Monday, May 28, 2012

Pluses and minuses

Heigh ho, another Monday.. I've heard that statistics say Monday is the most common day for heart attacks as well as the most favored day for self-destruction.  What is it about Mondays?  People say "Monday morning blues"... Why aren't Mondays viewed as the start of a beautiful week instead?

Okay okay okay... enough of that claptrap!  It's the start of another work week and that's why people hate Mondays.  I can totally relate, today.. I make an effort to go to work despite this cold I have (I'm on medication already) but it is a different type of cold in that it's mostly cough.  It sounds much worse than it is -- I'm not coughing as hard or as often (mouth covered with a hanky or tissue of course) -- as I was last Friday.  But lo and behold, here are all these people -- well, 3 actually -- afraid I'll spread the germs... I feel like a  walking germ  :(  Well if I'm still infectious then why the heck does Medical give the all-clear and let me report for work??   Sorry for that but I'm seriously annoyed.

On the plus side.. I've managed to start a new square in the Advent Alphabet - F, for fireplace!  What an achievement as I didn't even know when I would be touching that piece again!  But that Prairie Schooler angel ornament did the trick and I am quite back into the groove. I did the angel's hands and mouth so now she looks more like the Just Cross Stitch ornament 2011 pic.   I'd even be happily absent a day just so I could do more stitching, except I have an errand to do for my mom tomorrow.. so I'm off to work again later (oh my gosh is it really Later already????)

Another plus is my nephew and niece are here - that is, I think they arrived today.  They're staying with their maternal relatives for half their vacation and the other half with us - only it's not our turn yet.  No message yet from either of them, or from my SIL to my mom.  Hopefully they're here and safe.

I sound cranky -- I am! I don't like Mondays.  Picture update to come later this morning of the PLUS side to the Monday (Whoa.. I even sound cranky about something positive!)  LOL


Thursday, May 24, 2012

hermitting with stitching at last!

After a long drought I finally have a couple of pics to post!  I spent the weekend doing a bit more stitching than I normally do (lately it's been zero, lol)  and I have a little almost-finished ornament, see below



It's the Prairie Schooler ornament from the JCS 2011 Christmas Ornament issue!  Just the angel's lips and hands - oops! and I can stitch the white if I feel like it, and the outer stars too.  If you have the magazine you'll note the ornament is actually supposed to be a perfect cube, but the Aida I stitched on wasn't perfectly even so it looks more like a diamond.  The horizontal squares are narrower than the vertical ones, if that makes sense.  I'm happy to have stuck to it over the weekend, though if I sewed through this week it would have been the work of 30 minutes to finish the entire ornament as pictured in the magazine.  The thing is, I got sick Tuesday (caught a bad cold, still recovering from it).

In other news, I also worked on the Peaches chart and you can see my progress below.  I believe this is what's called a WISP (work in SLOW progress!)


You can see where I've stitched in the wrong direction LOL and I'm in the process of frogging.  That bit of green I actually finished already - I was too lazy to get up and check which direction I'd sewn my tent stitches on the companion piece (Plums).  When I finally checked, I discovered that I'd sewn them in the opposite direction!  I was so disheartened.  I continued with the gray shadow in the correct direction.  I'm bent on finishing the tent stitches to the right of the chart so I know whether I have enough fabric for it (yes, I know, I did measure it) but I only had this piece of fabric that matched the companion piece - I needed white Aida that I can be assured is even, and so I used this piece which is 12 x 12.  I only have 1 inch of border between my stitches and outer space.... LOL

If you only knew what I've been through with this... last week it was missing from my basket and I couldn't find it!  It went missing for an entire week.  But praise be, it was found on the table beside the tv.  Now you know what I do while stitching!

Hope everyone is having a great week!




Wednesday, May 9, 2012

there and back again !

hello all! for some reasons i won't go further into (i mean no further than i already have in my last post, anyway!) i've been a bit down and not really in the mood to stitch.  plus last week i had some minor aches which remind me that i'm not 35 anymore LOL  honestly prior to 40 i felt rather invincible but now i'm starting to feel the opposite!  however this state of affairs can't continue to last, because it IS such a downer...  gloom and pessimism actually make me more ill!  so i've decided to take charge of a few things, the easiest of which at present time is my stitching and my walking habits!

so... as if the world is helping me along with my resolve, i actually received a huge bit of good news today.. my charts have arrived in the post office!  yippee! for 2 weeks i've been in suspense because  my cousin said she had mailed me my charts (it was nice of her, although because the post here doesn't have such a stellar reputation i wanted either to pick them up myself, or have her send them here together with the big box of supplies/things/goodies she usually sends her mom round halfway through the year).  well anyway.. she told me about it when she'd already mailed it so it was fait accompli - there was nothing i could do except wait for them to arrive. or not arrive.  and, hallelujah.. this afternoon my mom said i had a card from the post office!  which means.. there is a package to be picked up from there!  fingers crossed that there is no duty to pay.. i am sure i will have to open the box for them to see what's in it.

and in another bright spot.. rain!  it's finally cooler and it's much easier to sleep nights.  the a/c has been out of commission for some months now (i wrote about it in one of the posts way back when), and we have not had it repaired yet.  we could sleep in another bedroom with a/c but somehow we don't do it.. maybe we're too lazy or it's habit, but we don't.  funny though, cause we used to in the big house.  anyway, the guy who repairs our a/c and electric fans is back from Dubai so fingers crossed, he can take a look and see what's going on with it.  we tried it last week and it turns on but doesn't cool (not to mention it goes off in about 2 minutes, must be something we may have done with the timer!)

so, all in all, cool beans!  as for the walking part, i read in the NYTimes just today that 20 minutes of walking can mean a big difference to your fitness..and i am so un-fit right now!  i don't walk up on the deck anymore and i don't know how to operate our new tv.. i don't know how i can admit that  LOL

anyway, several people - you know who you are - were nice enough to send me their good wishes and hopes that this 'funk' wouldn't last.  thank you!  and bless you!  your comments always welcome...

watch this space, my needle will be back in action!   i was going to say 'smokin' but that's never happened, ever  LOL  i did some stitching this week, maybe i will post it (or maybe i'll be too ashamed to show how little i did LOL)

ok, enough of the LOLing.... have a great day!!!




Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Aiyoh (ayayay, hay naku, and all that jazz)

thank you for all the kind comments even though i know i haven't been stitching near enough to show you the extravaganzas i wanted.. i really appreciate all the encouraging comments!

the weather's been way too hot for stitching, or indeed, doing much of anything.. i'm not a huge user of air conditioning (except at work, where it's a relief, and by default it's on) except where the weather has become unbearable.. it's getting close to that, at 36c!

and speaking of work, there's some unknowns and uncertainty going on with new management (A) in.. plus some health concerns (B) this weekend (B is probably a result of A), so with that in mind i'd like to request some good thoughts and prayers from my friends reading this..

anyway, something to make you smile (read on Peggy's blog "Never Enough Stash"):


Children Are Smarter Than We Give Them Credit For 
by Peggy H.
Last Sunday my son overheard two young boys outside the bishop's office.  (Minister, chaplain, etc.)  One of them said to the other, "If you call me 'stupid' and then say you are sorry he will give you a piece of candy."  ......Priceless....

Priceless indeed!