Knitting and a new cat toy

This afternoon I had a crack at the knitting kit I got for my birthday and all was going great. I had done around 14 or more rows when a stitch dropped. So me being me I panicked so it went further down. In the end I decided to just work my way back but more kept dropping and/or falling off my needle. So mum had rescued me a few times before then and had a go at another rescue attempt. Unfortunately it was terminal so I am going to start again.
As for the new cat toy well it is the case on row that I couldn't unravel. For a 15 year old he is quite nimble on the old pins.
But having said all that I really enjoyed the knitting and will go a bit more careful next time. I think the problems kicked in when my confidence grew. Oh and the wool is just so pretty.:-)

Stash enhancement

It all started when I saw that the new Limited edition Mirabilia had 25% off at Stitching bits and bobs. I then decided I really would like Victoria Samplers Jingle bell farm so got that with the two accessory packs too.
This is on top of my birthday discount I spent at Needlecraft Corner the other day. That time I got Jeanette Douglas' Northern Lights chart and accesory pack as well as some Rainbow Gallery PTB. The weird thing is I would have spent more for my birthdy but all that I had my eye on was exempt. So made up for it at stitching bits.
Actually there seems to be a theme here-winter and or band samplers. But we all ahve to treat ourselves once in a while eh?
I think it was a cheer me up day as I was supposed to go out tonight but felt too mentally and physically drained and had panic attacks I wouldn't manage it. I almost think its more depressing to try and fail than to not try at all where my health at the moment is concerned. But I also know it is because I am down and don't want to do much or have anything else upset me at the moment. Oh for the days when things were simple-way back when.

Dratted kids

Last night my sleep was disturbed by kids ringing our doorbell at 12:15 AM. I think they saw a light on in the bathroom and as we live in a bungalow when challenged they ran off.
Naturally when the doorbell goes anytime after about 9:00pm you wonder if something awful has happened and at that time its even worse. We have quite a few relatives that live away from the area so they all go through your mind and you pray they are all safe.
The weather has bit hard in some parts of the country today and even places less than an hour away have had snow. We had one flurry at about 7:00am and that was it. Otherwise it was the perfect winter day-sunny and crisp. Where I was last weekend is extremely bad and the roads we drove through have stranded cars on them and the town itself is pretty much impassable. Its amazing really as Cornwall gets less snow than us but its hit them bad this time. As luck would have it Jane is away in Cuba at the moment so has missed it all and hasn't had to battle through it.

Another one down

Today I sent in assignment number 3. I can't believe how quick the course is going and in 3 weeks time the last one of the year is due then we get a couple of weeks off for Christmas.
I am cautiously optimistic that I did ok as I got everything across I wanted to and came in on or under the number of words stated-fingers crossed I really did feel well after dialysis and wasn't reading it through in a total haze. However most of it was written it was just the tweaking I did today so it should be ok.
So tomorrow I am now free so off to visit friends who recently had a baby and then have a relaxing few days until next weeks 'fun'. This is written like this as it is not fun as have to struggle through the contra flow from hell on the M5 during rush hour to see my consultant to discuss the transplant issue with him. Unfortunately the mood I am in he could get an earful and that would be unfair as he came into all this part way through. He has only done his best for me but in all honesty it is an utter mess. My poor head hates having time to think as it just spins out with this subject alone.
But before that I might have a night out in Bristol to look forward to on Saturday and a little bit of stitching inbetween. Those trees are not going to defeat me I swear it lol.

Busy, busy

Well today just flew past. I haven't been feeling 100% for a couple of days now and woke up this morning hardly able to lift my head off the pillow and hurting all over.
Depite that I had an essay I needed to do. Well two actually-one of 300 words and another of 900. I had planned them on Thursday and even partially written the 300 word one so I cracked on. The 300 word one went like a dream-usually it takes ages to get it down to 300 but I am happy with it. The 900 word one? Well 9 hours later its at 903 words and I am relatively happy with it. Why the panic? Its due in on Friday and I can't guarantee how much I can get done tomorrow and Friday after dialysis and I am supposed to be out all day Thursday. As I am not quite right and I have over done things in the last couple of weeks I may not go out now and get my essay done and sent instead.
So since finishing Autumn Garden sampler I have done no stitching apart from a tiny bit yesterday on my MVIII trees. I am in a severe slump with those trees and this will probably be the first month I don't keep up with it. Its a shame really as next month is the last part and then I have the beading to do. So with the delays I definitely think it will be next year before its finished now. It was only a vague hope it would be this year but those trees are proving a bit of a bind lol.

A weekend away, results and a finish

I came back from a weekend away in Cornwall this afternoon and it was a really nice relaxing break. Even though I wanted to help my friend Jane and her husband were the perfect hosts and treated me like a Queen. We went shopping in Exeter yesterday and with its Tudor buildings and Gothic Cathedral it was really atmospheric. I even managed to get a couple of little Christmas presents.
When I got home my results from my first assignment were in. It appears they arrived late Friday evening and I got 72% which is a scrape in at the second pass mark so I was very pleased indeed with that. My next one has to be in on Friday and I am pushed for time on this one so am just hoping for a pass lol.
The finish is the Autumn Garden sampler from Victoria designs:



Its now gone in to the Silkweaver competition-so far 3 are have been submitted, so fingers crossed for that.

A pink and glittery birthday!!

Today I turned the big 30 and it has been fun, fun, fun. Why pink and glittery? That describes my cake:



I knew I was getting one so just asked it to be pink and glittery and this is what mum chose. It is just fantastic!! I came up with the glittery idea after having glitter on a previous cake and as I love pink it was the obvious choice.
To mark the occasion I also got a big balloon which was almost as tall as me:



Even my dialysis unit made me a badge/necklace, fake cake, put ribbon, tinsel and 'glove' balloons over my bed with posters on the machine. They even put a sign on the main front door. For those who know where my photobucket album is all pictures are in there. I am uploading to Webshots but it is playing me up again so that will take awhile.

Well what can I say!!!!

Yesterdays birthday celebration was absolutely fantastic!!

For many months we have been contributing stitched sheep for a quilt for Gina but unbeknown to me one was going round for me too. Mine was based on mainly Teresa Wentzler designs but the most special part was that the lady herself designed and stitched a piece for it. It was one of her designs that she then adapted but its still completely unique and she signed it which blew me away. Here is a picture of the quilt:



It is so gorgeous and I can't even begin to describe how touched I am and what I feel for all the people who got involved. I don't think words are ever enough here but I can't stop looking at it and just love it so much.
Its on my bed at the moment and I am constantly admiring it and stroking it-oh and the ginger one is banned from going anywhere near it.
This week is going to be very busy as fingers crossed I have my flu jab tomorrow afternoon. Tuesday I am also fingers crossed having my haor cut and coloured-this was cancelled due to staff illness on Thursday. Wednesday is my birthday and I am taking cakes into dialysis which is a kind of tradition if you are dialysing on your birthday and if I feel ok we will go out for a really nice family meal that evening. Then Thursday is going to be a study day and Friday I am off to Cornwall for the weekend to see my friend Jane. Any other spare time where I am not sleeping will be study time as I have half a unit to finish and a couple of assignments to get in by the 25th-and not alot of time lol. Which also reminds me that sometime this week I will get my first marked assignment back too-eeeekkkk.

Amusing quiz.

I saw this in Kates blog and had to have a go. You put you name and the word wants into Google and see some of the funny things that come up. So Michelle wants:

To visit 27 places - could apply to me.

Break down barriers in golf - don't think I want to do anything with golf.

Danny to stay with her - I don't know any Danny's.

Her lover to afford her more freedom - hey I got plenty of freedom because I don't have one.

To know more about metallic elements - not today I don't.

To go topless in her next film role - only if its straight to video.

To become a multi culti cusine Queen - hmmm possibly need to be able to cook English food well first.

Tony's input - think I would need to meet him first.

To help her friend Jason create a swanky bachelor pad - well my cousin is called Jason and lives on a narrow boat lol.

To start an advice to the lovelorn column - as if I'd be able to help them.

To pick bigots out of society like weeds in a garden - don't we all.

The squeaky toy the trainer has behind me - Woof.

ROTFL

Taj is home

I have had a really busy day so only just able to take pictures so they aren't quite as good as they could be. But here you go:

So this is the whole picture:



This is a close up of the top right corner so you can see the frame details:



I am really pleased with how its come out and so glad I went with this frame as its a bit of a lottery when it comes to choice. However it seems to set all the colours off very well.

Forgot to say

When I blogged yesterday I forgot one piece of good news. When I got back from laying the flowers I had a letter in the post. Remember I got half my course fees back from the OU? Well I was wrong as that was a grant for books, travel and any other supplementary items. This letter contained a full refund for my course. So all the hassle and problems of applying were worth it and I hadn't taken in you could get above and beyond your course fees.
I was as over the moon as I could be at that point in time as this is a very generous grant, so I could afford to treat myself a small bit now if I wanted.

Emotional few days

I keep trying to post here but Blogger keeps eating them.

Ok well Saturday was the anniversary of Sara passing away so I went and laid flowers on her cremation plot and then went to a local outlet village with mum and dad. It was a singularly bad day as not only was I not in the mood for shopping it was hissing with rain and all the food at the village was horrible. I also didn't feel at all well so we came home and I tried to chill out for the rest of the day.
Yesterday was spent finishing off my latest rotation piece and then studying as Block 2 has just started and I also had some kind of massive reaction, so again didn't feel well.
Today was my visit to the transplant surgeon and I now have alot to think about. My risks of not surviving have decreased by miles but are not out of site-gone from 50% to under 10%. But there is only a 50% chance of getting a fully successful outcome in terms of getting a good working kidney and I may undergo surgery and it may not even be possible to proceed.
Its now over to me to decide what I want to do and if I even want to proceed. There is also the small chance that the hospital won't be allowed to do this as the other surgeons are not too keen and may veto it altogether.

So thats the start of the week and this week I still have my assignment mark to come in-eek, Taj back from the framers, hair cut and coloured and I think thats it. No wait isn't there the small matter of a birthday do this weekend? Yippeee.

What a great day

Its been a really nice day today. As we are in reading week for my course I am able to relax and chill a bit. Today I went and had my eyebrows waxed and shaped professionally. I was booked in for a local place for today but they cancelled due to staff illness on Wednesday. Luckily I got a last minute booking at a place near town after seeing an advert in the paper. I really enjoyed it and felt throughly pampered. I have always done my own up to now and growing them out has been awful-I have really had to resist getting my tweezers to them lol. But after having them done properly I can appraise two things. One my previous efforts were not bad but two this looks much better so at £5 per month I am going to go regularly.
Then this afternoon I went for a wander into town and got some stuff from The Body Shop. I am in their card club so you also get £5 worth of products free in your birthday month. I chose a Papaya lip balm for £4.50, but they still take £5 off the total. It wasn't a good choice though as what should be sat on my dressing table when I got home-yep the one and only twin of it. :-S I could have sworn I had never bought one like that either lol. I also bought some make up and being a sucker for a freebie I bought some stuff I was dithering over to get a free set. This contained a neutral lipstick, a small bottle of White musk perfume which I love, a miniture cocoa butter body wash and a small tub of Vitamin E moisture cream all in a pretty cosmetic bag.
Then it was off to Boots to buy my shampoo and bath stuff-again a disaster as I got home and had a spare bottle of shampoo sat in the drawer-must remember to make a list next time lol.
I tried to stitch tonight but couldn't get into it so made a Mandala for a card and now here I am surfing before bed.

Good stuff/bad stuff

To start off with the good. Friends of mine have emailed me to tell me that their first child has arrived safely in the world on Sunday afternoon. So cue a new start-Just Nans birth sampler. Call me a cranky old crone but didn't want to start in case I jinxed anything lol.
Still on the good side I took Taj in to be framed this afternoon and I am hoping that it turns out as nice as I am imagining it will. I pick it up next week so will post a picture for you all once its home. I hate leaving my precious stitching with others lol so I hope my babys ok.
More good stuff-will it never end lol is that my assignment went in yesterday, so have some spare time to myself to stitch, read and chill.
Bad stuff is that at the moment I am not coping very well. It is a combination of things but I feel under an extreme amount of stress and I know it won't leave for a good week yet, as the anniversary of my friends death is this weekend and my appointment for the surgeon is also looming. Its kind of stirred up alot of stuff I wasn't expecting really so at the moment I am spinning out.

But the good outweighs the bad so thats something and we have now entered my birthday month woooohoooo and at the moment I am finalising my plans and lurching from looking forward to it to dreading it lol.
Thanks for allowing me a whinge. Going back to stitching now as all the new parts of the Chatelaines are out. :-)