Joy, Joy, Happy, Happy

Just like the old country song "I'm the Happiest Girl in the USA". I received the best medicine anyone could ask for....my baby came home to live again. He decided since he and his sister weren't getting along his place was back here helping his Dad take care of me.

Now for the Happy part ... Tracy went out and got me a new mode of transportation! He got me a type of wheelchair. It's called a transport chair and is similar to a wheelchair. It doesn't have the large back wheels you use to move so it needs someone to push but works well for us. This leads to the next part of the post....

A Date....

We were finally able to get out of the apt for a date! It was wonderful to be out and feel like a human again. Our date started at the LNS where I was a really good girl and only got a really cool magnifier that clips on to my Q-Snaps. With my diabetes getting worse I was having real problems seeing to stitch on both 28 and 32 count fabric, well the new toy sure takes care of the problem and now I have no problems seeing the holes in the 32 count. Tracy just had to enable me with the Mill Hill kits (and I couldn't say no). I got 2 of the new tree kits and hope to start them real soon so he will have them to hang on the tree this year.

From there we headed to the Belliago to see the Fall display. I took lots of pictures and below are just a few of the many (click on pic for a larger view)

As you enter the lobby and look behind the check-in desk you see this as part of the display.

Entrance to the conservatory. The crooked tree was designed by a British man and is a wire base wrapped with willlow branches. There are several of these and no two are alike.

The glass house is the center of the display and is full of many different types and colors of orchids. I could have spent hours in there as I love orchids.

Part of one side of the display

Got to love the purple ones

The other side of the display

These were some of my favorites. I have never seen anything like them

You can't have Fall without a Scarecrow and this is a BIG one

Every year they have the Tree Man who speaks and I look forward to seeing him. This year it's the smaller of the Men but I love him either big or small

and he is protecting his own Pumpkin patch

We then headed to our favorite place to end our "Date", Fremont Street where we decided we wanted to go for dinner. We arrived a little early for dinner so decided to play for a bit. Poor "Lucky Bastard" lost his title to me who is now known as "Lucky Bitch". He lost his gambling allowance while I was the big winner for a change. After a nice steak dinner we headed for home, very tired but feeling so good.

Still don't have a stitchy update to share but with my stitching mojo slowly returning I should have something to share very soon, maybe by the end of the weekend.

Until Next Time....Have a Great weekend with lots of stitching time

Stitching and Health Updates

It's been way too long since last I updated my blog and I do promise I will try to do better.



Let's start with a wonderful Get Well RAK I received from Wanda J, a member of my ILCS group.



Wanda stitched this adorable frog card for me and included the cutest kit from China. If you click on the picture you can see it better and this is something you don't want to miss. It sure made me feel better and put a BIG smile on my face.



Stitching Finishes.....



Before I went into the hospital I finished these two ornaments by LHN. I love this series and will start another one real soon.

Merry Skater

Stitched on 32 count Linen with DMC

I changed the color of the fabric called for. This color looked icy to me, more like what a skater would be on. What looks like would be a companion to this is in the JCS Ornament issue so of course I will have to stitch him on the same fabric.

"Fa La La"

Stitched on 32 count fabric

with DMC and Crescent Colours

This is my second attempt at this one. I had started it on a fabric I wasn't happy with and while stitching found several errors that was going to require massive frogging. I decided to restart on different fabric and it went much smoother the second time. No Frogging this time.

Now if you don't want to read about my latest medical problem that put me in the hospital you can skip the rest of this entry.

Health Update.....

Well I didn't take my own advise and waited to long to see the doctor and again ended up in the hospital for 6 days this time but thankfully not in ICU. It all started several weeks before with my feet and legs swelling until they looked like elephant feet and legs. Being the idiot I am I just thought it was from the heat or a reaction to my meds so I just tried to elevate my feet in hopes they would go down. It was no use they just stayed swollen. Next came some shortness of breath. It became very difficult to take a deep breath. Again I thought it would just go away but no such luck. This started on Monday and by late Wed night, early Thurs morning I was really having problems and Tracy insisted we call 911. The medics arrived very quickly with an ambulance right behind. The first thing the medics said was it look and sounded like CHF (Congestive Heart Failure). I questioned how could it be my heart when I had no chest pain other than the pain trying to take a deep breath. Off to the hospital again in the ambulance. They did all kinds of tests in the ER and the doctor came it and said it looked like I would be staying with them for several days and agreed with the medics, it was CHF. They feel it was caused as a complication of the diabetes and so now I'm on several heart meds, a diuretic, and a long acting insulin that I have to inject every morning. I'm still having episodes of not being able to catch my breath but if just relax and breath thru it, it doesn't last long. My blood sugar has now stabilized and is in the lower end of the normal level. All in all I'm getting stronger every day and am determined to go to the doctor at the first time of trouble.

Tracy and I finally had a "Date Night" and I will Blog with LOTS of pictures as soon as I can get them download.

Until Next Time....Happy Stitching

Wonderful Wednesday

Wednesday didn't start out too good. I got up feeling kinda crapy and was having my own private "Pity Party" when Kelly YM'd me. I was able to vent to her and soon I was feeling much better. It's amazing what just talking to a friend weather it be in person, on the phone or thru cyberspace can do to raise your spirits but what really made my day came in the mail....

"Halloween Pumpkin" Biscornu Kit

A feel better RAK from Shelley! To say I was shocked would be a understatement. Thank You so much Shelley, I think it will take surgery to get the smile off my face.

Stitching Update....

"Peppermint Twist" by LHN

Stitched on 28 count Natural Cashel Linen with

DMC and Cresent Colors

This was my weekend project and I finished it early Monday morning. If I ever stitch it again (and I like it enough to do again) I think I will change the red to a brighter one.

"Frosty Flakes" by LHN

This is my current WIP and the last of the monthly ornaments from my stash. I wasn't happy with all the colors in the model so I have changed some to suit myself. So far I'm really happy with the changes and unless you held the stitching next to the model you really can't tell the difference.

I have ordered the latest of the LHN ornaments of the month and can't wait for it to arrive. It is so cute and I think my favorite so far.

Other Stuff....

It's said you can't teach old dogs new tricks and believe me I'm proof of that LOL. While I LOVE my new notebook I have a problem with the touch pad. While I could move the cursor around and click on things I just couldn't do all I wanted to do. Tracy was sensing my frustration and as usual took care of it. He came home from the store with a wireless mouse for me and now I'm in love with it. It's not purple but very close and goes well with the color of the Toy.

In my last entry I hinted I had some exciting news I would share soon. Well here it is....I'm going to be a Granny again! We won't know until next month if it's a girl or boy but I really don't care as long as it is healthy and Manda continues to have no problems. We are thinking PINK since it would be nice for Maddie to have a Lil Sis to grow up with.

I'm sure I have bored you to tears by now so I will close and get to stitching

Until Next Time....Happy Stitching

Short Update

This was a much better week in the hot desert. Got in LOTS of stitching time (and some nice chats with Kelly on YM). I finished stitching the last two LHN Monthly ornaments I had and the two I ordered arrived in the mail.

"The Merry Skater" by LHN

Stitched on 28 count Dove Gray Cashel

with DMC and Mill Hill beads

I changed the color of the fabric used from a natural color to the Dove Gray.

"FaLaLa" by LHN

Stitched on 32 count Linen with

DMC and Crescent Colours

I totally restarted this project instead of doing all the frogging on the previous one I had started. Again I made several changes to suit myself. I used the CC's for the green branches and the girls dresses. I left off the beads, I just didn't like the way they looked and felt they really didn't add to the design. The stitching went much smoother this time and I'm very happy I restarted it.

I am now working on "Peppermint Twist" and then will stitch "Frosty Flakes" which I will probably change some of the colors since I'm not sure I like the ones used.

That's it for this update. Stay tuned for some really exciting family news in the upcoming days.

Until Next Time....Happy Stitching and have a Great Weekend

A Blob!

Last weekend I felt like a BIG BLOB just sitting in my stitching chair. Didn't matter what I picked up to stitch I just couldn't get into it. On Saturday (Virtual Stitching Day on ILCS) I really wanted to get some work done on Victoria Samplers "Friends in Stitches" that Mel L sent me as a Get Well RAK. All I managed to do was make a working copy of the chart, separate the threads and get them in their baggies with labels, prep the fabric and stitch part of the first band and finish the second band. It is such a special project I didn't want to really mess it up so I put it away.

By Monday I felt more like myself and decided it was time to get some of the LHN ornaments done before more are released and I get further behind with them (the next release is on their website and is the best yet).

The week turned out to be much better than the weekend and I had 2 finishes, yes I did finish 2 more ornaments (at least the stitching on them) and I couldn't be happier with them.

"Gingerbread Tree" by LHN from

JCS 2010 Ornament Preview Issue

Stitched on 32 count Belfast Lt Tan by Silkweavers

with DMC

"Winter Sheep" by LHN

Stitched on 32 count Linen

with DMC and button by Just Another Button Company

I'm still having some health issues that have made me homebound so no trip to the LNS for the next ornaments but thanks to the Internet I should have them sometime next week. What would we do without our online shops?

Better get back to stitching so maybe I'll have another finish before the end of the weekend. Hope everyone has a great weekend with lots of time for stitching.

Until Next Time....Happy Stitching

My New Toy

For several months, actually about a year and a half, we have talked about getting a laptop computer. Since we have a fairly new desktop I just couldn't justify the expense until now. I found this DELL INSPIRON mini on sale at a great price.

I think one of the final deciding factors was my stay in the hospital. I could have stayed in touch if I had a laptop and then when I got home I would have been able to keep up better.

So here it is (and yes it is purple LOL).....

It's very basic, no bells and whistles except for the web cam and built in WiFi but will be great for reading emails and surfing the web at my stitching chair. It is really little 10.1" wide by 8" deep but since my hands are really small it's a great fit for me.

I have to Thank my sweetie for spoiling me even more!

Until Next Time....Have a Great weekend with lots of stitching time

Two more Finishes

As you can see I'm still working on the Little House Needleworks ornaments of the month.

Last finish for July....

"Pear Tree" by Little House Needleworks

Stitched on 32 count Linen

with DMC and Mill Hill Beads

First Finish for Aug....

"Snowy Pines" by Little House Needleworks

Stitched on 28 count Raw/Natural Cashel

with DMC and Mill Hill Beads

I have really enjoyed stitching these ornaments and look forward to getting the latest releases (I feel a trip to the LNS coming soon). Since I have more finishes I have to have new starts too. I have started the LHN ornament "Gingerbread Tree" from the JCS Ornie Preview issue. Have a good start on it but not enough for a pic yet.

The weather has cooled a little, only 5 degrees hotter than Hates now LOL. Tracy wants to go out again this week so we'll see what he comes up with this week.

Until Next Time....Happy Stitching