Moments in time

It was my blog's first birthday a week ago today and I completely forgot about it.  Poor little blog! My mind has been busy consumed with other dates and events.  A housewarming party, my sister's birthday, numerous doctors appointments, and two very other significant dates.

Firstly, yesterday it was MR's and my first anniversary of moving into our new home together.  So hard to believe we've been here a year, it feels like so much longer and yet so much shorter at the same time. The house looks much the same as when we bought it, we haven't done any renovations or painted it or changed the gardens majorly.  Hopefully now that MR is home for two weeks at a time there might be a bit more time for handyman jobs, which he is very good at! We need new gutters and I think that might be the first Big Job.  They are a yukky reddybrown colour at the moment and I do not like it one bit.  I want a nice dusky blue colour.  And then after he has done that I can have a go at painting all the decorative bits outside that are that yukky colour the nice dusky blue colour.  That seems like a job I could manage.  But before we do any of that, we need to buy a ladder!

Like the blue around the window and under the roof, but certainly not the copper gutters!

The second significant date is tomorrow.  A year ago tomorrow I was diagnosed with leukaemia.  I had a big cry last week when MR was home about the unfairness of life and how nice it would be if it never happened because if that never happened then I would have never needed a liver transplant.  The I Wish Beast struck big time as I thought about all the things we could have done to the house with the extra money we would have had with me working and healthy and MR not having to take all that time off to look after me.  I felt like I was grieving for the old me, because I am now so different from the person I used to be.

I feel like I have been dunked in a bowl full of medical jargon and come out overflowing with terms I had never heard of before but now are everyday; medication names, blood test terms, which vials they need to take blood in for each test, what tests need to be done even though the doctor forgot to put it on the blood test form.  I know the phlebotomists by name.  And I also now know what phlebotomist means.  Words with funny letter combinations that used to sound clunky now roll off my tongue with ease - imatinib, dasatinib, encephalopathy, phlebotomist, endocrinologist, azathrioprine, pretty much all my medications really.  Numbers pour out of my ears, relating to levels of liver function, kidney function, adrenal gland function, lung function, percentages of leukaemia in my body.  They change so regularly it is hard to keep track.  I should write them down, or make a spreadsheet to keep track of it all.  But that would be organised, and I am not!

Now when people say 'how are you?' I wonder if they are asking for the 'good/fine/not bad' response or if they are looking for the medical details of how I am.  How is my liver? How are my kidneys? How are my lungs? How is the leukaemia? It's not that I mind if they are asking about my health, that is fine and I am happy to share and explain all the big clunky sounding words to them, it's just another social uncertainty to add to my list.

I was hoping MR would be home for tomorrow so we could go do something fun to take my mind off it all but he isn't so instead I have invited Sarah around for a sewing afternoon.  Can't mope while you're sewing!

I'm Completely Failing

... at this going to bed early business.  Twice in the last three and a half weeks, dreadful!! I really thought I would have made it tonight because I didn't go to bed til 2am last night and then had to get up at 6.30 to go and help my Dad out by running a scarf stall with my sister at one event for his Cambodia School Project while he was off at another event helping out with a sausage sizzle.  But unfortunately I accidentally fell asleep at 6.30pm, only to be woken up at 8 by a phone call and now I'm wide awake.  So annoying! 

I have been doing mindfulness meditations before bed to calm my mind and that is (generally) helping me to get to sleep a little bit quicker but if I get into bed before I am tired I just lie there with a churning brain and fidgety body no matter what I try. 

I've decided that my first 'reward' from my $5 IBLO (In Bed Lights Out) earnings is going to be a spa pedicure.  I do love me a pedicure and pretty feet always make me feel a bit nice, but it is a bit decadent so has been cut out of the budget of late.  That means I need another 6 nights of going to bed on time to get there. 

Any tips? Maybe I need to revisit the sleeping pills for a few days?

The Great Outdoors

  
Well, it's not quite great yet, but it is certainly taking shape.  My garden and back yard is finally beginning to develop some personality.  I'm quite pleased with how it's going so far.  We got all of this done in time for the housewarming party, which by the way went brilliantly well, all the different groups of friends chatted to each other which is always my worst fear about hosting parties.  Lots of yummy food and hardly any stressing by me at all.  I ended up only making two potato bakes and my trademark chilli con queso dip.  The weather was a little bit warm but not too bad and when the afternoon breeze kicked in it was lovely.  I didn't even feel too tired afterwards, although after a busy Monday of  appointments I was well and truly ready for a quiet day on Tuesday.

 One wagon wheel, as mentioned here, with passionfruit vine growing up it on the left.  We think we might remove those agapanthus in front of it, maybe move them to the front yard.  They are blocking my pretty wagon wheel! 

 MR's mum gave this candle holder to me a while ago and I hadn't worked out where to put it.  We don't have any very wide walls in our outdoor area, just lots of windows!  So I was thinking of putting it in the bathroom.  But then MR's dad had the brainwave of bending it slightly and putting it over this about 150` corner.  I think it looks fantastic there!

While pulling out the candle holder I found this wind chime I got in a secret santa a couple of years ago, I really love the colour of it and the little birdie hanging underneath.  We found a bolt sticking out in the patio to hang it on but it isn't catching any breeze there so it is going to have to move when MR is home next.

The weather is finally just reaching that stage of beautiful, warm and sunny without being stinking hot.  Cool evenings but not too cold to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air.  This morning I got up at five to take MR to the airport and I had to put on a jumper.  Isn't that first jumper donning an exciting moment? MR is away for 3 weeks this time, boo.  But then he goes onto a two week on two week off shift!! Squeeee, very exciting! I will have him home with me half the time instead of one third of the time.  He is looking forward to it as well.  He is moving sites and becoming a supervisor too.  Clever boy!
 

Action!

  
There has been some at my house, crafty action that is.  Not a great amount in general standards but for me it is a fairly big amount.  I am quite pleased, hopefully this is a sign of returning energy and desire to do more than read books or blogs, watch tv or play facebook games. 

 There has been Ikea box painting for my sister's birthday.  Not especially artistic but much cheaper than wrapping paper!

 I revised the v-jayjay pattern to try and look more grecian vase-ish.  I'm still not in love with it though. 

 And finished it off to be an ereader case.  Except looking at the photo now I think I need to stitch around the button hole and across the top as well to make it look neater.  Anyone have an ereader (or similar device of about 12x18cm) and want this? It's up for grabs if you do, just leave a comment. 

I've even been trying my hand at ATCs.  I joined swap-bot a while ago so I could get fun packages in the mail (swapping instead of shopping) and I joined an ATC swap, just to see what it's all about.  The one on the left is almost finished, just some raindrops to go.  

And another swap thing, this time handmade Christmas decorations.  Nothing like starting early and getting a good collection I say!  This embroidery pattern is from Polka and Bloom.  It's not the whole pattern, I just drew on half to begin with so it doesn't fade away before I get to finishing it.  

And there's lots more planned for next week so hopefully the mojo continues!

Linking up with our creative spaces

 

Out of hospital and health update

  
I'm out of hospital, they let me out yesterday, a day earlier than I was expecting!  Super yay!

I've got some new drugs to try and help my lungs, as they have gotten no better and a little bit worse in the month since I started treatment for them and if the drugs don't begin to work in the three weeks before my next check up with the pulminary docs they want me back in for some IV treatment.  So fingers crossed big time there!! I am planning to not be back in hospital Any Time Soon.  I can now also add endocrinologists to the gamut of specialists dealing with my case as the tests they ran show my adrenal glands are working and yet my cortisol is low so my hepatology docs want to consult with them to decide what to do about it.  Also, my BCR-ABL results (leukaemia concentration in blood) have come back from the February tests and show they have risen a little bit, from 5.6 to 8.8%  Not good, but not toooooo bad either.  My haemotologist said she wants to see two spikes in my levels before she needs to put me back on meds but they want to get the lungs and the adrenal glands sorted out first anyhow.  My liver count is finally back under 35 (where it is meant to be) after over a month, very excited about that and my kidneys are almost back to normal too.  They are attributing their rise in numbers to a mixture of my immunosuppressant and antifungal medications so they have lowered the immunosuppresants slightly while I get over all these stupid fungal and bacterial infections.

And that's the latest in my health news.  Ahh, I miss the days where I could wrap up health news in a sentence.  Oh, I had a cold last week but I'm better now. If only.  Now I just sound like a contender for the World's Biggest Hypochondriac.  Please God, don't let that become a new reality TV show. 

Anyhow, just a quick post from me today, I'll probably be absent for a few days because I have a housewarming party to organise and hold - whee! It certainly won't be anything like the spectacular parties I see hosted on some of your blogs.  I am making a coleslaw, a potato bake and perhaps a plate or two of nibbles.  MR is in charge of BBQ duties with whoever else that volunteers on the day and I have had six very kind and helpful people offer to bring more salads for me.  I am trying to be very casual and not my usual crazy over-catering self who thinks of lots of yummy things she could make that take many hours of preparation.  There will be no bunting, no rainbow cakes, no fancy colour themes, no themes at all for that matter.  Just a typical run of the mill Aussie BBQ.  And that is fine by me.  It will just be nice to spend time with friends and family.  MR's parents are coming down Saturday night and my Mum is coming around a bit early on Sunday to help us to get everything organised without me getting worn out.  And then all I have to stress over is making sure all our different groups of friends interact and no one gets left feeling lonely!

Looking forward to catching up on everyone's blogs when I'm back. x




A Year of Good Things
73/366 ::For Transplant Australia::
My Run for a Reason fundraiser page reached and passed it's target of $1000, I'm now up to $1045, two whole months before the event! Time for a target raising!  Thanks to those bloggy people who have donated, you know who you are!! 

74/366 ::For me::
Out of hospital on my liver's five month anniversary - yay!

75/366 ::For my meow::
Lots of cuddles and attention after being left alone (the neighbour fed her) for 3 days and 2 nights

Defunct words

This morning I used the word 'leisure'.  As in "All I'm doing is sitting around waiting for doctors to do tests on me at their leisure."

I don't think I've ever said the word leisure before.

In fact, unless associated with American cruise ship goers 'leisure-wear', I don't think I really ever hear that word anymore.

For that matter, 'defunct' is not something I think I have ever said either, and yet I know it.  No doubt I have read it somewhere.

I read another awesome word in a book recently, if only I could remember what it was, that I thought needed a reintroduction to today's society.  This was a popular word from the 1800's.  Give me time, I may remember it and come back and edit this.

What words can you think of that are reaching their use by date?  Or just words you don't really say very often at all?

And do you have any really great words you think people should say more?  Such as nincompoop.  Are we about ready for that one to do a come back tour?

Funny Shit Your Kids Say (or do)

So, I'm stuck in hospital and need some entertainment.  I was over at Suburban Sonnet, reading a funny story about something her daughter said and a bit earlier in the evening I was reading Sally's funny recount about her son's audition for River Dance at the doctor's surgery that is still making me giggle.  It brought to mind a couple of funny stories from school.  I may have posted about one before but I definitely haven't about the other.

So I decided, I want everyone to tell me, either in comment or in a post and put a link in the comments, a funny story, or two or three, about their children.  This will keep me entertained for hours.  And possibly make the nurses think I have gone crazy but that is a small price to pay.

Funny child story number one. (Name changed)

The kindy kids were in a bad habit of coming back inside after playtime and emptying their shoes out onto the carpet.  I had told them individually to empty them into the bin when I spotted a culprit in action but it eventually got so bad I spoke to the class as a whole about how dirty it was getting in here on the carpet and how our nice toys would be ruined and the cleaners would be cross. Maybe a week or so later we're all outside playing and I see a boy run from the sandpit to the classroom, about 50m away, and go inside.  He's just going to the toilet, I think.  He comes out a few minutes later holding his shoes and sits down to put them back on.
"Are you alright Freddy?" I ask.

"Yeah." he says. "I was just emptying my shoes, there was sand in them."

"... ... Okay, good boy..." I managed with a semi straight face before moving out of his eyesight, telling my EA and crying with laughter.  We were laughing for days over that one. 



Funny child story number two. More cute than funny really.
NB. Banana must be pronounced ba-nanna (nanna as is grandma)

I had a boy in kindy one year who had a few undiagnosed developmental delays.  He was a lovely child, always so happy and smiley but he struggled a lot and didn't have a very large vocabulary when he came in.

Everyday he would have a banana in his lunchbox which he would bring over to be opened because he couldn't do it.  Fine, most kids struggle with bananas.  But instead of asking he would just jam it in my face.  This was okay to begin with, I tried to help by modeling the language he could use.
"Oh, it's a banana," I would say.  "Would you like me to open it for you?"
"Yes please" he would reply.  He had beautiful manners.
So I would open it and off he would trot to eat his banana.
Over time I started to not say anything.  He would hold the banana out and I would look at it and look at him.
"It's a banana." he would say, like it was a big surprise and all wonderful-like.
"Yes, it is a banana."
"It's yellow."
"You're right, it is yellow."
Then he would stand there for as long as I let him, just staring at me and the banana.  No idea what to say next.  So I would ask him if he needed help opening it.  After a bit longer doing this I tried again.
"It's a banana." - still excited about it.
"Yes, it is a banana."
"It's a BIG banana."
"You're right, it is a big banana today."
Silence
"Is it for me?" I ask.
"Noooo!" he giggles.
Silence
"Do you want me to do something to it?" I prompt.  He nods.
"What do you want me to do to it?"
There would be an utterly perplexed look on his face for a few seconds and then, all excitedly,
"It's a BANANA!"

I wish I could have recorded how excited he sounded about the banana, it was priceless.  Loses a bit in translation though.



So, now it's your turn.  I'm ready!!

Knuckle Sandwich

  
I'm joining in this week with Write on Wednesday, normally held at inkpaperpen but this week over at Quilt of Dragonflies.  I've only joined in once before and it was quite a while ago now.  We get given a prompt and can right about anything that springs to mind.  The idea is to write for 5 minutes or 500 words.  Not too long, can break off in the middle of something and doesn't need to have an ending.  Just a piece of writing to get the juices flowing.

This week's prompt was Zany Characters, in real life or made up.  Mine comes from real life.

....

She was on the other side of the wall to me.  He was over the hall a few doors down.  She had been making herself known to me all day, finding fault with everything and everyone and talking really loudly.  In my head I had named her Obstreperous.  I was having trouble thinking of the right name for him, he was only new and I still had to get a full measure of his spunk.

“Helloooooooo,” she cried.  Every few minutes.

“Is anyone listening to me?  I want a coke and a thing.  You know, those things you put in the toaster. They have filling.  Sweet filling.  I want one of them.  And a coke.”

Silence for a few minutes, perhaps ten.  I wasn’t really sure because it was 2am and I was trying to sleep.

“Heeeelllllllooooooooooooooo?” it started again. “Can you HEAR me? I really want a coke and that thing. Oh, bother, what’s it called?”

I felt like yelling out that it was called a Poptart but decided that would just encourage her. 

It went on for a bit longer and then he chimed in.

“Be quiet!” he grouched.

“Who’s that?” she warbled in an anxious voice.  “Who’s in my house?”

“Don’t you know you’re in hospital?” he used a slightly gentler voice this time.

“I am not, I am at home.  Bring me a coke and a sweet toaster thing!” she shouted back.

At this point a nurse decided that ignoring Obstreperous was not achieving much and decided to join the fun. 

“You need to be quiet and go to sleep, it’s 2am and you’re disturbing the other patients.  We don’t have any coke and you can’t have any anyhow.”

Silence for twenty minutes, maybe half an hour.

“Hello? Helloooooo? I need my coke now.  And that sweet toaster thing.  Why isn’t anyone listening to me?” It started again.

“For pete’s sake, Shut Up.” A good call I thought, from the old man over the hall.

“No I will not! I want my coke.” she demanded.

“Do you want a knuckle sandwich?!” the old man roared.

Blessed silence apart from the sound of me snickering into my pillow.

Cantankerous, I decided on as a name for him.

Going ons

In hospital they serve dinner at 5.30pm.  This is Too Early, in my opinion, as I normally have dinner at 8 or later (mainly because I am too lazy to be bothered getting up and making it earlier and I am not particularly hungry because I had breakfast at 12 and then a lunchey snack of fruit and yoghurt or something similar at 5)  Along with too early, as mentioned before (I'm sure somewhere) it is quite not nice.  Instant mash potato and vegies from the freezer.  Bland mains.  Usually I give it a try and if it's okay I will eat some of it.  But never the instant mash potato, deeeesgusting. Tonight's meal was chicken schnitzel with gravy and it was tolerable.  But now it is 8.40 and I am hungry.

 So I am snacking on cheese and crackers and my Dad is on his way in with some carrot cake.  Last night my sister brought me a lamington and cream, along with the cheese (already had the crackers) and a punnet of cherry tomatoes.  Priorities.

Meanwhile, I am reading blogs.  Getting nice and up to date on all the ones in my list.  But, you are not posting enough, those of you that are my favourite bloggy people.  I need more entertainment!  I am not quite bored, but close.

Last night I did some embroidery, I decided last minute at about 3am Monday morning* that I could make a little case for my ereader while in hospital.  I could only find pink felt because I couldn't be bothered getting to the box at the bottom of the stack that has all my felt in it.  But I have fallen out of love with it after posting it on facebook last night and my sister posting the comment "You know what that looks like...?"

It took me a minute or so but then... OH.  Well.  That is not what it is supposed to be and now all I can think of is that I am doing a vagina designed ereader case.


Edit: I should be out in a couple of days, in fact, I am quite determined I will be out by Thursday because MR and I are having our housewarming party this weekend and I have Stuff To Do!  I am really only here so the doctors can run tests at their convenience, as they think of them.
 

 

Words and Pictures: Warm

It's hard to think of anything when I think of warm that doesn't involve the way too long hot patch we're having. It's Autumn! My favorite season. Please go away Summer! I'm ready for crunchy leaves, rainy days, cardigans and trackie dacks.

I was sitting here on the couch thinking about how I should really be doing the dishes or packing to go back into hospital tomorrow (sigh) but instead I'm having snuggles with my Meow. Spending time with her always makes me feel warm inside. She is a funny girl, always doing something crazy to make me laugh. She doesn't like being picked up much but she likes to be in the same room as me. When she feels like a cuddle she jumps up but at other times she can be a total snob. But most nights we have a cuddle in bed and then she flops out at the end of the bed in the funniest positions. This is just one of them.

Thank goodness for our pets keeping us sane, giving us someone to talk to when we're home all day alone, cheering us up when we're sad, making us laugh at their silly antics and smile at their cuteness.

I'm playing along with Pip's words and pictures meme. Random topics are good fun right?

Dairy whore

  

Since having my liver transplant I have been able to eat dairy, my lactose intolerance seems to have entirely disappeared.  Awesome added bonus in my opinion because I Love dairy and would still eat it and get a bloated tummy and cramps afterwards.  It was worth it.  But now I can enjoy a banana smoothie for breakfast, yoghurt for afternoon tea, a ham and cheese croissant for dinner and a banana split to follow, all in the same day.  oh. my. god.  Awesome indeed.

Thank you new liver, you have now revealed two positive aspects of having to have a stupid liver transplant.  Losing weight and now this delicious time of bulk dairy eating.

Swapping Loveliness

  
I've been making new bloggy friends lately.  One of them is Christie at Describe Happy.  We decided to do a little swap, 'a pincushion and a surprise' and my package arrived yesterday.  It was a Big and Lovely surprise!!

 Look at my beautiful mushroom pincushion!! It even stands up all by itself! I said to Christie that I can't quilt for the life of me (she is a great quilter) so now I'm lucky enough to have some pretty quilted things.

 And a matching fabric basket - OHH! It's so cute and in just the perfect colours for me.  Now to decide what to put in it??

And if that's not enough, look at these three fabulous fat quarters she sent me, and a stunning packet of cards, I really love the patterns on all of them!

I feel so spoilt, nothing better than receiving wonderful goodies in the mail!! My package to Christie hasn't been sent off yet, lets blame an annoyingly inconvenient hospital stay, but any day now! I'm off to do some more of it now!  Thankfully she is completely relaxed and super friendly and said seeing as we didn't ever set a deadline, it doesn't matter when it arrives because it won't be late.  I like her way of thinking! (But I'm still going to get cracking)

Thank you so much Christie!

Thread painting

  
I'm sticking with the embroidery obsession at the moment because I want to share a very talented blogger with you.  I visited Monika's blog, My Sweet Prairie, after she visited mine.  And as I scrolled through her posts, my jaw gradually dropped as I saw photos of her amazing work.  She takes photos and turns them into art work using threads.  A-May-Zing. 

Bloom in progress, flowers still to be added.

So much work goes into these little pieces!

Wolf Willow and Prairie Lilies #2 

This piece speaks to me.  I kept wanting to add more photos of it in closer detail and half completed.  I just love it.  The old wooden fence post, the small scattering of lilies. Perfect!

My Sweet Prairie (canola field) in progress

 Look at all those french knots. Just look at them all!

Canola fields are beautiful, it's interesting to see they look the same in Canada as they do here in Western Australia.

Flax at Jackfish Lake

I have never seen flax growing before but this certainly paints a beautiful picture of it! This one was made for Monika's Mum, who lives at that lake.

Isn't it amazing?  I am in love with Monika's work so much that I have already commissioned a piece, using a photo I took down south in Denmark on holiday with MR at the beginning of last year.  My first piece of commissioned art work! I had a bit of a squee at that, how grown up. 

It will be started sometime in April. I'm really looking forward to seeing it start to take shape on her blog!

 

1 + 8 = 1

 Take one very messy bathroom cupboard

 Add 8 ikea zip open storage boxes

And you get one, nice tidy organised cupboard.

Yay!

 

Preparations

  
For starters, I didn't cave! Woo! I really did think that I would but I pushed past the yawns and droopy head.  This time - can't make any promises on my staying power next time!

I mentioned in my last post my list of things to do.  We're having a very late housewarming party the weekend after next, just shy of a year of being in the house, so there's lots to be done to get things organised and looking pretty and more home like.  The poor house has had a double whammy in neglection, organisational wise, firstly because I suck at organising and secondly, because I've been ill.  But no more!  (well, for now) I am determined to get things looking wonderful for the party.  Determined.  MR did lots of outdoorsy stuff last time he was home like mow the lawns, dig out a dead bush and plant some roses in its place, lift the heavy Christmas tree box and put it out in the garage and the time before that he tidied his shed so well, it was tidier than the house (woops) and blower vac-ed the paved areas.  Unfortunately that has left me with all the inside light weight stuff.  And I am just not good at organising.

So I started with some fun stuff.  On the weekend I went to Ikea for storage items and some frames for my art works.  I've got all my prints framed now, just have two more of the blue box frames to fill and then I can work on the display!  I also have really wanted some bedroom art for a while but I want something good and nothing has caught my eye that was not $1,330,482 (or so it seems to my pitiful budget).  I was doing a bit of shopping on kelani fabrics with a voucher I had and saw this gorgeous Haga fabric and thought how nice it would look on my wall.  So I got a fat quarter.  I wanted a white frame but the options were a white frame for $39.95 or this black one for $7.95.  Easy decision. This one doesn't have glass, it has plastic, which is fine because I just wrapped the fabric over the plastic and held it in place with the back of the frame.  No gluing or anything needed so that when we get some proper art, I can take the fabric out and use it.

Now I've got to get cracking on the rest of the list.  It keeps getting longer as I think of more things to add to it, and this list is just for getting the house organised, not getting the party organised!

- tidy off kitchen ledge
- reorganise bathroom cupboards (not really necessary for the party but they were annoying me!)
- finish tidying craft room (still a mammoth job, even with all the bits I've done over the past months)
- put up frame cluster
- reorganise bookshelves
- hunt gumtree for a nice bed frame for our spare mattress
- do massive amounts of weeding
- sort through the rest of my teaching boxes and stack them neatly in the garage
- do the filing

It doesn't sound like much, but that craft room will take a lot of work.  I hate finding homes for things, I never know where to put it and just end up making little piles of stuff scattered all over the floor and everything looks messier than before. 

Thank goodness I have a Meow to help me.  She has a strange obsession with getting into open drawers and digging through them to see what's underneath and behind.
  

Temptation

How good are you at resisting temptation?  In whatever form it takes?  Are you strong?  Do you cave in quickly?  Do you pretend to be strong but then when no one is watching, cave in after all?

I'm not asking this with chocolate in mind, oh no.  Nor shopping (which is way more addictive for me than chocolate).  No, today I'm asking this because it is 1.30pm and all I can think about is how I would really like to crawl back into bed for a nap.  I've been up for a total of 4 hours people, 4 measly hours.

I had a dreadful sleep last night, kept waking up, nightmares, the works.  I totally blame it on going to bed by my new prescribed bedtime of 11pm, first night of success - yay! - but if it means feeling like this the next day then pfft, I'm going back to bedtimes the wrong side of midnight.  My head is so fuzzy it doesn't even feel like I've woken up yet.

I have a nice long list of things to do; some fun, some not so much so I have plenty to keep me busy.  I know that if I have a nap I definitely will not make my 11pm bedtime tonight.  And I suspect that if I make it without the nap, it's going to get to 10pm and all of a sudden I will finally feel awake.  It's a lose lose situation.  I'm going to attempt the no-nap situation.  But it's gonna be hard folks.

For the record, I'm the quick cave in-erer.

Love

It's not everyday that your cat leaves you a love note in her biscuit bowl! 

 

Stitcheries

I've recently been having an urge to embroider.  I learnt as a child but I haven't done it since but I really just want to embroider stuff.  Plus, it is a much easier craft to take into hospital.  Hopefully I won't have to use it for that anytime soon though. I know I should start with something small, but I have been pouring over some very lovely patterns on etsy and pinterest and oh they are so tempting! 

here

here

 here

 here

and how could I go past an embroidered cuckoo clock!! 

I think this one might need to wait til my skill level catches up!

 here

I think I might have to start very simple though and see how I go from there.  

If only embroidery was the only new thing I wanted to try out.  I also really want to do some more ceramics/clay work and also some mosaics.  I have plenty of time to do it all but no funds for supplies!!*

What new craft do you want to try?

* and seeing as it is currently 11.33pm I have again failed to get my $5 IBLO deal.  Bugger.   

 

Starting Better Habits

 

awesome nest bed found here

  
Today, after reading Wendy's post, I have decided that it is time for me to start having better sleeping habits.  I have been thinking about it for a while now actually.  Probably for most of my adult life if I'm honest.  I am a shocking night owl.  Every night I say, I should go to bed early tonight.  And every night I somehow manage to fiddle faddle around until well past 1am.  It's been worse since I've been in hospital because I'm not working so it doesn't really matter if I go to bed at 2am and get up at 11am.  Unless I have an appointment.  Or unless poor MR is home and he has to put up with me waffling on for hours in bed when all he wants to do is sleep.  MR would be Incredibly Pleased if I was to turn into a (slightly) earlier sleeper.
I did think of a nice sounding incentive scheme to get me In-Bed-Lights-Out before 11 last night, at 2am as I was brushing my teeth to go to bed.  Seeing as I have No Money, maybe MR can pay me $5 for each night I get IBLO before 11.  This money would have to be spent on me or craft stuff or housey stuff.*  I posed it to him this evening when he called and well, I guess he's quite eager for me to go to sleep earlier and not keep him up because he thought that that might just be ok.

Of course, I'm not going to make it tonight because as I'm typing this the clock just ticked over to 10.58 and I'm in the middle of watching an episode of CSI.  Small steps.  Maybe I'll just aim for 12 tonight.  That's better than 2 anyhow!

And like just like Wendy, I am better at it if I am accountable. So over on my side bar I'll be keeping track of my lights out time for the month.

Do you need to start a better habit?  Want to join in to?  It doesn't have to be the same as mine.    Just leave a comment below and I'll pop round to encourage you!





* MR would quite happily give me money to do/buy stuff if I asked and he has done in the past already, but this way I would feel like I had somehow earned it... albeit in a star-chart-weilding-child-like-way.

All sorts of good stuff

Life has restarted!  I have more energy and am doing okay with my 40% reduction in lung capacity.  The medications are hopefully working and I am doing what I can to help them.

Yesterday morning I had a lovely massage and in the evening I went to my first yoga session.  It was a gentle hatha and meditation session so not too much and I managed all the poses in between puffing (although not as flexibly as others) so I was happy.  The meditation session at the end was good too, my therapist has me doing self guided ones at home but it is nice to do it with a real person as well.  I'm hopeful that a bit of gentle exercise will help my lungs recover.

Not only that but Thursday I went for a 2km walk! There was a tremendous amount of huffing and puffing for the slow pace I was taking and thank goodness I went by myself because there would not have been enough oxygen for chatting but I felt good afterwards.  Back on track, fingers crossed!  Now I just need to keep it up.

And finally in my good stuff news, I went to the Roxette concert with my sister on Wednesday night!  Wheeee, it was awesome. Very. Very. Awesome.  I got to dress up in a pretty top, jeans and heels and we went out for dinner first and I had a delicious grilled barramundi on a bed of kipler potatoes and cacciatore with broccolini.  Mmm mm.  We had good seats at the concert and it was a small enough venue that there was no need for big tv screens or anything.  All the songs came back and I had great fun singing along to all my old favourites.  Yay!

one grainy iphone photo

It's so nice to get back into doing normal type things and not feel absolutely shattered afterwards.  I'm hoping it continues!


A Year of Good Things (hopefully back on track!)

60/366 ::For normalness feelings::
I went out for dinner and to Roxette, had an awesome time Wooo!

61/366 ::For fitness::
I went for a 2km walk.

62/366 ::For relaxation:: 
A full body massage, so nice and relaxing, followed by a yoga and meditation session. 
 

A revert to form

  
My supposed craft blog, which of late has been more of a woeful life and health news blog, is showing signs of craftiness!  Excitement of all excitement, there is Another Finished Object.  My goodness, who wouldathunkit?  That makes four finished things so far this year.  Not bad!

I am terribly rusty on the old sewing machine these days and lining is something that I just find really difficult to get my head around.  How to attach it and how it will all turn back into the right way with no edges showing just does my head in.  I do not possess the spatial awareness required to picture it all working.  So I followed this helpful tutorial in how to make a little zippered bag/pencil case/what-have-you.  It was quite simple to follow and I think a bit different to how it is normally done? Either way, it was easier (for me) to understand than some of the other tutorials I looked at. 

It seems a bit silly to be so proud of my very simple little babuska pencil case but I am.  Wonky stitching, unaligned corners and all!

Clearly I missed a bit lining my seams up there in the corner.  Oh well, it stands up, that's the main thing!  This is for a pencil case swap I joined up on Swap-Bot.  I decided seeing as I can't afford shopping I will get my buzz from getting fun little surprise parcels in the mail from somewhere in the world.  Parcels in the mail are very exciting!

I'm trying to decide on fabrics to make myself one now.


 
more creativity.