Finally, Some Finishes

I have done it!!!  I officially am done with my dissertation.  Everything has been turned in, I passed my oral defense, did revisions and formatted it correctly.  It ended up being over 200 pages of text and close to 250 pages with all appendices and front matter included.  I had to print it out once to get an idea of the scale of it.

 

 I am so happy to have this done!  It does feel a bit weird not to be working on something for school.  I have always been in school.  This is the first time in my life where I will NOT be a student.  My graduation is in December and I will have to post pictures of it later.

Another big event in my life is that I was a semi finalist at the AQS (American Quilters Society) Quilt Show in Des Moines.  Only around 200 quilts total were juried in, and I was privileged to have created one of those quilts. 

It was so neat to see my quilt in this venue!  I am trying to think what I can do this year that will be good enough to get in again.

Other things have happened in our lives since I last posted.  The kids have started back to school.  They are growing up so fast.  Iris played volleyball this year, and still is involved with orchestra and show choir. 

Zadok has a really good teacher this year and is enjoying 2nd grade. He is getting to be such a tall boy.   

We have also celebrated Halloween.  I decorated the outside of the house similar to last year.  Zadok went as Perry the Platypus and Nathan went as Dr. Doofenshmirtz.  I think it was a cute costume pairing. 

The cats are also doing well.  Mr. Nibbles is about as crazy as ever, and still loves sleeping in weird spots.

Don't worry this happened after a friend's baby was done using it.

I might be more regular at posting now that I do not have the dissertation looming over me.  My short term goals are to get my life back in order.  I can tell that I have let my housework slip while concentrating on the paper.  It will take a while to get everything back in shape, but that will soon happen.  I am still unclear about what I will be doing now that my degree is done.  I would still love to teach on a college level and am looking for a job.  In the meantime, clean and sort!

What do I do all day?

What have I been up to?

1. Made a bunch of earrings for a local store


(These are some of my favorites)


2. Worked on the dissertation


3. Chased cats off of quilt blocks



4. Finished a quilted gift for a friend who just had a baby


5. Made a yummy looking fruit platter for dinner one evening

6. Ate a lot of fresh picked sweet corn (this is Iowa of course). I think that this green is such a pretty color


7. Tortured the children by making them do their chore list

8. And worked on the basement craft room.
I am trying to make the walls of the basement less "yucky" by covering them with fabric. I am putting hooks into the ceiling and then eye bolts in the end of dowel.

I am then taking sheets and making them into curtain panels (cheapest source of fabric). I am then hanging them so they cover the walls.


I think that this will work well. I can move them aside when I want to vacuum the walls and if they get dirty I can throw them in the wash. My hubby says that being in the room will be like being inside a ghost. Well at least it will not be dark green any more. I also made some simple curtains for the windows, but they may be too simple. Have to think about those some more.


The room is awfully white. This is totally unlike me, but we will see if I can live with it.
Well off to do more things. I have more jewellery to finish, more dissertation to write, more house to clean, and more groceries to get.