APPARENTLY, IT'S CALLED A MULLET

I went for a long overdue haircut today, and left the salon looking a lot like I did when I went in. I had visions of going back to my hairstyle from high school, since lately I'm feeling rather schlumpy, but the big bangs, slicked back sides, and long curly back are too reminiscent of something involving a trucker hat and chewable tobacco.

Phooey.

My hair was always kinda my vanity, since it was very full and very curly, and despite my propensity for bargain shampoo, it was always healthy. Since transplant, however, it has changed pretty dramatically and is now rather thin and baby fine.

But...

In the spirit of concentrating on the positive, I decided to let the stylist do her thing, and as she was finishing up, she commented that my hair was actually quite healthy, and there was a lot of it. 

So my fears were allayed, my bank account lightened, and my focus shifted to gratitude that my tired drag queen look apparently suits me and will remain intact for the foreseeable future.

I've just finished a delicious little lunch, and am slurping a new Starbucks treat....a venti cold brew with skinny cold foam. This replaces my venti cold brew with sweet cream and tastes exactly the same to me without the calories! 

Time for laundry and stitching, Dearies! What are you doing this afternoon?

HI, MARTHA!

Martha asked to see the new wraps. Here they are....Sea Swept from Lily & Fox:

 

WHAT IN THE WORLD HAS HAPPENED TO THE SPINSTER STITCHER?!

First...she eats healthy...boneless, skinless breast with a thai sweet chili glaze made in the air fryer on top of riced cauliflower stir fry. Riced. Cauliflower. Let that sink in for a minute. The Spinster Stitcher opted for RICED CAULIFLOWER instead of a Five Guys cheeseburger!

Then...she stitched! A lot! Instead of spending all of her time on the interwebs scrolling through endless pictures of things and silly gossip about celebrities...she stitched! And accomplished quite a bit on Spring Rolls:

And finally...in case all of that wasn't enough...she got dressed, did her hair and makeup, and left the apartment to go to Mass, dinner, and a concert! (Joe Bonamassa at the Morris Perforning Arts Center in downtown South Bend.)

All in all, it was just a lovely weekend! I've just put a new set of nail wraps on and am going to try to stitch a bit more before bed.

How was your weekend?

MAKING PROGRESS

 

My homekeeping chores are finished, a lovely healthy breakfast and lots of delicious damn good has been slurped, and I'm threading up with Plum Street's "Spring Rolls" and a binge-watch of Succession for the afternoon.

Thanks for your encouragement about my attempt to eat well and lose weight. I've struggled with it my entire life, but now I look at it differently...instead of sacrifice and deprivation, I consider it a sacred duty of gratitude for BellyBean. I've grown quite fond of him and would like to keep him as happy and healthy as I can for as long as I can!

I'm going to sign off for the weekend, Dearies! In an effort to reduce my screen time, I've decided to make the weekends a screen free zone!

What's new with you? Come tell me all about it!

FAT TUESDAY FOOD HANGOVER

I've been watching my diet religiously for a little bit lately, and have had some success getting the post-transplant weight off. I'm down ten pounds with another hundred and twenty to go, but I've been concentrating on slow and steady and good healthy food.

Since yesterday was Fat Tuesday, I decided to have a "Last Supper" and order in from the DoorDash, which is the exact thing I'm giving up for Lent. I rely entirely too much on it and the delivery from the Martin's grocery store, so for forty days I will put my shoes and socks on and go to the market like a grown human does.

But last night?

Not so much.

I ordered Five Guys.

I'm not going to lie to you and say "Oh...after eating clean for so long this really didn't taste too good", because it was freaking delicious and I could have eaten myself into a food coma with it....which I practically did.

But today I'm a little squiggie around the edges, so it's back to paying attention and being mindful, grateful, and careful of my BellyBean.

I'm making good progress on Spring Rolls:

It's just miserable outside today with icy cold rain, so methinks I'll make a lot more progress once I've finished my damn good and started the laundry sploshing. It really is a delightful stitch, and the fabric is butt-a. 

So that's the Ash Wednesday/Futzingday report, Dearies. I hope your little corner of the world is exactly as you wish it to be. Come tell me all about it!

QUICK NOTE TO LIZ...

Hi, liz!

Thank you for your comment on my last post. I tried to answer your question, but for some reason I couldn't get it to publish. You asked about the fabric for my latest project. I'm stitching on a piece of 28ct Lugana from Colour & Cotton called Ophelia. 

You also mentioned that you are new to cross stitch. Welcome! I hope that this thing of ours will be as life-changing for you as it has been for me!

WoooHooo!

NEXT!

 

I spent a delightful hour yesterday pawing through my stash and WiPs, and found Plum Street Sampler's "Spring Rolls".  Within minutes, I had it all kitted up and ready to go, and by the end of the evening, I had this:

A few minor chores to attend to here at CS2, and then maybe a little walk on the treadmill and I'll be right back to it today! 

What's up in your corner of the world, Dearies? Come tell me all about it!

SATURDAY NIGHT FEE NEE

 Heart in Hand

Bird in the Hand: Valentine's Day

32ct fabric with white dots

Various threads from my stash

WOOOO HOOOO

 

The weekend is upon us, Dearies! I have mine all planned out: damn good, papers, stitching, sleeping, and lots of vegetables for sustenance. I do have a list of three "chores" to attend to, but that's why God made next week, right?

Keep it wonderful! Be a goldfish! Cheers!

BATTER, UP!

 

Continuing on the bird theme...a sweet little alphabet piece by Heart in Hand. And, because I had so much fun with that dot fabric, I decided to keep the mojo going by using it again.

Happy Valentines's Day, Dearies!

SUPER FEE NEE!

 Robins and Snow

The Little Stitcher

32ct raw natural linen with white dots

DMC and Colour & Cotton Threads

Well, Dearies, here we are on a sunny Monday once again. I had a quiet but restful Sunday, and managed to finish my little bird house while watching the SuperBowl.

I really enjoyed this, especially since the finish came so quickly. I seem to get hung up on bigger pieces for extended periods of time, so having a nice little finish really sparks my motivation and stitchy mojo.

I'm not sure what's next, but considering tomorrow's festivities, I might pull out the Valentine's Day basket and play with something red.

Enjoy your day today! I'm going to putter about for a little bit and then play in my stash baskets. What's on your agenda for the day? Come tell me all about it!

JUST WHAT A SATURDAY SHOULD BE

I have to admit, this whole leaving the house thing completely wipes me out, but there might be some merit in it! Lima peeps arrived at noon, and after I pulled my socks up, we headed downtown to a great restaurant for a fantastic lunch.

Then we all had a little rest and headed over to campus for the hockey game, which was perhaps one of the most exciting and fun games I've ever seen. Notre Dame beat Ohio State in a second overtime shootout that lasted nine rounds. Wow! I actually hollered and shook my wobbly bits all over the place and hopped up and down like a crackpot co-ed.

It was wonderful.

Then, we headed to an Irish pub for a late dinner and after ordering fish and chips with no fries (Uh...Spinster? Fish and chips with no fries is just...fish), I came to my senses and had grilled salmon, even though I wanted a cheeseburger. And a reuben. And onion rings. And cheesecake. And Scotch eggs, Buffalo chicken wings, and anything else that didn't qualify as remotely good for you.

But I didn't.

I had grilled salmon in an Irish pub at 9:00 on a Saturday night after a rockin' hockey game, with kids hoisting pints of Guinness and doing shots.

(I'm such a dork).

So today I am tired and completely spent physically, but really looking forward to some sunshine and stitching and Super Bowling. My Rich is all ready to watch his Eagles, I'm going to thread up and finish this:

Happy, happy Sunday, Dearies! I hope your weekend has been wonderful!

 

HI, VONNA!

 

I spent a lovely hour yesterday watching Miss Vonna on the YouTubes. It's been forever since I tuned in to see what everybody on Flosstube has been up to, so it was wonderful to catch up and just feel so...happy.  I added a few stitches to my little bird house, drooled over Vonna's WiPs, and then made us a wonderful dinner of stuffed pork chops, veg, and mashed.

All in all, a lovely Thursday.

Today dawned bright and early with me going for labwork and Rich going to walk in the pool while I ran errands. Then it was on to the diner for veggie omelets and wheat toast. 

Are you detecting a theme here?

Tomorrow, my Lima peeps will be here for the Notre Dame/Ohio State hockey game, so shenanigans might ensue. I'm looking forward to giving them all a good squish or two and planning our next adventure, which will be the Lima St Patrick's Day Parade.

So that's the big update from here in Hoosierville, Dearies. The sun is shining and the damn good is doing its thing, so I'm going to get on with it before launching into the weekend. I hope you are well, warm, safe, and dry, and that you will have a swell weekend!

SOMETHING YOU MIGHT LIKE, DEARIES!

 

One of my high school friends and her daughter are the creators of a really lovely enterprise. If you have a moment, go to www.thecompassionateartists.com to read the story!

FUTZINGDAY BLUES

I have this little Alexa thingie that I swear is actually in some kind of conspiracy cahoots with Rich, since she never listens to me, but is happy to talk with him ad nauseam about the dumbest stuff.

Today was the day that I decided to get my act together once and for all and just get. stuff. done. So I donned my Hanes old man t-shirt, put my seven hairs up into a pony, popped my slippers, and got to it. But before I did, I hollered "Alexa! Play the Blues!"

And she did.

So now I'm sitting here with the laundry finished, the bed made, the bathroom tidy, the Christmas decorations down (don't judge...you know you'd leave yours up too if nobody ever knew), cleaned the kitchen, and made a lovely salad bar for dinner.

(Air fryer chicken breasts are changing my life one salad at a time, I tell ya!)

I'm tired and sore, but those stupid blues blaring away got me through it all with vim and vigor. I won't be able to walk tomorrow, but at least I feel like I got something done today!

So that was my Futzingday, Dearies. What's new with you?

 

GOOD GRIEF!

I've been sploshing, drying, folding, and hauling laundry back and forth all damn day, Dearies. How, I ask you...HOW is it possible that one single solitary human person could have this much laundry to do without ever leaving the house?

I also managed to prep veggies for the week, pay bills, clean the kitchen, and finally clear off the dining room table, so no complaints!

Now for some stitching!

SQUIRREL!

In my usual fashion, I was all over the darn place last night.

First, I decided to do my nails:

They're quite a bit longer than I normally like, but until I break one, I figure I'll sit here like the Queen of Sheeba and flutter them about like finger jewels.

So my poor little snowman and I were just plain bored with each other, so we decided to consciously uncouple for a bit so I could sew some wild oats:

I found this pattern in my Winter basket, and decided to stitch the one on the left with the two bird houses and the little hanging heart.

So I hauled out the old stash and grabbed colors and substitutions and put them in my favorite Bitsy Biggie and I was in business:

So that's my happy tale from last night. Today has dawned sunny, but very cold, so methinks I might settle in and....play.

Happy Saturday, Dearies!

AMAZING HOW THAT HAPPENS

 

When you sit down, turn off the iPad thingie, thread up, and finally stitch...good things result! As soon as I finish my damn good, have a healthy breakfast, start the laundry, and take a shower, I'm going to try it again!

We're off like a herd of turtles! Do something fun, Dearies, and come tell me all about it!

AND THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT WAS THURSDAY

 

Chello!

This week has been...odd.

Nothing wrong, per se.  Just kind of off.  Lots of sleeping and schlumpadinking about, with afternoon naps and not much else. I've been careful with water and meds, but just haven't felt much like moving about with any intensity or enthusiasm.

Let's just blame it on the weather and call it a day, shall we? It's cold and the sun has been a very rare visitor to these here parts. Permacloud isn't a good look on anybody, imho.

I'm stitching tonight for the first time in quite a while. I lost interest in my current piece, but decided to bring her out to play a little bit while the Lady Irish play Boston College in the basketball. I really think the secret is to just stitch...no matter the mood or interest. There's something about getting that first stitch in that leads to another and then another.

I'm so enjoying all of your lovely things and pictures of your cozy spaces. It's not unusual for me to lose several hours scrolling through all of the updates.

Hmmmmm. Maybe that's part of the "problem"?

OK. Back to needle and thread. I hope your week has been swell and that your weekend ahead is going to be even better. What's on the agenda? Come tell me all about it!