HAPPY NEW YEAR, DEARIES!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

THE 2019 OFFICIAL SPINSTER STITCHER FEASTING FESTIVIS MENU

Well...that was interesting. I just hauled my heiney out of the big girl sleigh bed, donned clothes and shoes, and headed to the Martins for provisions.

With the entire state of Indiana.

Needless to say, I got a nice workout in whilst hiking from the hinterlands into the store, fighting the crowds for jars of olives and whatnot, and then sherpa-ing it all up to CS2. I'm bushed!

I am, however, very happy to report a lovely menu plan:

Tonight: Freshetta veggie light crust pizza

Christmas Eve:

Never tried this one before, but I do like this brand of things, so it should be good.

Christmas morning:

I cheated and bought a ready-made fruit salad, but I justified it by the cost. I couldn't have purchased and chopped the fruit for less. As for the quiche...it says it's made with egg whites. It's a totally new product to my Martin's, so I figured I'd give it a try.

And for Christmas evening...may I present the official Christmas HAMLETTE for this year:

See? I promised you no big eighty eight dollar Honey Baked Ham this year! This one is small...about the size of my hand, and it will be perfect for one sandwich. The rest will go into the freezer for special breakfasts.

(My only complaint for the day is that when you walk outside into the gorgeous sunshine, you can smell the Honey Baked Ham place in the air and it makes me want to run over there and give in to my temptation and eat my body weight in it. Why oh why does my apartment have to be ten feet away from the Honey Baked Ham store?!)

OK. Enough about me and my ham obsession.  Time to go make my second obsession...my mom's potato salad.

Ciao for now, Dearies! If you're going out and about today, I wish you good luck and good cheer!

WHAT DAY IS IT?

I'm pretty sure it's Monday, but I decided to do this in bed thing today. My only task is to head to the grocery for feasting provisions, so why not enjoy a bit of a lazy morning, right?

Deciding on my menu this year seemed harder than usual. I don't know if it's loss of appetite or what, but every time I decided something sounded good, I felt a big fat "Eh", and that was the end of that. For now, I think it will be lasagne on Christmas Eve (Stouffers, thankyouverymuch) and a light breakfast of fruit salad and the damn Greek cookies on Christmas Day followed by a ham sandwich and Mom's potato salad in the evening. Portions will be very very small....I promise. Two days of treats will be followed by the wagon of smoothies and salads and 110kg will be here before you know it.

Last night is a bit of a blur, but there was coloring and movie watching. I watched The Bookshop, The Birdcage, and The Mirror Has Two Faces. I hadn't seen the first one, but thought it was very good. The other two I've seen a thousand times, but needed something that I could listen to with my glasses off.

Speaking of...that is one of my first priorities in the new year. I need to get my eyes re-tested and get glasses that I can wear for stitching and TeeVee viewing. At the moment, I'm taking my glasses off to do anything up close, which means I can't see anything beyond a foot or so in front of my face. Maybe I'll ask them to put the distance Rx in the top of the glasses and clear glass at the bottom? Does anybody else have this problem?  It works pretty well when JB is here because he watches the sports 24/7 and I can just listen to those, but if we want to watch a movie and I want to stitch it becomes tricky.

OK.  Time to get on with it. A few more minutes of sitting in this sunshine streaming in the window and then I need to be a human for a bit.

Happy Monday, Dearies! Two more sleeps until the big day!

POST TREATMENT TREAT

 Venti cold brew with two pumps of peppermint and a splash of cream, the Sunday paper, and time with Stewey...

Crazy, I know, but the perfect way to finish the day!

SUNDAY...I THINK

Well, Dearies, here we are on a Sunday morning in the d-chair. It's going to be interesting keeping track of the days these next two weeks since our chair times are all different due to the holidays. Fortunately, my JB texts me about every ten minutes to remind me when it's a day to get dressed and come here, so I have absolutely nothing to complain about.

I had such a nice day yesterday and did all of the things on my list...coffee abed, Greek cookie sale, laundry, and coloring/resting. I even watched two movies (The Queen and Serendipity) and watched what I ate and drank pretty carefully. All in all a pretty perfect Saturday!

These are the markers I'm obsessing over:

 I got a small pack to see if I liked them, so now that I know that I do I am saving pennies to purchase a bigger set. They are alcohol based markers with a brush tip and (in my very amateur opinion) stand up very nicely to Copics.

Tonight I'm going to chill after treatment and write my grocery list for tomorrow. My appetite suddenly went away, so all of the big extravagant meals I had thought of aren't blowing my skirt up anymore. I might opt for stuffed shells instead of seafood pasta on Tues, but the ham shall remain firmly in place for Wednesday.

I am sad to report that the Greek cookies just aren't very good. At all. But before I disparage the lovely Greek woman that made them, let me just say that mine aren't that good either. As a matter of fact, I don't think they're MEANT to be good. They are, after all, just a bland little biscuit that you're supposed to dunk in your damn good. JB will probably love them, though, so I am still very happy that his treat jar is full of them.

(And yes. In case you were wondering, the jar is the same one that once held mini Milkbones for You Know Who.)

The sun is shining and the temperatures are going to be in the 50's today, so life is indeed beautiful here in Hoosierville today. I do wish it were cold and snowy, but there will be plenty of time for that nonsense.

Happy Sunday! I hope yours is restful and lovely and that you're enjoying all the things. Come tell me all about it!

DAMN GREEK COOKIES

 If you've followed me on this here blog for any length of time, you know that every year I endeavor (mostly unsuccessfully) to make my mom's Greek twist cookies for Christmas. Their real name is koulrakia, and they are basically a simple butter tea biscuit. Making them usually involves a whole lot of cursing, a pound of butter, a dozen egg yolks, whiskey, and several boxes of Swan's Down Cake flour.

I bitch and moan and complain about them every year, and every year I plaster the ceiling, floor, countertops, and my hair with enough dough to make a metric ton of them.

Truth be told, I'm not even sure I like the damn things, but as my mother's daughter, it is my solemn duty to make them and complain about it every Christmas, or something's just not quite right with the holiday.

Last week as I was perusing the paper I saw a tiny little ad for a "Greek pastry sale" at the orthodox church a few blocks away, and I figured it was a sign from God (and my mother) to just buy the damn Greek cookies this year rather than have to repaint the kitchen.

You know what?

The sign from God (and my mother) was to stop complaining about them, put my shoes and socks on, go to the Martins and buy the pound of butter, dozen eggs, whiskey, and cake flour and just get on with it. It is, after all, tradition. And the only way to honor a tradition is to slog through even the worst of them and endure.

I paid $8 a container for the koulrakia this year and made another $10 donation to the Food Bank for a bag of decaf coffee. That means I spent $34 to come home and load the cookie jar and then stand there for a minute thinking "Well. That was somewhat anti-climactic."

So with apologies to my mom I am adding "make the damn Greek cookies" to my list for next year, and I will look forward to it and not complain, and will mix and stir and twist and bake them with a smile on my face and joy in my heart.

Sometimes it just doesn't pay to mess with tradition.

SATURDAY SPINSTER BLISS

The sun is streaming through the bedroom window, and I am tucked very happily into the big girl sleigh bed with damn good and the week's papers. I was completely knocked out yesterday, so having a minute to get my wits about me is not only lovely this morning, but somewhat necessary.

Depending on the clock, my hope is that I can get over to the Greek cookie sale at the Orthodox church, come back and get laundry, bills, and paperwork done, and then head to Mass at 5:00. If I were a betting spinster, though, I would take the under and bet that I only manage to scramble out of bed in time to go to church.

And I'm OK with that.

Still no stitching to report, but I have a different view of that now. I think of my projects as friends that I get to play with, and as it turns out, this friend is out of town for a few days. When she returns, I will get to spend as much time with her as I like and our visit will be all the more dearer for the absence.

(Hi. Remember me? Total nutjob that likes to assign human qualities to things.)

(And fussy little Jack Russel terriers with overbites.)

So that's the Saturday report, Dearies. Cozy and happy, enjoying the sunshine, and armed with enough damn good and reading material to last the day! I hope you are in much the same position....surrounded by everything you love! Come tell me all about it!

IN WHICH THE SHOULDS AND WANTS LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Who knew?

You know that I was debating whether to be a lump or a busy bee yesterday if you read my post on this here blog, but what you didn't know is that my better angels somehow prevailed and I managed to do both!

Is this what they call moderation?

I stripped the bed and got the sheets sploshing and then I watching ten minutes of The Crown. Then I spritzed and scrubbed the bathroom, and watched ten  minutes of The Crown. Then the kitchen, dining room, living room, etc. followed by Crown, Crown, Crown.

Before I knew it, the place was clean and tidy and I had finished an entire episode!

After a good shower and a re-paint of the meathooks, I settled in for some coloring with new markers that I bought as a Christmas present for myself. They are knock-off Copic brush markers called "milo" and I really like them! For those of you who color with markers, you know that Copics are very very spendy. I don't do spendy these days, so inexpensive alternatives are very much appreciated when found.

I have to say, there might be something to this whole middle of the road thing. I went to bed last night thinking "Gee. I got stuff done, played with my toys, and am able to lift my arms. What a great day!"

(If it lasts, I'll be shocked and amazed and very very happy.)

Today is a d-day and not much else. Only one day off this weekend due to the holiday, so it will be d-day again on Sunday. This makes it even better that I got things done!

Still no stitching to report. I think I've taken this whole "slow down and savor it" thing to an extreme! It's time to start filling in the ribbons, and I guess I'm trying to postpone it as long as I can because I don't want it to end. Silly, silly, I know.

Happy Friday to one and all! We're in the home stretch, kids, so I hope your lights are twinkling and you are finding a moment for yourself to just....be and enjoy! Come tell me all about it!

Hello, Dearies!

Here we are on a December Thursday with a long to do list and no desire to do it. Where's that Tiny Decisions app for a day like this?

My shoulds are things like laundry and housecleaning and tidying and...all the usuals. My wants are damn good slurping and stitching and coloring (with my new Christmas markers) and Crown watching and reading and not much else.

Hmmmmm.

What do YOU think will win out?

IN WHICH I APOLOGIZE TO MYSELF, BUT ONLY A LITTLE

Oh, my goodness, what a day we're having, Dearies!

It started in the shower when I almost killed myself by slipping on all of the body oil that I have apparently been dumping on the floor of the tub rather than myself. Then I broke a nail...a very symbolic middle finger, forgot my phone and ipad, and had a bad hook up that resulted in an infiltration.

The scale showed another weight gain despite me eliminating salt, limiting fluid, and being super super careful, breaking a sweat cleaning the kitchen, and increasing my diuretic, so I just spent the last forty minutes discussing my lady parts and bowel movements with the nurse practitioner in front of God and everybody, which is always a ton of fun.

So here's where the apology comes in.  Apparently I wasn't the sole reason for the weight gain. True, I probably had more sodium than is normal/good for me, but the consensus is that the gain is all bloat/lady part related! Without giving you my entire gynecological history, let's just say that I am 53 years old and leave it at that.

Moving right along, I am still fasting and vegetable souping it until Christmas Eve, but I am thinking that I will modify my meal that night to something light and then do a brunch/snack day for Christmas Day. I have to come to the d-chair, and then I'll go to Mass at 5:00, so maybe I will just pick something up on the way home from church?

In any even, I am happily back in the saddle and looking forward to getting on with it. My stitching has been non-existent these last several days and I need to remedy that with a nice long playdate with Holiday Ribbons.

The Crown continues to delight, but I am having a hard time with the change of actors for the third season. I'm only two episodes in, so I know it will get there, but so far I'm a bit distracted with the change.

It's certainly a Futzingday today, so I suppose I had better get on with enjoying it! I hope things in your neck of the woods are fun and festive! Come tell me all about it!

WOW. THIS IS EXTRA...EVEN FOR ME.

Before you zoom into the menu portion of this madness and chastise me for bad choices....the list is just a suggestion of things that I love and will only be enjoyed in moderation. In other words...my Christmas ham will be a hamlette this year and not the normal eighteen pound wonder that I get from the Honey Baked Ham Store.

I made a huge tub of vegetable soup (all sodium free thankyouverymuch), and I will be fasting/vegetable souping it so that I can enjoy one or two treats from the last for Christmas and New Years.

I know you can't REWIND, but you can RESET, and that's exactly what I've done today.

What's on YOUR crazy Christmas calendar?

IN WHICH WE BEAT OURSELVES UP, BUT GOOD

Dear Tubby Idiot Spinster.

You cannot eat Chinese food, bacon, sausage biscuits, and snack plates with salami, cheese, crackers and olives for three days and not expect to gain more fluid than a Great Lake.

The dumbest thing is that you knew you were doing it when you did it but you did it anyway.  Yup, right down the gullet went enough salt to de-ice the entire state of Wisconsin.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

And somewhat dangerous. A 5kg wait gain over a weekend puts tremendous strain on your heart and lungs, and no matter how much you tell yourself that you're in relatively good shape....you're not.

You need to get your head out of your ample heiney and pay attention. You do not have the luxury of telling yourself that it's the holidays and you deserve a treat. You don't.  This is war and it's serious. Life and death. Totally all-consuming and should be your only focus.

So enough monkeying around. Fruits. Vegetables. Proteins. No salt, Minimal fluid.

Get. Back. On. Track.

...............................

Hi, Dearies!

Yup, I'm in the dog house at the moment. Not necessarily with anybody here at dialysis, but with myself. I appreciate all of the gentle pats and reassurances that it's not that big of a deal, but I need to feel bad for a bit to really teach myself a lesson. You know me...nothing in moderation. I'm either shouting my brilliance from the rooftops or wallowing in the depths of self-flagellation and pity, so for me this is just another Monday.

I'll be fine. Sometimes I just need to take a breath and re-boot a bit before I can get on with my bad self. In this case, it's going to mean re-thinking my holiday menus. I was looking forward to scampi on Christmas Eve and ham on Christmas Day, but methinks we might have to go in a slightly different direction or cut the portions down to a few bites here and there.

Damn, drat, and phooey anyway, but thank goodness I am now on it.

The week's agenda is somewhat quiet for me. JB will leave on Wednesday evening for NJ, and I will try to accomplish a few things on the to-do list. Things are in pretty good shape at CS2, but I'd like to give it all a good spiff and shine so that I can enjoy my spinster time.

Well, that's the Monday report from the friendly confines of the d-chair! I'm going to try to catch some Flosstube and episodes of The Crown and maybe put a few stitches into Holiday Ribbons, but if I end up snoozing...that's OK too.

Happy Monday! Come tell me all about what's on your agenda for the day!

SUNDAY...IN WHICH I EAT ALL THE BREAKFAST

Despite staying up a bit late, I did manage to get myself up in time for Mass and breakfast. We went to Perkins, and I ate more food than I have had in quite a while, and each and every bite of it was delicious! Our waitress was a lovely woman named Seminar...a name that I have never heard before, but lovely.

Now I'm home in the Happy Chair to read the paper and get back to Holiday Ribbons:

The borders are all complete. Now it's time to start playing with filling in the ribbons!

I hope this Sunday finds you safe and warm and happy and healthy, Dearies! We're off like a herd of turtles tomorrow into another week...almost the last of the year!  Do something wonderful and come tell me all about it!

WooHoo!

ALL WAS CALM. ALL WAS BRIGHT.

My Jersey Boy had his company Christmas party last night, so I enjoyed a long nap, Chinese food, and several hours of The Crown on The Netflix. I sat on the couch instead of the Happy Chair and realized that the view of CS2 is entirely different.

Methinks I might want to move a stitchy light there and make it my new spot.

Today is Spinster Saturday Abed, and I am almost finished with the second cup of damn good and a quick flip through of the week's mail. I don't really have a lot to do per se, so it might be another quiet day of coloring and stitching and football watching. If I can, though, I might want to venture outside for a walk, since the sun is shining and it looks quite nice out there in Hoosierville.

What does your Saturday look like, Dearie? Good, I hope! Come tell us all about it!

OPERATION KEEP GOING

LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT: 112kg

THIS WEEK'S WEIGHT: 111.8kg

WEIGHT LOST THIS WEEK: .2kg

FIRST GOAL: 110kg

IN WHICH IT IT'S FRIDAY

Oh, Dearies. Happy Friday, indeed! I am here doing my thing but so very sleepy I cannot keep the peepers peeping. Somebody might have accidentally stayed up until the wee hours stitching and watching The Crown last night.

😬

But I am not an airline pilot or the President of the Universe, so if I nap most of the day away I suppose the world will be safe for democracy and all its minions.

A very deep and heartfelt thank you for...everything. I am particularly humbled by your continued prayers. Whether you are of the ilk to do so or not, I am living proof that the power of it is beyond our understanding. I am convinced that it is prayer and prayer alone that has saved me.

The weekend is upon us! After my Spinster Saturday Abed thing, I hope to spend lots of time watching Christmas movies and stitching. The laundry is done and the dust bunnies deserve to enjoy the lights a few days longer, and it's time to just...enjoy.

I haven't forgotten about the Charlie Brown cross stitch piece. It might get a start in the next few days, but I'm not feeling bad about loving the LJP so much. It has been the perfect companion these last few weeks.

Well, it's off to Dreamland I go.  I hope your very own Friday is full of everything that blows your skirts and pantlegs right up! Come tell me all about your plans for the day!

IT IS NOW OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL

AS OF TODAY I AM NOW 100% CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF, DEARIES! MISS JANE FROM THE INDIANA UNIVERSITY TRANSPLANT UNIT CALLED MOMENTS AGO TO TELL ME THAT WE HAVE INSURANCE CLEARANCE FOR TRANSPLANT...THE VERY FINAL PIECE OF THE PUZZLE!

EVERY TEST, APPOINTMENT, POKE, PROD, AND POUND HAS BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR, APPROVED, AND DOTTED AND CROSSED.

NOW ALL I NEED IS A KIDNEY AND WE ARE GOOD. TO. GO.

ONWARD!!!

THURSDAY

Happy Thursday, Dearies!

Well, we think we've solved the mystery of my recent crashy illness at and after treatment. My blood pressure is just too darn low, we're taking too much fluid off, and I am trying to lose weight too fast. The remedy is that we doubled a medicine to keep the blood pressure up, the fluid pull will now be minimal, and I will get my head out of my heiney and stop trying to become a world-famous swimsuit model overnight.

Enough of that.

I have been enjoying some quiet coloring and movie time the last few days, and have re-started watching The Crown. Is it just me, or do you also go back to the very beginning of a series when a new season comes out? I find myself forgetting more and more of the plot and characters, so starting from the beginning again and bingeing the whole thing is somewhat necessary to rattle the tiny little brain a bit.

The coloring is purely recreational, and a way to prolong the stitching of Holiday Ribbons. Talk about a total change of pace for Yours Truly! It started with reading The Starless Sea only a few pages at a time. Now it's extended into my stitchy life! I've finished one of the outside borders. Two more, and I can start filling in the ribbons with all of those fun little moteefs! Thank goodness that LJP writes such good charts, because it has been quite some time since I did specialty stitches or something other than a cross stitch! I might even have to break out the laying tool!

Well, I suppose I had better get on with it, but I do love our visits on mornings like this. It gives me an excuse to linger and postpone the "work" of the day. I imagine it would be wise to work first and write as a reward, but if I did that I'm pretty sure you would never hear from me!

Besides, isn't it nice to just ease into a day?

Hope your Thursday is divine and swell and delicious and everything you want it to be! Come tell me all about it!

FUTZINGDAY

CRASH!

Dang it.

Out like a light for the whole treatment and then a big crash at the end.

Phooey.

But I'm home safely and in my flannel Christmas jammies, so there is absolutely nothing to complain about whatsoever.

A few big cups of damn good and everything will be swell, I promise.

So how was your day?

MONDAY MONDAY

Here we are, Dearies....the beginning of another new week! I am in the chair doing my thing, but wishing I were home in the other chair with my magic blanket, stitching, and coloring pages.   It is dreeeeeee-ry here in Hoosierville and it would have been a perfect day to watch the rain.

Alas.

Holiday Ribbons continues. I apologize to Miss LJP...all this time I have been calling it Christmas Ribbons. If you looked for it and couldn't find it...I am a boob.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Mine was filled with stitching and coloring and sleeping and bath-taking and not much else.

Is it just me, or are the posts of stitching and decorating even more beautiful than ever? I am enjoying them very much and am in the spirit more than ever (and that's really saying something since I am Spinster Christmas 24/7 this time of year!)

Time for the headphones. The pod is unusually noisy today and I'm in the mood for a little quiet for a bit.

Happy Monday! Do something fun and come tell me all about it!

SATURDAY NIGHT

SATURDAY

OPERATION KEEP GOING

LAST WEEK'S WEIGHT: 112.8kg

THIS WEEK'S WEIGHT: 112kg

WEIGHT LOST THIS WEEK: .8kg

FIRST GOAL: 110kg

FRIDAY

Happy Friday, Dearies!

I am doing my thing and enjoying the fact that it's the end of the week. My Starbucks cold brew will be the kick off to what I hope is a quiet and stitchy weekend, and hopefully the scale will reward me with a nice weight loss to report.

Yesterday must have been just what I needed, because I had a good sleep and happy dreams. Stewey made an appearance, as did my Aunt JoAnn and my Grandma Josephine. There was also an abundance of white feathers everywhere.  Wonder what that meant?

Christmas Ribbons just blows my skirt up, and this is only the border establishment portion! I can only imagine how much fun I'm going to have once I start filing in all of the little moteefs!  For those of you who contemplate canvaswork but have never tried it, I highly encourage you to jump in. It makes for a lovely change of pace and develops new skillls that you never knew you had.

So that's it foe me on a December Friday here in Hoosierville. I hope your corner of the world is making you happy today. Come tell me all about it!

THURSDAY NIGHT

Eight hours of stitching, four movies, a light dinner, another coat of paint on the meathooks, and now I'm off to bed. A very perfect Thursday, indeed!

THURSDAY

JUST A QUICKIE TODAY

I'm in the d-chair, but only until 12:45 today. I have one last appointment to make for the transplant protocol, and today was the only day I could schedule. But a shortened treatment is better than no treatment at all, so here I am in all my glory.

Yesterday was the perfect antidote for whatever was ailing me, but I really do need to get better about balancing my energy and activities It's just not healthy to constantly swing between comatose and Mach 5 with my hair on fire all the time.

(Yup....the dreaded "m" word again...moderation.)

OK...enough navel gazing.  It's Futzingday and there are a few feeble little snowflakes prancing around outside in Hoosierville, and I'm ready to get on with it. I've got my LJP Christmas Ribbons ready to go, my sippy cup full of iced citrus water, and my BelVita breakfast biscuit at the ready.

Bring it on, Futzingday! Bring it on!

IT ALL STARTED WITH THE OUTSIDE STORAGE CLOSET

Well, so much for a quiet Tuesday with nothing on the agenda, Dearies. I swear, these energy swings are simply unreal. One day I am unconscious in the big girl sleigh bed, and the next I go on a cleaning and organizing frenzy. It started with the outside storage closet and my discovery that JB had turned it into a dump-all. I did a little re-arranging after putting out the Christmas decs, and now it makes a little more sense:

Then I came inside and made the bed:

Re-arranged my nightstand:

And then went bats**t crazy and did the rest of the apartment like some kind of HGTV organizing expert in a house full of hoarders and PigPens (the Peanuts character and not the actual farm location for keeping livestock).

The "furnace" room was piled high with....stuff...and always made me very nervous. Now, not so much:

Then I did the laundry room. Is there anything happier that a back-up supply of coffee and paper towels?

Next I found a place to hang the cone thingie:

And then I cleaned out the linen closet. (The empty space may or may not be for Yankee candles organized seasonally.) (Told ya...bats**t): 

The kitchen table has been driving me crazy ever since I gave my desk to JB and started doing my planning and makeup (because the bathroom lighting is so bad and I'm old now) and bill paying:

I scored one of these carts at the Michael's for $20, and it has completely and totally changed my life in the five minutes it's been put together:

This isn't exactly ideal, but for now it will have to do. I moved that little shelf from the furnace room and now I don't have my pot lids sitting on the floor (like an animal):

Now the kitchen table actually looks like a kitchen table!

And finally, I cleaned and re-did the fridge and consolidated the Thanksgiving leftovers into a casserole for tonight:

Whew! I am officially bushed! I'm going to give myself a mani/pedi, get a little something to drink, and call it a day!

Best. Tuesday. Ever!!