progress report

This is my mama's wedding. It was lovely. Small, intimate and simple. These are the only decorations- the table centers that I made. It was a lovely wedding, the groom got so choked up that he couldn't speak! And even though my antidepressants were beginning to work and I was feeling better this started me off, mind you I was not alone!

I am so pleased that I have started taking the medication. I am in such a better space than I have been in years! It is like waking up from a very bad dream. But now I have discovered that my home has been a reflection of what has been happening internally. I have said before that I have been acting happy and confident especially with work. I knew that my work is important not just for me but for my family- my work pays for everything, mortgage, food, transport -everything. Then I feel that the kids I teach deserve the best I am capable of doing and I feel this responsibility and take it seriously, hence every ounce of energy I had went into maintaining that and as a result my home life and home business things fell by the wayside. So I've woken up to a huge mess.

To make matters worse this last term has been outrageously busy. I did the lecturing for the Uni students. Somehow I thought they would be more scary and demanding. I was worried because I'd never done this before and as it was a totally new course for the uni there was nothing for me to go by so I had to come up with it all myself (while still doing my ordinary teaching job) I had a lot of very positive feedback from it all and I am sure they will ask me to do it again. 

The uni students ran workshops with all the kids at school over two days and set up a display of this work to show alongside the art exhibition I had been working towards during the first semester. It was a heap of work but I was proud of the results. Here's some of them.

 

Hundertwasser Houses yr 4

 

Klimt inspired portraits yr 5

 

Matisse inspired collages yr 5/6

 

Paint chip collages yr 1 (thanks for the great idea Anki and kids!)

 

"Warm and cool"  landscapes yr 4

 

This is a bit blurry but I loved these I got the kids to  imagine they could go into an art work of a famous artist (Gauguin, Rousseau and Frida Kahlo) They then drew themselves inside that art work and painted them- it really had these yr 2's hooked! Love it when that happens!

All the kids from kindy to year 7 had a piece of work framed and on display. 

That's 398 pieces of kids work.

We also had artworks by local artists, me included!

At the same time as all of this I had to shift art rooms, we barely got into the new room in time for the exhibition! And for about a week I taught with no power and limited furniture. And it was report time at the same time! (Anyone who teaches knows how much I enjoy doing those.) I worked every night until 2am with only short breaks to cook dinner, then up bright and early to go to school and teach. I worked for three weekends in a row. (And only had one migraine!)

As a result my already messy house got messier! So now that it is holidays I am taking one small job at a time still giving myself some time to sit and crochet or browse the net or read. I'm not going to try to get it all done at once. Yesterday I cleared some space in front of my wardrobe and threw away 2 large boxes of handbags and clothes. The day before I cleared one bench in my kitchen. Today I did some businessy type stuff and folded some washing, which I can now put away inside the wardrobe because there is space. It will take a bit of time but I am getting there. Hopefully it won't be too long before I can start to take some photo's of around my house again.

Oh and I forgot to say I sold 6 pieces of art works at the school art exhibition and got a commission for some more crocheted pears!

I made enough money to buy three pieces of art that I liked and still have a bit left over to treat myself to a massage this holiday!