Happy New Year!

Just a quick note to wish all of you a very Happy New Year!  It's quiet here at the house,  I'm beginning to take down the Christmas tree and gearing up to go back to work after a glorious 11 days off.  Wow, did I need the break.

I got to stitch a lot and I promise that I will take pictures of what I've finished.  I finished Prairie Schooler's, Merry Christmas Eve on Christmas Eve.  I've started Baby It's Cold Outside and I've finished December's Wordplay.  Oh, and I finished Letters For Santa too.  Vacations are wonderful, aren't they?

I've been thinking of next year and what I'd like to accomplish.  I think that I'm going to play it by ear, this year, I focused on Wips, which I think I'm going to continue to do.  I really will finish, I Sigh Not for Beauty and True Virtue.  I thought it would be fun to stitch Christmas designs and ornaments all year or focus on Prairie Schooler Santas.  But I love the other seasons, especially Halloween, so I'm not sure I can keep stitching snow in the middle of summer.  And I also thought I'd work through all the LHN ornaments (I have like 16 of those).  Plus, I have a grand-daughter to stitch for now too.  Oh, there's just too many things to stitch, so I'm just going to just "go for it".  No pressure.

 I bought a lot of stash this year, only things that I truly love though and that's a big step for me.  Gone are the days of buying just to say I have it.  I have more patterns than I will ever stitch in my lifetime so a little restraint is a good thing, no?

Finally, before I go back to taking down Christmas,  I want to pass the two With My Needle patterns on to someone. I want to share them with someone who doesn't have them. So comment on THIS POST ONLY if you would like my very gently used Letters for Santa and December Wordplay.  I'll draw the name on January 2nd.  Letters for Santa is a bit worn on the folds but the pattern is serviceable.  Just sayin'.

Last year, I chose a word to focus on all year. That word was TRUST. I have to say, that I learned alot about myself through that word in 2012, I realize that I am not as trusting as I believed and when my faith was tested, I found that I lacked sorely lacked trust. I've improved and the journey isn't over. But the word for 2013 is GRATITUDE. I take so much for granted and I also found that I'm not grateful for what I have or the blessings I've received. I've found through some soul searching that I feel "entitled" and that's not the attitude I want to cultivate. So, my focus word in 2013 is "gratitude" and by default "thankfulness".

One thing I know from the bottom of my heart is that I am grateful as well as thankful that I have wonderful blogging buddies who brighten me when I'm down, inspire me when I am low on creativity and share with me a love of stitching. You have enriched my life and for that I am forever grateful and most thankful. 

SO, it's on to 2013.  A bright new shiny year.  Here's to new beginnings!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

Wishing you all the peace and joy of this blessed season celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior!

 

Enjoy your family and friends!  And may your stockings be filled with stitching goodness!

I am very blessed to call all of you friends.

 

Joanie

Winner, winner, chicken dinner

First, I apologize that it's taken me 2 days to post the winner of my Thankful giveaway.  I'm stressing over a work project, it's all consuming and fairly frustrating.  I ended up working 2 of my 4 days off, only to have my boss not be overly thrilled with either my progress or my work.  His procrastination is my emergency. 

Anyway, the winner is................
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JEANNE! 

Please email me at Mikes1mom@gmail.com with your address.. I'll get the package out by the end of the week....remember work???

Thank you so much for all your good wishes, wonderful stitching and for brightening up Joanie's world. 

Joanie

Thankful

I just wanted to take a minute to tell all of you how grateful and thankful to you making my little corner of the world such a happy place. Thank you sweet friends.

I wish all of you who are celebrating Thanksgiving a day filled with love and laughter.  Eat turkey. And pie.  My choice is apple (I like pumpkin too but apple is my fav)!  It will be just the David and I along with our fuzzy pet friends.  A quiet day but I'm planning on planting my ample backside onto the sofa and stitching most of the day away.  I hope to have a finish! Food, the parade and football.  :)

Oh, I also wanted to say that I have a box of duplicate patterns that are up for grabs.  Just comment on this post and I will pick a name tomorrow.  The patterns are fairly new, all unused or gently used (no markings) from a variety of designers and a variety of subjects, country, samplers, ornaments.  I do have cats and a dog, so they do not come from a pet free home.  They are smoke-free.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Many, many blessings!
Joanie

Enabling Alert!

Oh my!  I have to say that this is the most dangerous time for me in the realm of STASH ENHANCEMENT!  Beyond, beyond SABLE is where I am right now but do the sheer numbers of charts that I already own stop me from adding to my collection?  No!  Because all of my stitchy buddies and prolific designers, I am sure to be stash rich and cash poor (wink, wink).  Giggle.  But I do love it and there are many more terrible things I could spend my discretionary cash on (besides shoes, which is a very close second to buying bits and bobs and charts and linen), right?

So, feast your eyes on the new things from With Thy Needle and Thread.  All these will be coming to live at my house and hopefully will find themselves gracing my holiday home soon....

This pillow is so pepperminty sweet!

I can see stitching the santa with the snowman over one for a sweet bowl filler.

  So many ideas!

And Pineberry Lane and Lori from NotForgotten Farm have posted sneek peeky at their offerings for the Country Sampler's Prim Girls Club.  They are wonderful as well.  Go check them out.

So this week wasn't a great week for me health wise, I was bone tired again even with sleeping 7-8 hours a night.  On Monday, I stayed up late to watch the Steeler's game (into the 3rd quarter) and that set me back most of the week.  Even with going to bed before 9 and sleeping until 5 each day after my late Monday night, I'm still dragged out with no energy to spare.  I had bloodwork done on Friday and I'm thinking I need my meds to be adjusted unless there's another problem causing this extreme fatigue.

I stitched a little more on Merry Christmas (Prairie Schooler) I'm filling in the white at the bottom and can take it back to Michaels to have them put it in the frame. I worked on True Virtue but I'm bogged down with the four sides stitch (does anyone have any hints on how to stitch letters using this stitch?) and I stitched more border on I Sigh Not for Beauty.  I am debating on changing the verse to a favorite scripture.

I have finishing work I could do too, ornaments and some pumpkins.  Enough to keep me plenty busy.

Well, I have to go to the grocery store,  I'm hoping there's bread, milk and water available.  Seems like everyone is gearing up for Frankenstorm.  We are to get 3 days of heavy wind and rain starting Sunday.  Maybe snow too because there's a cold front coming from the north that's supposed to stall right over us.  I've heard on the news some areas in Northwestern PA are to get up to 2 feet of snow from this system.  So, for all you in the path of this storm, I'm praying that the damage is minimal and the storm heads out to sea instead of making landfall.  Stay safe and stitching!

STITCHY PICTURES!!!

Hello-ooo-oo!!

I got to take some pictures this afternoon of some of the pieces I've recently framed and some that I finished stitching.

I will let the pictures do the talking. Hope you like 'em.


First up is an oldie from Prairie Schooler.  I stitched it back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth.  I stitched it over one.  Omgosh, over one.  What was I thinking!  But I love how it came out.  It's framed in sueded mats. 




Autumn
The Prairie Schooler
DMC on 28ct Lambswool Evenweave
Stitched Over One



 Isn't it pretty?



I love the frame.  I've used it before on a Blackbird Designs piece.

 Here's the Bee Man.  I am not sure if I showed you this sampler framed. 

The Bee Man's Garden
The Goode Huswife
DMC on 32ct Lambswool Linen

And my very first Adam and Eve sampler...that sweet Lisa and Oliver tending their sheep.  I love this sampler. It's 80's kitch colorway just makes me itch for disco and legwarmers. Haha.  Seriously, the sampler is very well designed and I love Merrily Beams designs. It hangs in my family room.

Done by Me!
Merrily Beams
DMC on 32ct Flax Linen

 This is Pumpkin Pinkeep from With Thy Needle.  I love Brenda's designs.  I almost left off the alphabet but I'm glad I didn't.  I'm not sure if I can tackle putting it together to make that cute pumpkin. It's gone in the done but not finished box.

Pumpkin Pinkeep
36ct Antique Cotton Linen
Recommended Threads

 
Next is the Prim Sister's School of Needlework.  Laura from Maude and Mozart (Hi Laura!!) let me borrow the pattern.  I love the primitive style.  Don't think I'm going to make it into the ditty bag.  Probably I will frame it.

Prim Sister's School of Needlework
DMC on 32ct Flax Linen

 Don't you just LOVE the girls!

So other than that, I'm doing ok.  Feeling stronger with more energy but I don't think the meds are right just yet.  Blood work this week to see where I am now that I've been on the Methimazole a month.  Hopefully, the numbers have dropped.

I am grateful for one thing though,  my stitching mojo is back.  I'm happy about that.  I am thinking of next year already. I am still stitching Wips, True Virtue and I Sigh Not for Beauty and LHN ornaments.  I think they are so cute.   But I have so many plans.  I've kitted up a Scarlet House Sampler and I want to participate in next year's With Thy Needle's SAL on  A Maryland Inspiration.  Yes, I bit off the entire thing, ordered the chart and the silks (ssshhh---an early Christmas present for moi) plue I kitted up Mary Gibson (using Chocolate for Breakfast's Stitching for Lunch's silk palette).  I have a ton on my plate but I'm glad for it.  It makes me happy.

 Tonight the Steelers play the Bungles so I'm off to ice a cake and make coffee for the 8:20 kickoff.  GO STEELERS!!!

So, I hope you like what you saw, I know the pics are crappy but you get the over all idea. Thanks so much for stopping by and hello to all new and old. I'm glad you came by!

The Results Are In

First of all, I want to thank you so much for your comments, prayers, good thoughts and wishes.  I am very happy to report that the results of my very painful biopsy were CANCER FREE!  The nodules are follicular and are very common.

To say I am relieved is an understatement.

Right now, I am on a very low dose of methimazole and I can feel the positive effects of the drug already.  The bone numbing fatigue has lessened, I wake up fairly refreshed and the fog clouded mind is clearing.  Today was the first day that I didn't fade by 1 PM. I'm hoping things continue to get better as the days go on and not swing too far the other direction.

I have a number of pieces that I am almost done stitching.  I am within an hour of finishing the little LHN snowman ornament and the pumpkin pinkeep from With thy Needle and Thread.  I've finished Prim Sister's School of Needlework (thanks, Laura!) and almost, almost finished with Blue and Brown pillow (watch out Faye, it's coming your way soon!).  And of course, Done My Me is framed.  And I've started filling in the bottom of Prairie Schooler's, Merry Christmas.  I'm a happy stitcher.

Now, to take some pictures...where's that silly little pocket camera....
On a side note, I'm looking for Missy Raven...Missy, if you are reading this, please email me or leave a comment here. I have this box o' goodies for you and I need your address so I can saddle up the pony and get it to you.  And to the lovely lady who wanted to know if Done By Me was a kit, please email me too. I am willing to pass the  pattern on to you. Just need your address.

Anyway, I am so blessed by all of you, thank you again and again for all your support.  You guys are terrific.  There's nothing like stitchers to lift someone higher than I ever thought possible.

What's Happenin'

Well, it's been quite an interesting month.  What started out as a routine physical, it certainly hasn't ended up that way.  I had some bloodwork done and my thyroid numbers came back and were off enough to raise eyebrows.  T3 & T4 were off the upper end of the chart. TSH was undetectable.  Doctor W. sent me to a endocrinologist, who basically seemed to blow off my test results but recommended I have a thyroid uptake scan.  So one morning,  got shot up with radioactive iodine and the next had the scan, thinking that this was just preventative.  Next thing I know, my primary care physician, Doctor W is now recommending a thyroid sonogram.  HMMM.MM.  He said they didn't like what they saw on the scan, there were 2 large nodules on my left lobe of the gland that were cause for concern and he recommended them to be biopsied. BIG HMMM.MM.  Called the endo, who is so laid back I swear she's dead, who basically said yes, there were some things they wanted to check out but there was no cause for alarm.
So to make a very long story short, through the frustration of the primary care and the endocrinologist not communicating, to the primary care's nursing staff who screwed up the paperwork, to the endocrinologist telling me that she's leaving the practice in November (why didn't they give me to a doctor that's staying), to the endo's nursing staff who messed up my prescription and to them both for thinking the other was handling things, on Friday, I had the biopsies.  One word.  Painful.
The physician's assistant took 12 samples...10 on the left side, 5 samples in each of the 2 large nodules.  On the right, he biopsied a smaller nodule, taking 2 samples because as he said that even though neither doctor ordered it, he felt it should be done because my right lobe is "cold".  Cold?  Turns out that the uptake scan revealed that the right lobe didn't absorb any iodine so it's considered nonfunctional.  Oh.  Nonfunctional.  As in NOT WORKING!  And I found this out through the PA and NOT EITHER DOCTOR!  So I told him to go for it. And he did.
The PA was wonderful, as was the other staff members.  They were kind and gentle and very attuned to my fears because this procedure is done without anesthetic and even though the needle prick hurt, the pressure and moving the needle to gather samples is really what hurt the most, especially in the nodule that was hard.  Plus, the multiple sample sites in each nodule caused the nodules to get pretty angry.  Fortunately, they got enough tissue samples to finish the test.   I will know in a week whether the nodules are cancerous and to be honest, my instinct tells me that they are going to want to perform surgery to remove the offending gland, especially because the right side is essentially dead. 
At least now, I have a name for the bone numbing fatigue I feel most every day, the fogginess in my brain, the lack of concentration and the weight gain even though I am considered to be hyperthyroid.   I blamed my symptoms on stress, my age, on the myriad of life changes in the last 5 years, my job, my marriage, the Air Force and sending the kids to Afghanistan and to Okinawa, oh, you name it, I blamed it for my lethargy and my lack of motivation and fatigue. Well, it's got a name and now hopefully we can make some correction in my life.
So that's my story kids, hope it wasn't too boring for you.

I have been stitching a little bit. Not as much as I would like, I am working on smaller things and trying to finish up some WIPs that are nearly done but got tossed aside when the siren call of new things beckoned. I am working on the latest LHN snowman ornie, so cute!  And I need to finish With thy Needle and Thread's Blue and Brown pillow top so I can send it off to the incredibly talented Faye. And I need to finish off the Prairie Schooler, Christmas Eve, which is 95% done and the frame is waiting at Michaels.

It's a beautiful day in Upstate NY...I will be going out to do some gardening once it warms up a bit.
So that's all from my world.  I hope you have a wonderful week ahead and get some quality time stitching while watching your favorite team play football today. GO STEELERS!

Thanks for hanging in there with me.  Next time I will post stitchy pictures.

Long Time....

Sorry for the absence.  Life certainly knows how to get in the way of things.  Right now, I am concentrating on a health issue that cropped up recently.  It's a little scarey but I think I will be ok.  I am hoping that medications will control it and surgery will not be necessary.

The big news is that I will be a Gramma in December. My soldier and the lovely Jenna are having a little girl.  I am very happy for them and I can't wait!

Stitching is coming along.  I am working on a number of small things.  I don't seem to be able to concentrate on anything large right now, my poor samplers are languishing. But that's ok.
I did get Done By Me framed. I will take a picture soon. I also am closing in on finishing a Prairie Schooler and The Prim Sister's School of Needlework. The Prairie Schooler has mindless fill in stitching and The Prim Sister's is so close another night or two of stitching and it will be finished.  Not sure I'm going to turn it into scissorkeep, I'm thinking frame and hang it in my crafty room.

I know this post is boring but I did want to check in with you.  I visit all of your blogs regularly and  I am overwhelmed by your creativity and craftsmanship.  You all inspire me and I love it when I go OH MY!!! How wonderful!

I hope that I will be blogging a little more now and I am so looking for Autumn.  My favorite time of the year!  Thanks for stopping by and hey to all my new followers! Glad you all are here!

Memorial Day

Please remember that freedom isn't free.  Honor the fallen and honor those who serve today. 

Run to Marley's blog and read her touching post for Memorial Day.  And if you can, please support our troops in whatever way you can. We support the Wounded Warrior Project.  Yesteday, David and I had the priveledge to meet the members of the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team.  It was so hard to look at these young men and realize that they lost limbs to protect ME.  Most of them were my soldier's age or younger.  Selfless heroes.

These pictures were taken while my soldier was in Afghanistan.

God Bless all the fallen, the broken and those who serve selflessly today.  God bless their families, too.

Grrr--rr-EEEN Acres is the place to be!

FA- ARM living is the life for me!

Introducing, Lisa and Oliver!  Aren't they a happy couple?!



They are my sweet couple, tending their sheep!  And their puppies!



Done by Me

Merrily Beams

32ct Raw Linen

DMC over 2 threads

And now they are at Michaels getting settled into their new frame home.  When they come home to roost here, I will take a picture of them to show you. 

Hope you like them.  Now onto True Virtues!

Ahem....Hello???

Hello, all! 

First of all before I get into this post, I want to thank all of my followers for hanging with me!  I see I have new folks following this here blog, so I heartly welcome to you!  I'm glad your here!  And to my old friends,  pull up a seat and visit.  I love that you all are here!

I have pictures of a swap that I participated in on the Samplermakers forum.  Here is the pile o'goodies from Lynn!  I am tickled pink by her generosity and thoughtfulness!  She thought of everything that I like and I just love it all.

Lynn sent me a variety of thread, some very nice vintage-y fabric, buttons, trims, coffee, chocolate (that I ate promptly!) a needleminder, note pad, scissor fob, evenweave and a pattern that I don't have in my stash (Really? Is that possible?  HAHA!)

I have to say, if you don't belong to Samplermakers, run over there right now and sign up.  Hurry, hurry! You don't know what you are missing, the ladies are wonderful, the discussions are great, there's wonderfuls swaps and stitcher's challenges.  Lori from Notforgotten Farm does a wonderful job with the forum too!  So go now, shoo, shoo.  I'll be here when you get back.

Well, on to other things.  I was in slump.  I didn't stitch for a few weeks.  I just needed a little break.  I am back and  I am happy to say that the lovely little Merrily Beams piece is "this close" to being finished.  I can't wait to put the last stitch in her and I can't wait to show you the big finish!  I will have it done in time for my birthday in June so I can honestly say I met a commitment!  GO ME! 

I think part of my slump had to do with my self imposed, THOU SHALT  ONLY STITCH ON WIPS THIS YEAR rule.  Usually, I have a finish or 2 by now but not this year.  Stitching became drudgery.  I'd fondle my stash, visit (LURK) you all and drool over all the fun finishes you post. Then I'd come back to my stitching and let out a big sigh...oh woe, is me..EVERYONE is having fun stitching new things, all I have is this WIP to stitch....BIG SIGH. So I parked the needle, pulled out the Kindle and read 2 books in 2 weeks.  I read, "To Be Sung Underwater" (which I highly recommend) and The Hunger Games (which I blew through!).  And now, the siren needle has called my name and I picked up Oliver and Lisa this weekend and finished up the grassy area beneath them.  All's left now is the bottom border and the personalization.  And then, I think I'm going to work on True Virtue until it's done.  (Hear me, Connie?  TRUE VIRTUE). 
Come June, I will be adding an ornament to the stitching, I promised my soldier some handstitched ornaments for his and the lovely Jenna's Christmas tree. 
By this point, it should be almost Fall and I think I will finish up the Prairie Schooler piece that only has the snow beneath the houses to be stitched.  And then, I will work on I Sigh Not For Beauty.  and stitch some Fall things, cause Fall is my favorite time of the year.

Sound's like a plan, doesn't it?  Let's see if  I can stick to it.

I also have been kitting up samplers.  I've got Mary Gibson, Christmas Garden and 2 more waiting until I lift my moratorium on new starts.  And, I've been buying stash too.  Big surprise..NOT.
Anyway,  I am going to go for now.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sticking with me! 
Come back around soon!

Many Blessings,

Joanie

Really?! It's been that long!

Ummmm.mmm....hello there,  it's been a while, hasn't it?  So glad you all have stuck with me!  I appreciate it, really, I do!  I want to thank all of you who've emailed me to ask how I am.  I'm OK!  I survived my job situation, they BEGGED me to stay, so I did with major changes.  It was an interesting month to say the least. 

I've been stitching, so I'll let the pics talk.  I started this Prairie Schooler right around Christmas! I love it and now the only thing left is the row upon row of white at the bottom, perfect for mindless stitching while listening to the TV.

Next is True Virtue, a really pretty sampler from an old JCS magazine.  Connie and I are working on a SAL together.  She's much farther than I am.  I've found it to be a little fiddle-ly and the pattern is a nightmare but we will persevere!

Last, is the Merrily Beams that I've chosen for Lee's challenge, Older Is Better.  I love the funky 80's colors. I've named the couple Lisa and Oliver after the characters in Green Acres.  Silly, but they remind me of them!  I have done some major frogging as I've gone along, my stitching tension was wonky.  I can see a finish here soon!!

Well, I'll try to post a little more often now that my life is settling down. It's been a long haul but I think it's going to be ok.

Thanks for hanging with me!

Blessings,

Joanie