I'm not sure it can be called a hiatus when it's been so long, but I missed pleonast. Facebook is nice. The games are kinda entertaining sometimes and getting a quick hello to folks is good, but I've missed the community and fellowship that can be pleonast at it's best.

And words. I missed being able to use a lot of them and say whatever I felt like. ~You~ may not missed me doing that, but I did. :)

So, a quick little catch-up: during my sabbatical, pretty much nothing changed. Except everybody got older. And Dan and Emily are having another little boy this summer. And...nope, that's all the new information I've got. Everything else is basically the same.

Which is good, in a comforting, the world is still here and I know what to expect kind of way.

I think that's under-rated. People don't appreciate same-ness enough sometimes. I know I certainly don't always. People tend to crave excitement and adventure and different.

But this, this stuff that's going on in my life right now, I've mostly got this. I've been doing this for years and there's some security and some confidence in it. I'm not suggesting that I have all the answers or have control over anything. Obviously, not. But, in the day to day breathing and moving and thinking and doing, so long as there aren't any curve balls thrown my way, I'm pretty good.

I think this may be pretty close to what contentment is like.

At least for a while. I am plumb sick of my sewing machine and the sight of any threads pretty much sends me into a fit of insanity.

But the Christmas Projects are completed and unwrapped and being made use of, so I think it all turned out pretty well.

Here are a couple of the pages just to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. If you really want to see the others, I put up a gallery because I didn't want to make a monster page here. :)

So...the two little guys these are intended for do not have pleonast accounts and neither do their parents. So...it's completely safe to post pictures here and get opinions to see if they're decent enough to actually make good gifts.

I have back-up gifts in mind just in case they aren't.

Now, keep in mind, these aren't the complete projects. These are just covers. Ultimately, they're supposed to be quiet books with fabric pages inside and activities with zippers, buttons, shoelaces, snaps, etc to go inside. I've already decided what pages I think I'll make. But one thing at a time.

Judge away. Is this a project to abandon or maybe keep at?

So I'm back home now. Yay! I love everyone in Tampa and I miss you all dearly, however, there's just something nice about being home. I'm sure no one takes it personally and you all understand exactly what I mean by that. :)

Being back at home, though, I'm realizing that I don't have enough to do and I've had to invent something. I know school starts in less than a month and there's trainings and sanding and painting and lesson plans and all that stuff, but it's just not enough.

Therefore...the sewing machine has come out and taken up permanent residence on my dining room table. I'm working on something for Christmas for three of my most favorite little boys in all the world. We'll have to see how it comes out and hopefully I don't get fed up before finishing, but it's at least something to start on.

Wish me luck!