Reflections on days of summer past...

School starts tomorrow, so I consider today to be my last chance to do whatever I please, whenever I please...within reasonable limits, of course!
Of course, as a teacher, I have been "at school" off and on since early August, preparing my classroom, attending meetings, and getting things ready for another year in the classroom art studio. There's no way I would ever be able to jump in on the first day of school without at least a week or two of preparation!

Today is Monday, normally a work day, but we had our annual "Meet the Teachers/Open House" yesterday, so today is a well-earned day of relaxation and reflection.

All in all, it was a good summer for me!  June was a quiet month mostly at home with my husband, who was recovering from a knee replacement in mid-May.


Peaceful Center Hill Lake

July got off to a bang with my family's big reunion at Center Hill Lake in Tennessee, which was great fun! So many new additions to the family since we last gathered in 2011...new babies, new relationships, anniversaries, engagements...all the joys of being part of a very large extended family!



Snuggle time with Papa

Learning to captain the pontoon
















       In mid-July I spent five days with two of the best friends one could ever have. This was our seventeenth summer together...so hard to believe how quickly the years go by!

Celebrating 17 years of summer friendship!

When our summer reunions began, we were teaching together here in Ohio. Over the years, we have supported each other through moves and changes and watched our children grow up and raise families of their own. Although we live miles apart and lead very different lives, when we get together each summer we pick up right where we left off the summer before. It's like we've never been apart...truly long term friendships are a blessing!

Late July meant a quick few days at a Muse Machine advisor workshop, just a brief taste of school activities to come, before heading north for the baptism of grandson, Jackson, and a visit with my daughter and her family. Unfortunately, Papa was unable to join us because he was recovering from a second knee surgery...another story for another time!
 

     Jackson wore the family heirloom Christening gown, originally made for me by my great-grandmother out of the train from my mother's wedding dress. It was worn by my siblings, several of our children, and now our children's children! What a family treasure!

And now, my summer freedom is ending... 

 

...but it was all good!

Lions and tigers and...paperwork! Oh my!

So there I was, all excited about my new artistic venture, happily making jewelry, painting scarves, and designing my own fabrics for some future projects, when my creative train was suddenly derailed by cold, hard bureaucratic reality...aka the Taxman!

Etsy has some great tutorials to help new Etsians (love that term...sounds a little Star Trek!) get started so I felt pretty certain that I was on the right track, and for the most part, I was. This past Wednesday, I went to the credit union to open my business accounts. Simple, right? No, not so fast, my little pretty!

I had my federal EIN in hand (Employer Identification Number- necessary even if I have no plans to employ anyone but myself) , but was totally in the dark about the need to register my business name with the Ohio Secretary of State office before I could qualify for any business banking services. So back home I went, to log on to the proper website, download the proper forms, write my check for $50, and send it off to John Husted's office.

Now, I am in creative limbo, waiting to learn if my business name has already been taken by someone else first! According to the website, I should be go to go, but in these days of electronic communication, who knows?

Thanks to the advice of that very knowledgeable gentleman at the credit union, I am now signed up to take a Business Start-up workshop through the Ohio Small Business Development Center! 

Setting sail in a new direction...

The winds of change are blowing! For the past several years, I've tried to find time for my own art, all while teaching art full time. Ironically, I created more of my own art while working as an assistant principal than I have while working as an art teacher. After eight years in the art classroom, it's time to make time for myself!

When I first started this blog, my intent was to create an online journal for sharing thoughts on faith, family, and friendship, as well as ideas for long-distance grandparenting. I started a second blog, Thoroughly Artsy Mimi, for my creative, artistic efforts. It didn't take long to learn that managing both was a bit of a stretch!

So, in the interest of my sanity, my "artsy Mimi" will be joining my "modern Mimi" here on this page. I guess I will now be somewhat of a Thoroughly Artsy Modern Mimi!

Artsy Mimi