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 5, 2009 - I should have stayed in bed!

Yeah it was one of those days today. I'll start at the end, cuz it pretty much sums up how crappy my day was.

I came home from dialysis an hour late to find this in my livingroom floor. I know it wasn't Kasey because I've had wicker paper plate holders since she was a puppy and she's never chewed one. Daisy, however, pulverized it! There were a few paper plates that looked the worse for wear.

Notice the pill bottle? Yeah, she got my bottle of painkillers off the end table beside my chair (she'd have to get IN the chair to reach them) and had them spread out on the floor. Luckily she was only interested in the bottle, as evidenced by the teeth marks in it and the lid (and the fact that she was still standing). All the pills were accounted for, thank Goodness! I picked them up as soon as I saw them, then thought of taking a picture of the carnage. To top everything off, I've found two places where she peed. I still am not a happy camper about that!

I should have known something was up when Daisy let me sleep til 10am. Here I was, thinking she was okay...I should have known better. I'll be setting my alarm to make sure I'm up before 9am to take her out for a walk. Wes said he walked both girls about two hours before I got home so she should have been fine.

Doesn't she look like a little angel laying there while Kasey sleeps? She's a cutie and has a great temperment, but she still acts like a puppy.

Okay, that was the end of my day. Remember I said I got home from dialysis an hour late? That was because with twenty minutes of my treatment left to go, I was bleeding around my arterial needle! I thought I was imagining feeling something cold and wet on my arm and then pulled it up from under the blankes to see the tape was soaked. Luckily it had already coagulated and wasn't flowing fast, but it's not supposed to do that!

It took almost 90 minutes for the lower site to stop bleeding. My hand finally gave out after about an hour and one of the techs put a clamp on the site to keep pressure on the gauze. I should have been home before 6:15 and it was 7:15 when I pulled in the driveway. My arm feels like someone has used it as a punching bag. So that was my crappy day.

I tried reading the Companion to the Three Gothic Novels again and consequently had a great nap during my treatment...again.

I also started a new habit. Instead of just glossing over words I'm not exactly sure of the meanings for, I started underlining them in pencil and went back later to look up the definitions. I have a notebook I wrote the definitions in, and I highlighted the words in the dictionary.

Just to give you a taste, here are some of the words I underlined. I also jotted in the margins what I thought the words meant by using the context in which they were used. I was close on some. Can you guess the meanings, without looking them up first? I've taken phrases from the book in which the words appear.

may be attempting an analogous act

while no less ceaselessly misread, models of meconnaissance

some of the concatenations of history

I have deliberately elided issues

now become the leitmotif of critical theory.

The complacent Genevese oligarchs

I guess now you can see why it puts me to sleep? BTW, most of these words were contained in the Introduction! I am sooooo screwed! LOL

Maybe I should just make a blog of the words I underline...hmmm... It's certainly easier than pulling out pen and paper, since my computer is on almost the entire time I'm awake.

The one bright spot in the day was that I now know how much financial aid I have been awarded this semester! I might not have the letter in hand, but it's in my financial aid info on the college's website. The one glitch was that it was still showing I owed more than $600 in tuition. I submitted my tuition waiver on July 17 so I called the Cashier's office to ask what was going on. They are checking into it and will fix it for me.

After my books and fees are paid with my grant money, the remainder will be sent to me in the form of a check. I'll have enough to get a laptop to use solely for school! The laptop I have weighs almost 7lbs and burns my lap. The one I'd like to purchase weighs 5.7 lbs and has extra insulation in the bottom to prevent the over-heating of the chassis.

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.

July 30, 2009 - We have a houseguest

Today was Barnes & Noble stitching group and I finished those blasted dia-monds! I didn't get alot of stitching done, but started filling in the two remaining squares. Once they're done, all that's left is the border! We had a really nice time and stayed until after 4:00.

On the way home, I stopped by the pharmacy to pick up my prescriptions and an antibacterial/ antimicrobial wash the doctor wants me to use. She said they don't want me becoming a carrier of MRSA, so to use it once a day, head to toe, and wash my hands more than ever.

Well, here they are! All three of 'em. Chet has successfully convinced Daisy that he's the meanest cat in the world. She gives him a wide berth and doesn't try to poke him with her nose anymore. The funny thing is that he's declawed and loves Kasey.

I pulled out some of the toys Kasey doesn't play with so that Daisy could chew them. She's much more rough with toys than Kasey. She's already pulled out two squeakers and taken the "tails" off a fur-covered ball. She's been a very good girl and doesn't try to chew on anything that isn't hers. I did have to hide Stinky Ol' Raccoon because Daisy pulled out some of his stuffing. She is not allowed to play with Kasey's favorite toys!

After taking the girls to the playground so that they could run, we came home to relax for the evening. Here's Daisy on Kasey's couch, fast asleep. Kasey prefers to sleep on the tile in the bathroom so she has happily relinquished the couch to Daisy.

Since Daisy is convinced of Chet's viciousness, she waited for him to finish eating her food before going to her bowl to eat dinner. I was very surprised to see this!




Here are the girls, peacefully sharing Kasey's couch. Kasey doesn't like having to share my attention and she barks at Wes when he is petting Daisy, but she likes having someone to play with. Daisy is also taking her cues from Kasey, so when Kasey's napping so is Daisy. It makes things much easier for me!

We took Daisy back to her house for the night but brought her back here because she was standing in the dining room windowsill, howling when she saw Kasey and I come outside. I felt bad about her being alone so much. We'll see how she does spending the night tonight.

If it works out, it will be much easier taking care of her while she's here instead of running back and forth between the houses. I still have to let the cat out in the morning and bring him in around 5:30pm, but that's not as bad as going over five times a day.

Friday through Tuesday - It's been busy!

Every day I think I'm going to have a nice, quiet, relaxing day at home turns into another bout of running around like a chicken with its head cut off!

I received a call from my vascular surgeon on Friday morning informing me that I was being added to the procedure schedule at the hospital on Tuesday morning. They decided to do an angiogram (they call it a fistulagram) to open up my dialysis access. The access flow number was less than half of what it should have been when the test was repeated last Wednesday.

Friday night after dialysis, all I did was apply for scholarships. The SallieMae search I used came up with 25 that matched some of my given information and I think I applied to about 10 of those. Some were for full-time students or had other criteria I didn't fit. It was very helpful and I recommend it to anyone heading off to college.

Friday through Monday I didn't even touch Ocean Star. Not a single stitch. I thought about it but it didn't happen.

I had a completely boring weekend. To pass the time on Saturday, Kasey and I went to Best Buy to look at laptops. My laptop is over three years old and weighs almost 7lbs. It's way too heavy for me to carry, not to mention the fact that it gets super-hot and I can't hold it in my lap. I also do not want to take two semesters of math without a 10-key pad on my laptop.

I know you can get one of the plug-in 10-key pads, but I've tried it and unless you have a big table for the laptop and keypad, it doesn't work. There are alot of laptops on the market that have them built in, just like a regular keyboard. Almost all Toshiba machines have them, but none of those were lighter than what I already have. There was an HP, which was the lightest, but I refuse to buy an HP machine. I'm not prejudiced, I just know their quality has gone downhill since joining with Compaq.

I found an Asus that would meet my needs and had my computer geek brother, Ben, look over the specs for me to double-check. He said that other than the video card being slow, which I knew about, he didn't see any reason it wouldn't do what I needed it to do. If I have enough grant/scholarship money, I'm going to get the laptop for school work and keep my current laptop to use for everything else.

I went to Sarah's later Saturday afternoon and stayed for about an hour before returning home. Caleb somehow got into the white-out and painted both himself and his sister with it. Anna sounded insulted when I asked her who put the stripes on her. She was so funny!

Sunday was acutally a little relaxing. I had alot of email to read and respond to, as well as some blog posts to write. At 2pm I went next door to go over the dog and cat's schedule of feedings and things. This opportunity came at just the right time because I'm always short of money towards the end of the month. The extra cash will be very useful. I spent the evening watching some shows from my DVR and that was about the extent of my day. I certainly needed the rest!

Tuesday morning, the procedure went fine and Sarah and the kids picked me up from the hospital at 9:15am. We went to McDonald's so the kids could get hot cakes. I got an Egg McMuffin (the only thing I can eat on the entire menu) and then we went to Wawa. I got two Italian Shorties since they generously extended Hogiefest til August 9th. That way, I didn't have to do any cooking while I'm in pain!

See? There's a method to my madness! It's not ALL about the addiction to Wawa Italian subs!

I slept from about 10am til 12:45pm and felt absolutely fine when I awoke. My arm ached a little so I took a pain pill. I couldn't sit around doing nothing. For some reason, those sedatives and anaesthesia meds make me edgy and fidgety. I had to go somewhere and decided the college campus was going to be the destination. I received an email Monday night saying that my FASFA was chosen for Independent Verification so there was an additional form to fill out. Only I don't have a printer that works with my laptop and Uncle Wes's printer needs ink.

I went to the college library's computer lab and printed the form, filled it out, and turned it in to the Financial Aid office in person. While there, my academic advisor, Lisa, saw Kasey and I so she came over to say hello. I told her what we were up to and that we were meeting with the nurse at 3pm. I also told her I needed to see her sometime because I wanted to verify that the courses I plan on taking will transfer to the University of Maryland after I get my AA degree. She told me she'd be back from lunch at 5pm and I agreed to meet her then.

I also double-checked with F.A. that they received my forms from DoRS and that would be taken care of shortly. Everything was in order so we headed to Health Services to meet the school's nurse, Beth.

Beth and I had a very nice talk. I explained my medical history and Kasey's role in my care. She assured me that they are very well-versed in the disability laws and cognizant of the rules regarding service dogs. I was worried that Kasey would be left at the school if I had to be ambulanced to the hospital but she told me they would not let that happen. She's aware that some crews don't like to take service dogs, but the school will not allow them to leave a SD without its handler. It's actually against the law. I felt alot better with her assurance.

We discussed scenarios and things that have happened in the past, so she is aware of some of the triggers of my syncope. She also knows that I can usually tell when I'm very dehydrated and those are the times, especially, when I stay home. We all hope there's never an episode on campus, but if there is, Health Services, Security Services, my professors, and anyone else Beth deems to need to be in the know will have my Plan of Care, which I will be working on soon. We talked for 90 minutes and then I went upstairs to wait for Lisa.

Since I had to wait, I pulled out Ocean Star and worked on filling in more of the diamonds. It's coming along, slowly but surely.

Lisa and I went over the courses I've decided to take for my AA degree and only found three that will not transfer to the University of MD. Lucky for me they were all electives. My digital photography and photojournalism courses are questionable. Lisa said I'll probably have to explain to an advisor at the U of MD what I'm planning with my degree and they won't have a problem accepting those credits.

When I got home, I was exhausted, but I still had to take care of Daisy. That's right! In the middle of arm surgery, I'm watching the neighbor's cat and dog for them. So Wes, Daisy, Kasey, and me went for a walk. We took the girls into the Nursery School playground to run around and then brought them back to the house. Wes put Daisy in her house and I went over to feed her and Sneakers and bring in the litterbox from the back stoop. Since the house is for sale, the cat and dog spend the daytime hours outside. As soon as I opened the door to grab the litterbox, Daisy came running from behind me and got out the door before I could even put a hand on her.

I went home to tell Wes that Daisy was loose and then started following her. Kasey was trying to help, but Daisy wouldn't follow her into the carport. I guess she's fallen for that trick too many times. She also wouldn't get into the back of my truck. She wouldn't get within arm's reach of anyone. Our neighbor on the other side, Tom, tried to grab her but he couldn't get her collar. She just kept running around the yards, back and forth. Then she decided to go down the private road to the other end of the neighborhood and wound up at the house furthest from ours.

Trina came out because she saw Daisy, with Kasey in tow, go across her deck. I told her what happened and she tried to grab Daisy, too. No luck! The kids next door pulled in and asked what was going on. By that time, Kasey was standing beside me panting heavily because she was worn out. Daisy, on the other hand, was still running around the houses. All I can say is Thank Goodness we live on a dead-end road!! At least we didn't have traffic to contend with!

Somehow, Daisy started milling around the kids and Sarah was able to grab her collar! Wes quickly put the chain collar and leash on Daisy and we headed back home, after profusely thanking everyone for their help. Kasey was hilarious, because she cut across Ms. Peggy's and Tom's yards in order to get home as fast as possible! There was no staying on the driveway for her; she was headed to the house in a straight line!

After all that walking and excitement, I was absolutely exhausted. I got back to the house and collapsed in my chair. I told Wessy to bring Daisy in with us. I figured she had to be tired after all that, but it took her 45 mintues to finally settle down. She even tried to get Kasey to play with her! Kasey looked at her as if to say, "Are you INSANE?! I'm tired!" She wouldn't even move.

I took Daisy home around 8:30 so that I could feed Kasey and Chet without worrying about her eating Kasey's food. I figured she'd just fall right asleep once she was home, which she pretty much did.

The rest of the evening was quiet and I worked on choosing classes to replace the ones that wouldn't transfer. I'm pretty sure I have everything worked out for my degree. Now I have to figure out when I'm going to take the courses and whether I'm going to register for the one 15-week Spring term and take three courses (10 credits), or if I'm going to take the two 8-week spring sessions and do two courses each sesssion.

If I do that, I can take four courses in the same amount of time and earn 14 credits. If I can get my lab sciences and another class in those 8-week sessions, I may just do it. I'm also hoping that the College Algebra is offered during the 2-week winter term. It would be really nice to get that out of the way! I'm hoping to take care of my Computer Technology requirement by taking the CLEP test. I just have to find study materials.

Since I can't do a full-time schedule, I'm trying to find ways to fit in classes here and there to earn more credits each term. It all depends on what classes are offered in the shorter sessions, though. I'd also like to take two classes next summer, one in each of the 6-week sessions that are offered. I'm impatiently waiting for the school to release the Winter, Spring, and Summer credit courses. I feel better when I can have everything planned out so there are no surprises.

Tomorrow is another dialysis day, but it's also Borders Stitching Night, so I'm looking forward to it!

February 10, 2009

Today was my non-dialysis day and yet I didn't pick up my needle until 11pm. I was able to make some nice progress in that hour before midnight and here it is.

Today was mostly spent reading emails, chatting on IM's, and watching shows I had recorded on my DVR.

Kasey helped catch Daisy again today...and yesterday, too. It's beginning to become a habit. Once she gets loose, Daisy comes over and barks for Kasey to come play. It reminds me of when my brother and I were kids and our friends would come knock on the door to ask if we could come outside. This is just the puppy version.

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 26, 2009

Today started off with a bang, that's for sure. I let Kasey out this morning and she disappeared on me. I called her a few times and didn't hear leaves rustle or anything, so I went back inside to get my coat to go look for her. I heard the neighbor's dog barking and headed over to their back yard. As I crossed over the property line, Daisy flew by me with Kasey in hot pursuit.

I went home to get a leash to put on Daisy and was running options through my head. I knew I probably couldn't get her back into her run without her father getting loose so I briefly considered letting her come into my house with Kasey and I. She's a hyper little girl, though, and I had to leave for dialysis around 3pm, so I dismissed that idea. Luckily the side door of the neighbor's house wasn't locked so I put Daisy in her crate. Actually, "put" isn't the right word, as she got in before I could get the leash off her.

I called and left a message on R&C's answering machine so they wouldn't worry about what happened. I also called and spoke to C this evening when I returned home from dialysis to make sure everything was okay with Daisy. C said she is going to think up something nice to do for me, despite my fervent protests. They're such great neighbors; I will really miss them if I move.

More goodies arrived today! I received the third part of my trade with Debi. She sent me "Feathertown USA Home Tweet Home" by Jeremiah Junction and "Quilt Sampler XII" by Linda Myers. Thank you D! One of these years I'm going to have to stitch all my mini quilt blocks! I think I have enough of them to last a full year (or more!), too!
Also in today's mail was the second part of my January order from Wasatch Needlecraft. Karen had this Laura J. Perin design on sale so I couldn't pass it up. It even came with the seed beads. She included the Gloriana ribbon for the rings of "My Stitching Album" by Jeannette Douglas and the Dinky Dyes "Mystic Pools" for the "Amethyst Sewing Bag." The fabric is for my "Patriotic Wishes I & II" from Blue Ribbon Designs. I've chosen to stitch them all on one piece of fabric instead of making them into separate pillow ornaments. I'm using 32ct Ivory evenweave instead of the "Attic Lace" from Lakeside Linens that was called for.
This is my progress on the cover of A Stitcher's Companion. I have to finish my initials, BMH, on the spine of the cover and then add the Rhodes stitches. I may hold off on the Rhodes stitches until later, though, because I'm afraid they might get crushed by my QSnaps. I still have four more pages and two pockets to stitch.

New Year's Day

Here's a picture of the kids as they rang in the New Year with me.

There was a knock on my door around noon today. It was Casey from next door inviting me to their annual open house this afternoon. While we were chatting, I found out that Kasey had a partner in crime yesterday! Casey told me that Daisy and Kasey were outside playing and then disappeared. She said they were out for about 45 minutes and she didn't see them. After driving around the neighborhood looking for them, she found them rolling around in the grass in her yard. Apparently Kasey has taught Daisy the joys of rolling in grass and leaves! In return, Daisy took Kasey down to the creek. They're corrupting one another!

Casey said that Daisy was black with mud and she wouldn't be caught, so she called Kasey to her and was able to get Daisy to follow Kasey into the house. She told me again how good Kasey is and how she helps them catch Daisy. I'm just glad Kasey is playing so willingly with another dog. Usually she ignores them. She doesn't even pay attention to Daisy's father, Rory, so the girls playing together is good for both of them. Kasey needs the exercise and Daisy needs the dicipline. At least I know that Kasey stays close to home, so there's no worrying about the girls ending up down on the road or anything. That's one of the nice things about having a dog with separation issues: they don't roam far! Being at the end of a dead-end road helps, too. They can't go any further than two houses down because of a privacy fence on one side and the big fence blocking Rt 50 on the other. My only concern is all the brambles, hitch hikers, and raspberry bushes they run through! Oh, and the black mud from the cove, can't forget that!

I had a nice time visiting with my neighbors. The food was excellent and I even tried a new drink. Casey had Green Tea Ginger Ale by Canada Dry. I have to admit that it really didn't taste like tea, but I liked it. I returned home around 7pm, completely exhausted!

I took a nap from 8pm until almost midnight and woke up with a sore throat and runny nose. So much for going to Mary Ann's this weekend! I'll be home sleeping, reading, and feeling miserable! No wonder I slept for so long! I always go to bed and sleep when I'm sick. So if you don't hear from me for a day or two, I'm in bed!

December 22, 2008

Today was busy! First I went to the post office to mail the remainder of my Christmas cards. After that I had to go to three different Wawas to get my iced tea and a sub. I couldn't believe my luck! My Wawa lost power and was using battery backup to keep their coolers going. Last week I couldn't buy anything there because their credit card system wasn't working.

I went to the Wawa on Rt 50 and as I was standing in line they announced that the credit card system just went down. The man in line in front of me said that he couldn't buy gas in Delaware this morning for the same reason.

I went home and put the spaghetti on the stove to warm because it was already 2:30 and my brother was supposed to arrive at 3pm. I called Ben to let him know I had to go across town to the Edgewater Wawa and have him stir our spaghetti when he got here. I can't believe all the people out shopping today! There was a mile-long backup for the Mall exit on Rt. 50. Thank Goodness I didn't have any more errands to run!

Ben was already here when I got back. And Kasey is NO guard dog! She was laying on the floor panting nervously so I put some Peace & Calming oil on each of her front feet. She settled down and went to sleep within five minutes and was perfectly fine with Ben being here after that.

After we polished off all the spaghetti I made last night we cleaned out the back seats of my truck so that I can put them down to expand my cargo area. Now there's a place for Kasey to lay behind the front seats. I've started loading everything into the "way back" in preparation for going to Mom's.

I talked to my neighbor's daughters today and asked them to keep an eye on the house for me. Their puppy was outside running loose so I let Kasey out to play with her. Daisy fawns all over Kasey and the two of them love playing together. They ran around our yards for about a half hour before I went outside and walked next door. The only way we can get Daisy back inside is if Kasey "leads" her. It works beautifully! Whenever Daisy gets loose they ask me to let Kasey out and she "catches" the puppy for us.

After Ben finished cleaning out the front passenger floorboard of his car we took the trash and recycling down to the end of the driveway. On the way down we passed my other neighbor. Tom hasn't seen Ben since he was little and didn't even know who he was. That made me laugh. Running into him like that gave me the chance to let him know, too, that I would be gone. So now both neighbors will be watching the house for me. Everyone offered to check on the cats for me, but I let them know they'd be okay while I was gone. It just makes me feel better to know they'll all be keeping an eye out.

I made myself leave the computer alone this evening and wrapped all my Christmas gifts. There weren't alot this year but I have a little something for everyone. I also wrapped my little sister's birthday present. Sarah turns 23 tomorrow. Happy Birthday, Pee Wee! Love ya!

The only things left on my to-do list are to pick up Kasey's brush from the Muddy Paw Wash and to pack our stuff. The truck is ready to go, except for stopping on the way out of town to get gas. I'm leaving earlier than planned because bad weather is moving in on Wednesday. I don't want to drive 80 miles in bad weather!

I found this chart and measuring tape in the package for Day 22. The chart is Star Delight by Needlemania and the tape measure almost matches the colors in it! This is going straight into my sewing kit! Thank you once again, Amy! Now Debi and I can stitch SD together! She already has the chart.

Use the links across the top of the page to find even more freebies, including monthly quilt squares:
http://juggybugdesigns.weebly.com/index.html

craftdesigns4you.com has both cross stitch and plastic canvas charts:
http://www.craftdesigns4you.com/free.htm

October 31, 2008

I seem to be getting into the bad habit of waking up IN THE MORNING! You would think that by going to sleep after 5am I would be able to stay that way until around 1pm. That just isn't happening! I don't know why, but I keep waking up at 9:30. I did it again today so I went and ran errands. I had a massive post office run and mailed trades off to Cynthia, Marcy, Linda, Christine, Cherie, Debi, Glenda, and Carla.

After the post office I stopped at the credit union and the gas station. I know gas is less expensive across town, but $2.34 wasn't too bad. Since prices keep dropping I didn't fill up but put just enough in for the next week or so.

I really wanted to go back to bed when I returned home but I had to stay awake so that I could get to my dialysis treatment on time. I didn't do any stitching there because I was so tired. I was afraid I would make a mistake so my stitching remained in its bag. I did get alot of reading done before I dozed off, though. Once I got home, I was out like a light! I didn't wake up until almost 8pm.

Happy Halloween, everyone!! (No, this is not Kasey, but a picture that's been floating around the internet)

Uncle Wes said we didn't have any trick or treaters here this year, but I was ready with Kit Kat's and mini Reece's cups! Once we turned the outside lights off I stuck them all back in the freezer so I can enjoy them at my leisure. Now I have some sweet snacks for when my almost-always-absent sweet tooth makes an appearance.

After I woke up from my nap, I went back to work on Amethyst Snowflake by Just Nan. The outline is finally complete!! I finished it at 11:54pm, six minutes before midnight. I started the diamond eyelet stitches because they're also in white, although it's #12 perle instead of #8. I figure I might as well get all the white stitches in and wash it once, rather than washing it and then finding out the eyelets need to be washed as well.

My first errand tomorrow is going to be getting a few gallons of water from the store in which to hand wash Amethyst Snowflake. Unfortunately we're on well water here and there is alot of iron in it. I use a water filter, but I don't trust it to remove all the iron and not stain my stitching.

Another trade arrived today! I received four skeins of Soie d'Alger silk floss from Marcy in WI in exchange for a kit I sent to her. Thank you Marcy! ...and thank you for the extra skein; three would have been plenty!

I'm not sure if I'm going to get alot of stitching done this weekend. The local chapter of the Embroiderer's Guild of America is having a stash sale/swap at their monthly meeting on Monday morning so I have to get ready for that. Everything that I am not going to stitch or use is going with me. I have to print out my price list for all my charts and get everything into rolling totes that I can lift in and out of my truck by myself. I also have to remove the tape residue from my scroll frames so I can possibly get rid of them, too. I'm thinking the only thing that's going to work is sandpaper, so I may be going to Home Depot tomorrow while I'm out getting that water. The fun never ends, I tell ya!!

So here's your last chance: If there is anything in my For Sale or Trade blog that you would like, speak now! I am hoping that the turnout at the EGA meeting is good, and that everyone comes with stash to trade and money to buy things. The Saturday Interest Group affiliated with the EGA chapter is also having a stash sale/swap on the 15th and I have RSVP'd for that as well. My goal is to empty at least two of the four drawers of trade stash that I have. It would be great if I could trade or sell all the scroll frames because they take up so much room. Wish me luck!

October 30, 2008

Today was one of my usual relaxing days, except I woke up too early. I finally fell asleep around 5am, but I was wide awake at 9:30. That sorta threw everything off. I worked on Amethyst Snowflake until I couldn't keep my eyes open. Around noon I went back to sleep and didn't wake up until almost 5pm.

Kasey wanted to go outside, so I opened the door and let her run loose. After a few minutes I heard alot of barking, so I called her and she came running. Right on her heels was a white blur, my neighbor's English Setter puppy, Daisy. Daisy and Kasey were running around the house and Daisy was a little scared. I got Kasey back out the door and Daisy followed her. Then Casey, my neighbor's youngest daughter, came over with Daisy's father on a leash. Casey apologized for Daisy getting away from her. She usually stays right with Rory. I told her it was no problem at all because Kasey Kay needs to run around some and she and Daisy seem to have hit it off. They were wrestling and running around the yard, falling into piles of leaves, and having a great time together.

Casey took Rory home and came back for Daisy. I loaned her a leash and off they went. A few minutes later, Casey brought the leash back and told me that Daisy pushed her over and got back out the door, so I said "Kasey will get her for you." I let Kasey back outside and said "Go get her!" She ran over to my other neighbor's yard and Daisy followed her back into our yard. Daisy then ran into the carport where Casey and I could catch her. I told Casey to bring her over any time to play with Kasey Kay. Since Kasey won't go far, we can let them play without leashes and they'll stay close to home. Dogs being the pack animals they are, Daisy won't stray far from Kasey Kay. Now the neighbors know that if they need to catch Daisy, all they have to do is use Kasey!

Two trades arrived today! First was Told in a Garden's Ribbons & Roses from Christine. Next was a package of homemade goodies from Carla. I received Sage, Amber, Narcissus, Heliotrope, and Light Lavender essential oils, Lavender hand lotion, and two containers of lip balm. I'm already in love with the lip balm and lotion! They feel wonderful! I've also put some of the sage oil into the terracotta diffuser in my bedroom.

I forgot to tell you all about another goody that arrived yesterday! It's Chapter Two of My Stitching Album from Jeannette Douglas Designs. Chapter Two is titled Milanese Moment. I like the colors in this part even more than in Part 1. I'm going to have to make sure this gets to Mom's as soon as possible so that I'm not tempted to start it. I promised myself I wouldn't start any of it until after New Year's Eve. Once finished, there will be a pocket on the back of the page to hold the mother of pearl thread winder that I purchased with this chapter. I opted not to purchase the wooden thread pallette for Part I, but I might change my mind and get it later.

I decided to do my grocery shopping tonight and went to check out the new Target in Parole. The grocery section wasn't much, but I was able to use my $5 coupon that came in the mail. I also picked up a few other things I needed, such as my naproxen. That's the only thing I can take for headaches because Excedrin causes bad side-effects.

I was hoping to complete the outline of Amethyst Snowflake today but I still have two motifs to stitch. There is also another motif that is quite dirty, so I've decided to wash this after all the outlining is done rather than frog and re-stitch the dirty motif. I thought I got through all the dirty floss on the outside of the spool but I was obviously mistaken. I don't think you need me to tell you which motif it is, it's that obvious.