Crossing stitches and counting blessings

Finally picked up "Gathering Honey" again. I need to knock it out but just haven't felt very creative lately. I'll share an update pic soon.

I've been job hunting so that has been the priority. I recently had a great interview with a senior executive for exec. administrative assistant. Didn't get the job though...they went with the interim candidate instead. Still, it was a neat blessing just to get the interview.
  

"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." ~Christopher Robin to Pooh

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  ~Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."  ~Romans 8:28 NIV

"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed...nothing will be impossible for you." ~Matthew 17:20 NIV

 And this just puts a smile on my face...my granddaughter....Miss P

Another Year Has Flown By

I'm another year older today. Whew! The years seem to get shorter as I get older. We celebrated at Bonefish Grill. I love that restaurant! August is a busy month for us. School has started, 2 family birthdays, our son will be returning from Iraq, and a few other personal matters to wrap up this month.

I'm anxious to pick up Gathering Honey again. I also have a few items I would like to sew up for my granddaughter just as soon as life levels out!

I have enjoyed seeing all the patriotic stitching as I lurk around blogland. I plan to stitch up a few soon.

Happy Thanksgiving and Tag You're It!

We had our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. I was sad to not have my soldier home. Otherwise, we had a pleasant dinner. Happy Thanksgiving to all my blogging friends!

Lucy at Folk-N-Fancy tagged me to share 6 random things about myself! Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog.

3. Write six random things about yourself.

4. Tag six people at the end of your post.

5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.

1. I love reading the dictionary! Nerd-o-fied, I know...I know. I love playing Scrabble, but can't always find an opponent.

2. I enjoy making someone laugh, even if it makes me look silly doing it. It's totally worth it. (e.g. {Gasping} "I got a red straw!") If you would have been there, you would have laughed. Trust me. Not funny in print, but in real life it was a pretty good one.

3. I cry at the drop of a hat. A friend recently told me she is a "free-crier". I had never heard of that before, but I suppose I am one.

4. I am married to a very talented musician. Translation: I've been a roadie and a groupie "with benefits" ;^)

5. I am totally blind in one eye, but most people don't even know it. It doesn't keep me from cross stitching or sewing...but I can't play tennis!

6. I feel like I'm being frivolous when I don't use coupons when buying groceries. I'm the lady who brings her own bags to the grocery which earns .03cents off per bag on the total.

I'm tagging RuthAnn, mimpinmom, Kim, Beth, Tobie, and Andrea.

Now let's see what's random with you!

Mothers Day

I had a very nice Mothers' Day this year. I received a storage box for my stash of scrapbooking paper from DS/11 and an OTT light from my DH. My DD/26 gave me the beautiful white roses. I took her and my mom to lunch. I didn't hear from DS/22 (he was at Ft. Irwin, CA, for combined training with the other battalions that are deploying in August). He was, however, able to call me this past Sunday and wish me a late Happy M'day! I was so thankful to hear from him. He will be coming home for a brief visit and then deploying to Iraq (at least, as far as we know).

It's hard to wrap my brain around becoming a grandmother for the first time and seeing my son go off to war within the same 4 months. Needless to say, God has a bigger plan than I can see. I just can't quite grasp it all yet.

3 Years and Still Blogging

Today is my 3 year blog anniversary. It's hard to believe I have stuck with it, though I have been inconsistent in my posts. I'll try to improve on that. I love all your comments and I especially enjoy all your stitching, sewing, quilting and scrapbooking blogs. They make me very happy. I get so inspired. Now, if I could just find time to stitch up something new to share!

New Job!!!!

I have started my new job and I love it so far. It's contract labor, which is what I've done since I left a full-time job (executive assistant to VP). I am using a micro-cassette transcriber to transcribe tapes, scanning photos and maps, etc., and other "clerical" tasks. The great thing is that I do all this from home!!! It took quite a while to find this type of independent contracting work, but the hunt has finally ended. This has the potential to turn into full-time hours, which is also a plus.

How many of you know someone who uses a Dictaphone or other micro-cassette transcriber? I'm just curious because I love using one, but apparently there are newer ways to transcribe (like digitally or by speech recognition software). Let me know if you do this kind of work or use another method.

I am still in the process of rearranging my sewing studio/office, but I will find time to catch up on some stitching very soon. I need to stitch to relax and give my mind (and ears) a rest.

16 Years of Marriage & A Pain in the Neck

DH and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary the 11th of this month. We had an awesome dinner at Bonefish Grill. I just love that restaurant!

I haven't crossed a stitch lately. I've been having some neck problems. A CT scan showed my cervical spine was a mess, so I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon tomorrow. I've got to get my neck "straightened out" so I can get back to cross stitching!

Good news, hopefully, on the job-hunting front. I am beginning a contract labor job soon with a company that conducts studies for hotel investors. I am looking forward to a paycheck. Maybe I can get a new lamp for stitching after a paycheck or two. If you have any suggestions on a lamp, let me know.

Happy Birthday to Me (Whoopee)

Today, I turned 44 years old. I don't feel "old", but I do feel "older". My DH gave me a bike (at my request), so I can ride with my DS/8. It was a little tough to keep up with him on his bike and me walking. Now, we can ride together. My daughter's 24th birthday was yesterday. She gave me an exercise ball/video set (I have been wanting one). You can read about my DD/24 here (Aug. 13th post) and read her blog. DH is taking me out to dinner tonight, also.

DS/8 starts 3rd grade tomorrow and we are busy getting organized for school. He's looking forward to it.

DH and I bought some more supplies to get back to our kitchen renovating. We bought beadboard panels for the lower part of the walls and paint. We will need to repair the cabinet doors, paint the cabinets and all the walls. There is lots of work ahead. We would like to finish it before my turn at Bunco, which is September 12th.

I still hope to get in some stitching time. We will see.

Not a Stitch in Sight

On Monday I went back to Dr. Brain. Since the medicine he gave me helped my migraines, he doesn't need to see me again for a year (unless the migraines get more frequent). He did tell me that the MRI scans were consistent with having migraines and he didn't think it looked like MS. Well, that's a relief!

Tuesday was Bunco night. It was a great time. I won the "door prize": 2 sets of tongs. One set of tongs will even lock. They are really cool. Next month is my turn to have Bunco at my home. My house needs a lot of painting and repairs, so not as much stitching will happen in the next few weeks.

Thanks for all your comments on Gathering Honey. It really motivates me. 12 women coming to my home in a few weeks will hopefully motivate me to patch holes, paint, lay carpet, etc. Hopefully, we'll get it done in time.

Tonight DH played with Dani and the band at the Summer Concert Series at Court Square in downtown Memphis. It was hot and humid, but when the sun went down, it was tolerable. The radio station, FM100, was the host. The music was great and the crowd seemed to enjoy it. A coworker of DH's even brought some friends from England. (DH hurt his back so he wasn't able to do the splits like he usually does at the end of the show......Just kidding!)

Medusa says, "Give Me A Break!"

I have been trying since April to get a mistake corrected that was made by our health insurance company's meds-by-mail program. (The mail order meds are those that are "maintenance" type that are taken daily). I won't bore you with the details, but it has turned into a nightmare and now I'm completely out of medicine. I've made 7 phone calls and each time was told they had ordered it. To make things even more interesting, the med I'm out of is my hormone. I'm not a joy to be around without it, not to mention what it does to my body.

I went to Dr. Brain#2 yesterday and had an EEG. Can you say "Gluey Mess"? Fortunately, the glue will wash out with a good scrub. I felt like Medusa with all the wires coming out of my head. The Dr. said the EEG looked good. That's good news, because I need all the good brain waves I can get to deal with the incompetence of our meds-by-mail reps.

My car wouldn't start when I got ready to go to the doctor. I had to call my DH and get instructions over the phone on recharging the battery with a battery charger. It was 89 degrees and extremely humid, so by the time I got the van charged, my hair (not to mention the rest of me) was wringing wet. Not a pretty sight, I can assure you. I'm just glad yesterday is gone forever.

In stitching news, I've cross stitched some more areas on "Gathering Honey". I started on some flowers that are french knots. After I would make one knot, the next knot would pull the first knot through the fabric. I got frustrated and thought it best to come back to it later. Well, later, I was able to make 3 "good" knots and I stopped because it was getting late. I'll try to get those flowers stitched so I can post an update soon.

Dr. Brain Visit

Thanks for all your thoughtful comments. You can get an update on my visit to Dr. Brain here...

Brain Surgeon?

I have an appointment with a neuro-surgeon next Tuesday. No kidding?! He will review my CT scan and MRI scans. I don't know any details of my MRI, except that this appointment was requested as a result of this test. Hopefully, I'll know more on my brain, or lack there of, next week!

DH recorded the Beatles song, "Oh, Darling", in the studio today with Dani and her band. It will be one of the songs on the upcoming "Fried Glass Onions II" CD that is in the process of being recorded. He had a great time in the studio. Tonight, he'll be playing at Rum Boogie with Dani and her band.

In the meantime, today I got in a little stitching time on Gathering Honey. I also started on an ornament. It's a small enough project to take along while I'm watching DS/8 at soccer camp this week. It's an ornament from the magazine, Cross Country Stitching, the December 1992 issue. The ornament is "Jesus-Author of Faith". I'll have to post a pic when I get a few more stitches in.

Searching for my Brain

Last week, I had a CT scan on my head because of some neuro issues (unable to verbalize thoughts, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, etc.). Because a 7mm dense nodule was noticed, I had a MRI today. Since they had not received a copy of my actual CT scan, they couldn't compare the two. So, now I still don't know anything. Following the MRI, the tech told me they didn't see the spot, so I'll go with that, for now. Once I got home, though, I got another migraine headache. It's so frustrating!

Because of the migraines, my stitching is going kind of slow. I did manage, however, to get the bee hive stitched that is the center of the design, Gathering Honey. I love this design!! The verse on the design is one of my favorites. I'll have a progress photo in the next day or so.

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by Taneya!

Choose 5 and complete the sentence...

If I could be a scientist . . .
If I could be a farmer . . .
If I could be a musician . . .
If I could be a doctor . . .
If I could be a painter . . .
If I could be a gardener . . .
If I could be a missionary . . .
If I could be a chef . . .
If I could be an architect . . .
If I could be a linguist . . .
If I could be a psychologist . . .
If I could be a librarian . . .
If I could be an athlete . . .
If I could be a lawyer . . .
If I could be an inn-keeper . . .
If I could be a professor . . .
If I could be a writer . . .
If I could be a llama-rider . . .
If I could be a bonnie pirate . . .
If I could be an astronaut . . .
If I could be a world famous blogger . . .
If I could be a justice on any one court in the world . . .
If I could be married to any current famous political figure . . .

If I could be a writer...I'd write lyrics. It would be very cool to hear your song on the radio. That would be very cool. Songs can also outlive you.

If I could be a musician...I'd be a piano player/harmonica playing guitarist.
But, since I'm not, I married a piano playing/mandolin playing/guitarist.
Pretty clever, eh?

If I could be a professor...I'd teach web design. My DS/19 taught himself to make websites by buying manuals and learning everything from scratch. No copy and paste for him. I get excited when something works correctly on my blog, so I know it would be a thrill to learn and teach others web design.

If I could be a painter...I'd paint with intricate detail. My paintings could then be converted to cross stitch. It would be nice to have a gallery and those who stitched could take home the kit of a painting. It's the Paula Vaughn concept.

If I could be a missionary...I believe it would make me more appreciative of all aspects of my life. My daughter has been on a few mission trips, as have many of our friends. Each of them, upon return home, have a more unmaterialistic mind and value relationships more than ever before. For every one I know who's been on a mission trip, it has changed their life. You can read about my friend, Grace, who is a missionary here. Her father has an orphanage in Brazil.

Now it's my turn to tag some people. So here it goes: Debbi, Lake Stitcher, and Musings from a 3-Bedroom Ranch.

Valentine's Day - Feel the Love

Valentine's Day

DH gave me the glass blown heart on the right and DS/8 gave me the glass blown "kiss" on the left. The flowers were a gift from my DD/23. DH, DS/8 and I went out to eat at The Shanti Steakhouse. We know the owner, so extra care was taken with our juicy steaks. They also have homemade yeast rolls. YUMMMMM! It was wonderful! The Shanti is a great restaurant to have dinner, if you are ever in Memphis, it is in Collierville (a suburb of Memphis). Give it a try.

As far as stitching, I haven't done any stitching in the last couple of days. I've been busy sorting through cross stitching books and sewing stuff. Also, I am attempting to get my desk organized. I might need a backhoe for that job! Just kidding, I have seen worse, I promise...somewhere I know I've seen one.