IN WHICH WE START OUR WEEK

Painted Spring on the fingers:

And a teeny bit of progress on the Red Bird Sampler:

And now I'm off to enjoy the beautiful sunshine!

Happy Monday, Dearies!
 

 

SATURDAY AT THE BALLPARK

 

IT WAS A DAY FOR SLEEPING

 

Oh, my goodness, Dearies! Today is was cold and rained. All. Day. I enjoyed a few extra minutes looking out the window before hauling myself out of the big girl sleigh bed and getting this darn labwork out of the way.

Done.

Now that dinner is finished and the kitchen clean,  I'm going to get back to the Red Bird Sampler!

Baseball downtown South Bend tomorrow, and then a nice quiet day Sunday when Rich goes to LaPorte for the golfing. Bed coffee and lots of reading for me!

IN WHICH WE HAVE A THURSDAY THAT FEELS VERY MUCH LIKE A FRIDAY

The Cottage Care team came today instead of tomorrow, and it has completely bobcomdistulated me! Normally, we use the every other Friday schedule to run errands and to go out for breakfast, and I get my labwork done, so we got it together and headed out early today instead.

(I know it's nuts, but I don't like to be here when CC comes to clean, because it makes me feel so guilty that I'm not doing it myself, and I'm completely paranoid that everything is a mess and not fit for company.)

(Isn't is somehow comforting to know that despite all of these big changes in my life I'm still your lovable goofball?)

Labwork did not exactly go as planned. The phlebotomist blamed me for being dehydrated, but I secretly blamed her for not knowing what the h-e-double-hockey sticks she was doing.

I have to go back tomorrow because company policy says they're only allowed to stick a patient four times before they have to give up.

(I'm going to make sure to double up on my pre-lab water!)

There's a wonderful little restaurant downtown South Bend called The Early Bird Eatery, and we've gone there about four times now. As God is my witness, the food is always perfection, and I even like their damn good! I don't normally order coffee when out because I'm so fussy about it, but theirs is just delicious (even if the darn cups are two small).

I dropped Rich off at CS2 and took myself to the Martin's like a grown woman, and got provisions for our newest meal idea: SALAD BAR. I'm going to do my best to clean, chop, and containerize everything so that several times a week we can have a healthy dinner. We do pretty well, but with the warmer weather coming, I really want to double down and get these darn post transplant pounds OFF once and for all.

(You'll be happy to know that I am within ten pounds of my pre-transplant weight! According to my Bean Team, it's not unheard of for patients to gain a lot more than that, so I am actually pretty happy that my gain was within what Dr Goggins expected.)

But seven months is long enough to be fiddling around. Time to go back to my Operation GO routines.

I am stitching, when not distracted by new coloring markers or a Philadelphia sports team on the TeeVee. Right now, I'm obsessed with the Sixers getting themselves out of trouble in their series with Miami, and the Phillies getting themselves out of trouble in general! 

Here's the latest progress:

I don't know about your neck of the woods, but here in Hoosierville we seem to be trapped under one big heavy permaclound and cold drizzly weather that seems to have started sometime last October. With the exception of the Blue Gold game day, I don't think we've seen the sun for more than four minutes. Today is rain and 45 degrees, and from what I can tell from the forecast, it looks like 110 and sunny starting this weekend.

Go figure.

(Yes, Betty. I exaggerate. Again. As I am wont to do. But high 70's or 80's to me might as well be the vestibule to Hell. Remember, Dear. I'm built for cool comfort...not for hot speed.)

Speaking of comfort, our therapy pool water was a little on the cool side yesterday, so I am pretty sore today. It does feel good to know that I worked my joints and muscles well, but methinks I might need a nice warm soak in the bubble tub tomorrow!

So that's the latest from Spinster World today, Dearies! I'm sorry to be so darn boring, but if you stay tuned long enough I'm sure I'll trip over something fun or dramatic eventually!

What's new with you?

 

MONDAY MONDAY

I got my tippie toes done on Saturday. I was looking for yellow, but the sparkles make them look a little more golden:

Still plugging away on Red Bird Sampler:

Water therapy class this morning, followed by a healthy smoothie full of protein and good things:

Some new markers from the amazons that I've been playing with:

And my new nail wraps for the week.

 So now I'm going to settle in with papers and stitching and bliss out for the rest of the day. Happy Monday, Dearies! I hope your week has started on a swell note! Come tell me all about it!

WOOOOHOOOO!

 

A LITTLE FRESH AIR NEVER HURT ANYBODY, RIGHT?

 I'm doing that thing again where I really don't want to leave the house. Part of it is not quite feeling up to par, part of it is a strong desire to stay in pajamas all day and stitch, and part of it is just me being me...an agoraphobic, insecure, helpless, hapless spinster who likes to be where other people are not.

I was supposed to be ready to go at 2:00 to drive the golfing cart for Rich, but I was fast asleep in the chair and he took pity on me and said we could skip the golfing, but that we were going to go to the Notre Dame baseball game at 4:30.

So we did.

Now it's time to wind down for the night, catch up on the paper, and put a few stitches in before bed. I'm hoping for a good night's sleep, since I really would like to get a few things accomplished tomorrow morning.

Happy Friday, Dearies! If you stayed inside in your pajamas today...good for you! If you were out and about doing all the things, come tell me all about it!

SHAMLESS PLUG

Hi, Dearies!

My sister (Aunt Chrissy) has a wonderful etsy shop called Siggy's Closet. She's doing a giveaway and I thought you might like to take a look:

Siggy’s Closet first ever GIVEAWAY 🥳 Patriotic set: Thread Keep, Needleminder, Beaded Scissor Fob and Siggy’s tape measure 🪡✂️🇺🇸❤️. Threads, scissors and fabric not included. *2 sets will be given away*

Here’s how to enter:

1. Follow Siggy’s Closet, if not already

2. Like this post

3. Tag as many friends as you wish in comments

Giveaway will run through Sunday May 1st until midnight Eastern Standard.  Winners will be announced Monday May 2nd.  

#siggyscloset #siggysclosetgiveaway #patrioticstitching #summerstitching #xstitching #xstitchersofinstagram #crossstitching #crossstitchersofinstagram #crossstitch #xstitch #xstitcher

PLEASE NOTE: This was copied from her FaceBook page, so when it says to "Like this post", it means her post and not mine.

Here's her information:

INSTAGRAM: siggyscloset

ETSY: www.siggyscloset.etsy.com

FACEBOOK: Siggy's Closet

EMAIL: siggyscloset@gmail.com

Finally, in case you're wondering or are new to this here blog, my sister is called Aunt Chrissy because that is what Stewey called her. And I was called Aunt CJ by my favorite little nephew Bosco.

Darnit, but we miss those boys.

Bosco is on the left. Stewey is on the right. They fought terribly when they were little, but when Stewey got sick, Bosco didn't leave his side and watched over him, and Stewey loved every minute of it.

IN WHICH WE GO TO WATER EXERCISE CLASS

 

It was wonderful, Dearies! Hard, but wonderful. I did well with the movements, but could not balance to save my life! I know it will come in time, and thanks to the lovely instructor and the other ladies in the class, I can't wait to go again on Monday!

STITCHING IN THE SLEIGH BED

 

WHEW! WHAT A WEEKEND!

Our Friday night baseball game was dampened by awful weather, but we managed to have fun anyway, and my Rich did something very very special for me:

This popped up at the mid-point of the second inning, and I was just so...grateful.

I got to see Swoop (he was the mascot of the previous team here called the Silver Hawks), and then the new mascot (of the South Bend Cubs)...named Stu! He's named for Studebaker, but I call him Stewie!

Rain, rain, go away:

We left the ballpark and headed to the restaurant in front of CS2 for snacks and some cocktails. I made up my new favorite cocktail...cranberry juice shaken with ice and served in a martini glass with a wedge of lime! Next time I'll get crazy and have them put a splash of club soda for some bubbles!

Saturday was the football game, so we tailgated, enjoyed a sunny and HOT afternoon, and then tailgated some more:

Sara and Jacqueline (and part of Jacqueline's husband Blake):

Denise, Jeff, Sara, me, Rich, Jacqueline, and Blake:

After all of these festivities, we headed over to the Grotto and Basilica for Mass, and watched the picture-taking of the Ordination that had just taken place! Three new priests were ordained into the Church, and believe it or not...I actually knew one of them! His name is Gabrielle, and we share the same major (GreatBooks). I met Gabe a little while ago and chatted with him about a book he was writing on how the Great Books continue to impact us after graduation.

I received a special blessing from him...one of his firsts as a new priest!

Saturday night was interesting. We waited at one place for a table for an hour, and then ended up going to another instead. Unfortunately, they placed us in a small room with a family that had little ones that insisted on shreiking at the volume of a jet engine for the duration of our dinner. It. Was. Loud.  It was so loud that I'm pretty sure my god daughters re-arranged any plans they had for starting a family, and Denise and Jeff probably calculated that they have a long time yet to be grandparents.

Today was breakfast and goodbyes, and I came home after and took a five hour nap. I'm absolutely positively worn out, but I can't imagine missing the last few days. If nothing else, it has given me HUGE motivation to get in shape so I can enjoy more of these weekends!

I hope your weekend was wonderful! Come tell me all about it!

READY FOR THE WEEKEND!

We have friends coming this weekend for a South Bend Cubs game on Friday night and the Notre Dame Blue Gold Game (Spring practice) on Saturday. I haven't done a thing to plan or organize things since I haven't felt well, so Rich has been running to and fro securing tickets, ordering food, etc.

I did my nails:

In other news, I stitched quite a bit last night while the Philadelphia 76ers were playing the basketball on the TeeVee:

I'm singing off now, Dearies, and probably won't be back until Monday morning. I hope your corner of the world is exactly as you'd like it to be! Come tell me all about it!

IT'S NOT EASY BEING ME

 

I've spent the better part of three weeks trying to figure out what's wrong with me. 

(Insert obvious joke here,)

Needless to say, Yours Truly is just plain old tired and sore and out of sorts and feeling like my sister dropped a house on me.

We're narrowing in after three doctor's appointments, a trip to Urgent Care, tons of lab work, and a night in the Emergency Room.

At first we thought everything was due to a UTI, then the flu, and then they discovered a stricture/narrowing of the renal artery. THAT one sent me and everybody up here into a total frenzy, and I swear they were warming up an ambulance to get me down to the Indy Bean Team...stat!

Dr Goggins and Co looked at everything that was sent to them, shrugged their shoulders, said "eh", and told us all to calm down.

So.

It appears that my thyroid level is just completely OFF, so I saw my buddy Dr Cavanaugh this morning and he's going to get me all fixed up.

Please bear with me for a bit while I patch myself up and get up off the dirt. I do have a little stitchness to show, since my one or two hours of awake time each day is spent with needle in hand: 

This is the Red Bird Sampler by Brenda Gervais, and I'm stitching this on 28ct linen with the all of the charted threads except the red. For that, I'm using Classic Colorworks Ribbon Ted instead of DMC817.

Happy Tuesday, Dearies! I hope you are having a good day and that your week is off to a roaring start!

THANK YOU, DEARIES!

 

HAPPY EASTER, DEARIES!

 

WOOOOOHOOOOO!

That question mark really needs to be an exclamation point, but I don't know how to change it! Thank you, Dearies for another wonderful year! I'm starting my day with damn good and the paper, and after dinner tonight at my favorite restaurant I'm going to stitch to my heart's desire!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUNT CHRISSY

She was my fifth birthday present. (If you're trying to do the math in your head, she was born on April 12th and came home two days later as I was blowing candles out on my cake on April 14th.)

Today is her birthday, and my wish for her is a year filled with health, happiness, and love...lots of stitching, and continued joy from her shop!

(Shameless plug: SiggysCloset on etsy).

God bless and keep you, Sissy. I love and miss you something awful.

I'M FINE, DEARIES...JUST RESTING

So sorry to worry you, dear friends. I have been spending a LOT of time sleeping, and when I'm not sleeping, I'm stitching and watching the TeeVee. Also, I am really trying to limit my time on the iPad thingie, since hours and hours were going by with my eyeballs glued to the screen and not much else was getting done!

I am going to attempt a water class tomorrow. I've been cleared to do so by my Bean Team since I've been on the antibiotics for enough time. It is a gentle joint relief class that will consist of slow movements in the warm therapy pool, so I am really looking forward to it!

(I just hope I don't fall asleep!)

I did manage to stick some new wraps on my nails a few days ago. The Springy colors really cheer me up on gloomy days, and we have had a LOT of those here in Hoosierville lately!

Now I'm off to the big girl sleigh bed to slurp some damn good and read the Sunday papers! 

I hope your Sunday is swell! Come tell me all about it!

ANOTHER FINISH

Coffee Bird

Heart In Hand

28ct Platinum fabric

Classic Colorworks threads per the chart

 Good morning, Dearies.

I'm up at 6am today, but not necessarily because I want to be. My little world here in Hoosierville is decidedly OUT OF WHACK, and no matter how many prayers I say, breaths I take, or glasses of water I guzzle...I just do not feel well.

At all.

Yes, yes, yes...I know to call my Indy team, and will do so the minute my coordinator reaches her desk. I suspect that I might have a bug of some sort, because a few of my labs were off and symptoms indicate that an antibiotic and lots of cranberry juice might be in my future (if you get my drift).

(And no, Betty, before you ask...I have not been to the gym. My better angels have prevailed and I am paying careful attention to not pushing it and getting a lot of fluids and rest.)

I am also not paying attention to what I'm shoving into my face, and after a stern talking to in the middle of the night, I realized that there's no sense in making myself feel worse by drowning it in Panera scones and Homestyle Rice Krispy Treats. What's with me and the sugar all of a sudden? I was always so happy that I lost my sweet tooth circa 2001, but lately I'm gorging on anything frosted.

Tonight, though, I have already decided on a nice Greek salad and a piece of oven roasted salmon. The fact that I'm actually looking forward to it must mean that my tiny little brain has a spark of healthy cravings left.

Stitching has been such a wonderful distraction lately, and I can't wait to play with my basket today to see what pops onto the q-snaps. I am really thinking about the Red Bird Sampler, and have realized that I seem to be on quite a bird kick lately! Maybe because I'm so bird brained?

In any event, I'm here. It might take me a few more hot minutes to get BACK IN WHACK (*) but I am, as always, determined to do so.

(Sit, black dog! Sit!)

(*) The moment I typed BACK IN WHACK, I started to hear AC/DC's BACK IN BLACK. Do you suppose I should print the lyrics and change them to suit this mood of mine and then use it as a theme song?

A FINISH AND A START

A new start...Heart in Hand's Coffee Bird all nicely contained in a Bitsy Biggie from That's So Kelly Co:

And here are the details of my finish:

Bower Birds

Designer: hello from Liz Mathews

32ct Lugana in Wedgewood from Colour&Cotton

Threads: Tusk from Colour&Cotton and Buckeye Scarlet from The Gentle Art 

SATURDAY