Did you miss me?

Hi, my name is Carol, and I used to sew.

Here are some of the things I've been doing since you last heard from me:

Sewing costumes for Arts Alive's production of The Robe.

Coordinating summer programs for Elon University's Challenge Course.

Starting up a non-profit homeschool tutoring program- Archway Classes.

Being a single mom while my husband traveled for work all summer.

Vacationing at our parents' homes in Virginia Beach and South Carolina.

And reading- oh, reading! I used to read all the time and stopped when my oldest was born because I just didn't have (ie, make) the time for it. But this summer all of my boys can read and now I can read, too! My fare has mostly been tween & adolescent fiction (Mysterious Benedict Society, 39 Clues and Hunger Games series) and I love it!



Now that I am done with most of the above activities, I have time to sew again (HOORAY!) and my list is long! A quilt for a sweet little boy diagnosed with cancer, testing womens knitwear patterns for a friend of mine (I can't wait to show you the results!), and sewing LOTS of Halloween costumes are all on my list. And then I found my stash of Halloween fabric and I *really* want to make something with it now, too!

So I just relisted all of my ready-to-ship Halloween outfits in my etsy shop and am offering free shipping on them to anyone who tells me they read about it in this blog post.

This is what I do in my other life

So about 2 months ago (wow, has it been that long?), I told you about my summer job. I have really had such a good time with it. Most of my work has been behind-the-scenes, in the office duties. Every now and then, I'll get to go out to the course and facilitate a low ropes group. But this Friday was the big day... the unveiling of our high ropes course!

I never asked exactly how high, because truth be told, I'd rather not know! But this picture might put things into perspective; I'm 5'3".

On a high ropes course, you wear a seat harness and are tied into safety cables at all times. The things you do 40 feet up in the air are the same type of things you'd do down on the ground on a low ropes course... except they are 40 feet in the air! Therein lies the challenge! At the end, you take a giant zipline down to the field where you can set your feet on solid ground again.

I have been facilitating high ropes courses for 14 years (whoa, that sounds like a LONG time; I am not that old. To be fair, I was only 18 when I started!), so even though heights terrify me, I feel 98% comfortable doing this type of thing because I know all the safety features of how it works. Friday was just a "playday" for our staff; several of them were new to this, and with the course being new, too, we had to give it a test run. Unfortunately, we got off to a late start and I didn't get to go up :o( Luckily, though, we have our first group coming out next Friday, so maybe I'll get my chance to play then!

Excuse me, is there a monkey in the office?

It seems like it's been a long time since I wrote on my blog, but it's bene a really long & busy week for me.

On Friday, I went to work. Huh? Yep, work. For the first time in over 8 years! DH pointed me toward a position at our alma mater, Elon University, for a part time, summer-only job in the same department where I had worked as a student! I am coordinating the Challenge Course (also called a ropes course) and having a blast when I'm not feeling totally overwhelmed. I have to get ready for several groups coming in the next 2 weeks, and the people I need to talk to always seem to be out of the office! I've been working all week long, and learning how to juggle my schedule as a working mom so I'll have more time for my family and my sewing, too.

The big production of In His Steps was last weekend, and the costumes were just to die for. I'll put a few pictures up when I get them off my camera. Have you ever had that feeling of emptiness when something is over? I totally felt like that on Sunday. No last minute costume details to take care of, no running downtown to check on things at the theater...