Hopefully you have had a much better week than I have had. Other than Wednesday, when I had a physical therapy appointment, I have been hibernating with a terrible cold. The last time I had a cough like this was when I had walking pneumonia. No...I haven't seen a doctor, no comments from the peanut gallery please! With all the cases of flu out there I didn't want to put myself out there to catch that, even though I've had the flu shot this year. Besides, my voice keeps popping in and out, something my husband finds funny and appealing. LOL
I did sneak out last Monday to see my college roommate's son fence. I've never been to a fencing tournament, and unless he comes back to Baltimore, I probably never will again. It was interesting to watch, but without knowing the rules, it was a challenge to figure out what was going on. And you know how those folks scream when they hit the ball in tennis? These people do the same thing when they win a match, only on a grander scale. I was ready to dial 911...truthfully I thought someone was in extreme pain!! I couldn't figure out if that was supposed to be intimidation or what the point was. I have to say, though, that I found it to be an extremely graceful sport.
Since I was home all week, I was able to get some stitching done. Some days more than others because I did sleep some days away. Here is Matter's Choice from Carriage House Samplings.
Here is my progress on Friendship Blooms, the SAL I am working on Tuesdays with Babs and Mouse. This week my tree grew leaves and I started the words which are stitched on 40 count over one...yikes! I'm praying I don't make any mistakes, and think the words are going to take quite a bit of time. First because I count and recount because I would hate to frog that!! And second because my eyes go a bit fuzzy working on such a high count fabric! Truthfully I enjoy stitching on this project and have to stop myself from working on it on other days in the week.
I was able to spend some quality time on Winter's Majesty, a kit from Maia. Her hands have been stitched now, and as soon as I finish up her ring and the detail on the back of her hand and wrist, I think I might do some outlining. I'm anxious to see how the outlining will add the detail that seems lost right now.
Last is the Mystery SAL I collected the pattern pieces a few years ago. Unfortunately the pattern is no longer available. I have to admit I made a mistake on this some time ago. I was off by one thread (this is stitched over one) and had to finagle to get things to line up. The patterns were distributed from the outside in, in over 50 pieces. I didn't discover my mistake until several pattern pieces had gone by. I probably shouldn't admit my mistake...LOL...but I was surprised I was able to add a few stitches here and there and made it look presentable. I even think I like how it looks better than if I had followed the pattern perfectly. Hopefully now that I have maneuvered around my mistake, things will move more quickly.
And that is my progress for this week. I apologize to those who I had to cancel on this week. I finally feel a little better today. I cancelled out on Astrid, and that was tough to do. I didn't want to expose her to this, and I really felt rotten that day, but I always enjoy our time together. Hopefully next week will be better. Off to get some stitching done! Have a great week!
Good morning! It's a beautiful day here today, the sky is such a pretty blue. I wonder if it will stay that way?
How was your Valentine's Day? I spent part of mine with my two guys. It's hard to express how much I love those guys...and my Valentine gave me these lovely flowers. I sure am spoiled!!
I'm not sure if I'm coming down with something or if my late night sampling of the Baltimore night life is affecting me, but I feel like I've been trampled by a horse this morning. First of all, I DON'T drink...although some of my posts from my phone might make you think I have. LOL Just ask Mouse, she got an e-mail from my phone marked from Tickled Punk once. I think I've fixed the problem now, though. Darned big fingers and a tiny keyboard make for interesting texts sometimes. What I did do, is spend several hours visiting my college roommate last night and we did spend a little time walking in the frigid air along with some lively conversation at Bubba Gumps. Her son is in town for a fencing match, which with any luck at all I might get to see Monday. Hopefully I'll be feeling better by then!!!
On the stitching front, I feel like I haven't been accomplishing much. I was trying to decide what to stitch on one day and remembered one that I haven't worked on in well over a year. So...I found what I HAD stitched right away, but somehow I had misplaced part of the pattern and horror of horrors, the thread!!! Considering I am using a single color, finding the thread was important, so I turned my room upside down searching. Finally, two hours later and out of sheer frustration, I started stitching on a different piece and it suddenly came to me where the thread might be. So...here is my progress on this piece. I can't remember the name of it, but I do remember it was a SAL a few years ago from this site.
I've been slowly getting a bit done on Friendship Blooms from Blue Ribbon Designs, a SAL I'm doing with Babs and Mouse. All that happened this week is that my tree bore fruit. LOL Maybe next week I'll acquire some leaves.
I worked a little bit on One Nation, a SAL I have going with Astrid. She hasn't had much time to work on hers lately, she's a pretty busy lady these days. She has an amazing post for Valentine's day about her Mom's hands. If you have a chance please stop by to check it out. It had me in tears, it's such a beautiful tribute to her Mother.
I did have a finish this week, God's Gifts Sampler. I saw this posted on Facebook and the person who posted their finish sent me the pattern AND the floss!! I would love to return the favor, if only she would tell me which pattern she would like to stitch! I love the saying!! It was stitched on 45 count over two, and I probably won't do that again as it was harder to get the needle through such dense cloth. But I do like the way it looked when it was done.
Last but not least is my progress on Winter's Majesty. There are so many color changes and so much to count on this one. My progress isn't nearly as dramatic as others I've been working on. I love this though, and can't wait to see it finished!!
It's been a crazy busy week...I wish all the doctor's visits would end, nearly three years of this stuff and it is getting OLD! I do have good news to report though, my hand is finally beginning to respond to physical therapy. My scar is barely visible, and I can open my hand just a tiny bit more. I will miss the wonderful hand massages and hot wax treatment I have received. I think I still have a couple more weeks before she kicks me out though! LOL
I've seen two movies in the past week...Safe Haven (Loved it, except for a few parts that were uncomfortable to watch, and seemingly unnecessary...) which I saw with my husband. He looked around the theater and said, I'm one of four guys here...you OWE me!! Hey...how many baseball games and hockey games do I have to sit through before I pay you back??? It did tickle me that we sat in a row of teenage girls who giggled and sighed at some of the antics on the screen. LOL Yeah, I guess I do owe the man something for his discomfort...LOL
The other movie was Identity Theft. Another movie I felt uncomfortable watching and definitely wouldn't recommend. The funny thing about that movie is that we got there during the previews, watched a couple, then the screen went black and the lights came up...odd for that to happen. We sat a little longer when an employee walked in and said they were aware of the problem and were trying to fix it. Another 20 minutes went by and they came back to say they had technical problems and would have to refund our money and the money for our snacks or we could stay another 20 minutes and watch the next showing. When we went to the customer service area, not only did they give us tickets to the next showing, but free tickets to see another show. Thank heavens!! At least we only lost a couple hours of our lives...no money really wasted seeing that movie!! The sad part was that people were complaining about not getting enough compensation for being inconvenienced. Sometimes our society tires me out. Living in an affluential area drives me crazy. I am not rich by any means, and quite frankly grew up in a poor area of the country, but it does seem that people with money expect more for less and want others to scrape and bow to them. Money doesn't impress me, manners do, and how you treat others. My husband is really good at making everyone around him feel important. I admire that in people, not how much money they have to spend. Oh...look at that...I went on a rant..sorry folks, but some things really get my blood boiling! LOL Must be the chit chat hangover from last night.
Ok, off to rest and get some stitching done. For those of you watching Downton Abbey, how do you like the season so far? I just found out my college pal watches the show, oh how much fun is it to coffee klatch about such stuff? Have a great week!!
It's been quite a week at DJ's digs...fasten your seat belts, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!
Life seems to keep getting in the way for me lately. This week was crazy, and every day seemed to pack it's own punch. Not a single thing was planned, but I was busy each day with crazy "situations", some good, some not so good.
This morning, I planned on sleeping until I woke up...I didn't plan on a telemarketer calling at 9 AM!! I know you are probably thinking I'm a lazy lout for sleeping in that late, but when you are awake until after 2 AM, trust me, you are in a sound sleep at that hour! LOL I planned on having the day to myself until the guys came home for dinner, but I was pleasantly surprised by my husband around noon, with a lovely bouquet of flowers and a sweet card. He came home just to spend time with me alone, something we haven't had time for in a while. He did it because he knew I needed comfort. Something hit us this week, that life is short, and you need to live your life so you have no regrets. Life is definitely a learning curve, and the sooner you learn the important lessons, the less likely you are to live with regret. Love one another!! Take time to spend with those you love. You never know what tomorrow brings.
I can't explain everything that happened this week, some of it is too private and includes other people, but I feel like a surfer who has fallen off her board, tossed in unpredictable ways, beaten by sand and surf, struggling to catch my breath and striving to reach the surface so I can calmly tread water for a little bit. Just let me say I have spent hours in prayer for several people, feeling totally useless and powerless to help. I have spent a lot of time on the phone, crying with other people too. Several people I know this week have lost loved ones due to illness, others are struggling with literally life and death decisions, regret, depression and serious illnesses. And my college roommate called to say her dear Mother passed away, a woman who accepted me into her family and treated me like a daughter. She would visit us and bring wonderful food, she made the best goodies, and tell stories that would have you in stitches. Needless to say, my heart has been broken, and broken, and broken again this week.
I finally have a breather tonight, though the weekend is going to be busy, so I'm posting my weekly update today. I have been able to get some stitching done so will show you a wee bit I was able to do between errands and phone calls.
Sunday was the Super Bowl. I took some stitching with me but honestly didn't make much progress until the lights went out at the Super Dome. LOL I cried tears of joy when the Ravens won, and all I could think was that Tyler would have been beside himself watching that game, hootin' and hollerin' and so happy that his Ravens won. If there's TV in heaven, I'm sure he was glued to the game. Here is my progress so far on Matter's Choice.
Monday I spent some time with Astrid. That was the highlight of my week! Even though we had watched the Super Bowl together the night before, we still planned a stitch day for the following day. No interruptions and quite a bit calmer I stitched a bit on One Nation. Now that the difficult counting is done I'm hoping things will move along a little faster. The more I do, the more I like this pattern!! I'm going to finish the star field before I get to the rest of the flag...that's my plan, let's hope I can stick to it!!
Tuesday I spent a little time at the Doctor's. More decisions to make, more Doctors to visit, but in the end I'll be having surgery. I don't think it will be anytime soon, but I'll let you know. Nothing life threatening, so no worries!! I was only able to stitch the rest of the tree trunk on Friendship Blooms, the SAL I'm doing with Mouse and Babs.
I commented on a friends picture on Facebook on a sampler she had finished. She very sweetly sent me the pattern and the floss to stitch it with!! Wasn't that sweet of her? It arrived yesterday, so I scouted out some fabric I had floating around and got started. This is called God's Gift Sampler from Homespun Elegance and I'm stitching it over two threads on 45 count. Yes, that's right, 45 count. I don't remember buying this, but had it in my stasch and thought the color was perfect, and the size will be small so I can fit it somewhere on my wall when I'm finished. So...there you go. LOL
I guess that's all the news, sorry it was such a downer this week. If I learned anything this week it's this...don't take your time on this earth for granted. Be kind to one another and let those around you know that you cherish them. People around you are more important than jobs, than how clean your house is, than just about anything else, so love them while you have the chance. Take care of yourself too, others are depending on you, no matter what they say or do, if anything happens to you, you will leave a big hole in the lives of those around you!! *Hugs*
Hello Fellow Stitchers!
Well, here we are, it's February already. Is it me, or does time seem to be flying by this year? I feel like I'm on a treadmill at high speed, and I'm doing all I can do to keep up. I keep saying I need to start now to get my house in order for my son's graduation in May. At first I was half kidding, but now I see I may have been prophetic!!
I'm calling today Super Saturday because it's the day before the Super Bowl. Now normally I'm not a football enthusiast but something different happened this year. Last year at this time, Tyler was fighting for his life against the disease Leukemia. He made a prediction that the Ravens would make it to the Super Bowl and asked the Make a Wish Foundation for tickets to the Super Bowl for himself and his best friend Brandon. The day before he died, his wish was granted, he was going to get tickets for this years game. Against all odds, the Ravens have made it to the Super Bowl and those of us who knew and loved Tyler have been cheering the team and getting chills that Tyler's dream is being played out. If only Tyler could have been here to see his beloved Ravens play. So it's bitter sweet. But since I've been following the team this year, this game will be an exciting one for my family. Astrid and her family invited us to watch the game with them. Their favorite team didn't make it to the Super Bowl, and have been calling the Ravens the "Dirty Birds"...but when all is said and done, I know that those of us who knew and loved Tyler will be watching with a great deal of cheering! GO RAVENS!! Both the Ravens stadium and the Orioles stadium are a block apart on Russel Street in Baltimore. Hence the picture of the Muscle on Russel Street.
So...I had a busy week, but decided I needed to revamp my stitching practices. So...I started stitching on something different every day and hopefully the pile of WIPs I have floating around my room will dwindle. The good news is that I was able to finish something I started nearly two years ago for someone who has been patiently waiting and I also made some progress on a few different ones.
My finish is for a friend Dixie who I learned is a Breast Cancer Survivor like myself. She and I met shortly after my son was born in Arizona. She moved to Maryland before we did and we lost touch until a few years ago. We later became friends on Facebook and she saw a picture of this piece I had made for a friend back in 2010. I promised I would make her one. This is Hope Blooms from Glendon Place. I have since looked for another pattern for a give away last October and couldn't find it. One of these days I hope to make this for myself...I just love this pattern!! So, Dixie, I hope you will enjoy this piece for many years to come! You are MY hope that I can remain cancer free for many years myself!!
I've been working on Winter's Majesty, but not making the same progress as I have, since I added other patterns into my rotation. It's hard putting a piece of this size down for any length of time as I forget where I was and what I was working on. Still, I just LOVE this piece!!
I picked up a WIP from last year that I really love. I wish the picture showed the color of the fabric better. I've tried but just can't seem to capture the color. Anyway, I call this my traveling pattern because it's a convenient size to carry around. Here is Matter's Choice from Carriage House Samplings.
I fell in love with this Heaven and Earth Design piece called The Little Drummer Boy stocking that I saw being stitched on The Stamper's Stitches blog. I finally found the pattern on sale on the HEAD website and got started on it in January. I love the way Tricia is working on hers, mine looks more like a hodge podge than a picture, but if you take a trip over to Tricia's blog you'll see what mine should look like! LOL Here is my feeble attempt.
Last is Friendship Blooms from Blue Ribbon Designs. Mouse and Babs have been stitching this on Tuesdays with me. I'm afraid I have far too much time on my hands as I seem to be a wee bit ahead of them. Don't worry ladies, you'll have time to catch up, things are getting busier here at DJ's Digs.
So...for those of you who have followed my little saga for the past couple of years, just a little side note here. I had a scare a few weeks back when I started having symptoms of another type of cancer. A sonogram followed by a biopsy later determined there is nothing to worry about, but I may be having a few procedures to clear up some stuff that is happening. I had to stop taking the Tamoxifen due to some side effects so now must take other steps to keep myself free of cancer. So...if I disappear for a wee bit, not to worry. I am still cancer free, just need a little maintenance to keep myself that way!
For those watching the Super Bowl tomorrow, have a great day! For Ravens fans, I'll be cheering with you! I'm sure I'll be crying at the end no matter what happens as we remember our friend Tyler and how he loved the Ravens! See you tomorrow Astrid! Can't wait!
