Life moves too fast. I turned 30 in March! I'm a full-time teacher, Board Member for GMHR, and a rug hooker on the side. I feel like each day is a sprint with every minute completely filled. Anyone who has worked in a school knows that the kids keep you busy. For those of you who have never worked in education just imagine you're trying to put out a fire while herding cats in a straight jacket. It's not easy... and it's incredibly exhausting! Add to this the short days and darkness of Maine winter, plus the snow that is still above my window sill even though it's April 6th and all I want to do when I get home is make a good, hot, filling meal, get into some warm jammies, and watch a movie. And lately that's what I've been doing! The problem with this is that it's not a very fulfilling life. I'm an artist! I need my outlet! 

So after months of not working on anything I recently forced myself to pull out my wool again and even though it felt like a job I started hooking. A little at first, and then for hours. I noticed that I was excited to get home to my wool and the small mess I had made in my living room (thank goodness for amazingly supportive and understanding roommates!) 

As the days and weeks went by I started to feel like I had accomplished something by the end of the day, which helped me sleep better, which gave me more energy in the morning! Adding rug hooking back into my daily routine had this cascade effect on the rest of my life... everything got better. I'm happier, healthier, more productive, have something to show for my days other than work, and feel recharged. So it's no surprise that the key to my mental health in the winter iiiiiiiiiis... making the wool dust fly! 

As a side note I'd estimate the Birth of Venus to be about half done now! I'm hoping to finish it by 2018! A project that took six years to complete is definitely a labor of LOVE!

Here is a sneak peak: