Progress to Share

Good morning! The sun is coming out, and it's going to be a warm, and very sticky Father's Day here in Indiana.  My husband is out fishing with his step-dad. He visited with his dad on Friday, and we will have one of our boys here later today.  Both of my dads are already deceased.  This will be an atypical, totally calm day for us.  I am really looking forward to it for a change.  Hubby and I spent all day yesterday working in the yard, and we were worn out by evening.  I don't have the energy for a house full of people today.  As much as I absolutely love our ten acre yard, it is becoming a bit of work.

Last week, I spent several days at our lakehouse with a girlfriend.  She is going through some things right now, and she needed to just get away.  We hoped to boat, swim and fish, but it rained, every single day.  So we stayed in the basement, and played with paper.  I really enjoyed staying up all night, and sleeping in.  Neither of us were totally prepared with everything we wanted to use for the week, but we managed.  I made a total of eighteen scrapbook pages, and several cards!  For a couple of years, I had a subscription to a monthly scrapbook kit club.  I had never put those together, and they were taking up a lot of space in my overflowing craft room.  I assembled all of the pages last week, and because I had no photos with me, they were incomplete.  I have already added pictures and journaling to three sets of layouts, so I am on my way to getting some scrapbooking done! I will show pictures of those in my next post.

Because I was out of town, I also missed the date for the monthly TUSAL post.  If you don't know what the TUSAL is, you can read about it here: It's Daffycat.  I don't have a large collection of my threads this month, but I am excited about the stitching I have completed!  Here are my ORTS:

This is a dark picture, I'm sorry.  There are a lot of greens in here, and some reds.  The pieces I have worked on include my Life is About the Journey, which I finished in May.

 I am so happy to have this completed! I don't know why I dragged it out so long.  I love the bright colors of it.  I have another piece that goes with this, it may be a while before I start that one.  The backstitching was intense, even though I did a lot of it as I went along.

I have focused on two other projects, working towards completion.

A Spot of Coffee, by Little House Needleworks.  This is so close to being done!  I will have this done in June.  I usually work on this as I enjoy my morning coffee.

My other project is my monthly word play, by With Thy Needle and Thread:

Yep, it's June, and I am stitching February.  I knew I would not finish any of these in a single month, so I just grabbed.  I love the Tomato floss in this.  I stitch on this piece in the evenings, hoping I will have it complete this month also.  I found a major mistake in this last night.  I really, really didn't want to remove all the threads to correct it, so I fudged.  I think I can live with it, if I don't look close, so it's just going to be.

That's all for today folks, thanks for visiting.  I think I'll go make hubby a card before he gets home.  Have a wonderful day!

Playing with Paper

I used to show a lot of paper crafts on my blog, and I have enjoyed my stitching so much lately, I haven't shared anything else. I have been doing something other than cross stitch though!  Although it has been a week, I am excited to show the card I made my mom for Mother's Day this year.

This is a card in a box. I have admired so many of these on Pinterest over the years. I made one last year for my father in law's 80th birthday, I just never shared it.  I made a card like this for my mother in law this year also, and I forgot to take any pictures before she took it home with her.  For my mom's card, I used a handful of die cut pieces that have been sitting in my stash a long time, I don't even know where they came from.  The cardstock and printed paper are from Close To My Heart, from an old collection called Heart of Winter.

The purple in the flowers really pop against this beige! The card I made for my mother in law had pink flowers, her favorite color.  Both moms have always loved to work in their flower beds, this was so appropriate.

I am happy I could send my mom some flowers this year that would not die and be thrown away within a few days.

I used a lot of dimensional adhesive between the flowers and leaves, to ensure the bouquet had the depth I wanted.

My mom was as thrilled receiving this, as I was when I sent it.  Have you ever tried one of these cards? It was very quick and easy to make, I expect I will make more in the future. Maybe a fishing one for Father's Day!

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day.

So Many Options!

When I sit down to stitch, I have so many pieces started now, I have plenty to choose from.  I told myself that I wanted to finished my older projects this year before starting anything else, it's just not happening that way! I have started and finished some new things.  I have stitched on older pieces and not finished them, and now I have started more!  I can't even imagine starting something new every day of May, or even the first week.  My latest start was February Word Play.

I have loved these since they first came out.  This is the first one I grabbed. I hope I can have it done by February.  It is being done on a 25ct even weave. It looks a little strange in this photo, probably because it is zoomed in too much, I just wanted to be able to see the small start!

I have also recently worked on America, America from a Stoney Creek magazine.  Not a lot of progress on this one, it is going to be slow going I think.

I have put additional stitches in A Spot of Coffee by Little House Needleworks.  I really love this!

I was working on this last weekend at the racetrack, and I ended up having to frog out a lot of what I had completed, and had to restitch it.

Stitches have also been put into Marriage Rules by Lizzie Kate.  This has been my obsession the past few days.

My son and wife have an anniversary this summer, I am hoping it can be a gift for them.  It's almost halfway there.

The last piece I have worked on has been my Life is About the Journey.  I only need to complete the bicycle and it will be done! I am just not enjoying this backstitching. I will have it done by the end of May though! ( Did I say I would have it done by the end of april too?)

So, from all of the pieces that I have stitched on the past month, I have accumulated a nice little jar of ORTS.

They are really squished down in this jar, it's hard to see how many are there.  When I combined them with all the others I have saved this year, this is what I have so far.

That's my recent stitching progress, which I am sharing for a Totally Useless Stitch A Long.  If you want to know more about TUSAL and collecting ORTS, you can read about it here It's Daffycat.

Thanks for visiting!

The Nails are Done!

I think it was some time last week, or maybe the week before, I mentioned that I was going to go out and help my son, I was going to pull a few nails in the house he is remodeling. I don't think I ever shared my pictures of the nails though, want to see? It was unbelievable how many there were!

The picture on the left gives a little better view of the number of nails that were there, so close together, in such long rows! Some had already been pulled before I took these pictures. My husband and son thought they could just grind them down, it didn't work. The picture on the right shows a strip of wood still nailed down on the far right. This is where the kitchen cabinets were.  On top of this gorgeous green flooring, there was a layer of plywood with laminate flooring on top of it. The original hardwood floors in this old house are still present under all of this.  If it wasn't going to be a rental house, I would encourage him to bring them back to their original glory. Ceramic tile is going down instead.  It took me four days, with at least 3-4 hours per day to get this floor cleaned up.  I had the biggest blisters on my hands, and my arms ached for days! I was thrilled to be able to help though.  Painting has commenced in the house, and flooring goes in this weekend. In the next couple of weeks, everything should be ready for a tenant to move in. I am so proud of my son and his hard work!

That's it for now folks, thanks for stopping to visit!

A New Month Begins!

I can't believe it is May first already! When I was growing up, and would occasionally complain because the days just seemed to drag by, my mom would tell me, just wait.  She told me that when I was older, the days would just flash by before I knew it. Well, mom was right. I think before we know it, we'll be looking at the December calendar!

It it such a beautiful day today, it feels like summer here. We waited long enough for these nice days, and I have been enjoying today.  Last week, I bought a new cushion for the glider that sits on our back porch. A nice thick cushion, to pad my still tender hip.  I have been very good to do my physical therapy exercises every day, and some days I ache. But today, it felt good to sit out in the sun. While I was sitting, our doggie was busy digging for moles, so she was well occupied. She didn't catch any today, but we got a nice big one last week. It was caught in a trap, she sure wanted to play with it!

I couldn't just sit and watch the grass grow outside, I had some stitching with me. I know today is the first day of stitchmaynia. I did not make any concrete plans for a lot of new starts. I will just go with the flow, stitch whatever calls out to me, old or new. Today, was a new start.  I spent almost two hours at the dealership this morning getting the oil changed in one of our vehicles, so that really gave me plenty of time on this.

This is an older chart, A Spot of Coffee, by Little House Needleworks, dated 2004.  I think I have had it a few years already. I don't think this will take very long to complete. It is being done on 28 ct Mushroom Lugana with all DMC as called for.

See the shadows on my deck? I was sitting under the pergola on our back porch, with my back to the house.  This summer we are moving the pergola out to the back yard, because I have asked for the back porch to be covered. I don't want another full room, just a roof so we can sit out there any time of day. By noon, the sun is cooking down, and it's too hot to sit there. We'll see if this fits into my hubby's summer plans!

I think I'm going to take a walk down to the mailbox before I head out to my Weight Watchers meeting. I hope the sun is shining in your part of the world today, thanks for stopping by!

Stitching Report

Good morning!

I have to say, I am in a much better mood today than I have been for the past couple of weeks.  I saw the orthopedic specialist on Monday, and I have been given the ok to start weaning off the use of my crutches.  I'm so ready to be mobile again!  It appears the stress fracture in my hip is healing.  I am not convinced the issue is resolved though, because I still have a significant amount of pain from time to time.  I start physical therapy next week, and revisit the doctor in a month.  I have to be careful though. Yesterday I tried to move around without crutches a little too much, and I ached last night.  Today, I will use my crutches a little more, and we'll see how this goes!

On to my stitching goodness!  I know that I am a couple of days late on my ORT report.  The 16th was such a busy day. Besides the doctor, we had family that had driven to Indiana from Arkansas. I hosted dinner at our house for everybody on Monday. There were ten of us gathered here that evening. I was busy cooking and cleaning!

If you don't know what ORTs are, you can read all about them on the blog It's Daffycat.  I think it's fun to save these for a short while, I smile when I think of the projects I have stitched each month.  I didn't post a report in March.  I stitched a little bit that month, but I was too busy finishing my BSN. Yep, that's right, I am finally done with college! I have my evenings free to stitch now, hooray!  So, the ORTs in my little jar include a few pieces from March.

There are some pretty pink threads in here, as well as some shades of blue.  I started a Lizzie Kate piece in March, and finished it this month.

I love her designs, they stitch up quickly.  I just received a backorder of a few more Lizzie Kate charts, I just want to stitch them all!

I have also stitched on a piece I started last year.  This was a kit.  It is getting so close to a finish, but i get bored with the backstitching, so it has gone into its project bag for a bit. I hope to finish it this month though.

This is really not a good picture, I'm sorry. I only need to finish the grass and the bicycle. It's almost there! I need this piece done so I can have credit for my stitch from stash!

Finally, because I am anxious to stitch everything I have, I started another piece this month.  I guess I just decided since I finished one, I should start one.  This piece is from Stoney Creek magazine, from 2017.  I love the tension hoop that I have been using to stitch, it sure leaves wrinkles though!

This is close to being finished as well. I need to backstitch the letters for Lake, and complete the bottom.  Since we have not yet sold our lakehouse, I want to frame it and hang it there this year.  The walls at our lakehouse are pretty bare, so this will be a nice addition.

Today,  I am going to spend some time helping my young son.  He bought a house to remodel and rent, and it needed a lot of work.  I haven't been able to do anything to help him out so far, but I am determined to do something for him.  Today, I am going to sit and pull what looks like a million little staples out of the kitchen floor.  Previous owners had stapled new flooring on top of old.  The staples all need to come out before ceramic tile can go in.  Hopefully I will be able to get these out.

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great day!

My update

Once again, I am posting late for the TUSAL.  I struggle with deadlines sometimes, even when I have a reminder set on my phone, as I did this time.  In my defense, the date this was to be posted, was the day I was on vacation in Florida, also the day I crashed on my bicycle.  After enjoying a 14 mile ride around Key West, I did not successfully pull up on a curb from the street. Yep, 51 years old, been riding a bike since I was little, and I failed at a basic skill! Fortunately, I pulled myself up quickly, pulled my bike out of the road before the box truck behind me ran it over.  And I rode back to the place where we were camped before I ever looked at the damage.  I was relieved to see a little road rash.  I have never experienced this before, but thought, how bad can it be? My son has received worse than this riding his dirt bike.  When we started putting water on to clean it, big old alligator tears fell, as much from my own pain, as for the pain I imagine my son endured, quietly.  It took several shots of whiskey (which I don't drink), and more than one mixed drink before we could attempt peroxide to thoroughly clean.  This has been awful! And last week, my entire leg swelled to the point I could not put on a pair of pants, or a sock. Keep in mind I live in Indiana, and it is February!  I had been running three times a week, training for a half marathon.  And last week, I was forced to sit in a recliner, with the leg elevated to help with the swelling.  Additionally, it appears I have done some damage to my hip flexor muscle, and have been on crutches for two weeks now, not allowed to even walk.  Makes me not a pleasant person to be around at times.  Today, I get an MRI done on the hip, Friday I find out the definite damage. Prayers for no tear requiring surgery, would be much appreciated right now!

Now, about that TUSAL that I was supposed to post....

If you aren't familiar with the TUSAL, or ORTs, you can read about it on Daffycat's blog.

Here is a photo of my ORTS since my last post, using the same plastic container

I have done a LOT of stitching! In this photo, I have combined all threads for the year

The colors of the threads aren't as pretty in this photo :(    Just so you can see how lovely the colors really are, here are the pieces I have worked on.  I started, and completed Gingerbread Girl and Peppermint Tree by Country Cottage Needleworks. This was stitched on a piece of Stone hand dyed fabric, I am not sure what count

And the other piece I have worked on almost every day, is a kit I started last Spring.  I am soon close to having this piece done!

There were a lot of different shades of greens in this piece, and some pretty blues.  I should have this done by the end of March. Then I will push to finished another older piece. I am down to 13 WIPs in my stack. I think every time I finish one, I start another small. Having the small pieces helps break up the monotony of some of the bigger pieces though, so that really helps.  I usually work on the small pieces with my coffee in the morning, and work the large piece in the evening when hubby and I are sitting.

I think that's it for today folks, things to do.  Thanks for stopping by!

Cindy

Not Very Balanced Today

We are back from our Florida vacation, and I can't wait to share the good times, and some bad that happened on the trip. That is for another day though. Today, some hodgepodge questions!



1. Where do you go when you need some inspiration?  I love to be outside, weather depending, so that is probably my preferred place for inspiration.  I don't tolerate high heat or humidity very well, but I think I do pretty well here in Indiana.  I have ten beautiful acres with trees, a creek and a pond. With my dogs, I can walk around, or sit quietly on the porch swing and listen to the birds. I will go out in the sun, a light rain or the snow. I would be perfectly content listening to the waves hitting the beach, but I don't have that here!

2. What's under your bed?  It's embarrassing to say, there is a lot there!  A few years ago, hubby and I hiked up Pikes Peak in Colorado.  We bought very nice backpacks, thinking we would continue hiking. They are stored under the bed, and haven't been touched in a very long time.  Under the bed I also store plastic containers that have rolls of Christmas wrapping paper in them. Since the boys never came upstairs to our room, it was the best way to keep our kids from seeing the paper until Christmas. The boys are grown now, but I have just never changed this routine.  I also store extra table leaves under the bed. Keeps them safe and out of the way.

3. Thursday, February 22nd is National Chili Day, National Margarita Day, and National Cook a Sweet Potato Day. Of the three which would you most like to celebrate? Is that likely?  Looks like I need to go shopping! I love chili, but it doesn't sit well with hubby, and just he and I at home now, I can't do that.  I love sweet potatoes, but out of the three choices, I can guarantee we will do Margaritas!  I have been a little indulgent in some alcohol since our vacation last week-it has been helping me sleep at night, when an injury I incurred otherwise keeps me awake.

4. What are you 'snowed under' with right now?  Unfortunately, not snow!  This has been the craziest winter in Indiana this year! Yesterday it was in the mid 70's, and today the 40's. I miss the snow. But, to answer this question, I am 'snowed under' with schoolwork.  I am so close to finishing my BSN. I need to be out in my community, acquiring 35 hours of face to face interviews so I can finish a paper. Being on crutches right now, I am struggling to move much, and it causing a little stress. 

5. Tell us three to five things that make you feel balanced?  Carving out time for my hobbies is something I haven't been able to do in years.  I now allow myself to stitch in the evenings. It relaxes me.  Getting some exercise is very balancing for me.  I returned to running last summer, and it feels amazing.  This is week two with no running, and I am feeling very sluggish.  I am not allowed to put any weight on my right leg, so I need to find new exercises I can do for now.  With crutches, not running at all, I am feeling sooooo unbalanced right now!  Getting outside, camping or hiking with my hubby works wonders for me, and us.  Sometimes, hubby's days are long, and he just wants to sit and relax when he gets home. It is easy to feel ignored, and very frustrated being home so much.  When we go hiking or camping, we give undivided attention.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  Two years ago, hubby and I took a trip to Florida, to see our son graduate from his military training.  It was beautiful down there, and we really considered becoming snow birds, staying there all winter.  We just returned from a vacation in Florida, and have immediately noticed a difference in the way we felt down there, and how we feel at home.  I am thinking next winter, we might just spend a little more time in the south, and gradually, we might just make that transition to snowbirds every winter!  



If you would like to play along with Wednesday's Hodgepodge questions, go visit Joyce, her blog is From This Side of the Pond.   Even if you don't want to play, it's fun to see how others answer.  Thanks for stopping by today, have a wonderful day!

Cindy

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's Wednesday, time to share a little Hodgepodge about me.  I am actually on time this week!  I am linking up with Joyce, at From This Side of the Pond.

1. January 24th is National Compliment Day. Is it easy or not so easy for you to accept a compliment? Share a recent compliment you've given or received.

  I love to give others a little boost by complementing them.  For me, accepting a compliment is not as easy as giving though.  I recently received a compliment from one of the postal workers in our little local post office.  More than once he told me that I looked really nice that day.  Since I was dressed for an important appointment that day, I took his words as a hint that I should stop going out in public in my sweats and no makeup!

2. Ten little things you are loving right now.

  I am loving my husband leaving early in the morning, and I get a few quite minutes to stitch.
  I am loving heating the house with the outdoor wood boiler.  I can turn up the heat without thinking about the cost of gas!
  I have been scrapbooking again this week, and I love playing with paper
  Hot tea.  I am having a heart scan done today, so no caffeine, no coffee. Love my peppermint tea.
  Watching snow fall.  I don't have to be outside, so I get to enjoy from my warm house.
  Our Jack Russel puppy likes to snuggle in my lap with my blanket
  Cold weather! As crazy as that sounds, I like to run when it's only 32 outside, I don't overheat.
  I am loving running. I started a half marathon training program, a big undertaking.
  Leggings-I never owned any until just recently, and I am hooked. I won't wear them outside the house though.
  I am loving the woman's devotional book that I read every morning.
3. Would people describe you as a positive person? Do you see yourself that way?

Positive people find something to look forward to every day, they celebrate the small stuff, they're kind, they stay busy, accept responsibility for their actions, forgive themselves, know when to move on, and resist comparisons

Which action on the list would you say you do regularly? Which action could you add to your life to give you a more positive outlook? If you're a positive person, what's something you do regularly that's not on the list?
  
Yes, I think so, and yes I do.  From the above list, I think I find something to look forward to every day.  Usually, it's something simple, like knowing it is my running day compared to a rest day.  Something that I do regularly that isn't on the list above is think of something to be thankful for.  I have a family member recently diagnosed with cancer, I am thankful I have knowledge to share, I can answer some of her questions when they strike at weird hours when she can't pick up a phone and call her doctor.

4. Homemade chicken soup, beef stew, or a bowl of chili...what's your pleasure on a cold winter's day?
 Chili all the way! I just bought the fixings, preparing to make a big pot this weekend.  My husband has a sensitive stomach, but he will be out of town all weekend, I am going to pig out!

5. The best part of my day is....

  First thing in the morning after everyone leaves.  My youngest is living here temporarily, but he works an hour away, so he heads out early.  I grab a big cup of coffee, throw my blanket over my lap in the recliner with the puppy, and I stitch while i listen to youtube videos.  I used to stitch first thing in the morning when the boys were little, before they had to get up for school. It is so relaxing, and I get a lot done.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

  One of the few shows that hubby and I like to watch is Blue Bloods.  We aren't dedicated to anything on TV, but if this is on as we are flipping through, it's our choice. We always like the scenes of the family gathered around the dinner table, chatting about events.  It's not just the fact that it's family, it's several generations of family.  And they have been together enough that they know each other.  When our boys were growing up, we always ate dinner together as a family.  Now everybody feels so spread out, and other than the holiday meals, we don't see each other.  I am trying to bring us together again.  I have made an effort, at least once a week, have my local sons, and family, as well as my in-laws over for a meal.  It can be a lot of work to cook and clean for that many people every week, but I am hoping our grand daughter will know her uncles and great grand parents a little better than if we didn't try.  Tomorrow is our big meal this week.  Maybe I'll get a head start, and make the dessert today!

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

Late to the Party

My dear friends, I am late with my TUSAL report. I had good intentions. I started to type this post two days ago, and realized I was too early. Instead of typing and scheduling it, I waited because I thought I would get to it on time. Instead, I was caught off guard with picking up the dear granddaughter from school, and having her stay the night with us. I was unprepared for her, but loved it nonetheless.

Back to business-TUSAL. A Totally Useless Stitch Along. I have participated with this in the past, but it has been a while. I have been stitching up a storm the past few months, so maybe I will be able to participate with this all year. What is a TUSAL you might ask? To get all the details, check out Daffycat's blog, she hosts this fine adventure!

In my picture below, I have my ORTs from the past month. There were some that got pitched when I was stitching in the car, but overall, I was pretty tight with my threads. They aren't cheap, so I use as much as I can squeeze out of them!

This little plastic tube is about six inches tall. It has been perfect to keep beside my stitching chair, and with a lid, the pieces don't fall out when my puppy knocks it over.

I can't show the threads without also showing what I have stitched. I have finished two pieces already this month! I am participating in Stitch From Stash on Facebook, so I have every intention of finishing more of my works in progress.

My most recent finish is this piece Simplicity, by Little House Needleworks.  I started this two years ago right after my dad died.  I had only done a couple of rows on the sheep, and put it away.  I struggled with linen, but I was stitching in hand.  Now that I have started using a tension hoop, it is much better. I have the entire series of these Little Sheep Virtues.  I am participating in the Facebook series SAL, so maybe these will be out of my stash pile this year.

Another finish this month was by Lizzie Kate.

I bought this as a kit in December, it had the fabric and buttons with the chart.  This stitched up so quickly and I loved it! I bought a frame yesterday and next Christmas it will be displayed.

I had a few other pieces I have finished stitching, might as well show them since we're here.

The bookmark I started for my granddaughter this past fall. It took longer than I thought it would, but it is fully finished. This had a lot of backstitching, but I don't mind it.

Another Lizzie Kate piece, A Little Snow. This is really not a good picture, I don't think you can see the brass charm on the letter S.  I bought this as a kit three years ago, it came complete with charm, beads and fabric. I don't know why it took so long to get to this, I completed it in only a couple of weeks! I can't wait to display this next winter.

And my biggest accomplishment-

Autumn ABCs by Little House Needleworks.  I did this in one month as a SAL with the Facebook group.  I absolutely loved stitching this.  I have the needlework ABC piece to do, all kitted up.  After I complete a few more pieces, I will buy the Winter ABCs pattern.  I don't think I am very happy with the mat on this piece. I think it is just too big like this.  I am going to leave it together for now, but I see myself having this redone in the future, taking the mat out.  I also think the white floss doesn't show very well on the fabric I chose.  Maybe I'll just have to restitch it on something else! Since my walls are blue, this really looks nice hanging up.  I left it up until just yesterday, when I moved it to another room.  I know Autumn is over, but I didn't want to hide it away. It is in the guest room, only my granddaughter goes in there, she didn't even notice it, so I think it will be ok.

Well, that's quite a bit of sharing for today.  Several pieces finished.  Maybe next week I will have to show the pieces I picked up from the framer this week.   It feels good to finally be really enjoying my stitching goodies.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

My Hodgepodge

I really enjoy reading various blogs. I love when I am visiting a blog, and they have a list of their favorites on a sidebar, occasionally I find someone new that I want to follow. With the cold temperatures right now, puppy and I are spending a little more time than usual snuggling together under a warm blanket, reading. I have found quite a few new blogs recently, which have encouraged me to think a little more.   I like it.  Sometimes I think I am just going through the motions with schoolwork, not really thinking about things that I can apply to my life right now.  I used to write the Simple Woman's Daybook prompts in the past, but I am ready for some new thoughts to ponder.  Joyce, whose blog From This Side of the Pond has some fun questions, which she calls Wednesday Hodgepodge. Yep, I know it's not Wednesday, but I just found this, so I thought I would give these a shot this week.


1. It's that time of year again...time for Lake Superior University to present a list of words (or phrases) they'd like to see banished (for over-use, mis-use, or genera uselessness) in 2018. You can read more about the decision making process and word meaning here, but this year's top vote getters are-

unpack, dish (as in dish out the latest rumor), pre-owned, onboarding/offboarding, nothingburger, let that sink in, let me ask you this, impactful, Cofefe, drill down, fake news, hot water heater (hot water doesn't need to be heated), and gig economy

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word not on the list you'd like to add?

There are several words on this list that I have never heard such as nothingburger and Cofefe. It's hard to say I would eliminate something I have never heard-although spell check on my laptop tried to autocorrect Cofefe into Coffee! If I could choose, I would get rid of impactful. I am bothered by poor grammar, and this just sounds awful to me!  There is a word that I hear misused ALL. THE. TIME. But it is a word that we cannot get rid of, "seen".  When I hear someone say, or type! that they just 'seen' something, that is worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. Doesn't anyone know how to say they 'saw' something!


2. What's something you need to get rid of in the new year?

Unfinished projects.  I love crafting of various sorts, but I seem to start things, and never get them done. I have quilts, cross-stitching, painted rocks, and the list goes on. I either need to finish, or dispose of some of these projects that are cluttering my closets.

3. Where do you feel stuck?

I feel stuck in my career.  I am a nurse, currently unemployed. This is by choice at the moment, as I am pushing through the last semester to finish my BSN.  I want to work, make use of the education I have worked so hard for. At the same time, I don't want to go back to the constant struggle of punching a time clock, working every other weekend, being on call all the time. I want a job that will make a difference, but I don't want to go back into a leadership position.  I loved, loved being a hospice nurse, hated being a Director of Nursing.  I have always wanted to teach, but that would require going back to school for my Masters, ugh.  I am just stuck.  First step to get out of this feeling, is finish the classes I am in. My semester ends in March, it's almost over!

4. January is National Soup Month. When did you last have a bowl of soup? Was it made from scratch or from a can? Your favorite canned soup? Your favorite soup to make from scratch on a cold winter's day?

This week, I made ham and bean soup.  We had an eleven pound ham for Christmas dinner, and there was a big bone, with a lot of ham left on it. I put the bone in the slow cooker with a bag of northern beans, a whole onion cut up, and let it simmer for the day. It smelled heavenly!  We ate soup with some cornbread and a salad. It was perfect this week. I remember my grandma in Tennessee making ham and bean soup with cornbread, makes me smile. I eat canned soup for lunch pretty often, since I am home by myself during the day. When I was in the car all day seeing patients, I even ate soup from the can, cold. I prefer split pea and ham soup, or clam chowder, I could eat them every day and be perfectly happy.


5. Tell us one thing you're looking forward to in 2018.

Hubby and I are planning to do some traveling this year, and I am looking forward to finally making use of our RV.  Three years ago, we downsized from the big 40foot with all the slide-outs, to a smaller one, it can even fit through a drive through!  I have only used this RV with hubby twice, once right after my dad died and I needed to get away to nature, the other time last year when we took dear granddaughter to Santa Claus Indiana.  We take our first adventure next month.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

It's cold right now. We had -21 degrees Tuesday morning.  Some areas of the country are experiencing weather they just aren't used to; snow, frigid temps or winter hurricanes. But here in Indiana, we get snow, the temperatures get cold. I like winter. I have lived in Texas where it was warm for Christmas, and I hated it.  I like bundling up in sweaters and blankets, drinking hot tea.  I like watching the snow glisten in the sun. And I really like walking outside when it's cold. There's not a lot of traffic, not a lot of dogs out barking at me. It's peaceful.  My family tells me I only like the winter because I am not working, do not have to leave the house every day, but truth is, I have done it.  I lived out of my car every day as a hospice nurse, driving through the snowstorms, bundling up because the car heater didn't have time to warm up between patients.  I loved the winter then too.  I am mindful that not everyone tolerates the cold as well as I do.  We have brought the outside pets in with us this week, and thankfully it will warm up this weekend and they can go back outside.   I am sorry for those of you that do not appreciate this season as much as I do, but today, it makes me happy.



On that note, I think I will bundle up and take a walk.  Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day!

2018, Starting off on the Right Foot

What a beautiful day today is, even if it feels a bit chilly! Like so many across the country, Indiana has been hit with below freezing temps. I have always loved winter more than any other season. I don't mind if it's cold, because I can always add another layer. I would prefer it we at least had pretty snow to look at with these temps. We have had just enough to cover the grass that we mowed in December, not enough to dig out the tractor to plow off the driveway. I am thankful that this morning, when dear hubby woke at 4:30 and stated it was -21, at least I knew I did not have to spend my day in and out of the car. My years as a hospice nurse, I would have spent the day driving through snow drifts from patient home to home. Today though, I start the process of taking down my Christmas tree. I did not plan for this today, so I am not taking on the entire task. But every day, I am picking up pieces of tinsel off the floor. I don't know if my cat or puppy either one is intentionally playing, but I know it can be dangerous, so I am not taking any chances. Today, the tinsel. Tomorrow, the non fragile ornaments.

Today is a calm day, hibernating, but yesterday, not so much. I started 2018 off on the right foot, literally! I ran my first 5K of the year. In. the. COLD.  The past six months I have been running, and loving it. I decided that this will be the year I will attempt a half marathon. I have signed up with a group, Indy Runners, and a half marathon training program. I have also set a goal to run at least a 5K every month. I had to get started! Hubby and I had travelled to Tennessee over the weekend, to take our oldest son his Christmas gifts, since he could not come home this year. When I realized there would be a run within 15 minutes of my son's house, I signed up. This was of course, before I saw the forecast. And before I really thought it through. My son is less than 30 years old, of course he had to stay up and ring in the new year! And we couldn't not stay up with him. So at 1:30am, I finally crawled into bed, and sleep evaded me. I woke not feeling rested, and with a headache. I drank water throughout New Year's Eve, because I knew it would be better for me. It didn't matter, I should have had more wine. My son, such a good sport, surprised me yesterday morning and ran with me! 

My son and his girlfriend run half marathons. This year, their goal is to complete a marathon. For him, running 3.2 miles was not difficult. This was his territory, running along the river in Knoxville. I am not used to the elevation, or running the hills. And it was only 13 degrees when we started running! I had finally reached a decent pace running at home. My best time has been just over 28 minutes. I was disappointed that it took me over 33 minutes, and I felt like I was letting my son down. He stayed right beside me the whole time, never pushed me, never made fun of me. I am not happy about my time, but I am happy I didn't start the year by backing out on my goal. I have my first month's race done! I'm thinking the Hot Chocolate race might be good in February.  One of the things I like about the races is the t-shirt. Sometimes the shirts are really nice for weekly runs. Sometimes instead of shirts, you get a hat. This race, we received fleece blankets, a first for me. I loved it! 

The six hour drive home from Tennessee yesterday, I was snuggled under my blanket, trying to sleep away the headache. 

While we were in Tennessee, we went for a walking tour of Knoxville. Hubby and I had been to the city before, but never really explored it. We were tempted to ice skate at the rink that was set up, instead we were content to reminisce about trying it in Chicago when we were there for our anniversary years ago. We did stop for a picture by the ice rink though!

We had such a wonderful New Year's weekend with our oldest son and his girlfriend. I look forward to seeing them again next month, when we travel to Florida to start the first adventure on our bucket list of travel plans.  I hope you had a wonderful New Year's celebration as well. Thanks for stopping by!

Cindy