Hey Y'all!

It's 2012 now and I thought it was time to bring you up to date on what's been going on these past few months.

Fall semester was a challenge for me to get through.

The fun started two weeks into the term.  I went to Urgent Care on Labor Day, where they confirmed the painful lumps under my right arm were caused by a staph infection.  I was given a prescription to fight it, but that didn't work.  A week later, three of the bumps had gone away but two others had combined forces into a 'mega-bump.'

When I saw my PCP's NP, I was directed to go to the ER for an incision and drainage (I & D) of the lump. Gail was concerned that the staph could interfere with my dialysis graft, so she made me promise to go to the ER that day, but she also said it was okay if I went to my ASL class beforehand.  Unfortunately, Carol missed that part of my text, so she headed out to the ER.  Imagine my surprise when I was signing in at the ER desk to hear my name spoken behind me.  She'd been camping out for an hour waiting for me to get there.  It was awesome to have her there with me because my niece, Anna, was at Children's Hospital in Wilmington, DE, that night, so my mom couldn't make it down to Annapolis.  Anyway, Carol was with me through the whole thing; the sick-o likes watching medical procedures because she's an EMT.  I spent two days in the hospital on IV antibiotics and a culture confirmed that the infection was MRSA.  That's the 3rd time I've had it.  Consequently, I had to drop my Entrepreneurial Thinking course because the due dates couldn't be extended; part of the class is to compete in the Best of Business contest. I knew I needed to  have less stress in order to heal, so it was an easy choice to make.

Then October rolled around... I purchased a ticket to the Multiple Sclerosis Fantasy Ball over the summer, although the ball wasn't until Halloween weekend. On the way to the Ball, my cell phone rang.  It was Carol calling from West Virginia.  She and her brother were camping with their families when she fell coming out of her RV. She landed with her foot between the metal stair risers and snapped her leg and ankle. It was snowing heavily out there, otherwise I'd have

Waiting for the doors to open

just turned to head west.  I had a great time at the Ball, but was worried about Carol throughout.  The theme was "Goblins & Gears" which translated to Faeries & Steampunks.  Kasey and I were Fae trying to act Steampunk, but we got it a little bit wrong.  I was sparkly but had reading glasses rather than goggles. Kasey had a lace Elizabethan collar with her satyr horns and sparkly cape (that I made myself!).  

The Faery Queen & her faithful servant

Kasey was, of course, the belle of the ball.  I heard numerous compliments on how well-behaved she was and how friendly, too.  She was a hit with the children who were present, for sure.

And she won a door prize! ...which she gave to me since it was the "Pamper Yourself Bath Basket." Candles, hand-made soaps, fused glass soap dish & candle holder! She's a lucky little sod! She won a Grand Prize at the LYS opening in September, too.

The day after the Ball I started running a fever that lasted for five weeks.  Five tests later, there were no answers as to the cause and the fever just suddenly went away.  The doctors still don't know what was going on.  Unfortunately, the resultant "fever brain" meant I couldn't concentrate on school or anything else; my memory was non-existent.  When I talked to the doctor about it, there were at least six different times where I knew there was a specific word I wanted, but I couldn't think of it; I could only explain the definition or say "painkiller that starts with F" and she would have to start guessing until she got it for me.  I wanted to scream in frustration every time it happened! It also meant I couldn't remember ASL signs or how to finger-spell words...which meant I had to withdraw from ASL before I failed the class.  My remaining class of the semester was Introduction to Fine Arts, which I arranged to receive an Incomplete in; I have until February to finish the coursework.

Also in November, two pieces of my needlework were featured in the Textile as Art exhibit at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.  My work was in a gallery, y'all!  How freakin' cool is that?!  The pieces that were on exhibit were my counted tread book, A Stitcher's Companion, and Ocean Star, a needlepoint piece in which I changed the colors to suit my fancy (tagged as 2009 finishes). I also demonstrated needlepoint, stitching for the first time in over two years, during the First Sunday sale on November 6th.  I worked on another Nancy Buhl piece called Iris and Fans Quilt. This is the progress I made in the five days around the First Sunday demo. Of course, I haven't touched it since then.  Not because I didn't want to, but because my eyes were so strained I had to get prescription reading glasses after dealing with severe pain for two and a half weeks.  When an ophthalmologist tells you that OTC readers are good enough and that your eyes will "even out" please don't believe him. Eyes don't work that way, and I found that out from a friend who stepped in and asked me to come see her at her work, Lens Crafters.  Amazingly the pain that I was taking hydrocodone for immediately went away when I put on my new prescription readers.

To sum it up, Fall 2011 was just not my semester.  My friends, and even some of my professors, say that it's because I was doing so much: school, work study, Relay For Life, the Fantasy Ball, dialysis, and dealing with the health issues that arose.  And I hadn't had a break since before my cancer fight and resultant two surgeries during the Spring term.  Maybe they're right; I don't know.  But I'm trying to slow down.  Really!  Besides the two courses, I dropped all my extracurricular activities, including History Club.  I couldn't completely withdraw from school and I couldn't not work my work study job, although I did lose my eligibility when I withdrew from the second course.  I've been reinstated and begin work again on Tuesday, so that's been resolved. The one thing I was not willing to give up was my seat on the Planning Committee for the Arnold/Annapolis Relay for Life event. I figured it was only a once-per-month commitment, so I could handle that.

Dishcloth Angel

Acrylic Scrubbles

Speaking of Relay, I've raised $106 through the sale of my knitted items.  My team, Make Cancer History!, is selling dishcloth angels and acrylic scrubbles.  Angels are $7 each, with $6 going to Relay and $1 set aside to buy more yarn; scrubbies are $3 each or two for $5.  Because the yarn for the scrubbles was donated to us, we are not holding money back to buy more; there's more than we can knit this year!  If you're interested in participating in a Relay event, supporting Make Cancer History! by purchasing items, or helping us make them, please send me an email.  There are many color choices available for both angels and scrubbles.  To make a donation, join my team, or honor a friend or loved one who has/had cancer with Luminaria, please choose the appropriate link on my personal page. My goal is $2500.00 and I've already raised over $300.  In total, we've raised $197 just from the sales of angels and scrubbles, thanks to the volunteers who are knitting and crocheting away on them! 

Unfortunately no one in my family was on camera duty this Christmas, so no one took pictures.  My nieces and nephew loved their gifts.  I was particularly surprised how attached Caleb was to his belts; he wore both of them as bandoleers and used the iGun app on my iPod to "shoot" everyone in the house.  Within 20 minutes he was re-loading and switching guns all by himself.  Not bad for a 4-year-old.  He doesn't have any toy guns, so the virtual gun on the iPod is as close as he gets.  He'd completely forgotten about it by Wednesday when he and his mom, cousin, and sister came to visit me, in any case.  He was wearing his belt, though!

As for knitting, I ended 2011 with 44 knitting finishes.  They included:

6 pr. Felted Duffers (slippers) - 4 were gifts
7 dishcloths (assorted patterns)
16 dishcloth angels (Relay Fundraiser)
6 scrubbies (3 for Relay)
3 cowls
3 scarves
1 pr. wristlets
1 mini fascinator, felted
1 tunic-length cardigan

All in all, I'm happy to have 2011 behind me and I'm looking forward to 2012.  I hope you and yours have a happy, healthy, and safe 2012 as well!  ...and I will endeavor to update here more often.

Love,
Beth
with Kasey Kay

I think my crafting friends will appreciate this story:

When I found out about the First Sunday demonstrations, I had to find the thread pack, chart, and canvas for the project.  The canvas was easy; it was in my 5-drawer lateral file cabinet, where I keep "all" my needlepoint (NP) and cross stitch (XS) stash.  I say "all" because that's what I believed.  Until I tore apart every drawer of the file cabinet, going through hundreds of charts, looking for the one that went with the canvas that was already on stretcher bars.  Then I went through the sweater organizer that holds all my fabric.  Still no NP chart or thread pack.  The only NP charts I could find were the ones I'd already completed. So where were the rest of the charts I hadn't stitched but kitted up?  They weren't in the rolling craft tote in my closet; that was empty.  But no. My Stitch Bow binders with the full set of DMC were in it, so it wasn't empty. The two rolling craft totes beside the dining table were empty; no need to look there.  So back to the lateral files. I went through the three 12-inch-high stacks of charts again...Checked inside every file that looked like it was stash-related...Pulled out all the picture frames and assorted board games that were hiding out of sight within the drawers...Still no thread packs.  Then the two rolling craft totes caught my eye again and I decided to open them...You know where this is going, right? 

AAK!!  My stash multiplied!  Beads, XS kits, fabric, NP canvas, thread packs, charms, sequins...I thought they were empty! I thought one 1'x1'x3' drawer of nothing but charts, a sweater organizer of fabric, and some miscellaneous other hiding places was it.  I had no idea both the rolling craft totes--that I was planning to sell, mind you--were chock-full of even more stitching stash!

Summer Semester is Here (Ugh!)

So Summer term started today.  I've been working on my online Fundamentals of Weather coursework since Friday night when the online classes became available. I only have one more assignment to do for Week 1.  My Water Aerobics course started today.  It was definitely a workout, which I seriously need.  Classes are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons, so I'll be in the pool three days a week.  I'm hoping for some muscle tone in a body that has been mostly sedentary for far too long.  Part of that I had no control over, but I should have gotten moving before now. Speaking of moving, my Golden Girl was in a down-stay for over 30 minutes!  She was awesome and didn't come to the side of the pool to bark at me or come in the water to rescue me.  I'd had visions of both, as she's done both before, so I was very proud of her. The lifeguard, who happens to be the head of the Health & Physical Education Department at my school was also impressed with Kasey Kay.

Tonight was also the induction ceremony for Chi Alpha Epsilon National Honor Society.  Here's me, corded & pinned:

Of course Kasey was with me.  She enjoyed the reception food after the ceremony. She indulged in several cheese cubes, a cream puff, some meatballs, and a bowl of ice water to wash it all down. I'm pretty sure she had a good time because she's been sleeping since 8 o'clock when we got home.


We had a pretty quiet weekend last weekend and I was glad to be free of the thunderstorms that have been occurring on an almost-daily basis for the past week. I tried taking a nap the previous Sunday and was rudely awakened by a panicking Golden Girl.  She does not like the boomers.


As for my knitting, I'm progressing on my cowl because it's the easiest to knit.  I haven't touched the Trellis Shawl since my last progress picture, and progress on the tank top is quite slow as it's a 6-stitch repeat.  I'm going to try to resist the temptation to start something else when I finish the cowl, though.  I want the shawl and the tank to be finished by September so they can be entered in the county fair.  If it's done early enough, I will also enter the Trellis in the State Fair.  We'll see what happens.

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to Crossed Purposes.  Not only to my readers, but also to me. Since I've been gone so long, I'm going to write shortly about lots of different things.  I will be writing on a more regular basis, though, as I have a De-Stress assignment for one of my classes and I've chosen to write as my new de-stressing activity.  Blogging has the added bonus of getting back in touch with you, my neglected readers.

College
I can't believe summer is unofficially over. I started my third semester of college courses this past Monday.  Unlike the Spring semester, where I masochistically took College Algebra and English Composition & Literature at the same time, the Fall semester will have a much slower pace.  Women's Health Issues and US Women's History are both courses with minimal homework and fun class time.  Oceanography will take more studying and homework time, but it's a physical science course that I need to get my Associates degree.

Chet's Protege
As those who read my previous post know, Chet passed away on June 19. I still miss him, but he remains with me in the most important way. Kasey and I went to visit a fun pet boutique in West Annapolis shortly after Chet died, only to find Woofs & Whiskers was closing its doors to allow the owner to pursue other opportunities.  Everything was 60% off and I picked up this little guy.

I've named him Beetle-Bug, after You-Know-Who, and he sits on the bookcase in my bedroom keeping watch over me and Kasey. He's a Webkinz, but I haven't bothered to go to the website to register him.  I always think of my Chetter-Bug when I see Beetle; he makes me smile. 

 Ravelry & Knitting
To my cross-stitch and needlepoint friends, no, I have not picked up my needles since last October.  Or, rather, I have a new type of needles! I learned to knit on December 30th of last year and have been going gangbusters with my new yarn addiction.  The County Fair is two weeks away and I've been knitting up a storm.  I finished two small projects this weekend and have a shawl on my knitting needles.

< If you knit or crochet and don't know about Ravelry.com, you need to go there! I'm warning you, though: It's ADDICTIVE.  I take no responsibility if you stop playing FarmVille or Mafia Wars and hang out on Ravelry all day. There are thousands of free patterns, discussion forums, and groups that cover every topic (Proof: I belong to Grammar Nerds, NCIS, Golden Lovers, and Child-Free by Choice, just to name a few).  All of my knitting projects are listed there, with project details and pictures.  It's a very helpful tool for tracking my stash and noting what I like/don't like about patterns and yarns.

This is what I've been up to with my new needles:

 These are my first two knitting projects, scarves for Anna & Caleb

I used the leftover yarn from my 4th project, a shrug, to make this hat. It's my 2nd project that has cables.


This cute little bowl was a quick knit. I started it Friday night and finished it in a few hours. I only made it, though, because there's a Felted Basket category at the County Fair.


This is my silk shrug. A friend wrote an easy pattern for me to make a warm shrug from some gorgeous yarn I purchased. The wool/bamboo blend is very warm, so this version, done in silk was supposed to be my warm-weather shrug. Who knew an open weave done with silk would be just as warm as the wool blend? I still love wearing it, although it's now put away until Fair entry drop-off. I don't want anything happening to it between now and then.


My youngest brother, Ben, is modeling my Basket Whip Cowl and making faces at me. Anna and Bre saw this and now they both want one. I have to find the right pink yarn for Anna's. Bre is a bit easier; I have her favorite colors in my stash already.


I'm entering my Summer Shawl in the Child's Shawl category only because it turned out smaller than I'd hoped. I later found out that it has a tighter weave because I twisted the purled stitches. It gives the fabric a very pleasing texture, but doesn't stretch as much. It's made with sock-weight yarn, so maybe that's a good thing.


The Lucy Bag was my 3rd knitting project. This was the reason I wanted to learn to knit in the first place. Several ladies in the knitting groups I stitched with had these bags and I wanted one. After knitting it, the bag is washed in hot water to felt the wool. I'm also in the process of making a felted backpack.


I can't wait to see Grandma's face when she gets this scarf. The yarn it's made from, Penthouse Spun Silk by Neighborhood Fiber Co. is my favorite yarn. See? My fiber addiction hasn't changed much. I'm still a sucker for hand-dyed silk! The scarf is about 6' long and the close-up shows the stitch definition.


This last picture is my Cinderella Cotton Slipper. I call it that because it has thwarted all my efforts to knit a mate for it. I have tried about 8 times and end up with too many stitches on my needles every time. I don't know why I'm having such difficulty when the first one was so easy, but I will get back to it at some point.



Life in General
Kasey and I are adapting to apartment life. Believe it or not, we're still not settled in 100%. I'm contemplating another rearrangement of the living room furniture.  Most importantly, though, Uncle Wes & Mom put the house on the market this week.  It saddens me that property taxes are forcing the sale of a home that's been in our family for over 60 years. Nana & PopPop paid $1,250 for 2 acres on the water in 1946, when only "river rats" lived on the water. Today, now that every yuppie in Anne Arundel County wants waterfront property, its assessed value is $1.6 million, but it is on the market for $685,000.  Talk about over-inflation!  Sooner or later, I have to get the rest of my belongings out of the house. Right now, though, I have nowhere to put them. I'm still looking for an affordable storage unit in the area.

Oh, yes, Kasey Kay.  You all want to hear what my Punkin' Head has been up to, don't you?   Well, on May 1st she proved what an awesome Golden girl she is by earning her AKC Canine Good Citizen title on her first try! She's now, officially, "Kasey Kay, CGC."

She still only gets groomed by Mike at the Muddy Paw Wash (Bark 'n Bean). We go the first week of every month, since she's out and about with me all the time.  I have to call ahead to make sure he'll be there because Kasey misbehaves for everyone else.  Don't believe me?  Well, she sits down at every opportunity, turns around when they don't want her to, and spooks at the drier.  She's not bad, but it's very irritating.  She's hilarious when Mike grooms her, though.  She stands like a pro and stays on the grooming table to be dried, but, if he walks away for a split second or doesn't pet her enough while she's being dried, she barks at him!  She's a demanding little wench, I tell ya!

It's time for bed here, as tomorrow is an early day. Not only do I have to be at dialysis before my usual time, but I have another appointment in the morning.

Sweet dreams & I'll be writing again soon.

Counting down to Spring Term...

On December 30, 2009, my furniture arrived! Uncle Wes, with the help of Ben, Uncle Jay, and my father, was finally able to move my furniture into the apartment. I've been slowly unpacking by myself and Sarah and Anna came down two weeks ago to help me. We accomplished alot, even with Anna goofing off. I can't tell you how thankful I was, because up to that point, I'd had no help with packing or unpacking.

Also on December 30, I learned to knit. So far, I've finished two projects, both scarves. The pink one is Anna's "P'incess Scarf" and the dark one is for Caleb. On Monday the 11th, I started a project that will be a felted purse. The pattern is called the Lucy Bag, by Two Old Bags. A friend of mine, who has been a huge cheerleader and source of encouragement in my education endeavors, made me a dark purple Lucy Bag. Now I'm making a larger Jade Heather bag. I'm really enjoying this, because I can pull out my knitting and work on it for just a couple minutes. You can't really do that with cross stitching; you need more than 5 minutes.

School starts tonight for me, with College Algebra. I went online a few days ago and found my final test grade for last semester. Even with the elevator holding Kasey & me hostage beforehand, I got a 104 on the test! I hope I do as well this semester.

Kasey is slowly getting used to the apartment and just this week started getting excited when we pull into the parking lot. Yesterday, she was wagging her tail and dancing in the back of the truck when she saw we were home. She still doesn't find our door every time, despite the post-it note I put on it, but she knows exactly which sliding door is hers when we're out back. I think there's a smell in the hallway that throws her off, but we're working on it. I give her lots of praise when she walks directly to our door.

I played hostess for the first time on Monday afternoon! Carol B-C (stitcher) and Carol B (knitter) came down and we had a great time. I cooked a green bean casserole and a corned beef brisket and the girls brought dessert and veggies for the dip I made over the weekend. We watched the colorized version of Holiday Inn and stitched. I'm still working on my Lucy Bag and hope to have it finished by the end of the weekend.

An Update on Christmas & "The Big Move"

I arrived at Grandma's by 9:30am to have Christmas brunch with my father's side of the family. Aunt Lisa found this little guy last week at work and he's been added to the furbabies. They were calling the kitten Sophie, but she is a he and a new name hasn't been decided upon.

Cousin Alex put this bow on Kasey and told me "She's your present." How good is my girl to tolerate the foolishness my family puts her through? The bow actually stayed on for about an hour, until she scratched it off. She did dress up for Christmas with her bow attached to her collar. This one was a little more festive than last year's gold and maroon stripes. It had gold sparkles and red cardinals on it.

My Christmas plans got a little disrupted by news that my sister was sick. Instead of going to Mom's for Christmas dinner, I stayed in Centreville to have dinner with Uncle Jay and Aunt Trish. We were going to play Scrabble, but I spent an hour setting up Jay's new netbook instead. I had planned on spending the night at Grandma's, but Kasey didn't seem to be feeling well. She actually looked tired, so I brought her home.

Mom called Friday night and said I could come up on Saturday because Sarah would be at work and Caleb would be at the babysitter. I decided that Kasey had been stressed enough, so I dropped her off at the house to spend the weekend with her Unkie. I was at Mom's by 11am, and for those of you who know me, you know that is almost unheard-of. My days have been starting much earlier than they used to, which isn't necessarily a bad thing; I just have to get used to waking up before 2pm.

I left Mom's around 5pm to head south to Mary Ann's. We exchanged our gifts (that Inappropriate Needlework finally has a permanent home) and sat around the kitchen table talking and drawing, of all things. Kevin, Mary Ann, and I had a very laugh-filled night. We tested one another on the bands the radio was playing and helped Mary Ann deplete her supply of Christmas leftovers. I woke up around 11am Sunday to return to Annapolis, pick up Kasey, and get back to the apartment to do more unpacking and organizing.

I'm going to get furniture on Wednesday! My Uncle Jay, father, and brother Ben will be here to help Uncle Wes move my furniture into the apartment, so I will no longer be sleeping on my pallet. I'm fond of it, but can't wait to sleep on my bed once again. I had to move all the boxes out of the livingroom so that the guys can get things in without stuff in the way. This is all that remains: my pallet of blankets and my lonely stitching light. You can also see the curtain I got (for free!) to cover my sliding-glass door. It does a good job of holding out the cold air.

A Christmas Update

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and Happy Kwanza to all those who celebrate this Holiday Season!

As of 2:00 on Christmas morning, I am still sleeping on a camp mattress and a pile of blankets in my living room at the apartment, because no one was available to help Uncle Wes move furniture in. This is Night 3. Last night I had to go Old School on some Wendy's Chili: I heated it up on the stove top because I didn't have my microwave here yet.

While I'm ecstatic, I don't think Kasey is happy with the move. Her new thing when you tell her to get in the truck is to run off, dig a hole in the snow, bury her head, and then start rolling around. When we go after her, she runs farther into the snow. Once Wednesday, I left her at the house with Uncle Wes because she ran back to the house and sat on the carport steps to go inside rather than get in the truck. She gave my friends Kay and Katie heart attacks yesterday at Kay's house because she ran across the street and behind the houses, towards the Chesapeake Bay.

None of us were in any condition to go running after her, and we were all relieved when Kasey came right back. It took me putting a leash on Kasey and giving her the command to get in the truck, with a reinforcing tug on her collar, to finally get her to load up. I hope that this is just a phase and she soon realizes that she has a new home, Mom isn't leaving her, and she'll still get Unkie time to go for her long walks. I plan on leaving her at the house during my dialysis treatments so that she'll be there when Uncle Wes gets home from work. That will give them enough time to enjoy their walks before I get back from dialysis.

To give you an idea of what we were dealing with, here is a picture taken after Uncle Wes used the snow blower to clear the driveway Sunday morning.

The only problem was...there was a half-mile of this between our neighborhood and the "Outside World."

A Baltimore Gas & Electric truck came down the road Sunday afternoon and got stuck. They had to send another big truck in to pull it out. Once the trail was "forged," however, one of the neighbors got in and out, so some of us, including me, with 4WD did as well. It was very slow going required 4WD, and as of Thursday evening the road still had not been plowed, but everyone can get in and out as they need to.




...and as per what has become her snowy tradition, here is Kasey Kay making her Kasey Angel outside my apartment patio.

It happened on the way to my Algebra final exam...

I started studying for my Algebra final around 1pm and worked straight through until a little after 4:30pm. Then I left for campus and arrived about 5 minutes late. Kasey and I walked into the building as usual, got on the elevator...

and then...

I should preface this by letting you know that I hate heights and things that move at heights. I have panic attacks if I'm on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in a traffic jam and can feel it swing. One of my biggest fears also is being stuck in an elevator.

So who gets stuck in the elevator right before her Algebra exam?? Yeah. You guessed it!

I hit the button for the second floor and the elevator went up, but it didn't feel like it went up all the way. I pressed the button to open the door and the door didn't open. Then I pressed the button for the first floor and we started going back down. The elevator stoped again but the doors didn't open. I pressed more buttons.

Then I picked up the emergency phone. The campus Public Safety officer on duty quickly picked up and stayed on the line with me until help arrived. By the time I called him, my legs were beginning to shake because I lose my equilibrium when the elevator moves.

Carol B-C has had to grab me twice at Borders because I get off the elevator and feel like I'm still going down. We figured out that I can't look down when the elevator is moving, but I forgot about that tonight. My legs were Jell-O. I slid down the wall to sit on the floor to talk to the Officer.

Help arrived in under 10 minutes. The officer on the phone was worried about my Service Dog. I laughed and told him "She's fine, but I'm shaking." To add insult to injury, the responding officer said "I hit the button and the door opened right up." I told him I hit every button on the panel (Thank GOD there are only two stories in the Schwartz Building!) and the door would not open. I also told them that the elevator went down another foot about three minutes after I called the safety office, so it was stuck. Engineering was right on Safety's heels and I explained to them what happened.

Kasey and I took the stairs to the second floor. I took that darn exam, though! I also finished both 5-point extra credit problems! All I need to get an A in the class is 75%, but I believe I did much better than that. There were no questions that stumped me, once I got settled in and stopped thinking about my harrowing experience of minutes before.

So tonight I'm packing all my school stuff! Tomorrow I hope to start on my bedroom. I also need to get some packing peanuts so that I can pack my two laptops and my desktop computer monitor. Well, one laptop. Let's be honest here. I can't live without access to a computer! Even if I can't get online, I have games I can play! Yeah, how old am I?

Anyway, Kasey is outside enjoying the frigid weather. Crazy girl! I'm going to check some email and hang out on FaceBook for a little while.

Oh, and just so you don't worry... The No Pets policy at my new apartment building does not apply to Kasey. She is a Service Dog and is protected by the Americans With Disabilities Act. Forbidding her is like forbidding a wheelchair, because she is a medical necessity. A Service Dog is allowed to go anywhere the general public is allowed to go, including hospitals, doctors' offices, and restaurants. Everyone at the new building loves her. She brings smiles where ever she goes.

Updates

I received a call at 3pm Thursday that my surgery will be Saturday morning at 9:20. They finally received my new artificial graft-no CryoVein this time! This is the one they're going to put in my right upper arm, next to the old one. I won't be able to extend my arm for a day or so, so I won't be writing any long posts or emails. In fact, you'll be lucky if you see a Facebook or Twitter update, but I will try!

I decided to write a letter to the school newspaper's editor saying they left their readers hanging by not putting a caption under Kasey's ID card. One of the co-editors wrote back and apologized. Apparently the Campus Current staff was told the card was a gag, and that is why they used it for the article. They will be running a correction in the next issue, which comes out in two weeks.

20 lashes with wet floss

I know it's been weeks since I updated you on what's going on around here, so here goes...

First, THANK YOU to everyone for your support and encouragement as I took the gigantic step into higher education. I'd like to let you know all the hard work (and ignoring stitching, my blog, television, Facebook, and email) is paying off! I have received grades of 93.3%, 100%, and 100% respectively on my first three math quizzes. I'm allowed to take the first test either Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday next week and I'll let you know how that goes, too.

As for happenings around here, there isn't a whole lot to tell. Daisy came for a 4-day stay last week and was much better-behaved than last time. She didn't de-squeaky-fy any of Kasey's old toys, nor did she have any accidents in the house. She was a very good girl and spent most of her time sleeping.

I have to say that my semester has a much more relaxed feel to it than it would have had with all the pressure from the English class I originally registered for. My Grammar class is nice because there are only twelve of us, and five are English teachers renewing their certifications. I really enjoy the discussions we have. That being said, I spend about twelve to sixteen hours a week on my math class. Because we only have half the class time of a typical class, the onus is on us, the students, to do alot of the work at home, online. Now I know that I will be trying to take as many classes on campus as I possibly can! Distance learning is great, in theory, but I don't think I will get as much out of it as I would attending in person. I certainly won't take more than one online/hybrid class at a time, that's for sure.

And, yes, you read correctly; you weren't hallucinating. I said I've been ignoring stitching. I haven't stitched at home since August 18th and I'm still working on Blue Bayou by Northern Pine Designs. Forgive me for not posting a picture, but I'm writing this on my school laptop and don't have Kodak Easyshare loaded on this machine. I've been trying to go to the Barnes & Noble and Borders stitching groups, but school takes first priority.

I was talking to Carol B-C tonight and told her I know I'm entirely immersed in "school mode" because I don't think about stitching. In fact, when she and I got together Saturday night at Starbucks "to stitch" I worked on my Grammar notes while she stitched on Kind, Fond Love. Okay! It's official! I'm a nerd and a dork!

In case you're not linked to me on Facebook, I'll explain the "dork" comment. My youngest brother, Ben, uses three computers at a time. I told Mom "If I ever need three computers running at once, shoot me!" I call it "Dork Mode" because Ben is our resident computer dork. He lives online, even worse than I used to. He uses his desktop computer to run the game he's (getting paid for) working on, one laptop for IRC (technical, computer dork, chat), and one laptop for AIM chat. Why he doesn't download Trillian or another program that combines all the messengers (like *I* did), I'll never know. Whenever I have both my school and "play" laptop running at the same time, I say I'm in "Dork Mode."

Kasey's been doing great on campus and is somewhat of a celebrity. I was walking through the library last week and someone passed by, looked back, and said to the person beside them, "That must be Kasey." I thought it was very funny. I'm at a complete disadvantage, though, because people can tell right away who I am but I have no idea who they are.

Speaking of Miss Celebrity, I picked up a school newspaper at the activities fair this morning. Guess whose picture (ID Card) was smack-dab at the top of Page 3 in the article on the new, plastic (formerly paper) school ID cards? Unfortunately, no one contacted me to ask the back-story to her ID, so I'm sure people are wondering why there's a dog on an AACC student ID card. I know the article was about the school's new ID cards and they probably decided that they couldn't get in trouble for showing a dog's ID card (you know all those privacy laws), but a caption saying Kasey is the first student service dog on campus at AACC would have been explanation enough.

All that aside, I'm doing well, although I still have this &*%$ catheter in my chest. The surgeon's office called me last week to tell me the graft is on order but they don't have it yet. Until then, I'm stuck with this &*%$ catheter. I hate it!

Until next time...and I'm not saying when that will be...Ya'll take care and be safe!

Love,
Beth

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 4, 2009 - A day with Anna

I spent my time this morning working on getting my stitcher's book, A Stitcher's Companion by Enchanting Lair, ready for display at the county fair. I finally put the amethyst in the cover motif. It took a while to find an appropriate stone/charm, but I think this one is perfect.

I'm not sure what the rules are regarding having your name visible in the competition, but I have decided to cover mine. I used contrasting fabric and floss so that it's obviously not part of the actual design.

I even stitched the needles and the floss to the fabric so that they cannot be removed. I thought about taking everything out, but then the book is not doing its job.

The scissors were a bit of a challenge to get the stitches even and to tightly secure them into the pocket. I certainly don't want these falling out and stabbing someone in the foot! They have very sharp points!

I completely forgot to show you the frogging I did on Sunday. After completing Ocean Star, I frogged these UFO's. The first is Deftly Wrought by Midsummer Night Designs. I hate the colors. Just looking at the piece drains my will to stitch. What I decided to do with it was to frog everything but the four mini samplers. I guess it's another finish now, yes?

The second piece is Stitches Stars & Stripes by Blue Ribbon Designs. The more I looked at this piece, the more it grew out of favor. I should have taken a harder look at the chart because there are alot of solid-stitched boxes. I thought about stitching it and replacing some of the solid boxes with charms, but how many different ones could I possibly find? Add to that the fact I'm allergic to nickel, which means I'd have to buy gold-plated charms, and the price would be through the roof! No thanks! I didn't enjoy stitching this at all so it's no loss. The chart has already been RAK'd to Lisa in CA because she admired it.

I went to see my primary doc's nurse practitioner this afternoon for a checkup on the abdominal rash I have. The infected spot is healed and scarred, so I don't have to use the antibacterial ointment anymore, but Gail wants me to keep it handy-just in case! As far as the rash, my antibiotics have been extended to three weeks and I'm to call her if it gets worse. Hopefully the MRSA is gone, but she has instructed me to use the antimicrobial/antibacterial wash every three days for a while longer.

After my appointment I went back to the house to get Anna's car seat so that I could pick her up for our library date. We didn't get to go last week, so I wanted to make sure we went this week.

Anna prefers going to the Eastport branch of the library because they have a table of puzzles for her to play with. Her favorites are the two with different latches and locks. She always heads right for them after choosing her books. Today she picked out three books for herself and one board-book for Caleb. He has to have the board pages because he still rips regular ones.

While Anna played with the puzzles, Aunt Beth stitched on Hinzeit's America. Luckily I left this thread dangling because I forgot the bag with the chart and threads.

After leaving the library, we made stops at the pharmacy and the post office. On the way to the post office, I automatically turned into my sister's apartment complex. Anna yelled from the back seat, "Where are you going, Aunt Bep?" It wasn't until she said something that I realized what I'd done. I told her I just turned too early (the PO was two streets up) and got back on course. It's pretty bad when your 4-year-old niece is telling you where you want to go next! I swear I've completely lost my mind with all the running around I've had to do and lack of sleep from having Daisy here.

Anna wanted to go with me to get Kasey groomed and we were chatting almost all the way there. I pulled in to my parking space in front of Bark'n Bean (Muddy Paw Wash's new name), turned around to tell Belle (I was told Anna wasn't there today, she was Belle) that we'd arrived, and found a sleeping little girl in her car seat. She'd been quiet for the last mile of the trip, so she must have gone out like a light. Sarah warned me Anna hadn't had a nap, and they'd been to the pool this morning, so she must have been very tired to zonk out like that.

I dropped Kasey off at the BnB and took Anna home. It was way too hot to leave her in the truck and not practical to leave it running for an hour with the A/C on. I carried her in to Sarah's apartment and she woke up, but she did go down for a nap in her room.
Meanwhile, Kasey was being beautified. Here she is after her bath. Once again, Mike did a wonderful job! She's so pretty! I think she knows it, too! And, yes! Her leash says "One of us misbehaves." She picked it out herself.

For those who have been wondering, this is Daisy's war zone. The orange and turquoise fuzzy things are the fur-covered balls with tails and/or just the tails that Daisy has de-squeakified. You can also see Kasey's birthday bone (what remains), the tennis ball she killed, stuffing from several toys, and the rope/fabric toy I got from the clearance bin at BnB for her. She's already chewed through the rope. There are orange and turquoise bits all around Kasey's couch and Daisy's war zone.

Here are the remains of Kasey's birthday bone. Daisy pulled the squeaker out of him after chewing several holes in the canvas and nylon. Then she proceeded to remove the whistle from the squeaker. Thankfully she does not eat the plastic. The score in the War on Squeakers is now Daisy: 5; Squeakers: 0.

Stinky Ol' Raccoon is in hiding because Daisy discovered he had a hole in him and started pulling out his innards. Somehow Kasey has kept that thing limping along with three holes and carries him at least once a day. That's all she does, is carry him around and lay down with him. I'm not letting Daisy kill him for good!

I was really tired when I finally returned home at 5:30, so I took it easy this evening and was in bed just after midnight.

August 3, 2009 - A trip to the bookstore

I worked on Hin-zeit's Amer-ica after mid-night and contin-ued until I went to sleep.

I'm still running around like a chicken with its head cut off! I have a doc's appointment tomorrow to check the MRSA rash on my abdomen and still have to make an appt to have the suture, from last week's procedure, removed.

I received an email from the school's financial aid office telling me that they have completed the processing of my information and I will be receiving my financial aid package in the mail. They also emailed to let me know I had a Bookstore Advance of $400 to purchase my books and supplies, so Kasey and I headed over first thing this morning.

I wound up having to buy more new books that I'd planned, but it worked out because the digital copies I was going to buy separately were included with the new books. I also purchased a canvas tote with purple accents, including a very pretty machine-embroidered motif on the front pocket.

One of the bookstore employees carried the books out to the truck for me because they were so heavy. There was no way I could navigate with Kasey and two bags of books in my left hand. She won't walk on my right side (she's trained too well) and the suture pulls if I lift anything heavier than a couple pounds. The math text- and workbooks together weigh about 10 lbs (and I am not exaggerating!).

I went back inside and pur-chased some sup-plies, includ-ing a clear, PUR-PLE!, clip-board. Since I'm left-handed, it's hard for me to write in spiral notebooks or a 3-ring binder. I bought an expandable file with 5 removable plastic folders so that I can place my week's work in there for easier transportation (I have a feeling I'll be doing alot of homework during dialysis treatments). I rounded out my purchases with some filler paper, a pocket dictionary, Webster's College Dictionary (being an English major, they'll come in handy!), a mouse pad that I can write on (it's sheets of graph paper) and a white-out pen. I had previously bought an organizer, which I showed you a few Saturdays ago.

Oh! Did you notice the purple gingham ribbons in the books? Those are my new bookmarks. I took the remainder of the spool of ribbon from Kasey's birthday bow and cut it into appropriate lengths for my textbooks. I was getting frustrated trying to find the Mary Shelley section of the Companion, so I had to do something! And you know when I do "something" it's usually purple!

Back to that math book...it came with SEVEN CD-ROM's! There are four lecture CD's, one for test preparation; one for the graphing calculator; and another for the computer interface, MyMathLab, that the math professors use. I have alot of preparation to do before classes start!

My English course, Composition & Literature, concentrates on Gothic novels. I don't read things like that because I do not find enjoyment in being scared or grossed out. I don't even watch shows that scare me. When my Pop-pop would watch The Incredible Hulk, I would hide behind his recliner, sit on the floor, and plug my ears so that I couldn't hear the Hulk roaring; that's how wimpy I am about scary shows. I watched The Mummy from behind a pillow behind my b/f's shoulder the first time I saw it. It's a favorite now but the first time through I screamed a few times (those bugs!). I am not looking forward to the course, unless the instructor is really good (but that's gonna be alot to ask because the course is 100% online). I am determined to get through it, however.

I went back to bed after eating something for lunch because I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I had about two-and-a-half hours before my treatment time and they passed in theblink of an eye.

I took the Three Gothic Novels and the Companion volumes to dialysis so that I could begin reading. I started with the Companion book, reading the introduction and then moving on to the section pertaining to Mary Shelley. One of the three novels in the compilation book is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, so I thought I'd read what the Companion had to say about her. Which put me right to sleep!

I need to read these before the class begins, though, because I know it will make it easier when I re-read them for the class itself. Having never read anything of the genre, I know it is going to take more than one time for things to sink in and realize the nuances of the writing. I'm just not looking forward to it. Did I already mention that?

I had a nice nap during the last half of my treatment. I definitely needed it because I only slept for five hours before the girls woke me up this morning to go outside. It's sorta funny because Kasey comes in to wake me up when Daisy starts pacing around the livingroom. I've noticed this is her signal to go outside, but apparently Kasey knows it as well.

Daisy sleeps on my bed with me while Kasey sleeps on the bath- or bedroom floor. Even though there's another dog in the house, it's too warm for her to sleep in bed; she much prefers the cool tile or wood flooring. She gets up when I first get in bed because she knows that's our cuddle time, but as soon as I stop petting her she moves to the foot of the bed for about ten minutes and then ultimately gets down to sleep on the floor. Daisy, on the other hand, sleeps right beside my knees.

Daisy is winning the war with the squeakers in Kasey's old toys. I rescued another one tonight from the clutches of her jaws. I wasn't going to give her a chance to remove the little whistle from the plastic bubble. I found three of them separated from their bubbles last week. They could do some damage if she were to swallow one. She was not pleased with me, but I'd rather that than a visit to the emergency vet! So the score is now Daisy: 4; Squeakers: 0, with me intervening on behalf of the last one. He went into the trash with his whistle (and dignity? Do inanimate objects have "dignity?") still intact.

That was my day, with some writing of email and blog posts thrown in. Have a great week!

July 31, 2009 - Totally Useless SAL Update

I'm a week late for the New Moon update of the Totally Useless SAL, but I haven't stitched since last week so there's no more orts in my jar now than there were when it was the new moon.

I went to bed at midnight, right after Gone With the Wind ended. Don't ask me how many times I've seen it, but I love it. I even have the entire series Hallmark did of Scarlett and her dresses. They also do Rhett & Scarlett ornaments, but those don't interest me as much.

Daisy was really good last night and I didn't wake up at all until the alarm went off at 9am. I had to go let the cat out and walk the girls. I'm very impressed that Daisy has settled in so quick. While she runs around outside like a mad woman, she's a big lump in the house. She's now pulled three squeakers from some of Kasey's old toys and skinned the fur-covered ball. Now it's just a raquetball. Unlike alot of dogs her age (she's about 14-15 months old) she doesn't chew on anything but her toys. She can stay with us instead of being home alone all the time.

I was wide awake after taking the girls for a walk this morning and decided to stitch. I completed the squares and went to work on the border. I didn't stitch once I got home so this is only from this morning. I hope to have Ocean Star finished this weekend.

Dialysis was uneventful. For some reason, I keep falling asleep during my treatment and then they can't wake me until half an hour after my treatment ends. Today was the second day it happened. It's a little worrisome because I had a really good night's sleep but there's not a whole lot I can do about it. I get so tired that I cannot keep my eyes open and off to La-La Land I go!

The girls were waiting for me when I returned home and we went for a walk. We had a quiet evening at home, thankfully.