Whatever doesn't kill me doesn't make me stronger.

I wasn't going to start posting until I had pictures to show, but I still haven't been able to stitch. I did want to post an update though.

My mom made it through the heart attack. It was scary as heck. I was the one who found her, identified what was going on, and got her to the hospital asap. I am really really glad I have so much healthcare experience, and just plain gut instincts.

My pinched nerve is still pinched. I have the pain managed pretty well, but I don't have much feeling in my right forearm and index finger of the hand (of course it's my dominant arm). I can technically stitch, but I have a hard time holding and even feeling the needle because it feels like the finger isn't even there.

I'm going to a massage/acupuncturist on Tuesday to try and get this sorted out. If she can't, it's off to a Chiropractor.

I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, and the pain is proof I'm holding too much right now.

On to stitchy things!

Because of the heart troubles with Mom, this year's Christmas was pretty much nonexistent. I am just happy she was home for it, and don't really give a crap about presents. Anyway, a few months ago I caught wind of the Joannes exclusive Ginghers "Jennifer" and since mom was heading into the states, I asked her to have a look for them. After she came home from the states, I may or may not have looked through the receipts to snoop to see if she found them, and she had a bill for Joannes, but they weren't on it. I figured they were sold out. Then everything happened and I forgot about it. Christmas day rolls around and I'm sitting with Mom in the livingroom and she asks my Dad to get the boxes off her dresser. He does and comes back with the Jennifers!

I'll tell you what, when it comes to finding hard to find cross stitch things, she's a master. She has no idea what to even look for as I only give her general descriptions, but she somehow does it. My new scissors have been renamed to Karen, after my mom. :)

I made a lot of progress this year with finishes. I think this was my most prolific year yet with 18 projects finished.

My bucket list made at the beginning of the year was this:

Messenger by Fire Wing Designs Finished and mailed to Adam, UK
Summer Splendor by LHN Started but not finished. Hate it!
2011 Santa by Prairie Schooler Not Started and I think I switched it to the 2012 Santa
Letter S by Letters by Nora Corbette Finished!
Follow Me by Primitive Needle  Finished and sent to Jackie, CAN
Christmas Kitty Moon by Stitchy Kitty Finished
Britty Kitty Christmas Stocking by Brittercup Designs Not Started
Britty Kitties I & II by Brittercup Designs Made one design, the one for Ham. He passed away not that long ago and his owner put the stitch where she can see it all the time. RIP Ham, you were a wonderful Cat who lived a very long 24 years!
Cat Lessons for People by Lizzie*Kate Not Started
Buzzzz by Bent Creek Done!

I strayed a lot from the list, making random patterns for friends throughout the year.

Pinkie Pie for Ryan, US
Umbreon, Jolteon, Espeon, Eevee, Flareon, Vaporeon For Tim, AUS
Rageface for Bennet, NZ
Portal Towel for Deb, US
Tribal Orca for Jer, CAN

and Aryll whom I don't have a home for yet.

Oh and I also finished Paladin this year which was a carryover from 2011, he was mailed to Greg, US.

I really want to make goals for next year, but this arm is such a pain in the ass that I don't want to make goals and not be able to do them, so I'm holding off on next year's bucket list until it's sorted out. I still need to finish the last two pokemon for Tim, so that's the best goal I've got right now. 

I would like to thank all you lovely followers to my blog. I'm a horrible commenter, forget to reply to emails, and just a plain scatterbrain, but I appreciate everyone who has stuck with me! You inspire, enable, and your good thoughts and prayers really mean a lot to me.

Now lets have a better next year. :) I think I smell a giveaway soon, don't you? :)

When it rains, it pours (and snows.)

I still haven't been stitching because of this arm. I did finally try Aleve and it's really taken the edge off.

My Mom had a pretty significant heart attack on Wednesday, so life is busy throwing me more crap. I've just been so busy with being at the hospital, taking care of things at home, and work pushing me into overtime every day I've worked so far this week that I am ~tired~. Too tired to stitch, too tired to think. Too tired for computer.

So this is my hiatus until things settle down. I'll hopefully be back with better news in the new year.

uggh

So I have some bad news! Tuesday night I twisted in my sleep and now have a pinched nerve in my neck, which is making my right arm feel like it's been through a meat grinder. I gave it a couple days and went to the Doctor on Thursday who said YEP a pinched nerve and not a heart attack. He said it would work itself out and gave me a note excusing me from work for 2 days, thursday and friday. He wanted to do 4 days but I said no.

I should have taken the 4 days. My arm is still giving my a ton of trouble and doing this job with a bum arm is no fun at all.

I haven't been able to stitch for 5 days, or use the computer for very long, and I'm super grumpy from the pain that advil nor tylenol will not help with. I really don't know how people can live with chronic pain.

Anyway. I am going to drown myself in hot chocolate now and hopefully I'll be better soon.

Aryll Finished.

Aboot time eh.

GOALS?!

I know I've tried this goal thing before and failed miserably. So I'm going to try it again and hope for better results. Who needs logic!

I really want to get Aryll finished. She's really close to being done, I'd say a good 3-4 hour chunk of stitching and she will be done. I haven't started Glaceon yet, which I'm blaming my friend for. Ok so it's not all his fault.  The last couple weeks we've been having a hard time getting together for gaming+stitching. He's bogged down at work and being social, and I've been tired after my work.

Work is going great! I just find myself getting tired as the work days go on. By Sunday all I want to do is sleep, Monday I'm a zombie, and then it's my weekend where I recharge lol.

So for December the plan is getting Aryll finished and Glaceon done. Glaceon shouldn't take more than a week to do if I get 2 hours a night in like I did with Vaporeon. Leafeon has the most colours so I'm leaving it for last. Maybe I'll get that done in December, but I'm keeping my goals small this time lol.

I got some crap on the Aryll fabric which I'm hoping I can get out after I'm done stitching, and hoping the threadworx doesn't bleed. Ok not literal crap. I don't even know what it is. :D

Okay that is it from me. Hopefully some pictures soon :)

what is this work thing

that keeps cutting into my CRAFTY TIME?

This weekend I decided it would be my very own stitch and bitch at a local cafe. Ok so I was the only one there, and I wasn't bitching. But I was stitching and enjoying really yummy hot chocolate. the first day, because it was spur of the moment, I worked on Summer Splendor by LHN and realized how much I hated it. I was only there an hour between clients so I put a few stitches in while hoping I'd somehow slop hot chocolate all over it which would give me an excuse to can the thing, but alas, I'm just not drooly enough. the lid probably didn't help my cause either.

Today I had 2 hours between clients so I brought Jolteon to finish up. I again enjoyed a really yummy hot chocolate but this time I was hoping I wouldn't slop all over the place! I pretty much got him finished there, yay. I just put the last couple stitches in now.

rawr

 

I had a couple people wander over to me to see what I was doing. I got the whole, "oh, you must have a lot of patience" from some but there was a really nice older lady that chatted with me and we had a lot of laughs over this and that.

I just sometimes wish I had more local people to do this with. :)

Next up is Glaceon, hopefully I have less of a frog-fest with that little one.

Late for IHSW~

This full time work thing is cutting into my stitching time! (and gaming!!!!)

I have barely touched Jolteon. By barely I mean not at all. I did work on Aryll a bit, so I can show the progress on that.

And that was it. :( I hope everyone else had a better IHSW than I did!