Disappointment

Where to begin. Most of the disappointment revolves around *the boy*. He went in on Thursday for his x-ray and follow up and about 4 doctors crowded around his x-ray with pensive looks on their faces. The diagnosis was six more weeks on crutches. Six.More.Weeks!! *sigh* This was not what we were prepared to hear. In fact, we got the blunt doctor this time who said that 85% of the time, the tibia heals fine but there is a 15% chance that things will not heal fine and then alternative methods go into play. I think we were both too freaked out to find out what the "alternative" might be. Frankly, as pale as I am, I'm sure I grew even paler as my jaw hit the floor. And the blunt doctor also said that in all reality, it would be 3-6 months for the bone to heal. At the end of these additional six weeks, he'll have four months of crutching under his belt.

In addition to being dealt the card of six more weeks of crutching and no-weight bearing, *the boy* found out that his job is not as well-funded as they made themselves out to sound and therefore he will have to endure a 50% paycut for a little while until the company acquires more funding. 50% is a lot of money folks! *The boy* decided it was best to endure the paycut rather than go on unemployment. I agree but he was already getting paid less than his "worth". But hard times call for desperate measures.

And then remember that his "friends" were raising his rent by double starting May 1st?! The original plan was he'd move in with me temporarily while he looked for a cool housing situation. Well, the crutching an additional six weeks + 3 flights of stairs + no carpool options near me = less than ideal situation. When I dropped *the boy* back onto his side of the bay last night, it appears that the "friends" did the honorable thing and extended the lesser rent to him until he was back on his feet. So despite the circumstances, he's decided to take them up on their offer and stick it out over there since the carpool situation there helps him immensely.

Does anyone have a good luck spell that can cast on *the boy*. I mean really!! It seems like there is always some challenge or another.

Frankly, its too much drama for me to deal with. *The boy* seems to be handling this series of events better than me and it's actually happening to him! I don't know what my deal is but I'm feeling rather down and stressed.

I attended the funeral for my friend's dad and it was nice to see everyone, many whom I hadn't seen in years. They are devout Russian Orthodox and it was interesting to see a wake in that culture and how drastically different it is from Catholicism. Even in the saddest of circumstances, you can learn something new.

Most of the weekend, I had a migraine which means I didn't do much stitching and slept a ton. I could sleep another ton seeing as I feel so tired! Since I had a migraine, *the boy* (you know, the one on crutches!) was amazingly productive. He washed my dishes, he made dinner and repotted my plants. Me: I ran the errands for said dinner and potting and then slept and slept and slept. The productivity award goes to *the boy*!

I have only managed to stitch on one more motif on Edgar's QFRR but I have the feeling I can finish it all up tonight. By tomorrow, definitely. I didn't realize it was spring break so that means no yoga this week since I take classes at the local community college. No yoga = more time for stitching! Yay! It's not good news in the fight against the pudge but if the weather holds up, I'll take walks around the neighborhood.

I was also told by *the boy* that I have to get my darn act together and make a schedule and stick to it. *sigh* I've never been good at keeping to a schedule. All this stems from me going to sleep at 1am every night and waking up at 630am every day during the week which obviously isn't enough sleep which then taxes my body and I get these headaches or end up sleeping the entire weekend and moving at the same pace as a tortoise. Kind of bad for a 33 year old. Plus, for as late as I stay up, I haven't been getting very much stitching done. And then I complain very loudly about how I am not getting any stitching done and I go further into my funk. So I'll be playing around with a new schedule that will allow me more stitching time and get me to sleep earlier. We'll see how things go! Today we start....looking forward to more stitching and more sleeping!

No pictures today but come back tomorrow! :)

Until next time...

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Night

Another week and now we're already in April! Time is just flying by! I promise not to be "the voice of gloom" in this post as I'm quite tired of delivering sad or bad news.

Over the weekend I managed to finish the stitching on my CCN Peace Ornament. I used the recommended fabric and threads and I do have to say...it's kind of big for an ornament. I think I'd have been better off on 32 or 36 count but that's ok. It was a nice transitionary project to work on to help me get out of my stitching slump and I like how it came out. I didn't have time to actually finish this into an ornament but that will have to be a project for another day!

CCN Peace Ornament, JCS 2007
28 count Lakeside Linens Patina
Recommended DMC

I've diligently been working on Edgar's QFRR the past couple of nights. Excuse the photo but I was too lazy to take it out of the q-snap and it's little cozy to take a proper snap. You get the gist though. I had really wanted to finish that one motif but it got too late to keep my eyes open. You can tell I only need to put in a few more stitches to finish it and then I have two more large motifs to stitch before I can sent this onto it's next destination. This is the first time I have stitched with Vikki Clayton silk and it is very different than most silk I've worked with. It has very nice coverage...must be premium. Nice! I really like the color combination that Edgar picked which I of course can't remember now but I will report that when I finish my section.

I think that I will be planting my tushie on the futon again tomorrow night to continue work on this QFRR. While at Starbucks today, I tried to sneak past someone to get to the other side of the "condiment bar" and someone jumped back and stepped on my ankle. It's a tad swollen and a little bruised and painful. I might skip yoga since I wonder how well I will do balancing on a painful ankle. Plus, I really want to get this QFRR on it's way since I know another one is coming to me soon and I have loads of stitchy ideas in my head.

Since I've found my mojo, I keep bouncing around ideas as to what my next project will be. I am still working on the BC Snappers but haven't touched them since I discovered my big border mistake of 2009! I must start frogging and repairing the border. Since that seems tedious...I need a fun project. I was thinking about starting the Mirabilia - Letter G as a gift for *the boy's* niece. We've been tossing around the idea of a trip to Italy in October and the neice's birthday is in September so I figure it will be fun and a nice present that she can keep forever! Even if we don't make the trip this year, the gift will be readyfor when we do make the viist and that project seems less daunting than starting Fairy Moon right now. Plus, that gives me the chance to go fabric shopping as that's the only thing I need!

To motivate me a little, I joined Yoyo's Totally Useless SAL. You basically start an orts jar and show your progress on every new moon. So...it's totally easy plus, I'll have a colorful jar at the end of the year of all my orts! Of course, I have to keep stitching to have a colorful jar so stitching I must do! I went to Goodwill to find a cheap jar with lid and found the perfect one and have started to contribute to it tonight with the QFRR scraps.

Here's a cute little tidbit. When my mood is in the dumper, I tend to go into a "I want a pet" phase and since I love dogs but am not allowed to have any in my apartment, I start looking at cats. My favorite being an orange tabby. Now, I've never had a cat before but the idea of a little orange tabby makes me happy and I always think it would be nice to have a cat to pet that purrs and keeps me company. Now, *the boy* has lately been listening to me yap on and on about orange tabbys and looking for totes but not finding any I like and how I am so behind on stitching and need to carry my stuff around with me to maximize project output. Poor guy...he's been getting an earful! So, yesterday, I opened my mailbox and found a "surprise" package with this tote inside! *The boy* was browsing around on CafePress and saw this and thought it might cheer me up and it did. It was a very sweet gesture! It's not my usual taste seeing as my other tote is all *i heart goth* but it's growing on me. Insert *awww* here! =)
*The boy* has his follow up x-ray on Thursday. Think happy thoughts!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend and you have a fun and stitchy week.

Until next time...

Another Trying Week

I feel like I'm becoming the "voice of gloom" lately. Things lately have been seriously annoying, difficult or sad lately. I think I'm not the only one going through a trying period so I wonder what is up with the cosmic forces! First there was the the broken boyfriend who is thankfully doing loads better despite still being on crutches. His living situation leaves much to be desired at the present moment so there is lots of talk about options and what to do. His follow up appointment is Thursday so we are hoping that there is some good news as to his healing. Keep your fingers crossed!

My dad is doing loads better after all his tests but the parentals and I had a big blowout mid-week that had me feeling very hurt, sad and frustrated. And then I end up feeling guilty that I'm fighting with a couple of eighty year olds! Is there ever a moment when parents can actually tell their kids that they in fact know better and just give into the advice and help?!? I may be their child bit I *am* 33 years old! I am *always* wrong despite being right most of the time. Hence, their stuff goes even more to shit than before since they defy everything I tell them. Yet *I'm* the difficult one! Geez! Who needs kids when they have 80 year old parents to contend with!? Sometimes, I wish I made that move to Seattle that I contemplated years and years ago. It's difficult to care for people who demand your help but don't want to listen or do anything you say despite only having their best interests at heart.

And on Saturday, I received the news that my friend's dad, whom I mentioned in my previous post, passed away. It's quite sad and seems so sudden to me since I just learned of his illness. It made me think of my teenage years when her parent's house was a sanctuary from my own. It was where I learned to drink vodka shots at the ripe old age of 16 (!!) and never, ever went hungry as her dad would always sneak more food on my plate when I wasn't looking...and was even more than I could eat! He always had fun stories to share and he inspired me to take up Hospitality Management as a career field. It was a field I enjoyed for a short number of years but have since dabbled here and there. I know he's in a better place and free from his pain and that's most important.

I wish things didn't seem to sad, trying or frustrating but I know that's all temporary.

Over the weekend, I did manage to finish the stitching on my Peace ornament and start (barely) the Edgar's RR. The RR will be my focus since I am already late. I am planting my tushie on the sofa every spare minute I have to get this piece in the mail by the end of the week. I know I can do it!

I'll share pictures tomorrow.

Until next time...

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Night

Wow...Tuesday again! The days are just flying by!

I had mentioned that I have been stitching but not a lot really. I had grand intentions of spending most of Monday evening stitching as I was skipping yoga due to the early morning wakeup call needed to take my dad to the hospital. I was sleepy and yawning by 11am! I am not a good morning person at all. But Monday night brought about issues like filing my federal and state tax returns, sorting through mail and finding a new personal physician. You know...fun stuff...NOT! But I've been stitching away at my Peace ornament when I can find a spare 10 minutes here and 15 minutes there. I haven't much left to stitch...just a couple more leaves and the flowers. This will be a happy dance by the weekend.
My Tuesdays haven't been very stitchy lately and today won't be very stitchy either. After the tragedy in Oakland over the weekend, it made me think of a dear friend of mine who is a police officer who I hadn't heard from in a while. Busy lives...busy people...we all lose track of time. I sent her an email to say hi and see if we could catch up and ends up her father is in a dire health situation as well as another member of her family. So dire that it doesn't seem like either will make it to the end of the year. It's all quite sad and she is spending most of her days off travelling about trying to take care of everyone. Today was the only day that worked between our schedules to catch up over dinner and I'd like to see her in person to just make sure she's coping ok. I think that's more important right now than making a few more x's in my stitching. It's surprising to see, read and hear how many people are having health issues or tragic things happen to them so far this year. I, myself, have been dealing with a lot of muscular pain in my neck and shoulder lately and I think it's time I did something about it. New doctor will hopefully bring about new treatment ideas. I'm quite upset at this since my last doctor (the one I switched from yesterday) had prescribed me a muscle relaxer which made me very fatigued and drowsy. When I told her I could not perform my normal daily functions on this medication, she prescribed me valium (stronger) and told to file a worker's comp claim! I refused both...what kind of doctor is that?! I just need a doctor that will give me positive forms of treatment like a couple of visits with a physical therapist to show me proper stretching exercises to target my pain areas. I hope this new doctor can do something like that for me. I hope everyone is in good health.

Lately, I've become an Etsy fanatic! I've been searching high and low for a new tote bag to carry my daily needs like book, stitchy project, bottle of water, camera and snacks, and haven't been able to find anything I really like that is big enough. This is hard since I want something fun, not pink and definitely not floral. It's really hard! I have bought this so far off of Etsy though.
There is a "i heart goth" tote which is cute and fun but not quiet sturdy enough for my rough handling. But I will use it and have fun with it until it falls apart. I love the print and all the others that this particular designer has. It was quite inexpensive considering original artwork and it came all the way from Scotland! I love how she looks all innocent but has a skull barrette, faint skull and crossbones pattern on her shift and very faint burgandy red highlights. It makes me laugh each time I see it. Reminds me of many days of me wearing constant black and sporting dark burgandy hair that would look so bright under any lighting. Ah, those were the days! There are two Q-Snap covers (in white), a pinpillow pattern from M Designs and 2 bookmarks from Belgium on the left which will come in handy now that I am actually reading. The Bookmark seller included a couple of small scraps with her prints on them as well as a very kind note on a postcard. All those can be used as placemarkers in books and magazines too! I thought that was very kind! I'm still on the search for a fun tote...not necessarily all teenagy and goth like this one...but fun, non-floral and no pink. If you have any leads...let me know!

Well, that's the extent of my stitchy Tuesday. I hope people are getting more stitchy time in than me but the good news is I have a quiet Thursday and Friday night and I think that since I scheduled a ton of appointments this weekend, it will be solo Valerie running around and *the boy* will be staying on his side of the bay. That would mean more stitchy time for me. Woo! Which is good as I have some serious time to spend with a QFRR before I send it onto it's next destination point.

Until next time...

Happiness and Sadness...Intertwined

The Happy: I woke up at an ungodly hour this morning to take my dad to the hospital for yet another procedure. We've all been very worried with the vagueness of what's been wrong for months and the requests for more tests. I decided to go in with my dad this time since sometimes, I don't get answers and with no surprise there since they make him all sleepy for the procedures! But in the end, I think that things with dear old dad are ok. Nothing that a better diet won't fix and some moderation. This may be challenging as my dad is already on a no cholesterol, no sugar diet and is as skinny as a rail with me always yelling at him to eat since the wind will blow him away! But I think we can work with fitting some good amount of fiber in his diet...good to hear he's ok. He still needs to follow up with his regular doctor but I think the end result is better diet and maybe some new medication.

The Sad: I work in public safety. I have friends who are cops and I have friends who are firefighters. Even in my annoyance that SFPD did not catch the guy who jumped *the boy* that caused him so much pain and suffering, I have deep respect and awe for policemen and firemen because they hold a job I wouldn't even touch with a ten-foot pole. But deep down, all these men and women want to do is serve and protect the community they were safeguarded to. They put themselves in danger everyday to serve and protect. Today, many people in the Bay Area are saddened at the tragic and senseless incident on Saturday that took the lives of four Oakland policemen. It really makes you think...how can this happen? Shouldn't cops be immune to this? It was only a traffic stop...the initial officers didn't even know what hit them. It's maddening. It's sad. It's a waste of life and all these men were trying to do was protect their community and a neighborhood.

It makes me more sad than my dad having a good test makes me happy.

Stitchy Tuesday is tomorrow and I have been stitching! Woo! Stay tuned tomorrow. Oh...and stitching makes me happy again now. Thank goodness!

Until next time...

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Night

This will be short and sweet seeing as I babbled yesterday. Tuesdays are beginning to see a non-stitchy streak. I had every intention of finishing or attempting to finish the stitching of my Peace ornament but after I visited with the chiropractor and finished my chores, my tummy was feeling quite unsettled. I wasn't sure why since I hadn't eaten dinner yet but I think it was taking my vitamin and calcium on an empty stomach which I usually don't do.

Because of that, my stitching mojo went away for the night and I decided to look for a new cell phone online and read more of The Other Boleyn Girl. I am really enjoying this book and it has been keeping me up past midnight because I just can't put it down! That makes getting up in the mornings very difficult!!

But I am feeling much better now.

Stitching time will be scarce the next few days as I have yoga, much laundry to do at the parentals and *the boy* will be spending the weekend with me starting Friday night and I have to work part of Sunday. I doubt I'll have much of a progress report until next week. But I will try to finish up my ornament and flip my coin as to what section to start stitching on Edgar's RR.

Hope everyone has a nice week and lots of stitchy progress...

Until next time...

Buh-bye Weekend!

Ugh...Monday already?! How did that happen? I really could use another day. I'm sure there are loads of people who feel that same way too.

I had grand plans this weekend...they pretty much evolved around staying at home all weekend in my pajamas.
See...me in pajamas...these ones are my favorite...red stripes and super warm and comfy.

And watching movies and tv.
I was all ready with my netflix which consisted of Season 1 discs for both The Closer and Bones. Two shows I enjoy which *the boy* doesn't really like watching with me due to the violence and "ewww" factor.

But sometimes, the best laid plans have a couple of bumps along the road. This weekend I felt rather blah and down even though I had it all to myself. I had told *the boy* I needed the weekend to myself since I was worn out and so tired of the stressed and hectic pace of the last few weeks. I wanted to be a futon potato and relax and let tv and a few pampering appointments take care of things. I indulged in sleeping in until 11:30am and soon thereafter I received a call saying my Sunday massage appointment had been cancelled. I really wanted a massage because of the stress and tension but there is also the factor that it's hard getting an appointment with my massage therapist! I headed out for my manicure. Since I had this gift certificate the crazy Russians gave *the boy* to give to me for a local salon, I figured that would be a treat. I was rather disappointed in the ambiance of the salon not to mention they were running 20 minutes late, were super disorganized and did a rather crappy job on my nails. I would not recommend the salon to anyone and ponder doing a yelp review. After the manicure, I looked at new phones and I think I picked out my future cell phone and then headed to Peet's where I did a rather good job of scalding my hand with piping hot coffee. Ouch! And then headed to the neighborhood taqueria for a taco and got the girl who didn't know how to even make one. I had to remind her what went in one as she skipped over ingredients. *sigh* And after all that I had to head over to the parentals so not really the most relaxing day. I was rather spent and cranky after it all.

But that evening, I found a little bit of my stithing mojo and made a small start on my CCN Peace Christmas Ornament. Here is it so far...not bad for absent-minded stitching. I am hoping to finish it entirely by the end of the month. The stitching is no problem...it's the actual finishing that sometimes seems daunting to me.
Sunday was a lot better...I slept in again, watched tv...saw this cute little film and read.
Coraline was a very cute film about how what you want may not always be best or what it seems. I greatly enjoyed it and wheras it was dark, I didn't find it scary...even with the 3-D glasses.

Sunday was a good day but I just wish I had one more day to the weekend! Tomorrow is stitchy night and I don't know what to work on. I know I should work on Edgar's QFRR. I was hoping to strategize between his and the next one so I don't end up stitching the same section three times! And I was really hoping the other stitcher would get back to me over the weekend but it's time I suck it up and take the gamble on which one I do on this one and hope it's a different section on the next one. Housework and stitching...the agenda for tomorrow.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend...

Until next time...

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Night

I have lost my stitching mojo. I haven't picked up a needle in over two weeks and there are times when I feel that this current state of affairs is odd and that I should try but I haven't had a desire to stitch at all. Things have been particularly stressful lately and whereas stitching usually brings me comfort, I feel quite down about my border mistake on the Snappers. I won't give up though! I just got my order of Dried Thyme GAST from Needlecraft Corner yesterday so there will be some progress or frogging happening on that shortly. Stay tuned!

But I will show you what I've been up to and it's been making things less stressful. Reading!! I used to be a voracious reader. One book in a single evening. I loved it! But then I found stitching again and I would usually stitch and watch tv over reading. Now I am a slow reader and a book takes me forever! *sigh* But I have a couple of reads under my belt now. First is Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs. Being a Top Chef fanatic, I thought it would be cool to read this book based on a tv cooking show celebrity chef. It was a good read. Lots of characters but not so many you get all confused. Light and fluffy...no heavy thinking.
A while ago, during my knitting phase, I read the A Friday Night Knitting Club also by Kate Jacobs. I remember it being a really good book and it ipitomized the whole essense of a knitting club...the need to connect with other women who loved the same thing but had different lives. I read that book voraciously and loved it despite it requiring much kleenex. I figured I would read the sequel, Knit Two. This was a good book as well but not as good as A Friday Night Knitting Club.
Now this next book has a long history with me. I have been trying to read The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory for months. Yep, months! I checked it out 6 times (I should be ashamed to admit this but I am not...obviously) last year. The problem would be that I would go to the library and find a ton of books I wanted to read, check them all out and then read one or two very slowly and then I would never get around to reading it. Towards the end of the year, I had read 80 pages before having to return it before the holiday rush as there was no way I could get back to the book. Before *the boy* got hurt, we went to the library and I checked out these three books. He asked why I was checking out The Other Boleyn Girl again and I had to explain I had not finished it. Well, I've now reached my allotment of three check outs on this book again and I am only on page 240...of 667. This does not mean it's a bad book. It's quite good and well-written...I only just picked it up to actually read again over the weekend but the book is due back today. I know the library has more copies of this book so I will be returning my copy and checking out another so I can continue the story of King Henry, Anne and Mary.
I had mentioned that there was good things that happened last Thursday...despite how bad that day was, there were a couple of bright spots. I decided to take the day off from work so I could go to the Artistic Luxury: Fabrege, Tiffany, Lalique exhibit at the Legion of Honor. Despite it being a Thursday morning, the parking lot was full! But after doing a round about, I found a great spot. I am always amazed at the view from the museum so I took a couple of snaps.

Sea, mountains, trees and puffy white clouds

A far-off cityscape and more puffy clouds

And the Legion of Honor museum on a gorgeous day

I had planned on taking loads of pictures of the exhibit but photography was not allowed. The pieces were amazing! Jaw-dropping amazing...like how in the world were these pieces even created!? The detail in all of the pieces were beyond comprehension. I could have stood there gazing at fabrege eggs, art nouveau jewelry and glass pieces all the day. It was well worth the trip and the exhibit fee to see and I was happy I took a day off to go see it. Since the pieces on display are small, people crowd around very close making it hard to see and necessary to wait for people to get their fill before they move on so you can get a close-up view as well. It was a great way to fill the morning. I then had to move on to take *the boy* to the doctor and you all know how that went. But we were able to get a table for dinner at Absinthe. This is one of my favorite places...more the bar than the restaurant and the executive chef is Jamie Lauren of the last Top Chef season. There were no Jamie sightings but we had a fun time for dinner. Lots of cocktails, small plates and laughs. It was a nice evening...despite everything else.

The weekend was a grooming weekend for *the boy*. He desperately needed a haircut and some new clothes so I dragged him to the mall and made him try on clothes. He probably thought I was a fashion nazi but he said later that he was happy with all his purchases so that's most important. Overall, it was a nice weekend. I brought *the boy* to come out and stay with me for the weekend after that whole hoopla about the rent. He managed to get up all the stairs and we watched lots of videos and ordered in pizza. Pretty mellow weekend despite the driving. Be careful out there driving. People drive like maniacs! Over the weekend, someone drove into a group of Girl Scouts trying to sell cookies in front of a grocery store in my neighborhood!

Today is supposed to be stitchy Tuesday but I doubt stitching will happen. I see reading, video watching and dishes in my immediate future. But I do have a stitchy deadline coming up. I've decided to take the entire weekend to myself so I think that time will be best spent lounging in pajamas, watching tv and stitching. I will find my stitching mojo if it kills me!

I hope everyone in blogland had a nice weekend too...

Until next time...

Four More Weeks

*sigh*

Four more weeks was not the news we had hoped to hear from the doctor not to mention we had to wait forever to get the bad news. The fibula has already calcified and healed right up but it looks like that tibula is going to be a nagging pain in the patoot to heal. The break was still quite clear on the xray as well as the big metal rod and pins in his leg. It's weird seeing an xray with a rod and pins in a leg.

Four more weeks of no weight bearing, boot and crutches and four more weeks of my "around the bay area" excursions. I about have a stress attack every weekend since it appears that people don't know how to drive at all. Running red lights, driving about like it's a leisurely Sunday stroll, people talking on their cell phones while driving, cutting me off, not signaling. It's all so annoying and I've realized that I hate driving! It puts me in such a bad mood. As if all that is not enough of a headache to deal with, *the boy* just emailed me to tell me that the "friends" he is renting from at the moment have decided to double (yes, double!!!) the rent on his room starting May 1st. Nice, huh? What kind of friends are those!?! So...now we have to look for another room/apartment for him to rent within the city limits...preferably. Most people would wonder why he doesn't just move in with me but it's a little hard to get to his work on public transportation from where I live (especially on crutches) and we've already established my place (despite it being a good size) is too small for the two of us. We might kill each other! We are both too independant and hard-headed to have someone underfoot all the time.

It's headache upon headache! I would talk about the up points of the day like the Fabrege/Lalique/Tiffany exhibit and a wonderful dinner at Absinthe but I'm so mad I could spit (how unladylike) so I will go into all that in my next post.

Sadly...no stitching pictures as I haven't picked up a needle in over a week. I can hardly believe it...seems so strange.

I promise to have more interesting and not such downer things to say in the next post.

Until next time...

Just a Quick Question...

Just a quick question to put out to the stitchy bloggers of blogland...

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from my LNS (not NiaH), telling me that the Royal School of Needlework was coming to the town I live in to teach day classes of different needlework forms. Woo!! The UK is coming to me! Awesome! What the hell is the Royal School of Needlework?! Ummm, yea! First off, knowing there is a school of needlework out there is fantastic. I wish I knew that when I was younger. Screw business school...I'd have gone to the Royal School of Needlework! I don't think my parents would have liked that very much but I am all about taking classes in areas that hold my interest and for now, that is needlework and yoga. So my question is "has anyone out there ever taken a class from the Royal School of Needlework and what did you think of it?" The ones that hold my interest are Introduction to Embroidery and Jacobean Crewel. I've been interested in learning both embroidery and crewel for some time and that seems the route to go to if I decide to sign up for a class. Due to the cost, I can really only decide to do one. But which one if I decide to?! Ugh, decisions! Just wondering if anyone has any experiences or comments about RSN to share. :)

Until next time....

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Night

Ah, yes...I am posting this on Tuesday morning versus Tuesday night. Key hint that this poor girl won't be getting any stitching done on her Tuesday! *sigh*

Where to begin...things have been very busy and I am oh so tired! All I can say that it's hard to keep up with my broken down boyfriend aka *the boy*, old crazy parents, work, yoga, chores and errands. Seriously...I don't know how you folks with kids do it!! I'm exhausted!

Both me and *the boy* are ready for some good news in the form of the doctor telling him he can be more mobile sooner than later. He has his doctor's appointment on Thursday. I wonder what he will say. I hope he says no more crutches!!

My dad hasn't been doing too well. The doctor keeps ordering more and more tests. Why so many tests...I don't understand. But the request for more tests has me very worried. So back he goes for more tests this Wednesday. I hope that in the end...it's nothing...or just something very minor.

Work is very busy despite the doom and gloom feeling of the budget crisis. I know I am fine and safe through June and my hours won't be cut in any way. It's after June that I worry about so I am tightening the belt on spending and trying to pay off as much debt as possible. It makes things kind of boring but then I've been very busy running errands and visiting *the boy* and the parentals. No time for fun!

I did have a little bit of fun on Saturday though. I went to NiaH to take a CA Wells class. It was my first class ever! I've heard lots of good things about CA and after seeing her "chocolate box", I decided to plunk down the money and learn a new technique. There is the good and bad to this class experience. The good: CA is amazing. She has great energy, is super nice and friendly and omg, so talented! She was very welcoming and fun! The class was great. It's a beautiful piece and I am happy to have attended the class. It's a lot of information to go through in three hours though and I left the class rather brain-dead and cross-eyed. I can't wait to work on this piece and finish it. It will take me some time especially as I am not quite ready to start it but I am sure I can get it done...in my lifetime! LOL Now the bad: One of the reasons I've decided to wait so long to take a class is because of the cost but also because of judgement. Because of my age and looks, I feel like I am disregarded and not taken seriously because they assume I am a newbie stitcher. I may be a newbie to classes but I've got a quarter of a century of stitching experience under my belt. When I say it like that, I seem old, don't I?! A couple of the ladies at the class were quite rude. One I won't get into but the other made a comment that really rubbed me the wrong way. CA had asked who needed a refresher on how to do her trademark join and I said that she would have to teach me since I have never learned her trademark join seeing as it was my first class with her and isn't the point of the class for her to show you anyways? The woman next to me laughed and then said to another student "she's never done the join and she picks the chocolate box to learn it?!" Ummm....lady, I am right next to you and can hear you! And just because I have never done it before doesn't mean I am not capable. All I know is that I would never make a comment like that to anyone else attending a class. Fact of the matter is that we are all there to learn the same thing and paid the same amount of money. I don't pay that much money to be made to feel inferior. It's no fault of NiaH...just the sad fact that people are rude and mean and don't take other people's feelings into consideration. And I didn't say anything when CA had to repeat the same thing to this lady about 10 times because she didn't understand. I just keep listening and it drills that bit of information into my head. All I know is that if I was in a class where I was more experienced in a certain technique than another, that I would try to help that person as best I could rather than make them feel small and inferior. Sometimes, all it takes is a small thing to ruin a great experience. But in the end, CA was great, I have a wonderful pattern and beautiful supplies and I will entertain myself with the stitching and finishing at some point sooner rather than later. Plus, I got to meet Pat from Lakeside Linens and she was super nice! I tried not to gush about how much I loved her linen but boy do I love her linen!!

My stitching mojo has come to a screeching halt though. Finding the "great border mistake of 2009" has bummed me out and even though most everyone said to leave the mistake as is...I am a tad too OCD to do that. Yes, call me crazy...but I will be frogging out the entire leafy border on the bottom of the snappers. Yep, you heard me...I will frog out 19 inches of GAST Dried Thyme leaves. *Sigh* I know, it's maddening. I haven't even frogged yet so I can change my mind at any moment but I know I wont. It's the OCD. But I also have to order the GAST and hope that it somewhat matches what I've already done. I've got a QFRR and an ornament to work on to take my mind off of the Snappers derailment but this week is just too chaotic and busy for me to get much stitching done.

So on *stitchy Tuesday*, I will head to the parentals to visit with my dad and make sure he's ok before his test and do laundry. Yes, folks...my life is just that thrilling!

Until next time...

So...What Would You Do?

What a long day...what a busy week! I managed to get home after work and the chiropractor...and get some (not all) of the boring domesticity out of the way. I do hate chores...they keep me away from stitching.

I started in on the Snappers tonight...not really all that fond of the September square but eager to finish since that would mean I am 75% done. I decided to take a look at my border against the chart to just make sure I was on track and you know what. I wasn't!! Talk about having a heart attack! I've been doing the border as I go to avoid doing the entire border at the very end and by that point...want to never ever see GAST Dried Thyme ever again. I'm getting quite tired of looking at that color as it is. I came to the conclusion that I am off by one thread on the bottom leafy border and that I made the mistake from the very beginning...on the very first leaf. I am shocked and very disappointed in myself. Of course, anyone else looking at this isn't going to say "Gee Valerie, you're such a dope...you're off by one thread. What an awful stitcher you are!" They wont know...only I would know...and of course, you all know only because I told you.

I know that if I leave the mistake in, it won't detract or affect the pattern in any way. But if I leave it in, I think a part of me will go berserk. Can I really leave it be and then go spend a ton of money on framing knowing that it's not as perfect as it should be? I can be such a perfectionist sometimes!!

So what would you do? Honestly...I need to know. Leave it be or rip it out and start over?

I would insert a snap here but I'm quite bummed out and disgusted with myself that I can't even deal with the camera right now other than to charge it to make sure it's ready for my weekend class. I think it may be time to start something else for the time being. Damn frogs had to go and ruin my Snappers mojo.

*sigh*

Until next time...

Tuesdays Are My Stitchy Night

Tuesdays are my stitchy night but I don't think I will get much stitching done tonight. On Friday, I had a talk with the powers that be to let me know that as with many other entities in my neighborhood and state, we'll be enduring some budget cuts. Luckily, my department is only succumbing to a 2% budget cut. Not bad compared to other departments' 10+%. There is the chance that we will be subjected to furloughs in the latter part of the year though so I will be going to the City Council Planning Meeting tonight to hear the bad news' from the horse's mouth. Is that how the saying goes? Well, you get what I mean.

The last week has not produced very much stitching time and I cannot seem to put down these Snappers! My gawd, there is so much calling my name and yet I continue. Below is my progress on the September block. Kind of boring so far.
Tomorrow is yoga night but Thursday will be a tv and stitching night for me so hopefully I can show more progress on this or a new start towards the end of the week.

Until next time...

And the Award Goes To....

:::drumroll please::: Me! Yay!!

Ok...so maybe I am internalizing the Oscars a little and I didn't even have a chance to watch them but I can only imagine the excitement in getting a gorgeous gold statuette.

I did receive a couple of wonderful awards in the past week or two and have been quite lax in acknowledging them on the blog. First up is the Special Friends Award and "Love" Pendant Award from Carol R. The description for this award reads "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these kind of writers. When you pass this award along please include these guidelines. I am to choose eight friends to share this with".

Carol and I have become great friends though our love of stitching and blogging. Thank you Carol!

I am always torn to nominate people because my friends have already received this award or are too modest to accept one. However, I will name my eight nominees who are people whose blogs and stitching inspire me and have thus become friends. They are:

1. Edgar
2. Natasha
3. Lisa
4. Theresa
5. Diane
6. Carol S.
7. Mary

and last but not least, I send the award back to Carol R. I am very grateful that stitching and blogging have made us great friends despite the logistical distance between us.

8. Carol R.

As if that award wasn't enough, Theresa sent me this "Your Blog is Fabulous Award"! Awww! Thanks Theresa...I think your blog is fabulous too and as a California transplant, I love reading about your new discoveries near your new hometown.

With this new award, I am to list five addictions and five bloggers. I have already listed my five addictions here and since I've seen many of the bloggers in my circle posting this award, I will not pass it on. Besides...I think everyone's blog is fabulous and I just would not be able to choose. I can't choose...everyone knows what an indecisive Libra I am anyways! Everybody is fabulous!

And with this...the awards show must come to a close.

Until next time...

Tuesdays are my Stitchy Night

Wow, Tuesday again already! Last week ended up being fairly busy but I made good progress on my August Bent Creek Snapper block anyways. Here is the progress as of Monday evening. The white seagulls and lighthouse are a bit hard to see with the flashback of the camera.
I decided to go ahead and keep stitching on it tonight to finish the border for August and move onto September. I have no idea why I suddenly seem addicted to this project. I have two other projects kitted up that I should work on too! The evening deemed to be quite distracting. Between tv shows, the computer, mail, tidying up and talking to *the boy*, I only managed to put a few stitches into this at a time. I managed to finish off the border for August but didn't have a chance to start September yet. Good thing Thursday will be a stitchy night for me as well. I'm not sure if I will pick up where I left off on this or start something new. We'll see. But for now, here is how the Bent Creek Snappers stand.
Until next time...

My Sweet Valentine

A word of warning...if you cannot bear to read sappy and cute and lovey dovey, you can skip this posting all together. I wouldn't want people to hurl their breakfast.

I wouldn't normally be all gushy about Valentines but seeing this is the first year in many years that I actually have one...I figure I can be sappy and annoying. I'm allowed! And I was incredibly surprised at the outcome of Valentine's Day seeing as my expectations were tossed into one of the many mudpuddles scattered around the Bay Area. *The boy* had many tricks up his sleeve.

I've already shared the roses with you and they are holding up very well. I have them displayed in perfect viewing distance near my tv. I also received a very cute card in the mail Thursday night which *the boy* woefully explained I was supposed to have received on Friday. You see, flowers on Thursday, card on Friday and him on Saturday when I drove out to the East Bay to see him. Cute, huh?

On Saturday, I treated myself to a 90 minute massage which was sinful. I wish I could afford to have a massage once a week instead of once a quarter! I slowly made my way to the East Bay to meet *the boy* and we hung out until it was time for dinner. We ate at this neighborhood italian trattoria called Acquacotta in Alameda. I was worried that we would end up waiting forever seeing as they didn't take reservations but they sat us right away and were very accomodating. For starters we had an olive medley appetizer and arancini. I love arancinis and these were quite good but I know this spot in North Beach where they are "o.m.g. so good!" that these couldn't even compare. For entrees, *the boy* had this pasta with a duck confit/ragu that was so good...the duck was so soft and flavorful and the meat just fell apart. I had pasta with meatballs in a light marinara that was very tasty and since it was a "holiday" we ordered two desserts...the pannacotta with strawberries and flourless chocolate cake. Both scrumptious. I am not the biggest chocolate fan but *the boy* is diehard about his chocolate and he was in heaven. I loved the pannacotta...and that was a great recommendation from the waiter. The restaurant was a hit. After we rolled ourselves back home, we just relaxed and watched tv. *The boy* liked his gift from me...Issey Miyake cologne, a small box of chocolates and a cute stuffed animal. In fact, he seemed quite surprised I got him a gift at all. Don't girls give their guys Valentine's Day gifts? I love giving gifts! And to make the day more special, we received a message late in the evening that *the boy's* dear friends, Ron and Pamela got engaged! Congratulations to them!

On Sunday, we woke up very late (1215pm!) and struggled to get moving. We hit Ole's in Alameda again for a very late but yummy breakfast and I dropped him off at the market so he could do grocery shopping. I tell you, he *loves* grocery shopping!! I was more than happy to leave him there and make a quick run to NiaH for fabric consultation and needles. When I walked into NiaH, the lovely Mary told me they had something for me in the store. "They did...you do?!" Hmmm....I don't remember ordering anything?? I open up this envelope she hands me and it was a surprise gift certificate from *the boy* for NiaH. Woo!!! I was floored! That was so thoughtful and of course would come in handy as I am a weekend regular at NiaH (Hi Mary & Leila!). I didn't have much time to shop and only had a couple of things I wanted to buy so I decided to hold onto my certificate to help me pay for the upcoming CA Wells class at the shop. When I went back to the market to pick up *the boy*, I told him he was very sneaky with all his tricks. He was happy it turned out to be a surprise and that I was happy.

Today, *the boy* had to work and I had countless errands to run and parents to visit. It's exhausting driving all over the Bay Area in the rain! Gah...so tired. I dropped off *the boy* at work in the am and drove everywhere and then picked him up in the evening and met his new bosses. They seem very nice. We then made the trek back to the East Bay and stopped at a gem of a sushi place in Alameda for dinner. Kamakura is a cute spot that seems quite popular with the locals. They had hamachi kama so I was in heaven...that, some tuna sashimi, rice and tea and this girl was a happy camper! The owner, this older japanese lady, was adorable to see playing hostess with the mostest. She was dressed very nicely and checked up on her customers to see how they were faring. One customer had a birthday and it is an all restaurant celebration. The lights go out, the whole room sings happy birthday with the owner taking the lead as they bring out the birthday treat all lit up on a tray. And the best thing of all, they give you a little glass of plum wine with your check as a treat. Any restaurant that is willing to booze me up on my way out the door is a-ok in my book. I will definitely be dragging *the boy* back to that little gem of a sushi place.

I had a lovely Valentine's and as much as *the boy* drives me crazy sometimes, I am very happy he's my valentine.

I hope everyone had a lovely "holiday" and weekend too.

Until next time...

**I'll be back tomorrow with stitchy progress! :)

It's Like Christmas!

Yay! It's like Christmas today! I had a very important "learn how to use your new work phone" training today and when I returned to the office, one of the girls said I had a surprise at my desk. Now...I know most people like surprises. Me...not so into surprises so I walked to my cubicle with trepidation and low and behold, a beautiful and huge flower arrangement in honor of St. Valentine's Day. I honestly wasn't expecting anything from *the boy* but I guess he had a trick up his sleeve. There are one dozen roses: 4 bright pink, 4 red and 4 white with lots of greens and pussywillows. The photo does not do them justice. I kind of feel bad for yelling at the boy last night now...I suppose I should apologize?!
So in my excitement, I had to take a picture but I left my camera at home so I asked one of my coworkers and she produced this monstrosity that takes pictures onto a floppy disk! I've never seen one of these things before! I then had to find a computer that still had the floppy disk slot to "download" the picture. Whoa, talk about a Flinstones type camera!

Then, when I came back from lunch, I had an email saying that since we got new fancy work phones, everyone with a headset would be getting a new headset that is compatible with the new phones. So yay, I get a new headset too!!

It's like Christmas...roses...headsets...I really don't mind that the day started with spilt coffee in the car. It's a good day!

Dinner plans for tomorrow got confirmed so I hope that everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Until next time...

Tuesdays are My Stitchy Night

As the title says, Tuesdays are my stitchy nights. I've just decided this. Mondays and Wednesdays are my yoga nights. Thursdays are my tv nights but sometimes it might be my "go out" night along with Friday. Those two nights are always up in the air. Like this week...I'm treating myself to a manicure/pedicure/chair massage on Thursday night and then will have to pack for my weekend in the East Bay. Friday this week, I am supposed to have dinner with my friend, Claire but that's still up in the air and I haven't a real clue if we're on or not since she has relatives visiting in the area. Thursday and Friday night are *always* up in the air, but sometimes they are stitchy nights. The weekend nights are now spent in the East Bay or driving about. Sometimes I can get stitchy with it but sometimes not. So my stitchy schedule is all over the place.*sigh* But Tuesdays?? Tuesdays will be my stitchy night no matter what because it's the night between yoga class nights and all I want to do is relax and I relax best stitching.

Last night was no exception. There were some obstacles like my landlord helping me move out a big tv *the boy* brought over to my apartment before broken leg. I realize that he had the best intentions but said tv did not have a good picture plus it had some psychedelic corner where everything looked either neon green or bright magenta. He did not realize this *before* bringing it up 50 stairs. Then he got his leg broken and I've been dealing with this monstrosity which brought me so much aggravation since my old tv worked perfectly fine and was operational with my remote. Gah! So the landlord took away the bad tv which will benefit another tenant who doesn't care about the psychedelic corner and I got my old tv back in place. But after having a big tv on my tv stand for the last three weeks, my 19" tv sure looks tiny!

I settled in to stitch and about an hour in, I decided to call this new credit card company to take care of a little business. What should have been a 5 minute call took 30+ minutes and I was ready to strangle the customer rep! Some people really shouldn't be in customer service!! But at least I had my stitching to calm me down.

I also had a rather long talk with *the boy* and tried to beat down an impending migraine all at the same time. The migraine won at 530am this morning but that's besides the point.

With the interruptions, I don't feel like I got a lot accomplished. Here was my evening progress on the August block of my Bent Creek Snappers. Border, some sea, some sand and a little bit of the lighthouse (in white, so hard to see). I was hoping to get more done.
Perhaps, if dinner plans on Friday fall through...Friday will become a stitchy night too and I can show more progress...

Until next time...

QFRR Weekend

I did it! My goal this weekend was to finish my section on Rowyn's QFRR so I could post it first thing this morning. Woo! So happy. I finished about 9pm last night and took pictures. Excuse the poor quality...bad lighting and all. Following is the section I stitched...three motifs on the left as well as my initials.
And here is how Rowyn's piece looks so far. I absolutely love the effect of the Needle Necessities overdyed floss she chose...goes from a lovely sea green to a dark blue. Love it!I was happy to get this off in the mail to the next person...especially seeing as I was one week behind due to all the drama revolving around *the boy*. But I am back on track and I have no stitching obligations for the next month or so. Yay!!

I debated long and hard late last night as to what my next project will be. There are so many calling to me...ornaments, Bent Creek Snappers, Peppermint Twist, Fairy Moon, Letter G-Gwendolyn, knitting *the boy* a scarf...so many to choose from and only so little time not to mention only two hands!! I pulled all the materials to start Peppermint Twist but I felt unsure about the Woodsmoke linen with the threads despite that being the recommended color. It seems a little dark but I think it's because I'm not used to stitching on something so dark. I'm leaving it out on the coffee table to see if the combo grows on me. If it does, I'll head to NiaH for serging this coming weekend and if it doesn't grow on me, I'll head to NiaH anyways to buy an alternate fabric. So the projects at hand this week will be the Country Cottage Needleworks Peace ornament as my travel around project and I will work on the August block of my Bent Creek Snappers when I am actually home.

The weekend was filled with lots of errands and driving around. It is the new routine that I'm not so fond of but I try to remember that it's all just temporary. *The boy* is doing well and healing fast. I took him around to do some errands including grocery shopping. He drove one of those handicapped carts in the grocery store and I cringed in fear that he'd knock over an expensive display. Luckily none of that happened and he went grocery shopping for his own stuff. He loves grocery shopping whereas I hate it. The only demand I had for our time together was for him to treat me to breakfast so we tried Ole's in Alameda which had yummy waffles and to top it off...he made me dinner! Well I helped seeing as he needs crutches...and it was an easy dinner but he takes all the credit for the steaks.

The week is shaping up to be a busy one and I hope to get some stitching done to show mid-week. In the meantime, I hope that everyone has a wonderful start to their week.

Until next time...

Comforting Tra-la-la

I've been in hermit mode the last week or so. I figure it's normal considering the circumstances of the last two weeks. Hard to imagine that two weeks ago today, I was sitting in the hospital fielding calls from *the boy's* family and friends and waiting to see when his surgery was going to be performed. Now, two weeks later, *the boy's* facial coloring is back to normal and he's becoming a pro on getting around with crutches. His leg is still a lovely collage of purples but that is slowly and surely fading. He's managing his pain pretty well and has even started his new job. It sure has been a very interesting two weeks! Once I managed to get *the boy* settled in the East Bay, I really needed to take some time for myself...hence canceling my sewing class. And I took things out of rotation. I needed something that brought me comfort and made me happy. Since I started my Bent Creek Snappers, I had been looking forward to when I could stitch the July Block. I thought that the birds looked cute and it was a happy block. I finished the June block in early November and just haven't had a chance to get to the Snappers since. Last Thursday, I pulled it out and started on it...even though I should have been working on Rowyn's QFRR. Last night I finished the July block. I kind of wish that my skein of WDW Deep Sea wasn't so dark...you can't even see the frenchknotted eyes, but I do think the color goes with the rest of the muted earthy colors in this piece. July sings Tra-la-la!
Speaking of Rowyn's QFRR, here is all I've managed to get accomplish to date. Sad...very sad! I've stitched my initials and started the motif below the bunny. Two more motifs after that one and I can send it on. I'm late again! But this will be my focus for the rest of the week and I hope to get it in the mail on Monday at the very latest.
Last week, I put up a post asking people to join my PIF if they were so inclined and the deadline to sign up was last night. I only had one taker! I'm not surprised...I requested my PIF a tad late in the midst of a "selfish-stitching" year for most. I completely understand since I've cut down on exchanges for the most part and am aiming to finish a couple of decorative projects for the apartment plus ornaments. The taker of my PIF is Natasha! Yay! I will also gift two PIFs to bring it up to three. Natasha, please send me an email with your contact info. Thanks!

Well, that's all for me for now. Next time you hear from me...I hope to have finished the QFRR and move onto another project. Which one...nobody knows...not even me! :)

Yay!!

Ah, I am feeling loads better! I started feeling better late yesterday afternoon after making a serious decision. That decision was to withdraw from my sewing class. As much as I wanted to learn to sew, now is not the time. My mental and physical energy must be focused on helping *the boy* when I can, taking care of myself and continuing my stitching to keep myself centered and sane. I notified my instructor and he said he will be using the same materials in the Fall so I will hang onto what I have for when I re-enroll in the Fall. I just do not have the time to focus and concentrate on learning a whole new craft right now...especially when I truly need my stitching right now.

Since I cancelled the class, I spent the evening watching Cold Case and Grey's Anatomy, stitching on Rowyn's RR and relishing in a glass of wine. And you know what? It was exactly what I needed and it was fantastic! Mind you, I made a counting mistake in Rowyn's RR and had to rip out a good part of what I had stitched last night. Blasted frogs! But it didn't get me down because I was actually stitching at home, while watching my shows instead of sneaking time during lunch hours and 10 minutes here or 10 minutes there. I can't wait to stitch more and more right now. So watch this space. I'll have more updates and pictures soon. I just wish the light would cooperate with me. So hard to take nice pictures at nighttime. I *obviously* still need to read my camera manual.

I just got a call from *the boy* a few minutes ago with the best news. I've been waiting on pins and needles for the last two hours. *Drumroll please* He got the job!!! OMG, this is a huge relief! He's been looking for a good job for the last five months. It's tough out there! I am just happy he's got a job with a well-funded start up...who'll actually pay him. Getting to work and back to the East Bay will be a challenge for him considering he's on crutches but that is only temporary. The inconvenience will exist for two months but he will still have the job once the cast is off and the crutches are cast aside. At least he won't be home all day, looking at his broken leg and feeling down. The job requires brain power over physical power so the only exertion will be getting to/from work, to/from restroom and finding lunch if he doesn't pack it. I am so excited for him!

Thanks to everyone for their positive thoughts and encouraging words. You've all helped me immensely over this incredibly difficult week.

Join My PIF!

I was just chosen as one of three PIF members on Dianne's blog, and I'm passing on the PIF here! I've been meaning to do this for a while and I am finally doing it! =)

Here are the rules:

If you would like to receive a hand-made gift made by me within 365 days please leave a comment on this post to say that you are interested. If I get three people to comment, those will be the three people to receive a "work of art" made by Valerie. If there are more than three (what are the chances!?), I will do a drawing. And if there are less than three, then I will chose the recipients and gift my PIF within a year. I hope that makes sense.

I will make this available for one week. Please comment by Tuesday, February 3rd to join/be considered.

In return, you must offer the same on your blog! Remember, it's all about "paying it forward"!

I hope that you will join my PIF...

Tags and Awards

It appears that there is another round of awards and tagging in blogland!

I was tagged by Carol R. to list five of my addictions...so here goes:

1. Stitching...obviously...and shopping for stash!
2. Coffee...I move like a slug without a daily cup or two, or three or four.
3. TV...yes, I must watch tv and my shows to feel centered.
4. The foggy city I live in. Never moved away and never want to.
5. Baked sweets...cakes, cookies, donuts, pie, scones, brownies...OMG...keep it away if I am to have any figure at all! But I so love sweets!

I also received the following award from Lisa. Thanks Lisa! I feel so honored.
I am supposed to tag and pass on each to 5 people but I will gracefully decline to. I hope Carol and Lisa don't mind. If you feel like sharing your addictions or passing the award onto others, please feel free. I think everyone's blog is fantastic and I gain so much from everyone that I just can't even fathom choosing just five.

Not Feeling Talkative

I'm tired. I'm sad. I'm angry. I'm frustrated. I'm cranky. I'm sleep-deprived. I'm on edge. I would give a $100 to have an entire day to myself...no errands...no obligations...no driving around the entire Bay Area...no chores...just me, the tv and my stitching. But after being off work for almost a week, I can't take a day for myself...too much to do and too many people depending on me to keep on keeping on. So...I do.

Despite getting 6-8 hours of sleep a night, I feel like I haven't slept at all. A million thoughts race through my head. What *the boy* needs to do. What I need to do. What I need to buy. What I need to fix. Where I need to go. How to maximize my time.

The good: *the boy* was released from the hospital on Saturday afternoon. I went to the East Bay to get him settled at his friend's house since my 50 steps up and 50 steps down would not be conducive to anyone on crutches. He looks and feels better everyday which is a relief considering he looked a tad scary...and still kind of does. But it's all getting better. He rescheduled his interview for Wednesday and his friend is driving him. Yay! I hope he gets it. He also isn't requiring as much pain medication as the doctors expected so that's a positive as well.

The bad: I spent the entire week/weekend dealing with hospital, medication-induced hallucinations(not mine), transportation, driving around the entire Bay Area twice, buying groceries for a boy who seemingly drinks gallons upon gallons of water, juice and gatorade, packing up all his belongings and carting them to the East Bay and doing my laundry plus his laundry AND doing a visit to the parentals. Not one minute was mine...and if I did happen upon a minute...I was staring off into space because I was just that tired and no longer had any energy for anything. I feel robbed of my weekend...the two days that go by so fast to begin with and I hold so dear. *The boy* will need help for the next eight weeks and so for the next eight weekends, I'll be making my round trip around the Bay Area...which means less stitching than I'm currently getting done. Stitching...which keeps me centered and sane. Less stitching makes me sad....and more driving and chores makes me cranky. I kind of wonder if *the boy* realizes that this act of violence doesn't only affect him. That it affects me too. And I wonder if he appreciates all that I have done before, during and will do after. This relationship has already given me lots of tests...did I really need a test this difficut on top of everything? I guess I'm feeling a little beaten down.

And...more sad because I had told *the boy* before the assault, that if he got this job (that he's interviewing for on Wednesday), I wanted us to go out for a nice romantic date on Valentine's Day. We hadn't done anything totally romantic since his move to the Bay Area and it doesn't look like we'll be doing anything romantic for quite some time now. I guess this will be like any other Valentine's Day from years' past. Quiet, unromantic and no fun.

Thank you to everyone who commented and emailed me your kind thoughts, prayers and offers to help. It humbles me to know I have wonderful friends in cyberspace. I greatly appreciate your time and caring.

Update on *the Boy*

Thanks to everyone for their kind and concerned comments about *the boy*. He made it through surgery okay and is in good hands. Luckily he was taken to the top trauma hospital in the city. It was a very long day at the hospital for me. Lots of friends and family calling for updates and making sure I know what his status and issues are from the many doctors and nurses. By 8pm, I couldn't handle another phone call and managed to drive home and fell straight into bed. He's on a lot of pain medication with makes him very loopy and nauseous. It concerns me that he can't keep much liquid down but maybe things will progress to soft foods today. I'm still not sure when he will be released from the hospital...maybe tomorrow...maybe Saturday? Things are still very much in the air and I am trying to organize things for next week. Things like where he can stay, when he might be able to reschedule his interview and options for him to get around. It's all a little stressful. To take my mind off things, I decided to work a partial day before heading back to the hospital this afternoon.

I didn't have the time or brain power yesterday in my post to comment about my anger. I titled my post "the state of the humanity" to comment that during this time, people attack each other instead of help and embrace each other. People are more worried about their financial situation and the downslide of the economy and do not really take other people into consideration unless it benefits them. In my 33 years in this city, my entire lifetime, I have never been hurt, mugged, accosted, raped or hurt in any matter. In the last week, I've heard of two muggings and now that of *the boy*. *The boy* has commented that in these times, people get desperate and you need to keep your guard up. Poor guy didn't have a chance against a coward who attacked him from behind and left him cast aside on the street like garbage. I am thankful for the people who called 911 for him and held him in a c-spine hold in case he had any head/neck/back trauma which luckily he did not have. And I am thankful for the people who were brave enough to provide a description of the attacker and I hope that the police find him and that he gets the charges that he deserves. *The boy* wonders "who could do this to him". He sadly was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. A minute of violence now equals 3 months of recuperation time and lots of planning.

I am also thankful to be a part of the stitching community; everyone is so giving and kind. Please continue to keep your kind thoughts and prayers headed our way. I can use all the kind energy and positive thoughts to help get *the boy* out of the hospital and on the speedy (hopefully) road to recovery.

I may be AWOL for the next few days and my stitching has somewhat suffered as I can't even focus and concentrate on counting and patterns. I'll be back soon with updates and stitchy stuff.

The State of Humanity

On a day that signified change in these United States and the plea and co-mingling of humanity to turn the state of this world around, *the boy* was assaulted. It's upsetting to begin with but now the day that Obama became President will be tainted as being a day that my boy had to fight to survive. As I sat at home wondering why he wasnt home yet, worrying and calling his cell phone multiple times, he was in a scary hospital all alone. I've never been good in hospitals...already much time spent in them for my somewhat short-ish life so far. Upon seeing him bloodied and bruised, I became hot, dizzy and faint. Luckily, the doctor brought over a chair for me just in time otherwise, I may have had to heed *the boy's* advice of falling on him versus falling backwards. It's been a long, long time since I've had a fainting spell. Stupid me! My boy got all beat up and broken and I go to him to pass out!

In the end, things could be much worse. The attackers could have had guns or knives. *The boy* suffered many bruises and a badly broken leg that requires surgery, casting and crutches. In a time that was already difficult, this makes things worse. He was supposed to have another job interview today for his job lead. A lead so good, it seemed like he would get the offer. I've had 2 hours of sleep and have been emailing his friends and his, hopefully, new employer to tell them all what happened. I also had to call his mother to tell her what happened and managed to get through that call and console her with minimal breaking down. I need to rally and they all need to rally to get *the boy* through this tough time and hopefully into this new job. His surgery is supposed to be at some point today. I would appreciate any kind thoughts and prayers if you're into that sort of thing.

And Another One

I had a productive weekend. Lots of time spent with *the boy*. Lots of errands were done. And best of all, I managed to get a decent amount of stitching done. At least enough time to get my section on Wendy's QFRR completed. As I mentioned before, I got a little backed up in the QFRR group and I have been working diligently to catch up. I hate being behind on deadlines! So I set my goal and warned *the boy* because I was determined to finish Wendy's RR by the end of the weekend. By Sunday night, I was doing my little jig around the living room. Below is the section I stitched. I had the upper right corner and stitched it in DMC 808. Wendy's RR was varying shades of blues and purples and the color I used was a nice dark blue.
And here is how Wendy's RR looks all completed. I was the last person to stitch on this piece as well so I get to give Wendy the happy news that her RR is finally on it's way home. Yay!!
I still have one more RR to stitch on for the time being so I will start on that tomorrow. I think that I can manage to finish it by next week and actually mail it before the deadline and be all caught up. I'll feel very accomplished if I get it all done on time.

On Monday, *the boy* and I decided to take a drive to Half Moon Bay...just because. We wanted to see some of the Mavericks competition but we saw that the waves were too mellow for that type of a surfing competition but I wanted to go anyways. We headed to the Moss Beach Distillery and the weather was amazing. 70 degrees on the coast!! Usually the coast on the Half Moon Bay side is a total fogpit! But we managed to get a decent spot on the deck and take in this view.
Amazing, isn't it?! Ugh, I wish I could spend every Monday like this. We sat, drank, watched the waves roll in and out and made friendly with the nice couple next to us with their very cute Boston Terrier.

More Round Robin Stitching and Work Woes

I haven't had very much time to stitch since last week but the little time I've scrounged up so far has been devoted to Wendy's QFRR. I'm a little backlogged in this group due to the holiday crunch. Not to mention I signed up for a lot of stuff thinking I was a single girl. Now, all of a sudden, I'm in a relationship! How the heck did that happen so fast?! I'm still trying to get into my routine for work, *boy*, stitching, parents/friends and classes and I still haven't gotten the hang of the juggling act. As you can see, I've done one medium sized motif, one tiny motif, my initials and I've just started one large motif. I just need to finish that one, do two more and then I'll be done. My goal is to have it finished by the end of the holiday weekend and ship it off to Wendy. I'm sure she will be happy to have her completed round robin in hand as I am the last one to stitch on it.
After this round robin, I am debating whether to make a start on Rowyn's RR or do my christmas ornament for my Christmas Challenge. I have the supplies but just need the time to make the start. I think it will all depend on when I finish Wendy's and my mood.

This week has been stressful as well but it's been a combination of work and personal. Work has been hellacious lately and I don't see an end in sight. I am the grantwriter for my organization and I am in the process of finishing up the management on one grant(that got completely screwed up), starting the management of another and brainstorming to write up a third and seeing where a fouth is in the planning process. This is on top of my regular work duties. Work is busy!!! *The boy* has been having a tough time. He took a job last month and he told me that the people have not been paying him so I told him to confront them and if they don't pay, to move on. This puts him in a hard position. Strangely enough, on the day he did not report to work, he had two phone interviews with a panel interview the following day for another opportunity. He has one more interview next week . Please send any happy thoughts and vibes his way. He really, really needs to find a good job...that actually pays him. I know that in this downturned economy, we can't be picky but payment is kind of necessary. Any good vibes are appreciated and I am so hopeful that he gets it.

Tonight, I am dragging *the boy* with me to the local community college so I can buy my books for the sewing class. Yup! I signed up. I figured that it was a good opportunity at a good cost and my schedule will never get any lighter so now is as good a time as any. Class starts next week and I will be sure to report. Afterwards, we'll have a low-key date night of dinner out and a video in. Should be nice. I hope everyone is having a good week...