Home Therapy

This week has been pretty rough and I am beat! It was hard...knowing *the boy* was leaving to go 3,000 miles away and having to be the one who in a way pushes him away. We both cried our fair share of tears. Both sad and upset at the hand we've both been dealt. The day he was leaving, he asked if he could leave the next day and I had to be the lucid one and say "no". It was already painful. What good would it be to spend one more day together to only go through the same turmoil and emotions the next day? He made it to Rhode Island ok and he's in a funk already about how hot, humid and rainy it is. Oh no, this does not bode well for my upcoming trip!! I don't handle hot, humid or rainy all that well!

We will be apart for five weeks...until I go out for my vacation.

The last couple of days, I have been feeling sad and mopey. No longer is that 6'2" figure on sticks crutching around or chirping in my ear or feeding me. It's quiet...but the quiet is also nice. I haven't felt motivated enough to start my fitness regime. Comfy pants, futon, tv remote and lounging is more my style when I feel blue. I also become restless so it's hard to focus on anything. But these are the things that help me get happy.
My tv remote, netflix, a stitchy project, my current book and a nice beverage. Oops...forgot to put netflix in the picture but you get the idea. All sorts of relaxing type stuff. As you can see...I'm very close to another mini happy dance. Only the border left to stitch on my November block and then I only have one. more. block. to. stitch. OMG...I can't believe I made it this far especially after my whole border derailment! Once this project is done, I am most likely adding the Newton's baby announcement and Mary Wigham to the rotation. Poor Fairy Moon will have to wait a little longer until I can fully concentrate on her.

Ok...going to go finish that border tonight! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Until next time...

Moving Right Along

I don't have a lot to say but do have progress to share. I completed the October block of my Bent Creek Snappers. Only two more blocks to go and I'll be all done! Woo!
The weekend has been pretty uneventful. Lots of errands trying to get *the boy* ready for his trip on Tuesday. We did go try a new place in the city yesterday. *The boy* was craving pizza and so we went to try Tony's Pizza Napoletana in North Beach. I wasn't really in the mood for pizza but went along for the ride and we had the calamari which was some of the freshest calamari I've had in a long, long while. Tony is famous for his margherita pizza so we went for that and *the boy* was a total piggie and had four slices! For him to eat that much, it has to be good! We also ordered a stromboli to go which ended up being dinner tonight. That was also pretty tasty so this will be a spot to come to later on.

Today was a lazy day. I could barely muster up the energy to go to the grocery store and around 4pm, I got a teaspoon worth of energy to get out of the house and run a couple of errands. I'm hoping I'll be a little more energetic tomorrow otherwise, it will be a long and trying day.

Well, better go...want to put more stitches into my November block! :)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Until next time...

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Night

Thanks the wonderful and supportive comments on my last post. *The boy* and I are handling the news well and getting things into gear. I have my moments of feeling blue and that usually makes stitching hard. I can't really stitch if I'm all bummed out. I sleep more and try to wacth tv or read.

Sooo...with that being said, I've only made a little bit of progress on my BC Snappers shown below. I was happy to work with a color other than green for a bit but am back to the green since I had to use it for the stem and am just getting the border out of the way for now. It is also time for the Totally Useless SAL reporting. Seriously...where does the time go?! Here's my progress so far. It always seems like I haven't been doing any stitching when I see a picture of my jar! But you can see the green with a little orange sprinkled on top. Those have been the main colors lately.
And a picture *the boy* took. I told him to play photographer while I was at work so he provided the photos for this post. He liked seeing the fog rolling in. Means no whining on his part about how the apartment is so hot but I love me some fog and will always welcomingly accept it.
*The boy* booked his ticket and leaves next Tuesday night...so it will not be a stitchy night and I will be taking a break from "regular programming". I'm a bit sad, a bit happy, a bit tired and a bit apprehensive about the whole thing but I know that I will be keeping myself busy between work, housesitting and finding the motivation to get back into a healthy portion/good exercise regime while he is gone (and not trying to plump me up like a thanksgiving turkey!). I'll be heading out for a visit at the end of August. Even scored a $99 (each way) fare to Boston. Cheap!! So I am excited about visiting a bit of the world I haven't seen and discovering what stitchy goodness I can discover there. I already know and have been warned I will be eating my way through the tri-state area. May as well lose those 10 pounds now so I can gain them back later! Haha!

Again, thanks for the support and giving me a virtual shoulder to cry on and vent my frustrations. I greatly appreciate it and promise more stitchy progress soon!

Until next time...

News...Not So Good

The title says it all. The news from the doctor was not so good.

The bone stimulation machine is working but very, very slowly.

The verdict: eight more weeks on crutches and to continue using the bone stimulation machine.

*The boy* will be buying his plane ticket to spend 6 weeks of that time back home in Rhode Island.

It was not the news we wanted to hear but we are trying to look at the upside. He gets to spend time with family and be coddled by the mom. I get some time to myself and a little space back from the constant togetherness I was so not ready for. Plus, I have a reason to see what Rhode Island is all about. I've never been to the East Coast before so this will be my first taste of it. If anyone has some cool needlework shop recommendations around Rhode Island, Massachusetts or New York, let me know! I'll be going to visit sometime next month.

If things have not healed at the end of these eight weeks...surgery...and it all starts over again. Yea...not so good.

Thanks for hanging in there with me and sending your good thoughts my way. We both appreciate whatever good mojo people have to offer. Lots of hugs to everybody!

I'll probably be offline for the next few days...to you know...let it all sink in. Despite resigning myself to this before the appointment, it's all just a little sad.

Until next time...

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Night

Usually...

Except for tonight...

Because we're having a heatwave...again.

I received emails from *the boy* all day about how hot it was in the apartment and how he was "melting into a puddle" and just basically hot, tired, grumpy and dying to be anywhere else than home because it was just too hot. I felt for him. It gets really hot in my apartment during heatwaves and I don't have any air conditioning. I'm lucky to work in aircon all day!

So after work, I picked him up and took him to the mall. He needed some basic boy necessities and I needed girlie moisturizing stuff. So we went to do the necessary errands and relish in air conditioning. *The boy* was so happy to be out of the house and go to the mall...he was actually waiting for me all ready at the curb. He *hates* shopping but I guess he hates the heat even more! So he bought boy stuff and I bought my girl stuff plus...a pair of very nice heels. I didn't have any interview, nice night out, potential funeral basic black heels and so I invested in some really nice ones. And after the shopping *the boy* treated me to CPK and frozen yogurt.

So we were successful in our attempt to shop and cool off but I couldn't keep to my Tuesday stitchy agenda. Oh well...I only managed to stitch some plain border. Not exciting enough to warrant a picture. Perhaps later this week.

*The boy's* follow up appointment is Thursday. He is dreading it...a tad scared to hear any more potential bad news. Please think happy thoughts for him. We'd both appreciate it.

Hope you're all staying cool and relishing in air-con...that's if you're in heatwave mode like us.

Until next time...

Weekend Happenings

What a weekend! Lots and lots of happenings to talk about so hopefully I don't bore anyone. The most fun item on the agenda for the weekend was going to NiaH for a Stitchers by the Bay yahoo get together. I joined the group about two or three months ago but this was the first time that I went to a get together or met anyone from the group. I was a total newbie and the funny thing is that I am the third *Valerie* in the group! It's been a long time since I've been in the same room with another Valerie...let alone two others! I think a fun time was had by all and I got to meet Lisa and Natasha there too! I was on hyper overload. It had been over two months since my last visit to the shop and I was a shopping fiend, not to mention meeting lots of new people, hearing funny stories and seeing loads of beautiful work and finishing! It was just such an amazing day! I had such fun and despite my crazy shopping, I didn't buy out the store. Maybe next time though! I had to put my Mary Wigham fabric on order so I will be making another trip shortly. Oh, can't wait!

On Sunday, I heard from Anna who was my exchange partner for the HoE Christmas in July exchange that I was so tardy on. I cannot believe it arrived in Norway in only one week! One week...can you believe it?! Norway is really far! I received a sweet email from Anna saying she loved everything I sent her. I was so happy! I stitched her up a cute Santa ornie and a floss tag. Below is the front side:

Prairie Schooler Santa Ornament
Gift of Stitching e-Magazine
32 count Antique Ivory Belfast w/Recommended DMC
Finish: pillow ornament w/green Mill Hill glass beads

Floss Tag
Motif taken from Peppermint Twist - Blue Ribbon Designs
32 count Antique Ivory Belfast w/Recommended WDW

And here is the back of the ornie and floss tag:
And here is everything I included in the package. I was happy to find some California natural lemon drops at my local neighborhood candy shop for Anna as she said lemon is her favorite flavor! I also included ribbon, needles, backing fabric, threads and a couple of small charts. So happy she liked everything. As a funny sidenote to my exchange, my friend Claire and *the boy* both saw me working on the floss tag. They would look at the tag, look at me and be all skeptical. I had to explain that I wasn't rudely calling dear Anna a ho(e) but that the abbreviation for Hooked on Exchanging was HoE and we all referred to it as that. They didn't really buy the explanation and I was hoping Anna wouldn't get offended but she seemed to like both pieces.

Other cool weekend stuff.

I reached my goal on Sunday of having the border up to September all done. I am all caught up! Yay! Here's how it looks so far. It's hard getting a decent picture of it since it's so long!

Here's my attempt at an artistic shot. I really love those July birdies! This was taken before I finished off the border...as you can tell. I think I will keep on keeping on with the Snappers for the week. I really like the October block and seem to be on a roll. It will be nice to work with other autumnal colors...you know...other than the blasted green!

And the perfect ending to a great weekend? On Sundays, we, me and *the boy*, like having a low-key dinner at home. He cooks and I get to stitch. I had asked him last week if he could make bread salad. He says bread stuffing...I say bread salad. We go back and forth. He doesn't get it so I say, "bread salad like they make with the roast chicken at Zuni!" And then he understood. Zuni makes awesome bread salad and roasted chicken...it is very, very good as well as very expensive. I had the wonderful chance at trying it with AM last year and she blogged about it here. Now that I am dating this total foodie, "I went to culinary school" boyfriend, I like challenging him once in a while. He tells me I have to eat better and stop laying off the popcorn. So this was my attempt at eating healthier.
And here is it. Bread salad and roasted chicken a la Zuni. It was pretty yum...crispy skin, tender meat, soaked bread with crispy outsides, toasted pinenuts, sweet currants and the bitter kick from the arugala. It was pretty spot on and I'm not just saying that. Mr. I Went to Culinary School sometimes has disasters and I end up eating popcorn. I wish there was more bread salad!! Wow, it was really good.

And that was the end to a great weekend! I hope everyone had a great weekend too.

Until next time...

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Night

No pictures and no real progress to share since my last post. I've continued the border up to the March block but have until September to do and am trying to intermix threads from different skeins of Dried Thyme to make the new border section blend more with the old border section. To be honest...it's kind of a pain in the a**, but that's ok. The border actually goes pretty fast.

Last night was fairly disappointing. *The boy* lost his contracting gig and he is back to square one...again. It's really frustrating to me because all I've known is this really nice guy who tells me he can take care of himself but it's something I haven't really seen in the 10 months I've been seeing him. So I'm cranky and frustrated and annoyed and pretty much running on fumes in the patience department. He's frustrated because his bad luck is running amock for some reason and he is still stuck on crutches. So again...we had the conversation about the *what if's* surrounding his upcoming doctor's appointment.

What if the doctor says the healing is coming along and he's off the crutches? He stays and goes to every interview he can to find another job and move out of my place to get his own place. I am craving space and frankly, to go from crazy serial dater who is strongly independent to immediate live-in, practically marriage with no chance at having an entire day to myself in my own apartment is killing me. Like seriously. It's too much at one time. I'm surprised I haven't gone running to the hills screaming.

What if the doctor says the leg is not healing? *The boy* is getting on a plane back to the east coast to spend time with family and have a stronger support system. As much as I have done, *I* am the only one who has done anything. His friends deserted him when he needed the most help and I'm pretty much at the end of my rope and super pissed at his friends that I can spit nails! So, he would leave until it either healed or after any surgery he might need and he says he'll come back to SF. Frankly, after this whole scenario, I'm too wiped out to even think about jumping on the dating bandwagon for a really long time. If anything, I'll have plenty of time to stitch!

I'm hoping to distract myself enough to not think about the *what if's* until next Thursday so maybe I'll actually get some good progress done on this border before the start of the weekend.

On a happier note, Violarium and Patti are both having giveaways next week. Hurry and take a look on my sidebar before time runs out! Good luck...

Hope everyone is having a good start to their week!

Until next time...

Vacation: Days Four and Five

Days Four and Five of my vacation were pretty uneventful so I won't bother drawing out the details. The majority of it was spent being lazy, napping, watching bad tv and doing some errands. But the rest was much needed and welcome. I hope that everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! *The boy* and I climbed up to the roof of my building for a private showing of the fireworks three towns over. From the roof, we could just see them. There is this monster tree that blocked a lot of it but we enjoyed seeing them shoot into the sky. I couldn't get a picture to save my life! They came out all blurred so I have nothing to show. *The boy* took a lot with his super fancy schmancy camera but I don't know if any of his came out either. He is as slow as molasses when I ask him to do things like that so maybe I'll surprise you guys later.

The little bit of stitching post-exchange and rr wrap-up was devoted to this blast from the past. Since it seems like I am on a bit of a green trend, I figured I would continue and re-stitch my border. Here is what I have done so far.
Not a lot but a little bit is better than nothing. I think I will devote the week to doing as much as I can with the border. The goal is to make it to the end of September and as you can see, I've made it only to February. Once I hit NiaH on Saturday, I will be way too distracted with a new start or many to focus on boring borders!

Hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend...

Until next time...

Vacation - Day Three

The plan for Day three was to eat everything that was bad for you but tasted oh so good. There were a few places in the city that I've been dying to try for some time now. So the eating smorgasbord menu was pizza, ice cream and donuts.

A little after noon, we headed into the city for pizza at Pizzeria Delfina. I dropped *the boy* off and headed to park. At my first turn around the block, *the boy* flags me down to tell me that there are 10 people ahead of us on the list and he wanted to leave. He is the most impatient person ever! Doesn't he know that you have to wait for the good things? I sent him back to the line and found parking. No matter what time of day you get to this little spot, there is always a huge crowd of people waiting for a tabe. The place is tiny!!...and totally worth the wait. We were seated at a wonderful sidewalk table and we people watched and chitchatted until out sand dabs came out. They were yum! Then we had our sausage pizza which was super yum! I found I didn't like the pieces that were a little burnt on the bottom (not all were) and so *the boy* ae those. It was a yummy pizza and we ate every bite! We also ordered the stuffed shells with ricotta, anchovy and broccoli rabe to save for dinner. We were so stuffed with the pizza that we didn't eat those shells until very late! We both enjoyed them except for the broccoli rabe. Definitely have to go back to try more things on their menu. We were both bummed that they day we went, they didn't have squash blossoms so perheps on another day!

Next...ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery just down the block. This place has gotten so many write-ups that I had to go try. *The boy* had cookies and cream with hot fudge. OMG...their fudge is *so* good and for not being the biggest cookies and cream fan, I secretly wish I had ordered that too! I had the salted caramel and toasted coconut. Both really good. Next time...oh yes, there will be a next time...I am getting the almond joy sundae. Toasted coconut ice cream with hot fudge, toasted almonds and whipped cream. Is your mouth watering too?!

And finally...donuts. We were going to buy a couple to save for breakfast the following day since we were pretty stuffed and sleepy at that point. Dynamo Donuts has been talked about all over foodie blogland! We obviously waited too late in the day to score any donuts. The staff wasn't very polite when I walked up and I asked where the donuts were to only be told they had sold out. *sigh*

Probably just as well considering the fried sand dabs, pizza and ice cream. OMG...I can feel the pounds creeping up! haha

*The boy* and I were content and headed home....he took a nap and I intently and determinedly sat down and finished my exchange like a good girl...finally. That's ready to be mailed out now! Whew...so relieved. I just hope my partner likes what I made for her.

And that made for a very full day.

Agenda for Day Four....laundry and fireworks. Yep..I'm loaded with excitement! :)

Until next time...

Vacation - Day Two

Day two of vacation was the type of day where at 8pm, you wonder what the heck happened to the day. Have you ever felt that way? It was fairly uneventful yet busy. The car got a wonderful spa treatment...tune-up, oil change and car wash. For being a 12 year old car, it's looking pretty nice at the moment!

Since I was carless for the better part of the day, I was left with walking everywhere. I walked home from the mechanic which is about a 3/4 mile, then my friend Claire came by and we went on a 2 mile walk around the neighborhood and then 3/4 miles back to the mechanic. Once reunited with the car, I ran some errands and went back home and it was 6pm! Any free time I had was spent on the computer. Amazing how time flies when attached to the internet machine so needless to say, my goal of finishing my exchange has been postponed to Day #3. Boo! So disappointed with myself!

The highlight of my day was receiving my HoE Christmas In July exchange from Jayne. Here's what she sent me.

I received a beautifully stitched christmas tree ornament from Jayne! Stitched over 1 and with beautiful gold beads attached. I love it! It took *the boy* a few minutes to realize that the hidden message of "joy" was imbedded in the stitching. :)
And here is the entire package from Jayne. She included lots of useful things like needles, floss rings, floss bobbins, some metallic threads, a cut of fabric and a cute little kit. Everything will come in quite handy!Jayne, thanks for the wonderful exchange!!

Goal for Day Three of vacation: finish my own exchange which is now late!

Until next time...

Vacation - Day One

So I am officially on vacation but is it really a vacation if you aren't going anywhere or really doing anything? Since I am *so* close to paying off my credit card debt, I didn't want to book a vacation and well...I have a broken down boyfriend at the moment so that pretty much cancels out any vacation I want to take! Touristy siteseeing...hard on crutches! Beach vacation...can you even crutch on sand?! I can't imagine. So I brought a bit of the tropics to me and made some sangria. I *love* sangria but don't usually make it for myself since it's pretty much a "mmmm, tastes like punch and smacks you in the head after a glass" kind of stuff. I don't have any pretty pitchers so I'm stuck ladling it out of a plastic bowl. Note to self: buy a pretty pitcher!
See! Sangria in a bowl. =) Loaded with lemon, oranges, apple and some grapes. And I eat every bit of the booze-soaked fruit...except for the lemon of course! Love, love sangria!
Besides making sangria...and drinking it too. I spent the morning at a doctor's appointment and doing housesitting chores. Bor-ing! Once I settled in after lunch, I devoted my time to this. I finished my section on CarolR's QFRR. Yay! I completed the bottom left section. This is ready to be mailed to the last and final stitcher on this piece.

Carol R's QFRR
35ct Lambswool
HDF Imperialosity and AVAS 1743

The plan for Day Two: Get car repaired and finish christmas exchange. Let's see if I can get those two accomplished without any drama. :)

Until next time...

Fifty Four Years Ago Today

Fifty-four years ago today, my parents got married and have been together ever since!

July 2, 1955

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!