Happy Dance With Me!

I'm happy dancing today!  Most of you who read this blog regularly know that I have trouble with my eyes.  I've been battling glaucoma now for nigh on 10 years now.  I've already lost a bit of vision in my left eye and so far my right eye is doing well.  I've also had cataracts in both eyes.  This past May I began seeing a surgeon and since then I've had 2 surgeries on my left eye and one on my right for the glaucoma to try and lower the pressure.  So far it's working.  Then in November I had cataract surgery in my left eye and I can see a whole lot better in that eye.  Well, today I had my final surgery for the cataracts in my right eye.  I fully expect it to be as successful as the one in my left eye.  Yep, I'm done, through, finite.  I'm excited to see how well I can see with both eyes fixed.  My surgeon believes I will be able to do away with the glasses all together except for the middle distance and that she thinks can be fixed with the peepers you can get at the drugstore.  I've worn glasses since the second grade.  I'm not sure I know how to act without them.  But I'm sure going to learn fast.  So happy dance with me as I celebrate my new freedom.  Oh and please forgive the typos.  It's hard to type with only one eye and that one half blind as it is.

Blog Hop #13 My Stitchmas Wish

The holidays are right around the corner and gift exchanges are happening everywhere you look. If an amazingly magical Stitchmas Santa were to fly overhead and bring you one stitching wish, what would it be?

Oh my, this is a very interesting question.  When I want something specific for Christmas, I usually just use a catalog and give it to David and he gets me whatever is marked.  I have floor frames and lap frames and q-snaps galore.  I have all kinds of fabric and threads.  In fact, I have enough stash to last several lifetimes.  I could give my stock answer of peace on earth but I don't think Santa can handle that.  So I thought and I thought of what I really wanted from Santa Claus.  Then I realized exactly what I wanted.  I want the gift of time.  See, as far as I'm concerned there are never enough hours in the day.  I allocate some of it for stitching and something always seems to get in the way.  Before I know it, my stitching time is gone and I haven't even picked up a needle.  Or I get working on another hobby and I never do get around to stitching.  If you look at my list of finished projects for 2012, you'll find there's one project listed.  One sad, lonely pathetic little project.  So Santa Claus, can you bring me some more time?  Please?  I've been a very good girl this year.

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It's Over

Well, it's over for another year.  Nanowrimo is done.  And yes, for one more year I managed to write 50,000 words towards a finished novel.  Now it's certainly not my best writing I've ever done but I have the bare bones outline of the second book in a trilogy.  The first book, if I do say so myself, is pretty good.  I may even look into self publishing it on Amazon. This new one is nowhere near as good.  It needs lots of works but I think I'll wait the the first is edited.  But my work for November is done and I can enjoy the Christmas season.

Blessing to All!

I just wanted to pop in here today and wish you all a Blessed Thanksgiving.  This year I have so much to be thankful for: my faith, my family, my friends.  I'm grateful that I live in a country where I have the many freedoms that are available.  I'm grateful for the doctors who are working to keep my eyesight.  So my wish for all of you is to have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends! 

Blog Hop #12 Thankful Stitching

When it comes to the stitching part of your life, what are you most thankful for?

I found this a most intriguing question.  I guess I just never thought of my stitching as something to be thankful for.  Oh, I loved it and it's probably the number one hobby in my life (and believe me, I've tried a lot of them LOL).  But being thankful for it?  That just never occurred to me.  Then I began to think about what stitching means to me.  It's a great stress reliever, except when I'm frogging something that's on 25 count over one.  It fulfills my desire to be an artist.  I've always wanted to be a painter but don't have a lick of talent in my entire body.  So putting colors on fabric with thread is one way I can fulfill that wish.  But I guess the most important thing I've gotten from my stitching and that I'm most thankful for is that it keeps me from eating, snacking noshing, whatever you want to call it.  See, I need to lose about 40 pounds.  Well, to be honest I actually would love to lose even more than that, but I'm going to be realistic here.  When I stitch, I don't eat. It's as simple as that.  Who wants grease stains on their stitching?  Not me.  So the potato chips have to stay away.  As I get older, it's getting harder and harder to lose the weight.  So maybe I should just stitch more and leave the snacking for someone else.  So this Thanksgiving, I'm going to be thankful for my stitching and see if helps me resist that extra slice of pie!

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Thank You!

I just wanted to take a moment to thank all our veterans out there for their service to our country.  We are the land of the free because of the brave.  There are so many unsung heroes that we never hear about.  My daddy was one of them.  He served in the army during WWII.  For his services he was awarded the Bronze Star and 2 Purple Hearts.  I'm so proud of the man that my dad was.  And I'm proud of all our servicemen.  I thank all of you.

Blog Hop 11 - Unusual Stash Acquisition

What has been your most unusual or most interesting stash acquisition to date?

I almost didn't answer this question since I usually just haunt the normal places for stash.  You know the LNS, Michaels, Hobby Lobby,  I occasionally check out the thrift stores but only if I'm in there for another reason.  Then I passed by some pieces I have hanging in my hall and remembered how they came to be in my possession.  I work at a LNS and came to work one day and found a box on our front doorstep.  It was labeled Mom's Needlework.   I brought it into the store and opened and discovered about a dozen pieces of gorgeous needlework.  Some were unframed and some were, well, let's just say they were very badly framed.  When the manager of the store came in, we went through the box more thoroughly and divided  the pieces up among ourselves.  Now before anyone asks, we had no way of finding out who had left the box.  We could only surmise that someone wanted them to go to a good home.  So I took the ones I wanted and have since had them reframed and am now displaying them in my home.  Part of me is sad that the family didn't think enough of them to keep them.  To them they were probably just Mom's knitting.  On the other hand, they cared enough to take them to where they thought they might be cherished (which I do).  They didn't just take them to a thrift shop.   These works of art are very precious to me (even if I didn't stitch them myself) and I will always honor them in my home.

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