Oh my Bags are Packed.....

I'm ready to go, I'm standing here beside the door....

I hate to wake you up to say goodbye.

If you recognize these words, you're dating yourself!!

Heading out as soon as Mary Ann gets here. Have a great day!!

A Not so Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day!!

I'm sorry to say I'm not really in the Valentine mood. Things with Missy are not good. Her back has improved but due to the muscle weakness she has been falling a lot and has blown out her right back knee. When they did the x-rays of the knee they also included her back and her liver as the ER vet had mentioned her liver was enlarged. Nothing showed up with regards to her back as far as boney changes go but it did show an enlarged liver so we ran the necessary blood tests to see what was up. She does appear to have some kind of liver disease which they are going to treat with medicine for the moment. If the medicine doesn't work, they would like to do an ultra sound to see if there is any kind of a mass in the liver. That runs between $300-400. They won't even address the knee issue until the liver issue is under control but it would require surgery so we're looking at somewhere around $1500.00 in vet bills and Dan says he doesn't want to spend the money for that. He would rather spend it on college tuition or fixing the rotting garage door or Abby's car. My head understands where he's coming from but my heart doesn't which is why I'm not in the Valentine's Day mood. When he asked what I wanted for V-day I told him I didn't want or need anything. He didn't listen to me though. I found the 3rd season of Army Wives on the kitchen table this morning.

Speaking of Abby's car.....we filed a police report earlier this week and they came out to investigate. In their opinion, a snow plow hit her car or someone with a plow on the front of their truck. We haven't taken it in yet to see what it would cost to fix but for those who asked, we did keep full coverage on it however our deductible is $1000.00.

I framed this up for Mary Ann last week. I think it turned out spiffy! I like how the grain of the wood mimics the overdyed threads.


Stitching time has been scarce this last week but I'll share what I have gotten done. Just a teeny tiny part on Quaker Diamonds, the Z and the two diamond shapes to the left of it.

I've gotten past the area of concern on the Princesses and I don't think you can tell that I stitched one row twice which means I don't have to rip anything out. Last night I stitched on the darn thing for 3 hours and only got a hundred stitches done. Very frustrating!!

Before:

After:


Oh! I need to share this, Amy has her very first official date tonight. She doesn't think it is a date because "V" didn't actually say would you like to go on a date. BUT! He is picking her up, they are going to that Valentines Day movie, it's Valentines day and he drove by the house yesterday just to make sure he knew where we lived so he wouldn't get lost tonight when he comes to pick her up. To me that says date! What do you think?

Thursday Mary Ann and I will be leaving for our trip to the Nashville Market. We're driving so I hope the weather will be good. Adam is going to loan me his laptop so if I can figure out how to get on line I'll try to keep you updated on our trip and the show although I know they say no pictures can be taken at the show.

Here's a question for you, has anyone here ever stitched with Sullivans Floss? They will be at the show, they apparently have all the same colors as DMC, and supposedly better quality. I'm just curious as to whether anyone has ever used it and did you like it or not.

Enjoy the rest of your Valentines Day everyone and thanks for stopping by and commenting!

Julie

OOPS!! It happened again!!!

It's another cold and gloomy day here in Nebraska but at least we haven't been slammed with snow like the east coast has! Thank God for small favors! Meari asked in the comments last time where I was from. I'm in Papillion Meari which is just outside Omaha. Just a couple hours from Des Moines.

Our trip to Des Moines was good. The roads weren't too bad, we drove right to where we needed to go thanks to the help we got from my friend Eloise. She loaned us her her Garmin. Handy little device to have on a trip! Amy feels she did as well as she could in the competition and that is all we can ask for. 400 seniors are vying for the 6 full ride scholarships and 10 tuition only scholarships and they are all the best of the best. We are keeping good thoughts in our heads about it but it's going to be a long wait until the end of March when we find out the results! Right now her focus is on getting her portfolio ready to send in to the Journalist of the Year competition. We are having a bit of a problem with it though. The competition rules state that she needs an official copy of her transcripts open and in the portfolio. The school refuses to give her an official copy unless it is in a sealed envelope. Amy showed them the rules of the competition but it did not matter to them. It's a sealed envelope or nothing. I hate schools. Why do they have to make everything so difficult for the students who actually are trying hard in school and so easy for the slackers??? I could rant for quite a while on this subject but I won't. While I was in Des Moines, I visited the last remaining (to my knowledge anyway) cross stitch store. To say I was disappointed in the store and the staff would be an understatement. I found absolutely no reason to ever return. There was no greeting from the staff, no asking if we were looking for anything or needed help of any kind. I found very few new items and although it is a wealth of older charts, I found it hard to browse because of the sheer content. If you are looking for something older this would be a great place to look but you need to know what it is you are looking for. And don't expect a warm fuzzy from the ladies there. You won't get it. At least I didn't and I have heard the same from others.

Moving on.....our luck with cars just continues to amaze me. Yesterday Abby went out to her car to leave for school and she found this:


Close up of the worst of it:


Yep! Someone sideswiped her car and drove off. Thanks a lot people! !!*@!!!**#** We just paid off the car last month. I am so mad I could spit nails but that's not going to do any good.

I have an update on Quaker Diamonds finally. I feel like I have been stitching and stitching on this and making no progress at all but I guess when I compare the before and after pictures I am making some progress, just not enough to suit me. I need to get this one finished and framed for the cross stitch exhibition the shop is hosting in April. I'm not eligible to win any of the prizes but I'd still like to have it up for the show.

Here is was at the end of January:
and here it is as of last night:


I need to get Missy girl to the vet this morning so I am going to leave you with......Have a Terrific Tuesday! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I'll see ya in a few days!

Stitching, migraine and dog updates

Just a quickie post today (yeah right) since I have errands, laundry and packing to do before we leave this afternoon. Can't remember if I mentioned it or not but we are headed to Des Moines this afternoon so Amy can compete for a scholarship to Drake. Of course it would have to be snowing and the roads are in crappy condition but I'm hoping that by this afternoon they will be okay. Dan is staying home as he teaches on Saturdays so Adam volunteered to drive us. I don't drive the interstate if I can possibly avoid it.

Had to take Amy to a chiropractor this week in an effort to get her relief from her migraine and I'm happy to report it worked! I was skeptical but she started feeling better within hours and today has no pain. Even her back which normally gives her a lot of grief after piano lessons was feeling good yesterday, first time in years that has happened.

Missy pup is not doing so well. Do they make doggy chiropractors? Last night as I was watching her trying to get through the snow and continually falling down I cried. She's not in a lot of pain but it really hurts me to see her struggling like that. We will be trying a new steroid to see if she can tolerate that and if not I don't know what I will do. If you don't mind, could you send up a little prayer that she tolerates the new steroid? I would really appreciate it.

No stitchy updates today as I have been spending most of my stitchy time removing stitches instead of putting them in. I hope to have and update on Quaker Diamonds on Sunday. I have however, decided I have no choice but to add this

to my ever growing pile of stash that will never get stitched. I actually wrote to the artist Randall Spangler, begging him to allow HAED to chart this masterpiece and never received a reply but I'm happy to say someone must have listened because it is now available. I want it, I want it now and I need to start stitching on it now. Wouldn't it look awesome in my Library? I have a feeling it is another of those 30 year projects!!

Have a great weekend everyone! I'll check back in on Sunday! Thanks for stopping in and special thanks for the comments.

The Princess Problem

How was everyone's weekend? Mine was busy but good. We had Last Saturday Stitching on Saturday (duh!). Over my very loud objections, certain people disregarded my wish to not have a birthday party and they went ahead and managed to pull off a surprise party in my honor. I'm not a birthday party person but I have to admit, the ladies outdid themselves! The gifts were wonderful, thoughtful, funny and some will add to my already ample hips, stomach and thighs! The cards were hilarious and the company was the best! Thanks Everyone for making my 50th so memorable! I'll never forget what you did.

I am really pizzed with myself. Last night as I was stitching along on the princesses, I discovered that about 9 hours of stitching ago.....I duplicated a line of stitching. I'm hoping this is not going to be a huge problem that requires me to rip out 9 hours of over one stitching, but there is always the chance that it will be. If I had stayed with just stitching 10 stitches wide I'd be positive it wouldn't be a problem but since I oozed a bit over in a couple of places......grrrrrrrrrr!

last update:

today:


Amy is on day 5 of a migraine. I took her in to the Dr. yesterday. Our appt. was at 10:10. We weren't even called back until 11:15. Then we had to sit through the nurse asking questions, the Med Student Exam, then another 20 minute delay until the Dr. actually showed his face. He then asked all the same questions, barely examined her and headed out the door telling us he would fax some scripts over to the pharmacy. Didn't tell us what he was faxing over, didn't say what to do if the headache didn't get better, nothing. We headed to the pharmacy before going home, a 25 minute drive, to pick up the scripts and I am informed it will be a 15-30 minute wait as they need to call the Dr. office to confirm the faxed scripts did indeed come from the Dr. He prescribed steroids and a narcotic pain killer. Nothing for her stomach in case of stomach upset from the steroids or pain killer. Had I known what he prescribed, I would have asked for some phenergan. But in this new age of computerized everything, you don't get a hard copy and by the time I made it to the exam room door, he was already in the next room. So now.....not only does her head hurt but her stomach is a mess too. We've been going to the same Dr for 23 years. I think it's time to find a new one, don't you?

Dan is off having the taxes done tonight. I keep getting calls from him with questions like how much is Abby's tuition? How much did Abby make last year, what is Amy's birthdate? This happens every year. Got a new one tonight though. Would I like to put $2000.00 in an IRA account for my retirement? Sure I replied, sounds like a great idea! Who's giving us the $2000.00? Apparently, we're supposed to provide it!! Imagine that! No thanks, I'll pass.

I'm going to head on over to my stitching chair now and work on the Quaker Diamonds, so everyone have a wonderful evening and thanks for stopping by and commenting!

Birthday Recap( VERY LONG), Grab a cup of coffee before opening!

Happy Thursday!!

It's very cold outside today but at least the sun is shining. We've had a long stretch with no sun and it was really getting to me! I need SPRING!!

Let me start this post with a great big !!THANK YOU!! for the birthday wishes. I appreciate them all. My birthday was good. Mostly. But we'll get to that later. First the good stuff. My celebration actually started on Friday. I arrived at work already knowing I was to be treated to lunch by Mary Ann as she had called me to tell me not to bring my lunch. When I got there, I found a pretty gift bag waiting for me. As some might recall, in March the Last Saturday Stitchers are going away for a weekend of stitching to a B & B about an hour from here. This B & B has many beautiful rooms but it's whats inside some of those rooms that has my heart going pitter patter. Claw Foot Bathtubs! That's right, I am freaking out over a tub and I'm not too proud to admit it!! At this point, you are probably thinking 2 things:

a. why is she going off on a tangent about tubs
b. why is this whacko excited about a tub.

I'll tell you. I'm short. In my bathroom I have this beautiful large jetted tub. I love to soak in the tub and read a good book. It's one of my very favorite things. But in my tub, I have to stick one leg out of the water and brace myself or I slip under and drown. The tub is just too long for my short little legs. The other problem with my tub is the back of it, the place you lean back and relax as you read and soak is straight up and down. How in the world are you supposed to relax in a tub when you have to stick a leg out and sit straight up??? Must have been designed by a tall man is all I can say. Anyway, as a result, I've used the tub maybe a total of 5 times in 13 years. But, a claw foot tub has a wonderfully sloped back and is usually shorter, in other words, Julie size!! So how is this important to the lovely gift bag you ask? When I was researching the B & B and saw the tubs I told Mary Ann that I didn't care which room I got as long as it was one of the ones with a claw foot tub in it. I also informed her that I would most likely be excusing myself several times during our stay to take full advantage of said tub. Mary Ann heard my words, filed them away and as a result she bought me a fabulously perfect birthday gift!! Beautiful isn't it??


Couldn't be more perfect! Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a tub in Lincoln with my name on it!!

In addition to the gift from Mary Ann, 2 of my best stitching buddies came to the shop to visit and stitch. We had a great time and a Brownie's burger was the icing on the cake! So all in all, Friday was an awesome lead in to my big day!

Saturday day was spent moving Adam in and doing laundry as everything that was in his apartment smells of mold!! EVERYTHING!! I don't know how he was living in that place with the smell. Saturday evening, we had pizza for dinner which was great as I didn't have to cook and then I opened my gifts from Dan and the kids. From Dan I received a beautiful necklace, ear ring and ring set. The stone is Mystic Fire. It doesn't photograph well but it has beautiful greens and purples. See?


Adam decided my Sanza Fuze was not good enough for me so he went out and bought me an Ipod Nano!

I wonder how long it's going to take me to learn how to use it to it's full potential? He said something about me having to make play lists? I don't have a clue, technology and I are not good friends! I love it though and it's even green, my favorite color!!

Abby, chose to give me this:

Season 4 of NCIS! I had seasons 1-3 and season 5. So this was a great gift and we started watching it that night.

Amy is feeling the money pinch as she has lost most of her piano students since Christmas so she made me a wonderful birthday card and my in-laws sent me a card with a check in it to use for whatever I want. I'm thinking a couple of books to read whilst I am soaking myself into a prune! I also received wonderful cards from my mom and my sister.

And if that weren't enough great birthday surprises, Dan ordered me my favorite pie, Lemon Silk! It is to die for! And with it's artery clogging ingredients, I probably will but it will be worth it!!


It was an awesome birthday but unfortunately, there was a cloud hanging over it. Missy pup was not doing well by Saturday afternoon. I could tell she was in pain so I put a call into the vet. He wasn't at home but his wife assured me she would give him the message. So I waited for a call. Evening progressed and I could tell she was getting worse as the panting was increasing. Finally at 1:00 in the morning we took her into the Emergency Vet Clinic. You have to pay a small fortune before they even look at your animal. Then they charge you a small fortune to treat them. And if you are lucky they don't screw it up. Can you tell I don't really like the place? They couldn't tell me what was wrong other than to say she was in pain, I didn't have the small fortune to spend on tests and xrays so we opted to treat her with morphine and wait for my vet to call in the morning. Got home from there about 3:30 in the morning and while you could tell the morphine was affecting her, it didn't seem to be making her more comfortable, just unable to walk. It was a long night. Dr. F called in the a.m., said to continue the morphine and the muscle relaxant she was already on but to back the steroid off to one tab/day instead of two. I was to call him in the morning. She seemed to be better that evening until I gave her the steroid and then the panting started in again. In my mind this clinched the idea I had that it was the steroid causing the problem and this was confirmed by the vet the next day. Missy can't tolerate steroids. This is not good news for her back. If the legs get worse again, they will try a different steroid but are doubtful she will be able to tolerate it which leaves only strong pain killers to keep her comfortable as her problem progresses. I'm just going to hope and pray for the best for right now and we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. So my birthday ended poorly but it was fab until then!!

Thought you might enjoy seeing my house and craft room after moving Adam in Saturday.



Looking good isn't it?? I'm hoping the libray and dining room will look better after this coming weekend. Dan and Adam need to put some stuff up in the attic but the garage is such a mess they couldn't get to the attic last weekend. Keep your fingers crossed they make progress this weekend!

I've done a wee bit of stitching, not much but then I've been a little busy so I'm sure you will forgive me.

Quaker Diamonds:

12 Dancing Princesses:

And with that, I best get a move on or I will be late to work. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal but I am supposed to open up today so I need to be on time.

Thanks again for all the lovely comments and birthday wishes. I hope you all have a fantastic day today!

My Birthday and a cube finish

Today is my 50th birthday. It's funny. I don't feel 50. I don't feel any different than I did yesterday, last year, or the year before. Or for that matter, when I turned 16, 21, or 30! In my head I am still the same person that I've always been only better! Sure, my physical appearance has changed, my hair is gray under the wonderful hair dye I use, I have wrinkles, I'm no longer a size 9 and I have body aches and pains that I didn't have when I was younger. BUT! I know more now than I did then, I have experienced many things a younger person hasn't, love, loss, tragedy, incredible new inventions like the internet, cell phones, cancer treatments. I've had 3 babies and watched them grow and change over the years into wonderful adults (most of the time anyway). I'm a kinder, gentler, more tolerant person than I used to be, I'm not in Mother Theresa's league by any means but still an all around better person than I was when I was 25, or 35 or 45. And for the last 30 years I've had the privilege of sharing it all with a man that I love and respect. A man that's my best friend and who loves me for who I am, young or old. So today, instead of feeling bad about being a half century old, I am going to celebrate being a half century young with another half century at least to follow. I'm going to think about all the incredible inventions that are still waiting to be invented, the adventures still to come with the kids, like college graduations, marriages and babies. And I'm going to ponder on what kind of person I will be in another 10, 20 or 30 years. Who knows, by then I might be in Mother T's league! Ya just never know!!! So today, I invite you all to celebrate my next 50 years! Let's make them the best ever!!

As you might remember, we share our framing/cross stitch store with a vacuum cleaner sales and repair store. On Saturdays, Greg, the owner of the vacuum store, works over at his other location so Callie covers the Papillion store for him. We of course couldn't leave well enough alone, we had to suck her in to the addiction known as Cross Stitch. A couple of weeks ago, Callie finished her first project, a Lizzie Kate Quick-It. This week I decided to try my hand at making a cube using Callie's finish. I hadn't made a cube before. But I think it turned out quite nice if I do say so myself!


Can you see the little paw print buttons I put on the sides? They don't show up too well unless you are looking for them. I hope Callie likes it, I didn't tell her I was doing it.

Well, I need to go do some things before Adam arrives with his stuff today. I've procrastinated as long as I can I think. He'll be here in a couple of hours.

Have a great weekend everyone!! Thanks for stopping in!