Thanksgiving Decor wrap up on this Slow Sunday...

Well I had  plans to post this last week... but we all know about the best laid plans... the week got away from me... finally went to get the oil changed in my car...dealership was crazy busy ... got it done and not an hour later got a "low tire pressure" warning light... darn it... ended up taking to the place I bought the tires from in February... luckily covered by warranty and get it fixed for free...yeah!!  

Spent more time prepping food on Wednesday than I had anticipated. Thursday rolled around and I was in full klutz mode. Chopped a cup of onions for the stuffing. I hate chopping onions as I always cry... cup was sitting on counter next to sink... turned around and bumped the cup into the sink... arrgghh... luckily I had another onion I could chop. 

Then I went out to the garage when I have shelves with extra canned goods, etc. to get some chicken stock for the stuffing. Picked up a box and knocked a bottle of teriyaki marinade on the floor... where it exploded all over my pajamas (hey it was still early) and my socks and sandals (cause I'm classy that way) and the garage floor... sticky sticky sticky... if I still had the outside hose connected I would have squirted it off ... but I already put the hose away for the season ... so I mopped it up the best I could.  From then on that day I had someone else handle picking up stuff that I could possibly drop...like the prime rib roast...yikes it was pricier this year than last...and while I wasn't surprised I wasn't happy with the cost but it is my fault that I introduced my family to it years ago... and now the family has gotten bigger so one needs to buy a bigger roast... oh well ... it was deee-licious!!

And if you hadn't notice yet...I am quite chatty today... this is a looooog post...  LOL... maybe get a cup of coffee or a nice cuppa tea... 

As things stand now I have all my Fall decor back in the bins and awaiting my son to cart them back to the basement...  of all the seasons the stuff I have the most of is Fall... I chalk it up to pumpkins taking up so much space. I thought I had gotten it all back into the same number of bins but then I found a bunch of stuff in the basement I had forgotten about... sigh...need to do a bit of culling... there is a bunch of stuff I haven't used in years... and  when that stuff gets put away then we can start all over by bringing up the Christmas decor... which I'm looking forward to putting out.   Not sure my son is looking forward to all the lugging of stuff up and down the stairs but he does like the decorations when I get done... he is a very good boy!

FYI... I had a lot of trouble uploading pictures for this post... so if you want to see some better shots of my displays go check out my Instagram account.... here's the link... I'm carolfun53. 

Here are some pics of what I did have displayed...let's start with the wall quilt... this is my version of the Pumpkin quilt by Cluck Cluck Sew... I call mine Grungy Gourds as all the fabrics are Moda Grunge prints...

the tier tray has a great turkey from Stone Street Stitch Works  and  the little pillow in the bed of the truck is Pineberry Lane's Fruits of our Labor.

My large display has The Drawn Thread's Welcome Fall  at the top... on the first shelf  that dynamite goldy coppery turkey... got him last year at Hobby Lobby ..  with a little pillow with a tiny turkey from Bent Creek at the base... Blackbird Designs Feast of Friendship is always front and center in the Fall for me!

next shelf down has a new finish for this year ( I think I actually stitched it 2 years ago... procrastination is my forte).... this is Gather from Pineberry Lane... just found that arched frame this year... it was white so I ended up giving it a prim paint job...started with an olive green and then did a messy brown over that... I like it being imperfect...and on the other side November from Prairie Schooler... I love how the linen came out for this piece... looks like a Fall sunset IMHO.

Bottom shelf of cross stitch has Autumn Alphabet by Lizzie Kate and Ever so Grateful by Threadwork Primitives.

Small side display has my favorite Jim Shore Thanksgiving piece... a gift from my younger son... it's called Gather and Be Grateful... in front of it is a cornucopia snippet from Prairie Schooler No. 146 and that pumpkin pillow is Waiting for the Harvest by BBD.  Another new finish this season is the turkey in the hoop... it is from With Thy Needle & Thread called Holiday Hoopla Thanksgiving.... I like the little hoop finish... I got the hoop at Hobby Lobby and "painted" with an Copic marker... I have a bunch of them ...happy to use other craft supplies in my stitching.

Middle shelf has another new seasonal finish... the tiny turkey from Lizzie Kate Autumn Alphabet Sampler and a pair of BBD pieces... Bittersweet September has the alphabet and Bittersweet Lane doesn't... on the bottom is Autumn by Lizzie Kate attached to a wooden box from Target a couple of years ago... I "painted" it with Rit dye... and on the other side I have I Love Fall Most of All by Calico Confectionary.

I put together a couple of small displays too. 

The one has a Prairie Schooler turkey on the top and a turkey from Emily Call Stitching on the bottom in another hoop finish...  

And in the phone niche I have Ewe & Eye & Friends Turkey Hill Farms and  the Autumn chart from Prairie Schooler No. 50... and below that Thankful String by Lizzie Kate...

I told you I have LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of Fall decor... its my favorite season!!

Here's a couple of close ups of the stuff I got FFO for this year... 4 new pieces... I still have some other Fall stitching that needs to be FFO'd but that is a job for another Fall... here are individual pics of  my trio of turkeys and the new framed piece...

Oh and I forgot to show you the Prairie Schooler Autumn Sampler... got it back from the framer and I'm very happy with this...

And I had one very productive sewing day last week... I got the binding  and sleeve sewn on a Christmas quilt, I got a  sleeve sewn on another Christmas quilt and I got the binding done on this blast from the past...

This is Pickety Sticks from the Anka's Treasure book call On a Roll 2... the fabric is Blossom from Urban Chiks and this quilt was started approximately 15 years ago!!   Don't know why it took so long because I really love it... I love the fabrics... I love the BIG cabbage rose print on the border and I love the panto that Delinda used on it... 

Well like I said at the beginning of this epistle I'm done with Fall and ready to move onto Christmas... I have an idea for a new kinda big display I want to do... fingers crossed it works out as I envision it... I have about 9 Christmas small pillows I want to get FFO'd and every day I keep finding new small Christmas pieces I'd like to do... I may be able to get a few more done before December 25... I'm always optimistic... perhaps not realistic but definitely optimistic... LOL 

I am still more in a cross stitching mood than a sewing mood and I'm just gonna roll with it. Already thinking about what I want to do next year... like I said last month I'm kinda into doing a couple of long band style samplers...and I want to get back to the 7 samplers for my 70th birthday that got left in the dust because of the September I don't want to remember. I'll never run out of stuff I want to stitch... and that's good thing,

 right??  

So plans for the upcoming week... get as much Christmas decor out as I can today and tomorrow... then I need to stash any open bins out on the sunroom porch and keep the door locked so Elliott can't "help" me ... goal is to have the tree up (that's an easy one as it is already decorated and waiting in the basement to be brought upstairs)... and get the yard and window boxes decorated.  I got a couple of new inflatables and some stuff to put in the window boxes... I need to stop stitching and switch to FFOing for a bit... and there are some tough (LOL) decisions that need to be made as to what Christmas quilt to hang on the wall in the living room ( I have several choices) and what Christmas quilt to put on my bed (again I have several choices)... I'm quite lucky that way.. and while I have more Fall decor I definitely have more Christmas quilts than any other season. So far this year I have a new wall sized Christmas quilt and a new Christmas panel wall quilt and I have one more lap size Christmas quilt on my design wall... I think I can get it sewn together but not certain I can get it quilted by Christmas... but that's okay... I'll have a head start on next year!

If you got through all of this go reward your self with some Christmas goodies... cookies, candy, fudge... fudge is my choice... my younger son is going to make some today!  

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts and sneak in a little blog reading in between decorating... hope you are having a good day and will have a great week ahead!

happy stitching-

carol fun 

Crossstitching my way to Christmas on a Slow Sunday...

Hello... so what have you been up to?  I've puttered and putzed and played around and I have a bit of stuff to show for my time... but not as much as I want to have done, but then there never is.  My sewing mojo has been very weak.. I did get a binding on a quilt and gave it away. Stitched up about half of the blocks for a lap sized Christmas quilt.  Doing a bit of knitting... seems like I've been working on the same pair of socks for a month. Cross stitching calls my name for the most part and I'm in a Christmas mood. Several little pieces that all will need to be fully finished but at the moment I don't the have the motivation or energy to keep up with my good intentions to sew them into little pillows... sigh... hopefully I'll get my butt in gear soon... very soon... 

Here's a peek at what I do have stitched... 

Five little Santas from Prairie Schooler No. 215 ... A Merry Mini Surprise ...

notice the  balanced layout... 2 face right, 2 face left and on for the center... I want to make them into little pillows to be part of a display on my dining room table. I even found a cute new tray to display them in online at Walmart... here's a link...  I'm going to add some little bottle brush trees and some other filler... maybe even a string of fairy lights... oooohhh... ideas!

And then a shiny object ran past me about a week ago... there is a hashtag and SAL for Emily Call's new pattern Quilted Christmas...  so cute...  you can see the whole pattern here... and since I was doing my best to avoid going outside and cleaning out my flower beds, I stitched this up in a day...

I made the tree kinda ombre... used DMC 167, 704, 703, 702, and 700 ... added some scotch stitches to the edge of the tree stand too Again I'm hoping for a small pillow... perhaps some red trim on the edges.

Then since I was still without motivation to do anything else I went back to Prairie Schooler... got this angel done...this is chart No. 42 appropriately called Angels...

hmmm...looking at the picture I wonder if I should fill in the bird wings... the chart had the piece stitched on a black fabric ... maybe I go back and fill it in with a gray.... and  I didn't do the backstitching for her face as was charted... I felt it made her look old and kinda stern... so I jut added a bit of a mouth, some eyebrows and a little dab of white in the corner of her eyes ... I think she looks young and angelic... I started a second angel  from this chart... the one with the flower... and same tune again...finished as little pillows perhaps with some gold trim... maybe... 

While the motivation to actually finish anything has been missing my shopping motivation has been strong...  I ordered fabrics for Christmas quilts that don't have a snowball's chance in hell of being done this year... and purchased more Prairie Schooler charts... for stitching that won't get done anytime soon... but I have them when I do get around to them. I found these two charts I don't think I've ever seen before when I was looking at a different designer...

 You know they are old as they are printed on card stock... No. 33 Christmas Collection has a copyright date of 1991 and a price of $5.00.... No. 53 Santa Moon has a copy right of 1995 and a price of $6.00... I paid $12 a piece for them and I'm okay with that price... had a gift certificate for Etsy so in my befuddled mind they were free!  

And when these arrived I decided to figure out just how many Prairie Schooler charts I have... and by my count I have  62... at least I think that is all of them that I have... 

now there may be some in other groupings that I didn't find... which leads me to the dilemma of how to organize charts. I have the majority filed alphabetically by designer... but then holidays come around and I like to gather up lots of charts for that theme... Halloween, Patriotic, Christmas... and then charts get "lost" in the shuffle... not entirely lost but misplaced... I don't think there is a perfect organization method as there is so much to choose from and I get in moods for different stuff.  Right now I'm in the Christmas mood but I'm already thinking about what to stitch for next year and I'm enamored with long narrow vertical samplers as they would fit in several places in my home. I ordered a couple of new to me charts and I have a couple in my stash... there should definitely be a New Year's Day start to kick the year off right!

I did get the flower beds completely cleaned out... you know the tall brown paper lawn waste bags they sell at the hardware store and Costco... well with my son's help we filled 30 of those bags!!  You plant stuff a little here a little there...the perennials come up early and late ... and while the garden looks great in June, July, and August ...September and October roll around and everything DIES ... sheesh... and yet that doesn't deter me in the least to think about what I want to plant next year...LOL  

I was happy to get my window boxes spruced up... I really dislike empty window boxes so I fill my with a combo of real and fake greenery for the winter... I'll add some decorations for Christmas and the winter later... went with an easier fix of stuff this year ... some of the fake stuff looks like boxwood or asparagus fern and some looks like pine garland... it should stand up to the weather and annoy the crap out of the squirrels. And I was going to insert a picture of the window boxes but I forgot to take one... sigh

I did get my Spring bulbs planted with the help of my younger son... I realize more and more that I can't do the gardening I use to do by myself... I need a little help... well maybe a lot of help... he dug holes and I stuck the bulbs in and covered them up. We planted 64 hyacinths, 50 daffodils and 48 alliums.  Now I'm ready for my lawn guy to mulch.... yeah!!

And since the weather was lovely this week (right up until Friday) I took advantage of it and spray painted some stuff ... an adjustable rack I'm planning on using for a Christmas display... I'll take pictures when it is done... and I spruced up some metal chickens I had in my flower beds...

They didn't show up much before as they were black metal ... they really POP now... and they look so cute I might get a few more... the crazy lady with the "chickens" in her yard... that's me!! LOL

Had some house issues this week... kitchen sink drain refused to drain... called Dan the handyman and he tried to clear the clog but it was too far into the pipes so I had to call a real plumber... rang up my regular guy but he was super busy and told me to call another local guy which I did... it took 2 trips as he had to correct a renovation mistake of my contractor (from 10 years ago) and then he could clear the clog...   so nice to have my kitchen sink back... but then... the dishwasher refused to work... we had to shut off the water after it had started a cycle and I think that messed up a sensor...which is what the repair guy replaced...not a cheap repair but cheaper than a new dishwasher and less hassle and aggravation than getting rid of the old one and having a new one installed. Glad to have the kitchen back in shape as Thanksgiving is next week... where does the time go?  We are having a big family meal at my older son's home... he has a big dining room table that seats 10 people comfortably... as requested I'm bringing prime rib, stuffing, pasta salad and marinated tomatoes... other side of the family is doing turkey and lots of side dishes and dessert... I'm sure we will all eat quite well... and I hope that you do to at your feast! 

Been thinking about Christmas decorating... and on one hand I love Christmas decor... on the other hand it is a lot of work... gotta get myself in shape for it and remind myself that Rome wasn't built in a day and I can't get it all decorated in one day... or even two or three or more... 

Hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving... I just realized I haven't posted any pics of my Thanksgiving decor... I'll see if I can get that done later this week... I did get 2 smalls finished ... but have a couple of other pieces that are waiting... always something to do isn't there? 

And with that I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts... go check out the lovely projects over there... 

happy stitching-

carol fun 

Working on moving in a positive direction on a Slow Sunday...

 Hello... well I've spent the last couple of weeks recuperating from the September I don't want to remember... some days better than others but ... fingers crossed here... seem to be on a positive trajectory the last week or so.  I spent one day doing a bit of fabric cutting and sewing but that mojo left the building since then... have been doing some knitting... picked up a shawl I started last year... not done yet but closer to a finish... primarily I've been cross stitching... it is what is making me happy at the moment.

Let's start off with a finish... Autumn Sampler from Prairie Schooler... 

I am soooooo HAPPY with this piece... sorry the picture isn't great but trust me  IRL this is so pretty!! It is at the framers as we speak... hopefully get it back next week.

I stuck with my decision to skip putting out Halloween decor this year... going to move onto Thanksgiving stuff later this week... and to add a few small pieces to my display, I stitched a trio of turkeys!

From left to right ... Thanksgiving Holiday Hoopla by With Thy Needle & Thread... a tiny turkey taken from the Autumn Alphabet by Lizzie Kate... and the turkey from the chart November by Emily Call ... and yes I do plan on FFOing the 2 bigger turkeys in hoops and I want to make the little guy into a small pillow...

here's a close up of each of these cuties!

Thanksgiving Holiday Hoopla..

Autumn Alphabet tiny turkey...

November turkey...

I used left over scraps of 32 count linen I'd dyed or painted ...along with fully finishing these pieces I found a couple more  autumn-y pieces I stitched last year and didn't make into anything... maybe I'll get a couple of those completed too... maybe...

I am enjoying my Autumn displays... as I sit here in my chair I can see the centerpiece on my table... 

and the bargain roses I got at the grocery store yesterday in a vintage McCoy pottery vase...

and the top part of my big display shelf...

and it makes me happy...it brings to mind the quote by William Morris... '

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."

And while lots of things in my house may not be exactly useful they are beautiful to me!!   and that concludes the deep thinking portion of this post...LOL

So with the Fall stitching concluded I moved onto Christmas... can hardly believe I'm starting this early... and even with the extra time I'm sure I won't get everything stitched that I want... to start I pulled out a piece that was a freebie from WTNT in 2020.. which is when I started it... and I pulled it out in 2021 and 2022 ... but now it is finished... or as finished as it's going to be as I left off the top border and some trees...hey it is my interpretation... LOL...

This is a 32 count opalescent linen I dyed with Rit dye... Evening Blue as I recall... I love the sparkly bits in this linen but I'm not fond of actually stitching on it... and somehow I forget that every time I dye a piece of it... as for the string of lights Santa is holding... well it gave me fits... you are suppose to do colonial knots and I forget how they differ from French knots but either way mine looked bad... really wonky and BAD... so I decided to go in a different direction ... here's a close up...

These are little gem lights I got at Hobby Lobby... they were on a display with card making supplies... they looked like this before I peeled them off...

Yes,  I might have to reapply them after I make this into a little pillow but as you can see I have replacements.

And feeling buoyed by this finish I pulled out more Christmas stitching stuff focusing on Prairie Schooler ...because as we all know Prairie Schooler makes me HAPPY!!

Here are some of my Christmas PS charts... and there are more I didn't pull out of my stash...

I honed in on the Santas  for now and snowmen for January... see even more thinking ahead... unbelievable!!

I found this guy I stitched last year... he's tiny... about 2.25" tall...

still needs something at the end of his hat... I'm thinking maybe a little bell and instead of stitching snowflakes I may go back to Hobby Lobby and get some little snowflake buttons...

He's from this chart...

and my current plan is to stitch at least 5 of these guys to put into a little tray as the centerpiece for my table this year... and I'm going to make a new table runner too... I got big  well maybe medium sized plans!!

And I'm really smitten with these angels...

I want to stitch them on a deep turquoise background instead of the black... I'd like to do the one with the dove and the one with the flower... 

Oh I just remembered I purchased some French Christmas charts .... Brodeuses Parisiennes...  you can see my selection here...  last year I bought another packet of these charts but had to pay a huge amount in postage... this time I found this shop and on lots of the charts  the postage is free... and free is for me!! Just checked the tracking and this shipped from France... I should have it the end of the week... woo hoo!

So I have plenty to keep me busy...now to keep me from mindlessly scrolling through IG... I need someone to come and take my phone from me some days...

Next week will definitely have some changes in weather for us here in SW Ohio... rainy for the next few days and when the sun returns highs only in the 50's... last week my son helped me clean out most of the flower bed in the front yard... we still have to work on the side yard and I haven't touched the raised bed with the dahlias which look pitiful... I've neglected them and we've had a couple of windy windy days that blew a bunch of them over... and I have some more alliums and daffodils I need to get into the ground... the trees right now are gorgeous... I LOVE Fall!... and I'm so lucky to live in a neighborhood that still has some old trees... trees that are 70 to 80 years old... since I've lived in this house... 10 years now... I've planted 4 trees and if there was more space in my yard I'd do more...but I've run out of space...sigh... 

I hope that everyone is doing well... trying to block out as much as possible the turmoil that is covering this world... I'm only listening to the news selectively and doing a lot of praying... so many people to pray for... 

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today and I'll spend some time seeing what everyone else is up to... and I'm going to do some stitching... happy little Santas!!

happy stitching-

carol fun 

Turning over a new leaf on a Slow Sunday...

 Hello ... and to all of you who read my tale of woe I appreciate your concern... I am feeling better... taking a lot of probiotics and my gut seems to be responding... a reminder to all ... if you have to take antibiotics makes sure to add probiotics to your diet... I've been cautioned about this before but it slipped my mind during the September I don't want to remember until after that 1st hospital stay... and the advice didn't come from a doctor but from my dear friend who is a nurse. 

Anyway I'm working on turning over a new leaf this month...  I did stitch some cute smalls for Halloween... these are from the Teresa Kogut book Hello Halloween...

three cute little witches...

and a happy pumpkin...

I'm going to finish these as small pillows.. I'm think a dough bowl of cute little pillows would be fun. However I'm not sure I'm going to put out Halloween this year. I thought I'd be feeling up to it by now, but I'm not... so I might just move onto Thanksgiving... I'm really enjoying all my Fall decor... it is THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!!!   I LOVE LOVE LOVE the colors of Fall... avocado green, harvest gold, coppertone brown, mustard yellow... I'm a child of the 70's and my Mom LOVED these colors too. She repainted a good portion of our home with these colors which went well with the enormous brown couch we had... that was only sat upon during holiday celebrations... remember?  sure you do!

I love these colors so much that I have a bunch of Fall quilts and a bunch of Fall socks...

this is the same two skeins of Opal yarn knitted alternating every round...and I just remembered there is a 4th pair but it has grey contrasting heels... never can have too many hand knit socks in Fall colors!!

I'm happy that the weather took a turn for the Fall yesterday and I'm cozy out on the sunroom porch...

I've had enough of the 80's and 90's for this year.  Now to tackle cleaning out the flower beds... sigh... 

As for stitching, well, I decided I needed a new start to improve my mental outlook... something in Fall colors naturally and something that is comfort stitching... and that leads me to Prairie Schooler. 

I started this October 1 and it has given me so much peace and enjoyment... this is one of the Autumn Samplers in Book No. 66, copyright 1997. Here's the chart...

  Here's how it started...

when I got to this point I thought just this section would make a lovely little pillow...(ignore the linen color in this pic, the one below is a truer color)  but I want to do the whole thing and here's where I am now...

the linen in 32 ct and I'm not sure what I dyed this for but it was in my stash. I think it was some mixture of Rit Golden Yellow and  Marigold ... but I could be wrong... anyway it is a lovely warm gold and I think it shows off these flosses quite well.  Now this is a paper reprint and I wish I could have seen an original cardstock chart.  

I changed the DMC 3011 to 3012 in several places as the current floss has minimal contrast to DMC 936... I wonder if the 3011 color family has changed a bit since 1997. I know I have some old skeins of floss in my stash and there is a noticeable difference in some from the current merchandise. Oh well, I'm happy with this and I'd love to finish it and get it framed and displayed by Thanksgiving... I think it is doable.

I have 2 Fall quilts cut out and waiting for me but I just don't have any sewing mojo at the moment... and there are 2 Halloween quilts that just need binding... we'll see, we'll see... LOL ... I remember telling my boys many times "we'll see, we'll see" when they asked for something in a store... my oldest was about 5 when he told me he knew that meant "no"... smart kid. 

I hope that things are going well in your little corner of the world... I pray for all those in turmoil ... and there is certainly plenty of turmoil, isn't there?

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts... just going to continue to take things easy... getting old and getting sick isn't for sissies...

happy stitching,

carol fun 

An update...

Warning lots of complaining/whining/bitching ahead... remember this is diary of my life and I want to document this month as it has been one I will try hard to forget ... but I shouldn't.  Feel free to skip this post. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Hello - I'm doing this update as I want to close out September and never have to talk about this again. So last week I told you of my 2 trips to the ER and one inpatient admission... well this week I added another  ER visit and another inpatient 2.5 day stay in the hospital where things got worse.

Let me summarize...

First trip to ER diagnosed with diverticulitis. Explained I was antibiotic resistant, was ignored and given low dose of antibiotic which kept it at bay for a couple of days and then let the infection come raging back.

Second trip to ER...  10 days later, yep infection has increased... white blood cell count now double what it should be and I have major bowel issues ... no more details are needed... you get the picture and it isn't pretty. So now I get 2.5 day of heavy duty antibiotics and I go home. 

Third trip to ER... again 10 days since I was there... infection/white blood cell count is now 3 times what it should be and they realize they have killed off all the good and some of the bad bacteria in my gut and now I have C-diff... I won't repeat the words I said (in my head)... C-diff is nasty... it is hard to get rid of... I was a prime candidate for it. Over 65, just did a recent round of antibiotics, and had been in a hospital.   Prior to this I've only had a passing knowledge of C-diff. It needs to be treated with a special antibiotic (very pricey)  and one should have NO other antibiotics.... but a hospitalist I saw in the ER when I was doped on on a very powerful painkiller (Dilaudid)  decided she wasn't sure it was C-diff ( I'd already had a swab for it at this point) and to "be on the safe side" continued to give me antibiotics for both diverticulitis and C-diff... totally wrong treatment... negated the effects of the C-diff meds while feeding the bad bacteria. It took another hospitalist to realize what was going on and stop the antibiotics for the diverticulitis and just give me the C-diff meds.

This second admission had me in a total dump of a hospital room. I took pics and I'm composing a complaint to the hospital. Baseboard heater next to my bed was duct taped together... and by the looks of it a 3 year old did it. There was a stain on the wall next to the bed... it was pinky red...maybe juice? maybe blood? ... I don't know... The visitor chair had a chunk missing out of the seat. The call button for my bed didn't work properly. The could hear me but I couldn't hear them. Didn't find this out till the morning I was getting ready to leave. There was painted chipped off the walls everywhere (the room use to be blue, not white). The floor had stains everywhere and the entry from the room to the bathroom was damaged... 2 chunks out of the riser that spans the gap and the difference of height of the floors... and every time I went to the bathroom ( which was more than I could count) the wheels of the IV cart would get caught and it would yank the IV in my arms... I am so bruised ... arms, hands, stomach...  This experience did make me realize that I'm not a good candidate for prison... I left on Wednesday as I had all my sanity could take.

Recovering at home. Thursday I did nothing but take pain killers and sit in my stitching chair but I could even pick up a needle. Friday some improvement. Put on real clothes, didn't take any painkillers and got out of the house for a little while. Saturday, better, actually have a bit of an appetite.  Realizing I am not going to bounce back from this quickly. I've spent more time in the hospital this month than the rest of my life combined. 

Working on trying to improve the good bacteria in my gut. Spoke with an infectious disease doc (oh did I mention C-diff is very infectious until you are on the antibiotic for 48 hours?)  I asked about eating things like Greek yogurt and  kefir and kombucha which he highly recommended. Taking extra vitamins and trying to rest because...  1 in 5 people relapse with C-diff in 2 to 6 weeks after the treatment... oh great... something else to add to my anxiety. 

I'm sure you've picked up that I am very angry about this situation. I feel that when I was admitted the first time someone should have been considering C-diff... instead I was visited by a pack of surgeons who seemed focused on whether or not they could re-section my bowel.  I think I should have been seen by an infectious disease specialist then, as I had all the classic markers of someone who could get it. 

Okay I need to improve my attitude... was suppose to have my hair colored and cut on Thursday... told my stylist who I've been going to for almost 10 years I couldn't make it... she's going on vacation for 2 weeks so I thought I'd have to wait till my next scheduled appointment which would make almost 9 weeks between... instead she's going to come in early on Monday to take care of me... and I do appreciate it. 

I hope that things in your life are going better... because if they aren't you have my deepest sympathy. 

I'm happy I'm showing improvement... now to make that a trend.

happy stitching-

carol fun 

The best laid plans of mice and men...on a Slow Sunday...

Hello... well as the saying goes,

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry...

and mine certainly did. When I was last here I had started 3 of my planned 7 samplers for my Birthday Extravaganza... oh I had high hopes for this endeavor... but it is not to be.   

My first draft of this post was filled in details of my experience which I have decided you don't need to be bored with... let me see if I can say it more succinctly. 

I had a bad diverticulitis attack. Put me in the hospital for 3 days. It has taken me about a week to bounce back, which is disheartening because in the past (like when I was 20 years younger) I would have recovered in 24 hours. Anyway, as I type this I am feeling sooooooo much better.  I've taken all my antibiotics and I'm following a low fiber, high protein diet for the next week or so. 

 To avoid diverticulitis you are suppose to eat a lot of fiber... but when you have diverticulitis you aren't suppose to eat much fiber... it's a conundrum.

Needless to say I haven't stitched much. I did do a day or so on my 4th choice of sampler. This was a last minute substitution on my part.  This is a modified version of Blackbird Designs Crowns & Shields. I'm going to do about 3/4th of it. 

I'm doing this is a monochromatic color scheme... DMC 829, 830, 831, 832, 833, 834... it is a gold with a green undertone and it matches the linen I dyed wonderfully. I plan to personal the little cartouches with family initials.

And at this point I decided to suspend starting the last 3 samplers I had chosen. They are kitted up and ready to go and I will get back to them.... but right now I'm not feeling like starting any more BIG projects. I need something small ... something I can complete in a timely fashion... and with that in mind I'm playing  with elements of  this... Hello Halloween by Teresa Kogut.

I'm going to do the little witches as separate little pillows...

Each little witch has a different dress and facial expression.

I found this piece of linen in my stash... pale swathes of green, orange and purple... 

originally  I thought I could squeeze 6 witches on the piece, but reworking my calculations said 4 was all I could do... and here is the first one I stitched...

Ain't she cute?  She's a shade under 3 inches tall on 32 ct... let's see if I can  get 4 done by Oct 31... 

Fortunately I had completed my Fall decorating before I got ill... and I'm really happy with the living room displays. I thought I'd just put things out in the same arrangement as last year, and there are some pieces in the same place but other stuff got changed up... 

Here's the wall quilt...

this year I opted for my acorn quilt... this block was a freebie and part of a larger SAL when I made it ... it is no longer free and I have no clue where my pattern is ...  here's a link to the pdf of the pattern.  Each acorn is a different Grunge fabric and the quilting by Delinda (here's her website) is dynamite!

The 2 level tier tray works great for these Fall pieces... the top piece is a Prairie Schooler  and the little guy tucked into the truck bed is  Pineberry Lane... Cats & Jacks.

From the top, the small display includes a white pumpkin mini quilt and Fall String by Lizzie Kate and little pillow finish of  Waiting for Harvest by Blackbird Design.

Middle shelf is my favorite pumpkin basket... this was from Henn Pottery (remember home sales parties?)  I've had this for years... a classic... the fraternal twin Bittersweet September pieces from Blackbird Designs... Autumn by Lizzie Kate fronting a small wooden trug and white pumpkin chart was called Autumn by The Stitcherhood. 

 The large display is looking quite nice ... IMHO... this year I skipped the straw the I usually strewn everywhere and just used fake leaves... cleanup will be a lot easier ... 

At the top I have the Fall Welcome from The Drawn Thread... below one of my favorite Blackbird Design pieces, Feast of Friendship.

The shelf below has Fall Most of All from Calico Confectionery and the Autumn Sampler from Lizzie Kate.

And the next shelf down has two pieces from Barbara Ana Designs... Autumn on the left and Autumn Keeper on the right.

When I post next time I will have moved onto  Halloween... gonna turn a lot of those pumpkins around and show their jack-o-lantern faces and swap out Fall cross stitch for Halloween cross stitch.  I'm enjoying the weather so much right now.... it is those halcyon  days of  mid 70 temperatures with no humidity... got all the windows open and keeping my dollars away from the utility company. They've sucked me dry this summer... and I dread winter as we are forecast to be colder and snowier than the past couple of years. 

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts... planning on spending the day on the porch, reading blogs, stitching and probably a bit of napping too.  As for sage advice, get plenty of fiber in your diet so you don't spend your 70th birthday sipping ginger ale in the hospital.   

happy stitching-

carol fun