The Stitchy Picture

I did it! I figured out how to get my mom's internet working, so I don't have to drive to the closest town to use my computer! I'm super excited, but I owe some of the credit to my hubby.  While we were talking on the phone, I mentioned that once again, her computer wasn't working. He has an extensive background in communications, and over the phone, he talked me through the process, and she is back online. 

Anyway, this was my progress 4 days ago. I have stitched every night while we watch the Hallmark channel, so I am further along than this. Hope to get another photo updated posted before I go home, but I think I will leave this week, and I am trying to finish Community Health Assessment course, might not get that next photo until I get home, we'll see!

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

Cindy

My Texas Trip

So, I made the drive to see my mom. Fourteen and a half hours, stopping only when I needed gas.  This is the way I used to make the trips to see mom, I'm a little bit older now, and that was just hard on this old gal!  But I'm so glad I made the time. My mom has been a widow fifteen years already, and I see that she is starting to show the trials of those years. Mom is slowing down. And mom is sick, again.  I knew before I came down that she had a "cold" she said.  After listening to her cough for a week, and seeing her coughing up blood, I made her see the doctor. Bronchitis, not the first time this year. This is wearing her out, and she has done a lot of napping since I've been here this week. Not only the infection, but she also broke her foot a few weeks ago. Hobbling around with a walking boot on one foot has thrown her body out of alignment, so her hip hurts too. Oy, getting old isn't for weanies.
On a good note, I have had some extra stitching time while mom has been napping.  On the 22nd, I took a picture of my current project to see the progress. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no wi-fi at mom's. I have been trying to use my cell phone as a hot spot, and that is barely working for me, so unfortunately, I am not able to post my picture. I may end up taking my computer to town, and trying to pick up a signal to submit a school assignment. Maybe I can get my picture posted then as well.

That's all for now folks, thanks for stopping by!

Great Start to the Day!

Today, as I am busy trying to get packed for my road trip tomorrow, I am going to have lunch with my granddaughter at school, before I go get groceries. Needless to say, I am busy!  When I am this busy, I am also stressed.  One of the best ways I have found to deal with my stress, is to run. I have enjoyed this so much this summer, even though it has been very hard for me.

Today, I did my best run ever! And by run, I really mean intervals. I downloaded a couch to 5k program, and i have followed it, kind of. I want to run more than what the program is ready for me to do, so sometimes I cheat. Today, I cheated. And it was awesome!  I ran more than one full mile, without any walking breaks, and ran more on the way home than I have done yet this summer.  My first mile was less than 9 minutes which is amazing for only 3 months of work.  I use a free app to track my runs, and I love the way it analyzes everything for me afterwards.  This is how I looked today

Not that I am going to win any competitions like this, but my biggest competition is me. I struggled in a slight rain for less distance and longer time on Wednesday, so I am happy with this.

Well, gotta go pack my lunch, I don't want to be late to meet Nova! 

Have a wonderful day, and thanks for stopping by!

Cindy

Stitching Update

It has been such a long time since I have written a decent blog post, I'm not too sure I can pull this all together! I know that when I look at blogger, to get to my reading list, I see that things have been updated. Like so many other things, I am going to just wing it here, and hope for the best!

It has been over three months now since I have been unemployed. I have to admit, it was exciting at first, then it was really really hard. Once I developed a routine, things got easier. I have eased back into running, and I am so proud of the progress I have made with that. I had to start out slowly, because walking up the 13 stairs from my laundry room caused me to be out of breath. After months of diligence, I can happily say that I can now run at least one full mile without walking! My goal is to be able to run a full 5k, so I will stick with it.

Now for the fun stuff, I have been able to stitch so much since I haven't been working! I really should be doing other things, but I have missed my hobbies so much.  I have had a couple of pieces that I have really focused on, and one that has the most progress so far is a kit by Design Works

I started this piece this year, and until this month, I worked on it only on the weekends. I was so excited to see the progress, so I have been stitching this, instead of doing my schoolwork. Since this picture, I have outlined more of the letters, and started adding in the sunburst below.  Knowing that I usually stop working on a piece when I reach the backstitching, I have completed that as I go. It has really made a difference. I expect I will finish this piece this year. I allow myself to turn on a floss tube video, and binge watch while I stitch and have my coffee in the mornings. It has been so enjoyable. I have to be careful, that floss tube is addicting! Speaking of addicting, I cleaned up my stash of magazines yesterday, yikes!!!! I didn't know I had collected so many magazines. I think I want to get rid of some, and then I realize that my tastes have changed so much since I bought that first issue in the late '80's, so maybe I should hold them and see if tastes change again. I know I will never ever stitch everything I own. I have made some big purchases this summer from 123 stitch and from House of Stitches, so I need to get a little control of myself.

I am leaving this weekend for a road trip. I am driving to Texas to visit my mom. She spends a lot of time watching TV at night, and I usually get a lot of stitching done when I am at her house. I hope to post an update of this piece by the end of the month!

Thanks for stopping by
Cindy