2012 - Week One - Let's Do This2012 - Week One - Let's Do This I'm starting off 2012 with a positive surge of energy and eagerness because I know this is going to be a great year!  This year, although I don't set new year's goals or resolutions, I am looking forward...

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Week Fifty - GiftsWeek Fifty - Gifts This week's post is all about gifts.  First I'll start with the gift of an amazing husband who cares for me way more than I could ever deserve.  This past week, my laptop that I use for doing my job...

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Week Fourty Nine - Lessons LearnedWeek Fourty Nine - Lessons Learned One of the things I have learned about blogging over the past years, is that the very thing that you most want to write about generally keeps you from writing. That thing is called life. When I get busy,...

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Week Thirty - Rabbits Reborn and Sharing the Game of SoccerWeek Thirty - Rabbits Reborn and Sharing the Game of... This week has been a long one.  Scott has been in Africa all week and does not get back until Wednesday.  Although I have missed him greatly, I have been able to accomplish much with the quiet house...

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Week Twenty Nine - Missions and MittensWeek Twenty Nine - Missions and Mittens Scott left for Uganda yesterday on his first mission trip, ever.  He will be gone for 10 days and is part of an all male (testosterone rich) group of coaches and active guys.  He was excited, nervous,...

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2012 – Week One – Let’s Do This

Category : Featured, Fiber Arts, Journal

I’m starting off 2012 with a positive surge of energy and eagerness because I know this is going to be a great year!  This year, although I don’t set new year’s goals or resolutions, I am looking forward to staying out of the hospital for the entire year, seeing my Etsy shop, Arwen’s Child, take off, and finally, voting in a new president!  Don’t know what your political affiliations are, but I am leaning heavily toward Ron Paul at this time.

All the gifts I made throughout the year and stored for Christmas seemed to be appreciated and loved by all recipients.  We had Christmas dinner and desert with the parental units on Christmas Eve and I made these.

Christmas Day we shared with the kids in Colorado via FaceTime.

We were able to open presents with them and visit for a while, which was really nice.  It was still not anything like having them here, where I could hug them and enjoy their extended company, but it will have to do for now.  I started thinking about it and realized that I saw Luke the day he was born, and I won’t see (touch) him again until he is walking.  Life…

As far as I can tell, EVERYONE liked what I made for them for Christmas.  Everything fit every recipient, which was a plus!  I think I am going to continue to make or (in rare cases) purchase Christmas gifts throughout the year.  It really saved a lot of stress and $$ at the end of the year.  So, if you are (or want to be, I’m happy to make gifts for those who will cherish them) on my list, please make sure I have your sizes and pertinent information so that I can make you something that fits.

Christmas for me was pretty cool this year, in terms of gifts, also.  I pooled my saving stash with my Christmas gift money (and Scott’s) and picked out this baby.

She is a Janome 9500 and is totally awesome!  I haven’t done any embroidery on her yet, but I will very soon.  Over the Christmas holidays I was able to finish up one of the two wine colored dresses that had been commissioned last year before I went into the hospital.  Unfortunately, I had to refund the deposit to the customer because of the hospital and recovery issue, but I still want to finish the two dresses for Arwen’s Child.  Here is the first one of the pair.  This dress is called Hope and is available.  The dress is size 6 and would make a wonderful special occasion dress for a lovely little girl.  If you visit my shop, please make it one of your favorites.  I would appreciate it!

The second gift I received was an Amazon gift card.  Yep, it is spent!  Those things don’t survive long in my hands.  Here is what I procured with it.

Finally, I did finish one other project over the holiday.  In 1995, I stitched “Blueberry Homecoming” and now I have, framed, it’s twin piece “Raspberry Homecoming.”  Sixteen years between the two but I can cross them off the bucket list.

Here’s hoping everyone who reads this has a super 2012.

DKF

Week Fifty – Gifts

Category : Featured, Fiber Arts, Health

This week’s post is all about gifts.  First I’ll start with the gift of an amazing husband who cares for me way more than I could ever deserve.  This past week, my laptop that I use for doing my job died.  My job is done completely online and there are several programs that I use that have to be configured just so in order for me to do my job properly.  Thanks to my husband, and some awesome tech support from Liberty University (my employer), we were able to get my iMac configured for my work tasks within a few hours of the crash.  The most amazing thing, though, is that my super hero of a husband had my laptop back up and running by the next day, complete with new hard drive and ALL my data files recovered.  He is so amazing!!

Second on the list is a gift I made for a friend who is having a baby shower this week.  Since I saw how much my kids keep my grandson in his sleep sack that I made for him, I decided to make one for my friend.  She is a Bama fan, so, the addition of a patch to the front of the sack was a special added touch.  I hope she likes it.

The third gift I would like to mention is the gift of doctors, friends, and pastors who care about me and were there for me this last time I was hospitalized.  During my absence from blog posting, I was hospitalized again for sepsis and it was anything but fun.  This time was not as life threatening as the last, because we caught it sooner, but going to the hospital once a year is not something I am interested in doing.  The sepsis is an issue that, if caught quickly enough, can be treated at home with the appropriate antibiotics.  I just have to make sure and watch closely for the signs.  This is a learning process.  This time, like last time, I really thought I had the flu or something viral.  A few days into it, when we figured out that it was not viral and it was similar to last year, it was too late to treat at home and off to the hospital I went.  Ugh!  I am feeling much better now and back to sewing up a storm!

That brings me to the fourth gift.  I have been teaching a friend to sew for the past few weeks and this week she made an absolutely adorable sleeper for a gift for a friend.  The sleeper was made of fleece and went together so quickly that I decided my grandsons really needed to have one, too.  So, I located some fleece on sale and a couple of patterns and have been whipping these things out like mad.  I think they may be finished in time to get to them as additional Christmas gifts.  Whoot!!

There is much more to post about, but it will have to wait till the next installment.  For now I leave you with this quote:

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” ~ Douglas Adams

Week Twenty Five & Twenty Six – Labors of Love

Category : Fiber Arts, Journal

This week I am playing catch up on my blog posts and so, for the two of you who read my blog, you get two posts for the price of one.  :-)   The kids have come and gone, then come and gone again.  They stayed with us a few days on their way to Disney World and then again on their way back through to the airport in Atlanta.  Everyone is back home in Colorado safely now and life has returned to some semblance of normal.  No major catastrophes to report, except for the kid’s dog (a massive Great Dane) who ate, literally, the banister railing at their home while they were away.  Apparently, he was lonely.

While the kids were at Disney, I had the opportunity to make my son a kilt, which I did not get a photo of…darn it!  I also was able to put the borders on a quilt that William’s Mimi and I are collaborating on.  His Mimi is doing the cross stitch and I am doing the borders and putting the quilt together.

This week I was able to get back to Christmas knitting and completed this uber cute hat for someone special.  The hat pattern is Dead or Alive? by Knitty.  It was a really quick knit and is modeled below by my niece, Martha.  After modeling for these photos, she announced that she would like an octopus hat.  Oh boy…

The Flower Power test sock knit is no more.  Although I really liked the pattern, the socks were not turning out as I had hoped, so frogged they are.  I am using the yarn from the socks for another Christmas present, though, a pair of gloves, and they are turning out much more to my liking.  Photos when they are done.

Finally, Scott was able to take some wonderful photos of Sara, Bryan, William and Baby Luke while they were here.  Below is a sample, but you can see more from the shoot here.

On a fun side note, we (the family when they were here), got to talking about old, favorite movies and who would have them on disc.  I have always wanted to secure a copy of a cheesy movie made in 1981 called Excalibur.  We checked out the local Hastings and sure enough, they had it.  Awesome!

That is about it for now.  We are headed out to the Auburn 4th of July fireworks tonight.  Scott should get some awesome photos of them, as he does every year!  I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July!!

Quote of the week: “It is a lonely life, the way of the necromancer… oh, yes. Lacrimae Mundi – the tears of the world.” ~ Merlin, Excalibur (1981)

Week Twenty Three – Test Knitting

Category : Featured, Fiber Arts, Health, Journal

This week I started test knitting the Flower Power Socks I mentioned last week.  I love the way the flowers are turning out.  Test knitting is fun, but can also be a challenge.  You get the pattern for free, which is a plus, but you also get to be the one to find all the errors as you work through it on a deadline, a definite minus.  This designer has done an excellent job at writing the pattern the first go around, so there are not many true errors in the pattern.

I also realized that the holiday knitting I have started was going to have to remain a secret until Christmas.  This just won’t do.  I have to share what I am working on, or else, why blog?  LOL  So, I figured out that if I just show them on my blog without any specific recipient details, it may keep those potential recipients who read my blog from knowing who they are for.  This is the best solution I could come up with for this dilemma.  Of course, the baby and kid items are going to be obvious, but the socks, mittens, etc. shouldn’t be so obvious.

On the health front, my doctor, called me on Thursday and wanted to know why the oral surgeon had me come to his (my doctor’s) office for blood work.  Without my requesting it, he said I shouldn’t need a transfusion before I have the tooth extracted and said he would contact the oral surgeon on Monday to let him know.  I am thrilled to report that they hashed it out and I will not have to have a transfusion before the tooth extraction.  I do have to agree that if it looks like I am about to bleed to death that I will go to the ER for platelets right away…duhhhhhh….  I love my doctor!  He just made my Christmas gift list!!

This week, the kids come to visit us on their way to Disney World.  It will be great to see them and spend some time with them without being in the hospital.  I am really looking forward to that!

Quote of the day: “The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.”  ~Voltaire

Week Twenty Two – Holiday Knitting

Category : Featured, Fiber Arts, Health

Yes, I have actually started my Christmas 2011 knitting and crafting.  I am hoping to give more hand made gifts this year than ever before.  Unfortunately, I can’t reveal photos of those projects because, as I found out last week, my family reads my blog from time to time.  However, here are photos of the socks that I started on the way to the festival last week.  These are most likely for me and you can find more details on my Ravelry page.

Both pair are now at the turn heel stage.  So, I should have two new pair of socks to show in a couple of weeks.  Also, I was selected to test knit these socks.  Aren’t they a gas?  Of course, I had to order yarn to make them…gotta love stash enhancement!

On the health front, I went to the oral surgeon to see about the third tooth extraction and he does not want to do the procedure until I have blood work done to make sure my platelet count is high enough.  This liver thing is a PITA!  I have had two teeth extracted in the last two weeks and have had no complications.  Because this guy is a surgeon and not a dentist, he wants to “make sure” (read: legally cover his rear) when it comes to my “procedure” (read: pulling a tooth).  I can understand completely, but HATE having blood drawn…  Anyway, after the tooth is removed, I will finally have a partial, something that has been a long time coming.

Quote of the Day: “We are the people our parents warned us about.” ~ Jimmy Buffet