August 11-13, 2009 - Playing Catch-Up

Tuesday

I took a bunch of pictures of the tree contractors cutting down a tulip poplar on the property line Tuesday morning. Miss Peggy and I watched alot of it from her deck and we chatted away the early afternoon until I had to leave for the doctor's office. I don't want to bore you with all the pics here, but I did make an album on Webshots if you're interested. Unfortunately, I missed them taking the trunk down since I was gone for so long.

Uncle Wes got home Tuesday afternoon and helped me put the canvas for my next needlepoint project on the stretcher bars. I couldn't believe how fast and easy the frame went together for him! It takes me about ten minutes, and the use of a hammer, to get the stretcher bars put together; he just pushed the notches into place by hand. I'm so jealous! I told Wessy I'm having him put my frames together from now on! I decided to start Amish Trip Around the World Quilt (ATAtWQ) by Nancy Buhl of From Nancy's Needle. This is the other chart I kitted up at Fireside Stitchery in Frazer, PA.

Before I forget-again- I have to show you the birthday card Kasey received from the Cowgirl from Hanna, Christine. Call it coincidence or one of those quirks of Fate, but see all that confetti stuck to the inside of the card? I thought that was the only confetti enclosed...until a couple weeks later when I looked inside the envelope and saw all the "Happy Birthday!" confetti and balloons. Is that strange, or what? Only the dog confetti stuck to Kasey's birthday card. Thank you for thinking of my special girl on her special day, Christine! The card is adorable!

Okay, so back to this week...

Carol and I met up at Borders Tuesday night. Neither of us could make it on Monday (I was asleep) and we both needed to get out for a little while. I started ATAtWQ because it's so easy to do. I'm not sure if I'm happy with the pink in the center, though. What do you think? The substitution Nancy suggests is the skein of DMC 3688 I have next to the start. I'd have to order it in the #5 Perle.

I met with the head of Disability Services at the college on Wednesday and found out that Kasey and I are the first student/service dog team on campus. Now the pressure is on for us to set a good example! There's a faculty member who also has a service dog but no other students. The rest of the meeting went well and I received all the accommodations I requested, as my DoRS counselor had already forwarded my medical records to Mimi's office.

I will get one-and-a-half time on all timed tests and class exercises. I'll have a private room in the testing center, be able to take essay exams on a computer, and having a drink and Kasey with me at all times will not be a problem. I will also have a note-taker in Math for when I can't be in class.

We went to get my ID card made at the bookstore and I asked them if they could make one for Kasey, too. We get stopped by the guards every single time we walk through the Student Union, even though she wears a vest. The staff graciously agreed and said the faculty member with a service dog had the exact same problem.

Kasey wouldn't stand on the stool like they needed her to, but she kept jumping up on me in her excitement. I guess I've trained her too well to keep her feet off other things! I held her front feet while they zoomed the camera in on her head to get a picture. She wouldn't look at them, but the profile shot is wonderful. She even smiled! So here is Kasey's student ID card.

Wednesday was a typical dialysis day. Instead of being bored with the television channels provided, I took my new computer and my Band of Brothers DVD's and watched the first three parts of the series. I can see why BoB received so much critical acclaim. The filmmakers stayed so true to actual facts and the way things were; they didn't take artistic license to make a better story. The story itself is so gripping. I also know why my brother has watched it all the way through almost 10 times. You'd never get tired of seeing this! Talk about excellent film making! I give this 5 stars! I'm looking forward to watching the remaining parts.

When I got home on Wednesday I spent time on the computer talking to Debi and reading email. Then I realized a little after 9p.m. that I had less than three hours to eat and drink. Because of the surgery on Thursday, I couldn't have anything after midnight. I enjoyed some of the Chinese food I bought Tuesday afternoon after my doctor's appointment. The shrimp lo mien and seafood fried rice were excellent! I also loved the beef skewers, which they call Shoo Shoo. The House of Hunan at the Festival at Riva in Annapolis is the only Chinese restaurant I've been to that puts a Maraschino cherry and a pineapple chunk on the end of their skewers. They were heated just right and absolutely delicious. I'll be going back for more!

Once again, I would like to express my heartfelt thank you to everyone for their words of encouragement, support, and well-wishes. You may not realize it, but they mean the world to me and keep me going when I don't think I can go on any more. Some days are rougher than others, but I never say "I'm giving up" because I know so many of you out there are praying, encouraging, and supporting me through the hardships life throws in my path.

On Tuesday, my CRNP said something to me that really struck a chord. She said "When we set on a course, I think that God puts obstacles in our way to test our resolve." I think she's right, folks! It always seems that when I'm set on a path something happens to try to derail me. I'm not letting it this time, though! College!! Here I come!!

Thursday

As usual for a 5:30a.m. drop-off, Uncle Wes took me to the hospital on his way to work. I had one vein for them to put an IV in but they couldn't draw any blood. They tried a butterfly needle in three different spots with no luck. Needless to say, I have bruises all over my arm.

Luckily I had an anesthesiologist who knew me. I told him we couldn't put this procedure off because the stents had already been in for a year and could calcify at any time. I also told him it had to be today because school starts in ten days. He agreed that since I'd been there on Friday and my potassium doesn't get high, unlike alot of dialysis patients, they could do the surgery without up-to-the-minute blood work. I was so relieved when he agreed to go ahead! I had two procedures cancelled last year because of blood work and I didn't need that hassle again! Not to mention the fact that I felt like Dracula's wife with all the needle sticks they did today!

I have to say that the procedure must have gone well because I was in absolutely no pain when I woke up in Recovery. Even after the anesthesia started wearing off there was no pain. That bodes well for waiting another year to change the stents. If they'd been calcified or if the doctor had problems putting the new ones in, I'd be in alot more pain.

I thought I'd go right home and sleep but that wasn't to be. I was sitting in my chair, barely able to keep my eyes open, but every time I went to bed I stayed awake. Talk about frustrating! I was completely exhausted but couldn't sleep! It wasn't until after 6p.m. that I was able to finally sleep but I woke up at 8:00.

Man, was I hungry! I went in the kitchen and looked in the fridge but nothing appealed. Instead, I had some green beans and then I skewered and grilled a can of pineapple chunks. I also made mini burgers and some seasoned beef for spaghetti sauce out of a package of ground beef. I ate three of the mini burgers for a snack, along with some of the grilled pineapple. I froze the seasoned beef to use later.

Then I went to work on ATAtWQ for a few hours. I know it doesn't look bad in this picture, but the center square of this design is bright pink (DMC 602). It clashes with all of the colors around it. I'm still thinking of substituting in the 3688 or possibly something else. I have to look at my color card and see what would work in its place. This is my progress as of a little after midnight.

PS: In case you're wondering about the Trademark & Copyright notices, they're because I was once again contacted by a feed search to write a description for the "author's words" for their site. I not-so-politely this time told them they did NOT have my permission to list my blog on their site and I informed them they also do not have the right to reproduce any part of my blog on their search engine. I forwarded them the original email declining their first offer to list Crossed Purposes on their site as well.

I write this blog as a way to show my daily stitching progress; not to see how many subscribers I can gather! Thank you to all my faithful followers! I can't believe there are 75 of you! When I started Crossed Purposes, it was with the intent to show people that needlework isn't just "cranked out" en masse. I wanted to demonstrate, with pictures, the time and effort that goes into each and every work of needle art you see. In turn, I hoped people would have a better appreciation of the value of the work when they see something at a craft show or arts fair.

August 1-2, 2009 - Falling off the wagon & a finish

I was absolutely determined to complete the stitching of Ocean Star this weekend, so imagine my dismay when I realized I wouldn't have enough Gold Rush 14 (metallic braid)! Uncle Wes came upstairs as I was having this realization and asked what the trouble was. So I told Wes that there were two places I knew of where I could get the GR; first, was the LYS (Local Yarn Shop) that has treated me shabbily every time I've been there, and the second was a trek of 30 miles to the LNS I usually patronize.

I explained that I'd given the LYS three chances to improve their customer service. On the first visit, all I wanted were the point protectors used for knitting needles. I had to wait for more than 10 minutes while they finished chatting with other customers (not business chat, either). All they had were the sock-shaped ones that wouldn't work because I needed them for the tips of my embroidery scissors. They told me to check the quilt shop, which I did, and where I got perplexed looks from the employees, as if to say "Why would you look for those here?" I told them who referred me. 'Nuff said.

It was also during my first visit when I asked about stitching groups in the area. The lady who was "helping" me made a point to tell me that their table in the store (where three ladies were knitting) was only for knitters with a problem to solve; they didn't have enough room for someone to just sit around and stitch. We'll come back to that...

The second time I went there, I needed stretcher bars for a needlepoint project. They had them, but I had to dig through a bunch of items that were just thrown onto the bottom shelf of their display unit. None of it was organized in any way. I browsed for 15 minutes and wasn't asked if I needed help until I walked into the knitting section of the store.

The third time I purchased some 50% off needlepoint charts. I think they were each $3. The needlepoint section seems to be there only because they still have inventory. None of it is organized in any way, shape, or form. The Mill Hill beads' cases are yellowed because they're so old. I can't get into the needlepoint section without taking both my purse and my stitching bag off my shoulder because they jammed everything in so closely. As I was checking out, the customer beside me asked them to punch her card. I'd made two previous purchases and no one even offered me a punch card! I wasn't offered one this time, either. That did it!

The absolute clincher for me came when I heard one of the ladies in the B&N stitching group talk about the LYS's Thursday night knitting group! I told her that they made a point of telling me I couldn't stitch there and she was completely dismayed. That is when I decided that even if I knew they carried something I needed, I would go elsewhere!

Instead of driving 4 miles each way, I drove 32 miles. I took two more quilt square charts to kit up, too. There's no use in going all that way for one card of metallic floss! And I was baaaaaaaaaad! My name is Beth and I'm a stash-a-holic who reached S.A.B.L.E. (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy) early last year! I'll go ahead and admit it now.

Here's the evidence of me falling off the wagon. I kitted up Diamond Mosaic by Northern Pine Designs and another quilt square by Nancy Buhl, called Evening Star.

I made one substitution on DM: switching out the rayon Barlitt for Splendor silk. I refuse to stitch with rayon floss; it frays atrociously and is a PITA to work with! I also made a substitution on ES: Caron Watercolours 218-Ash was what the designer used on the white parts. It has grey and tan variations within a snow white floss. When I put it beside the Ruby Watercolours it looked disgusting. I chose to replace the Ash with 146-Moonglow, the same very light floss I used in Ocean Star.

The card of Gold Rush 14, the impetus for the trip to Catonsville, is in the middle and all the goodies for Evening Star are to the left. I also purchased two items from my wish list: the mini thread palette and a strand separator, both by Puffin & Company. I had the dog and cat design on my wish list but I am liking the heart (purchased because it was the only "set" they had) the more I see and use them. I have six cards of metallic on order and TSP will call me when they're in. Evening Star calls for four cards of one color and TSP only had two.
Kasey and I also visited Cloverhill Yarns, where I found a gorgeous kettle-dyed wool and another beautifully-colored yarn that was a rayon blend.

I know rayon floss is disgusting to stitch with so I wouldn't buy a rayon-blend yarn without asking my knitter friends if they like using it. I don't have any patterns and have absolutely no idea how to knit or crochet, but I love to look. We also went into Seminole Sampler, the quilt shop settled between The Stitching Post and Cloverhill. I saw a gorgeous Batik that would go with my Dinky-Dyes quilt squares but I already have another for that purpose. I did purchase some Thread Heaven and two pigment markers. They were less expensive than JoAnn's.

On the way home I stopped at an old lunch haunt I frequented when I worked near BWI airport. I ordered the sushi lunch special to go because I love the salad with ginger dressing they serve with the sushi rolls. I don't like ginger but love this ground ginger dressing! I saved it for when I got home. Kasey had been in and out of the heat long enough so I kept the truck running for her to have air conditioning while I was gone. I always carry two sets of keys so I can do this, just in case.

I stopped at the Goodwill store in the same shopping center to have a quick look around. I purchased a mail sorter cabinet for $4 and five music cd's for $2 each. The cabinet is still in my truck, but I'll bring it in soon to show you. I have to clear off the dining room table so Uncle Wes can put my mail in the slots instead of piling it on the table.

We came home, I brought Daisy back from her pen, and I stitched for the remainder of the night. I didn't finish it, but I made very good progress on the border. I love how it is turning out!

Sunday was a completely lazy day for the girls and me. I watched movies online and stitched all day while Daisy and Kasey slept the hours away. I can't think of a more relaxing and rejuvenating day.

I did some cooking this evening, making meat sauce and cooking some frozen prosciutto tortellini from Trader Joe's. I have to say that I won't be purchasing the pasta again. I have no idea why they call it prosciutto because it just tastes like a mushy ball of cardboard inside the pasta.

The meat sauce was delicious, but the Barilla sauces always are, especially when I add seasoned ground beef. I also cooked a pound of egg noodles to eat with the poached chicken I froze last month. It's an easy, quick meal to put together. I'll probably make a sauce for that later in the week, too.

I finished Ocean Star (Desert Star by Nancy Buhl of From Nancy's Needle) at 1:54p.m. It has been exactly four weeks from start to finish for this project, with 17 days of stitching to complete it. I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am with the results. I'm not at all sorry I changed the colors, as I find the piece stunning. I will probably frame this one!

I decided not to start another quilt square right away. I don't want to get into another larger project until after school starts and I have a handle on how much time I can devote to stitching. I chose to (re)start America by Hinzeit Designs. I ditched the colors I tried using before and am stitching the borders in GAST Freedom and the letters in WDW Garnet. I like what I have seen thus far.

July 22, 2009 - WHAT time is it?!

6:40

IN THE MORNING!

OMG!

That is the only problem with going to bed early; you wake up early! I hate it! I had hours until my first appointment. The really bad thing was that I couldn't eat until after the appointment and I was hungry. See, this doesn't happen when I sleep until 2pm. Then I don't get hungry until after four o'clock.

I was awake, so to make the best of it I went back to work on Ocean Star. I contin-ued working on the dia-monds and took it with me to both of my doctor appointments. I was taken back within minutes of arriving at the first office but had a 45-minute wait at the second one. That just meant 45 minutes of stitching!

I told the clinic that I would be an hour late for my treatment but I was even later because of the wait at the doctor's office. Instead of making everyone stay even longer, I decided to shorten my treatment to just two hours for today only.

I couldn't stitch today during my treatment. The machine alarmed the first time I moved my arm so I had to keep it still. They repeated the access flow test that was originally done on Monday. The results of the two tests they did then made no sense so I asked for it to be repeated during my next treatment. Today's number wasn't a whole lot better and I will call my vascular doctor to let him know. The last thing I need is for my graft to clot within the next few weeks, or months, for that matter!

Sarah needed me to run something over to the apartment after I left dialysis so I quickly did that and then came home. I made chicken tacos for dinner but didn't have sour cream and they really needed it. Chicken is always dry when you prepare it for tacos. Besides drowning it in water, does anyone have a suggestion as to how to prevent it?

I didn't do any more stitching after finally getting home this evening. I was just too tired. It's another early night for me!

BTW: Thursday is Kasey's Birthday! Be prepared for lots of pics!

July 11, 2009 - A Lazy Saturday

I did a little bit of stitching after midnight, finishing the triangle areas of the star. I think I'm going to start on the outer border and fill in the squares and diamonds last. I also might switch between the two so neither task becomes monotonous.

I gave myself permission to sleep in today rather than get up early and rush over to the college to meet with the advisor. They will be open until 8pm on Tuesday so I will have all day and all evening to get there. If I went today I'd still be a walking zombie.

I decided to try a new layout for Crossed Purposes. Dummy me didn't save my template before adding the new layout and everything in the sidebars got deleted. My heart went into my throat. As you can see, I've been working all day to restore everything. I hope you like what I've done. There are certainly more features to be added, including friends' blogs and freebie links, but I am still at work gathering all the information needed. I am also going to add a list of finishing tutorials. I have many of them saved in my bookmarks and will share with you the cream of the crop. Please let me know if there is anything else you'd like to see added.

I was in the mood for some quick snacks tonight and decided to make pickled eggs and beets. Debi was on the phone with me as I peeled four dozen eggs and cooked the beet juice and vinegar mixture. She had her phone on speaker so that she could stitch while she talked and Rachel enjoyed hearing our conversation, even adding her own comments, and giggles, occasionally. They both thought it was hilarious that Chet stands and meows at me whenever he hears a can opener meet a can. He expects to get fed every time. Now they know why we call him "Bug." He's good at it.

I layered the beets and eggs in a large plastic container that pretzels or some other snack came in. It has a nice wide neck so it's perfect for the job. I let the beet juice/vinegar/pickling spice concoction simmer away on the stove the entire time. I wizened up this time, too, placing the pickling spice in a coffee filter and tying it closed with the wire from a twist-tie. That way there aren't seeds and bay leaves floating freely in the liquid mixture. I could have fit another dozen eggs in the jug but I think I made enough for Uncle Wes to help himself and still leave me six to twelve during the next two months. We'll see, though! Wessy loves the way I make pickled eggs.

I also told Debi about my favorite way to prepare zucchini and yellow (crook-neck) squash. I slice 6-8 zucchini/squash with my mandolin slicer, cut bacon strips into two-inch pieces, and layer yellow squash and zucchini in a large pot. I spread half- to one pound of bacon on top, add 1-2 cups of water, and set on the stove to boil. Once it's reached a boil, I turn it down to simmer, put the lid on, and leave it for one to two hours. When the squash is translucent and the flavors have melded, I ladle out my bowl and put the rest in the fridge to enjoy later. After the grease congeals on top, I remove and throw it away. There is still plenty of flavor left in that pot! Whenever I want another bowl, I just ladle it out and pop it in the microwave for a wonderful warm treat.

If you haven't already, please sign up for one or more of my giveaways. Christmas in July and the Blogiversary Giveaways are open until the end of the month. I will announce the winners on August 1st.

Jackie, you asked why my giveaways were dated August 1. Newer posts are at the top of the page. I wanted the giveaways to be at the top for the entire time they're open, so that's why they're dated August 1. Posts with July dates will automatically appear below the giveaway posts. See, sometimes there's a method to my madness :-)

Also, I have no way of contacting you. You neglected to leave your email address and your name is not linked to a Blogger profile where I can find an address. Unless and until I have a way to contact you directly you are not entered in my giveaway. I don't mean to me hard-nosed, but I specifically asked for an email address to avoid this problem. I hope you see this and rectify the situation. My email address is in my Blogger profile.

July 10, 2009

So....College. Wow! I didn't think it would be possible. Now I'm determined to get my Bachelor's Degree. The biggest barrier, the Almighty Dollar, is no longer a consideration. Between the free tuition at any community college in the state (because I receive SSDI) and the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DoRS) picking up the tab for everything else, the cost concerns are gone.

Now it is a matter of applying, gathering records, taking placement tests, registering, and attending classes...all the while praying that I continue feeling as well as I do now.

My major? Probably English, as Journalism is not the path I wish to eventually take. I am leaning more towards Editing/Proofreading and possibly writing. I was a bookkeeper in my previous professional life so this new path is a complete change. It's what I really want though. I love writing, editing, proofreading, and taking pictures to go along with my writings. I do it almost every day. Now, someday, I could get paid for it!

I applied for an online job two nights ago. When I checked my email last night, I found a Mailer-Daemon in my spam folder. The email I'd written to the bookstore offering the job was returned to me. I verified that the email address I used was correct so I'm going to wait a couple days in case it actually did go through. The job was perfect - Online Book Club Assistant & Internet Research Associate. Definitely stuff that can be done from home! Too bad their website is plagiarized from another bookstore and their email address kicks back emails you send to them. Oh well. Now I'll start looking for something else.

I went to dialysis early today and Dr S was doing rounds. He was able to fill out my Disability Verification Form for AACC and to write the note to DoRS saying that it's recommended that I only attend college part-time. I originally hoped to be able to go to the college and meet with an academic advisor but there wasn't enough time. Instead I came home and cooked dinner.

I bought some tuna steaks last night and knew they wouldn't last long in the fridge so I decided to fix them tonight. Uncle Wes had a really long day at work and didn't feel like firing up the grill so I used my grill pan and cooked them on the stove top. I used a recipe from Giada deLaurentiis, sprinkling the steaks with salt and pepper, brushing with olive oil (I sprayed EVOO on the pan instead), and grilling them for two minutes on each side. I misread her ingredient list and my steaks weren't two inches thick like she called for. I thought it just called for thick-cut tuna steaks and mine were. If I'd realized beforehand, I would have only cooked my steaks for about a minute on each side. Since they were thinner, the middle wasn't rare, but almost medium.

I set the tuna steaks on a plate to rest for a few minutes and then cut them in half-inch slices across the grain of the meat. I juiced two of Lisa's lemons and drizzled the juice over the tuna and fixed some broccoli florets with cheese sauce to enjoy with it. Giada's recipe called to serve the tuna with Basil Pesto, but the lemon added the perfect flavor enhancement to the tuna. After eating my fill I even had enough left over for another meal.

I decided to fix another dinner around 11pm. This time, I took some Lemongrass Chicken Stix and Vegetable Bird's Nests out of the freezer. Both were very good, but the birds nests had extra phosphorus added, so I probably won't purchase them again. The chicken stix were delicious! I'll definitely be going back to Trader Joe's for more. The only problem with these "freezer foods" was that they're not microwaveable. They'd turn to mush. It's more a convenience issue than a problem, but you know what I mean. They're not a quick-fix snack, which is what I had in mind when I purchased them. That'll teach me to check the packaging next time!

They both came with instructions for baking in the oven and deep-frying. Since grease and I do not get along, I opted for the oven method. Luckily it was late at night and a little on the cool side, because that oven being at 450 degrees for fifteen minutes certainly can heat up a house. Add to that, the birds nests have to cook for 20 minutes at 350 degrees and it could get downright uncomfortable in the heat of the day.

In the time from one dinner to the next, I worked on Ocean Star a little. I was able to almost complete the star points between the center medallion and the diamonds and squares. Working on this piece is so soothing to me. Nancy Buhl's designs are a delight, as it's mostly repetitive stitching. I can't wait to do another!

March 31, 2009

I'd love to be able to tell you that I put in hundreds of stitches today, but the fact is I'm right back where I started. Literally!

With Debi cracking the whip, I went through my stash to make a list of UFO's. I'm ashamed to say that there are 16 projects left unfinished. Some are from my abandoned 2008 Stitching Challenge and others are projects that frustrated me in one way or another so I put them aside.

I chose one of the Challenge pieces from last year as my next project. I promised myself that I would not start any new projects until both A Stitcher's Companion and Stitches, Stars & Stripes were complete but I have no desire to stitch on my gameboard at this point in time. Keeping to my promise, I've gone back to my UFO's. I feel good about getting some of these done, so I may finish more before going back to SS&S.

This is Don't Bug Me by The Sweetheart Tree. As I said, I'm back to where I started. Before going to sleep this morning, I stitched two of the leaves in the lower left corner. When I picked it up this afternoon, I realized that both of them were one row too high. That's what I get for stitching after 4am; I know better! After frogging I was in no mood to stitch right away so I just set the QSnaps on my Ergo.

Kasey woke me up this morning at 11am after I went to sleep at 5:00. I didn't have any real errands to take care of today but did get dressed in order to venture out to the library this afternoon. I read all the books I had checked out and went to get more. I always have to have a book going because I sleep better if I read for at least a few minutes before turning out the lights.

Because I only got six hours of sleep, I started nodding off this evening. I took a nap and woke up hungry. After looking through my choices in the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry, I decided to make another Shepherd's Pie. This time I used ground beef instead of chicken and it was just as yummy as my first two attempts. A day full of excitement, huh?

January 27, 2009

Wow! Three posts in one day! Don't you feel special? No?? That's what I thought, but a girl can dream, can't she?! Anyway, I hope you enjoy all my jabbering...

Where was my brain when I was writing yesterday's post?! I forgot to tell you about my first foray into designing!!

I was sitting in my chair Sunday night, chatting with Debi and Frishawn on IM's and going over, in my head, projects I had in which I could use the "Old Maid of Liberty" silk floss Kathy Y RAK'd me with. A vision of a design popped in my head. So...I took my trusty graph paper pad to dialysis with me and spent my time trying to sketch out a chart. I ended up with three similar designs and I think I'm going to stitch at least one of them after the cover of A Stitcher's Companion is completed. I am very eager to see what I did!!

I received another award today! This one is from Jackie and it's the "Fabulous Blog" Award. As part of the award I am supposed to list five of my addictions and then name five bloggers who I think are "Fabby".

Here are five of my addictions:

1. Reading romance novels, even if it's just five minutes, before turning out the light to go to sleep.

2. Needlework, especially needlepoint and cross stitch.

3. NCIS & The Unit. I have a DVR so I haven't missed an episode of either one in over four years.

4. Horses! I am not allowed ride any more so I stay away from them in person, but they're a life-long passion. Talk about poetry in motion!

5. Civil War History. I love going to battlefields, seeing historic movies, and reading about the Civil War Era. My father was a re-enactor when I was little so I got hooked at an early age!

How's that for diverse interests? I tried to name some things that you may not know from just reading my blog.

My nominees for Fabulous Blogs are:

Wawanna
Mylene
Shellie
Kathy K
Lori

As you can see from my previous post, it snowed today for the first time this year. Kasey had a wonderful time when we went out in it! I think her favorite thing to do was to scoop up snow in her mouth as she was running around. Every time she stopped running she'd get another mouthful, too. She loves eating fresh snow. I love seeing her this active. The snow seems to invigorate her.

After I took her out this morning I had errands to take care of. I stopped by the bank to deposit a check I received for some of my trade stash, went to Hallmark to get a birthday card for my step-father, stopped at the post office to mail four trades and Dad's card, and continued on to the library to get a fresh supply of the afore-mentioned romance novels.

Maggie also told me about a really good Sandra Brown novel, called Envy, so I wanted to track that down.

Rant Ahead Alert!!

I went to the computer and looked up Sandra Brown's Envy. It said it was in "Paperback Fiction." So I go back to the paperbacks and look in romances where I find several more of Sandra Brown's books. No Envy. The computer said there was a copy in this branch. So I go one aisle over and find more Sandra Brown books. Still no Envy.

Then I ask one of the librarians who is in the same section putting away some books. She can't find it either. She goes to the desk and has me give them the title and author. I do and the lady at the Information Desk looks it up on her computer. Adventure/Suspense. There is a third place where Sandra Brown paperbacks are kept! WTF?!?!

Why can't they put the stupid, friggin' paperback books in alphabetical order by author, like NORMAL people?! Instead, they have them sorted by genre! Apparently Sandra Brown's books fall under all kinds of categories! Envy was in Adventure/Suspense, while others were in Mystery and yet others were in Romance. Envy was suggested to me as a good romance/mystery! UGH!!! (Sorry, I'm an ex library geek! I even belonged to the A/V club.)

Anyway, I got Envy and went to check out just in time. When I walked in I noticed a sign announcing that the library was closing at noon due to inclement weather (DUH!). It was 11:25 when I arrived. I was home at noon and working on getting my corned beef brisket on the stove for a late lunch. I stopped on my way up the driveway because I saw a bright red cardinal eating out of the nursery school's bird feeder. I rolled down my window and took this picture:

If you like it but haven't made a corned beef brisket yourself, I highly reccommend it. All you do is take the brisket out of the packaging, pour in the included pickling spice, and cover it with water. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer for 50 minutes per pound of brisket, and...Voila! That's all there is to it! It falls apart with a fork.

Just a warning, though: I get a 2.5 pound brisket and it's only enough for one meal for Uncle Wes and I, with a little left for a light lunch for me the next day. Some of that weight (about 1/4) is probably fat. I'd estimate a pound per person when you're choosing your brisket, just to be safe.

After the brisket was finished I started the mashed potatoes. I'm now addicted to the pre-packaged frozen mashed potatoes. I bought an off-brand last time and had no complaints. As a matter of fact, I got 8oz more for over $1 less than the Bob Evans. I'll still buy Bob's when they're on sale 2/$5, though. They're delicious.

I enjoyed my first meal of the day around 3pm. Mmm mmm! If I let myself, I'd eat the whole brisket in one sitting. I love corned beef fresh off the stove!

Done drooling? Good, cuz I don't want you getting anything on my stitching. Here's 'A Stitcher's Companion' as of midnight. I *still* haven't finished my initials on the spine! I can't believe they are taking so long, but I had alot of distractions today.

Speaking of distractions, when Kasey and I went out this afternoon for our second round of playing in the snow, I took some pictures in the side yard. I noticed last week that the neighbor's holly tree is full of berries. It looks great in the snow! (click pictures to enlarge)

Then I turned and snapped this view of Weems Creek. Yes, it's a creek! I know it looks like a river, but this flows into the Severn River less than a mile away. Luckily Kasey doesn't go down there often because most of the sand has eroded away, leaving only thick black mud on the shore. We're up on top of a big hill overlooking the creek.

Ready for more drooling? There was a knock on the door around 4pm. It was Casey from next door. She brought me a plate of warm-from-the-oven oatmeal cookies as a thank-you for catching Daisy yesterday and putting her in her crate in their house. The aroma brought Uncle Wes upstairs so I shared ONE of my cookies with him. I ate one and forced myself to wrap them back up and put them in the kitchen. I knew I'd get sick if I ate them all.

This was very thoughtful of Catherine, because I knew they were made especially for me. How? There were no chocolate chips or raisins in them! I like plain ol' oatmeal cookies and she knows it! They were soooo soft, they were more like cake because there was no crust on the bottom to hold them together and keep them from crumbling. Absolutely delicious! Thank you, Catherine, Rich, and Casey!

January 20, 2009

I think I started something when I made that Shepherd's Pie earlier this month! I wasn't able to eat anything most of the weekend without feeling sick so I just didn't eat. Yesterday I finally made steamed chicken and plain white rice and was able to eat it. That did the trick and helped me turn the corner to feeing better.

Today I was in the mood for something warm and filling, so I made another Shepherd's Pie. This time I used a 2lb package of mashed potatoes, instead of just 24oz. I also used 1lb of chicken breast tenderloins that I baked for 45 minutes and then shredded, all in the glass casserole dish. I topped the shredded chicken with a 10oz package of cooked peas and the mashed potatoes. I put several pats of butter on top because these potatoes said to add butter to taste. I'm a butter-only girl from way back! No low-fat, low-calorie crap for me! That stuff is nasty! The second picture was taken after I mixed the butter into the potatoes and scooped out my sample. I just had a little before getting ready to leave for the Heirloom Stitchers meeting. Mmm mmm!

This was today's progress on 'A Stitcher's Companion' by Enchanting Lair. To see what the finished project will look like, click here. The picture on the website is much more purple than the actual colors used, so don't be fooled! They're actually more red/pink. The purple-y-ness factor of my picture is real!

I went to the Heirloom Stitchers meeting tonight and took Kasey in her Service Dog in Training capacity. I was SO proud of her! She didn't get up to greet people as they came in and slept on the floor beside my chair for most of the meeting. I told her it was okay to get up and see everyone a couple times but she came back and laid down beside my chair again when she was through making her rounds of the table. She didn't wander around the room and sniff at all and Sharon at one point said "I forgot she was here!" There can be no better compliment of a SDiT's behavior! That's my girl!

January 7-8, 2009

I felt like I lost a day when I looked back at my calendar. Wednesday was dialysis as usual and then I came home to watch movies on TCM for the rest of the night. I'm pretty sure I also indulged in more of my Spider Solitaire addiction. I'm just full of fun, aren't I?

I didn't wake up til after 2pm on Thursday so I didn't go to Barnes & Noble for the stitching group. Instead, I went to Dollar Tree and the post office. I had to send out Birthday Floss Club cards for December and January. I hate being late on these, but it couldn't be avoided because of my cold.

On the way home I had a craving for Shepherd's Pie. I have no idea why because it's been years since I've had any, and I've never made one myself. I made things up as I went along but I did check www.foodnetwork.com to see if I needed to add any extra liquid.

Here's my Easy Shepherd's Pie:

1 10oz package of frozen peas w/ pearl onions, cooked per instructions [substitute your favorite vegetable(s) here]
Meat from one rotisserie chicken
1 package Bob Evan's mashed potatoes, cooked per instructions
1/2 jar Heinz Homestyle gravy, turkey or chicken flavor

All I did was put the chicken meat, which I tore into bite-sized pieces, in the bottom of an oven-safe pot, mixed in the package of peas & pearl onions and the gravy, and topped with the mashed potatoes, which I smoothed out with the back of a spoon. I put the whole thing in the oven uncovered for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Voila!

I know a traditional Shepherd's Pie has either beef or lamb, but I was using what was on hand. I really enjoyed it, and I think Uncle Wes did too. He doesn't usually eat leftovers but there was hardly any for me when I got home from dialysis on Friday. Next time, I'm definitely making more! This is something that's easy to put together and only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish to prepare. I didn't even use an entire rotisserie chicken, as I'd already eaten the legs and thighs. I'm not a fan of the white meat and this was a perfect solution to use the remainder of the meat.

December 21, 2008

So it's four days 'til Christmas and I'm not ready. I was going to wait until Thursday to leave to stay with my family but have moved up my departure to Wednesday morning. We're playing a joke on my brothers on Christmas Day and I want to be there to see Ben's reaction. I won't be there when Ian arrives because I'm going to my grandmother's for breakfast with my father's side of the family.

With my departure being moved up, I have that much less time to get everything together. Tonight I finished addressing my Christmas cards for the CSE card exchange. Unfortunately money is too tight to send cards to my friends who weren't in the exchange. If that includes you, please know I'm sending you best wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Am I the only one who hasn't wrapped anything yet? Yep, you read right: I haven't even started wrapping gifts. Actually, I haven't even gotten them all together yet. I still have gifts scattered around the house. I don't have to worry about Wes finding anything because he's already in Florida to spend Christmas with friends.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to get the truck cleaned out so I can put the back seats down. I've found through experience that Kasey settles down better on long trips if she's directly behind the front seats. If I leave the back seats up and put her in the "way back" she spends the entire trip sitting with her head resting on the back of the seats, watching to make sure I don't leave her. If the back seats are down and I put all my stuff in the cargo area by the back door and leave room for her behind the front seats she will lay down and relax. Since we're going to be at Mom's for a week I want this to be as stress-free as possible for her.

Don't worry about Chet and Piper, though. Yes, they'll be home for a week without me, but my neighbors are excellent house sitters. I have the benefit of having life-long neighbors on one side and they keep an eye on the house anyway because they know Wes isn't here. Chet and Piper will probably take over the house while we're gone, but they won't have anything to get into at least.

Still on my to-do list is to go to the Muddy Paw Wash and get Kasey's brush they didn't give back to me when she was groomed last, wrap all the gifts, clean out the truck, pack for both me and Kasey, get the truck loaded with everything that's going with us, clean out the refrigerator.

Oh! Did I mention that I have to do all of this tomorrow?! I have dialysis on Tuesday (holiday schedule) so tomorrow is it. My plan is to wake up on Wednesday, put my laptop, purse, and Kasey in the truck, and head to Mom's. I'll let you know how it goes.

Yeah, and my brother Ben is coming for lunch tomorrow. He'll be here at 3pm to share spaghetti with me. It's already made so it just has to be heated. Actually, I mis-spoke. I made Angel Hair pasta, not spaghetti, and I made a meat sauce using Barilla Roasted Garlic & Mushroom pasta sauce. I don't like tomatoes, but I love Barilla's sauces.

I'm sure I've neglected to mention some of the things still left to do, but I'm sure I'll get everything done. If worst comes to worst I'll just leave later on Wednesday. There's no set time I have to be at Mom's.

I opened Day 21's gift and found the 6th and last movie in the Love Comes Softly series. The DVD of Love's Unfolding Dream completes my set! Thank you Amy!!

This site has lots of different crafts, not just cross stitch. I just couldn't resist Billy Bear! He's just too cute!
http://www.billybear4kids.com/holidays/christmas/crafts.htm

Go to Stitch Alley to see page after page of free designs:
http://stitchalley.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4&zenid=76f1902406e5762e3a4468bed6679e07

December 18, 2008

I had another horrible night of sleep last night, but I was able to get up and go to the stitching group that meets at the local Barnes & Noble store. I arrived an hour late and yet there were still ladies there! I was the only stitcher; everyone else was knitting. I admired one of the scarves I saw, as well as some of the work being done. I might have to find out from Carol if she can make the handwarmers I saw!
Are you ready for this? I stitched again! I put four whole stitches in Live Laugh Survive & Thrive at the meeting. Over an hour...four stitches...I suck!

Here's this month's total stitches:
16 eyelets
6 Rhodes squares (4 were over-two, meaning tiny)
4 cross stitches

How pathetic is that? I'm thankful I can stitch, but this is just... *Primal Scream* Frustrating!

This is how much I want to stitch:
I arrive at the meeting, sit down and introduce myself. Get out my kit and sewing bag. Listen to the conversation for a while. Put the fabric in QSnaps. Decide to cut off the extra length, so take the fabby out of the snaps. Cut slowly not crossing threads, so it stays square. Listen to more conversation and join in here and there. Put the fabby back in the QSnaps. Opps, take it out to measure the center, mark with marking pin. Put the fabby back in the snaps. Read the directions. Sit and listen to conversation while taking the fabby out of the snaps to mark the center of the left side with another marking pin. Now put in four stitches, s-l-o-w-l-y. Time to go!

Can you get any better at procrastinating? The thing that frustrates me is that my mind keeps telling me "stitch, stitch, stitch." Maybe when that voice is silenced and isn't nagging me I'll actually get back to it! LoL!

While chatting about my slump, Frishawn had this to say:

"well...at least we mere stitching mortals can get a few stitches in while the goddess is down for the count."

I laughed my head off!! Thank you, Frishawn. You made my day! Goddess I am NOT, but thank you for the compliment!

Yet again, my search for knitting needle tip-protectors (for the tips of my embroidery scissors) came up fruitless. I went to the Yarn Garden and purchased stretcher bars for my Purple Passion Butterfly. The QSnap just wasn't working. Unfortunately both sets of my stretcher bars are 9" and PPB is 8". I was amazed YG had them, although I almost missed them because of all the clutter in the store. They REALLY need a bigger space so they can spread out. ADA compliant, they are NOT! No way can a person in a wheelchair get around in there!

So I asked about the tip protectors and they didn't have them, just the plastic thing I bought last time that I really don't like. I went to Michaels and saw them, but they're packaged and I wasn't sure what size to get. I need to try them on my embroidery scissors before I buy them. Once they're opened, I can't return them if they don't work.

I also went to West Annapolis to the quilt shop there as the lady at YG suggested. They looked at me like I was crazy and said they don't even sell embroidery scissors, but the ladies were very nice. I guess they were thinking "why would she come here looking for those?"

And folks, I can NOT go back there! The purple-y-ness kept jumping out at me! I WANT! I WANT! Purple quilts hanging all around! I was in heaven! I want those fabbies! They would finish my stitching beautifully!

You may even hear of me taking a quilting class in the future sometime. I need to get better with my sewing skills, and quilting would teach me how to make fabric borders around my stitching for wall hangings and even ornaments. As I was talking to Debi tonight it hit me: the perfect finish for my Dinky Dyes quilt squares! Making them into a quilt and hanging it! It's the only way I'll have enough room to display them all at once. I'm sure I can find a fabric that uses my colors and will look good around the stitched pieces.

After arriving home from the quilt shop I decided I wanted something for dinner that would provide leftovers for a couple days. So I took the corned beef brisket from the fridge and set it to boil on the stove. I called Mom and got her Orange Sauce recipe and drained a large can of sweet potatoes. I added a can of mandarin oranges to the colander. I prepared the orange sauce and poured it over the sweet potatoes and orange sections in the baking dish. I even steamed peas and pearl onions to have along with the Bob Evans mashed potatoes I had in the fridge.

Ohhhh! Did I eat too much! I was more stuffed tonight than I was at Thanks-giving dinner. I just looooove corned beef brisket, though! How easy can something be? Buy a seasoned brisket, freeze it til you're ready to use it. Thaw it in the fridge. Boil with pickling spice (included) for a couple hours (about 1 hr per pound) til fork tender. Voila!

Make your sides and you have a very filling dinner for the family! Just beware: approximately 1/3 the weight is fat. Make sure you get enough. Uncle Wes and I can almost eat an entire 2lb brisket in one meal.

I sat and read email while chatting with Debi and Frishawn this evening until I decided to soak in the bathtub. Aahh! I felt soo much better when I got out! An hour and a half with just me, the hot water, and my book...Heaven.

Once again Amy has gone above and beyond the call of duty in the CSE Advent Exchange. Today's package included both the Winter Quilt chart from Imaginating and Love's Unending Legacy DVD, the fifth in the Love Comes Softly series. I'm just flabbergasted by your generosity, Lady! Thank you!!

I think this chart was on my wishlist at some point. I remember seeing it and saying to myself that the colors are perfect for me.

I also adore mini quilt squares and would like to find a quilt with enough simple squares to make one of the 15-sided biscornus. If you need it translated, look for the Google Translator (Russian? to English) link in previous posts, but I thought she did an excellent job with the pictures. If you know how to make a biscornu, the method is the same. You just need more panels and you connect five of themfor the top and bottom.

These tutorials are on Cameo Roze's site. She shows you how to make bellpulls, tote bags, easels, needlerolls, and several different types of ornament finishes. I think you can get lost in all her pages, so I definitely wanted to point these out to you:
http://www.cameoroze.com/completions/index.htm

I thought this one was great! Talk about easy and fun: make a t-shirt into a tote bag!
http://www.joann.com/static/project/0807/P229646.pdf

Here are some cute tags from Moonlight Inspirations:
http://www.moonlightinspirations.com/free-cross-stitch-patterns.htm

Is there a bird lover in your family? If so, check out X-Stitch Birds' freebies:
http://www.xstitchbirds.com/Free%20Charts.htm

Here's another site of bird freebies. If you like, you can join her Yahoo group to find out when new free charts are added:
http://www.birdcrossstitch.com/

Did you like Ebb Tide? Would you enjoy stitching a similar design by Northern Pine Designs? Look here:
http://www.northernpinedesigns.com/freedesign.html