to take photos of the decorations a week ago. Still hasn't happened, so I'll just have to do it myself.

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I hope you're warm and cosy inside!

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Let it snow...

So beautiful...

Isn't this little quilt just breathtaking? I think it's so beautiful... so beautiful, in fact, that I am keeping my fingers crossed to win it.

Geta is giving this little quilt away. I don't know how she can part with it; honestly, if I were this talented, I'd be hoarding all my creations and would never part with one.

But Geta is exceptionally generous and you can also have a chance to win this if you visit her at Geta's Quilting Studio. But hurry - the giveaway ends on December 6!

For Today...

Outside my window... The sun is setting. My office window faces West so I'm seeing red and orange in the dark sky.

I am thinking... that I didn't get enough done this weekend. I still have piles of marking to do, but one of my colleagues (a half-time teacher who was just hired) has been helping us all out with marking and today she took some of mine.

I am thankful for... the generosity of my colleagues - the one who is doing some of my marking and another who is creating a writing assignment for me.

From the learning rooms... I learned how to knit on double-pointed needles! A whole new world has opened up for me.

From the kitchen... nothing. I am attending a dinner at the University Faculty Club tonight so I don't have to cook (not that I would anyway...)

I am wearing... a brown tweedy skirt and a turquoise and brown sweater, with brown leather boots and tights.

I am creating... another seed scarf and still trying to get my quilting projects finished.

I am going... crazy with all there is to be done here at school and at home before Christmas.

I am reading... Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland. She wrote the Josephine trilogy.

I am hoping... that tonight's dinner and speaker won't run too late. I'm tired and really looking forward to sleep.

I am hearing... classical music played on Sky.fm.

Around the house... Christmas decorations went up Saturday night and Sunday. The OnlyChild and I got home from our play Saturday night around 11 pm and decided to clean and decorate. We went to bed at 1:30 am Sunday having not quite finished everything.

One of my favourite things... a clean desk. Hasn't happened yet this semester!

A few plans for the rest of the week... finish the final project for my course, pick up a couple of Christmas presents, knit some, sew some, sleep.

Here is a picture thought:

My sister, Sarah, and my two nephews. This picture was taken over 20 years ago. I have it framed and sitting in my office. Since I'm at work, my choice of pictures is generally limited to Social Studies images... and this photo!

Thanks to Sara at Fabric and Fiber Fanatic for inspiring this post.

15 days

Our department secretary wrote this on the board on Friday:

I think it was meant to put the fear of God into the students... especially those who are behind in their work. (I teach in a self-directed program, you may remember, so the students are responsible for their own work schedules - with some limits, of course.)

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It succeeded in putting some panic into me!

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This is such a busy weekend and things don't seem to be slowing down for the next three weeks either.

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Last night Mr. P and I went "Christmas shopping". We didn't buy anything, really, because we don't know what to buy. Should have planned ahead.

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Today is pie-making day. Every Christmas we made meat pies (beef and pork with summer savoury). Mr. P makes the filling; I make the pastry (because, apparently, I make the best pastry in the world). He's doing the meat right now so I'll be going down to the kitchen to make pastry and "build" those pies in a few minutes.

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The OnlyChild wants to go to a Christmas craft sale today. She's still in bed, though (hey, it's only noon).

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Tonight, the OnlyChild and I have tickets to the theatre.

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Tomorrow is cleaning day. I usually try to clean Friday nights or Saturday mornings, but I'm not going to clean before pie-making. That would defeat the purpose. So, tomorrow it is...

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Tomorrow is also Christmas decoration day, when I put out the hundreds of snowmen and other items for the season. The only thing we don't do is put up the tree. We'll do that in a week or two because we have a real tree.

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And, of course, there is the 50lbs of marking I brought home to do. I was so productive this week (no sarcasm there - I really was!) and was rewarded by being given yet more work. I can't really complain (but I will) because it means the students are doing their work, which is what I want them to do ultimately.

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So... it promises to be a fun weekend.

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Oh, and you might be happy to hear that I did finish my paper and submitted it the day before it was due - so no more complaining about that one (I have another one due next Monday; you'll hear about it instead haha). Yay! I rewarded myself Thursday night with two episodes of Mad Men and knitting a hat. I will post pics of the hat soon - I need to buy a BIG button for embellishment.

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I hope you're having a holly jolly weekend!

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Sinta's 100th

Sinta is celebrating her 100th post with a wonderful giveaway.

Visit her at Pink Pincushion to find out how you can win this sweet pincushion and lovely book.

And... I wish a very happy Thanksgiving to my American bloggy friends. Enjoy your day!

True Confessions

I laughed when I read Camille's "Confession" post today. I guess everyone has their little secrets.


Let's clear the air a bit...

* I have a paper due on Friday and I haven't started it yet. Every time I get into it, I'm distracted by something else on the computer.

* When I get home from work, I take off all my jewelry and change into pajamas. Even if I get home from work at 4:00 pm.

* My young, good-looking neighbour is renovating his house and often works without wearing a shirt. Enough said.

* I have never had a massage. Ever.

* Last night, I watched three back-to-back episodes of Mad Men online while doing some knitting... and not working on that paper I was supposed to be writing.

* I love my old RexCat but I wish his 'time' was near because he messes all over the basement all the time. I stepped in some of his mess tonight while doing laundry and had to throw away my slippers.

* My sewing room is a bona-fide disaster zone. I care, but at the same time I don't.

* I wear hand-me-downs from the OnlyChild because I can't be bothered to go shopping for my own clothes.

* I told Mr. P not to buy me Christmas gifts this year because I'd rather spend the money on a trip to Paris next summer.

Whew, I feel so much better. How about you... what are your not-so-dirty little secrets?

i need to quit my job

I won't, of course. But it's getting in the way of sewing time.

These two BOM blocks need to be finished. They were put together days ago and haven't seen the needle of the sewing machine yet. Look at this one from Bunny Hill, all forlorn with its blue marks for embroidery stitches. The poor little squirrel doesn't even have an eye yet.

And this beautiful leaf and acorn block from A Legacy of Stitches. It deserves to be stitched too.

Then there's the Swanky quilt I'm making for the OnlyChild's best friend. With any luck, she will actually get it for Christmas.

I started this table topper (made with leftover blocks from my Hometown quilt) over a year ago. I was planning to hand-quilt it but soon got tired of that. The other day I put it on the sewing machine to just get it finished, but ran out of time. So there it sits, waiting... waiting...

It snowed Friday night. Yep, it's officially Snowvember here! Mr. P's neck must be getting cold because I still don't have his black-and-orange-minus-the-orange scarf made. I'm workin' on it. This is my "watching television" project. I guess I don't watch enough t.v. or it would be done by now.

If I quit my job (my reasoning goes), I would have the time to complete all these projects and more, decorate the house for Christmas, go shopping for presents, mail out parcels, cook regular meals, clean more than once a week, do everyone's laundry and train the dogs properly.

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How do you think Mr. P will respond to those arguments?