When did Mondays start lasting all week?

I mean, I get that it happens now and then, but two weeks running?  :P 

We are not off to a good start this year.  I am extremely unhappy about that.  The changes in our online school program are really making it hard to get going.  Thank you, State of Washington, for screwing up a great program and making it harder to get any school done during the day.  NOT. 

The attitude of my youngest is making it even harder.  How do you spend 3 hours reading and get nowhere?   I'd bang my head on a wall, but I already have a headache.  She is all excited about working harder and getting done sooner, but she isn't doing the work.  I'm trying to get all the new regulations sorted and push her to do her work.  We had a great first week, then :P. 

I am hopeful that we will find a way to get it together, but she is really just NOT working.  Somehow.  Ah, Week 1 was So Promising!

I signed up to do an online course on the Constitution from Hillsdale College.  So far it is really interesting, but it is tough working it in around trying to get the youngest to do her daily work.  I really need more than 24-hours in a day. lol

On the painting side of life, I've finally decided that the color I used in the entry is too dark to keep.  The few days of clouds, and the evenings spent contemplating color, just back me up.  The lighting in our house is not very bright.  I want some new lighting in the entry, but it won't happen for a while and it still might not fix the problem.  After painting swatches near the brick on the fireplace, I've also decided this color goes a bit too yellow for me.  So, I'll be repainting that space a shade lighter and slightly different (more blue-green).  Not looking forward to the whole mess, trying to squeeze it in around the school work that already isn't getting done as it should.   On the up side of things, there's a big sale on the paint I'm using starting Friday, so I can get all the paint I need at a good savings.

Always have to look for the positive.

The sweater is proceeding nicely.  I'm on my first sleeve, and things are going nicely. After reading, and rereading, project notes for this pattern, I'm feeling pretty confident about the choices I'm making for the collar and button band (which is new to me).  I've got two sets of buttons secured, and will choose once I get a band done.  I've been rather lazy about the pictures, though. I need to remedy that situation very soon.

I'm also trying to do the Scary Sock KAL again, love these socks!  Sadly, my sock mojo is missing and I am really struggling to get things done with that KAL.  So far, we've had Frogs, Bride of Frankenstein and The Door With Seven Locks.  Very cute patterns, not enough time (or needles)!  I'm still hoping to get some done this year.  Ah, where are my time management skills?  Anyone see them?

More painting

Spent a bit more time last week painting the entry.  The final color does not really match the little paint card I was choosing from, and is much darker than the wet paint.  I'm not 100% sure how I feel about it, which I think means I need to repaint.  I think my waffling on the final color is because I don't want to repaint that space.  But, it was easier than I thought, though it did take all day, and if knitting has taught me anything, it is that it is worth the time to do things right.

So, I'm thinking I'll get some paint samples, and put those on the wall before making any additional decisions.  It is a nice color, don't get me wrong, but it is a bit dark (or is that deep?) for the area, at least darker than I intended, and what I put in this space will determine what I use in the rest of the living area (the walls all run together).  I really need to make sure I am happy with this choice before I can move forward.  I really need to move forward before the rain/clouds comes back to stay.  I really don't need to get paralyzed by indecision. lol

Speaking of taking the time to do things right, I just ripped a couple of inches out of the sweater.  Again.  At least I'm only at the shoulders, not starting all over again. lol  This time, I've second-guessed myself silly over the sleeves.  There's a provisional cast-on, but it does not say to use waste yarn, nor does it say anywhere in the pattern to pull out the waste yarn and pick up the live stitches and keep knitting.  I decided that since all my other patterns have been more specific, maybe the designer didn't mean that, and that I should do something more creative.  After a few inches, and more thought, I realized that the designer probably expected that I would just know that a provisional cast on should always be done in waste yarn, or something like that, and I was a doofus for trying to make it more complicated.  So, it is ripped, provisional cast on with waste yarn is done, I just need to get back to the knitting part.  I didn't realize the lengths I'd be willing to go to in order to avoid weaving in extra ends!  Because, that's pretty much the reason I got all creative with it. 

We helped a friend today by babysitting her two-year old.  Wow.  I'd forgotten how very busy they are. lol  The girls played with her all morning, and after her (too short) nap.  We got up extra early today, however, and I haven't been sleeping very well.  I'm exhausted!  I'm also rather surprised that ripping went so well on the sweater.

Finally Framed

I bought this print about 7 years ago.  I never got it framed thinking I could just do it myself. cue maniacal laughter  So, I found a big coupon on framing and bit the bullet, stopped putting it off and just got it done.  This, in turn, led to picking out a paint color and painting the room to go with the painting.

No.  The painting needed to happen.  We've been in this house 11 years.  The white walls look like it, in many places, and I've decided I should learn to embrace the fact that this is my house and I can paint the walls if I want to.  Not sure why that is hard for me to grasp, but it is.  Also, painting is a lot of work, so if I'm going to do it, no barely-not-white colors need apply.  Well, unless that's what I really, really want.

So, here's my newly framed print, at long last, and my very colorful room.

This is a Waterhouse print, Circe Invidiosa.  I love the colors in this print so much.  I have no idea why, but, there it is.

I spent the day yesterday painting my room with my kids.  I found that one of them is a bit erratic, but a crazy hard worker.  The other loses interest quickly and is a sloppy worker.  Okay.  I knew about the sloppy thing in advance, but I was a Good Mom and did not pick on her for the messes (they weren't too bad), just thanked her for her hard work.  They made the work go faster, though it still took up the whole day.

I got virtually nothing else useful done this weekend, other than cleaning out their closet, but I sure love my "new" room!