HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

TUESDAY...IN WHICH WE GO TO DIALYSIS AND HAVE A DIFFERENT VIEW

Because I was decidedly unwell yesterday, we moved my dialysis to Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday this week. I suppose I could have skipped Monday entirely and just showed up tomorrow, but I really do not like missing treatments, and I am looking forward to company this weekend and want to feel my very best.

Today I am in a different pod and I am enjoying a different view:

My tech tells me that I missed the man in the little boat turning off the fountain today by a few minutes. I would have liked to have seen that, since I imagine him to be dressed as the Gorton's fisherman...making his way through the gathering storm to challenge Moby Dick.

(In truth, he was probably a landscape guy in a hoodie who had the good sense to turn off the fountain's spray before heading out to winterize it, because he is, after all, a professional, and has done this once or twice before.)

I finished the roof on the house last night but forgot to take a photo. I moved the q-snaps and am going to add a few more small moteefs before tucking this away for next year. I'll try to remember to grab a pic before I do so.

I'm receiving a lot of messages from folks wanting to know how to comment or subscribe to this here blog, but I haven't one clue as to how you do that. Could somebody help a spinster out and post the instructions for such below? I think I have all of the settings wide open so anybody can comment/view here, but for some reason peoples are having trouble.

That's it for me today, Dearies. A little on the woozy side and out of routine, but here nonetheless. I hope your Tuesday is off to a good start...come tell me all about it!

MONDAY...IN WHICH WE JINX OURSELVES BUT GOOD

I knew it. 

The minute the words came out of my mouth I knew I was tempting fate.

"I don't think I've been this happy and content in a very long time", I thought to myself on Thursday afternoon. "For the first time in a very long while my heart feels a bit carefree and I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel."

Yeah, it was a light all right.

It was the headlight on the front of the train that hit me square in the gut and has me flat on my back with another diverticulitis flare up,

Jimminy Crickets, Dearies. Do you think I will ever figure out how to stop careening from one mishap to another, or should I just fasten my seatbelt a little tighter and enjoy the ride?

Antiobiotics and liquids are on board, I re-scheduled today's dialysis session for tomorrow, and I'm in the Happy Chair with the heating pad on high. I am showered and in my eighteen year old sweatpants, Spinster Stitcher t-shirt, and fuzzy socks...so no complaints in that department, and all seems to be semi-well for the moment.

In much happier news, I completed the house on my stitchy piece and am now moving on to the roof:

My plan is to complete this and then switch to something different...perhaps the Shepherd's Bush band sampler? 

So that's it for this particular Monday from these here parts. I hope your very own week is off to a wonderful start and that you are doing everything you want to do and nothing you don't. Come tell me all about it!

IN WHICH SHE REDECORATES THE ENTIRE BEDROOM FOR $19

I am Happy Prancy Dancing all over the place. A few moments ago, the UPS man delivered a huge box from the Targets that I was not expecting until next week. In it was my new comforter and shams that I paid ZERO dollars for.

ZERO.

As in zip, zilch, nada.  Zippo. Not one dollar at all!

I am a pretty good bargain shopper, and I use the Targets for my non-grocery househod items like shampoo and cleaning things. I also use the pharmacy for several of my prescriptions. If you're careful and plan your stock-ups, you can often get $5 gift cards with the purchase of multiples of things.  So I saved and saved and saved these $5 gift cards until I had eight of them, and then guess what happened last week?

This set went on sale for $39.99!

I put it in my cart so fast I thought my iPad thingie was going to catch on fire!

I did spend $19 of my pin money on the red pillow and black fuzzy body pillow cover, but shipping was free and I didn't have to carry it up the steps...so I splurged.

I think the last time I bought a comforter was 1997, so I am very pleased that I was able to finally achieve my goal of a black and white bedroom without having to take out a mortgage. And...I was finally able to hang this little montage next to Stewey...so now it really does feel complete:

Happy Saturday, Dearies! I'm back in the chair now and ready to stitch and then enjoy a very good and happy night's sleep!

A QUICK MESSAGE FROM CUSTOMER SERVICE...

I've just been alerted to a stitchy sister who did not receive her needleminder order. Are there any others out there sans needleminders? I want to make sure all packages were received, Dearies....so if you did not receive yours, please let me know!

THIS TIME I REALLY MEAN IN...I'M NOT MOVING TODAY

FRIDAY...OEY

I had a lovely Thursday...a Dr. Melfi visit, nine holes of the golf, and then a little Tex-Mex for dinner before some stitchy time. 

Today has been rather rough so far...I just can't get my eyes open, and no matter how strong I make my damn good, it's just not doing the trick. Hopefully, I will be able to get a little rest in the chair today so that the weekend won't be spent sleeping!

Progress continues on When Skeletons Dance...

This skein of Threadworks has been a little tempermental, so I might have to break out the Thread Magic and show it who's boss...

I'm off to the chair, Dearies! I hope your very own Friday is off to a swell start and that the weekend ahead is full of all of your favorite things!

A FUTZINGDAY REPORT FROM THE CHAIR...

Happy Wednesday, Dearies! I'm here at dialysis...doing my thing!

I'm still making progress on When Skeletons Dance ('scuse that weird pattern showing up at the bottom please):

I spent a few hours yesterday at the desk after a huge burst of energy that allowed me to do seven loads of laundry, re-organize the linen closet, put Costco things away, and empty all of the trash. (No clue why I am doing all of this frenetic cleaning and organizing...perhaps I am part squirrel and am preparing for winter?) It was wonderful to sit and pay bills, etc and look out that window:

I think the ring you saw on my hand might have been this one (my Mom's):

or it might have been this one from the QVC that I bought when I turned 40 and wanted to feel like a movie star (or a Kardashian). It's seven carats of Diamonique and cost me a whopping thirty bucks!

So no, Dearies. No big announcements to make regarding the state of my spinsterhood. I remain single, never married, and never a Mo-ther (unless you count You Know Who).

That's the report from Hoosierville today...how's things in your neck of the woods?

IN WHICH WE CHANGE OUR NAME TO MACGYVER

I ordered and received a new clamp for my Elan lap stand that will accomodate q-snaps.

(Thank you, by the way, to all of my stitchy peeps who so kindly told me that such a thing exists, and thank you to the wonderful gentleman who owns Artisan Products who was so patient with me on the phone as I babbled away incoherently.)

I know that there is a trick to keeping the q-snap from slipping in the attachment, but alas, I left the directions at home safe and sound. So for the last hour or so I've been happily stitching away, but a little frustrated that I couldn't figure out how to keep my project level.

The girls wouldn't work. (Lazy bums...all they want to do is hang out in the big girl sports bra all day catching crumbs and goofy juice spills.)

My big huge minibus of a belly wouldn't work.

Nothing I did seemed to fix the problem. I was just getting ready to abandon all hope when a thought came into my head. "If only I had a strip of rubber", I thought. "I could put it between the clamp and the q-snap to give it some grip."

I contemplated calling Magoo and asking him to run to the Targets to pick up some of that Rubbermaid shelf liner stuff, but then I remembered that he is terrible with directions and not allowed in big box stores by himself. (I'm not kidding. He got lost in the Martin's once and had to text me from the dairy department to come to his rescue before we could exit.)

Then I thought about asking him to bring me the thingie we (meaning I) use to get the lids off of pickle jars and such, but he has a propensity for getting distracted by something shiny, and God knows he'd never get here at all.

And then...I looked down.

A tourniquet! A long strip of rubber that is used on my arm to plump the veins for dialysis! Normally, they throw them away after use, but my tech forgot it today and left it on the table next to me.

So I futzed a bit with the tourniquet, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't hold it in place, tighten the clamp, and keep my arm still at the same time.

"If only I had a way to attach this to the q-snap", I pondered.  I thought about stitching it in place. Nope. Then I thought about asking Magoo to bring me some tape from...

Tape!

Right there on the same table next to me were about seventy-eleven strips of...tape!

So I did a little wiggly Happy Dance right here in the chair...grabbed my supplies, and voila!

Can you believe it?! Problem solved, and all with materials that were three inches away!

Sometimes I just love my silly little life!

I'll leave you with a photo of us at the Hacienda on Friday night, celebrating Magoo's birthday. (But please be gentle, for I am as big as a house and using this as a Weight Watchers "before" photo.):

Happy, happy, joy, joy all around, Dearies! Back to stitching and shenanagins!

MONDAY, MONDAY

Yesterday turned out to be a very sad day.

My two very best friends from Lima, Valerie and Denise, called me within an hour of each other to tell me that their moms had died. Both moms had been ill for some time, but I don't think their passing was expected yesterday...and certainly not both within an hour of each other. My heart breaks for both of them and their families, and I pray that they are somehow comforted by the idea that their moms traveled together, hand in hand.

A little more progress on The Drawn Thread's "When Skeletons Dance":

I had thought by now that I would have tucked this one away for next year, but I am still enjoying it immensely and want to continue:

Off to the chair in a moment. Then it's home for salmon and broccoli rabe tonight. (The meatballs turned out to be very tasty indeed, and there are enough leftovers in the fridge and freezer for six or seven more meals!)

(I really need to learn how to cook for one or two and not a small army!)

Happy Monday, Dearies! I hope your week is off to a wonderful start and that you get to do everything your heart desires today!

SUNDAY SHENANAGINS...

TEA AND BISCOTTI...A LOVELY TREAT INDEED!

I went to the Costco for provisions, and since I did NOT get a hot dog, I treated myself to boscotti instead. So...a cup of cinnamon stick tea, a couple of biscotti, my cozy blanket in place, and it's time to stitch!

Happy Saturday evening, Dearies!

P.S. Garth Brooks just kicked off his concert at Notre Dame stadium in a freezing cold pouring rain. I'm not there (obviously) but I hope any of my peeps that are will be warm and safe and dry and have a wonderful time! I'll watch it on the TeeVee on December 2, thankyouverymuch!

OK. I'M SERIOUS. I'M REALLY NOT MOVING TODAY...

I say it every weekend, but somehow end up doing something futzy. This time, though, I mean it. I am not getting out of this chair today.

(It is lovely and sunny, though, so I suppose I could take a little walk.)

(Or maybe do some laundry or change the big girl sleigh bed.)

(Or sweep the balcony and wash the patio windows.)

What in the h-e-double hockey sticks has happened to me?!?! Remember how I was perfectly content to just sit in the Happy Chair with a little furry somebody for company for weeks and weeks on end while the dust bunnies romped throughout the homestead and the laundry grew exponentially before my very eyes?

(Maybe dialysis really is making me feel a little better?)

(The treatment hangovers, though, seem to be getting worse and worse...oey.)

Enough. I need to turn my brain off for a bit, read the paper, enjoy some stitchy time, and just...rest. The world's problems will still be there tomorrow, and I'm pretty sure Martha Stewart isn't coming for brunch, so me being a bit lazy today will not result in the loss of my secret decoder ring. I need to learn patience and balance and stop being so dang hard on myself. Right? (she says hopefully).

What's going on in your neck of the woods today, Dearies? Come tell me all about it!

A CAUTIONARY TALE...

Don't scrub and polish your bathtub to within an inch of its life, give yourself a moisturizing pedicure, and then step into said scrubbed and polished bathtub with your very smooth and now very moisturized feet.

Yup. I'm a doofus.

Hope the weekend is less eventful, Dearies! Come tell me all about it!

IN WHICH WE ARE POSITIVELY TERRIBLE AT THE GOLFING...

I made it a whopping 4 1/2 holes, played terribly, and got a bit woozy...but it was an absolutely beautiful afternoon with JB Magoo. 

Now I'm back under the blanket contemplating something stitchy:

Hope your Thursday was swell!

THE RETURN OF SPINSTERSTILTSKIN

Oh, my goodnesss I'm tired!

I crashed pretty hard during treatment yesterday, came home and took a four hour nap, and then went back to bed after dinner and slept another eleven hours!

(Crashed means my blood pressure dropped and I basically "went to sleep" very quickly.)

No worries...it's all the result of blood pressure that's too low and a dry weight that needed to be adjusted. I saw the doc yesterday and we remedied both, I think. Hopefully a higher dry weight and a lower dose of Losartan will fix me up and I'll be right as rain once again.

Nothing new to report from this neck of the woods. It's cold and sunny today, so if the frost lifts off the pumpkins, we're going to attempt a round of golf. I'm a bit concerned about my left arm and its ability to swing a club, but if nothing else I can just ride in the cart and get some fresh air.

Before that, though, I need to spend a few hours at my desk and attend to paperwork and bills. I'm pretty excited to be able to sit there with all of my supplies gathered instead of at the dining table and everything hither and yon. My little cleaning marathon finally pays off!

Tomorrow is Rich's birthday, so there will be cake and something or other in a gift bag. What does one get a 63 year old who is perfectly happy watching sports and putting up with a broken down old spinster for fun? (Let's keep in mind, however, that I am a broken down old spinster on a budget, please.)

That stitchy bug is still flittering around, thank goodness. And for the first time in a long while I am stitching two things at once...one home and one away. Who knew how much fun that could be?

Well, I suppose that's quite enough rambling for the day, Dearies. I need to get myself together and start the day or we're going to end up burning daylight and it will be time to hit the big girl sleigh bed for another marathon snoozy session!

I hope you are well rested and cozy in your very own nook today. Come tell us all about it!

SCENES FROM THE CHAIR

Buzzy and Beepy are doing their thing. Somebody asked me why two needles...the bottom one pulls the blood out...the top one puts it back in after it's been cleaned:

I'm all alone in the corner today...

This stitchy bug has clamped his little jaws down hard, Dearies! I was delighted to find this in my big comfort bag! I had not thought to stitch today, but so far so good!

Back to it!  At this rate I might get this house completed before I know it!

FINISH ONE...START ONE!

I enjoyed Harvest of Plenty so much that I decided to stick with Shepherd's Bush. This is Autumn Blessings, and it's a lovely little band sampler done all in silk.

Off to the chair in a moment, Dearies! I'm just getting that second cup of damn good in before I pack my bag. 

Happy Futzingday! Come tell me all about your neck of the woods!

HAPPY DANCING ALL OVER THE PLACE!

Harvest of Plenty

Shepherd's Bush

32ct linen in Bee's Wax

silk threads all included in kit

(there are little buttons to add, but I lost them like a doofus)

This was just the perfect way to spend a Tuesday. I stitched and did laundry and binge-watched Outlander. I had to make a small change to the bottom row of "flags" since I ran out of the green threads that were called for, but I do like the colors I chose instead and think they will be just fine.

If possible, I'm going to see if this might fit in a ready-made frame and I will have a mat cut for it at the Hobby Lobby. Then, I am determined to lace and frame this myself properly and get it on the wall!

Night night, Dearies! I hope your very own Tuesday was super swell too!

AND ON TUESDAY WE GO TO TARGET

SOMETIMES IT PAYS TO SWITCH IT UP...

That big house started to get to me, so I headed into the cube room studio to see if I could remedy the situation.

Boy, did I ever!

Shepherd'sBush "Harvest of Plenty" was right there in my WIP basket, and I just couldn't resist spending a few moments with it last night:

I'm not sure why I ever put this one down, exactly. I'm guessing that I could have this finished in one or two more stitchy sessions!

Miss Megan asked me if I cross every x when working with varieagated threads. The truth is, Miss M, that I cross every x as I go no matter the thread. I know that there are various techniques employed when cross stitching, but my sister taught me to cross the x fully before moving on, so that's the way I've always done it.

Time to get ready, Dearies. It's rather cold and dreary here this morning, and I am dragging my feet. 

I hope your Monday is wonderfully swell and that you get to do whatever your heart desires!

SO...MUCH...GREEN!

I'm determined to get the green portion of this house completed before I move to another project. And maybe the roof. And the lower shingles. And all the windows.

Oh, heck. Maybe I'll stick with this one for a bit longer.

But stay tuned, because I am feeling rather like a squirrel in traffic and might change my mind at any moment!

It's a bright, cool, and sunny Sunday here in Hoosierville, so I am going to attempt to get a little fresh air. I will either go for a little walk or take a cup of damn good and the paper out on the balcony. 

Or maybe both.

See?  Squirrel.

Happy Sunday, Dearies! Come tell me all about your very own fun in the sun today!

I'M SO COZY I CAN HARDLY STAND IT

The fuzzy socks have made a return. I finally closed the windows a bit ago, since the thermostat said it was 50 degrees in here, and that's a little nuts even for me.

Thank you for indulging my prancypants bragging these last several days over the state of my little union here at CS2, but it was a huge deal for me to accomplish these things myself. I have felt so completely helpless for the last long bit of time that it felt really wonderful to put my back into it (literally) and put things in order.

Yes...I am very "house proud". I guess I always have been because I stay inside so much and really love to have clean comfy, and nice surroundings. My first little studio apartment was the size of a small hotel room, yet I spent as much time and angst fretting over it as I did my house when I finally built it. 

This will conclude the "Look what I did!" portion of the program, and we'll return to the hapless stumble bunny shenanagins that you have come to know and tolerate.

Back to stitching and an Outlander marathon!

FOR MISS LAURA...

WHAT A WEEK IT'S BEEN!

So here I am...back in the exact same place as last Saturday!

Boy, this has been a very busy (yet happy) week! Between the futzing and putzing and cleaning and organizing, I have still managed to spend a lot of time with needle and thread:

I really am very happy with the progress I've made on this one, and think I'll play with it a little more today before fishing through my stash for something new tomorrow. I have been so inspired by the Instagrams and the Facebooks, that it might be time to switch it up!

Five more things left on my to do list, but they might wait until next week or weekend to complete. I do need to switch out my closet...cold clothes in and warm clothes out, but that will only take about ten minutes, because we're talking about three pairs of sweatpants and a couple of sweatshirts in and t-shirts, bike shorts, and leggings out.

(Thank goodness...I've never really been a clothes person.)

(Books and stitchy stash, however, are another matter entirely!)

Happy Saturday, Dearies! I hope that your corner of the world is perfectly swell today and that you get to do everything your heart desires! Come tell me all about it!

FUNNY HOW THAT WORKS...

The stitchy angels took pity on me today, and I somehow managed to spend my entire chair time stitching! Progress!

Please excuse the spaghettis and knots...those are away knots and tails brought forward since I have to do everything one handed in the chair and cannot flip my work.

I am particularly happy about this turn of events, because I did NOT want to go today. I mean...I really did not want to go sit in that chair. At all. Not one bit. Zippo. Zilch. Period.  I contemplated calling off and considering it a mental health day, but I adulted, got in the damn shower, and went like a big girl.

My reward was being able to just put my headphones and take up needle and thread and enjoy myself thoroughly.

Priceless.

THE HAPPY CHAIR

The chair on the left in this picture is my Happy Chair. I bought it at the JC Penny Home Store in April of 1992, and I have lived almost half my life in it. It was the first piece of furniture I ever purchased (I think I paid $400 for it and about had a heart attack when I wrote the check), and if memory serves, it was originally cream waffle weave fabric.

This poor chair is old and stinky and worn out and probably not worthy of St. Vincent de Paul coming to pick it up, but I. Cannot. Part. With. It.

I have laughed and cried and read and stitched and slept and cuddled Stewey and played pumpkin and looked out the window and stared at the wall in this chair. It has been there as my cockpit in good times, bad times, in between times, and all times.

It fits me.

My mom would be completely appalled, but I sit sideways in this car with my right leg hitched over the arm. I don't know why that's comfortable...given my age and portliness you would think it impossible for me to be able to do so, but it somehow works for me and it's now habit.

The arms are also wide enough to hold my cup of damn good. Or a chart holder. Or eleventy-seven skeins of floss. There have been more needles parked in these arms than a dialysis unit, and both 

Bosco and Stewey loved to perch themselves there (when no needles were present) and look out the front door at the house.

This poor chair has been through it all, I tell ya. It once spent time in the garage because a nine-pound spider crawled over the top of it an disappeared into the depths of it, and even that wasn't enough to convince me to let it go. (The nice men at Stanley Steamer took it apart and cleaned the Bejessus out if it, so if the spider was still in there, he was very very clean.)

I thought that today was the day that I was going to take the Happy Chair down to the garage, and then call a junk man to come pick it up along with some other stuff from the house that I've sorted through, but...no.

I've compromised and capitulated and given up and complied and done what was recommended and followed orders and behaved myself HARD for a while now. I gave up control of my life in many ways, and prayed for strength and surrender to just let my life unfold according to whatever the plan was that was supposed to be best for me. I've changed myself in both big and small ways, and I've followed directions.

But today....I'm drawing a line.

I'm keeping my Happy Chair right where it is, and later today I am going to research upholstery companies and then look at fabrics to get it re-covered. I might have a slip cover made tor it, or I might have it completely re-done. I don't know. But what I do know is that this chair and I are going to be Happy together for many more years to come.

AND THEN...SHE RESTED

I think the total number of hours it took to put things back to rights is about fourteen.  All I know is that it is ten after midnight and I am freshly showered and really very happy with the results.  I have a few bins to purchase as my budget allows, but things are finally sorted in such a way that I can access and enjoy them.

Hard to believe this was almost piled to the ceiling yesterday!

This is the view immediately to the left as you come in my front door. The wall is very blank and needs some stitchy pieces, but hammering nails at this hour would not be very neighborly. The print is Sam Toft's Grand Day Out.

This area is where the recliner used to sit. Now it houses the printer, my date books and stitchy journals going back to 2005(!), and other office supplies. Eventually, those four cubes will have fabric bins to hide the mess and files will go in a file box.

Finally! A desk! This was my desk from my home office at the house, and it will be the perfect place to write, pay bills, play with my planner, etc. Speaking of...my 2019 planner is in the box underneath all ready to go!

OK, when I said I was happy...I meant with everything except this corner. Stacked on the floor and in a basket are all of my needlepoint and counted canvas wips. My cross stitch wips are in the blue basket/stand thingie. The file thingie on the TV tray holds all of my working files and checkbooks and other important stuff. I really don't like it there, but need to figure out a better alternative. Maybe a small filing cabinet and a closed box/tote/storage thingie for the canvases.

This was probably the most significant change. Now I can easily access all of my threads, stretcher bars, q-snaps, linen, and canvas. I know that Sterlite now makes all of these little cabinets in dark brown with a wicker-look finish, but methinks that's an investment for another day. Right now these are working perfectly well.

The cube wall is now totally different, and I don't have stuff piled to the darn ceiling anymore.

Here's where the black and white polka dot bins ended up...along with a longer cubbie:

So that's it for now, Dearies! I'm exhausted and sore, but very very pleased with the results. On Saturday I am going to tackle the front hall closet and switch my clothes from warm things to cold, but those two things should only take a little bit of time.

Tomorrow, I'm resting. All day. No exceptions. I pushed my limit a bit and it felt good to do so, but now it's time to rest.