Houston We are Live!!

Well it looks like I might be up & running ..... finally! . Yeahhh!! 

 

But trying to learn a new operating system is proving to have it's pros & cons. I am using Ubuntu which is an open source operating software that works with Linux and the best part is that it's Free!! We all love that word. I know that I do. LOL. You can read more about it here:

 

So there is a learning curve to understanding it a bit, but I've been poking around the system and learning as I go. When I was setting it up for wireless internet wireless card wasn't easy but not impossible. When I was calling around to the big stores. I could almost see the puzzled looks over the phone. But I have to admit that I was able to find what I needed on Amazon.com for a good price.  So we are happy with that.

The other thing is I'm hooked to the TV for a monitor. We rearranged the living room furniture and now I have my own little office space so to speak. It's actually comfortable as I learn to look up a bit more than I would normally do but it is also making me sit up straighter in the chair. I can consider that to be a pro verses a con. This is good for the back .

From Fireplace to the right

From fireplace to left...see all set up.

From "office" to fireplace

Speaking of backs, on this past Wednesday (the 24^th) I started to receive injections in my back. I got an eye-opening experience with that; let me tell ya! OW!! I have been suffering through the multitude of issues most of my adult life. But relief is on it's way so I'm told and at this rate I'll try anything now that I have insurance again. Any ways, I'm told that they have to numb the area where the injections will be inserted. Okay no problem I say. Except it's not just one shot of lidocaine on each side of the lower spine. It was a series of them!! In a circle about the size of a 50 cent piece. I would say that he hit a nerve on a couple of them since I shrieked in pain & had tears come up. I don't think that I was completely numb before he inserted the needle with the meds in it either. 

I also found out that I'm suppose to have a driver when I get these wonderful doses of pain-free miracles. By times I got home I wasn't feeling any of the constant lower back pain and I just took it easy as instructed. This morning was the first time in a very long time that the pain that I would normally wake up with was gone. Just with some of what I call “secondary” pains. I have appointments set up all the way to December as we go up the back, neck & knees. So I might be able to make it through the winter almost pain free. What a novel thought?

But I'm sure you didn't come here for all that. You're wondering about what have I been up to since I as gone ... right? Well for the most part it doesn't seem like much but I got bits & pieces done here & there. I finished my first small Schnibble's top done recently. I started working on my Scrappy Anvil blocks again. Along with getting back to the first of two baby quilts that need hand quilting for friends. I also made 3 sets of dish clothes for a swap and a secret pal package a month or so ago. I knitted one and made 2 from chenille and netting for each set. This was the 1^st time I had made any sort of wash clothes but they seemed to pass muster in their new homes.

I spent sometime with the Boy Child and we made some “FC” Blocks for his quilt. It's based on the “Flat Stanley” character from the books. This is an on-going endeavour and we have lots of fun with the planning of the blocks. He has travelled many places, including Canada and Scotland. His host families have sent us all kinds of goodies from FC's adventures aboard including some fabrics. We are making the blocks to fit either the Visited State theme or by one or more of places/events that FC went to that host family.

Those pictures will be coming soon. As with all the ones I'm working on right now. Hopefully I' can bring those to you in my upcoming post. I mean what good is a blog without pictures?? It just seems wrong on so many levels.

I have recently added some cross-stitching to the mix. I'm working on an UFO that my fiend gave me. It's a stocking that she started and got bored with it. So I was lucky enough to get it in a bag of goodies that she gave me. It's coming along slowly & surely. It will look really pretty hung from the fireplace mantel.

I also have found this great cross-stitch designer by the name of Joan Elliott. If you aren't familiar with her work, here is her blog link: 

http://joanelliott.wordpress.com/

I sooo want to get my hands on some of her patterns.  It may take me a year to do one of them but it would be so worth it. LOL. Have a peek under her order chart packs tab to see what I'm talking about. It will have you drooling too! I know I added her books to my Amazon wish list.

Another thing I did was on Wednesday night was to unravel my 11 1/2' wide (yea that is foot) Afghan blanket that was about a third of the way done all apart. I was using Homespuns Colonial Blue and Sierra Tan yarns for the project as I crocheted them in tandem. Now I have this floor basket full of yarn balls that average around 8” wide in diameter that my hands just couldn't hold any more. Now I'm trying to figure out what to do with it. I have a vision that I would like to turn some of it into a sweater of some sort for the winter. I'm not sure how to go about it since I only know the very basic double stitch. So we ponder on it for a later date.

Well y'all - my sewing machine is calling me. So I must go & work on adding the last rows onto my Anvil blocks. When I started the project I had decided to double the number of blocks in it to make it larger. This is one of my scrappy projects I've been kind of working on as my challenge quilt. I have to have it bound by the 31^st of December to meet the goal. So now that means it's time is put on some Train and let it help me find my rhythm. Once I get all those done, I can start assembling the blocks together with the hopes of getting the top finished this weekend. That will have me doing the Happy Dance!! 

More detailed quilting news will be coming soon so be on the look out for those.  Also Book Worm Wednesdays will be making it's appearance along with Travelling Stash Box Mondays.  I have an posting about those  here  in case you missed the announcement.

I missed you guys and I can't wait to hear back from ya!!

Toodles,

Tricia