HOUSTON...WE HAVE A PLAN

Today is the first real "free" day I've had in quite a while. To celebrate, I am going to take myself to the beauty parlor for a mani/pedi and a bang trim, then a nice light lunch, and then I am going to come home and play with my stitchy stash. There might be a nice long snoozy nap, a cup of afternoon tea, and some book browsing too...but I'm pacing myself and not going to get too bogged down by details. 

No stitching to report from last night, unfortunately. My chair session did not go as planned and we had  a fight with Buzzy and his ability to flow properly. I fear there might be a trip to the Access Center and more angioplasty in my future. Phooey.

So that's it for the day, Dearies. I hope that your very own Thursday is perfectly swell and that you get to do everything your heart desires!

A FUTZINGDAY REPORT

A little damn good:

A little progress:

A quick run through of the paper:

And then we're off to the Unhappy Chair for dialysis.

Hope your Futzingday is everything you want it to be...and nothing you don't. Come tell me all about it!

ON TUESDAYS WE WEAR HATS

YOU KNOW YOU'RE A CRANKY OLD LADY WHEN...

You enter the newly completed 400 million dollar Campus Crossroads project, consisting of three new huge buildings, fake grass, and a Jumbotron and all you can think to say is...

"Jimminy Crickets. It looks like Mother Theresa put on lipstick, a push-up bra, and fishnets and decided to go out for a night on the town."

#whathavetheydonetomyuniversity

IN WHICH I MEET AN INTERNET HERO AND BABBLE LIKE A TOTAL DOOFUS...

After the Blue/ Gold game today we stopped at a local drinking establishment so that Jersey Boy could watch the Sixers and have a beer.  I sat with an iced tea and was pleasantly surprised to see a familar face in the crowd.

The only problem with this pleasant surprise is that it's a face that belongs to a perfectly lovely person that I've never actually met before.

Remember the scene in You've Got Mail when Kathleen admits that she only knows NY157 through the internet and she throws herself over and buries her head in her pillow?

Well, that was me...in a figurative sense.

I started following a woman on the Instagram several months ago called imkindofabigdealinindiana because she is from the midwest, loves Notre Dame, and has an adorable little dog named Cookie. I think I messaged her to wave hello, but couldn't remember if we had ever "connected" in an internet kind of way.

So today I walked up and said "I promise you I'm not a crazy stalker (which is probably the very first thing a crazy stalker would say) but I follow you on Instagram and think you're amazing".

Or something equally as socially awkward and stupid as that.

But it turns out that imkindofabigdealinindiana really is perfectly lovely and friendly and pretty and kind, and was not at all creeped out by a portly spinster breaking out in a flop sweat and gushing on and on about what a fun life she has and how I live vicariously....

God grief, you simply cannot take me any damn place at all.

We are now home and in the fall asleep in front of the TeeVee portion of the program, so I will say goodnight for now and hope for some stitchy updates for you tomorrow!

OUT AND ABOUT...

No stitching to report this morning, Dearies. I came home from the chair, ate pizza, and went to bed (in that order).

Today has dawned bright and early for me, so I am going to take advantage of feeling relatively well to go forth and enjoy. Plans are afoot to go to the Xfinity store to organize contraptions here at CS2, perhaps a light breakfast, and then a day on campus going to and fro. Today is the annual Blue/Gold game...the Spring practice at the Notre Dame...and despite my connection to said place, I've never been.

So that's the plan for now. I suppose my energy level will dictate most of it, but I'm going to give it my best. Here's hoping that your very own plans consist of everything you desire and nothing you don't...come tell me all about it!

JUST A LITTLE BIT...

IN WHICH WE FUTZ...ON A THURSDAY!!!

First I pulled out all of my cross stitch WIPs.  (Nope...not gonna count them.  You just can't make me.  Thanks to years and years of therapy and some industrial grade pharmaceuticals, I am OK with the fact that there are enough projects in here to last me eleventy seven lifetimes, and I'm just going to stay here on my glittery unicorn eating waffles while y'all contemplate):

(And no...not even gonna THINK about counted canvas or needlepoint stuff...let's just go down one rabbit hole at time today, Dearies!)

Then I pulled a few things for a half-heiney Spring basket:

And re-organized all of my cross stitch kits and charts into baskets for Spring/Summer, Fall, Winter/Christmas, and Misc:

And after a walk in the sunshine, a quick trip to the Michael's, and a cheeseburger at the FiveGuys, a new project selection:

The fabric is "Lemonade"...a 32ct Jobelan from Colour & Cotton, and I can't wait to give it a spin...especially since I enjoyed the last piece so much.  All threads are per the chart and DMC.

So that's it for me today. I'm going to go grab a hot and scrubby and then thread up and call it a day!  Hope your Thursday is swell and that you'll come tell me all about it!

REST IN PEACE MRS. BUSH

No matter your country or politics...she was one of us:

GARDEN SAMPLER FEE NEE

Prairie Schooler

Garden Sampler (from book #45)

32ct Rose Water linen from Colour & Cotton

All threads are DMC per the chart

WELL...AT LEAST IT'S A LITTLE BETTER

It's basically the size of a closet, but it has a window and is a good space for stitchy stash. I think once I hang some things on the walls it really will feel more like home.

EASY LIKE A SUNDAY MORNING...

Rich is at Mass and then doing the grocery shopping for the week, and I'm sitting in the Happy Chair on my big fat fanny having some damn good and reading the paper.

Thank you for all of the birthday wishes, Dearies! My day was quiet and peaceful and full of good food and lots of stitching...exactly what I had hoped for!

My Prairie Schholer piece is getting soooo close to completion! I am hoping to buckle down this afternoon and finally Git 'Er Done, but there are also plans afoot to re-org the cube room studio today, so I will probably be more like a squirrel in traffic.

Not sure what will be next on the agenda. I was planning and plotting and plotting and planning in my head last night and was contemplating a stab at Stitch Maynia this year...but with a twist. Rather than starting 31 new things in May, I was thinking about stitching on 31 WIPs. Even if I only put a few minutes into each, at least I will have pulled them from the depths and given them a little love.

Or maybe I will finish/finish 31 things.

Or...and this seems to be the best idea: Make a commitment to stitch at least 31 minutes every single day.

Oey. The possibilities abound! If any of you have a good idea for me to get better organized with this thing of ours...I'm all ears!

Dreary, rainy day today means an inside walk on the gym treadmill and lots of Happy Chair time. Rich will probably watch the sports on the TeeVee all afternoon, and then maybe we'll watch a few good movies or the next few episodes of Billions.  Who knows?

Hope your Sunday is wonderfully swell and that you are able to do everything your heart desires. Come tell us all about it!

IN WHICH WE TURN 52...

I'm not sure what, exactly, it is that I've got...but one thing I know for sure is that the love and friendship and support and encouragement and prayers and happy thoughts that come my way sustain and push me forward like no medicine or treatment protocol on this big blue marble of ours.

Thank you for all of it, Dearies!  Today I am happier, healthier, and more blessed than ever!

WooHoo! It's going to be a GREAT year!

I LOVED IT SO MUCH I HAD TO TELL IT TWICE...

Apr 12, 2010

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUNT CHRISSY!

My favorite Aunt Chrissy story takes place on Eater Sunday 1975.....

Scene: A bustling kitchen in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A mother scurries about, getting Easter dinner ready. She glances to her left and sees her youngest daughter standing in the doorway.

Mother: Chrissy, I told you that I'm really busy right now and need to get this dinner ready. Can you go play with your Barbies for a few minutes, sweetheart?

Chrissy: Sure, Mommy. But I have so many things to tell you that I thought I would stand here and talk to you while you cook. That way I can fulfill my need to be talking every waking moment of the day and you get to spend some quality time with me.

Mother: Why don't you go wait for Grandma and Uncle Connie to get here?

The little girl walks to the front closet, gets her little green velvet coat, and heads out to the front porch. She sits on the cold hard cement and thinks about what a bust this holiday has been for her. Yesterday, she and her brilliant and gorgeous older sister Constance were playing nuns. This was an activity that they both loved, and two white terry cloth bath towels were always put into use as a simple yet effective head-covering.

Yesterday, though, something seemed off. Constance was out of sorts and was bossier than usual. "Nuns don't have curly hair", she grumbled. "We need to get rid of those stupid curls sticking out of your head thingie."

"OK", the little girl said as she trotted off to get the big scissors. "Will you cut it for me, Coni Jo? I'm only four and not allowed to use the big scissors."

The older sister grinned as she maniacally snipped and snipped all of the gorgeous light brown curls away from her little sister's face.

"There", said Constance. "Now you look like a real nun."

As she reflected on the ensuing spanking that both she and her sister received, the little girl wondered why it was such a big deal that she would have to go to Easter Sunday Church services with her hat on. Didn't everybody wear a hat for Easter?

Later that afternoon, the mother stopped the dinner preparations to call out to the little girl.

Mother: Chrissy? Where are you, honey? Come here and try a pickled beet for me to see if I've got them right. Chrissy?

Constance: She's outside.

Mother: WHAT!!! WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING OUTSIDE?!


Constance: You told her to go wait for Grandma.

Mother: Oh for crying out loud! THEY'RE DRIVING IN FROM LIMA AND WON'T BE HERE FOR FOUR HOURS! IT'S TWENTY TWO DEGREES OUT THERE! GO GET YOUR LITTLE SISTER AND TELL HER TO GET IN HERE!!

Constance: OK.

Sadly, Constance is distracted by the latest Nancy Drew mystery that was in her Easter basket that morning. She heads into the den and buries her nose in the book...completely forgetting about her tiny little sister standing alone outside on the front porch.

Later that afternoon....

The front door opens and several voices are heard.

Grandma: Sig?! Are you home? What the hell is Chrissy doing standing out on the front porch?! We pulled up and she said that she had been out there all day waiting for us! Her little nose is running and she's frozen solid! What the heck are you people doing in here?

The relatives all kiss and hug hello in stony silence as the little girl heads upstairs for a hot bath. As she's hanging up her coat, she glances at the curls hidden in the wastebasket and decides that Christmas is definitely her favorite holiday.

THE END


P.S. Here's a few things you should know about Aunt Chrissy:

1. Yes, the hair story is completely true. When she was little she had positively gorgeous light brown curly ringlets that covered her head. I cut them off. (What can I say? I had a head like a bowling ball and was evil.)

2. My sister talked from the minute she woke up until the minute she passed out in her little bed. Some nights, she would tip-toe to the side of Mom and Dad's bed and poke Mom awake because she had more to say or had "forgetted to tell you something."

3. She was a very good little girl and usually did exactly what she was told, so the story above is as true and accurate as I can remember it. We believe that she had been out on that porch for at least three hours, because when Grandma and Uncle Connie finally got there they said she was really really shivering and her lips were a bit blue.

4. My sister isn't just in my life...she is my life. (Sorry, that's a line from Tony Soprano, but it's just too damn apropos not to use it here.) She is funny and kind and strong and very very brave. She takes care of me, tolerates my silly little dog, and feeds all of the birds, squirrels and ducks faithfully and with great care. She is the rock and the leader of our little family, and there are times when I really wonder what I did to be given such a gift of this particular sister. I love her, need her, and care about her more than anything or anyone I've ever known, and I cannot and will not live my life without her in it.

So there you have it. Aunt Chrissy turns 39 today and I couldn't be happier about it.

STILL GOING...

MAKING PROGRESS...

SATURDAY SPINSTER BLISS...

A happy view from the Happy Chair:

The day's to-do list:

Hi, Dearies!  A quiet week followed by a quiet weekend, I hope.  I was a bit under the weather with a Crohn's flare up, so I hunkered down and let it ride its course.  All is now well, and I am happy to report that after a missed dialysis session on Wednesday, Friday's session was blessedly smooth.

The plan for today is to remain quiet...in pj's and stitching to my heart's content.  We were going to go over to Notre Dame for a baseball, softball, and lacrosse event, but decided against it due to a whopping 34 degrees on the thermometer.  I'm game, but Mr. Spinster isn't too keen on the cold...even if it is sunny out there.

I'm contemplating some putzing in the kitchen today, but looking for inspiration. Our Sunday brisket was delicious, so I'm trying to figure out what will give us a repeat performance.  Maybe another turkey breast...or salmon...or pulled pork...or...

So that's it for me. Boring, but peaceful and still here, which is exactly how I like it these days. Thank you for indulging my quietude last week...come tell me all about what's up in your corner of the world!