Moving Along

I've really made progress on the dinosaur square for Christian at Love Quilts. I only subbed on Tuesday this week. I have finally found out why I felt so bad that day at the school. I was coming down with a cold. Now I've got congestion in my chest; my sinuses are bothering me; and I have a sore throat. I'll probably have to go to the doctor on Mon. But I have gotten a lot done on this square. If I don't end up in bed, I'm hoping to finish this today.
DD just left to take the GED test. She quit school right after Christmas. She's very smart, but she didn't like school. I couldn't force her to go. Once she passes the GED, she's planning to start taking college courses at Tech and then transfer to a college. She's talking about being a child psychologist. Yesterday, she and I went out together to find the high school where she has to take the test. Then we ate lunch and went shopping a little. I wasn't feeling real well, but we hadn't done anything together - just the 2 of us - in a long time! Ever since my children were young, I have tried to have some "together time" with each child as much as possible. I would highly recommend this for a parent - especially if you have more than 1 child. The Tues. before Glenn died on Friday night, he and I had gone out to a steak house to "celebrate" some accomplishment he wanted to celebrate. I wouldn't take anything for the memory of that night!
DD dyed her hair dark again. It's really darker than her original hair color, but it looks better and will grow out. She wants it back to the original color. I do, too! She and I are getting along much better since I made everyone leave. I don't think she realised it, but I think she was jealous of her BF. Her BF and I got along great! We talked a lot and she called me "Mom." I really miss her. She came the other day to pick up the rest of her stuff. She and I hugged and I broke down after she left. I really love her, but I was enabling her, not helping her. She has moved back in with her mother, and her dad is helping her get a car. Maybe I made a little difference in her life. I hope so. Well, I guess that's enough rambling for today! I hope everyone has a great day! And that God blesses you! Happy stitching!

Mostly Stitching

This is my progress on Dinosaur Fun after stitching almost all day today. I feel a little better, but I'm still exhausted. DD has been here all day, watching television with me. She is going to take the GED test this Saturday, so she's been studying. I'm not going to work tomorrow, but I do plan to sub on Friday. Then school will be out all of the next week plus the Monday of the following week. That will really be a nice break!! Well, it's late and I'm heading to bed. Have a happy day everyone!

New Start

I've put aside the Bugs and Blooms piece I was working on - at least for a while. I need to try to do a couple of charity squares. I mailed the PM girls and the watering can squares to Australia to Quilts4Kids. I paid a little extra to get them there in 4 to 7 days. Hopefully they will get there in time. I need to do 2 squares for Love Quilts, but I'm not going to get them finished in time. I emailed Joan of Love Quilts to let her know that family problems have made it impossible for me to get them stitched. I'm really upset that I didn't get them done! The picture above is what I am doing for a boy at Love Quilts. It won't get there in time, but maybe she can use it in another child's quilt! This pattern is Dinosaur Fun and it was in the Sept. 1994 issue of For the Love of Cross Stitch magazine.

And this is my progress after one day. I like to stitch things that have bright colors!
I subbed today at a very good school. I had a great day, but the last class was over at 1:15 and I was free until 2:55 when the kids returned for dismissal and bus holding. During that break I started hurting all over and got to feeling so weak, I could hardly stay awake or walk. I think the stress of the last few days finally caught up with me. I still feel so tired and hurt pretty bad. I'm going to stay home tomorrow and stay in bed. I haven't felt like stitching today.
DD actually asked if the friend I threw out, who had been "visiting" for 2 weeks, could "spend the night" tonight. I held my ground and said, "No!" No one spends the night here except DD and myself!! Things have been much better since it's just DD and I. We've been watching movies together and talking a lot like we used to do.
Well, I'm going to head to bed and see if bedrest will help me feel better. I already have a sub job on Friday and would like to also sub on Thursday if a good school calls! Hope everyone has a happy stitching day!

Happy Dance!

I have finally finished the PM girls! I'm going to take out my name and the heart at the bottom and redo them going down the side. The picture is too big with it at the bottom. I plan to have this in the mail tomorrow!! I really like how this turned out. I have never done a large PM pattern. When my children were little, I did 2 very small PM babies that I got from a mag. I plan to do some more. I think my great-niece would really like them.

This is a spring project that I started yesterday for myself. I'm going to make this into a pillow to brighten my house!! It's Bugs and Blooms Tote. It was in the Dec. 2006 issue of Stoney Creek Cross Stitch Collection mag. They showed it on a totebag. But I want it on a pillow!

This is how much I got finished yesterday. I am doing it on 11 count Aida using 3 strands of DMC floss. After doing the very hard PM girls, I decided I wanted to do something very simple!! Plus there is very little backstitching - the PM girls had so much backstitching!!
I am not going to just stitch this, though. I have 2 squares that I have to do for Love Quilts that are due next week. I doubt I will get them finished in time. I subbed so much the last 3 weeks that I got way behind on my charity stitching!
Now for the news on the homefront - DD has drifted in a few times since Fri. She came in very jolly Fri. night, before she found out that I told her BF that she would have to leave, too. Then she wasn't as sweet to me as she had been!! We're kind of giving each other some space until things die down. It has been so peaceful here!! She did upset me last night. She took my car without permission!! Her car's battery was dead and I just couldn't afford to buy her a new one right now!! I gave her a key to my car, because I had locked my keys in the car a few times and we had to get a locksmith to open it. She didn't think I would go out on Saturday, because I rarely go out on the weekends, but that is going to change! I wanted to go and get some white material to do those charity squares on and there was NO car!! I got so angry! I called her cell phone. She has caller ID and did not pick it up. I left this message, "Where is my car?! Bring my car back right now! It is 7:30 right now! If my car is not back in 15 minutes, I will call the police and report it stolen and I will give them your name and cell phone number!!!" She didn't call me back. After about 13 minutes, I called her again and this time she picked up. She said she was on her way home. When she got here, I made her give me back the key to my car, got in my car, and drove away. I went and got the material and then visited my son's grave and then drove around for over an hour with my windows down and the wind blowing in my new short hair!!! I had a ball!! The really weird thing is that I had a quarter of a tank of gas when I started out and I have very little money so I don't just go out riding much anymore with gas costing so much, but I love to just go riding!! But last night after all that riding around, when I got home I still had a quarter of a tank of gas!!! God can really do miracles!! Well, I have to go. The dogs are out of food (they only eat dry dog food, thank goodness. That dog food recall is so scary!). They want their morning meal. They keep going where I keep their food and just stand there in front of it and stare at it. I'm sure they can't figure out why I don't feed them!! I am going to pick up a few groceries!! Have a happy day everyone!!

World War III at My House

Today has really been a rough day. I woke up at 5:00 this morning to find that my daughter's friend and her (the friend's) boyfriend had stayed all night at my house. I already have my daughter's best friend living here. That was supposed to be just for a few weeks, and it has now been 3 months. She is 19-yrs.-old and doesn't work or contribute in any way. Then this new friend has been "visiting" for almost 2 weeks and she doesn't contribute anything either, but they are both eating here and showering and washing clothes, etc. The new friend is 16-yrs.-old and isn't in school. Her mother actually brought clothes over here for her!!
I am in a very bad state - emotionally and financially. My daughter is very hateful and thinks she runs the house and me. I am behind in my bills and can't afford groceries! I have worked subbing the last 3 weeks. And I'm so tired!! Well, when I found out that we had a male visitor staying all night, I really lost it! I told everyone who was not my blood kin to get out! I told my daughter, who does no housework to help me out, that she had to get the house clean before I got home from my subbing job or she was leaving, too! I already had a migraine that I have had for 2 days. But I was still determined to go to that subbing job. So I make myself get dressed, use my last bit of gas to get over to the school, climb a BIG hill from the parking lot up to the building, climb 2 flights of stairs (and I have bad knees and can barely climb steps at all), and got to the class I was in yesterday and the teacher is there! She says, "Oh, I thought you weren't coming back." I said, "Why would you think that?" She said, "The teacher next door told me that you said you had a terrible day yesterday and that you were not coming back today," which I did not say! So she decided not to be out today and I don't have a job after I went over there and all!!! She didn't even call the system to cancel the job!! I made it back down the stairs and that long steep hill to my car before I totally broke down!! Talk about a BAD migraine!! I went over to my mom's and collapsed there. I cried so hard I burst a blood vessel in my eye and it is really hurting! I sat all day with a cold wet cloth over my eyes. Mom went and got us some Dunkin' Donuts (which neither one of us has had in a L-O-N-G time) and we sat and talked and cried and even laughed some all day! She loaned me some money to help me out until I get the big paycheck for all the days I have subbed the last 3 weeks. When I finally came home, my daughter had actually cleaned the whole house!! Her best friend, who was not here this morning when I lost it and threw everyone out, had helped her. I told her BF that I really appreciated her helping with the cleaning, but that she had to leave and find somewhere else to live, also. I really love her and wanted to try to help her, but I'm just supporting her and I'm barely able to support myself and my daughter! She's not making a move to help herself! She said okay and I guess she got someone to come and get her. I feel like a zombie and my head is throbbing!! I'm going to bed and plan to stay there until Sunday or Monday!! I tend to let people (even my daughter) take advantage of me, and I have been through too much to do it any longer. If I don't get some of this stress off of me, I know I am going to have a breakdown! So I've taken my house back, taken my life back, stood up to my daughter and told her how things are going to change!! Now we'll see what happens! Please pray that God will give me the strength to put my life back together and to get my daughter back on the right track! Let's all have a happier day tomorrow!!

I'm Back!

Finally, I am able to post from my computer at home!! I am so excited! I really missed my daily ramblings. First, I'll start by showing what I have been working on. The picture above is the second angel that I did for Lynzee at Love Quilts. This is Rose Buddington. She was lots of fun to stitch.

And above is my progress on the Precious Moments girls for Georgia at Quilts4Kids in Australia. I am almost finished with the backstitching. I only have to stitch their shoes and then I'm finished. I've got to get this in the mail!! I really like how they turned out.
I substituted at the same school for 2 weeks and a day. I really enjoyed working there. Then today I worked at a different middle school, and I am returning to that room tomorrow. I had a very good day today until the last class, and they were a real challenge! I was supposed to have a planning period the last period (the one after that "challenging" class), but they asked me to cover a strings class that they didn't have a sub for. I was really tired after that. I've enjoyed working , but I've had two BAD migraine headaches in the last 2 weeks. It is very stressful - substituting and handling "challenging" kids!! And I don't get much cross-stitching in. I usually take a nap when I get home and then go to bed early, too.
Well, I finally got my hair cut. It looks very good, and I like it!! I have been working in my house some more, too. (When I'm not too tired!) I've been cleaning out my bedroom, and going through things to simplify!! I have collected so much "stuff!" But while I was going through a pile of papers that I had left on my bookcase, I found a card that my son had sent me from camp a few years ago. For those who haven't read all of my posts, my 18-year-old son, Glenn, died 2 years ago in an automobile accident. The anniversary of his death was 2 weeks ago. Well, I didn't remember that he had sent me this card. So I opened it and the first thing I saw was "Love, Glenn" on the right side and then my eyes when straight across to the left side and below where he had written me a note, he had written, "P.S.: I love you, Mom." And below that - "P.S.S.: Please come and get me on Saturday at 8:30 in the morning." I just started screaming! I could just hear his voice saying those words in my head! I would give my life if I could "go and get him" and bring him home!! It's so hard to go on after you lose a child!! That's the reason I had one of the terrible migraines. Then today I almost lost it at the school. One of the little fellows in that last class was the spitting image of my son! It's was really strange. I've seen boys who favored my son, but this child could have been his twin. Same color of hair - cut the same way. He was tall and lanky just like my son. It was really hard to look at him and not break down! You are not supposed to outlive your children!!!
DD is doing pretty good. She is trying to find a job. She also got her hair cut and has dyed it very BLONDE. Her hair was already very light brown. I know she's just trying to "find herself." But it's very hard for the mom!! She has been helping me more around the house. Her dad hasn't been to visit in a while. He is living in the lower part of the state for a while. He builds houses and has built one down there. He had it ready to sell when the people in the next house decided to have a tree cut down in their front yard. The tree people must not have been very good at their jobs, because the tree fell on the new house that Jerry had just finished and caused quite a bit of damage. Now he's going through a lot - trying to get the tree people to pay for the damages and having it fixed and all! We realised that if it weren't for bad luck, we wouldn't have any luck at all!! As soon as he sells the house, he is moving back up our way.
Well, better go and get psyched up for tomorrow. I'm going to work as much as I can next week and then the week after that is spring break and I can go back to goofing off and stitching all the time! Happy day everyone!!

Substituting

Today has been a good day, but I did have a few kids really trying to push me today and disrupt class. By the last class, I had a headache! I had to get the assistant principal to help me with one young man! He was talking baby talk and acting like a clown. No matter what I did, he wouldn't stop. Seventh grade boys are so silly!! These classes have had a lot of substitutes and think they are going to run the class instead of me. Their regular teacher had to be out a lot to care for his mother and then she passed away and he is having to be out to get everything settled. I am glad I am getting in so much substituting, but I'll be glad when I can take a few days off and stitch. I was too tired to do any stitching last night, and it looks like I'm going to be even more tired today! Better go and head home! Have a happy day!

Bad Computer!

It must be my computer at home that is the reason I can't post. This computer at school lets me, but last night, my computer at home still wouldn't let me. I guess I will have to get the computer at home fixed!
I did some of the backstitching on the PM girls last night. I'm not quite as tired every afternoon after I get home as I was last week! I really haven't subbed much since Christmas and have really gotten lazy. All the walking at school really tired me out last week, but this week it's a lot easier. I may be continuing in this class next week. The teacher's mother passed away, and he has to take care of all the legal matters. His mother lived in another state, so he will have to be in that state to get everything settled. I hope I do get to stay here longer. The kids are very good, and we are into a good routine. After I have subbed in this class for 10 consecutive days, I will get paid as a regular teacher, which will increase my pay by about $100 a day!! I really need that money. (I could actually buy some new stash!! I haven't bought anything in a while!)
DD and her BF put up 2 tents in the backyard, and they have been sleeping out there the last few days. It still gets pretty cool at night, but they say they're not cold!! I told her they should get their rooms cleaned up real good and then just live out in the tents. lol They have had a couple of other girls over on the weekends.
My "babies" (the dogs) are not very happy with me working. When we get up early, they know I'm going to work. As soon as the alarm goes off, they start whining and pouting. It's really funny. They try to keep me from getting dressed - Sugar bites my pants and pulls on them as I am trying to put them on. Coco sits on my shoes and won't let me put them on or tie them. It's really very funny!! Then when I leave, they follow me to the door, howling and barking. I really miss them during the day, but they are so excited to see me when I get home every afternoon!
Well, it's about time for me to go home. Happy stitching everyone!

Blogger Problems

I haven't posted in so long, because I have been having problems with blogger!! I don't know if it is my computer or what! I am at a school today and on their computer. I have been substituting all last week and will be continuing all this week. I have been at the same school both weeks. I have covered for 3 different teachers in the same team, so I have had the same kids everyday but at different times of the day. It is 7th grade. I am really enjoying it and really need the money!
March the 5th was the 2nd anniversary of my son's death. I was hoping to post that day and show a picture of him. I can't today - here at school. I'll have to wait. I subbed that day and went by his grave after school. It was still a hard day. I miss him so much!!
I finished the second angel for Lynzee and got them both mailed and they have been received. I only need to backstitch the Precious Moments girls and I can send them off, too. I'll show pictures later. I think I'm going to take a break from charity squares and do something with a spring theme for myself. I am really getting spring fever! I have done a lot of cleaning in my house. Well, school is over and it's time for me to leave. Happy stitching! I hope I can post more now!!