It's Official! w/a Little Rant

I got a lot done this week, so I'm participating in Finished for Friday with Three Under Two @ Lit & Laundry. I just have to brag on myself a bit for accomplishing so much when usually I get nothing done except maybe read or watch TV.
Well folks, it's official, I can continue being a teacher in the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts if my doctor ever lets me return to work. In 1989 I was granted a Lifetime teaching certificate. It was taken away in 1993 and became a Primary certificate that has to be renewed every five years. This is to make teachers continue with their own education, at their own expense, and then pay $100.00 every five years for the renewal. I have no problem with renewing a license, but EVERYONE with those Lifetime licenses got hit. Why couldn't it just be for people getting certified from that point onward? I also have no problem continuing my own education on methodology and content. So I've spent all week organizing my certificates from various courses and preparing my files to show things I've created and learned in the last five years. BUT when I downloaded the application form, they don't want to see it! I have all these certificates from classes I took and paid for and products I've created. The state wants me to do this, and I have to check a box on the application for renewal that I did it, but other than that, just send in my check! Don't even send a list of the classes taken. Ridiculous! The only way they ever see the teacher work products is if they audit someone twice. But, anyway, my check is in the mail as they say, and my rant is over.

For some more pleasant things I've completed this week, I've finished four books since last Friday. WOW! Strawberry Hill by Mary Ann Hoberman, which I will be reviewing on Sunday, and Access Denied by Denise Vega, which I reviewed on Tuesday are both young adult novels that I really liked. I also finished 2 historical fiction books, The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig and King's Fool by Margaret Campbell Barnes. I'm not sure if I'm going to review them right away. They were both excellent, but I need to plow through reading The Host by Stephenie Myers so I can participate in the fun blog carnival for the book next Wednesday. I hope you'll come back then and see what I thought of it.
I also got a lot of cards and a few anklets completed for my etsy shop, Little Somethings.
I want to be able to offer custom monogram note cards, so I've been making them for my friends as samples to show and practicing with some of my new craft tools at the same time.I want to have several fonts that work well for people to choose from and I'm going to make a display card for each.I also found a great source for colored hemp, The Good Old Days Hemp Shop, and made myself this anklet for the summer. I'm totally in love with it. I'd love constructive feedback and suggestions on any of the items I make so they can be better.
After reading this, I am pretty impressed with myself! I even completed a few things that I'll quickly mention, like rearranging my craft room with my nephew, getting a bunch of packages sent out and finally buying a walker so I can get around better.
What have you accomplished this week? To see what projects or chores are getting done all around the Blogosphere visit Three Under Two @ Lit & Laundry!