One monkey off my back!

"Mom, my FAFSA deadline is March 11"....Here it is the 11th hour, and I just finished submitting the girls' FAFSA applications for 2009-2010, whew! I know why I wait until the last minute every year, because it's a pain. But, I sure am happy I did it when the girls get their Federal Student Aid $$ every year!
Now, for the fun stuff. Last week, after some conversations with some friends got me to thinking, I decided to re-think my current stitching rotation. I have enjoyed working on a different project every day of the week, but on weeks when I may not find but 15 minutes on one day of the week, and maybe 2 hours another day, not all projects were receiving equal time. So, starting last week, I am trying a 10-hour rule...I am devoting 10 hours to a project, then after the 10 hours, I move on to another project. Last week, I decided to start by working on With My Needle's "Maidens of the Sea". I bought this chart and all the related threads, linen, etc., last summer before we went to the beach. Each summer, I like to take a new "beachy" project with me on vacation, and start on it at the beach, as sort of a memento of my vacation. I have so many happy memories of sitting in the sun and stitching at the beach. Anyway, I didn't get a lot done on it last year, and had kind of abandoned it, so I decided I needed to devote some time to it. I have to say, this 10 hour thing is GREAT! In the past week, I've had days where I've had 15 minutes to stitch, and days where I've had 3 hours to stitch, so it's alleviated the guilt I've felt on days where I haven't had the time to work on something. Now, if it doesn't get done today, hey, there's always tomorrow. And, even a few minutes a day eventually adds up to 10 hours. I have really accomplished quite a bit on "Maidens", and will not feel at all guilty when it's time to put it away until the next time.
We're in the midst of the girls' spring break, actually, Rachel had her's last week, and went back to school Sunday, Meredith came home last Thursday, and goes back this coming Sunday. In her ongoing quest to find ways to monopolize my time, Meredith has decided that I need to make t shirts and sweatshirts with her sorority letters appliqued on the fronts for herself and her 2 new little sisters and big sister. So, this week, I have 4 sweatshirts and 4 t shirts to applique. Oh, and I have to help her paint wine glasses with the sorority letters, as well. I think I need a spring break!

Here are some pictures of my progress on "Maidens of the Sea".