Busy Days

Above is my progress on the guardian angel. I'm not stitching on it as much as I should. I'm not going to get this and the other charity square done in time! Boy! When you add a man to the household, there's a whole lot more work. You want your house cleaner, and you hate to leave dirty dishes until the next day! - All that stuff I could do when it was just DD and I. lol

Yesterday, DD's Dad and I finished cleaning out the garage. We started cleaning it several months ago. I'm a pack rat and I had lots of school "stuff" that I thought I wanted to keep. But I realized after 2 years, I had not touched the school stuff; so why was I letting it take up half the garage! I had a lot of picture books. I kept a few and I'm donating the rest to the Children's Hospital in memory of my son. The rest of the stuff went to the Salvation Army. I kept only 3 boxes of stuff. I'm putting my stuff in the utility room and DD's Dad is putting his stuff in the garage. We really had to get the garage finished so he could move his stuff in. I was so tired after working out in the garage and my legs were killing me!! Slowly but surely I'm getting my house straightened out! One thing I was worried about when I decided to let DD's Dad move in with us is that we both like to sit in the recliner and I only have one! But he brought his and it actually fits in the den. SO we both have our own recliners. I moved mine to a corner with a floor lamp over it - the perfect place to cross stitch!! We put his where mine used to be. We are still getting along very well and he is really helping me rein in my DD.

Yesterday we added another member to our "family." One of DD's friends gave her a puppy for her birthday. Her dog had puppies. The puppy was too young to bring home until yesterday. It is a she and she is part miniature dachshund and part miniature pincher. She's brown with a black stripe down her back. She's very cute and tiny! Her name is Beebee. My son's nickname among his friends was Blue; so DD named the puppy Baby Blue and Beebee for short. I wasn't real sure how the other 2 dogs would react to her. They were very interested in her, and of course, almost smelled her to death. But she really surprised us. We thought she would be afraid of the 2 bigger dogs, but no - she stood up to them and they backed off from her. She keeps trying to nurse on them, which is very funny! Coco, the male poodle, does not appreciate her trying to nurse on him at all!! But they are really getting along very well. Today we went to a thrift shop and bought a playpen to put her in. She wants to use the carpet as her bathroom. We grab her when we see her about to go and take her outside, but she won't go outside no matter how long we stand out there with her! She really likes the playpen. We have a crate for her to sleep in at night. The playpen is much bigger and gives her a lot of room to run around and play. I'll show a picture later. I've taken some with my little camera, but it's not digital.

Well, better go and try to stitch some. Have a happy day and may God bless you!

A Good Memorial Day

These aren't very good pictures. Since DD can't find her digital camera, I tried to scan framed pieces and pillows I finished. They're also not in the order that I wanted them in, but I'm too tired to redo them. I framed 3 pieces and made 3 pillows today. It took all day. I got them finished just in time to do dinner. The picture above is a piece that I did for DD 2 years ago - right before my son died. I had not cross stitched in years, and this was the first piece I did when I started stitching again. The picture isn't very good at all. I got the jeweled frame at Walmart on sale for $1.00! It is a standup frame. The jewels match the flowers in the heart perfectly, but you can't see it very well in the picture. The heart has a red center, not black! lol DD really liked the way it turned out!


The picture above is so dark! I did this in 2006, and I am finally getting it framed! I wanted it framed for Memorial Day! I wish it wasn't so dark; I love the colors in this piece!

This one above is very dark, but I wanted to post it, because I finished the stitching in 1996! It has taken me 11 years to finally make myself frame it! I had the frame, too. I stopped stitching around 1997 or 98, because I was so overwhelmed with teaching and taking care of my children. I have suffered from depression since I was in my early 20s, and it was really bad during those years that I couldn't stitch. I was finally beginning to feel normal again, when my son died! I am hanging this piece in my kitchen.

The "flattened" pillow above is a piece I recently stitched. It is very small. I like the way it turned out.

The picture above is not very good either! This is a piece I finished stitching recently. The only thing about this pillow that I am not very happy about is the material I chose for the border and back of the pillow. I love the ladybug hearts, but the material is very thin! And the seams show through. But I still like it anyway! It is the medium-sized pillow I did today. I did one more pillow that is 14" x14". I told DD that these are my "3 Bears " pillows. There is a little baby pillow, a medium-sized mama pillow, and a big papa pillow. I haven't stuffed the large pillow yet. It's the flowers and bugs piece I did recently. I'll have to take a camera picture of it to show on my blog. It's too big for the scanner!

We decided to have a cookout today to celebrate Memorial Day! DD's Dad grilled hamburgers and I fixed fries and sliced the onions, tomatoes, etc. It was on our diet, so we really enjoyed it. We were going to cut up a watermelon and have some of it, too; but we were just too tired and decided to save that for tomorrow. We did have dessert! I made up this recipe when I did Weight Watchers years ago before I had even met DD's Dad. I toasted 2 halves of an English muffin with a little diet margarine spread on them. Then I put a little strawberry Simply Fruit spread on them, and topped them off with a scoop of light vanilla ice cream! It tastes like strawberry shortcake and is on our diet! DD wasn't here to get hers. I'll fix her one tomorrow.

So I am extremely tired, but I have almost finished finishing the stitched pieces that had accumulated over the last few years! I still have about 3 more pieces to do tomorrow, but I am putting them on padded cardboard to hang in different places. I was determined to finish the sewing projects so that I could put up the sewing machine!

So I have really accomplished a lot the last 2 days. It feels very good to get these things done! And we had a very good Memorial Day. I hope all of you had a good day, too! May God bless you!

My First Flat Fold!

Mom came over today to help me finish some projects. The picture above is the first flat fold I've ever made. I didn't think it was too bad for a first attempt. I wish I could show it standing up and from the side, but I had to scan it. DD has lost her digital camera. She seemed to like how this turned out.

And the picture above is a teeny little pillow. (2"x2") I have one of those wooden perpetual calendars that you move wooden tiles for each month. I hung this little pillow on that calendar. It looks very cute.

Mom and I had a great time. I had hoped to get a lot of things finished finished, but she and I talked too much. lol I plan to do some more finishing tomorrow.

I've made a good bit of progress on the guardian angel. I'll show a picture of it another day. I'm too tired to go get her to scan.

We all had a wonderful time at the brunch yesterday. There was a lot of laughter and fun! We did find out that one woman in our group has MS. She's the youngest in our group. We are all very upset!

Better go! I'm so tired! Have a happy day and may God bless you!

Lots of Work Going on Around Here

Still no pictures. I haven't stitched much the last few days. I've been too busy! I didn't sub at the middle school yesterday. I was really wiped out after subbing those 2 days at the elementary school. Plus I KNEW those middle schoolers would be crazy!! And no amount of anxiety pills would have gotten me through it! lol But about 9:15, they called me from the elementary school that I was at Wed. and Thurs. and wanted me to come back in. The teacher I subbed for those 2 days had tried to come back to school. (She hurt her back somehow.) But she realized she just couldn't stand the pain. So I went over there for her. It was the same class and by then I knew the kids very well! We had a good day. I saw the teacher before she left and told her I would be willing to sub for her next week if she needed me. Next week, they have 3 half days and then that's it for this year. She took my name and number.



DD's Dad is still working around the house. He has cut the grass. It had gotten very tall! The young man that has cut my grass the last 2 summers hasn't called me about cutting it this year. DD has his number. He was a good friend of my son's. She finally called him for me and he said he had to get a new push mower. He has a riding mower, but my back yard is fenced in and he can't get that mower through the gate. DD's Dad never cut the grass when we were together either; he always paid someone to do it. He did the dishes yesterday again and dried a load of wash that I had washed Thurs. and planned to dry Fri. And then he washed another load! He's going to clean out the garage, too. I think I have figured out what is going on. Since my son's death, I cross stitch constantly to keep me from thinking about him and everything else that has happened in the last 2 years. I think DD's Dad has to keep busy to keep from thinking about it! Of course I love that he is doing all this work around here, but I'm one of those people who feel guilty about everything!! I can't make myself do much work around here, except what I have to do to keep the place livable. So while he's working himself to death, I'm sitting and stitching and putting myself through a terrible guilt trip!! But I'm going to try to get over it! lol He needs to keep busy to deal with his grief and I need to sit, rest, and cross stitch to deal with mine. We don't talk much about what happened to our son, but we were there for each other when he died and we're still there for each other! I'm glad we were able to do that.



Today I'm going to a brunch. One of my teacher friends has an "End of the School Year Brunch" every year for all of us who taught together at the middle school. She has done it for years! It's just not summer if we don't go to her brunch. She is a great cook and we make her fix the same ham and egg casserole every year! It is wonderful!! We're all retired now, but it's such a tradition! We celebrate the fact that we don't have to do all those end of the year things that we had to do as teachers! lol She is the one who has the Christmas Brunch every year. too.



I just looked out the front door and DD's Dad is cleaning out the gutters. They need cleaning bad!! Plants are growing out of them. Last year it looked like we had window boxes only they were on the edge of the roof!! lol

Better go. It's time to go to the brunch! Have a happy day and may God bless you!

Tired!!

I haven't been stitching lately - too busy and tired! I subbed yesterday and today in a 4th grade class. The kids were pretty good, but it is getting close to the end of the year and they were very excited! They got worse as the day went on. Plus I had to climb stairs quite often and my bad knees were certainly complaining! I had a hard time sleeping last night, because they were hurting so bad. But this school is less than 5 min. from my home, so I was home by 3:00 both days. One sad thing about this job is that this was the elementary school where my son and daughter went. I saw a lot of their former teachers! It made me think of my son and miss him!

DD had a very good birthday. Her dad took us out for Japanese food on Wed. night. We had a great time! The Barbie cake was beautiful and delicious (yes, I had a very tiny piece), but very expensive! Her friends were supposed to come for cake, but they weren't able to make it. This has always happened to my children on their birthdays. Even when they were little, I would have birthday parties and very few would show up. AND the parents would send these kids without any gifts at all! It always upset me. I sent nice presents to their kids! SO we have a very big cake - 4 layers! - and none of us is supposed to eat cake. I really hate to throw the whole thing out. It is really the most moist and delicious chocolate cake I've ever eaten! But DD pronounced it a very good birthday because her boyfriend brought her flowers, and she has never received flowers from a guy before! Plus he remembered that her favorite color is purple and the flowers are purple!

DD's Dad is getting settled in. He has really surprised me - he's fixing things around the house that I haven't been able to get fixed. Yesterday he cleaned one of the bathrooms! (SHOCK! I have never seen him clean a bathroom - even when we lived together!) Today he washed the dishes while I was subbing! And there weren't many, because I washed them after dinner last night. So far we're getting along fine. It's kind of nice to have someone here to talk to - another thing he didn't do often when we were married! We'll see how long all this good behavior lasts! lol

We took DD to the foot doctor yesterday. He said the lump on her foot was definitely a ganglion cyst. He said he really didn't want to do surgery, because they usually go away by themselves on kids as young as she is. He said he could stick a needle in it and draw out the fluid and then inject cortisone in it, but DD wasn't too keen on that idea! So we're just going to leave it as it is for the time being. He said it would probably go away on its own. I was so relieved! I was afraid it was cancer!!

Well, I'd better go and rest up for tomorrow. I'm subbing at a middle school that I like. BUT, it's the last full day of school and I'm afraid they're going to be WILD!! I'm going to take a lot of anxiety pills and a book to read, and just not fuss with them! Maybe they'll show movies part of the day. That's what they did at the elementary school yesterday and today. I hope everyone has a happy day and may God bless you!

Cleaning, Cleaning

This is my progress on my sister's piece. It has really been a challenge to cross stitch this. It's on 32 count linen, 2 over 2. My eyes aren't all that great because IAM OLD! But my eyes are better on some days than on others. The first day I had to use my magnifier, which I don't like to use. The next day I could see the threads perfectly! I hope I get it finished in time!

Mom came yesterday. We both really didn't feel that great, but we finally got down to working in DS's room. I got all of my cross stitch stuff out of there. Now it's all piled up in my room. I don't know WHERE I'm going to put all of that stuff. Today I'm going to polish all of the furniture in DS's room. Then I'm going to vaccum and that's all I'm doing. I need to steam clean the carpet, but I'm not going to have time today. I'll do that this weekend.


Today's DD's birthday. Her dad is taking us out for dinner. I've got her a cake! After we get back from our dinner, she is going out with her friends to a club. She's so excited that she is now old enough to get into clubs. I'm glad that she's still not old enough to drink!! I don't think she will drink, because alcohol was involved in my son's accident. She wanted a Barbie cake - believe it of not!

Got to go. DD's Dad just got here. Have a happy day and may God bless you!

Not Stitching

I haven't stitched any the last 2 days. That's the longest I have gone without stitching in ages!
Yesterday I did some cleaning - getting ready for DD's Dad to come on Tues. I went out to check the mail and my neighbor, who I've only talked to a few times, was sitting on her porch, and she and I started talking and ended up talking over 1.5 hours. We talked a lot about my son's death. She had a son to die of leukemia when he was 7-years-old. So she really understands what I'm going through. He died 22 years ago. I asked her how long it took her to feel like she was living again. She said about 6 years ago (16 years after he died) she finally got to where she didn't think about him every day and felt like she was happy again! I am content now and I like my life. I have very happy moments, but I'm not happy like I used to be. After I talked to her, I felt so much better and calmer. I didn't HAVE to stitch like I normally do to keep me from feeling like I'm going crazy. I don't have many friends who have stuck with me after my son's death. They've kind of drifted away. I really don't have anyone to talk to about my son. I think talking about him and his death really helped me yesterday. Today, I got up feeling like cleaning my house and I have worked all day - sweeping, washing, mopping, polishing, etc. The front hall and kitchen are spotless! DD even got in the mood and cleaned her room - it looks great! She also cleaned my son's room. Her dad is going to stay in DS's room. DD spends more time in DS's room than she spends in her own.
My mom is coming tomorrow to "help" me finish up the cleaning - mostly the den and my room. I'm not going to let her do anything - she's not well enough. But she will inspire me to get it done. She has always helped me a lot in my house. When I was teaching and trying to take care of my children, I had a hard time keeping my house clean, so she would come often and clean for me. One time I was teaching about drawing conclusions in my reading classes. The kids, 6th graders, just weren't getting it. So when I got home, I wanted to see if my own children could do it. DD was about 7 or 8-yrs-old. I asked her, "What would you think if you came home and the house was all clean and everything was put up and supper was on the table?" (I can't remember what conclusion I wanted her to draw). She didn't skip a beat. She said, "Granny's been here!" My mom really got a kick out of that! My mom just can't accept that she's not able to clean like she used to, and it really bothers her that she can't help me. So I told her to come tomorrow, but she will mostly be supervising!
Well, better go. I started a little piece for my sister on Friday. Her birthday is the 24th. I need to get it finished. We're thinking about having a homemade ice cream get-together this weekend and surprise her with a birthday party. I'm doing a cute piece that has 2 girls facing each other holding a heart, and it says "Sisters" under the picture. I'm going to make it into an ornament or little pillow to hang on a door or something. So I'd better get busy stitching it! Have a happy day and may God bless you!

Old Pieces

I canceled by sub job for today. DD kept me up too late last night, and I knew I wouldn't feel up to subbing today, so I canceled it last night. I did a good bit today on the guardian angel, but it was mostly on her dress and it was white, so it wouldn't really show up in a new pic. Therefore, I decided to show some "oldies but goodies" that I found in my big box of stash. The piece above is the first piece I ever stitched that wasn't just practice. I had it framed, but for some reason that I don't remember, I took it out and put it up. In case you can't read the year, I did this in 1979! This piece is probably older that most of you who read my blog! lol As you can see from my initials, it was also before I got married! I'm going to frame this again and put it out in my house. I think I'll put it in a stand-up frame and put it on my wall unit in the den.

The piece above makes me sad. I did this in 1988 when my son Glenn was 2-years-old. I wanted to make it into a pillow to put in his crib, but when you have a 2-year-old, you don't have time to do things like that. And then I just never seemed to find the time to make the pillow. So here it is 19 years later and it's still not a pillow. And as most of you know, my son died 2 years ago at the age of 18. I really like this piece. It's a Stoney Creek pattern. I got it out because I'm going to make the pillow and put it on Glenn's bed. We still have his room pretty much as it was when he died. I feel real close to him when I go in there, and DD won't hear of changing it! And she has enough to deal with, so I just leave it alone, which is fine with me! DD turns 18 on Tues. She told me yesterday that she is afraid to turn 18 because that's the age Glenn was when he died! She's afraid something will happen to her! I'm afraid, too. I really couldn't live if something happened to her!!

The last picture is a piece I did in 1997 - ten years ago! I was into quilting back then. But I haven't done any quilting since right after I did this piece. This was a piece that I got for VERY CHEAP at Big Lots. I'm going to frame this. Someday when DD is out on her own, I'm planning to turn one of the kids' rooms into my sewing room. I want to cover the walls with cross-stitch and other things I have made (maybe I'll do some more quilting by then!). I will hang this piece in my sewing room. So 3 pictures that cover 3 decades. I didn't plan it that way, but it really represents the way my life changed over those 3 decades. In the 70s I was single, fresh out of college, and really into my teaching. I did a lot of pieces about teaching and school. In the 80s I got married and had my 2 children and my life was centered around my family. In the 90s I juggled a lot: return to single life, my kids, my teaching, my home. I bought a new house. I did a lot of stitching to decorate my house with. Wow! I haven't been this philosophical in a long time! lol Guess I'll close-I'm sure you have had enough of my ramblings. Have a happy day and may God bless you!

Progress on Angel

This is the progress I made on the guardian angel. I really like her face; although I had a difficult time getting it right! I had to frog a lot! I subbed today and had a great day! I'm subbing again tomorrow at another school I like a lot. There is only one full week of school left. I'll probably sub 2 or 3 days next week and that will be all for this year. I decided not to work in summer school; I really don't think I'm up to it. We'll just have to make do as best we can! I haven't gotten my tax refunds yet. I purposely sent them in late, so that I would get the refunds back for the summer! Got to go. Have to go to bed early! Have a happy day and may God bless you!

Birthday Surprise

This is the piece I did for DD. Her birthday is on May 22nd. I did this on 14 count Metallic Gold Aida. It doesn't show up good in this scan. It has gold threads running through it. It's very sparkly. I started this last night and finished it this morning. It's a freebie at Rainbow Gallery. I really like it! Now I have to figure out how I want to finish finish it. I'm thinking maybe a flat fold.

The picture above is the next charity square I am doing. It's from an old magazine -Leisure Arts, the Magazine, April 1993. It was designed by Sandi Gore Evans. I'm doing it on white 14 count Aida, as is required by Love Quilts. It's for Briannah's quilt.

And this is my progress so far. It's got 33 colors of thread in it! I started it this afternoon. I'm really enjoying this. I have signed up to do it for 2 other children, also. So I'm glad I'm enjoying it!
I didn't get a sub job for tomorrow. I really need to work, but I guess it's getting so close to the end of school that teachers are just not staying out. I do have a job on Friday already. It's at a school I really like to go to.
DD has lost 5 lbs. so far on our diet. I'm not really counting how many pounds I'm losing right now. It's hard to explain, but I'm trying not to think of this as a diet really, but as the way I eat now and will probably eat for the rest of my life. I have a good bit of weight to lose. When I go back to the doctor, I'm hoping to be very pleasantly surprised!
DD went to Tech today to apply for admission in the fall. I'm real excited and hopeful that she will go and get started on her college education. After she has taken several classes, she plans to transfer to a large college. She's thinking about Clemson University or Coastal Carolina University. She is a very smart girl. We're still having battles over money. She thinks I'm made of it or either that we have a tree in our yard where I go to get it! lol She is just going to have to get a job until she starts school in the fall!
Well, have to go and work on the angel some more before bedtime. Have a happy day and may God bless you!

A Good Mother's Day

I finished the square for Chloe at Love Quilts. I enjoyed stitching it. It will be on its way to Love Quilts tomorrow. I'm going to do the one for DD's birthday next. It won't take me long.
My mom really liked the piece I did for her! She broke down and cried. We had a good day together yesterday. I fixed our lunch - chicken salad, carrot sticks, fruit, and crackers. We had diet ice cream later for dessert. It all turned out very good. We had fun talking and even watched a movie together. DD came over later in the day. That was her Mother's Day gift to me. She has a hard time going to my mom's because her Papa isn't there and she gets very upset. She is having a hard time with my father's (her Papa's) death. My mom doesn't really understand why she doesn't visit her more often. I know that DD loves her Granny very much, but she just can't sit and look at her Papa's empty chair! It's hard for me, too.
Mother's Day was also hard for me because I missed Glenn so much!! He was so sweet and would always have a gift for me and lots of hugs! It doesn't seem to get any easier. I miss him so!!
I'm going to start the piece for DD's Bday! Have a happy day, and may God bless you!

Mom's Framed

I framed it!! You won't believe it, but I found the exact frame I had in mind at CVS! It's just a plain little black frame! I got it in the frame myself. Now I can't wait to give it to her. I'm going to see her tomorrow. I'm taking lunch for the two of us as part of her gift. She absolutely won't let anyone do anything for her! I had a hard time talking her into letting me bring lunch. I had to promise that it would be part of her gift.
DD just called to say that a good friend of hers and his wife were in a bad car accident. His wife is in critical condition, and she's pregnant! He wasn't hurt too bad. They also had their daughter in the car, but she wasn't hurt much either. DD is going to the hospital. It just seems like so many young people we know are getting hurt or killed in auto accidents!
I've decided to take some Geritol and vitamins everyday to see if that helps me not feel so weak.
Yeh! I'm old! lol I have been anemic several times. I'm hoping the extra iron will help. If I don't feel better soon, I'm going back to the doctor.
Today I'm working on the bugs and flower piece I am doing for a little girl at Love Quilts. I'm not showing pics of my progress because I have stitched it before and posted pics then. I'll wait and post a pic of it finished. Still sticking to my diet! Tomorrow will make a week that I have been on it! Take care! Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there!!

Mom Happy Dance

I got it finished! I really like the way it turned out! I might go shopping tomorrow and see if I can find a pretty 6"x4" stand-up frame to put it in. It would fit perfectly. If I can't find one, I'll make it into a little pillow for her bedroom door. It was fun and relaxing to stitch this after stitching so many cutesy patterns for quilt squares. Now I have to get back to the charity squares. This piece was done on 22 count hardanger, 1 over 1. After I finished this, I stitched some on a flower and bugs square for charity and it is on 11 count Aida. Wow! That looked so BIG after stitching on the 22 count all week! lol I'm going to do the 3 charity squares that I have to mail before June. I got Pooh in the mail and he's on his way to Cole's Quilts.
I feel better today. I haven't been as fatigued as I was the last few days. I am getting tired now, and it's only 6:00 pm.
I'm not going to sub tomorrow either. I'm still resting up. I hope to feel good next week and be able to sub several days.
DD had a job interview today at Subway. However, when she got there, she overheard the manager "cussing out" one of the employees. She didn't want to work for someone who fusses at the employees! So she just took off. But she needs to work so bad!!
DD's BF (who lived with us for about 3 months right after Christmas) is doing very good. She came over today. She also passed the GED test. She's living with her father, and she is starting a full-time job at a daycare. She's going to start classes at Greenville Tech in the fall. DD is planning to do the same and then transfer later to a college. DD is also going to put in an application at a local daycare. When DD's BF was living with us, she sat down one day and wrote out a page of goals she wanted to accomplish. She has just about reached everyone of them. I'm very proud of her. I hope I made a little difference in her life! DD isn't about to let her BF beat her out, so she's reaching her goals, too. Don't underestimate how much your kids' friends influence them - for bad and GOOD!
I'm doing good on my diet! It's not all that hard and you get to eat a lot!! DD really got into it today and wanted to know what she could eat. I actually caught her reading through the Weight Watchers materials. She's keeping up with her points and I even overheard her telling her friends about the diet. Of course, her friends DO NOT need to lose any at all!! But they were encouraging her.
Well, better go. Rachael Ray is on and I love to watch her! Have a happy day, and may God bless you!

Progress in More Ways that One

This is my progress so far on my mom's gift. I only have a little to do on the left side and then the words: "My Mother, My Friend." I haven't really stitched that long each day the last few days. I've been busy. Yesterday I went to the doctor. He had to see me before he would give me another prescription for my anxiety meds. He was very sweet. He increased one of my antidepressants and gave me another prescription for the anxiety pills. He was happy to hear that I am walking and starting Weight Watchers (WW). I'm doing the newest program they have. You keep up with points. I read the material carefully and realized that I wasn't eating enough Sun., Mon., or Tues. I have felt very fatigued or weak or something the last few days. I hope that's why. I might also be feeling "poorly" because I have had 3 bad anxiety attacks since Sat. I had one today, but I had my medicine and that helped a lot. I realized at the dr.'s office that it was the first time in 2 years that I made it all the way through the dr.'s visit without breaking down and crying. I told him that and he said, "You're on your way to getting better!"
I talked with my dr. about DD. He's her doctor, too. She takes a mild antidepressant, too. I told him how she has such bad PMS. That's why she was like she was last Sun. He prescribed another antidepressant in addition to what she is taking. He said that might even out her moods and help her with the PMS.
I tried one of the recipes in my new WW cookbook. It was very easy and very good! It was a sloppy joe recipe. I really liked it and you get a big portion to eat. I got several recipes off the WW website. I like trying new recipes. I'm real excited about my diet.
I'm not subbing tomorrow because of the way I have felt the last few days. DD and I went out briefly today to pick up the new meds and to go to a bakery outlet to get some Lite bread and other things for the diet. I felt very bad when we got back. And I took a headache - not a migraine, thank goodness. Just a tired headache.
I haven't gotten any comments lately. I hope it's because blogger isn't letting people comment. I've had trouble on some of your blogs posting a comment. If you usually get comments from me and you haven't gotten any in a while, that's why. I miss the comments!
I hope all of you are doing good and that you have a happy day! May God bless you!

Mom's Surprise

I've finally started something for my mom. It was really weird - I have been looking for the right pattern to do for my mom. I have been working on getting all of my cross stitch together and organized. I have patterns stuck everywhere. I was in my bedroom and just had the urge to look in the bottom drawer of my chest to make sure I had gotten all the CS stuff out of it. Right on top of everything was a little freebie pattern I got years ago at a needleshop. It says "My Mother, My Friend." It has hearts and flowers and vines across the bottom and up the sides. I'm doing it on antique white 22 count hardanger, 1 over 1. I got this in 1987!! It has really been a challenge though! I did the hearts in the wrong color, but I like them in this color. Then I did everything but the big heart up one square too high. I started to take it all out, but got very frustrated! I even started a new one, but just couldn't see doing all of that over again!! I finally realized that it didn't really matter - I just have to adjust the vines and then be sure I do the same on the other side! I'm thinking about making it into a little pillow for her to hang on her bedroom door. The colors are perfect for her bedroom!

DD and I have had another bad episode! I won't bore you with the details. She just doesn't want me to set any boundaries. She wants to act like she is grown and doesn't have to answer to anyone! AND she's got her dad's terrible temper! I had an extremely bad anxiety attack last night and really felt like a truck had backed over me this morning! I'm out of my anxiety pills and have to go to the doctor tomorrow before he will give me another prescription. I don't want to go to the doctor, because he's going to fuss at me for not walking and sticking to my diet! But I'm going. I can't help that right after I started my walking, I got sick with the bad cold and then twisted my leg. I'm still not able to walk too much on it! But I started Weight Watchers again yesterday!! (before the big "storm" happened at our house) At least I can tell him that! But when I have these "episodes" with DD, I get so stressed out that I can't plan and think about what I'm going to eat!

Then today, she acts like nothing happened and went to the grocery store with me to get the groceries for my diet. She's going to diet some, too. She is a big girl, not too much, but she could stand to lose a few pounds. I got a new Weight Watchers' cookbook so we can try new things. A lot of my favorite recipes are from many years ago, when we made lots of casseroles and put sour cream and lots of butter in everything!! When I did Weight Watchers 20 years ago, the food wasn't as tasteful as it is now. I have learned that I can stick to the diet if I don't try to eat the same thing all the time. I do much better when I try new things! I also got a Rachel Ray cookbook. I love watching her cooking program. I can't wait to try some of those recipes, too. Many of them will fit in the WW plan. If my mind is really in the right place, I can lose weight pretty easily. And believe it or not, I threw out the rest of the cheesecake!! I'm really serious about this!!

Well, it's about time for me to head to bed. I'm not subbing tomorrow - no calls from good schools, but I just trust God and I will enjoy stitching on my mom's gift tomorrow! Have a happy day and may God bless you! (I'm about to "hurt" a little doggie - NOT, but he is driving me crazy! He wants to get in my lap, but I can't type with him in my lap. So he's clawing at my arm! This makes it hard to type!! Ah-h-h!)

Pooh Happy Dance

Happy dance!! (A little!) lol Knee is better. I can walk pretty good now! I finished Pooh. I enjoyed backstitching this. The little plant reminds me of little plants that are unfortunate enough to end up in my garden! lol When my Ex and I were still together, he would take our friends to the back where I put the empty flower pots and hanging baskets after the plants died, and he would say, "This is Vicki's plant cemetery." Pooh is going to Emma at Cole's Quilts. I still have 3 squares to do before June 1st. Why do I always sign up for too many?! I just can't resist when I see the children!! I think I can get them done. Two are not all that complicated. One is a little harder.
I'm going to take a quick break from the charity squares and stitch a little piece for DD's Bday. It has a cake on it and says, "Smile! It's your birthday!" It won't take me long. It's a freebie here: http://www.rainbowgallery.com. There's several spring things I would like to do here, too. But I doubt I'll get to them this year!
I'm going to take it easy one more day. Hopefully I'll be in good enough shape to sub on Monday. Better go and start the Bday piece! Have a happy day and may God bless you!

Just Sitting and Stitching

I'm doing a happy dance (sitting down!) lol I finished this little piece. I made a big mistake though. The letter boxes are down one too many squares. But I just adjusted the border and left it. It would have meant frogging over half of what I had done. I don't think it messes it up too much! I love the little birds - especially the one in the middle with the L-O-N-G legs! If you want to get this little freebie, there is a link to the website on my last post.
I'm still staying off my knee as much as I can, but I'm not using the crutches today. As long as I have something to hold on to, I get around pretty good. The knee still hurts some, but it's not unbearable like it was yesterday and the day before! I also worked a good bit on Pooh. I hope to finish him tomorrow. I'll post another picture of him when he is finished!
I did manage to stand long enough to wash the dishes. But it made my other leg hurt, because I was putting all my weight on that leg. There weren't too many dishes though. I've been sick or down with my knee since last Friday; so we've been eating a lot of take-out meals. DD can cook; she just doesn't!
I haven't been out of my house in over a week! When I get to where I can walk without pain again, I'm going out somewhere for the day!! After the scorcher the other day, it was downright COLD today. I'm not sure of the temp., but I had to turn on the heat! We had thunderstorms last night! Really weird weather for May!
Well, Pooh is calling me! He wants his other arm finished! Hope everyone has a great weekend and may God bless you!

Will I Ever Feel Good Again?!

Well, just as I'm getting over my cold, I hurt my leg. I have bad knees, and yesterday my left knee was really bothering me. I went to sit down to stitch and I twisted it and it popped real loud. The dogs must have heard it, because they jumped up in my lap and started licking me all over my face and hands! I knew I had pulled something. I couldn't straighten it out. I have done this once before. That time I tried to stand up and went straight to the floor - it hurt so bad! I finally got back up in my chair, and then had to wait for DD to get home and help me. The same thing happened this time. Luckily, it wasn't long before she got home and she got me the crutches. I went to the doctor the last time it happened and he said to take motrin, put ice packs on it, and stay off of it. So that's what I'm doing this time. So I've gotten a lot of stitching in, since all I can do is sit!! It's some better today, but I have blisters on my hands and soreness under my arms from the crutches. I didn't sub yesterday or today and I'm not going to tomorrow either!
Hopefully, I'll be able to walk again by next Monday. In the mean time, I get to stitch and sit! The picture above is my progress on Pooh. I don't know why, but I'm not really enjoying him. Maybe it's because I've had to do so many cutesy kids patterns lately, and I'm just tired of them!

So I took a short break from him this afternoon and started the spring piece I've been wanting to stitch. This is a freebie from http://www.countyourblessingsXstitch.com. Click on "For Stitchers" and then "Free Blessings." It has little birds sitting on the branch with music notes and the letters are tied to the branch. I'm stitching it on 28 count Jobelyn 2 over 2. But I thought the fabric was WHITE white, and it turns out to be antique white. I really wanted it on the WHITE white. I might give this one to someone, maybe my sister. Her birthday is on May 24th. Then do another one for me on the WHITE white! I have some 28 count Monaco that is WHITE white. I'm going to finish this tomorrow and work on Pooh again! Better go and try to sleep. I didn't get much sleep last night. My knee hurt too bad in my bed; so I tried to sleep in the recliner. That didn't work either. I finally ended up on the sofa and I was able to sleep there. I'll probably sleep on the sofa again tonight! Hope everyone is having a great week, and may God bless you!

Hobo Happy Dance!

I got him finished! I'm feeling some better. I'm not near as congested today as I was yesterday! I was able to cross stitch enough during the last 2 days to get this little fellow finished! While I was stitching his shoes, that creamy yellow and light brown soles reminded me of cheesecake - my favorite dessert! I was craving it so bad that I sent DD to BJs to get me one. It's really not going off my diet - I was sick and needed the cheesecake to help get my strength back! lol Hopefully, one more day of rest will make me well enough to sub on Thur. and Fri.
I'm going to finish Pooh next; although I really want to do another spring piece. BUT Pooh is due May 15th; so he can't wait.
I can't believe how warm it has been here in SC! Today it got up to 90 degrees! The weatherman said the record high for our area for today is 91 degrees. I hope this doesn't mean this summer is going to be a scorcher!! DD went swimming today with her friends! When I was little, today would have been the first day we could go outside barefooted!! lol There were a lot of "rules" like that when I was little. We were very obedient and followed everyone of those "rules"! Boy! Kids nowadays wouldn't!! My own children were always so warm-blooded! Once when DD was about 5-yrs.-old, it snowed. I bundled her up in longjohn underwear, several shirts and pairs of pants, coat, gloves, scarf, hat - the whole winter deal. A little while later I looked out and she was out there in her bikini!! I ran out there and said, "What are you doing?!" She said, "I was way too hot, Mommy!" Needless to say, I made her put on something a little warmer than a bikini, but not as much clothing as the first time! Such happy memories!!
Guess I'd better head back to bed so I can get well! Have a happy day and may God bless you!