Prom and life's ups and downs

A proud mom always has to show off pictures of her children and this weekend I was very proud of Claire, my 17 year old daughter. She went to her first prom with boyfriend (of 1 year!) on Saturday. They went out of town with 3 other couples for dinner, back to town for the "grand march", the prom and then the after prom party. They arrived home around 3 am. I was only worried about the drive out of town, but all went well. It was a little windy out and DD's hair became a little wind blown, but she was lovely none the less. Most of the girls had their hair up, but she decided to keep it down and lightly curled. Her dress was actually purple but showed up blue in all of our photos!

This picture is "so Wayne County". Various vehicles dropped the kids off in front of the auditorium where the prom was held. There was even valet parking for them. Some kids came by fire truck, some by convertible, but I didn't see any limos this year (and no Amish buggies!).

Aside from this fine weekend, I have been distracted and disturbed by some family issues. It has me reevaluating my life and my choices, the good and the bad. It is so hard being a parent and I wonder if I ever should have taken this on. I find myself wondering what the heck life is about and how to make it meaningful. Anyone out there have the answer? Please pass it on...

Hopefully stitchy pics will follow soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

Learning about cystic fibrosis

Nothing stitching related tonight. After finishing the little Blackbird Designs sampler, I needed to take a little break from stitching and get some stuff done around the house.

I just wanted to post a link here to a website about the disease cystic fibrosis and the son of one of my co-workers. I have been trying to help out when I can with a little fund raising through our company.

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

A Cure 4 Lil' Chris

Lil' Chris was diagnosed very early, making it possible for his mom and dad to do as much as possible to keep him healthy. In Ohio, genetic testing for this disease is offered to the parents and Michele and Chris (the dad) knew they were carriers, so they were able to determine that their son had CF very soon after his birth. Their 3 month old daughter does not have CF.

Michele's blog is a wealth of information about the day to day stuff that goes on in family that has a CF child. I can only imagine what it is like to have a child that has any congenital disease or developmental problems.

My Blackbird sampler

stitched 1 over 1 on Belfast platinum linen
Thread Gatherer silk, color In the Burgundy

Last Friday, I got the urge to stitch up the little Blackbird Designs sampler. Instead of working in the yard like I was supposed to this past weekend, I used most of my free time bent over my stitching.

And I was also in the mood for a little 1 over 1. I made a few mistakes along the way, but left them. I think that was the original character of this pattern anyway. Claire is my soon to be 18 year old daughter. The bird is kind of wonky, but I didn't plan this chart very well and was left with little room to work with.

This tiny piece is only 2 x 3 1/2" and I'm not sure what I'll do with it yet. I was determined to get this stitched by the April 27th deadline, so at 11:30pm I had put the last stitch in and emailed my photo off to Blackbird shortly before midnight. That meant only getting about 4 1/2 hours of sleep last night, so I know for sure that I am certifiable.

Having a deadline for stitching is exactly why I don't do exchanges. I know myself well enough that it would only cause stress and I would be burning the midnight oil to get things ready to send. I also haven't done well getting gifts stitched on time. Shoot, my SIL was divorced by the time I finished her wedding gift!

The attic beckoned

A lovely 60 degrees here today and where was I? In the attic! My friend and I are having a garage sale in a month and I wanted to work up there before it starts to get too hot to be up there. Bit by bit I am able to weed out stuff. Sometimes it takes years to decide to get rid of something.

I wish it was totally clean up there but I just can't bear to get rid of the Legos, K'nex, American Girl and Barbie dolls (and all the associated paraphernalia). If I have any advice for new parents, it is to not buy so much stuff!

We also have a lot of old stuff from my husband's parent's home. Lots of old Tonka trucks that are too precious to even think about selling. Every time DH comes back from out east, he has old army stuff, snowshoes and backpacks. I can only imagine how hard it is for his aunt who is trying to move and for his brother, who had to clear out the attic and basement of his mother's home. They never threw away anything!

DH doesn't like to throw stuff out either...I don't like clutter and I certainly don't want anyone else to have to deal with my detritus after I am gone.

No stitchy pictures today, but I am making good progress on Spring Has Come and will spend a couple of hours tonight working on it. I've been thinking about the BBD contest and may stitch that up next if I think I can get it done in time.

I'm off to another great place to be on a perfect day. The gym (yuck).

Spring is here

I had the day off today and started the day my favorite way. Lots of coffee and some free stitching time! The problem is tearing myself away to get some chores done.

I was a good girl and did make some phone calls I had been putting off...calling the gas company, playing with numbers to see if we should refinance our home, calling a landscape company about some much needed work, financial aid stuff for college. I made no progress on any of this, but at least I got some information.

Prairie Schooler "Spring Has Come"

As you can see, I hop around a lot when I'm stitching. I hope I can get this done within a week because I need to make my April ornie and I want to get started on a gift for my mom. I've had a few problems with the frogs and I just noticed that the larger bird is off by one stitch and that his beak will hit the border if I don't redo him. Drat and double drat! I always tell myself that I will count twice and stitch once, but it never fails that I will add or miss a stitch and set the whole thing off.

I know you all can relate to this!

a LNS visit

It's a very gray and rainy day here in OH. I don't feel inspired to do much of anything except to stitch but I will get going on some housework and other need to be done things.

I was very happy to visit a needlework shop yesterday. It's been years since I actually set foot in a bricks and mortar store and as soon as I stepped inside, it felt like home. The shop is Blueberry Hill Stitchery in Akron, OH. DD and I had gone out of town to drop off her prom dress to be altered at the place of purchase and this shop was nearby. She was pretty patient with me while I went through all the charts and admired the needlework. They had a lovely exhibit of Primitive Traditions needlework including these items. I was in awe.

Fortunately I didn't have time to buy much (thank you DD!) but I have plenty of stash to suit me right now. I did pick up some nice remnants of linen and 1 little BBD chart and a Quaker Medallion chart by Carriage House Samplings.

I hope I'll be able to visit this nice shop on a regular basis. It was a real treat.

another ornament finish

I've been MIA from this blog lately, but I've been blogging in my mind. I was trying to get some stitching done so I would have something to show, and I finally have something!

Thanks so much for putting up with my rant in my last post. I really really appreciate all of your kind comments. I was wishing I had stuck with my old career job mainly because of money, but in truth, that job was often not satisfying and there was a lot of pressure. When I wanted to go part time, my boss still wanted me to do all the work I had been doing full time! I have never had a lot of confidence when it comes to working and often settle for the easy way out. At the tender age of 56, I don't see that changing :)

Here's my new ornament finish! I tell ya, this thing gave me fits! It called for using Wisper for the white cuff on the hat, but I could not and would not use this stuff. The thread kept breaking or knotting and I couldn't see where I was stitching. Then I decided to make a pillow ornament out of it, but mind me, working with the the lugana was a pain. By the time I was done sewing it up, the fabric was so unraveled that it unraveled me! So I sewed the little bands of the backing fabric around the edges. I really like the metallic lugana for ornaments, but I'll have to think of a better way to finish it next time.

A Merry Kitty Klaus by Val's Stuff
2007 JCS ornament issue
20 ct. metallic lugana
Crescent Colors floss

I used the Crescent Colors because I had never used it before and wanted to try it. The colors are nice and vibrant, but really not necessary for this little piece. DMC would have been just as good.

Congratulations to Lee's daughter who just decided to attend the College of Wooster, here in the town where I live. It is so exciting (and a tad bit scary) to see one's child get ready to go off to college. There's just a feeling of promise in the air and a hope for a good future for them. I was reading Lee's blog and saw that COW was one of the schools they were looking at and we chatted about the town and the school. Now we have a chance to meet IRL!

Pity party for one

Wish I could quite working! As you may have surmised, I work customer service at a large retail chain. It was all kind of by accident, I needed a job, they were hiring, I applied, and about 3 1/2 years later, I'm still at it.

Today I had a run in with a credit services manager over the phone and he called our store manager about it. The credit guy was rude and wouldn't talk to the customer I was trying to assist. I was stunned. So I was rude right back. Therefore the call to my manager. Then my manager called me into his office so I could explain myself. Fortunately he believed me my explanation. I know I should have handled it differently, but many times we do things without thinking them through, and I was just trying to make the customer happy.

I don't think I will call credit services again unless absolutely forced to. I will make the customer call so he/she can wait forever to speak to a real person.

So it's not rocket science or brain surgery and who really cares? No one really, I just hate feeling like I made a mistake and hate feeling like crap for the rest of the day and for however long it takes for me to forget about it.

Sometimes I so regret leaving my career job. Why the heck did I bother to get that MS degree anyway? By now I could be almost ready to retire with a good pension and solid pay, but instead, working 6-7 days in a row for measly pay and tedious, unrewarding work.

It was becoming a mom that changed things for me, so I always need to remember that is why I made the choices I did.

And...I give great customer service!

DH has a birthday and I make a mistake

Here's my progress on PS Spring Has Come. I had wanted to get this finished by the end of March, but I don't think that is going to happen! Not with my slow stitching it won't!

Don't know if I'll get back to it today. DH IS 57 YEARS OLD TODAY!!! Of course he is in complete denial about his age and and will be skiing and biking until the bitter end, that is, if the new hip holds up! I can hardly believe that we're both so old!

Somedays I don't get to spend too much time stitching. If I set aside time in the evening, I can be just too darned tired to get going. Mornings are my best stitching time for sure and I usually work mornings.

I started a little simple stitch ornament (Bluebird of Christmas Happiness) for my March ornie, but I have had to set it aside before I decide to throw it in the trash. I am using a piece of Silkweaver linen and blue DMC that I chose. I had a bunch of blue flosses in a pile and somehow got mixed up with which one I had started to use. So I picked the likeliest suspect and continued stitching. See how I stitched 1/2 of the bird on the right and then began working the other side? I didn't notice right away that there was a difference in the color. It may not be very noticeable but IRL it is quite easily noticed. I think I started the other side with the wrong color (grrr...).

My stitches seem to be coming out really dense on this fabric. I've never used this before...is there a slight difference in the thread count after dyeing?

Thanks for stopping by!

Volunteering

No new pictures of stitching, though I am working on Spring Has Come and my next ornament. There's no doubt about it...I AM A SLOW STITCHER!

I just was thinking about what a good week we are having at work (major retailer where you can expect great things). We have volunteer opportunities throughout the year, but for some reason have several in the space of 1 week and some larger events happening soon. If we have 5 volunteers work for 3 hours each, the retailer will donate $500 to the cause, provided they are approved by the corporate office.

Our events this week and in the near future:

• MDA lockup
• local elementary school after school nutrition program
• Helping our local parks department with their Easter egg hunt (we painted an outdoor kiddie city for them last year
  
• Relay for Life team
• Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk
• Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides walk

We are able to wear jeans to work by donating $3 each time and our money goes towards the cancer events. Everyone wants to wear jeans and it is such an easy way to donate money. It kind of unites us as a team to know we are helping others.

Thanks for visiting and have a fine day!

2 posts in 1 night!

Since I am in a posting mood, I decided to upload pics of 2 ornaments that I actually sewed up into something that I can display. I never have been good about the finishing part, so I must say that I am proud!

Yule Rejoice by Primrose Needleworks

2008 JCS ornament issue
32 ct. platinum Belfast linen
Gentle Arts and DMC
background fabric used for reverse side of ornament

Woodland Snowfall, Little House Needleworks

2004 JCS ornament issue
30 count unknown linen and DMC
background fabric used for reverse side of ornament

I'm making slow progress on PS Spring Has Come. Won't bore you with details on that but I will say that I'm enjoying it very much.

Good night all!

Pride goeth before a fall...

I've been alternately boasting about not getting sick this year but also wondering what is wrong with me that I haven't gotten sick or wondering when it will hit me. Well, it hit me today, but I am not really that sick. Just a scratchy throat and feeling a little stiff and fatigued. Of course, the feeling fatigued part could be because I have had to take on all of my husband's chores since he is still on crutches and will be for the next few weeks.

He's doing great though. I can give info to anyone that is interested in this type of hip replacement surgery if you are curious. It's relatively new in the US and is a good option for "younger" people (under the age of 60) who are active.

I was so happy to receive the special friends award from Lee at Lake Stitcher. We have found that we sometimes seem to be doing the same things at the same time. Our kids are about the same age so I think we may be having some similar challenges. Lee, thanks so much! You crack me up and I love your stitching!

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these kind writers. When you pass the award along please include these guidelines."

Here are a few blogs that are new and not so new. I have so much fun sitting with a good cup of joe and reading through everyone's blogs, sometimes commenting and sometimes not, though I may be thinking wonderful things. I think I am going to make it a habit to comment more often, even if it is just to say hi.

Merry Stitching - Merry just started her blog and has 3 beautiful children

Stitch 'N Time - I think Teri has been blogging for awhile but has been through some rough times lately

Joanie's World - Joanie just started the Blackbird Designs exchange that I so tempted to join.

Spinster Stitcher - Coni alternately has me laughing out loud or has me teary eyed. Always a joy to read and she really should write a book or a column.

Oh my, there are so many people that I have met vicariously through blogging. Impossible to name everyone that has had an influence on me over the past 9 months since I discovered the blogs! Love you all!

I'm pretty shy in real life and not very gregarious, though I do love a good party once in awhile. I find that I am shy in the blogging world also, sometimes feeling that I'm not worthy enough. Isn't that ridiculous???

Thanks for stopping by!

A little of this and that

Wow...haven't gotten much stitching done this week.

I have to give my husband lots of credit. He really does a lot of stuff around the house and now I am doing most of it! Not that's it so much work, but just a pain in the you know what. Hope he can be doing yard work in a month or so. We still have leaves on the lawn that didn't get raked up last fall! I'll have to describe his yard work methodology later. It's quite different from the norm.

DH is doing great. Off the pain killers except at night and against my wishes, went to work today. He works in a corn genetics lab but I think he'll be in his office and not at the bench today.

Today I am going to sew up this ornament, but first I need to find some twine for the hanger. I think this one calls for a rustic finish.

And last night I decided to start this so I pulled the floss and I'm trying to decide which linen to use.

I have all 4 charts now for this series. Hope I can get them all done this year! I really do love Prairie Schooler.

The stitches are on the hip and not on my linen!

I managed to get only a little stitching done while my husband was in surgery last Friday. I am really way behind! Didn't get my February ornament done for the 2009 Christmas Challenge, but I'm just a few stitches shy of finishing and then I'll do a simple finish.

Speaking of surgery, DH did just great! After only being in the hospital for a total of 3 days, he is now back home, on crutches (and lots of pain meds) and getting around pretty well. It will really be different having him home all the time...I'm sure you all can relate! He had a nice room with a view of Lake Erie, which was still full of ice, especially after this last cold snap.

I've been a little tired because of the stress, not only because of the surgery, but because my son in college far away from us, has been dealing with a lot of problems. I worry about him so much. I can see now that being a parent will never get easier! It isn't easy being 20 and trying to decide what you want out of life. I still haven't figured it out yet myself...

but I know that I want to start and complete all my new projects! Got my order in from Wasatch Needle Craft the other day. A good bargain on charts at 25% off! No more charts for me for awhile. I don't like having too many things lined up to do. It will make me feel overwhelmed. One thing at a time is my motto.

New stash:

• Prairie Schooler - Spring Has Come
• Prairie Schooler - Winter Wind
• Birds of a Feather - Bitter Flower Sampler
• La-D-Da - Leaping Cat
• Birds of a Feather - No Bees No Honey
• Carriage House Samplings - Flirt of a Feather

A happy stitchy day to all you wonderful stitching blogging companions!

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.