INVASION OF THE SPINSTER SNATCHERS

Well...something strange has happened to the neurotic, high-strung, hand-wringing spinster that you've come to know and love (or laugh at).

Last night's stitchy session started with the bird's nest.  This was stitched with organza ribbon in random stitches and then three little doodad gears were added for effect:

Would you believe me if I told you that those stitches were my first try and that I put them on the canvas without one single heart palpitation or cry of anxiety over the messy randomness of them all?

OK, so we get to the next part, which is the three little flowers left in the garden.  The first thing the instructions tell me to do is to get the 3/4 inch plastic rings out of the perfectly organized supply box that I got at the Hobby Lobby for the low low bargain price of $1.99 about six years ago.

No rings.

I tore the house apart looking for the darn things, because I could swear that they were in the kit when Miss Ruth sent it to me.  As a matter of fact, I seemed to remember thinking that they would be perfect to use for thread rings and I probably wasted half a Saturday trying to figure out how to attach tags to them or some other such nonsense.

But again...no rings.

I started to get a little frustrated and I paced and swore and swore and paced and I even Googled the 3/4 inch plastic rings to see where I could find them.  Turns out, they have them at the JoAnn's, but when I discovered this, it was a whopping three minutes to closing time.  

Damn.  Drat.  Phooey.

I emailed Miss Charlene and Miss Jane for sympathy and they cooed gently and told me that all would be well.  I threw in a few grumbles about my stupid sister/tenant (because I am back to being an only child again) and they cooed some more and made me feel better.

And then....something miraculous happened.

Rather than sitting in the Happy Chair completely exhausted from the trauma of it all and rather than staring at the TeeVee with my hands itchy for something to stitch, I turned the page.

Yup.

Turned the page.

I realized that it would be perfectly fine to move on to the next part of the canvas and that the world was not going to come crashing to a screeching halt if I stitched something out of order.  So I finished this flower, patted myself on the head for finally....finally...being semi-normal, and I went to bed.

But I really have to wonder.  What the heck happened to that crazypants matchy-matchy everything must always be done in exactly perfect order or the world will fall apart and I just don't have the energy to fix it anymore woman that used to spend hours and hours swirling around the vortex of discombobulation?

Is this what 50 is all about, Charlie Brown?  Does this mean that I might finally be in the path to learning to go with the flow?  Is it possible that the AARP card actually has some kind of magic power that calms you down and allows you to....turn the page...without blowing a gasket?

Well, all I can say is...if it is....ME LIKEY!

That's the happy report for the day, my friends.  I'm off to the JoAnn's to get those little rings.  I hope that you have a simply splendid Tuesday and that your pages are turning exactly how you want them to.

WooHoo!