Sunday, November 9, 2014

November...Seriously??!!

I'm finding it difficult to believe that it is November already.  October went by so quickly I barely remember Halloween which was just over a week ago!  There has to be a reason for the speeding up of time, right?

As stated in a previous journal, I am currently dealing with lower back pain.  The current diagnosis from my P.A. is what she refers to as "bone on bone action".  All I know is that action has been getting progressively more painful AND hitting a nerve that is attached to nerves that wrap around my waist, muscle seizure in my lower back, tingling in the lowest part of my spine and the inability to stand or walk for any length of time without horribly painful results.  Medical massages help the muscles (which is lovely) and I start physical therapy next week and then December 15th is the referral date to a specialist and hopefully an MRI to really see what's up.  In the meantime, efforts to keep bad things from happening continue and as with all things, I will muddle through this.

That update was necessary to explain why I haven't been online very often.....by the end of each work day I am exhausted and have no interest in being online.  I am hoping to change that in the near future.  Please don't share condolences.....I KNOW you all care, so please keep distracting me with your pretty stitched things. (Not meant to sound harsh, just so you know that I know and so we can have that awkward moment now instead of later when you try and write a comment haha)

Now on to the funzies!  WIPocalypse for November is this:  "What are you favorite and least favorite materials to use in your stitching?"

I love LINEN.  I'm good with Evenweave.  Not crazy about Aida.

Linen is soft, pliant, and did I mention soft?  It doesn't fray your floss or shred it like that Aida does. Evenweave may shred your floss a bit, but not linen.  I've done two projects this year on plain ol' white Aida and admit they are fun projects, even Vinnie Stretch is on Aida but that is a hand dyed fabric already made soft by the process...oh and Skeleton Crew is Aida but also hand dyed and soft as well....alright fine!  Plain white Aida is the devil's fabric on floss, like an evil floss frayer!  I still LOVE linen.

Speaking of fabric; I did order and receive the fabric for the secret gifter pattern and floss I received in the mail.

It's soft and lovely and I will work this one over two as the pattern suggests.  I'm bummed the fabric looks so green.  It does have some green in it but I don't care, it will be beautiful anyway.

This brings up the spending I have been doing lately on patterns and such....

....yeah...that pattern fast is over at present and I shall now be fat with stash!

At first I tried to justify the splurge because I was sad and in pain, but now that I have had time to consider the reasons (there are always reasons and rational answers for every act we commit unless you are a sociopath then there doesn't need to be a reason...it's just something you do).  Ah, wait....cross stitching and splurging on patterns, floss and fabric is just something I do so now I'm confused.  I am very aware I am not a sociopath.  How about cross stitching psychopath?  That may be more apt.  Fortunately I know for a fact that there is a LEGION of cross stitchers out there who are just like me when it comes to everything cross stitch so POO on those who think it's a bad thing.  No wonder my girls tell me Berserker Cross Stitcher is such a fine title!

Something I did get in the mail were the Frosty Friends Patterns!  These are the patterns I had won when Mel had the pick a prize thingy.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them!

The picture makes them seem large but these are actually minis.  They came with the fabric the patterns should be stitched on (according to the directions) and thrown in was a skein of lovely floss I WILL use somewhere on all three of these.  I have even decided how they will be framed and where they will hang when completed.

I sure was on a lucky streak when this win happened!  I had just won a coupon for being member of the week over at Unconventional X Stitch  and am currently still trying to win the Queen Bee competition...but THEN I win these little cuties!  And THEN I won again for member of the week and this time I received a $10 off coupon for a kit.  Luckily I have time to consider AND we are doing a pattern swap there so I will see which pattern I get from my secret gifter (it's like Secret Santa) and then decide.

I have managed to get a little bit more done on Queen Bee, but I am ashamed to say that it truly was only a little bit.

There is another competitor coming from out of nowhere who is going to use some filament in the wings and I'm very eager to see how that turns out.

One very important thing I MUST share here: Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe is doing 25 Days of Christmas Giveaways where you sign up to win some really incredible thingies. Seriously, check Nancy's blog (yes her name is Nancy! How epic is that?  The nicest people I know are named Nancy...for excellent example: My friend Nancy from Vanya Sulie!) and sign up for a chance to win!

Luckily today is only Saturday so I have time to stitch tomorrow and I have Tuesday off for Veteran's Day....more time for stitching!  And if I can get my mind and body to not be so exhausted during the work week I will attempt to keep up.

One thing I CAN still do, and I am forever thankful for, is cross stitch......and Animal Crossing on my 2DS.....and write letters as I await the medication to kick in.  I'm in a letter war with my girlfriend Michelle....did I not tell you about that?

Alright, I'll add this little story to really cheer you up!  My friend Michelle was going through a rough patch ten years ago....losing a marriage is never easy regardless of the factors involved...and for a time she did not have internet.  I took it upon myself to write her a letter a day for 30 days or until she was back on the internet where we could chat again daily.  It was pretty epic.

Out of the blue Michelle informs me that the pen war is ON!  Oh yes.....and then I received her first letter.  It was written backwards...but not so you could read it by holding it up to a mirror...nooooooo. Backwards backwards.  So I sat down to read and strangely, after the first half of page one it was easier than I thought.  The silly part is I had to read it out loud to really be able to follow along.  My housemate's cat (Lady Door) did not appreciate the slow reading aloud and voiced her opinion often. As of today (and five letters later) I have managed to create a letter just as obnoxious and wish her good luck!  She loved the letter in German that I had recently sent and I wish I had taken a picture of that one, but maybe she will take one for me so I can share with everyone.  Writing a letter and mailing it by post is an almost forgotten art and I may be one of the few left on Earth who appreciates a simple post card.  It's the thought and the act of mailing that thrills me to no end.

So I leave you now, hopefully considering writing a letter to someone, and wish you all happy stitching.....and one request:  I would appreciate links to any and all free (or relatively inexpensive) mini patterns and kits that you know of....the story behind that will be for next time.

Until next time my pretties!

8 comments:

  1. No condolences, but if I had the ability, I would happily rip out your spine and replace it with a bionic one so you could leap tall building in a single bound, or something like that.
    I did the pen pal thing a couple times as a teenager, the best one was an exchange between our grade twelve class, and a grade two class from a local school. So much fun, and I actually met up with her once after she graduated and had a nice chat.

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    1. Thank you for the bionic back! I would love to have one!

      I really love writing letters and having a letter war with friends is definitely fun :D

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  2. You're right, October was like the shortest month ever! I'm glad you are still able to stitch, so you have no excuse at all not to be doing it and to show us lots of awesome progress ^_^

    I had a penpal when I was younger, would love to do it again some time...preferably somewhere else in the world, I should look into this...but probably it will get postboned if all the other stuff I can't do now due to a lack of time :D

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    1. I'm glad I'm not alone thinking that October just sped by! and NO I do not have an excuse to not stitch now haha!

      After your thesis is done maybe you SHOULD find a pen pal! Or have a letter writing war with me....but be careful I am very clever and my letters can be shocking but mostly fun :D

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  3. Hello

    Lovely stitching and stash!
    Sorry to hear about your pain and hope you feel better soon.
    Good luck with pen wars!


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    1. Thank you Sally! It's fun to get back into letter writing, it really gets those creative writing skills the dust off and creative juices flowing :D Strangely the pain has been less lately and THAT is exciting. I can get things done (carefully) and am looking forward to December 15th referral!

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  4. I really, really love that Queen Bee stitch, and you are doing just a phenomenal job on it. I congratulate you on your progress, even if it isn't as much as you want it to be.

    The most dangerous part of reading blogs is seeing so many pretty things I didn't know I needed - like that Tempting Teas piece! I <3 Tea (my mother was a big tea drinker), and I have such a "problem" that I take up an entire cabinet. I just rearranged it (to organize it so I could see what I have *and* so I could fit more in that cabinet), and having that piece nearby would be gold!

    As for letters - I wrote one to my aunt yesterday (posted today) with a new fountain pen I had made :) My handwriting is atrocious, but there is just something so special about getting "real" mail.

    I have a herniated L5-S1, so occasionally the pain is so fierce I can't walk. I get where you are coming from and wish you health and wellness and a resolution for your issue.

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    1. Thank you! What's interesting is I wouldn't normally stitch a pattern like Queen Bee unless begged to do it, but the colors are so rich and the pattern is so fun I can't help but love it too!

      I'm with you on the reading other's blogs and seeing stuff like Tempting Teas...that is where I saw it...in another blog and when I say I only had it on my wish list for a VERY short time it makes me wonder who is checking my wish list daily? Anywho...http://www.123stitch.com/item/Tempting-Tangles-Tempting-Teas-Cross-Stitch-Pattern/13-1218 OOPSIE, link to pattern just fell into my comment box. If you do decide to go for it, let me know because there are three different kinds of floss you can use and silks were actually used for the finished piece and I'm still debating on getting those. We shall see :)

      How did you make a fountain pen? I can grasp the concept, but actually putting it together is a little beyond clarity for me ha ha! I'll be your aunt was thrilled to receive your illegible scribbling just the same, I know I would be.

      OH!!!! I feel so bad for your L5-S1 :( Are you going to eventually have surgery? Or are you going to tough it out and just be careful when you play tennis? Oh wait, WE don't play tennis do WE? Nor do we jog, play football or any contact sport for that matter....Twister is right out as well. Thank you for the well wishes...sister in pain you are!

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