A little Snippy

 Hello shoppers and stitchers.  I didn't do much of either today.  We went out to get those unattractive but very useful TriBurst lights for the garage.  Thought it might prevent another door from being destroyed.  That was it!  Kraynak's is still so packed with people I am uncomfortable browsing.  Maybe Monday at store opening.  The older I am, the more I avoid gatherings, crowded stores, even celebrations like weddings.  Complete opposite of younger days, and I don't like it one bit.

I removed all the stitches and need to stabilize the linen in that area for the rice stitch.  I've mentioned before about using Lift 'n Snip clippers for better control when cutting.  Several inquired about those snips and I don't believe this particular brand is still sold.  There is a folding version I believe, mine are decades old.  

These are the blades.  

The bottom hook is quite sharp and easy to slip under the top threads.

I ordered Notforgotten Farm's charts, Christmas Folk and Spools of my Thread.  I'm 70, and limiting spending on inexpensive items that bring joy will have greater impact on mood than on budget. 

Merry Christmas to me.

She featured it in her Christmas show announcement and I searched her Etsy page after page several times and did not see it.  But I ordered today along with that sweet sweet little bag that I have loved for a long time.  Then I found a file that was downloaded months ago from Pineberry Lane, A Sprig of Holly.  Add those to the latest from Lori Rippey and I have several smaller Christmas projects to think about.  It better be soon because I have less than a month!  I may switch to one or two with a promise to myself that I WILL return to Rachel.

Surgery is scheduled for December 9.

Snowing here, black ice, lots of accidents.  Be careful!!

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and ... end of that day

 Hello thankful people.  Am I an egghead or what?  Things happen, debt is incurred, frustration with objects and possessions is constant, overdyed linen will never be what it should, and none of it matters.  It's life baby.  Put your big girl white Fruit of the Loom full (and I mean full) size briefs on and continue with your boring life.

We're home, Carole enjoyed the goat cheese, Dalmatia fig spread, cherry tomatoes with fresh mozzarella pearls drizzled with honey and balsamic, kiwi, mango, smoked swiss, and iced coffee.  It was a nice visit.  The people at this facility are top notch, so caring, always upbeat, and extremely kind.  I hope I did not offend any when they came into her room to say hello (yes these workers just stop to talk with residents) and each hugged her and exclaimed how sorry they were to hear the news.  My mouth opened, fig seeds filling teeth gaps, and I announced this surgery is a shame, yes, but they aren't thinking about the extreme pain for months that will end, the ability to sit, mobility with a wheelchair, go outside, in the kitchen, at home, in a restaurant.  Yes yes yes it is horrible and sad, but don't make her feel worse.  Tell her although devastating, it will free her from that bed, from the pain, from the isolation.  And then I finished the goat cheese.  Boom.

Mark went out to get a bag of ice for two small coolers and we will keep coffee cream and juices, daily use items near the kitchen.  Boom!

So dear friends, I am sorry I spouted off like a whiny weenie.  I'm so tired, and like all babies, expressed my crankiness.

Hope your day was good.

I'm using Paypal to pay some things and decided to spend my $10 on a WTNT Santa chart.  Either Merry Old Soul or Peppermint Pals.  I'm sure I can move a few bucks into the stash fund for postage.

I just realized the Steelers aren't playing tomorrow, it's Thursday not Saturday!

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One day

 Wishing you all a thoughtful Thanksgiving.

Yesterday was quite frustrating and I'm trying to let it all go today.

The awning window in mom's bathroom is crammed with dried grass every year by a nutcase bug.  I saw a little blade sticking out and oblivious to common sense, cranked it open.  The wind blew all that crap into the bathroom.  What a mess.  New vacuum, outstanding pickup, but I can't adjust.  It fell over three times in a little bath when using a crevice tool, and I struck my head on the iron TP holder when getting up from the floor.  Massive headache.

So I sat for a while and decided to place orders for an extra pair of boots for the kids at the hugely reduced sale price.  All were sold out, every store I browsed, my fault.  Too many other issues and time slipped away.  Seems like yesterday I was bitching about November and it's ending.

 When your house is stained very dark and it's dark outside, even lights are sometimes not enough.  Distracted while we were discussing sister's situation, the garage door did not open on the first press and .... yep.   Boom.  This door is no longer made and the panel can't be replaced.  Impossible to find colors to match very dark monotone houses. Too cold to paint but the time of delivery cannot be offered, may not be until ?????  So I'm ticked after a morning of phone calls to companies that not only have no workers, have nothing to offer for months.  

And then, my fridge died.  It's a bottom freezer model that fits like a glove in a custom cabinet, counter depth.  My small kitchen demands it because any of the current models extend quite a bit and my butt would hit it when bending to open the oven door.  No appliances available here anyway, another item that would take six months.  High end models of built-ins cost more than my car.  We need more coolers but stores to purchase are not open today.  

We are often dropping what we are doing to drive over to check on Chris when he doesn't answer (type 1 diabetic with pump) and in the middle of dinner yesterday got calls from my brother's neighbor that he is not answering the door.  If they would have tried again, it would have saved us the trip.  He's fine.  We greatly appreciate people checking on others but bathrooms, basements, showers, sometime prevent hearing a visitor.

Taking low sodium treats, fruits, and such to Carole today, she is expecting everyone to go there.  The are four of us, two are going after lunch, and honestly, as much as this is breaking my heart, I can't deal with it.  I have matching wreaths and a tiny sweet tree for her but I'm sure as with everything else, it won't be right.  I don't know what I can do to help her deal with it all.  There is a difference between being compassionate and accommodating.  And either can weigh heavily.

The surgery will be soon and I need to increase my credit limit that started with installation of the mandated sewer project and additional monthly fee.  I have $10 left in my stash fund, and am so grateful the shop I purchased from allows returns so not much wasted on linen I didn't care for.  I hope the hotel will have openings that soon, others further into Pittsburgh are even higher in price.

I have much to be thankful for,

I have much to be sad about,

 I have much to be enraged about.

Don't we all?

Today we should focus on thankful.

We can bitch tomorrow.

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Balls of a different use

 Hi everyone.  First, the wool balls I was referring to are not the dryer balls.   Online sales for decorative snowballs of various size (some quite small) made from wool, are used in bowls and Christmas decor.  Personally, I hate the white crap regardless of the size of your balls.

I wanted to mention a problem with Rachel that I forgot needed adjusting.  I did not like the right side being two additional stitches from the outline than the left, so I reversed the left side chart and followed it on the right.  But once that page was over, I continued using the right side page, not the reversed left.  Uh-oh.  That threw vinegar in my oil.  The repeated main vine was moved which would of course throw off all other elements by two on successive pages.  So I removed the offenders and counted in from the outline to position the motifs the same as the other side, and all is well in my bitchdom.  

We had rain over the weekend and my Amazon order was handed to a neighbor by mistake, but I had no idea which.  Two days later, Chris came over and said there is a package on our grass alongside the road.  Yep.  It was too much trouble to pull in the drive and throw it on the porch, they threw it out the window.  No mail to retrieve, no newspaper delivery in the box, and no view from the house, so how could we see it?  Soaked.

Nothing to do with anything else but .....

very thin fried salami pieces for salad.

No good news from Pittsburgh today except for a few celebrating the loss of my voice.  She was in tears at the news that the pain and destruction will continue, requiring more trips to the hospital, and eventually another amputation.   Even if your remaining leg is tremendously painful, you are unable to hang it down to sit, can't use a wheelchair, will remain bedfast, it's hard to agree to the loss of both legs.  A prosthetic on one leg used to support/stabilize would assist transfer to wheelchair.  Her age and fact that she hasn't walked in eight months prohibits being fitted for two.  Extremely upsetting to her, I can't imagine.  I don't know when, that is her decision, but we need to make reservations again.  

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Wooly balls

 If you have pets, be very careful with the wool snowballs that are a big seller this year.  I read that several pups thought the little balls were for play or food and the wool felt stuck in their throats.  Please pass on to friends!

I have one more color to fill in the right border (still not stitching the white until the end), and will go back to removing the entire center motif including the wonky gold rice.  One of the reasons they aren't even or "firm", this area was frogged once before (thread was too light) and the same linen threads have been poked one time too many.  Another reason they lost their body is from dyeing and washing, which could have been a number of times.  I'll use Best Press to size and stabilize the linen threads, should help the stitches be more uniform.  Then, on to the house and beast.

We're going to Pittsburgh Monday for Carole's appointment.  

Very soon ..... December.  Closer to summer.

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Masking the truth

 Just a little tidbit, hope it offers a giggle.

I went to the store!  Got a haircut!  Visited Carole!  Then collapsed but I made it.

While walking to the check out, a man wearing a face mask said "hey, how's it going?".  Mark proceeded to tell him how sick I was, and I've seen how involved he gets in expressing this so continued down another aisle.  I didn't recognize the man nor want him to know about my body and its malfunctions, but knew Mark had shared the situation with friends.  Rounding another aisle to make my way back to the checkout, I see Mark still in conversation.  As I approached, the man said "I just heard your life story".  We wished him a good day and parted.  Mark asked "who was that?" 

Whoever he is, he knows me well and every detail of my miserable month.  I doubt he will ever casually ask how it's going to another shopper.  Damn masks.

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