My Totally Out-of-Reach Goals for 2012... :D

EDIT: December 12th, 2012 - Reached my goal of two of these projects completed this year!! Yay! I actually reached my modest goal!!! Buahahaha!!! :D

EDIT: April 16th, 2012 - Bought "Leopard Cub" today... I was totally surprised to see it at the Mary Maxim... And I had a coupon... Yay! Still working on "Cardinals on Sled"...

EDIT: March 25th, 2012 - Bought "Love Birds"... Quite a while ago, actually... And started "Cardinals on Sled" today... There's a progress picture posted...

EDIT: February 28th, 2012 - **So, I changed the date on this post... It's going to stay at the top of this blog until the end of the year... That way, I can edit this sucker to within an inch of its life, and not forget about these projects that I want to do**...

So, I want to try to get some of these things done this year... I know, I am not the most constant of stitchers... I work, and study, and play, and my life sometimes cannot keep up with my hobby aspirations... But, I do get some projects done from time to time... This year, I want to get at least two of these things done... I have motivations for a couple of them, and others are purely for me... 

 "Cardinals on Sled" is a kit I currently have twice... This one is on comission from a co-worker... It has to be done by August or September so she has time to get it framed for her mother for Christmas...
EDIT: Started March 25th, 2012... Progress picture posted...
EDIT: Still working on this as of April 16th, 2012... Will post another progress picture soon! 
EDIT: December 12th, 2012 - Finished...

"Chickadees and Lilacs" is what I have come to believe is the prettiest of kits I own... I really want to start on it this year...  

"Faith Ornament" is already started, but I probably won't be working on it anytime soon...

EDIT: February 25th, 2012 - Finished...

"Leopard Cub" is adorable... I don't own this kit, yet... It just came out, and I haven't had a chance to buy it... I know I have a ton of things in my stash already, but I really can't resist... I just have this thing for big-cat kittens...
EDIT: Purchased April 16th, 2012... It's so freakin' cute!!!

"Love Birds" is a beauty... I don't own this one either... I am hoping to get it soon, and then stitch it for my parent's anniversary in May...
EDIT: Purchased back in February... Shortly after I originally posted this entry...

"Sled Dogs" just looks like fun... :D

So there's my list... I have no real hopes of getting all these done... I have exams in March that I'm somewhat furiously studying for, and that takes up all my spare time... In the meantime I am working and trying to etch out a small life of fun times... And take care of two cats... And not neglect my friends or family... Balancing acts are my specialty, you know...

And has anybody else noticed my complete love affair with Dimensions Cross-Stitch Kits yet? Sheesh... I stitch almost exclusively from them... I just think they're awesome...

"Cardinals on Sled" Finish!!!

"Cardinals on Sled"

From Dimensions

Designed by Donna Race

Finished December 12th, 2012

Finally... I feel like I've run a marathon... This took me so long to finish, and now that I'm done I'm kinda stitched out, but raring to start something new... For me, this time though... :D

I Think I've Been On Vacation, Or Something...

Well, that's what it feels like, anyway... I have been horribly negligent in posting pretty much anything, so, here's a small catch-up post to throw your way...

And apparently, I can't upload pictures at the moment... Boo-urns!!!

So, vacation to Newfoundland... Fun times... Visited and hung out with a lot of people I have missed dearly... It's hard sometimes when the people you consider your best friends are thousands of miles away... But, I think I made the most of the time I had with them... No regrets on how time was spent there... We drove back to Ontario, which was funner then I thought it was going to be... That highway through New Brunswick is a thing of beauty, and I would totally drive on it again... Spent a day in Ottawa, ate a Beaver Tail, hung out with family, rode on a ferry boat across a gulf, was on the watch for moose... It was good times...

My brother got married a couple of weeks ago... To a fantastic lady, who is just perfect for him... I'm so happy for him... So happy, in fact, that the day before he got married, I wrecked his car... Never say that I am one to not bring the drama... I'm fine... Still somewhat bruised... But the car is probably never going to be driven again... At his reception, he made jokes all night long about woman drivers... *sigh*... Never gonna live it down, I suppose...

I have been stitching... I swear I have!!! I just have no pictures to show... There was the small wedding sampler I made, then a tiny embroidary piece, and a pillow I patched... I am currently working on "Cardinals on Sled" for my co-worker... I am so far behind, but I'm aiming for November... If I work at the pace I've been stitching for the past few days, I will easily make the deadline... Then there's my own Christmas stitching I'm thinking of doing... Then again, maybe not... I might be stitched out by then... Ugh...

Vacation Time!!!

I arrived in Deer Lake, Newfoundland two days ago... And since then it's been shinanigans... I'll post pictures when I'm back in civilization... :D

Post-Op...

My root canal took part over two visits... The first, he started it, and then I was in discomfort/pain for a couple of days... I understand why... He was filing the canals of the tooth... Which, really means he's going to town with destroying my tooth/the gum around the tooth... So, yes, pain... It sucked... But it was mostly better after a couple of nights... (I worked the next day... if I have to do this again, I will know better)... The next appointment, he finished separating the roots from the tooth, and then cauterized the nerves... It's the oddest thing when you see wisps of smoke coming from your mouth...

Didn't feel a thing...

And the best part was that afterwards, there was no pain unless I bit down on that tooth... Now, a week later, I can chew normally again... No pain at all...

I wouldn't say I would do it again if I didn't have to, but it's nowhere near as scary or horrible as people say it is... Kudos to my dentist for making it somewhat easy on me...

Now, let's hope my insurance also makes it easy on me by paying 80% of the costs, eh? ;D

Will try to get back into the stitching... I am soooo far behind on my projects it's scary... And I only have 19 days until I go on my vacay road-trip with my bestie across half the country... And I'm working full-time until I leave too, so not a lot of time off...

I just want to stitch again... These past few months have been bad for my concentration...

Why I Hate My Teeth, Part 3...

Root canal on Tuesday... Just fucking shoot me now... :(

Why I Hate My Teeth, Part 2...

So, back to the dentist I go next Tuesday... The teeth which were fixed last month, hurt again... Currently I am staying pain-controlled (not pain-free) on lots of Tylenol and Advil... I really hope he doesn't have to put me back on those antibiotics...

This is so frustrating... I thought I was done with this mess... Apparently not... My teeth have lobbed yet another grenade and are intent on continueing this war...

No Suicidal Tendencies Here...

1. I had my teeth fixed... On the 8th, actually...

2. I passed my professional licensing exams for Pharmacy Technician! I found out yesterday...



So, no... I don't have to talked out of jumping off a high-rise building or from a tall bridge, or from renting an airplane to dive out of without a parachute...

This makes me sooo happy!!! The remainder of what I have to do to be regulated will be a breeze compared to this waiting around stuff... And it will also be done sometime in the fall... I am taking a vacation from education for a good 4 months...

Newfoundland, here I come! In July, baby! It's road-trip season!!!

Finish!!!

"Horse Pair"...
From Dimensions, Creative Accents...
Designed by Barbara L. Gibson...
Finished May 6th, 2012...

Goals for the Month of May 2012...

Well, my goals for April were a total bust... It's hard to concentrate on anything when your face is in agony... Pain can take a lot out of a person... I never understood that before... I'm hoping this month will be better for cross-stitch...

1. Get half of "Cardinals on Sled" finished...

2. Finish two small projects that are in my coffee shop carry bag... May 6th, 2012 - Just finished "Horse Pair"...

3. Finish the needle book from the latest edition of CrossStitcher Magazine...

I'll be finding out if I passed the MCQ and OSPE this month... Cross-stitch may keep me sane for the next two weeks...

Why I Hate My Teeth... Or, Why Pain Should Equal A Doctors Appointment...

Yes... I hate my teeth... Three of them speicifically... All my life, my teeth have been good... They've behaved... Oh, sure there was the rebel uprising when I was twelve, but those teeth were all sacrificed to the Tooth Fairy anyway... She could have them... No, this time, they mean war...

A month to a month-and-a-half ago, my right lower jaw started aching... Then the upper jaw started in on it too... Sensodyne and Anbesol were my only friends... My dentist took some X-Rays and we set an appointment for early next month to fill the three caveties that had developed... I thought I would be fine until May... It was only a mild ache...

Until it wasn't...

Last night it didn't matter what I did, I just could not deal with the pain... I had tried so many things: swishing vanilla, swishing rum, massive amounts of ibuprofen, tylenol of varying strengths, Anbesol, brushing obsessively with Sensodyne, Xylocaine viscous gel (and that last one is truly disgusting, by the way)... After two hours of rolling around in my bed with tears trailing down my cheeks, pretending I could find a way to sleep with my jaw throbing, I drove to the midnight pharmacy looking for something else, some magical cure... I had expected to walk away with some 222's, a codiene/aspirin mix that is legal to sell over the counter... Instead, I was turned away by the pharmacist with nothing...

I need to thank that man someday...

Weird to thank him? Not so much... When I detailed everything I had tried, he said I needed to see a doctor because massive OTC-untreatable tooth pain usually meant an infection...

And this makes sense... The pain had been getting worse... The amounts of Anbesol I had been using had increased... One bottle lasted me three weeks, and then I used up another half of a bottle in 5 days... And then there was the headache... This fucking tension in my head that no amount of anything was touching... It was a cloud in my brain that seemed almost hopeless to be gotten rid of...

I had been totally in denial, thinking that I could survive without some kind of professional assistance...

So, at 12:30 last night, I visited the local ER... I waited an hour in a waiting room, then another 45 minutes in a clinic room before being seen by the doctor (who was fantastic!!!)... By 3AM I was home with a high dosage Clindamycin prescription and a bottle of prescription painkillers... I downed my antibiotics as directed and one tablet of painkiller, surfed the internet for about half an hour, and then went to bed...

It was the best sleep I've had in a long time...

I know the antibiotics can't possibly be fully working yet, but my teeth feel better today... There's very little pain... It's almost only a discomfort again... And the headache, while not totally gone, is somewhat receeded... Today I felt like I was having a normal life again...

I am so glad that pharmacist told me to see a doctor...

Moral of Story: See a doctor for pain before it becomes unbearable...

Note: I am not advocating that narcotics are the awesomest things ever... Once I have my caveties filled in May, the bottle and remaining tablets are going in the waste disposal at my work... I am hoping there are many tablets left to go in that bucket...

Goals for the Month of April 2012...

1. Get half of "Cardinals on Sled" finished...

2. Finish two small projects that are in my coffee shop carry bag...

3. Finish the needle book from the latest edition of CrossStitcher Magazine...

Yet Another Progress Picture...

And here's where I'm at after session number three... I'm pleased with this progress so far... The beauty of this one is that a lot of the picture is in half-stitches, which means I can cover large amounts of area quickly... All the blue is half-stitch, and the tree trunk which will eventually be in the background will be half-stitch too... I love half-stitch... But, for now, I am working on the full crosses... Takes longer, but they are beautiful...

The picture has been edited, due to my crappy picture taking skills at night... I auto-adjusted it, making it less yellow from the overhead lights, then I resaturated the colours to make them pop more... A much nicer picture than last time... :)

"I Don't Do Mornings!" Finish...

"I Don't Do Mornings!"
From Dimensions
Designed by Susan Bankey Yoder
Finished March 24th, 2012

Progress on "Cardinals on Sled"...

So, I started this today... Currently it looks like a certain Pokemon's fur coat... I was tired, so I couldn't do any more without my eyes going blurry... I was tired because I have just finished my professional licensing exams for being a Pharmacy Technician... The OSPE and MCQ were tough, but I got through them... Now I just have to wait for my results... Gulp... Until then, I'll be keeping my mind on this thing... :)

I finished another cross-stitch during the drive to London yesterday... I'll have to take a picture of it and post that tomorrow...

Goals for the Month of March 2012...

Goals? Buahaha! What are those? I have exams this month... The OSPE and MCQ are calling, and I am terrified of picking up the phone... Geep! Wish me luck!

In the meantime, please note that I will be dragging some small stitching with me on my early morning coffee excursions, so I may actually have a finish in March... Not something on my list, but a WIP that's been hanging around since I was in Ottawa a few years ago... I think it's appropriate... I will share when it's done...

"Faith Ornament" Finish!!!

"Faith Ornament"

From Dimensions, The Gold Collection Petites

Designed by Elizabeth Brownd

Finished February 25th, 2012

Goals for the Month of January, 2012...

1. Finish "Faith Ornament"... I know it's small, but it's 18-count, which for me is tiny... I have exams in March for my regulation in my profession, so I doubt I'll be starting anything new until those are done... At least not working hard at anything new... I'm sure dabbling at something won't hurt too bad, and may cause me to stop going insane from Pharmacology lessons...

I think I'll post a list of my WIPs and new things to start for the year... I want to get some old kits out of the way, and there are a couple of things that will probably be a requirement for this year... I'm going to have to get organized...