pots on the fire

I have so many pots on the fire these days that I've forgotten to stir the blog one! So here we go...a big catch up:

Alfredo is doing great in school. He loves first grade and his teacher is wonderful. So much more is expected of him and he's feeling the pinch a little already.

Last night, he was near tears as he was telling me about a little boy, Lucas, who "has a calculator built into his brain" and could do math in his head. And when Alfredo said "I'm not good at math" I almost started crying too. Carefully, I talked to him about how much math he does know..."for instance," I said, "if I give you 2 pieces of pizza and then I give you 2 more, how many do you have?" And that darling little boy said, so seriously, "Wait...did I eat the first 2 pieces?!" We rolled on the floor laughing at that one! So cute.

I have two big projects that I'm super excited about. One is the 12-week online class over at Big Picture Classes. (Registration is open!)  The photo above is a detail of a really cute project that I'm finishing up. Each week, there will be a project with complete instructions and a video tutorial. Plus, there's a creativity exercise each week...and some bonus projects for holidays like Halloween. I have been working for months and months and months getting everything set for this class...and I am so excited to share it with you.

The other project I'm working on is BIG news! I can spill only a few beans about it...but mostly it's hush-hush. I'm working with Dimensions and designing embroidery samplers! They'll be out in the market next Spring...I'm so excited. I think that's all I can say for now. But, exciting, yes?

Also, super excited to be counted among the lucky people who signed up in time for Charlotte and Meleen's Vermont Getaway. I cannot wait to see my friends again...and meet new ones. So excited!

And, speaking of lucky...try not to hate on me too much when I tell you I also signed up in time to go here. My friend Lorraine convinced me that we'd make the cutest travelling pair to tour the Tuscan countryside. I still can't believe it's really happening.

Okay, so that's a lot of news, isn't it?