Pins Are Out an Lessons Learned!

Hello Everyone,

I hope and pray that everyone is doing well. I had started to post this a few days ago, then I thought I’d go ahead and wait until after my medical procedure (yesterday) so I could report to you about having the pins out of my toes.

Psalm 23 Pic 1

I am getting there on “Psalm 23”. I am showing you two pictures of this project. The first picture is how far I was when I was originally going to post this blog. The second picture is where I am as of right now. I didn’t get as far as I would have, but I do see progress, so that is good. I worked on the line mine enemies: thou anointed my head with oil  the day before yesterday and then started to finish it up today. Lesson learned today: remember you are doing counted cross stitch, thus when something SEEMS OFF, stop IMMEDIATELY!!  I was wondering if the line was off, because it seemed off somehow. Yet, I kept stitching, all the while thinking it looked like there was one space too many between the previous line and this line. I was almost to the end of the line and realized my instinct WAS RIGHT! Thus, I spent a couple of hours frogging! That’s enough for me now, Mr. Rippit can go visit someone else! As you see, though, I did make progress on the river, grass, flowers and sheep on the right. The sheep will be outlined with 310 where you see the patches of white surrounded by grass. Once again, I only worked on this project. I think what I want to do is finish this one, then finish the wedding sampler.

I think I am about 40% done with it. (The wedding sampler). If I remember right, the wedding is in April. I know it’s next spring, just not sure of actual date. When I am closer to done, I’ll contact David and make sure of the date. When I am done with the wedding sampler, I’ll start concentrating on “Life’s Little Tangles” again. I may work on both of these projects at once, we’ll have to see.

I haven’t received the gold kreinik I told the company who made the kit that I requested. I had received an e-mail, the day after I told them I was short, saying they had put it in the mail. That was almost two weeks ago. I wonder, how long I should wait before I resend an e-mail?

Psalm 23  pic 2 (Today)

I have learned a valuable lesson this week. When the girls were younger (Sarah was pre-teen) we had a neighbor girl who clicked very well with Sarah. We liked the young lady and the girls became inseparable. This young lady started doing some things that we didn't like and we started wishing the girl would go away. As it turned out we ended up enforcing some tough love to this young lady. She wasn't very happy with us, but such is life. Anyway, to make a long story short, the girls did stay in contact, though not as close as they once did.

Several years ago, when Jack had to spend a couple of months in a nursing home, as it turned out this young lady was a CNA at the nursing home. We did chat occasionally, but my heart was still remembering the past. God did work on me, showing me Matthew 18:21-35 which talks about forgiving a person who has one something wrong against you and forgiving them for there wrong seventy times seven times. That convicted me. A song that I've been hearing a great deal is by Hawk Nelson, Drops in the Ocean, which talks about how many times God forgives us. I knew I shouldn't be hanging on to the feelings I harbored for this young lady so I did forgive her in my heart, but had no way of telling her.

She and I finally talked a few days ago. She told me she knew I had bad feelings toward her. She also said she considered me like a second mom and Jack’s and my tough love her was exactly what she needed.; She said Jack and I were the people who helped her get her life back where it should be. She also said she hoped I’d forgive her. I told her that she was forgiven. She ended up coming over this afternoon with her toddler and put a load of clothes in for me and washed my dishes! She said anytime I need her help to just let her know. I am so glad we were able to connect. Now she knows I’d forgiven her. She has turned into a very nice young lady, and is very responsible. She has been married for five years and has two jobs. She is getting ready to start school to begin a new career. I am proud of who she has become!

Yesterday I had the pins taken out of my third and fourth toes. When I went to the doctor in early September, the pin in toes two had worked its way out about half an inch, so he just pulled it the rest of the way out. No, that didn’t hurt. They put me under general anesthesia and removed the pins in toe three and four. I knew better than to try and stitch yesterday after we came home. I was in/out of sleep the rest of the afternoon and was kind of in La La Land until I awoke this morning. My toes are not sore at all.

We will be sending off the appeal to the insurance company regarding my electric wheelchaair tomorrow. They originally denied me because the nursing home had reported to them that I could walk 70 feet with minimal assistance. BTW, “minimal assistance” was with a gait belt around me at all times and a wheelchair directly behind me. We got a letter from both my spine institute doctor and my regular physician and we had to write a letter stating why we believe they should change their minds. Hopefully it works. I do need this wheelchair!!

God Has His Hand on Me and My Family!

Hello, Everyone!

For the past several weeks, “Eye of the Storm”, has been at the top of the Christian Music Charts. This song has come to mean a lot to me. With the trials (storms) that have occurred this year, this song is a constant reminder of where I need to keep my focus. He is and always will be in control! From the blow out of the Oldsmobile’s engine at the end of winter, to my going into the nursing home in the end of July, God has constantly had His hand on this family!

A real example of this was last night when I was getting ready to post this update. Rachel called us, worried about not just us but her sister who lives in a small town southwest of us. My internet went down right before I was going to post! We had a very bad storm hit our area. Tornadoes were touching down all around us. One touched down on Ross Lane six miles south of us; another six miles north of us up by Menard's. Then to the west there was one, not sure how far away and then four miles to the east. We had heavy rain and wind but that was all...more than enough!!

Jack’s wound care doctor was very pleased with the way his foot is looking. She said he is growing new tissue, a very good thing, indeed!! She will do s procedure next week that she hopes will promote even more tissue growth. I went to my surgeon today. He took the pin out that was sticking out a bit (maybe a half inch) already. It had slowly worked its way out. Not because I wasn’t using my boot or walking properly on my heel. You can tell that by looking at the sole of my boot! The other two pins come out on September 20th.

Psalm 23

Sarah and Rachel have both made it abundantly clear they felt I shouldn’t have been released from the nursing home until the pins were out. That was what all four of us thought should happen. The insurance company had a different thought. I was notified two days before my release date that the insurance had sent a letter stating my last date of coverage. Lucy, at the nursing home, told me of the letter. I told her that I was okay with that as long as therapy said it was fine. I told Lucy my doctor had said I could go home any time the therapy department deemed me able. She talked with therapy and the next thing I know I am going home! There have been times the girls may have had a point. I have both fallen and/or almost fallen a few times. I know they’re just concerned about me. I love them for that; I wouldn’t want it any other way!!

I have been concentrating all my stitching efforts on Psalms 23 since my last post. I am pleased with my progress. I have stitched on it daily, at least a couple hours of the day. I am really liking how it is turning out! I have also changed the area of the house I stitch in. I now have my stitch area in the front room, AKA Living Room. Our bedroom was getting a bit cramped with my stitching supplies, a table that I kept my projects and a stool for me to step on to get into the bed. I moved my stitching area by the front window. My OTT lamp is to the North (left), my magnifying lamp is to the East (directly in front) of me respectively. The projects I’m stitching on are on a table to the South (right) of the window. I find the chair I’m sitting in very comfortable!

I bought an instructional DVD off a Facebook group. It arrived Tuesday. It is put out by J. Designs,

Teaching DVD

LLC. It is called “Take the Hard Out of Hardanger”. I haven’t had the chance to take a look at it yet, but I am looking forward to learning this part of cross stitching even more! The first time I dealt with hardanger was when I went to “Stitching Under the Oaks” the summer of 2015, when Thea Dueck was there. I know I have the DVD that Thea gave us, but lately I’ve had a real thirst for knowledge!

Remember my question last week, where I asked exactly which way I should be doing the spider rose? I found the answer here! I learned that I did oops on every rose in some way on spider rose project I showed you last week. Not that big of deal though. I will fix it, with the help of this Youtube video. Hopefully by next update, I will have the project corrected and the gold Kreinik would have arrived so I can complete the whole thing!

I am also waiting (patience running thin here) for my yellow highlighter from 1-2-3. I know it was on backorder, but this is getting ridiculous. I’ve actually lost track of the number of weeks. If something is that popular, maybe they should start ordering two or three times the amount they currently order!!

Our New Couch

We have been talking about purchasing some much needed furniture for the Living Room for awhile. This week we finally did it! We went to a local furniture store and found this very comfortable and sturdy couch for a very reasonable price! We’ve had things for the kids to to sit in for years, but not much for ourselves. Isn’t that the way of a parent though?...kids first...

In the past we have owned some recliners. However because the handle to make them operate is generally always on the right hand side of said recliner. That means I always need help pushing them back to enjoy the recline feature and help sitting it up so I can get out of the chair. We are also looking at the possibility of getting one or two wing back chairs that we would be able to set an ottoman in front of so we could have our feet up. My good friend who moved to Michigan a couple of years ago purchased a little grizzly bear foot stool several years ago. i asked her where she bought it. She started looking on line for them again and told me the price had drastically risen. I knew she wasn't using it so I offered to buy it from her. The next thing I knew she was shipping it to me, without charging me a dime!!

I also got some news that eased my heart earlier this week. In early July, my younger sister took her youngest daughter and the two of them first went to Ireland, then traveled down to Africa. She didn't tell anyone they were planning this, until the day they left, she told our parents. She didn't indicate how long they would be gone. She did occasionally call Mom and Dad to let them know they were okay. This past week, they showed up on my parent's front stoop, saying they were home safe and sound. Still for a bit more than two months we were all very concerned, including her own children! We were all relesved that they were safe and sound and back from their trip! 

Well that is all for this week! Happy stitching, everyone!