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