Best Plan Ever...

 Hello, dear friends,

Once again, after a long pause, I am back -- with just a few updates. 

Life has been crazy  really busy - with work (I got promoted in July) and school (just two more classes until my degree is finished) in full swing, I barely have time to stitch. That is, officially I do - after work, I sit in my chair and pick up the needle. I make several stitches. Next thing I know - it is two hours later and I am feeling refreshed - after a nap with a needle in my hand and a piece of linen on my lap. I tried to stitch, honest. I even started stitching. I was just too tired to go on.

So, the updates I have are due to me being on vacation this past week. After the initial couple of days of (mostly) sleeping and drinking tea, I looked at my pile of WIPs and decided to make a plan. What a plan it was! I wanted to start - and finish - a new sampler I had just purchased, with a swan and a cute thread ring. I was determined to also complete my "Charles Dickens" by Bothy Threads. Finally, "Mary Mary Needleworker" just HAD to be done! And what about Year at Hawk Run Hollow - I needed to work on that too! 

I had a whole week - more than that, eleven days! True, I had a doctor's appointment, and a pile of homework to catch up on, and a couple of friends to see after a long time apart, but - eleven days, completely free! 

Here is what I was able to accomplish. 

Mary Mary... How long is your skirt?

Here is my "Mary Mary Needleworker", or, as I affectionaly call her sometimes, "the endless orange skirt." I tried to stay focused, but eventually just had to take a break from all this orangy goodness. 

Happy Halloween! 

I did finish the October square of Hawk Run Hollow - just in time for the festivities! The witch's face was too pale against the fabric, so I decided to add some backstitch. What do you think, should I also get her hair outlined, or would it be too much? 

And... that is it. Not much - especially compared to the plan, huh? Oh well. After all, it's just eleven days. I try not to be disappointed. 

My cat Crystal has the best attitude about all plans. Her general motto in life is: "Take a nap." Running behind? Take a nap! Can't remember something? Take a nap - and it will come to you. Frustrated about miscounting stitches? Tired of doing homework? Have I mentioned... 

Guardian of Diagon Alley

Somewhere along the way, I decided to be more like Crystal and stopped worrying about my plan. Instead, I stitch, drink tea, listen to the book, drink more tea, stitch some more... and take my time to enjoy it. 

For what it's worth - I don't have to be back at work until Tuesday, which is still three days away. Who knows, I may still get more done. 

Temptations

Until next time, 

Stitching Update

 Hello, dear friends,

I am back again, trying to revive this blog of mine. Will it work? I hope so.

Over the past year I have not posted much (anything, really), but I have been stitching and puzzling - when not working or studying. I am trying to finish my second AS degree - in Accounting this time, and I am getting ever so close to the finish line. Right now I am just three classes away from completion. 

So, what have I been stitching on? Some time last year I saw this and got curious. The name of the project - "Charles Dickens" - got me interested, as at the time I was also watching the show "Dickensian". 

The kit is by Bothy Threads. I have always been curious about their "cut through" projects, but this seemed too interesting and unusual to pass by. 

Next - there's "Mary Mary Needleworker" by Lindy Stitches. 

Still love the colors - and the details, like the mushrooms and the thread bobbins, but the skirt is starting to get to me. It is just so vast and so orange. I know it will look beautiful once it's done, though. 

Finally, I have been doing some puzzling. Here's my favorite as of today - the Zodiac Circle. 

I worked on it while listening to "Troubled Blood" by Robert Galbraith. The puzzle completed the book experience.

I hope you read my post until the end and did not get bored. Please leave a comment if you can. 

Until next time, 

 

Stitching Updates

 Hello, dear friends,

Once again, it has been... oh, only just over a month? Never mind then, I can hybernate a bit longer...  But I do have some updates to share, so here it goes.

After completing "Thirteen Colonies", I looked around for a new project and discovered myself desperately hooked on samplers. During Nashville Needlework market this year I loved several projects. 

"Seeking Refuge" by Scarlett House perfectly describes how I feel about needlework. Cross stitch is my therapy, it's a skill to combat my fears and anxiety about the challenges of the outside world. So - I had to have this pattern. I even got all the threads it called for. 

Next was "Heaven and Nature" by Teresa Kogut. This one was a bit more complicated. Several years ago I stitched a commission piece designed by Sandy Orton (I Believe) with words "Let Heaven and Nature Sing." For those who remember, it had a garden theme with angels wearing gardening aprons and with garden shears in the pockets. And now, seeing this same verse on the new sampler, I thought - continuity. Something about it spoke to me, perhaps reminded me of the previous project, - and I got the pattern. 

Then, there's the "monster" (because of its size) - "His Eye is on the Sparrow" by Heartstring Samplery. This one - first of the two - interested me because of the way Adam and Eve were designed. I noticed that in many (older) samplers Adam and Eve were pictured in a grotesque, very awkward way. This one makes them look... more human. Not to mention, of course, all the details. 

Finally, there's "Consider the Lilies" - another design by Heartsrting Samplery. Once again, Adam and Eve here look very much alive, not doll-like, and the snake looks like he's holding a conversation... 

Once I received the patterns, I started on kitting the samplers. Fabric was not a problem at the time, but some of the threads, due to COVID, I could not get. Now I know about substitutions and conversions and details that makes the sampler yours, so to speak, but... Truth be told, until now I often had to substitute threads - simply because I could not afford the ones called for in a pattern(s). So, I do want to know what the "original" version with all the called for threads looks like. I will wait on the (last three) threads to become available, then I will start the sampler.

In the meantime, I signed up for - and completed - "Jesus Wept" sampler by Elisabeth Cooper. It came from The Sassy Jack's Stitchery, and it was in many ways a new experience for me. 

I wanted to stitch it, first of all, because it was the first time I was going to work with silk. I learned that silk is a very pleasant material to work with, both soft - and strong. Then, there was something about this design that reminded me of the cave paintings of the ancient times. The birds and the plants, the animals - the way they were designed. It was a very interesting process. 

After this project was completed, I moved on to something more colorful. Mary Mary Needleworker from Lindy Stitches caught my eye. Once again, continuity played part in my selection - Old Witch Mary from Lila's Studio and this project definitely have some things in common. 

For me, it's got something to do with those mushrooms. I could not resist them in Witch Mary - and now I cannot say no to them in Mary Needleworker. They had to be stitched! Not to mention the thread spools, the shoes, the flowers... and the verse of course. That one is still coming, along with more details.  

Until next time, 

Merry Christmas...

Hello, dear friends,

It has been, as always, shamefully long. What have I been up to? Working - of course, can't go without it. Taking a class towards a degree in our local college - online. Working out... Reading... Watching movies.... And, of course, stitching. 

School proved to be a bit more stressful than I expected, to the point that, towards the end, I swore to myself that I would not take another class for a while... Things at work got busy, quizzes and homework assignments became due one after another, life changes piled up - I thought I was going to lose it. Then, just like that, the day of the final came, so I got up, dressed up, showed up - and passed it. Now, just a week and a half after the final, I am thinking - hmm, maybe I should take another class in the spring... Perhaps, I am (secretly) a glutton for stress. 

In my reading pursuits, I have discovered for myself books by Toni Morrison. I started with "God Bless The Child." It gripped me right away because of the subject - a strained relationship between mother and daughter. The daughter does not want to be in contact with her mother, save for the occasional post card or check, and she has her reasons. The mother, while respecting her daughter's wishes, believes that she has done the best she could, everything she could, for her child, given the situation they were in. 

Next, I read "Sula." The novel is about lifelong friendship between two women, - but, once again, it's the portrayal of motherhood in the story that spoke to me. Motherhood is doing what you have to do to keep your children alive, safe, and healthy. This is the job, the responsibility, the purpose of it, and everything else beyond that purpose is non-essential fluff.  I could relate to Eva, the mother, when in response to her daughter's question, "Mama, did you ever love us?" answers, "No, not the way you think." The daughter, all grown up, wants to know how come her mother never played with her as a child. Eva answers, "What would I look like leapin' 'round that little room playin' with youngins with three beets to my name?" Taking care of essentials equals love. Providing for your children equals love. Kissing booboos and playing hopscotch is good for a commercial. It has nothing to do with real life, or real love.

Next on my reading list is "Beloved," and I am gathering all my gut strength to read it. 

As for my stitching, I have turned it from a job (as was once upon a time) back into a hobby. I stitch what I want, when I want, with... what I want. 

"Pilgrim Couple" - The Primitive Hare. 

Here is a small Thanksgiving finish - a freebie from The Primitive Hare. I used specialty/variegated threads I had in my stash, and I think it turned out well. 

"Behold" by Subversive Cross Stitch

This pattern I have had in my stash for ages, always thinking, "One day..." Well, that day happened to be just a couple of weeks ago. I stitched it while thinking about the class, the test, the final... and it helped. Now, I think I will frame it and put it someplace private, just so I can look at it once a day and remind myself of what's important.

"Old Witch Mary" WIP by Lila's Studio

As you can see, this one is not quite finished. I saw the row of toadstools and simply fell in love. The threads are from Gentle Art sampler (as per pattern key), stitched on 32 ct Blue Moon Linen. 

The verse is stitched two over one, and at times I want to pull my hair out... but it's all worth it. 

"Year at Hawk Run Hallow" - Carriage House Samplings

Here's another Halloween fragment - from a much larger piece I have been working on for... oh, over a year now. I love the detail in this piece. I keep coming back to it and stitching a little bit at a time... I hope to finish it in the new year. 

Oh, I also tried my hand at baking! Quite unexpectedly. Let me tell you, I am no pastry chef, and even when it comes to everyday cooking, I prefer something "quick and easy" to anything remotely complicated. But, a friend shared a Lussekatter recipe, and it looked delicious and at the same time uncomplicated. So... I did it. By my standards, I did great - that is, the smoke alarm did not go off, nothing burned, and I did not get poisoned.

They don't have much sugar, but the raisins and the saffron make up for it... At first when I tasted one, it seemed like just a regular scone, but with every bite it grew on me. 

Finally, it looks like I have finally become that crazy cat lady I tried to run away from... Oh well. Crystal does not seem to mind. 

Merry Christmas! 

JCS Publications and New Projects

Good morning, my dear friends,

As you can see, I am trying to get better at posting here: this time, it has only been a month.
My new Just Cross Stitch issue came in the mail Friday - and look what I found there!

JCS August 2018.
Design by Evdokia Nikolaeva

I stitched that (the feeling never seems to get old) and loved it. The picture does not do it justice - I remember how bright and vibrant the colors looked on fabric while I was working on it; it was like looking at the stained glass window in the sun.

A close up picture

While stitching, I could not help thinking of precious stones. When I was a child, one of my favorite books was "The Malachite Box" by Pavel Bazhov - a collection of tales about the Hostess of the Mount and her secret jeweled garden, so intricately carved out of precious stones that any mortal that ever glanced at it would lose interest in anything naturally grown ever again... This bird and her pomegranates might as well have flown out of that garden, I thought while working at it with my needle.

"Peace Angel" by Lesley Teare
JCS February 2018

This gorgeous angel was stitched by me back in... December 2017 (I think?) The whole time I worked on her, I kept calling her "The Autumn Fairy" - the green wings and the flowers suggested it for me... Somehow the doves (the international symbol of peace) did not click in the idea; among all this natural beauty they looked part of the nature set - birds that just happened to be doves.

Close up Picture

Did I like the colors, the flowers, and the butterflies? Definitely. But... look at that armband! It stands out - perfectly. Five French Knots each, two different colors - and it makes everything around it stand out.

The skirt and the doves.

I enjoy looking at the flower detail around the skirt - and the doves, of course. The back stitching gave their wings such detail, I can almost see the feathers.

The waves of the skirt, the curling flower vines, the birds - all these details give the picture the sensation of movement. She is not standing still, she is walking  - or, perhaps, dancing? In all her detailed glory, she is still hard at work - on her way... somewhere.

Recently, I have had more time to stitch for myself. The result is - better late than never - a finished "Twelve Days of Christmas."

"Twelve Days of Christmas"
by Plum Street Samplers

Maybe it's the weather and the season, but when I finished it, I could not stop thinking that it is so... red. Was it, perhaps, too much red? But then I thought - this was meant to be a Christmas sampler, it's not its fault that it has taken me three years to finish it. By next Christmas, when it's framed and displayed on the wall, it will look just the right amount of red.

Finally, I have (bravely) decided to start a new project. It will be "A Year at Hawk Run Hallow" by Carriage House Samplings. How long will it take me to get it done, I am not even going to guess. One thing is for sure, though - I am going to thoroughly enjoy it!

Until next time,

A Stitching Post

Hello, dear friends,

It looks like, finally, I can share some of the projects I have stitched in the past couple of years. So, beware - this post is picture heavy.

First of all... "The Old Rugged Cross"  - perfect for Easter holiday! Oh, wait.. the Easter was a month ago. Oh well... I enjoyed stitching it, and here it is.

The Old Rugged Cross

This project felt like a work of art - all the colors, and the skies looked so realistic, I could almost sense that chill in the air right before the storm. The details of the cross make it look three-dimensional, almost real.

I have taken quite a few pictures of this project, front and back, but these two are my favorites.


Next- quite a different topic: vegetables! This one made pictures of the ordinary vegetables into an art form... It was like re-creating Still Life paintings with needle and thread.

Carrot

While stitching it, I thought it would look good in someone's kitchen - inspiring people to drink carrot juice? The taste of it kept popping up in my mouth all through working on this piece...

Eggplant

With the Eggplant, I loved the colors! Looks like the sun is bathing one side of it... While in real life I find eggplants boring, this one was anything but. Another decoration for someone's kitchen, or perhaps restaurant.












For the final piece - my favorite miniature...

A hedgehog with the mushroom! Don't mind that the mushroom is poisonous - it is a decoration, not food. I could imagine it in a handmade card.

Now, I have been told that all these pieces have been released as kits in Hobby Lobby stores all over the country. Unfortunately, there isn't a store like that anywhere near I live, so I cannot see the "final result." Stitching them was a pleasure, though, so I know those who work on them are going to enjoy the process.

Until next time,

Life and Stitching News

Hello, dear friends,

It has been over four months since my last post. Has it really been that long? Time keeps flying by, one week after another, and some days I feel I can barely keep up. What, is it March already? No, wait, it's April... No, wait... make it May!

 A lot has happened in this time. My daughters and I are together again, living under the same roof. (The song "Reunited" keeps popping up in my head every time I think of that). The past three months without them have been a glimpse of what life would be "on my own," when they have grown up and started living their own lives. It was a bit empty, a bit scary at first, but in a way also educational and - liberating. Scary - because suddenly I had no one to cook dinner for, nobody to take care of. I felt like a woman out of a job, like I have lost my main purpose. Then, after the initial shock, I thought of the best way to use the free time - and that is when the liberating part came in. I had one of a kind chance to remember who I was before taking on all the roles - before marriages, motherhood, working, earning a living. I got back to basics - reading, listening, writing, and stitching (of course). I learned to like my own company once again - something I had in the beginning, but lost in the process and had to reclaim. In the end, I learned that living on my own is not quite as scary as I imagined; it's different and new, but it also has its advantages. While I am not in a hurry to start living alone, I know now that, when the time comes, I will be all right.

During the time alone, I have done a lot of stitching, but, alas, there are only two projects I can show.
The first one is called "Aquarius" - remember, I started it over a year ago for my daughter? I was able to give it to her for her birthday this year...

Aquarius

The second project I finally finished was the Christmas stocking. This one took some time and effort, and eventually these snowmen started haunting my dreams, giving me nightmares. Perhaps, they wanted to be finished. Or, perhaps, I was feeling guilty for taking such a long time... In any case, I am glad to have completed it finally, and I am pleased with the result.

"Three Snowmen"

In the end, I enjoyed stitching this project a lot. The different thickness of the thread made the snow hills look fuller, and the backstitch outlined the trees and brought the details into sharper focus. I loved finishing it.

There is a lot going on in my life still - as always, it seems - but it is my hope that from now on I will be able to post more regularly. See, now I have a laptop, which means - no more going to the library,  I can once again write in here right from home.

Thank you for reading my ramblings.

Until next time,

Stitching and Reading News

Hello, dear friends,

Has it been that long since my last post? I swear it was June last week... and not it's already the end of September. Where did the time go? I guess it flew away...

Past few months, I have been working my job, stitching, and reading. (What else, right? )

In stitching news - there is finally a WIP picture I can share with you.

This is to be a stocking - with snowmen, as you can (hopefully) see. Such bright colors, and very interesting shapes and angles. I enjoy this process.

In the reading department - I have finished "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child". What an experience. The plot twists are unexpected, the form (a play) is refreshing, but most important part - this is a book about real issues: issues in parenting, growing up, relationships - and mistakes made while forging them. This is one of those books that make you think and reflect upon your own situation, letting you be your own judge. I enjoyed it - and look forward to re-reading it again soon.

Another book I attempted to read was "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac. I decided to listen to it, rather than read (it was late, and my eyes were tired after work) - and gave up listening after an hour. I just could not grasp what it was about. Names, places, people, diners, more people, names of roads, more diners, and tasty descriptions of apple pie and ice cream... It was like being on the road with the writer - or, rather, taking a road trip in the back seat of  the car with your parents when you are a kid: you look out the window at the endless poles, you count the poles and think - once I get to one hundred, we'll have to stop at the rest stop, maybe something interesting will happen then... One hundredth pole passes, and we are still driving. Then, you up it to two hundred, three, four - as many as needed - until, finally, your parents stop. You get out of the car, use the bathroom and look around for some kind of an adventure, some experience - and find... a truck stop with the apple pie and ice cream. There is your adventure. Then, you get back in the car - and get going - again: one, two three, four... one hundred... two hundred... infinity... 

Until next time, 

Life goes on, and so does the stitching...

Hello, dear friends,

It has been about two weeks since my last post, so it feels like a good time for another update.

When I start thinking about it, I really don't know where to start: my job? my life? my stitching? So many things changed so quickly in my life - and still keep changing - that two weeks feel like two months - or even longer. One steady feeling, though, that has been growing in me - and me - is Self-Confidence. The more I go through things, the more I face these challenges - big and small - the more I feel, " I can do this!" I can do this - all by myself.

Then again, I am not "all by myself." My daughters are with me, and they are a great comfort. For the first time in many years, I feel like I can talk to them - and they to me - without pretense. We say it like it is. There is no need for false and fake "niceties," forced expressions of respect. If they are unhappy or they disagree with me - they tell me. If - or when - I need to say something - I do. No long speeches, no put downs, no theatrics... And it works. I feel, finally, that we are on the same team. We understand each other - at least as much as it is possible between two teenage daughters and their mother. And, finally - I feel like we have our privacy. Nobody is watching. This is not  Cinema Verite, there are no hidden cameras. (Not that there ever actually were cameras, but in my marriage, I often felt like I was in a sitcom, cast for a supporting role. I cannot tell you how much relief it brings to drop that kind of pretense.)

Next week will be the seventh week (already?) of my new job. I am starting to feel a bit more confident in my position - that is, I don't have to ask every five minutes for directions, - but now, I feel, the challenge is not to become over confident. I have a lot to learn here, and sometimes being silent and listening is better and more productive than talking and trying to "get things done." Often, that is a very good approach to life in general, too.

With all the work and chores, there is very limited time left for stitching - but my Aquarius has grown arms since the last time I posted. Slow and steady, it grows....

"Aquarius" WIP

 Until next time,

A New WIP

Hello, dear friends,

About a week ago, I decided to put the Twelve Days away for a while and started a new project. It's for my daughter's birthday (I hope it will be ready in time).

"Aquarius"
Designed by Julie Hasler

I had some "initial" threads for it in my stash to get it started, and also was able to pick up some more threads today. It's nice to have a craft store nearby, 15 minutes away from walking distance.

In other news - some pretty disgusting and despicable things were revealed to me over the past week. But that situation will be taken care of very soon, the garbage will be thrown out and the mud thoroughly wiped off from my porch. I know that in the end, my family will grow stronger and healthier in the process.

Until next time, 

Twelve Days of Christmas

Hello, dear friends,
I am back - again! This wet weather is keeping me inside, next to the warm computer. Today, however, they promised a storm with thunder and lightning, which means the power may go out. Which means my computer will not be so warm any more.

This is the view from my bedroom window. Less than a week ago this was a football field. Today it's a lake - complete with ducks!

I took one day off from stitching after celebrating the latest finish. But after a day, I had to stitch... I know, I am an addict.
Paulette of Plum Street Samplers was hosting a SAL called "Twelve Days of Christmas". I stitched 'The First Day" into an ornament some time ago, when I saw the pattern in the Just Cross Stitch magazine.

I remember thinking then how I would love to stitch all 12 days - what a collection it could be! And now it will be.
I decided this time to make it into a sampler, just as the SAL suggests... Here's where I am now.

With the rain and the wind all day, there's no time like now to sit down with a cup of tea and continue on...

Until next time, 

First Finish of the New Year

Hello, dear friends,
I am back again! Yesterday, I finished the Christmas Heirloom Stocking, and today I am celebrating (so far, on the inside).

"Santa's Workshop" Heirloom Stocking

I have been living with this project for two months, and today, looking at the finished piece, I could not stop taking pictures. I think I took over 30 of them in all... one for every two days of stitching (haha).

Doll House Detail

I could not figure out what that white/grey thing on the top of the bar stool was until the very end. Once the last back stitch was put in, I saw it - it's an apron! The whole time I was expecting some sort of a cloak, the way it was draping all over that stool.

Noah's Arc detail

I look at the toys in these patterns and ask myself: do they still have toys like these? The arc, the animals, the house -they are so... realistic, so detailed. Honestly, I want to visit a nursery like the one in the stockings some day - just to reassure myself they still exist. Although, to be fair, this is a "workshop"... Never mind. I would still like to see the toys.

My personal favorite - and a matter of pride. Look at all this popcorn and cranberries on a string! All those French Knots in a row (and there are more of them elsewhere), three different colors. Making the long brag into a short one - I am proud of the result.

Another one of my favorite details - the coffee cup. I loved stitching it, not to mention - Santa drinks coffee, too? Makes sense, he has a lot of work to do on Christmas Eve...

Another detail... I did not particularly "like" the fruit bowl while stitching it, but once finished - it has become so colorful and sharp! Thank you, back stitch...

Fruit bowl with paint can and car

Here, I should probably stop, for as much as I know you, my readers, like cross stitch, twenty-something pictures of the same project taken from different angle will wear out the most enthusiastic and patient reader.

Perhaps one more picture of the whole stocking..

Until next time,

The Halloween Stitching Project

No matter what happens from this point on, I can proudly announce that this year, I am ready for Halloween. At least in the stitching sense.  My Halloween project - "The Spells' Store" - is finished! (Drum Roll, Happy Dance, etc., etc.... )

Design by The Primitive Hare
Published in Just Cross Stitch 2013 Halloween
Stitched on 28 ct Antique White Evenweave
DMC Floss

I have been looking at this pattern for the past two years. Finally, this year I had a spare moment (several of them) - and here's the result....
I think, the first thing in the project that grabbed my attention were the boots- their shape, the socks in them - or are they actually "booted" feet on the shelf? The question opens up so many topics - and suddenly you are visiting a store somewhere in Diagon Alley - or is it Knockturn? I guess that would depend on the answer about the boots.

I noticed that many Halloween and Witch patterns have the years 1692 and 1861 featured in them... I know the significance of the year 1692 - Salem Witch Trials - but what about year 1861? I know it's the time of  the Confederacy-  the secession of the Southern states, and the beginning of the American Civil war, - but what does it have to do with witchcraft?

I also made a short video on the "Spells' Store" progress and wanted to post it on Facebook, but, unfortunately, it was deleted. The Facebook administration sited the concern that "not all parts of the video belong to me." They were probably referring to the music. Then again, I would never try to claim the authorship of "Don't Fear the Reaper." I just want to use the song in my video.

So, here it is...

I hope you like it...

Happy Halloween - and happy stitching.

Time to Brag!

Hello again, dear friends!

Remember the stick that I posted a couple of weeks ago - part of BRD ornament? Well, it got stitched into this...

"Silent Night" by Blue Ribbon Designs
stitched on Linen with DMC Floss

I always recognize a BRD pattern by the "signature" trees and branches. It was a pleasure to stitch, with, perhaps, the caption being the most tricky part - one over one, with 2 strands.

Now I will have to mobilize my decor stash to turn it into an actual ornament. I will do it, just don't know when exactly - some time before Christmas.

That concludes the cross stitch bragging.... Now - on to the family!

My dear daughter Vera, who is now 12 and is going to the 8th grade this year, went to Tech Trek Science Camp at University of Santa Barbara last week!

She participated in a competition and was selected to attend the Science Camp on a scholarship: study math and physics, perform hands on experiments, and live like a college student - for a whole week.

About two days before we dropped her off, I asked her if she was excited. She answered, "I guess... I did not realize that I signed myself up for one extra week of school." I could see she was nervous and self-conscious, unsure of how she was going to be accepted. She does not feel "popular" at her regular school, and I could see the old fears creeping in.

Vera and her roommate on the first day

I kept telling Vera (and myself) that this was a new experience, that things were going to be great, that she was going to - finally - find people to connect with. My DH was apprehensive - with teachers and leaders - and students - being entirely girls, a few over eager matrons shot an eagle eye in his direction every time he hugged our daughter. One of them even tried to say he was not allowed to be there - until he said his daughter was there and he just wanted to say good bye before taking off. Generally, my being a woman helped ease the moving around process - no suspicious looks, no restrictions. Finally, we hugged our daughter good bye and drove away - to our own mini vacation.

Six days later, we were there 30 minutes early to pick her up....

Our daughter has transformed. From all the things described above and a couple more - she came to greet us - happy, confident and focused. She did find friends - the whole time we were there, Vera was hugging girls that were running to her, or hugged by girls that she ran to - and we took pictures. She introduced us to them and vise versa, laughed, talked, smiled.... She was in her element. She was among friends.

Vera with a new friend.

For the first time in years, I saw my daughter just as she was - no makeup, no cover up, no glitter - just herself, beautiful and confident. She found her team, her group, of like minded individuals - and they turned out to be - young scientists...just as herself.

Thank you, Tech Trek!