Short Update

Thank you to all who left me so many encouraging messages. I felt them in the heart and I just want you to know I appreciate every one of them.  I just read them all this morning. Friday morning went to work and the pain got so bad that I had to leave work at 3pm to go back to the doc and get a temporary implant put in my left eye to help with the pain, kind of like a bandage on the eyeball. It did help and I have to go back Tuesday to have it removed. Then to a specialist on Thursday. If I take the big patch off my left eye I see kinda double out of it but then I put the bigger patch on and can at least see out the right one.

 Bodyguard calls me a pirate today...LOL

Again, thanks for all the prayers. I'm certain that " everything happens for a reason, and for a time and a place under Heaven" just as written in Ecclesiastes. I can't say that I would have said that at every year of my life but the older I get, the more clear that is to me.

I haven't picked up the needle for the past few days. I may see how I can stitch with my magnifier and the big patch tonight. 

Her eyes are homes of silent prayers ~~~

Alfred Tennyson

Hopefully, I will be able next to post some stitching progress!

My day came to a hault yesterday but.......I have a NEW stitching chair

without telling you a long sad story of how my eye got this way........the consequences of domestic violence years past still follow me daily. I've often been told that something will either kill you or make you stronger and through all eye trouble due to being hit in it so much in younger years, I hope I live to see judges REALLY hold domestic violence perpetrators responsible for the sequelae they induce that go on years and years. I'm a surviver, not a victim. As a survivor, I hope one day that real justice is served for men who choose to hit.

However, besides glaucoma, yesterday I woke up with really bad deep eye socket pain. I took some pain meds, went on with the day and it kept getting worse and worse until I called my eye doc to look, I knew something was wrong and losing my eyesight is a fear almost like no other for me. So I drove from work to the eye doc who is fixing to stop accepting my insurance so that's a whole different ball of wax.

The light from the windshied was really increasing the nerve pain but she looked and did a stain test. I knew I had an old scar on my cornea from a certain individaul's rants in the distance past but I tend to sleep with my eyes half-way open so if they become dry it's a problem. So happens to be in the same eye as I have glaucoma. The glaucoma is doing ok with the eye drops to make sure the pressure is lower. But this, a corneal ulcer is not what I expected to happen. Evidently my eyes were so dry that my eyelid stuck to the cornea and ripped off the surface of the scar on the cornea so I had to put meds in and sleep with an eye mask and will have to for 2 weeks.

 Needless to say, I'm determined to keep stitching, reading, writing, but rest my eyes when I can. The pharmacy is getting the med in today at noon. I just had a sample to get me through the night.

HOWEVER, on much better thoughts, I wanted you show you my new stitching chair. It was a find at an antique store for only 60.00. I fell in love with it. It is OLD!. The trim was loosened but Body Guard is going to fix that. He wiped it down good and took the tiny wheels off the bottom so it wouldn't tear up the hardwood floor. It looks low now but it's actually MUCH better stitching position with my needlework stand. And it's comfy for the hiney too. They actually labed it The Cross stitch Chair!
One call and BG brought his truck over and helped me get this beaufy. It looks good in the house and actually better as the other chair blocked alot of light from the window.

Take a looksee:

The really bright sun is not helping cooperate with good pic taking this morning.

I stitched this pillow with my initial back in 1981 (YIKES)

I love it.

I worked a little more night before last on the inner border as well just to get a feel for how Ann Hill would be bordered. If eyes cooperating today, I hope to get more work on her done.

The kit has DMC floss, no numbers, just description, so I put through my Sajou thread card and penciled in the color names as a guide.

And even with eye patch on, I plan to perservere today and work on stitching in this very chair! ;)

And the first person to contact me was Pat M. and she has been notified as I continue to clean out the Aida and old patterns to send. Stay tuned because I may have other things down the road.

I hope your Thursday goes well, you have good "sight", and pleasant company.

And remember. Never, ever, give up.

Our Freedoms design

Our Freedoms

designed by Feathers in the Nest

copyright 2011

Here is a freebie offered for a few days if you would like a newbie to stitch for the 4th OR Americana decor!

Hope you like it. Grab it while you can. Just click on the pic.

I've learned that counting blessings is a good way to get through life's journey and one of the biggest we all share in the US is the blessing of our freedoms.

Enjoy!

Moving and grooving in the Summertime, to keep or not to keep

Today went VERY fast!  A bit on the tired side but oh so thankful to my friend Dot, who unfortunately moved (fortunate for her so I'm happy for her) but had some furniture that I was so very thankful for the opportunity to purchase from her.

In my never-ending nesting in our spot of the woods, I knew exactly where I would put these pieces. Right now, they are hanging out in the basement level which is undergoing a bit of reconstruction. Please excuse the mess surrounding the pieces but if you are like me and LOVE antiques and older colonial pieces of furniture, you will see why I did a happy dance!!!

Please excuse the mess around it (sigh)

Right off the dolly into the basement. I love it and will treasure it forever.

She has been so good to us in the past 8 years and is my Godmother. The armoire is old but in very good condition, as all her furniture is. Great storage space.

Three pieces of colonial pine furniture as well!

Basement floors still unfinished but sooner rather than later will be finished with something---anything at this point. ;)

There is another cabinet I simply couldn't photograph as it was in an awkward way off the truck. I plan to paint it and use it for storage as well.

See those big AC ducts above....yeppers, ALL of that is coming out in the next month as the AC unit is hanging on a thread for the 2 lower levels. Furnace is toast. So, the ductwork will be replaced as well, as the AC guy said that as old as it is, probably needs it plus the new furnace will be much smaller than our old, big one.

And so, the stimulus for me to continue to part with items to make room for a good cleaning before all this is taken down. Floors last. I can only imagine the mess this will all stir up, but it will be worth it in the end.

My office space also got a new computer and printer. It's about time to be able to rely on a printer better!

And that space of the basement is already my spot to study, do paperwork if needed, research, read, just hang out, etc.

I do have a bit of old patterns and Aida cloth pieces that I know I will not use as I stitch only on linen and I'm sighing between what to do with it. Where should it go?  Anybody still use Aida cloth and need some?

Interested in really old patterns? (I mean OLD!)

It has to go to a new home, if not, I will donate along with Body Guard's 1980 something "casual white dinner coat" and other stuff I have that should have left a good while ago.

Email me if you are interested. First come, first serve on the Aida pieces and old patterns. I will pay shipping. I still am working on the box I'm putting these in.

Last night I also got into organizing fat quarters and fabric and MAN, did I EVAH have lots of it!!!!

But that, dear friends, will stay close to home. ;)

Sunday cleaning

Did I say it's hot in this spot on the map?  No complaints though. I prefer warmth than those bitterly cold, joint-aching days for these old bones.

I had several questions on The Frame Guys. Their shop is on EBAY not ETSY.  I'll try to send a link in a few.

My friend Dot called. She is happy in her new place and I'm so happy for her. She has left some things to pick up, and her son is coming soon to the house down the road. She wanted to know if I wanted her beautiful mahogany armoire and we are planning an outing to go look at that (probably will get it for office space in BG office) and then to the Dairy Queen!!!! I've been craving a Butterfinger Blizzard for days now.

Lots of cleaning going on this week. This morning, I thought I had finally got ALL my threads organized but in cleaning found some more in bags. Gosh, I stash and made a mess from my last few projects.

But I feel so much better getting this all organized. Takes away from stitching time but clutter makes my stress level climb so, gotta get it together, as one of my friends says to me!

Next, this evening, more cleaning in my office space downstairs. New computer, new printer and may curl up with a good book this evening on the sofa down there because it's HOT, HOT outside!

Hope your Sunday is as restful and productive as ours. We are amazed at how much of a pac rat we both are. I just look at BG's office space and sigh.  Long sighs. I think he has cord for every object known to man.

I hear thunder. Oh no!

Best run to get a bite to eat before heading out on errands.

Have a great afternoon!

I'm in an adventuresome mood.

Talk later,

Jennifer