The girls headed back to school on Monday. We were all ready for normal schedules and routines to be back in place. Both my girls are such social creatures, especially Ellie, that getting out of the house and back amongst their peers is something they were ready for after two weeks of school break. I must admit, I was itching to get them out of the house too... is that really horrible to admit? I am kidding for the most part but boy the quiet and stillness of a house with no children is something to treasure on some days.
I have needed to have that quiet concentration time too because I purchased a new computer for the studio with the Windows 7 operating system. I give credit to Microsoft because this system is much more user friendly and a nice change from Windows XP, the operating system I was using prior to this one...but (there's always a but...) with the joy of new technology comes the pain and frustration of favorite programs that no longer work and lots of transferring, uploading, downloading and looking for software to reinstall. I don't consider myself one that dislikes change. For the most part I embrace moving onward and upward, I am hip that way, but when my very cherished Illustrator program can no longer survive in the high paced world of Windows 7, I am ready to pull the plug and go back to the safe and accepting world of Windows XP. I decided I couldn't bring myself to do that and I had to figure out a way to make it all work that was convenient for me. I didn't want to physically relocate to use another computer. I needed the perfect solution. I needed a shared system. Well, nothing is totally perfect but the solution I came up with is pretty close. Long story short, I have connected my two computers with a special cable that allows them to share a monitor, mouse and keyboard and I can toggle from one system to the other and use my beloved programs once again. There's still a learning curve but I am working out the kinks baby!
In other exciting news, Ellie finally learned how to tie shoes! Really? She's seven...what's the rush? This has been something that has been driving me crazy because all her shoes are velcro or straps or slip ons. They hardly make any children shoes with laces anymore - have you noticed that?? Tonight I told her you are not going to bed until you learn how to tie. After a few tries, she did it and we celebrated and danced and shared hi-fives! Alright, well I think that is enough exciting news for you to handle in one day, don't want to overload you!
