what (cough) I'm up (cough cough cough) to *honks nose*

Sewing final samples for the pattern. That's the original needle book I made myself on the bottom left there, still looks great even after a lot of use and abuse. Finalizing the pattern has been delayed because I've been felled by a bad head cold, the second bout of merciless coughing I've had within a month. First round was brought on after I had laryngitis about three weeks ago. Was just getting over that and got hit with the germ stick again, this time smack on the nose. I'm a wee bit tired of coughing. And of being socially unacceptable with my soggy piles of tissues and constant barking.

Bright side: I'm sure all this coughing has toned up my abs.

What else. School is still in session at the Holland Academy for Young Ladies. We usually go through June and sometimes into July because we take mini-breaks through the year. In Georgia it's a mercy just to have a reason to stay in the air conditioning during the hot hours of the day. We fit in plenty of evening PE trips to the pool.

Currently re-reading: David Copperfield. I'm really enjoying Dickens' vivid prose. He paints a rich word picture, that man. I'm not sure there could be a more repulsive character than Uriah Heep, with his clammy hands and his darting red eyes. All the more evil because he's so very umble about it while he sinks his skeletal claws into you. It's got me wondering if there's a great screen adaptation of David Copperfield to watch. Do you have a favorite?

And big news at the shop: You might have noticed that Etsy has recently revamped how they list PDF files so that they are instantly downloadable for you instead of being e-mailed. I cannot tell you how happy this change has made me! Instant gratification for you, no email-gone-astray mishaps for me. Oh, thank you, THANK YOU one thousand times, Etsy! So now both my shops have that feature.

Hoping to feel better soon and get the needle book pattern whipped and good. And instantly downloadable.