HMMMMMMMM...

This is the Coldwell Banker "Hoops" ad.  The idea is that a family is looking for a house and the realtor tells the little kid that if he puts up a basketball hoop he'll make lots of new friends.

Mission accomplished, from the looks of it, right?

BUT ARE MY JERSEY BOY AND I THE ONLY TWO PEOPLE ON THE PLANET WHO NOTICED THAT THE BLOODY BASKETBALL HOOP IS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF A FREAKIN WINDOW?!??

So my questions are...

1. Is the kid's hockey net in front of the big ass dining room window to the far right?

2. Does the realtor's brother in law own a window repair company?

I swear you can't make this stuff up.  And, to make matters much much worse, I suspect that Coldwell Banker paid an advertising agency about a bazillion dollars to make this stupid thing, and that (given its placement during the NCAA tournament) it's the equavalent of a Super Bowl ad tor them.

Oey...

SNICKERDOODLE SCONES RECIPE

I found the recipe for the scones on the Pinterest, but the original can be found at CrunchyCreamySweet.com. When I made mine, I cut them into six pieces and baked them individually. I also just patted the dough into a big rectangle rather than the log and disc thing in the directions. (What can I say? I like really big scones.)  I also made a drizzle with confectioner's sugar and a little milk because I felt a little drizzly today.

Author: Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter , chilled (see note)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg beaten
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup cinnamon chips (I used Hershey'OR 2 to 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

!for the topping:

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. Make the topping mixture by mixing cinnamon with sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt and if using, cinnamon).
5. Using a large eye side of a cheese grater, grate the chilled butter straight into the bowl with dry ingredients. Cut in with a pastry cutter, until the mixture has coarse crumbs. Add cinnamon chips and stir in.
6. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and stir in well. Do not overmix.
7. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a log and divide in half.
8. Working with one half at a time, flatten the dough into a thick disk. Fold in half and then in half again. Flatten into a disk again. Fold twice again. Flatten into a 3/4 inch thick disk.
9. Transfer the dough disk onto one of the prepared sheets.
10. Cut into 8 triangles. Gently, separate the scones, leaving about 1/2" space between them.
11. Sprinkle with the topping mixture.
12. Bake the scones for 20 to 22 minutes. The scones will come together during baking. That's okay.
13. Remove from the oven. Let sit on the sheet for 10 minutes.
14. Place the parchment paper sheet with scones on a cutting board and run the knife through the same seams in the dough to separate the scones.
15. Cool completely before serving.

SATURDAY SPINSTER BLISS

We started a new routine here at CS2 on Saturday mornings.  Rich gets up at the crack of dawn (5:30!) and reads his papers and watches all of the shows that he tapes on the DVR thingie during the week. (It's basically the equivalent of a little kid getting up to watch Saturday morning cartoons...which I find quite endearing.)

I stumble out sometime around 9:00 and after two big cups of damn good, I venture into the kitchen to make something.  Today it was Snickerdoodle Scones:

Then Rich leaves for pickleball and I am back in the Happy Chair with the Food Network and the paper:

And then a little stitching:

If I can, I will eventually pull on my shoes and socks and go for a long walk before coming home to grab a hot scrubby shower, clean jams, and either a movie or two on the TeeVee, or a nap in the big girl sleigh bed.

This isn't for amateurs, kids, I promise you.  You really do need years and years of training in the art of quiet slothitude.  I've been practicing for years, so am adept at the sitting down for hours on end thing, so don't try to get to this level all at once.

(Unless, of course, you are rendered ill will the flu or something.  Then, by all means, go for it.)

New meds are making me a bit green about the gills, but if it subsides we might try to go out this evening.  There is a blues bar that Rich is anxious to see, and I am determined to get him out into the fresh air to prevent him from going stir crazy.

Nothing else to report.  I hope that your very own Saturday is exactly what you want it to be. Do something fun and come tell me all about it!

MYSTERY SOLVED

The marks on the linen aren't from the magnets...they're from the photocopy of my chart. I had it folded over, and it appears that the ink rubbed off onto the fabric.

No worries, though. I will just stitch over all of it and consider it a lesson learned.

A little more progress. I had hoped to finish that entire bottom section yesterday, but as always, overestimated my abilities. So instead of this being a March finish it might continue on into April.

That's the report tor a Friday, Dearies. I am gathering my wits and fuzzy socks and will head out for the chair in a little bit. Hope your day is everything you want it to be.  We're hurtling headlong into the weekend!

IT'S LIKE MY MOTHER ALWAYS SAID...

My treatment was relatively OK, so I looked forward to a night of stitching and celebrating.

Guess who decided to have back spasms and leg cramps all night long instead?  Bad enough that I tried (unsuccessfully, I might add) to sleep on the floor, in the Happy Chair, and on the sectional. I finally gave in, took a muscle relaxer and two Tylenol, and sat at the kitchen table.

Oey...it's not easy being me.

THANKFUL CORNER

So here I am in the chair, and so far (knock wood) things are running smoothly...

I managed to ruffle a few feathers, but I spoke up (respectfully), advocated for myself, and put my big fat fanny in the chair.  Instead of trying to remove FOUR kilos of fluid, we're going to remove TWO. I know the exact weight at which I crash, so we're going to stop trying to go below that just because the number on the chart says differently.

And as for Buzzy...he and the tech both behaved beautifully today, and I think he did so because I said "Let's stay away from this area and go here and here." I suspect that the stent was the issue, and that they were trying to put a square peg in a round hole so to speak, but with a little noodging...we seem to be in a much better place.  I know that he's very deep, so I just need to remind them to keep that in mind.

One thing I do want to mention though, is that my issues with dialysis are just that...mine.  I look back over some of my posts and I cringe that I told the brutal truth.  Dialysis is no joke, and I don't want anybody out there to minimize its horror...but I don't want to scare anybody facing it either.  So if you are a kidney patient and you are headed in the dialysis direction, please don't think my experience will be yours.  You can do this, I promise, but you really do have to put your warrior underpants on.

The other thing I don't want to do is minimize my complete awe and respect for my techs and nurses here.  Yes...some are better than others, and some seem to just get me better than others, but every single one of them is a blessing in my life that I thank God for every day.

As are you, my friends.  I looked at my Jersey Boy this morning and kissed his face and said "I don't have a clue how I would survive this without you here", and that goes for all of you too.  On days when I can't get out of bed (or worse...out of my head), you are there to pick me up, slap some lipstick on me, and get me moving.

Thank you for that.

It's been almost a year since Miss Susan started the YouCaring Fund for me, and I wanted you all to know that my transplant list of things to do is complete because of it.  There were tests and appointments and paperwork up the ying yang, but there was also the warning/requirement to gather as much money as I could to cover the cost of travel, housing, and medication.  Thanks to you...that is done and has allowed me to concentrate on all of the other stuff.  There just aren't any words or poems or gestures or songs or prayers that will ever be able to pay that back.

OK...time to go for now.  The team is here for a monthly check-in, so I want to gather my notes.

Happy Futzingday, Dearies!

HMMMMM.....

It's either a vase...or a headless curvy woman with her hands on her hips:

IN WHICH WE DECIDE TO HAVE A TUESDAY...

I am up and semi-caffeinated and ready to start the day.

Wanna know what that is going to consist of?

After a second cup of damn good, a little yogurt, and some Vitamin water, I'm going to sit at the kitchen table and pay some bills and do some paperwork.  Then I'm going to take a shower and put on some clean jams, and I'm going to get in the Happy Chair and stitch while the laundry sploshes around in the clothes washing contraption.  Jersey Boy is going to do a little work here, go to the gym for a walk on the treadmill, and then come home to decide what we're having tor dinner.

But I'm going to stay put and try to gather my wits about me.

I didn't stitch last night, but this is the progress I made on Sunday during "On The Waterfront". I can't watch the teevee and stitch at the same time anymore because I've been taking my glasses off and stitching with naked eyeballs (my contacts and cheaters stopped working a few months ago), but I can listen and enjoy the film just the same.

Thank you, as always, for your love, support, encouragement, prayers, and happy thoughts.  I am still completely gobsmacked by the generosity of this family of ours.

Dreams of Stewey last night...and he was able to talk!  At one point I said "Oh, Stewey!  I can't believe I get to see you again and that you can talk to me!" and he said "That's what heaven is all about, Mo-ther!" And he snuggled up next to me and patted my hand with his little paw and I noticed that he still smelled like baby shampoo and that his leg was all better.

Oey...they really should make pills for this!

So Happy Tuesday, Dearies! We're off like a herd of turtles around here...hope you are much the same!

AFTERMATH...WITH A BONUS

Normally, I come home from the chair with two boo boos.  Today, though, thanks to an uncooperative Buzzy and a nervous tech...I got three.  

Oey.

In another hour I will remove the eighteen rolls of tape, grab an ice pack, and just try to forget today happened.  

OWW OWW OWW

OK...so maybe that wasn't such a hot idea.  Yesterday was swell, in that I got an awful lot of stuff done, but today?  Today I feel like a bus hit me, backed up and over me, and then hit me again.

I know, I know...MOD-ER-A-TION...but in the almost ten years that you've known me when have I ever understood that particular concept?

So today will be a recovery day.  Rich has already suggested that I make the brisket tomorrow and we'll just have leftovers today.

I could kiss him right on the face for that one.

Dinner was a smashing success, and the cheese dip better that I remembered it.  I wish I could take credit for creating it, but that honor must go to Miss Trisha Yearwood Her Very Self:

Charleston Cheese Dip

* 1/2 cup mayonnaise


* One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened


* 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese


* 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese


* 2 green onions, finely chopped


* 1 dash cayenne pepper


Preheat oven to 350.  Combine the above ingredients in a shallow dish and heat in oven for 15-30 minutes or until bubbly.

*  8 butter crackers, crushed, such as Ritz


Add crackers to top and brown...another three or four minutes.

* 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled


Add bacon on top of the crackers and heat for just a minute or two.

Serve with chips, crackers, pretzels...anything that will hold up to a hearty dip. (I like Fritos scoops).

I'm going to do laundry and stitch all day.  At least I hope so.  If I make any good progress I'll have pics for you tomorrow!  Happy Sunday, Dearies!  Hope the sun is shining and the birds are tweeting sweetly wherever you are!

CLEAN AND TIDY AND TIDY AND CLEAN!

I woke up early today, read the paper, made baked cinnamon donuts, and then...cleaned the entire apartment!  Can I confess something to you, Dearies?  One of my favorite things on the planet (in my former life) was having a Saturday morning in which I played Happy Housewife and did things like bake and clean and putz about the house organizing and tidying.

But I have not done that in years!

Between me getting sicker, Stewey getting sick, moving, playing with my Guild Sisters, and then the arrival of Jersey Boy and the start of dialysis, I've gotten completely out of the habit of Saturdaying. I relied on Cottage Care to keep me from being featured on reality teevee, but I always felt so guilty for having "help", and I had a hard time justifying the expense for such a small place. Today, though,I was determined to give it a go, and despite a major treatment hangover, I hitched up my britches and went for it.

I'm happy to report that I survived...kind of, but it might be a minute before I have the ability to do it again.  I'm wiped out, but it's a good kind of wiped out and I have something to show for it. Rich is happy that I got some exercise and seem to be less "on the ceiling" with angst over the dust bunnies, so...Good Show, Tubby!  Way to sweat up your jammies and get a little work out in at the same time!

Tomorrow, if I can raise my arms or get our of the big girl sleigh bed, I am going to tackle that cube room studio/Jersey Boy empire headquarters once and for all.  It has become a glorified closet and catch-all space, and I am in desperate need of some order with respects to my stitchy stash.

Charleston cheese dip and chicken fajitas for dinner tonight and tomorrow I am going to make a Smitten Kitchen brisket with mashed potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts with shallots.

Thank you for your prayers and happy thoughts for good sessions this week.  They were still rough, but I really do feel like I'm going to get the hang of it eventually....just in time for transplant, I hope!

Happy, happy Saturday to you and yours! I hope you do everything that makes your heart sing! Come tell me all about it!

LITTLE MORE...

A LITTLE BIT OF STITCHING AND SOME MAGNET POOP...

A little more progress:

And some mystery marks that appear exactly in the spot of my little bird house needleminder:

UGH...JUST PLAIN OLD UGH.

Just me...having a Tuesday. I don't know if it's a treatment hangover or wicked pre-ladytime or maybe a touch of Rich's flu...but I'm here and that's about it today.  Life is a bit of a blur these last few days...nothing but loud machines, needles, poking about, fatigue, a terribly bruised Buzzy, and a good case of the weepies.  

I promise you, though, that I am really behaving myself through it and doing things that I know are good for me, like eating carefully, walking, trying to rest, etc. The thing I'm NOT doing is stitching, but as soon as I get myself a bit more together today and pick up a few small provisions from the Martins...all will be well in that department too.

The sun is shining and the birds are sweetly tweeting today, Dearies! If I close my eyes, I can almost see Stewey snoozing in the sun in the back window of Chez Spinster...oh how I miss that little dog so!

Here's hoping that your very own Tuesday is filled with everything you love! Thank you for your lovely notes telling me all about goings-on in your corner of the world...I read them and take them in like medicine and think they do more for me than any other thing in my medical arsenal at this point!

Love yourselves deeply and well...God knows I do!

OK...LET'S DO THIS

THURSDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE...

So I had a good boohoo, read the paper, put my shoes and socks on, and we went for a long walk in the sunshine. Then I took a hot scrubby shower, put my leggings and big t-shirt on, and we went to the Martins salad bar for a healthy dinner.

Now I'm in the happy chair with my stitching and our brackets (the score is 7-5 so far...advantage Spinster). Both JB and I filled out brackets, and as games are played and results come in, I highlight winning teams and keep track of who picked them. I haven't a clue, mind you, but so far am holding my own against the semi-pro basketball fan over there on the sectional.

I don't know who is actually playing...I just wait until it's over to see which one of us was correct in our selection.  Every now and then Jersey Boy will holler sometng that makes me look up, but methinks I'm better off paying attention to needle and thread than I am to ball and basket.

(And yes, in case you're wondering, I pick teams based on uniform colors and whether or not they have a mascot that I can understand.)

Speaking of my other half...here he is enjoying a little pie.  Post salad.

And finally, the real reason that my day turned around.  Orange pop.  Orange pop in my sippy cup.

I love orange pop, especially when it's diet Orange Crush and was a special surprise in last week's grocery shop.

So we seemed to have turned it around a bit here in Hoosierville, Dearies. I'm going to grab some headphones and zone out with a little Flosstube and stitching for the duration. I hope your very own Thursday has been swell...come tell me all about it!

NOT A BAD WAY TO SPEND A TUESDAY...

First there was a little bit of dot painting:

And then later, a little bit of stitching:

I took an icy walk this morning and am fortifying myself with a couple cups of damn good before heading out to chair time. Wish me luck, Dearies...I am determined to have a better session today!

IN WHICH WE HAVE A MONDAY...

Yesterday was just not my day.

It started well enough.  I got up at the heiney crack of dawn and went for my walk in a snowstorm. My phone thingie told me that I exceeded 3,000 steps (which was my daily goal for this week), so I came home a little bit frozen...but happy.

After a hot scrubby shower and a quick bag pack, I had about a half hour before it was time to head out to dialysis, so I stitched a little and made googly eyes at my Jersey Boy while he watched all of the March Madness coverage on the teevee.

My chair time, unfortunately, was a complete disaster again. I won't bore you with the gory details, but suffice it to say that my Monday was spent in pain, feeling woozy, and weeping quietly in a corner and feeling sorry for myself.

It. Sucked.

By the time I made it to the Targets for prescriptions and then home to CS2 I was just completely done. Rich left for pickleball and I headed to the big girl sleigh bed...where I clutched Stewey's blue blanket like some kind of lunatic, sobbed my pitiful little heart out, and fell into a deep sleep.

Today I am reeeaaallly hungover, so thus far I have managed to have my damn good, read lovely notes and emails from my peoples (that would be all of you, Dearies!) and watch the snow fall again. As soon as it's just me and the Chicken Sisters here today, methinks I might put on a little Flosstube, thread up, and just disappear into the Land of Happy Stitching in the Happy Chair for a bit.

Thank you, my friends, for all of your love and support. When I tell you that it is literally keeping me going...that is not an exaggeration. Every time I feel like just giving up I can feel you holding me up and whispering encouragement in my ear.

Onward, right?  Today is a new day and I am determined to turn this Titanic around. Here's to a Terrific Tuesday for one and all...come tell me all about it!

A LITTLE SUNDAY START...

Prairie Schooler

Garden Samplers

32ct Belfast in Rose Water from Colour & Cotton

DMC threads 

RUT...BE GONE!!!

Oh, how I wish you could see the color of this fabric! I joined the Colour & Cotton fabric of the month club, and this month's selection is a lovely piece of 32ct Belfast linen in a color called Rose Water. It's a soft shade of pinky brown that is going to be perfect for one of these charts.

The hockey game was a success, and I got my hot dog. The Irish beat Penn State in the last minute of the game to advance to the finals next Saturday against Ohio State.

Bring it, Buckeyes! 

Today will be a basketball filled day, and I am making my Jersey Boy a turkey dinner to celebrate it. He loves turkey, and I love all the fixin's, so in a minute or two I will channel my inner Ina and get things underway.

Hope you're swell and well and doing all of the things that make your hearts sing, Dearies!  Happy Sunday to one and all! Come tell us all about it!

SATURDAY SPINSTER...HANGOVER

Don't get too excited, Dearies...I have not yet started to re-imbibe....my hangover is of the dialysis variety.  (That's a real thing, by the way...my nurse told me it was so and I believe everything he tells me.)

Anywhoose...I have some time here this morning to gather my wit, watch a little Ina, and then maybe do a little dot painting. My second set of tools arrived fom the Happy Dotting Company, so I am itching to give them a go:

This little kit has everything you need to get started, and the tools are acrylic tubes of various diameters

And finally, here are a few of my practice pieces:

I have a looooonnnngggg way to go before I come close to my inspiration, Kerri Park of The Dotted Turtle, but I am enjoying the journey and getting some exercise for my left arm all at the same time. (*)

As for what my right arm has been up to (*)...here's a little more progress on the Ink Circles piece:

I confess that I am a little frustrated with the knotting propensity of the Weeks Dye Works, but the colors are so pretty that I am willing to exercise a little patience. It is very different, though, than pulling silk through fabric...that's for sure.

So that's it for a sunny Saturday here in Hoosierville. If I recover sufficiently, we are hoping to attend a hockey game this evening, and rumor has it there might be a hot dog in my future. (I was very good food-wise yesterday, so am entitled to a treat, no?)

Here's hoping that your corner of the world is completely swell and that you are doing everything your heart desires! Come tell us all about it!

(*) I am left-handed kind of, in that I use a fork and write with my left hand. Ever since Buzzy, though, I have had some issues with swelling and weakness in that hand and find it difficult to grasp anything for a length of time. The dot painting seems to be helping this, though, so I'm looking at it as a bit of physical AND mental therapy!  As for my right hand...that's my stitching arm and the one that is dominant. It seems to be doing just fine, but could probably use a little therapy too, since my stitchy progress lately has been rather poor at best!

I'M CLEAN, AWAKE, AND HERE...THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT TODAY

THURSDAY TOOL DAY!

My very first set of dotting tools arrived!  WooHoo!  I'm going to head out for my walk, then a 1:00 check in with Dr. Melfi, and then...painting this afternoon!

These are from a company in Canada called DIYMandalaStones, and I can't wait to learn how to use them.  I also have a set coming from Australia from the Happy Dotting Co, but methinks they won't be here for a little while yet.  But I will be able to have some fun today with these, so woooooohoooooo!

I have promised myself some stitchy time tonight while Notre Dame tries to beat Duke in the ACC tournament. Is it wrong that I felt bad that they beat Va Tech last night because I like Jessie Marie from Jessie Marie Does Stuff on the Flosstube so much?  This thing of ours makes it difficult to hope for a sound beating of the opponent, no?

Dr. Melfi and I are going to talk about how I can find my "quiet" again. I am fighting the fact that my quiet happy peaceful still life seems to have been blown to smithereens lately and I'm finding it hard to breathe. I basically went from a hermit spinster with a soft little dog and her stitching for company 24/7 to...chaos.  Some of the chaos is quite lovely (like my Jersey Boy and all of his shenanagins), but other parts have me feeling a bit claustrophic.  I think my schedule needs to retool a bit and there needs to be a minute or two each day for me to get quiet again.

(I suppose in analagous terms...I am an enormous sea turtle who has been out of her shell a bit too long and her heiney is feeling a little chapped from all of the fresh air and sunshine. Time to get back in there and de-peopleize myself for a bit!)

(Holey Schmoley...am I a complete nutball, or what?!)

(Nope...reframing...I am not a nutball.  I am just a person who feels better in her Happy Chair.)

See? Even my ponderings are all over the place. Time to re-tool.

Ha! Like how I did that! A complete circle!

Ciao for now, Dearies! Hope your very own Thursday is exactly how you like it...whether that means the raucous activity of a whole boatload of peoples, or complete quiet with needle and thread. Enjoy and come tell me all about it!

EAT...SLEEP...DIALYIZE...REPEAT

Oey...I am in a rut of eating all the things, sleeping too much, and feeling like my heiney is sewn to the dialysis chair.  The good news is that my appetite has come roaring back after a year's hiatus.  The bad news is that my appetite has come roaring back after a year's hiatus.

My sessions have been a bit problematic.  Buzzy is deep in my arm, and it seems that the techs are having a hard time getting both needles positioned just right. Today was about an eight out of ten on the pain scale no matter what we did, but I was able to gut it out and get a full session in.  

(I'd love to tell you that it was because I was brave, but Sir Elton and Miss Caroline from Off The Grid were right there to pull me through, and the promise of chicken wings at the Hooters put me over the top.)

No stitching to report, I'm afraid.  Despite my very best plans to have stitchy days on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and over the weekend, I have just not felt well enough to do so.  Tomorrow, though, is another day, so there is hope.

I'll leave you with a picture of me and my Jersey Boy at a Notre Dame hockey game a few weeks ago. He looks handsome....I look more than a little crazy.

(In my defense, our seats were about a thousand feet up in the air and separated from a plunge to certain death by nothing but a piece of clear glass. 

Here's the view from the seat...see what I mean?

Thanks for hanging in there with me, Dearies. I promise that The Chicken Sisters, counted canvas work, and interesting things will make a return to this here blog eventually. For now, please take care and come tell me all about it.

MONDAY MONDAY

SUNDAY POST-WALK PRE-BRUNCH BLISS

Yesterday was all about my Jersey Boy. We drove to the beach at New Buffalo, then a late lunch at The Stray Dog, and then to The Four Winds to play a few games (Rich...poker, me...penny slots).  It was a wonderful day followed by another Classic Movie Night here at the CS2 theatre.

I'm a book girl. (At least this is the excuse I gave JB for not seeing any of the more iconic films). He was uttely appalled, so in an effort to culturize me, we watched Casablanca on Friday night (I fell asleep and had to rewatch it again Saturday morning), and last night we watched From Here to Eternity.

At the moment I await his return from Mass.  I opted out this morning in an effort to stop feeling quite so unwell, and now that I've rallied a bit we're off to brunch.

Today will be my day to sit in the Happy Chair and stitch.  I hope to continue with the Ink Circles piece, but who knows where the day will take me?

Happy Sunday, Dearies! Hope you are equally as content and that your needles are flying!

MARCH MADNESS...

"Start something small" I said.

"Put together a basket full of simple, easy things to stitch"  I said.

Two hours of futzing, and this is what I came out with:

I've had this one in my stash for quite some time and now seems like the perfect time to jump in. I'm going to stitch this on a lovely piece of 28ct. Fog linen from Picture This Plus, and the threads are:

Julian by Weeks Dye Works. I figure the mixture of light green and lavendar are very springy indeed.

A little shopping yesterday resulted in getting my daily walk in despite the weather. I matched my steps and managed to get my shampoo and other Target items at the same time. Shopping as exercise...who knew?!

So that's it for a Friday. Heading to chair time in a few and then home to veggie pizza and my Jersey Boy!  (And maybe a new stitchy start!)

Come tell me all about your day, Dearies!  WooHoo!

Oey.  Last night was a bit of a trial, but I made it through. My chair session wasn't bad necessarily, but it started with the little table next to my chair collapsing...thus dropping my sippy cup, snacks, cell phone, iPad, and headphones onto the floor in a puddle of ice, Crystal Lite, and God knows what else down there.

After a frantic drying off session, we were able to get me hooked up, but I was without anything to eat or drink for the duration. (I know.  Poor me, right?  Like I really couldn't stand to miss a meal!)

I came home to change clothes and made the unfortunate choice of a Target clearance top that has big poofy wing sleeves. I wasn't too sure about this, but my Jersey Boy assured me that it looked much better that my normal getup of "geriatric farmer in pants that are eight sizes too big".

(The big wing sleeves were swell, but kept dipping in the ketchup at dinner.)

We got to the game, but had to park in East JaBip...so this meant a brisk walk. I don't mind brisk walks in the morning when I have my sneakers and sweatpants on, but doing it with enormous wings and a too full tummy meant that once I got into the arena I was a little sweaty and had "issues".

(Apparently, in addition to the big wing sleeves, the big top was on clearance because it's made from some type of space age fabric that has the ability to not breathe AND heat up its contents all at the same time...kind of like aluminum foil.)

I waited as long as I could, and when I finally made it to the ladies' room I decided that it was time to remove my pressure bandages on Buzzy.  (After chair time, the needles are removed and I put pressure on the two sites for about five minutes or so, and then bandages are applied. I leave them on for four hours and then remove them.)

(I've never had an issue with this protocol, thank goodness.)

(Until last night.)

Now we all know how much I love my beloved university, but can I just say one thing to the powers that be over there?

WHY DID YOU HAVE TO REMOVE ALL PAPER PRODUCTS FROM THE RESTROOM?!

I removed the bandages and started bleeding like a fire hose. So I immediately put my fingers over the site and looked for a paper towel...

BUT THERE ARE NO PAPER TOWELS IN THE RESTROOMS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME!

So my next thought was a "feminine hygiene product"...but guess what...APPARENTLY NONE OF THE WOMEN ATTENDING SPORTING EVENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME ARE SUPPOSED TO DRY THEIR HANDS OR HAVE AN URGENT NEED FOR A FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCT!

I finally made it into an empty stall and grabbed a big huge wad of toilet tissue (THAT, they allow), and I made it out to an usher named George who proceeded to walk me eighteen and a half miles to the first aid room.

(The best line of the night was when George sat me in the First Aid chair and said "Here, Toots...let me help you get that blouse off" and then winked at me when it took me a minute to realize he was just being cheeky.)

(George, by the way, was about 106 years old, but still very spry and handsome, so I took it as a compliment instead of a #metoo moment.)

The nurses in the First Aid room were non-plussed by a sweaty spinster in a big top with arm wings bleeding all over the damn place, and they cleaned me up, took my blood pressure, gave me some cold water, and patted me gently when I started to cry.

In the meantime, they also texted Jersey Boy up in the stands to let him know that I was safe and sound and not to worry about my long absence, but that I had a small medical emergency and required attention.

(He wanted to know if I could grab him a hot dog and a dietCoke on my way back.)

(Just kidding...he never looked at his phone and probably didn't even realize I was gone.)

(OK...that's not fair. I'm sure he knew I was gone, but since he is an avid basketball fan (and a man) he probably didn't think anything of the fact that I had excused myself and hadn't come back yet.)

When I finally did make it back to my seat (looking like a sweaty spinster in a big top with arm wings) the game was almost over and then it was time to gather our things, sing the Alma Mater, and trek the thousand miles back to the car for the traffic jam home.

(Jersey Boy felt terrible that he wasn't there in my moment of need, but considering the fact that he is perhaps the most squeamish person on the planet and passes out if you say b-l-o-o-d, I think it was better that he was oblivious.)

So lots of lessons learned.  If I'm going to be a girl about town and go out on chair days, then I need to be adequately prepared for a problematic bandage removal...or better yet...I need to wait until I get home to do so.  Either that, or I need to carry a purse like a big girl and stow a few emergency supplies in it and quit trying to be 22 again and just put a lip gloss and driver's license in my pocket.

(And I need to make a donation to Notre Dame so they can afford to put paper towels back in the damn restrooms where they belong.)

So that's it.  Today I am in the Happy Chair with damn good and the paper, and then I am going to head into the cube room studio to play with my stash. Rich is at pickleball and will then come home to work, so it should be a swell Thursday.

Here's hoping yours is the same and that your evening was peaceful and stress free! Come tell me all about it!