Here we go!

I just got a call from the hospital that we need to be there at 8:30am, which means leaving the house no later that 6:45, which means getting up at 5:30 or so. Yuck! No matter that I was up at 4:45am today to go to work, getting up early never gets easier! You'd think it was me having the surgery. At least it means I might be able to get home before dark because they are calling for a big drop in temps and a little snow.

Odds and Ends, literally

I think it's getting to be time to change out my blog...there is no snow left to be seen in our burg! Not that I think spring is here yet - there is bound to be more snow and cold - but the body and mind start to long for something different and fresh.

I'm feeling anxious about DH's surgery tomorrow. Can't imagine how he's feeling. I start thinking about living wills and malpractice and all kinds of unreasonable but not really unreasonable things. Neither of us have living wills or funeral plans...after all, we are only in our mid-50's. But it is never too early to think about these things. I'm sure they will ask about a living will tomorrow, so I think we will have a conversation tonight and maybe fill out some forms.

DH was lucky enough to get away for a few days to be at his mom's 90th birthday. It was a last minute thing, so DD and I couldn't go with him. I'm so glad he was able to be there at the old homestead in NH. He also got to ski for 3 days which made him extremely happy. I told him he could take a whole week next year and ski his heart out. The new hip should make it so much better for him to enjoy the sports that he loves.

Happy 90th Glennis Jones!

OK, enough family talk!

What I've been working on this week

LHN '04 JCS ornament

And what I purchased this week

My very 1st ever Silkweaver fabrics!

I need to finish up this ornament within the next couple of days for the 2009 Christmas Challenge and the fabrics were an impulse buy from their Odds & Ends page. I just received word from Wasatch Needlecraft that my Hoffman order is on its way. It was too hard to resist 25% off on the charts! It sure wasn't too hard to ditch my plan of buying for 1 project at a time!

Have a happy stitchy day!

A little happy dance for me!

I thought this would be such a quick stitch for me, but I generally way underestimate how quickly this slow stitcher stitches. And there were those days that I was just too tired (or depressed) to sit down with needle in hand.

Cat's Meow - The Drawn Thread
Cream Belfast linen
DMC + pearl cotton for mouse tails & beads for their noses

Hopefully I won't get the blues in the next few weeks because they will be challenging weeks. DH has his hip resurfacing surgery a week from today and it will mean a long drive back and forth to the Cleveland Clinic and of course dealing with so many unknowns. He won't be able to drive for 6 weeks or take a shower or bath for 2. Yuck.... We're just going to deal with it as it comes I guess. I hope he won't be in too much pain or discomfort. I don't think I would make a good nurse but maybe I'll surprise myself. I have only had to deal with the regular childhood illnesses, colds and flu and such.

This is what his new hip will look like

I'm going to be a bad, bad girl and start a new stitch today and neglect the housework. It's just one of those days, besides, it's snowing again and what better excuse do I need? :)

I almost forgot!

Oh yes...I did finish our 2008 taxes and my son's FAFSA. I just need to hit click and send them on! Yea!!! It was a monkey on my back and doing taxes always makes me feel really poor, so I am not always in a good mood doing them. I'm sure you can all relate!

Car wrecks, kitty cats and a cat's meow

Not a heck of a lot of stitching goin' on here! I thought I would be done with Cat's Meow by now, but there were days that I didn't pick up the needle.

Been a bit preoccupied with household "stuff" this past week, one of them being the big wreck below. It's fixed now, but we still don't have the insurance check. DH had a lapse of concentration leaving work and had a little "fender bender" (his exact words to me). It's only a car, I told myself, but I was a little upset.

poor sad car...

I want to finish up Cat's Meow this weekend. This was a chart that I bought on impulse some years ago. It's something I probably wouldn't choose now, but it is cute and of course has cats, which is always good!

Speaking of cats, if you saw the photo of my cat Cheddar watching TV and you want to know what had caught her attention, it's this video.

If you're also wondering why my Maine Coon type cat has the name of Cheddar, it's because I let my son (he was about 14 at the time) choose the name. There is no rhyme or reason for it and the name stuck. We ADORE this kitty!

I'll be playing nursemaid in a couple of weeks since DH decided to go ahead with hip surgery. He originally thought he could put it off until next fall, but his hip has gotten so bad that he took the first surgery date they had. He is having a hip "resurfacing" instead of a hip replacement. This will enable him to hopefully be as active as he has always been. He's too young to give up the cycling, skiing, hockey and hiking. He needs to take up a nice sedentary hobby like needlework so he doesn't wear down those old bones!

I could be working on this...

But I'm working on this.

Why does TaxCut feel it necessary to send out 3 copies of this program to us? What a waste. I decided to try their cheapie program online before I shell out $35 for this. We have never had our taxes done by someone else and at some point, I took over this job from my husband.

Have got to get this done so I can file the financial aid forms (FAFSA) for my son and so we can get our tax refund ASAP to help pay for his tuition.

So...less stitching will be done until I get this filed :(

While I'm working at the computer, Cheddar kitty is watching TV.