IN WHICH THE SPINSTER MAKES A POSITIVELY LOVELY PEPPER STEAK!

Our Sunday was quiet and lazy and moments ago I cleaned up the kitchen after eating and making a really good dinner. 

The pepper steak was delicious, and thanks to a stove top grill pan and a broiler set on high, everything was finished together and piping hot when we ate. Cold food is one of my pet peeves, so no peeves were petted tonight!

Here's how I made it:

The night before, I marinated the flank steak in Paul Newman's Balsamic Vinagarette.

Today, while the broiler and grill pans were pre-heating, I sliced peppers and onions and put them into a Ziplock with a light splash of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

I broiled the steak for 7 minutes on each side and grilled the peppers and onions at the same time. About a minute before the veggies were done I sprinkled a heaping teaspoon of chopped garlic over them and stir fried a bit longer. While the steak rested I made the Minute Rice.

Rich ate his with a splash of Lee & Perins and I ate mine with a splash of soy sauce.

Delicious! 

OK...back to stitching. I want to get a few more hours in before bedtime.

Night night!

EXECUTIVE DECISIONS

Moments ago I decided to finish Winter and the two Mill Hills and possibly put a few more stitches into the cardinal canvas before moving on to a Spring basket.

Besides...this will give me some more time to purge, futz, and organize stash into better categories and bins and baskets.

Happy Sunday!

SATURDAY SPINSTER BLISS

Heidy ho, Dearies!

I made it home from the d-chair yesterday, and after a lovely nap in the big girl sleigh bed, sat with my JB and watched TeeVee and stitched. I had hoped to finish the "W" in Winter, but alas, my eyes were too heavy to get those last few stitches completed.

Today, though, will be another story. Once I get to the bottom of my second cup of damn good, I'm going to stitch my eyeballs out until it's time to head to the Grotto.

(One of these days we'll be able to return to Mass in the Basilica, but for now a little chat with the BVM will have to do.)

My biggest task this weekend (besides paperwork and bill paying) is a contemplation of my Spring stitchy basket. I confess that I'm a little torn about the prospect of putting winter away just now. I have truly loved every moment with each project in both baskets for Christmas and Winter. My brain tells me that Winter should be Jan-Feb, Spring should be Mar-May, Summer June-Aug, and Autumn Sept-Nov, with a special basket for Christmas, but my heart wants to keep playing with Winter a bit longer.

The weather is contributing to my confusion. Fifty degrees and sunny on a February day is lovely, but out of the ordinary for Hoosierville. No complaints, mind you. I guess I'm just jonesing for flannel jammies a bit longer.

Speaking of jammies...if this warner trend continues, I need to completely rethink my transplant wardrobe! Everything packed is very fuzzy and warm, so I might need to find some lighter weight things to lounge about in. 

No news on that front, I'm afraid, but I do have an appointment to visit with the team down in Indianapolis on April 6th. This is the trip that was moved from month to month because of the virus concerns, but April will be a definite since I will have had both shots by then and should be better protected.

I hope your weekend is full of fun and all the stitchy goodness! Come tell me all about your corner of the world and what's blowing your skirt up and what's making you happy today!

P.S. I didn't quite finish the background on my Snowflake yesterday, but I'm not going to fret too much about it. There's always tomorrow to finish it up!

IT'S TEN AM AND IT'S ALREADY BEEN A STITCHY FRIDAY!

Hi, Dearies!

I've been stitching my fat little fingers off! Yesterday, I sat and enjoyed my Winter piece while doing laundry:

And then I picked it up again this morning for a few minutes before getting ready to leave to come here to the d-chair. 

Now that I'm all hooked up, I decided to get the background of the snowflake finished:

And I have another Mill Hill in my BitsyBiggie for good measure:

So it looks like I am going to be able to sink happily into my stitchy daydreams today before heading home for a nice weekend!

Nothing on the agenda, but I am hoping to get in a few nice walks. The temps are supposed to be conducive to such, and the fresh air always makes me feel better! On Sunday, I am going to attempt pepper steak for my JB, but it will not be of the Chinese variety since he is not at all fond of soy sauce or Chinese food. I think I will do the steak and peppers and onions with some garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil on a sheet pan and hope for the best.

(Mine, though, will definitely have soy sauce of the low sodium variety because I happen to love Chinese food.)

Is the sun shining in your corner of the world? Come tell me all about it.

THURSDAY

Majorly hungover today, Dearies. I did well at treatment until the last hour...when I didn't. I suspect that not feeling completely up to par didn't help matters, but I survived to tell the tale so all is well. Nurse Wendy took good care to get me upright, and made sure that I was fit to drive.

Needless to say...no stitching last night.

Today, though, will be a different story. I am up and caffeinated and already have the laundry sploshing. After a quick trip through the week's papers I'll get right to it and stitch the day away.

I hope your Thursday is swell. Come tell me all about your corner of the world and what's blowing your skirt up!

BACK IN THE SADDLE

 Hi, Dearies!

Buzzy and I are back at dialysis doing our thing. Despite missing Monday's treatment, my fluid gain wasn't too bad, so hopefully today will go smoothly and I will be right as rain before you know it.

Feeling much better...almost back to 100%. I'd say that I am about 80% there and expect to be back to as normal as I can be by tomorrow. 

I made great progress on Winter, despite mis-reading the chart. I copied it to make a working copy, but a few stitches were lost in the fold. Fortunately, I caught the mistake and was able to fix it without too much drama.

Many of you asked about the colors of the N and the T. The N is the called for DMC 930, and the T is a Colour & Cotton color whose name escapes me at the moment.

I'm not at all good and/or comfortable doing thread conversions. Aunt Chrissy (my sister) used to do them for me. This time, though, I took my time and sat down with the chart and my box of Colour & Cotton and my DMC color card and tried to do the best I could. Some colors were harder than others, and I promised myself that I would swap out for the called for DMC if I was too off.

No big plans for the rest of the week. i just want to get back into the daily groove and get laundry and bills done tomorrow and then try to get out into the fresh air and sunshine in the afternoons for a nice walk.

How about you?

UGH-ISH DAY...PART THREE

Well, I'm happy to report that today is, as predicted, a little better than yesterday. It is also a beautiful sunny day here in Hoosierville, so putting my face in the sunbeams helps quite a bit.

Yesterday was all about the art of just doing nothing. I showered and ate well and drank lots and lots of lemon water, but not much else. In between naps and reading, I also managed a few stitches on Winter:

Tomorrow will be a return to the d-chair and routine, but today I'm going to enjoy one more day of rest.

What's new in your corner of the world? Are you well and safe and happy? Come tell me all about it!

UGH DAY...PART DEAUX

The vaccine knocked me down pretty good, but I'm taking it like a trooper and learning the art of just being...still. Yesterday was a day to do absolutely nothing, and today is much the same, but tomorrow will be much much better, I'm sure.

Here's progress on Winter:

Hopefully I can stitch the ughs away today! 

DATE NIGHT

Boy...did my day turn on a dime quickly!

One minute I was sitting in the Happy Chair getting ready to start a new project:

(This is Winter by The Cricket Collection, and I'm stitching it on a lovely piece of 28ct Helix Lugana from Picture This Plus and a conversion to Colour & Cotton that I did at the kitchen table).

And then...the phone rang. It was the WalMarts, telling me that they had an extra Covid vaccine if I wanted it! I had added my name to the waiting list on Thursday when I took Magoo, and apparently the pharmacist remembered that I am a dialysis patient (like her very own mom), so I lucked out.

On the way home, we stopped at the Grotto. Earlier, we decided to go tomorrow instead of today, because I apparently looked really comfy in my jammies and Magoo didn't want to disturb me.

Then, it was a quick trip through the car wash, and then into the eighty-six mile line at the RaisingCain's for chicken fingers and cole slaw:

Some Date Night, huh?

I'm actually very happy that we got all of this done today, since I'm betting I might not feel particularly well tomorrow, based on reactions I've heard about others who have been vaccinated. I got the Moderna version, and even though the effectiveness will only be about 40% (because I am on immunosuppressants) getting this was not optional. 

So you might not hear from me tomorrow, Dearies. Rest assured that I will take care and behave myself!

 

SATURDAY

Well, Dearies...here we are on a sunny Saturday in Hoosierville. We're going to head over to the Grotto in  a minute for a short walk and some candle lighting, but I have a quick minute to say hello.

Hello.

Nothing to report from last night, unfortunately. I made it home from the d-chair, prepared dinner (Rich's pasta fagioli recipe) * tidied the kitchen, and went to bed. My crashes seem to be happening later in the afternoon on d days now, which is better than when I am actually in the chair, I suspect.

When we return from our little outing, I am going to get the laundry sploshing and the needle flying. I am determined to have a good case of Stitch Heiney before this day is done! I might even pull out the cardinal canvas and see if I can't add a few more stitches to it before getting back to the Mill Hill.

I had a question about my red nails, but for the life of me, I can't remember from whence it came. No...I am not getting them done in a salon anymore due to Covid. I paint/tend to them myself and try to keep them polished so that I don't chew my cuticles (a bad habit that I've never broken myself of). I try to do them once a week or so, but will immediately fix any chips or snags because I'm compulsive that way. February's color is OPI red with Sally Hansen MegaShine top coat. The only other thing I do religiously is rub GoldBond Healing Hand Cream with a few drops of CND Solar Oil in it into my hands and fingertips every night before bed.

I have big hands and usually think of them as meathooks, but they work and know how to use a needle, so for that I am very very thankful!

So now that I've bored you into oblivion, my work here is done. I hope your weekend is swell, and that you can do all the things with great joy. Come tell me all about it!

* Rich's pasta fagioli...or as he calls it "Cheech and macaroni"

Sautee carrots, celery, and onion for a few minutes in olive oil until softened. Add garlic and sautee about another minute or so. Add broth (chicken or vegetable), canned tomatoes (we used San Marzano), salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and bring to a boil. Add macaroni (we used elbows) and cook until al dente (about seven minutes in our case). When the pasta is cooked, lower to a simmer and add canned cannolini/cici beans and heat through.

We ate this with buttered artisan bread, but Rich said his family used to eat it with "Italian fried bread", which is a good crustry bread dipped in egg wash and fried in olive oil with a little salt and pepper.

FRIDAY

I was super early to the d-chair today, so rather than come inside and stress, I enjoyed some car stitching and a beautiful view of pristine white powdery snow.

The Mill Hill is coming along nicely, and if Buzzy behaves himself, I am hoping to get a few more stitches completed during chair time today. I just can't get over how happy having everything assembled into a little kit that I can grab and go makes me, Dearies! If there is such a thing as Stitchy Peace...this is it for Yours Truly.

The kit is called a Bitsy Biggie from That's So Kelly Co. I have started a little collection of them and am saving for her newest release! My goal is to have one for each season, and the newest one would be perfect for Spring!

On the home front, I am happy to report that my Magoo survived his first Covid vaccine. He is feeling just a little poorly today, but that was expected. I pray that he will never ever ever have to have dialysis, because I am not sure he would survive the needles!

Speaking of which...time to see if Buzzy will behave enough to allow me to stitch today. Some days he does and some days he doesn't.  (Kinda reminds me of Stewey peeing on the drapes.)

Happy Friday to one and all! I hope your corner of the world is warm and safe and dry and that you'll enjoy whatever the day brings! 

ZIP...ZILCH...NADA

Well, Dearies, yesterday afternoon and evening were a complete bust in the productivity department. I made it through treatment OK, but about ten minutes after I got home I crashed and went to bed for the duration.

The scale gave me a happy little surprise this morning with a 108kg reading. That will definitely keep me on track today, since I am determined to break that 100kg mark by my birthday in April!

After Magoo's appointment, methinks it will be home again for laundry and some stitching. It is cold and a bit gloomy here in Hoosierville today, so warm towels to fold and a good snuggle under a blanket seem like a good idea.

What's on your agenda for the day? Come tell me all about it!

BACK IN BLACK

It wasn't strictly intentional, but today I find myself returned to my working girl roots...dressed in black from head to toe. I honestly just pulled things from the top of the stacks in the closet, but the nice comment I received about looking thinner from my tech has me better appreciating my portly nun on the run getup.

We had a weird frozen fog this morning that left the trees dressed in a gorgeous coating of sparkle again:

I never tire of looking at them like this, but wish it didn't come with such misery and destruction across the country! I worry so about you Dearies in the path and midst of it all, and pray that you are warm and safe and dry and coping as best as you can with something comforting.

No stitching to report, but I am going to try to remedy that today by starting a new Mill Hill:

I did a nice clean up of the cube room studio and finally got all of my WiPs sorted.  The next step will be to journal them into a stitchy notebook and come up with some kind of plan for getting them done, but for now I'm happy to fly by the seat of my big britches with these seasonal baskets.

One thing I do know, though, is that I am going to try to be a lot better about keeping the cube room in good order. This will involve a lot more work, especially in the thread keeping area, but not having or being able to find that DMC floss that I needed woke me up. It might take me a while, but I am going to acquire, assemble, and maintain a full set of DMC.

(Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could purchase that already done?)

(Pricey, I'm sure, but well worth it to have it done with the push of a button.)

Tomorrow I take JB Magoo for his covid vaccine, and I am hoping that I can luck into getting one for myself. For the life of me...I don't understand why dialysis patients weren't a bit higher on the list. I'm particularly disappointed that the staff here that should be handling things like this (like the doctor, charge nurse, and social worker) just shrug their shoulders when pressed and tell me to figure it out on my own.

Phooey.

Poor Magoo is a mess over the thought of the needle. He is absolutely positively phobic and passes out at the sight of them, so I will be there to hold his hand and distract him and then take him for a treat after.

Speaking if treats...I decided to give up my afternoon Starbucks Cold Brew for Lent. I am telling you this so that I hold myself accountable. What was supposed to be a once a week reward for coming to treatment turned into a daily indulgence, so letting it go will definitely make me more mindful. 

I think that's it for me today, Dearies. I do hope that you will have a good day, and if you observe...a mindful Ash Wednesday. Come tell me all about your corner of the world today! Is it wonderfully swell?

HAPPY FAT TUESDAY

 

PHOOEY

 I ran out of DMC794 with this much left to go. I've searched high and low, and not one skein was to be found in the cube room studio. Looks like somebody might have to do a curbside pickup at the Michael's tomorrow!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, DEARIES!

 

SATURDAY SPINSTER SNOWY BLISS

Oh...how happy am I today, Dearies?!

I had a great sleep and woke up earlier than usual to a winter day with big fat snowflakes floating around. Blueberry pancakes were made and enjoyed and the kitchen cleaned, and now I am in the big girl sleigh bed with my damn good and the papers for company.

I made a lot of progress on my snowflake last night:

That pattern of light blue in the border is a happy accident. I did a quick outline of the open areas that will be filled in with beads later so that I could just fill in the rest of it without having to count midway through a long row, but I kind of like the way that looks! 

I also realized that I forgot to show you the third "birds in winter trees" kit that I am hoping to start this weekend:

Isn't this going to be a perfect addition to the other two? I think the fact that I already have the birds and the frame makes it even better!

I'll leave you with some scenes from Notre Dame. These big tents are called "lodges" that they have erected on the quads so that the kids have someplace to play safely. I think they are just swell, and if I knew it wouldn't cause a major national security incident or throw me into a panic attack, I'd love to take a book and cozy up to one of those fireplaces.

Can you imagine spending the day stitching in here?

IN WHICH MY JB IS VERY HAPPY INDEED AND I MAKE A LITTLE STITCHY PROGRESS

 

All is well today, Dearies. All is well.

I am in the d-chair doing my thing, and am very happy to report that my Dream Team of Tori and Dana got me all hooked up without too much drama. A little pain, but no tears and no passing out this time, so we're off to a good start.

The weekend is upon us, and I am going to try my very best to enjoy it. My chore list is not too bad...laundry and bed changing and plant watering....and I am really really going to try to start a cube room studio purge. First up will be a culling of the WiPs. I just know that there are several in there that need to be re-considered.

I also hope to finish the Mill Hill snowflake and start the next. When I looked at the two with cardinals, I realized that I needed a third to complete the "set". It arrived yesterday, and I already have the buttons and frame for it, so perhaps I can have another finish in the next few days?

So that's it for Yours Truly today. I hope your very own Friday is perfectly swell! Come tell me all about it!

THURSDAY

 

WEDNESDAY

Bitter cold here in Hoosierville today, Dearies, but I am now in the d-chair and warm and safe and dry, so I have absolutely nothing to complain about.

Buzzy made a new friend today. Her name is Miss Audrey, and she's filling in from another clinic because ours is so short staffed. The stick was remarkably pain-free today, things are flowing smoothly, and I am completely relieved and happy. I ramped up pretty good this morning anticipating that pain, especially since my Monday treatment left me in a bit of agony....but it was all for naught (as almost all anxiety sessions are).

I did a few minutes of stitching on Winter Quakers but put it away and picked up the snowflake instead. 

I was fretting over my lack of interest in Winter Quakers, but realized that stitching one particular project over another in not a mandatory proposition for pity's sakes. I stitch for therapy and enjoyment...why complicate it by shoulding all over myself?

My JB's chair still has not arrived, but it looks like it's getting closer. There were several erroneous reports that it would be here Saturday, then Sunday, then Monday before the tracking system finally fessed up and said "We really have no clue as to when it will be there" and I decided to just exercise some patience.

I did get my chore done yesterday, which was to clear off the dining room table once and for all. I corralled and purged and organized our snacks into a cart and promised that not one bag or box of  anything would be purchased until we make a dent in this mess:

In my defense....I show love through food (obviously), so unless there are enough things to stock a small convenience store, I feel stingy.

(Well...that and the fact that I discovered Costco and have no restraint whatsoever and am completely hypnotized by the sheer size of everything.)

(Oh...and I also have this weird propensity for maintaining an inventory by buying two of something to replace anything that is less than half full.)

(You should see my deodorant shelf.) 

As God is my witness, I come by this honestly, since Mom stocked the house up every Fall in preparation for winter. A side of beef went into the downstairs freezer, and canned goods and dry goods were lined up in the pantry ready for Armageddon. There was also a plethora of things from Uncle Connie's garden that had been canned, because we apparently lived in an era when fresh vegetables were not to be had for months at a time. I'm sure I'm exaggerating, but didn't it seem like we didn't get fresh summer vegetables in the winter?

(Tomatoes, in particular, come to mind).

Wow. I am a Big Babble today! Some days I don't grunt a word, and others I'm writing novels. True to form for me, I guess. Absolutely NOTHING in moderation!

Happy Futzingday to one and all! I hope wherever you are is exactly where you want to be! Come tell me all about it!

TUESDAY...WAITING FOR MOTIVATION TO ARRIVE

My chore list and I are having a disagreement today. I just want to sit in the HappyChair and chill all day, but the list of crap I really should be doing instead seems to be growing as we speak.

CS2 is a mess and overwhelmed with STUFF, and I need to corral it all to quiet the hollering in my head. I am averse to visual noise, so maybe a quick ten minute tidying session might be necessary to allow me the rest of the day at ease.

A bit of stitching on Winter Quakers last night, but not really enough to get excited about. I am going to continue playing with it for a bit and contemplate something new for the weekend, I think. There's always the cardinal canvas to return to.

Happy Tuesday, Dearies!

WHEW! WHAT A WEEKEND!

Isn't it funny how you can do nothing and still feel exhausted?  I'm here in the d-chair feeling like I have just returned from three days of fun and frazzle, but when I really think about it, all I did this weekend was eat, sleep, and stitch!

Despite eating more than usual, I am happy to report that I did not gain. I am still well below transplant weight, and if I'm careful this week might actually manage to get a few more pounds off. Ultimately, I would love to be under 100kg by my birthday in April...a reachable goal, indeed!

Yesterday's stitching was a bit scattered. I played with Winter Quakers for an hour or so, but didn't feel like I could get into a groove with it.

So, after snacks had been consumed and the kitchen restored to order, I started another Mill Hill kit...this time a snowflake:

 Speaking of snacks, we started the day with breakfast sandwiches, and then I made a tray in the late afternoon:

Once the game started, I brought out the pigs in a blanket:

They were delicious! I followed Martha Stewart's recipe, but it is basically sausages wrapped in puff pastry, brushed with an egg wash, and sprinkled with some everything seasoning. Freezing them after rolling made a big difference, and then you bake them at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes.

I also made a big pot of chili, which was good and spicy.

The fridge is full of leftovers, since both Rich and I just nibbled a bit and really didn't make a dent in anything.

(Will I ever figure out how NOT to cook for an army?)

We are cold and snowy here in Hoosierville, so I suspect that there will be a lot of hunkering down this week with leftovers and fuzzy blankets. I do have a few projects that I'd like to tackle in advance of Spring Cleaning season (she says optimistically), but none of them are too taxing.

JB's chair is en route, but will not be here until later in the week, unfortunately. I had hoped that it would arrive in time for the Super Bowl, but alas...it did not. I did, however, manage to move things around in the cube room studio to accommodate the chair that his new one will replace, so methinks there might be another good stitchy spot in my future! 

Stay tuned.

I've babbled long enough, Dearies. Time to close my peepers a bit before it's time to go home for the day. I hope you are doing your own thing today and are warm and safe and dry while doing it!

SUNDAY SPINSTER SHENANAGINS

 What is it with me and the cardinals? They seem to be all I want to stitch lately!

HOLD MY BEER (OR IN MY CASE, SINCE I DON'T DRINK BEER...HOLD MY DAMN GOOD)

See what I did there, Dearies? 

I turned lemons into lemonade...all in the space of a lovely Saturday. What would have been an unmitigated failure to me months ago turned into a HAPPY DANCE of wobbly bit proportions.

With HUGE apologies to Miss Paulette at Plum Street, I futzed with the design quite a bit, swapped out the called for floss with Colour & Cotton, and I made Hello Winter my own.

Then...because I was feeling extra extra cocky, I found a piece of foam board, cut it, and before I knew what hit me, I laced the piece properly according to the way my sister taught me a billion years ago.

I held my breath as I fished through the cube room studio, and lo and behold...a frame!

To say I'm thrilled doesn't even begin to adequately capture my mood tonight as I put my head on my pillow in the big girl sleigh bed.

I am quite happy.

Indeed.