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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

July 21, 2009 - The Infamous Anniversary

What infamous anniversary? you ask. Today is the 16th anniversary of my first surgery. That seems like a lifetime ago. In the interim, I've lost track of the additional surgeries I've had. That's probably not a bad thing. So many things have happened in my life during that time, both good and bad. I've learned from each of them so wouldn't think of turning back the clock, even if I could.

Thursday is a much happier anniversary! Kasey will be turning 7 this week! I estimate her birthday from the day I adopted her because she was surrendered to animal control with 17 other Goldens on Memorial Day weekend 2003. I signed the papers on May 23rd (Breanna's birthday) and my vet and I agreed Kasey was about 10 months old. The papers Animal Control was given were obviously for another dog because they indicated "Sandy" was two-and-a-half years old. Yet the puppy I adopted didn't answer to Sandy. When we said "Kasey" she looked right at us. And that is how she got her name. She is Kasey Kay because my neighbor's youngest daughter is Casey (and their last name starts with C). That way, when I go outside to call my Kasey, Casey next door doesn't think I'm yelling at her!

I called the office of one of my specialists, informing them that I wanted to pay my balance and make an appointment. Their new computer system will not allow you to make an appointment if you have a balance and I knew this. I was transferred to billing and went straight into voice mail. The message says that they will not check the voice mail until 2pm and they will take up to 72 hours to return the call. It was only 9am, so the soonest they would get back to me was in five hours.

I hit the "0" for the operator and went back to scheduling. I explained that I needed to make an appointment as soon as possible because my stents were almost a year old. I asked her if she could take my credit card number so that I can schedule my appointment. She started going off on me about not being able to override the system and that I had to talk to billing because it has to go through their system. I couldn't believe someone was arguing with me over a bill I wanted to pay!

She kept going on and on so I just said, "Fine! I'll go to the office and pay it!" and I did! The office is about a mile from home and I've been going there for fifteen years. I know the front desk admin assistant very well. I told Shannon what happened and she shook her head and covered her eyes. She took my credit card, scanned it, called billing and told them to change my account status, and booked me an appointment for tomorrow! I was not expecting one that soon, but that is the kind of service I usually get from the office. Not to sound superior, but obviously the operator hasn't been around long, otherwise she'd know I'm a long-time patient.

After getting that issue handled, I went to my PCP's office. That office is less than a mile from the first, in the opposite direction from home. When I called there for an appointment, I was transferred to triage and received a message that my call would be returned within 24 hours.

First, I'm not sure why I was transferred to triage, but second, I waited a few hours without receiving a call before leaving the house. I've had a rash on my abdomen that sometimes flares up and have already seen a nurse for it. She didn't have the authority to do cultures or write prescriptions so she referred me back to my Primary.

When we arrived (Kasey was with me through all this, of course), I went to the desk and asked to make an appointment. I told them what was going on and that I'd already seen a nurse. I was informed that the probable reason I was transferred to triage was because I said "infection" and the operator thought I needed an appointment right away. I told them that I wasn't so pushy as to ask for an appointment today, or even tomorrow, but I would like to make one as soon as possible before the doctor is booked for the next several weeks.

They actually got me in to see the nurse practitioner (CRNP) then and there! Gail was very nice. She acted like we've met before, but I don't remember it. I felt so bad! She took a culture of the spot that was bothering me and wrote a prescription for a cream. She said she wanted to hold off on any antibiotics until she knew what type of bacteria it was and what it's sensitive to. That should be no more than four days. She also gave me a few suggestions of things to try in the meantime.

Sorry for ranting again, but WHY is it soooo hard to get people on the phone these days?! Sometimes I want voicemail in businesses to be outlawed! No one answers when their phone rings because they know voicemail will pick it up. What happened to good customer service and returning calls right away? Especially when you work for a doctor! Sick people can't wait 72 or even 24 hours! I'm not going to bother calling the offices anymore. I'm just gonna show up and attend to business that way. At least I don't get queued or brushed off! End of rant. Thank you for staying with me.

Because we were already in West Annapolis, I took Kasey to Woofs & Whiskers Pet Boutique on Annapolis Street. Terry wasn't there, but the mini freezer was full of doggie ice cream. They didn't have any tuna or salmon, but I bought a cup of cheeseburger and a cup of chunky chicken for Kasey to enjoy on her birthday. We were both done in by the heat so we headed home.

A couple hours later, after resting under the living room fan, I had enough energy to go out for the things Gail suggested. There was even time after running those errands to sit and stitch a bit longer.

We left for the Heirloom Stitchers' meeting around 5pm, stopping at Wendy's on the way. Kasey got a Jr Bacon Cheeseburger with no toppings. I should have gotten it with lettuce and tomato since she likes both of those, but I completely forgot. She thoroughly enjoyed it, nonetheless!

There were four of us at Heir-looms this month and we had a nice time catching up, stitch-ing, and sharing stories. I even did more work on Ocean Star!

By the time I got home I was utterly exhausted. I sent one last Facebook update and went to bed, at 10:15pm!!! It is almost unheard of, for me to go to sleep before midnight.

July 9, 2009 - Loooong Day!

I knew it would be, but still...

Kasey and I left for Barnes & Noble at 12:45, stopping at my doctor's office along the way to get a referral for an appointment I have tomorrow morning. We arrived at B&N shortly after 1pm and stitched until 3:52. I made decent progress on Ocean Star despite chatting with a new member, Kathy, about online jobs, school, and networking. I'm so glad I was there today! Kathy is going to be a huge help in getting my resume, Visual CV, and job search kick-started.

I was supposed to be at DoRS at 4:00. I kept checking the time and somehow that last 40 minutes got away from me. I looked at my phone at 3:08 and the next thing I knew it was 3:52! Why does that always happen?

I made it across town in record time, but I was five minutes late for my appointment. Since Sue was 20 minutes late for our last one, I knew she wouldn't mind. She and I discussed my findings regarding the Medical Coding Certificate at AACC and when she heard how long it takes and the courses required, even she didn't want me going that route. She agreed it was too much medicalese.

I told her that my heart was still with proofreading/writing/editing and she checked my career assessment, her notes, and the DoRS rules and I now have the go-ahead to get my four-year degree! The community college doesn't offer a Journalism or English course of study, so I will have to create my own. After looking at the University of Maryland's course requirements for Journalism, that's not really the route I want to take, either. I'm pretty sure I'll wind up being an English major once I transfer to a four-year university. I don't want to be a reporter, I want to be a writer and or editor.

My next step is to apply to Anne Arundel Community College and meet with the Disability Services and Academic Advisors. I have to have an appointment for the DSS office, but Academic Advising is on a walk-in basis.

After my appointment with Sue, Kasey and I went home to wait for Sarah to call. Once she got home I went over to pick her up and we headed to our first stop. We went to Food Lion, Trader Joe's, and Shoppers Food. We got back to my house and brought all my groceries in. Sarah helped me by taking some of the meats down to the chest freezer in the basement. We left all the non-perishables in the kitchen while I took her home. Tyler helped unload all their groceries and I headed back home. It was 11:30 by the time I arrived back home. Then I had to finish putting all my groceries away.

Kasey helped though! When I stepped into the kitchen I found an empty bag. It had been 24 Martin's Party Rolls. She ate every single one. I let her live, but only because I had six more packages of them. I eat them for snacks all the time. Anna and Caleb love them, too. So I bought every one that Food Lion had. Sarah bought the one pack that Shoppers had because she had to try them after I told her how good they were.

July 2-3, From Annapolis to Elkton to Blue Ball

Sorry! I just couldn't resist. My brothers are pervs when they get together and they always thought the names of Pennsylvania towns like Intercourse, Virginsville, and Blue Ball were hilarious. When Mom moved to Elkton we found Blue Ball Road nearby and of course Ian and Ben had to say something. Now Ian lives 15 minutes outside a town called Blue Ball, so I'm sure the novelty has worn off. But I still couldn't resist. We were there, Mom and I. Several times on Friday, in fact. Mom didn't realize we'd already been through there a few times when we headed back to make our fifth and last stop...but that's for later.

First, I need to back-track to Thursday. After stitching most of the night, blogging, and reading email, I finally decided just to stay up so that I could take Kasey to the dog wash as soon as it opened. I made it, but I was a half-hour early as I thought they opened at 8am rather than 9am. Kasey didn't look at the toys so I didn't bother buying her a new one. It's not like she needs more toys, anyway. Her toy basket already overflows when I try to put them all away.

While she was being bathed I headed back down to the Eastport Post Office to mail some RAK's and other things. If I have your address, start stalking your mailman. I sent stuff all over the country, and to at least one other country for that matter! I have three more packages that need to go out but they weigh over 13oz and have to be sent Priority. They will have to wait.

I came home and goofed around on Facebook some more, read more email, and then Mr. Exhaustion caught up to me around noon. That was it! I was out! I missed stitching at Barnes & Noble because I slept through it. And then I could only sleep until 4pm.

Mom called around 6pm to ask me to come up tonight so that we could go to some stores near Lancaster tomorrow. She said she had everything mapped out and directions printed, but there were some things she wanted to get and a smorgasboard someone told her about that she wanted to eat at.

I left around 8:30 because traffic was horrendous today. I stopped at Wendy's to get a Double Stack for me and a plain hamburger for Kasey for dinner. I figured the burgers would tide us both over until we got to Mom's to have a real dinner. Other than a short delay at the Bay Bridge tolls our trip to Elkton was uneventful and we arrived shortly before 10pm.

As a sign of how comfortable Kasey has gotten with Jake and Ricco, she ate her dinner while they were in the room with her. Usually I have to feed her in my bedroom after we go to bed because she will not eat around any other dogs (a result of my old Saluki attacking over food). Apparently she's figured out that the boys are completely safe and won't jump her while she's eating.

Mom said she wanted to get an early start so everyone went to bed early. Sleep didn't cooperate with me, even though I only slept for four hours this afternoon. I was completely frustrated, but I was able to read half a book. After getting only four hours of sleep, AGAIN, I woke up at 8am and dragged myself out of bed and downstairs.

Mom and I left for Pennsylvania at 9:30. She had four stores she wanted to visit, plus stopping by my brother's apartment to see Ian and Sara. Our first destination (after passing through Blue Ball) was Weaver's Store Incorporated where Mom was looking for curtains. We didn't find any there, but many of the store employees stopped us to ask about Kasey. One of the ladies told me that service dog puppy raisers like to bring their puppies in there to expose them to all the different sights and sounds. I thought it was wonderful that they were all so welcoming. I picked up two chew bones for Kasey. I thought $2 a piece was great, considering the last one I gave her was $7. Granted, the other one was bigger, but these should last her a while, at least.

My search of Weaver's shoe department didn't turn up any prospects to join my collection. I'm tired of plastic shoes or shoes whose soles make me fell as if I'm walking in bare feet. I need some cushion, but I can't stand tennis shoes. I only wear slip-on shoes in the summer. And absolutely no socks! My feet need air in nice weather, daggummit!

Next was Shady Maple (going through Blue Ball to get there). Mom kept telling me about this huge smorgasboard she heard about. She wanted to try it out. Apparenly everyone else in the Northeast heard about it, too, because it was packed! I opened the door and the man in front of me turned around and walked back out. The cachophany of noise hit Kasey's ears and she backed up as if to say "Not me!" I saw the line that I couldn't find the beginning of and said "Absolutely NOT!" Thank Goodness for cell phones, because Mom hadn't even returned from parking the car yet. I knew she wouldn't be able to find us in the crush. I called her and told her about the long line and Kasey's reaction to the noise and suggested we go downstairs to the Dutchette Restaurant.

That's where we wound up eating. It was cafeteria/salad bar style, but the food was good. Mom had a turkey club that she enjoyed. She was pleased that it was real sliced turkey and not "slimey" lunchmeat. I had the potato bar and Kasey enjoyed a bowl of ice water. They even had the tiny ice cubes that she likes. For under $12 for the two meals, with drinks, it was a nice lunch.

After eating we went to the attached Gift Shop, which is a misnomer. The place takes up the entire downstairs of the building, with the restaurant to one side. The website says it's 40,000 square feet. The building itself is ginormous! They had toys, a quilt shop, candles, wind chimes, home decor, souveniers, collectibles, you name it! Mom found some gifts and some textiles for her mantle and end tables but nothing really caught my eye.

The Gift Shop building was behind the Shady Maple Farm Market and Good's Store so Good's was our next stop. There Mom found her curtains and I found a pair of shoes. She also found a lighter-weight fleece jacket for only $13. After all the walking around and the lack of sleep I was starting to feel worn out.

Mom decided not to go to the Farm Market so we headed to Leola, PA (passing through Blue ball once again), to see Ian and Sara. We were behind this buggy for a short while on the way there. After sitting down and chatting for a while, Mom wanted to go to Intercourse to a candle shop she previously visited. I was comfortable on the couch talking to my brother. Kasey was contentedly laying on the floor. So Mom and Sara went to the candle store while Ian and I talked and then watched part of Episode 1 of Band of Brothers. He also gave me my "late birthday present," his DVD set of Band of Brothers. I'd been asking to borrow it for a while but he gave it to me because he bought the Blue-Ray edition.

When Mom and Sara returned it was time to go. The last stop of the day was in Blue ball, the Flower and Craft Warehouse. On the way to the F&CWh, we were gifted with this beautiful sight. I took other pictures of the rainbow, but this one shows it best. Just my luck: every "store" mom wanted to go to today was the size of a damn warehouse! Jewelry Store, Candle Shop, Scrapbook & Bead Shop, Gift Shop...it didn't end! I looked through the cross stitch section and didn't find much. I picked up two Lemon Lavender Yankee Candle votives because that's my favorite scent. I wanted the tiny jar candle but they didn't have any.

I finally caught up with Mom in the fake flower store where she was looking for something to put in the watering can she recently bought for the hearth. By that time I'd also been upstairs to the Gift Shop. I was absolutely done in. I told Mom I'd wait for her out front because I was going to sit on one of the benches. The two padded benches were taken by husbands who obviously didn't want to follow their wives around the stores, so Kasey and I went into the elevator lobby (Now why couldn't I see that darn elevator when I was going upstairs? Kasey and I took the steps.) and sat on one of the wooden benches.

After sitting there for a little while, I got tired and laid myself down on the wooden slats. Kasey plopped down right in front of me, almost under the bench. And I fell asleep! I woke up with a group of ladies asking me if I was okay. I told them I was just tired. The next time I awoke, it was to one of the employees in the office asking if I needed help. She asked me if I drove myself and was relieved to hear I had someone with me. I told her, too, that I was tired out from a long day of shopping.

Mom finally came out after about a half hour and we headed back towards Elkton. Since it was almost 7pm and we hadn't eaten since lunch at 1:00, I was hungry. I told Mom to stop at the first Wawa she could find. Both of us had an Italian sub and then we were back on the road.

We arrived home at 9:00pm and I went straight up to my room and fell asleep. I even forgot to feed Kasey. I'm sorry, Kay-Kay!

June 9, 2009

9:30am...that's what time Miss Kasey Kay got me out of bed. I went to sleep after 3am. Doesn't she know by now that her Mom needs to sleep?! She has got to stop doing this to me! She's supposed to adjust to my schedule, not the other way around, darnit!

Well, I was up and bored, so I decided to go to Bath & Body Works in Elkton to take advantage of their Big Sale: Antibacterial soaps are 4/$10! I needed more Kitchen Lemon but they were out. Instead, I picked up some White Citrus and some Pineapple to try. I've never seen these scents before. I also purchased two bottles of the foaming antibacterial hand cleaner. Since I can't use the hand sanitizers made from alcohol because they burn my hands, these B&BW foaming hand cleaners are my best alternative. I love the Peppermint, but they only have it at Christmas. They should carry it year-round and change the packaging so it doesn't have candy canes on it. JMHO.

I had Mom's Garmin GPS unit and also went to Michael's at Christiana Mall. There, I found some goodies for "Thinking of You" gifts and possible exchanges, as well as some knitting needle point protectors that were on clearance, along with these leather and plastic "thimbles." As you can see, they're not the traditional thimbles we think of, but are worn as a ring between the first and second knuckles from the fingertip. I'm going to try them out and will let you know what I think. I use the point protectors for the tips of my embroidery scissors. One of my green ones has walked off, so these will be a perfect back-up supply.

Mom called as I was driving to Michaels to tell me that she'd be home at noon and would be able go to the LNS in Pennsylvania. I went back to the house and cleaned out the truck, which it needed anyway, and waited about an hour for Mom to get home. On our way through Newark, we stopped at Wawa so I could get my sub for lunch. Mom had already eaten, so I was on my own. I also picked up a salad for dinner and placed it in the little cooler I'd brought along.

So...Fireside Stitchery...sensory overload. OMG, it is amazing! They have so many different lines of fibers, all sorted by content. Silks in one section, cottons in another, wool on the other side, Wool/silk blends together. And wide aisles. It was so refreshing to walk into a shop in which you didn't have to worry about knocking over merchandise! (I apologize for not getting pictures...look HERE)

Of course the first thing that was said after, "Hello, welcome!" was, "Am I allowed to pet her?" I couldn't resist either of the pleading looks I received, so I had Kasey sit to be adored. The next question was, "May I get her a cup of water?" So I pulled out her collapsable bowl to which they exclaimed, "Mom comes prepared!" Judy plopped it down in the middle of an aisle for Kasey. I was surprised it wasn't put in an out-of-the-way place, but these were obviously doggy people.

I moved the water over to the Caron Watercolours section and Kasey flopped onto her side and took a nap. After pulling the Antique Jewel Tone colors for From Nancy's Needle's Amish Trip Around the World Quilt, I went to work increasing the purple-y-ness. I gathered the colors, after about an hour of switching out this fiber for that fiber, took a step back, and wasn't satisfied. I decided to pull the "Jewel Tones" Nancy gave as a selection and was much happier with them. I made one switch, from #5 Perle DMC 996 to Watercolours Ocean Breeze. We all agreed that the 996 stood out too much for us. This is the final selection in the order they appear, top to bottom, from the center out. I've substituted three regular DMC skeins for the #5 Perle cottons that are on order so that you can at least see the colors.














The colors are:
DMC #5 Perle 602-Cranberry
Watercolours 037-Fuchsia
DMC #5 Perle 915-Plum
Watercolours 209-Iris
DMC #5 Perle 333-Violet Blue
Watercolours 181-Ocean Breeze
Watercolours 068-Mediterranean
DMC #5 Perle 3814-Aquamarine
Watercolours 041-Blueberry

Oh, yeah...I was just supposed to make a shopping list, right? HaHaHaHaHaHaHa! Puh-LEEZE! I was in so much denial! I couldn't walk out without buying anything after all the help I received. There was no way I'd do that!

After more than an hour working on ATATWQ, during which time Mom did her own browsing and kitting up, I might add, I started on chart number two, Desert Star by From Nancy's Needle. Of course, it's another quilt square. I purchased both of these for $2.00 at the EGA stash swap last fall.

The purple-y-ness continues! I am very excited to see this one completed. It may be my next WIP, but we will have to see. This picture also shows the colors in the order they'll appear in the center motif, from the middle out.













They are:
DMC #5 Perle 327-Dark Violet
Gold Rush 14 286C-Purple Metallic
Watercolours 233-Glacier
Watercolours 209-Iris
DMC #5 Perle 209-Light Violet
Gold Rush 14 286C-Purple Metallic
Watercolours 146 Moonglow

Believe it or not, Mom spent almost twice as much as I did! I thought I would break the bank but only spent $60. My LCKQ costed almost $40 just for the fibers, so I was very pleased to kit up two charts for an average of $30 each.

I'll have to get Mom to send a pic of her stash, but she purchased a series also by From Nancy's Needle. She took home Spring and Summer, kitted up Spring, and ordered Autumn and Winter. She would like to have them all displayed together in frames when she (I'm on standby, though) completes the stitching.

I cannot say enough about the wonderful service we received! We had so much help kitting up our projects. Mom and I both want to go back already. I never even looked at fabric because I was so engrossed in all the fibers arrayed before my eyes. Not only that, but we were there half an hour after they closed but not a word was said to rush us on our way. I'll also be sure to take pictures next time! Fireside Stitchery is definitely at the top of my list for Favorite LNS!

The drive home was interesting, to say the least! Instead of getting stuck on south-bound I-95 in rush hour around Wilmington, DE, we drove East on Rt 30 in Pennsylvania to meet up with Rt 10 south. The entire way we were behind storms. The lightning shot across the sky in front of us. We saw several strikes that looked like they hit the ground. The light show was amazing. Somehow we managed to stay on the outer bands of it, never getting into the severe part of the storm.

Upon arriving back at the house, I opened the door from the garage into the kitchen to the mass destruction of Hurricane Ricco. Mom and Dad were told that Ricco was afraid of storms, but someone has always been home when one hit. This time Ben was at work and were were up in Pennsylvania. The poor guy was panting like he'd run a hundred-mile race so it was obvious he was very upset.

Directly inside the door, the paper shredder was on its side, confetti-sized pieces of paper strewn across the kitchen floor.

I took two steps forward and looked into the living room. I covered my mouth and said, "OhMyGod!" All I could think was that Dad would have a conniption fit-good thing he was out of town. The carpet padding (the rug is out being cleaned) was in a huge pile with small chunks all over the place. This is what it looked like after Mom straightened it out.

Jake's bed and pillow were both pulled into the kitchen from the laundry room, and the baby gate was knocked over.

Somehow Ricco managed to eat Kasey's dinner without ripping the Ziploc bag is was in. We think the force of it falling off the counter popped it open. Still, he ate Kasey's dinner and I didn't have any extra. Ben picked up a small bag, for which I paid a king's ransom, on his way home from work.

I went upstairs to discover the mess he made there. Thank goodness the basement door was closed! He would've gotten all three floors if that were the case. Anyway, Ricco dumped out the trash can beside my bed (there was alot more trash under the pillow),

pulled the pillow off the bed, pulled the blankets down, flipped my overnight bag, pulled the pillow and blanket off the quilt rack, and pulled the clothes out of my bag.



In my bathroom, Ricco rearranged the rugs. The rug in front of the door should have been covering the middle of the area of open floor and the rug beside it was carried from the spot from which I took the picture. The yellow bath mat also should have been behind where I was standing when I took the picture.

I think that's all. Needless to say, the next time a storm is forcasted and no one will be home with him, Hurricane Ricco will be crated to forestall his devistation. I told Mom she was lucky becuase he could have shredded the furniture instead. I wouldn't want to be around for that!

Ricco calmed down shortly after Mom and I returned home. He stayed in the kitchen/dining room with us but averted his eyes and put his ears down whenever someone talked to or looked at him. He knew he had been a bad boy!

Mom wanted to give the dogs a treat and see if she could get all three to sit at once. I told her that all she had to do in order for Kasey to sit was to have a treat in her hand. Sure enough, as soon as Kasey saw treats, her butt hit the floor. She started out sitting beside Ricco but kept scooching forward while Mom got Ricco and Jake to sit. She's a super scoocher, too, as is evident by her final position. She wasn't getting left out of Treat Time! Talk about food motivated!

April 6, 2009

Since I was on such a roll when the clock struck midnight I kept right on stitching...until 3am when I realized I had a 10am Embroiderer's Guild (EGA) meeting in Ellicott City. UGH! Of course I couldn't fall asleep right away so I only got about six hours of sleep this morning.

I was able to complete the border of Patriotic Hearts & Sampler Stitches and the T stitches in boxes 1 and 25 before going to bed. I was about 20 minutes late but, lucky for me, so were they. It was just starting when I arrived.

I continued working on PH&SS and did almost all of the blue parts of the hearts. I just have two more to do. I was very happy with the progress I've made.

I have made a couple changes to the designer's recommendations. It calls for cream evenweave but I'm using Antique White, and I replaced the Ecru Perle cotton with DMC 712 Perle because those were in my stash. I did a comparison of the 712 and Ecru using my color card and the difference is barely distinguishable. I also decided to use an overdye in place of the DMC 3033. I'm going with GAST Parchment instead.

On the way home from the meeting, Kasey and I went to WalMart and the optician to look for reading/sunglasses for the retreat. We stopped in next door to the pharmacy so that I could pick up more eye drops that the opthomologist prescribed and then we went home. I had about an hour to rest and eat before leaving for dialysis.

I was so exhausted from lack of sleep and being out and about this morning I could barely keep my eyes open towards the end of my treatment. When I got home I planned on going directly to sleep but remembered that I had a book on hold at the library I needed to pick up. Kasey and I also went to Walgreen's in Edgewater to check for the reading/sunglasses while we were out but did not find them there, either. If you know of a place that sells 1.0 diopter reading/sunglasses (no bifocals, please), PLEASE let me know! They don't sell them around Annapolis that I've found.

I rounded out my busy day with a relaxing evening, sitting in my chair, watching television, and playing MahJong. It's amazing how much time you lose when you're playing a game like that. Even as tired as I was, I stayed up past midnight.

March 3, 2009

Happy Birthday to Chetter-Bug! My Bug is 15 today. To celebrate, he was served a whole can of tuna fish. Chet was nice enough to leave a little for Kasey to lick up, but he ate almost the entire thing. Tuna fish is Chet's favorite, in case you couldn't tell.

Kasey has an upset tummy and is being fed rice along with her dry food. Cherie also reminded me that I have some essential oils that can help her, so I mixed some lavender oil, peppermint oil, and canola oil (to dilute the essential oils to prevent irritation) to rub on Kasey's belly. She promptly fell asleep on her couch and didn't move for more than two hours. If she's not better by Thursday, we are going to the vet.

Today was a day for errands! I went out and got my hair cut and styled, stopped at Wawa to re-charge my gift card, and then went home to get Kasey. I took her to Muddy Paw Wash (soon to be renamed Bark 'n Bean) where she went bonkers upon our arrival. She was a whirling dervish, running from one person to another to say hello. Mike took her to the wash area while I enjoyed a large Chai (free with the frequent visitor bonus) and talked with the girls in the lounge. On the way to Muddy Paw, we stopped at the Post Office so that I could get more stamps and send out my OW~OH giveaways. You can start stalking your mailmen tomorrow, ladies!

After leaving MPW I stopped by the Goodyear shop and made an appointment to get the back tires of Kasey's truck replaced. They gave me a better price for on-the-rim-and-out-the-door, plus road hazzard, than Mr Tire (who did the front tires) so I'm having them do the work this time. They're going to do the tires tomorrow while I wait so I'll be able to drive myself to dialysis afterwards.

I also returned the rubberized fingertips to Staples today. No questions asked, they refunded my money for the two boxes I'd purchased on Sunday. Thank you, Staples! They just didn't do what I needed them to do. One cannot stitch if one is unable to feel the needle!

Staples was our last stop before returning home, where I (obviously) played online today. After getting through all my emails and chatting for about an hour with the ladies in one of my groups, I watched a Hallmark movie, the 11 o'clock news, and Jay Leno before turning off the tv. While I was watching television I changed my blog background and text colors. I finally found a purple background I liked! What do you think? Please let me know if you have difficulty reading anything. That's one of my pet peeves about using different colors. Sometimes I think the blog owner doesn't go back and look at what they've created. If they re-read everything, they'd see that some colors make the words indecipherable.

No stitching today, but tomorrow will be different! Not only will I have about an hour while the tires are getting changed, but also Carol and I are meeting at Border's Books tomorrow evening to stitch together. I'll let you know how I do with the elevator. Maybe it was just a one-time thing.

I know I said Kasey has an upset tummy and I took her out with me. Don't worry, she is acting like she's at 100%. I'm not being a mean mommy by taking her out when she's sick. As a matter of fact, she probably would have read me the riot act if I tried to leave her home the second time I went out. She just had nasties coming out the hind end and she is asking to go outside a little more frequently than usual. If I didn't pay such close attention to her, I wouldn't even know something wasn't right. Nothing in her behavior, besides going outside more, indicates that she's feeling poorly. I'm just concerned because if it's something she ate, it should clear up in a few days.

January 5, 2009

123glitter.comHard to believe it's only been a year, but that's it!

You know how, when you have to go run errands, you make that list in your mind of the places you need to go and the order you'll go to them? Well, I did that today. I was going out this morning to make three stops. I decided to take Kasey with me because Uncle Wes got home at 11:29 last night and I didn't want her bothering him.

First we go to the grocery store. I need tissues. I've blown my nose through an entire box this past weekend. Easy in-and-out. Next up is one block behind Graul's Market at the Pharmacy. Pay for the prescription and get outta there. On to Wawa! I haven't had an Italian sub in a week! Tells you how bad I've been feelin', doesn't it? Order, pay, it's ready by the time I'm done at the counter.

So I get home and take a look at the prescription I picked up. The bottles are alot different and the price was only $2.55. Then I see it's a generic, which doesn't bother me, but the capsule size sure does! These are horse pills and I'm supposed to take four with everything I eat! Wait, there's no pill inside the capsule; it's powder! This won't work for me! The medication won't have time to work in my system unless I take it out of the capsules. It's easy with the name-brand because I just take the pill out of the capsules. This powder would taste awful out of the capsules! So I call the pharmacy; I have to bring them the prescription before they can look anything up.

Back out I go! Lucky for me the pharmacy is only about a mile from home! The name-brand medication is only $3.35 more! Yep! I want it, for sure! That'll save me alot of trouble and sour faces.

I get back home and settle in to enjoy a bottle of Wawa Lemonade Tea and my Italian sub. I open the roll to evenly redistribute the bacon like I always do. And I found out why my sub felt so light when I picked it up off the counter at the store. My Italian sub didn't have any Italian! It was mayonnaise, bacon, and cheese!

Back out I go! Wawa is only 2 miles in the other direction. I put the sub on the counter and Harold asks what I'm doing back. I start laughing and say "you forgot the Italian on my Italian sub! It's just bacon and cheese!" He starts laughing and joking that it was his co-worker's fault. She banters with the other customers about him blaming her for his mistake. I just laughed because this was certainly a first for me! I've had 'em forget my extra mayo or my bacon, but never the lunchmeat! Even though I asked that he simply put the lunchmeat on my sandwich, Harold made me an entirely new sub. I enjoyed it thoroughly when I returned to the house for the third time!

The remainder of the day was quite uneventful. I went to dialysis for my treatment and the nurse was able to get the dialysis doc to call in a Z-pack for me. I took my first dose of antibiotics with my dinner and I sincerely hope I'm feeling better by the weekend!

December 30, 2008

I woke up early today after going to bed extremely early last night, so I decided to do some shopping around Town. First, I went to Michael's and bought the knitting needle tip protectors for my three pairs of embroidery scissors. I also grabbed up some of the $1 packs of recipe cards, magnetic list pads, and journals at 40% off. These make great little exchange gifts later in the year.

Next was Bath & Body Works where I purchased some Warm Vanilla Sugar Waterless hand cleaner. I didn't know there was a foaming waterless hand cleaner that doesn't have alcohol as its main ingredient! This formula doesn't sting my hands where they've been ravaged by my last ezcema outbreak. I love it! Mom bought me the Twisted Peppermint for Christmas, but they didn't have any more. I also picked up some body spray to go with the lotion she gave me.

After B&BW I went to the other side of the shopping center to visit The Yarn Garden. I just wanted to browse through some of their charts to see if I find any that catch my eye. I liked several, but the cost of kitting them up would be prohibitive. Instead, I settled on one that was 50% off and used DMC and some other fibers. It's a purple ball-shaped ornament, so it's perfect for me! And at $3, I couldn't pass it up!

I decided to check out the new Target store to see what goodies they had. I wound up purchasing a data transfer cable for my desktop and laptop computers and a 4-port USB hub for the laptop. With the portable hard drive and new camera Mom gave me for Christmas, I was using all the ports on my laptop because my mouse is a wireless USB mouse. At the checkout I found the berry-flavored gum that Dad buys that I love. I also picked up a pack of the spearmint by the same people. It's made by Wrigley's and comes in a black box, it's sugar free-but that doesn't matter to me. The spearmint is called Rain and the berry is called Elixir. I don't chew gum often unless I'm in the car. I have found that chewing gum keeps me awake when I'm driving at night.

I went to Circuit City to look for a wireless printer but had no luck. It was on my way to my clinic, so I thought I'd stop in since they're liquidating their inventory. I was surprised because Target actually had better prices. I won't bother going back there.

Other than my shopping ventures this morning, nothing of interest was going on around here.

Have a Happy New Year's Eve, everyone!

December 29, 2008

I told Mom and Dad last night that I was going to leave whenever I woke up and got everything loaded into the truck. I don't want to have to rush home tomorrow, drop Kasey off at the house, and go to dialysis. Instead, I woke at 10:30, re-packed everything and took it down to the main floor and Dad and I carried everything out to the truck. Kasey saw my purse and stitching bags go out the door so she wouldn't let me out of her sight afterwards.

I called Grandma and told her we were on our way. We arrived around 1pm and then Grandma and I exchanged gifts. She gave me two pairs of the fuzzy socks I love and some money to spend on myself! As she was in the kitchen preparing food for her cat, she called into the livingroom that I need to come over again soon because she wanted to go to Olive Garden for lunch. I told her "well, let's go then!" She said "We can't go today! What will we do with the dog?" I told her it was only 50 degrees out, so Kasey would be fine in the truck while we ate.

And she was! I parked the truck right outside the window by our table so I could keep an eye on her. It was sunny, but with all the windows and the sunroof cracked she didn't even start panting. She sat and watched the corner of the building where I walked away from her the entire time. She didn't bark or get up to see any of the people that walked by. I was very proud of her. Grandma and I enjoyed a nice late lunch with the wonderful salad and breadsticks Olive Garden serves. Neither of us was too pleased with the Spinach & Artichoke Dip, though. It was very spicy so we couldn't tolerate much of it.

After OG, we went to PetSmart so that Grandma could get more cat food for Cocoa. I told Kasey she could pick out a toy, but she turned away from everything I showed her. I bought her a bag of her favorite cookies and picked up a large bottle of Pounce treats for each of the cats.

It was 5:00 by the time we got back to Grandma's so we said our goodbyes and Kasey and I headed home at last! It was so nice to be able to sit in my recliner and put my feet up! And it's quiet! OMG, I've missed peace and quiet so much this last week, I can't even begin to tell you!

December 18, 2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

November 30, 2008

I still didn't do any stitching today, but Mom and I went shopping this afternoon! I'm getting a new Kodak digital camera for Christmas! We were looking through the sale ads in the newspaper when we ran across a 9.2 megapixel Kodak for $99.99 at Staples. I've been telling Mom that the camera she gave me for my 30th birthday is probably on its last legs, as it itermittantly gives me trouble. She was planning on getting me the camera for my 34th birthday but decided to add it to my Christmas presents instead. I can't wait! New electronic toy to play with! hee hee!

We also went to Big Lots, the Dollar Tree, and Walgreens. We were supposed to just pick up two trees in urns for Mom's front steps at Big Lots but winded up getting alot of Christmas shopping done. Some of the stuff they had was at "unbelievable prices!"

I had to walk the Salukis in the rain, which was miserable, but luckily Nemo didn't flip out because his feet were getting wet. He's such a typical desert dog when it comes to rain. Shandi, on the other hand, is the only Saluki I had in 15 years that liked water. She even enjoyed swimming! So of course, she slogged through any and every puddle she could. Meanwhile, Nemo tried a couple times to "plant" himself on the road and I had to start pulling him until he decided to walk again.

I finished their last walk around 8:30 and called Joe to see how he was doing. He had called me while we were out and was still on the Jersey turnpike in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Unfortunately, he had to go into New York City to pick up Susan. He said they wouldn't be back until after midnight, but that Shandi and Nemo would be okay for the night. I offered to come back over around 11:00 to walk them again but he said that wouldn't be necessary.

Mom and I ate the rest of the Thanksgiving leftovers for dinner and then played a couple games of Skip Bo before going to bed. Something about being in someone else's house puts me to sleep at normal hours...

I thought! I soaked in the bathtub until I started falling asleep but was wide awake by the time I got in my bedroom. I repaired the liners for Anna's Crocs so that I wouldn't have to take them home with me. Why not do something productive since I couldn't sleep anyway, right? It was just whipstitching the seams that had separated so there wasn't much thinking to it.