Ramblings

Hello there blogging friends. I'm back with another post. Please, deep breaths, relax. It's really me after only a week.  :)

How have y'all been? I hope everyone is safe after Harvey and Irma. If you are in the Northwest, I hope you are out of the path of the fire. Here in Hillbilly country, AKA East Tennessee, we are experiencing winds and rain from Irma but nothing of the proportions folks in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina felt. I'm absolutely ready for fall but not wet and windy.

I'm getting better every day. I actually went to Walmart yesterday for the first time in probably a year. I didn't use an electric cart. I knew what I wanted to get and that was the extent of my shopping. Straight in, grab the things and out. Then I went to the grocery and I did use the electric cart there. After Walmart, I thought I shouldn't push it. Two stores in one trip! I told the Hubs last night when he came in and he said, "I'm glad you were able to do that!" When I asked if he was glad because he didn't have to go grocery shopping as much, he said that was part of it, but he was mostly glad that I was able to get out and do these things. I think he's been worried about me!  :)

I got the sweetest photo from Abby the other day. She had taken James and Sam to the library and James want to take Sam to the play area.  Isn't this the cutest photo??

It makes my heart melt!

I've been cross stitching like crazy. I'm back in my happy place. I've totally lost any desire to crochet and that's really too bad as I had planned on making the grands snuggle sacks for Christmas. However, I've fallen out of love with them and they seem more like a chore than a pleasure so they won't be made this year. Maybe next year or I'll totally do something else. I have another plan up my sleeve, one which I think will go faster and be happily received. We'll see how that works.

I got happy mail last Thursday. I bought Lizzie*Kate's Christmas Mystery Sampler and I received the first part. I love doing these samplers. This year, I went with 16 count fabric and I'm really enjoying it. I'm not a linen or evenweave person. Aida is my friend as my eyes get older and personally, I think it looks just fine. 

Tuesday, I started:

Wednesday I did more:

There's a big debate on Facebook about not showing any of the sampler until the next installment comes out because it ruins it for those who haven't gotten theirs yet. Some don't even want it shown until all the installments have been mailed. I don't go on Facebook much anymore except to check out some cross stitch sites and personally, I don't have a problem with anyone posting their work. Even if I hadn't received mine and gotten started, I would enjoy seeing others' work. But then, I'm usually a laid back, live and let live type of person. BTW, I'm also on Instagram and post there quite often. I'm @grammybraxton. 

Just getting around to posting this today, Saturday. I had to have cavities filled on Thursday afternoon and it knocked me down. I didn't realize how sore I would be but Friday morning my jaw was swollen and the joint ached. There was a lot going on in there and I have a small mouth, so room is at a premium. I didn't manage to do much at all Friday and when I was falling asleep in my chair at 6:30 PM, I decided it was time to put the ole gal to bed. I woke up at 7:30 this morning after 13 solid hours of sleep, and I do mean solid.

That's all for now. I'll get this posted and try to get chores done before my Cubs play the Cardinals. As always, thank you for reading my blog and commenting.

Hugs,
Sharon

Better and better and better

Hi there, folks. I missed last week. I was going to post last Thursday but then I realized that I had my follow up appointment with my pacemaker doctor on Friday so decided to wait until after that. And then life got in the way and I *ahem* forgot.

Anyhoo, here I am and I am doing wonderfully. I had a good report from Dr. Mehta. He was very pleased with my healing, my pacemaker check was great and he released me to go back to my normal activities, except for lifting anything heavy for the next couple of weeks. That's not an issue anyway because both of my shoulders are junk and I can't lift over 10 lbs, so there you are. He also released me to drive and okayed our weekend in GA to stay with the grandkids. So I'm back to my normal goofy self and enjoying every moment of each day. One of the most noticeable changes I have experienced was going to the grocery and actually walking through the aisles. I had been using the electric carts because it was a struggle to buy just a few groceries. I had actually stopped going to any stores because it exhausted me so. But I'm on a roll now. I'm even able to do housework again (Yay, said in a sarcastic voice) and to start getting the house back together. My husband's favorite is that I'm cooking again!  HA!

I finally got over the painful shoulder issue. Abby pointed out that I was probably holding that arm in a protective mode because of the incision and when I realized she was right, I relaxed and boom! no more stiff shoulder. I've been cross stitching like a mad woman but I'm putting that aside for now. I have 5 Christmas presents to crochet and I'm determined to get them done before Christmas. So as much as I love my cross stitch, this Grammy has to buckle down and get busy.  BTW, I'm on Instagram now so if you would like to see what I'm up to, I'm grammybraxton.

I've recently gotten interested in making cards using cross stitch. I got a subscription to "The World of Cross Stitch" and it had a free birthday card kit. My niece's 17th birthday was coming up on 8/30 so I sat down and stitched it up quickly and put the card together. She loved it! I had posted a photo of the cross stitch, "Herbert Hedgehog" on IG and she was the first one to like it. She was so excited when she got the card, she posted it to all her friends. Made this old aunt smile and smile.

I adore this little hedgehog. I joined a Christmas Card exchange also so I'm looking through books to try to find just the right stitching.

This is the "Granny is no Square" SAL that I'm doing from Carolyn Manning Designs, along with 3 or 4 more. I love her designs and I'm hooked on her SALs. As I said earlier, this have been put aside for now and she has 2 more SALs starting in the next couple of months, but the nice thing about them is that you can work at your own pace. So winter with be full of stitchiness around here.

I've also been reading quite a bit. I like to listen to audio books while I work or stitch and I've been listening to a series by Charlaine Harris. She writes the "Sookie Stackhouse" books. The series I've started is the "Aurora Teagarden" ones. I've read 4 of them so far and I really have enjoyed them. Poor Aurora, or Ro, seems to be a magnet for murders and gets involved in some bizarre cases. She is a part time librarian in a small Georgia town close to Atlanta and gets herself into some really hilarious messes. There are 10 in the series so far so I've got some good reading ahead.

I'm also working through Deborah Crombie's Duncan Kincaid and Gemma Davis detective series. I read one or two of them years ago and discovered them again this year. I'm actually getting them through the ebook system at our local library. Kincaid is a DCI with Scotland Yard and Davis is his sargeant. I am an admitted Anglophile and anything I can get my hands on regarding England, Scotland, or Wales, I grab and devour.

My reading challenge for 2017 is moving right along. I've completed 45 of my 65 goal.

I guess that's all for now. I need to get up and get going again on the house. As always, thank you for reading and for being my bloggy friends.

Love and hugs,
Sharon