I Have Not Dropped Off the Face of the Earth!

Life has been extremely busy and stressful. I'll post pictures later, but wanted to at least give a little update. On November 21st, my son, Stanford, almost died. He had internal bleeding that the doctors could not stop, and we were told in the emergency room that the would not live very long. He is home now, and you can read more about him here. This is a website my husband made, and has been keeping up to let people know about Stanford and our family. We still do not know what will happen. The treatment Stanford is receiving has about a 5% chance of working, according to the educated guess of the doctors, but we have to try. My SIL, Lori, pointed out that God has preserved Stanford, because He made Stanford get better when the doctors could do nothing. We hope and pray for more miracles, and take things one day at a time.

I've spent a fair amount of time crying, and cope by stitching a little, knitting, and crocheting. I'll show pictures sometime! I am also learning to let go and let people help. They've brought in dinners, run errands for us, done our laundry, covered the newspaper route over the Thanksgiving weekend, and now are coming in to sit with Stanford and help out so John and I can work, sleep, shop, shower, and whatever else we might need to do. I've been able to do a little Christmas shopping, also some decorating.

One day at a time! Pray for another miracle!

Leftover Halloween Pieces

I've decided to continue on, and finish, the autumn/Halloween pieces I've started. There are four of them. I'm not counting Celtic Autumn with this group, because she is a SAL, and though she is Autumn, she somehow falls into a different category. I will also be adding winter and Christmas pieces, and am trying to decide whether to make some ornaments as gifts to enclose with gift cards to send to family out west, or do something else for them. So the Autumn pieces will still stay in my bag, and get regular attention, but I'll do others as well. Here is what I've done on In Search of the Perfect Pumpkin. I just love the colors on this one, which is funny because all my life I have been a pastel and pink/purple/blue sort of person. It just shows your tastes change and expand through the years.

And here is the Pumpkin Cat. I'm almost finished with him . . . isn't he cute? I won't be able to use him in this year's Halloween decorations, because they are now in the attic, and the Thanksgiving things, the few that I have, are waiting to be put out. I had better be quick about it, because we typically start our Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving! We'll see what happens this year.

This last one my husband entitled "Your Guess is as Good as Mine" in its file name, because to him (and possibly to you) it looks like a blob. And I was not around when he was uploading these pictures from the camera to the computer. But it is really Chessie and Me's Bittersweet and Pumpkins Sampler. It is taking me awhile because all of the lighter color is not cross stitch, but smyrna cross stitches, which take extra time. Also, it takes longer to do a piece if it is one of about ten in your stitching bag rather than the only one! But I love this piece, so I will spend the time to do it. It has other specialty stitches as well, and most of it is done with one thread over two linen threads.

Some More Pictures

Did you know that if you click on the "publish post" button without saving as draft first, and blogger is down for scheduled maintainance, that your post will completely disappear?!! I'll try again, and learn from my mistake!

With everything that has been going on lately, it actually feels good to worry about trivial things. Phillip's school picture day was last week, and guess who hasn't had a haircut in weeks and months? When I was a little girl, I remember my mother spending a long time picking out the perfect outfit for me to wear, and curling and spraying my hair so everything would look just right for the pictures that would be sent out to family and friends and remembered through the years. I just had to laugh when I thought of this, and of how Phillip's picture would show more accurately what is happening with life this year than a preppie haircut ever would. And I thought of the contrast between Phillip (who offered to remove some of his hair and tape it to his brother's head), with too much hair, and Stanford, with no hair, and just had to show you. And I plan to take Phillip to the barber on Tuesday, so little by little, things get done.

Here is a picture of two of my boys heading out to trick-or-treat. Phillip went as a highwayman, complete with beard (crayon makeup). Stanford decided to take advantage of his chemotherapy-induced baldness, and went as Aang, from Avatar, the Last Airbender, a Nicolodean cartoon. He spent the day with t-shirts and the sewing machine, then his sister, Heather, drew a blue arrow on his head with the makeup crayons. I need to learn to not "point and shoot" when I take pictures with the digital camera, and instead take the few moments to set it up right for the light conditions. Julia went as a black cat (without ears--yet another detail of life lately that has gone by the wayside), but was out trick-or-treating before I was able to get a picture. Heather handed out candy at our house, Julia went with her friend, Emmy (and Emmy's Dad), and I took the boys to my friend, Patty's, house. Whe we got there, Phillip and Patty's sons left to trick-or-treat before we even noticed, they were so excited. Then Patty turned to Stanford and said, "Well, Stan, it's just the girls (her daughter, Karen, age 17, and three friends) left." Stanford said, "I like girls!", so he ended up going with the girls, and had a great time! I stayed at Patty's house and stitched with her. It was lovely! Poor John wasn't expected to come home before 7pm from work, so when he came home earlier, he was just lost and forlorn until he decided to play on the computer.

This is my progress on Shepherd's Bush's Little Witch. Now it's time to decide if I should spend a few days of concentrated effort and finish her, or save her until next year and work on other things now. I'm really enjoying the silks. As usual, though, I have way too many projects going at once so the chances of actually finishing up the seasonal ones on time are not very good.

Here is my progress to this point on Celtic Autumn. As you can see, I'm a slower stitcher than Sue or Ann. But I keep telling myself, "this is not a race . . . this is not a race!" I just need to listen to myself, and stitch more, and be encouraged by their progress, not intimidated.

Here is my final picture for today. It is a kit sent to me by my dear friend, Chris, who attended the Shepherd's Retreat this year, and wrote that she thought of me the whole time, and sent me this, tied with lovely ribbons and a very cute pumpkin pin which I've been wearing almost every day since. Thank you, Chris! This made my day! I plan to stitch it in time for the next birthday in my family, which is . . . mine! In January!

At last, some progress!

Well, Stanford's most recent CT scan on Friday showed NO growth of the tumors! While the goal is to have them shrink away to nothing, this at least means they have found something that seems to be making a difference. And considering that at the end of July there were three tiny lesions and by the end of September there were over a dozen tumors, more tumor than liver, this is a huge improvement. So we go back on Wednesday for more chemo, this time doing the same thing but adding one more drug. This is all scary stuff. Lots of nasty side effects from them. For Stanford, this will mean being hooked up to get an infusion for 7 hours, then he'll come home with a pump for the remainder of the 5FU (one of the drugs) then it will be unhooked on Friday afternoon. He'll feel sick and tired, and nothing will taste good. Then he'll gradually feel better by about Saturday or Sunday. For me, this will mean 2 hours or so of driving up there, sitting and stitching/reading/watching DVD's all day, then 2 hours or so of driving back, and worrying about my boy. But if it does the job, this is what's necessary.

Here is my final picture in the series I had John take.
It is a lovely kit from a dear, new friend, Gail, whom I met at Celebration in Needlework. She has been encouraging me all along with cheerful emails, and is in a Yahoo group I'm in. She sent me this, and I just love it! It's amazing how sometimes you just "click" with someone right away. Gail is so friendly and cheerful, plus she has a lovely southern drawl that makes me think of friendship and hospitality and lazy days stitching on the porch, and somehow even her emails manage to have this drawl! I'll add this kit to my bag of goodies to stitch that cheer me up at Dartmouth and make a difficult time easier. Thank you, Gail!

Time Traveling

Well, I've discovered how to time-travel . . . you just plan to stitch something on Thursday, then not get to it until Monday, so you pretend it is the previous Thursday. Hurray! I went back in time! Here is a picture of Celtic Autumn, as it was a couple of weeks ago. Then last week I just added about ten beads. Then today I stitched for a couple of hours on it. I love stitching on the fabric! I changed needles from a short John James, back to my favorite Piecemaker, and the stitching is going much more smoothly. The green gives better coverage, for some reason, than the brown, but I think it will be ok. Also, though I stitch in hand, I use the stick-and-stab method rather than the sewing method, so it takes me longer.

For those who are keeping up with Stanford's cancer and treatment, Stanford and I leave on Friday morning at about 5:30, to get to Dartmouth by 7am for his next CT scan. This is, coincidently (?), at the same time our church is holding a fast for Stanford and others in our congregation in need of special prayers and health. It is comforting to know so many people will be uniting their faith at the same time, on Stanford's behalf. I'm very nervous about the results of the CT scan. I want to know if the most recent treatments have worked. But I want to know they HAVE worked. I want good news! Stanford has recovered from the latest chemo more quickly than the last time, and continues to be pain-free. He is feeling good, and seems to have lots of energy, and his color is good. These things give me hope.

September goals report/October goals

Well, here is how much I've done on In Search of the Perfect Pumpkin. Which is NOT what I intended! But I do tend to be a little ambitious on my goals, both for stitching, and for daily life. So this is no surprise, really. Here, then, are my September goals (right on time, of course, now that it is the middle of October!), and how I've done on them:

1. Work on Celtic Autumn with Ann and Sue on Thursdays. Yes, I did this! Well, it wasn't always on Thursday, but I worked on it for a goodly amount every week.

2. Finish In Search of the Perfect Pumpkin, which I started a couple of years ago. Not done yet. But I have worked on it some. And this picture doesn't show how much I have completed, either.

3. Start and do half of the latest Loose Feathers piece. Nothing done on this other than kit it up.

4. Finish Mill Hill beaded autumn kit. Nothing more done on this, either.

5. Finish My Garden Wild. Nope. The last post's picture is what I've done on it.

So I guess a more realistic October goal list might be something like this:

1. Continue working on Celtic Autumn on Thursdays with Sue and Ann.

2. Work on In Search of the Perfect Pumpkin.

3. Finish Little Witch, by Shepherd's Bush. (Did I mention I've started project after project recently? This may be one reason I have not finished things.)

4. Finish Halloween Hanger piece.

And a few goals that are more for organizing than stitching:

5. Organize no more than 7 projects in project packs (one for each day of the week) to be used in a sort of rotation system, and put the rest away for now.

6. Update blog and photos of projects in progress.

And how about a couple of knitting goals, just for good measure:

7. Finish Bar Harbor socks (I'm almost done, on to the toe of sock #2!)

8. Unravel and re-start Harvest Tweed sweater.

There, that's enough goals for now. Though I am in a start-it-now mood, and every time I go into my stash to look or to find something, I want to start at least 12 projects.

And now, for one more piece pictured for this entry. This is yet one more reason I haven't finished my goals--it is a Shepherd's Bush piece I began two years ago, and just finished. I need to have it framed, and it came with the cute mat. It was such a pleasure to work with the silks, which is why I then began Little Witch, which also has silks.

Never give up, never surrender

This was enclosed in a card by my dear friend, Karen, to cheer me up. It worked! I got a good start on this piece, too, a couple of weeks ago when Stanford was in the hospital and we watched movies during his treatment. I'll enjoy putting it out with the Halloween decorations, which are currently sitting in a couple of Rubbermaid bins in the living room. I may put the things out tomorrow while waiting for the visiting nurse to unhook Stanford from his infusion he is getting now (5 FU, for those who know about chemo drugs), and de-accessing his port. Then I'll take a stitching break, and finish this cute little guy!



Here is how much I've stitched so far on "My Garden Wild", also done at the hospital. If it weren't for the fact that it's a hospital, with sick people, and all of our lives in upheavel right now, I could freely enjoy all the stitching time I've been getting. As it is, I do enjoy it (the stitching time, that is), and try not to feel guilty at starting new projects all the time and taking huge bags with me of stitching/knitting, with a smaller bag of clothes. But my enjoyment is always tinged with worry and concern, and I make sure to also work on the projects at home and at sit and stitch nights so they aren't all "hospital" projects, in my mind.

We spent yesterday at Dartmouth, while Stanford got more chemotherapy. He went in feeling quite well and energetic, and came out looking sickly and tired and drawn. But we were able to come home last night, thanks to the home infusion company. He has thrown up twice, but eaten fairly well this evening, and is trying to do his part by drinking enough water and eating what he can so he can be at home and not in the hospital.




My final pictures for today show what I have named my "17-year-sweater". It is what prompted the title of today's post, because this is a project I began about 17 years ago, when Stanford was a baby who could climb out of his crib at 16 months of age, and did climb out about 27 times a night. So I finally sat in his room to guard the side of the crib and keep him from getting out. This took about an hour a night, but it had taken that amount of time before, anyway, of chasing him back to bed. I got to the point of being able to sit beside the crib and knit by the light of the nightlight. If I got through three rows before he fell asleep, I knew he was restless that night. The sweater is a very easy pattern, done on #5 needles. But it took me 17 years because I must have stitchers' ADD or something, starting a project and then putting it aside to begin another one, and yet more. I finally took this sweater out and FINISHED IT!

The title of today's post (which is a line from the movie, Galaxy Quest) could also refer to life in general, right now . . . keep going and don't quit. Do what it takes to get my boy healthy again. Keep stitching and keep smiling!

Recent Finishes

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Well, I had my husband take pictures of a number of finishes, and works in progress, with the idea that I could post something every day and have a picture to go with it, then about a week later he could take more pictures and do it again. I'm finally posting! This first one is a piece I finished for my friend, Sandy, and gave it to her for her birthday, along with other goodies (chocolate, a candle, etc.). Sandy has been a friend for years and years. This picture was taken by me, as I was heading out the door to meet her for lunch back in the summer, so the light isn't as good as if my husband had taken it. It's a Lizzie Kate freebie, and the frame is one that I had that just happened to fit. It was a very fun piece to stitch, and quick, too, though I do tend to leave the finishing work until the last minute, then am stressed and rushed with it.


This next piece is a lace doily which I knitted, learning some techniques from a class I took. I knitted it while waiting for Stanford in the hospital when he was recovering from his surgery in June. It only took a few days, and was fun, once I got past the fiddly part in the center, which is where it starts. I have tons of the yarn left, and though pink is not my favorite color for a doily (they didn't have too many colors of the Cotton Fine to choose from), the rest of the yarn will make a nice baby sweater, I think.

I have a few more finishes, and hope to post again either tomorrow or the next day. To give an update on Stanford, he's on his third kind of chemo, and has had one round of it. We go back for more tomorrow. We don't know yet if this one is working, and he'll have another CT scan soon to see. He was feeling side pain, which is now gone, and had some nausea from the chemo, which is also gone now. He hasn't had to take any of the anti-nausea medicine for a week, or the oxycodone for a week, either. He looks really good, and is getting more energy each day. I can only hope that how good he feels and how good he looks are signs of improvement.

Another New Project

Here is one thing I started while Stanford and I were at Dartmouth for his 5-day treatment. It is Flea Market Souvenir, by Blackbird Designs, and is stitched on three pieces of fabric that are then sewn together and embellished with embroidery. I just love this piece, and I've loved working on it! I find so many of my pieces are seasonal, which I just love, too, but it was a delightful change to stitch something that is not particular to some holiday that is coming up . . . any time . . . oops, it passed and the piece is still not done, oh well, maybe next year. It's either that, or I'm stitching pumpkins when I should be stitching tulips or red, white, and blue, when I would like to stitch red and green. So this is great! No matter how long it takes me (and this first section took just a couple of days while we watched movies on the little DVD player we brought), I won't be out of season on it!

Celtic Autumn, at last!

Here, finally, is a picture of my progress on Celtic Autumn! I'm stitching her on 28 count Angel Twinkle, by Liberty Street Designs, and I love this fabric! I love the color and the slightly distressed look, and I love the feel as I stitch on it. Also, having a brand new eyeglass prescription helps me to enjoy my stitching even more now!

I did cheat a little, and stitched an extra evening (but I rationalize this by remembering that last Thursday's stitching was only about an hour, so my Saturday stitching time was really just an extension of Thursday, right?). Here are a couple of questions for anyone who has stitched one of these: How do you keep your place in the chart? So far I'm just marking it off with a pencil, but that will get messy as I fill in more. Do you put in the beads as you go? I'm stitching in hand, so could do that and a q-snap won't get in the way. What color of floss do I use to attach the beads? One strand or two? Also, the conversion says to "use two of the three strands of gold instead", which makes no sense to me at all, since the orignal chart does not say to use more than one strand of gold, and the gold does not come apart like DMC. I have been using one strand, and I think two or three would be too many. I've done SAL's before, but never with a set day of the week, and I really like doing it this way. I'm actually stitching this piece and not letting it become one more UFO in my basket!

No Pictures This Time

Well, I know my daughter, Heather, can write in her blog and have it be well-written and interesting every day without a picture (though hers is mostly focused on books she is reading and her opinions of them), so today I'll give it a try, since I don't have any pictures to post. Not that I don't have anything to show, just no pictures, since I haven't had DH photograph the 7 or so things on which I've made some progress.

First, a quick update on my son, Stanford. He had his new chemo over the weekend, and did fairly well with it, though he felt worse after than with the other kinds. We'll know after the next CT scan if it's making a difference. I'm finding this whole experience is stressing me out a lot, more than I expected, actually. I've lost about 9 pounds, and I often awaken about 90 minutes before my alarm and toss and turn and doze until it's time to get up. And my alarm is usually set for 4:55 am! So, I need to continue reading the mystery novels I love with an occasional romance or other thrown in there, and stitch a lot. I have been stitching. A lot, for me, anyway.

I've started Celtic Autumn, with Ann and Sue. I did this while sitting in the hospital room with Stanford on Friday. I'll need to figure out how to stitch on this large piece of fabric (which is a good talent to learn, since I'll need it when I stitch the hundred or so other large pieces in my stash). And I'll need to figure out how to keep track of where I am stitching, also how to work with the large chart. Of course, it didn't help that I had only my lap to put the stitching on, and the window ledge beside me for scissors and such. I love this piece, and am very excited to be working on it, and really looking forward to our Thursdays to have the regular time to stitch!

I like the idea of making monthly goals for stitching, so here are my September goals, modified from the orignal list, seeing as how the month is almost half over!
1. Work on Celtic Autumn with Ann and Sue on Thursdays. (My original list had me start this, which I've already done! So I can maybe check something off my list?)
2. Finish In Search of the Perfect Pumpkin, which I started a couple of years ago. (This may be possible, since I've been stitching on it almost daily.)
3. Start and do half of the latest Loose Feathers piece, since the next one will be arriving in October sometime, and I would like to actually stitch these as they come. I own all of them and have yet to stitch a one. And I love them all!
4. Finish Mill Hill beaded autumn kit (it's sitting beside my stitching spot on the couch, does this count? Of course, it would help if it weren't buried by two knitting projects and three other cross-stitch projects . . . )
5. Finish My Garden Wild (This should be a quick stitch, and I've gotten a good start on it. It's a very cute piece, and stitching on it a few weeks ago gave me the idea to make my real garden less wild, which I did on Monday for a couple of hours. I weeded and raked and cut out blighted peonies which were making it look ready for Halloween. Now it's time to stitch a garden, since I've weeded the real one.)

I had two more goals in my original list, which is written in a little notebook I keep in my purse, but I seriously doubt I'll do them. One is to start my parents' 50th wedding anniversary piece (their 50th was in August of 2005, and I sent them a big bouquet, but want to do a sampler as well). The other is to work on something for Christmas. I have several started, and aquired more recently. But I thought I'd work on a Just Nan sampler. I can see these goals will have to stretch out over several months. But two goals I have right away are to STITCH EVERY DAY, and to PHOTOTOGRAPH AND POST WHAT I STITCH. So stay tuned!

Well, rats. Try something else.

Well, Stanford's CT scan on Friday showed that the lesions on his liver have grown. This is very disappointing news. Quite upsetting, actually. I've spent a fair amount of time in the last couple of days crying and worrying. The plan now is to go up again on Friday as originally scheduled, only this time try a different drug, that is used for carcinoma. This drug is given every three weeks, usually on an out-patient basis, but for this first time they will keep Stanford overnight to see how he responds to it. The doctor has consulted with colleagues who deal with adult cancer, since Stanford is now 18 and nearing adult age. I guess they figured it was a sarcoma because he is a child. She said it may be a "smart sarcoma" or a carcinoma. Since they really don't know what it is for sure, they also can't give us any kind of prognosis or percentages of success. The good things are that Stanford's attitude is incredibly positive and upbeat, also he still has no symptoms of this cancer. If it weren't for the original tumor, we would have no idea anything was wrong with his liver. Which also makes me wonder now what might be growing in any of us that we don't know about! We'll be doing a couple of rounds of this new chemo, then another scan to see if it makes any difference.

A friend at church today gave me a book to read called The pH Miracle. I've skimmed it thoroughly and am not quite sure what to think of it. This friend cares very deeply, and has great belief in this approach. A healthier change in diet is certainly to the good, though I'm not sure I'm ready for the extreme changes this author recommends (no M&M's :). Whatever we do, it will be in conjunction with what the doctors say.

One thing I've learned through all of this is how important every note, email, treat brought, phone call, gift sent, and offer of a listening ear is. I used to wonder how some little thing I might do could possibly make a difference to someone going through a crisis. But all of those things have been incredibly helpful. I cling on to every note or email I receive, every encouraging word, every bit of reaching out people have done for me and my family. I want to mention a couple of things here. A few weeks ago I came home and found two packages that have been sent by dear stitching friends, who lifted my spirits greatly. Both were totally unexpected, and they both continue to lift me.

This first is from Ann. Stitchers sure know how to help each other! I actually started this one in the hospital last time (I treated myself by starting three new projects in the five days I was there with Stanford.). I'll have John take a picture of my progress soon. Ann, thank you so much. I love the piece, and I especially love how cared-for I feel because you sent it to me!

The second is from my friend, Janey. Janey made an order to Shepherd's Bush, and had part of it sent to me. The part that you see here is their current t-shirt (I wore this at the hospital last time, and it's very comforting to wear something that brings you good feelings!). Also shown is the ribbon that wrapped the present, which had a lollipop ornament and a sheep pin. Next is the photo with two charts, one of "Celebrate Everything" to remind me to continue to enjoy every bit of life. The other is "Bethlehem", along with blue fabric and blue WDW to stitch it. This is to remind me of my faith, and Whom to keep at the center of my life. I need that right now!

For both of you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

Bits and Pieces

I can't believe it has been over a month since I've posted . . . when I began this blog I thought I could at least post a few times a week, maybe even every other day. But life gets in the way . . . briefly I'll update about that life:

Stanford has had two rounds of chemotherapy. Doctors still don't know exactly what kind of cancer it is, but it falls in the general vicinity of a sarcoma, so they are treating it like a Ewing Sarcoma, though they know it is not Ewing's. This means he has two days of chemo (in the hospital) then is home for three weeks, then goes back for five days of different drugs. We've done this routine once (I'm the one who goes with him), and tomorrow go for another CT scan to see if there is any improvement, to know if we're on the right track. If all is well, we'll go back next Friday for another two-day treatment. This happens to be John's and my wedding anniversary (27 years!) and he will finally have some sick time (he told our daughter, Julia, that though he is not sick, Stanford is sick, so it is appropriate for him to use the sick time in this way), so he will take a day and go up with us, both to meet everyone and ask questions, and to spend our anniversary together. Though I have to say that hospital cafeteria food and staying at David's House (lovely as that is) isn't the most romantic anniversary I've ever had. I'm hoping we can put on a nice movie on our lovely new portable DVD player (a lifesaver last trip) for Stanford, and at least go out for dinner that night. We'll see. What I'm really hoping is that the spots on his liver will have shrunk a lot or be gone and so we'll know the treatment is working.

Now on to the fun part: stitching! I've actually been able to stitch a fair amount at the hospital, which helped to keep me sane (though there are moments I wonder if it's really working!).
I finished this piece before going up to the hospital this last time, and I love it, but am glad to finally have it finished. It is an old OOP Drawn Thread piece called "Spring". I have companion pieces for the other three seasons, none stitched yet. My goal is to have some kind of seasonal wall to put all the seasonal pieces I have, and change it out each season. But that of course means I need to stitch the seasonal pieces. Also add on to the house so there will be a wall. In the meantime, I'm having fun! This piece was started in 1996, the year my youngest daughter, Julia, was born. Having a new baby slowed down my stitching time, as did my tendency to start lots and lots of pieces. Though I don't have babies any more, I still tend to like to start lots of things. I loaded up the trunk of the car with lots of stitching when we went to the hospital (two hours away) this last time. I started three new pieces and will post pictures in upcoming days. I also made a get-away one afternoon while Stanford was playing card games with other teenagers who were also getting chemo, and went to ABC Stitch Therapy and the little gift shop across the street, and bought a couple more things. Stay tuned!

I was RAK'd!

When I got home with Stanford on Saturday, I was delighted to find the chart of Garden Spot Sampler, in the mail, which Carol was so kind to send to me. Thank you so much, Carol! That really brightened my day! It looks like a really fun one to stitch, and they're just my colors, too.

Back again . . .

Well, it has been an interesting few weeks. A quick update: my son's diagnosis is still uncertain. They have determined it is NOT lymphoma, as they first thought, but a "small round blue cell sarcoma-like tumor". There are spots on his liver that are growing. We have been to Dana Farber to consult with a doctor there, and he and the other doctor at Dartmouth have agreed on treatment, which finally began on Friday. I took Stanford up to Dartmouth to have a medi-port put in, then they accessed the port for the first round of chemotherapy. He received three chemo drugs on Friday and Saturday then we came home. We'll go back on the 18th of August (three weeks) for five days and two more drugs, then home again for three weeks and back for two more days, and repeat. We decided to have treatment done at Dartmouth because the drive is much less stressful than into Boston and the area is beautiful. I definitely need lovely things to look at to lift my spirits these days. The treament would be the same at either place, and both doctors will be keeping tabs on him. Now comes the part of organizing my household to prepare for my absence every three weeks when I go up with Stanford for the treatment. Of course, I'll pack a stitching bag each time! Oh, Stanford is feeling just fine after the treatment, surprisingly. No nausea to speak of, just a slight bit of queasiness that he solves by eating and sleeping. He is on anti-nausea medicines which I'm sure are helping, too.

Here is what I've been working on while waiting. I finished this Lizzie Kate Spring Cottage, and I've made good progress on the Drawn Thread Spring Sampler. I also began a cute little Mill Hill kit called Bountiful Kitties, which has lots of beads. I found a Tacky B.O.B. in my bead things which I packed, and used for the first time, and it did the trick to keep the beads from flying all around the hospital room. It was great!




I was just a few minutes from ABC Stitch Therapy, but couldn't visit there. The first time we went up to Dartmouth, I got to stop in for just 15 minutes. Then each time after, I've gone up too early and come home too late. But perhaps the timing will work out in the future. I pass the exit and wave every time! I've also been itching to visit Sue and hope to actually go there this week. It will be great to go some place where needles are for stitching, not injections!

I just wanted to say, also, how lovely and cheering it is to read people's blogs. I haven't made comments on them all, but will try to more, but it helps so much when I'm worried and stressed to "visit" so many friends.

Back at Last!

It feels so good to post again! Many thoughts have been running through my mind, things I want to say, but I'll try to be brief tonight. First, Stanford is getting better from the surgery, but still has lots of discomfort from bloating and gas. He was back in the hospital for one night because they thought he might have an infection, but another CT scan the next day showed nothing. He has had a few CT scans, a PET scan (where is the DOG or the GERBIL scan?), a bone marrow biopsy (very painful) and a spinal tap. This is for the cancer staging. All of those results have gone to a teaching hospital about an hour and a half away from here, and we go up tomorrow to meet with an oncologist there to get a second opinion and find out what to do next. The lab in Boston has had a hard time figuring out what exactly this is, but hopefully we'll have some answers soon. So far we know the CT scan and the PET scan are clear, no more cancer found. Yippee! Many, many people have called, emailed, visited, sent gifts, brought dinner or desserts, given hugs, all to help us, to ease the worry and stress, and to help with the practical aspects of life. What a blessing to have so many friends!

Now on to stitching/knitting: first, the Glad Ragg socks pictured in the last post are knitted with Lana Grossa yarn, called Meilenweit Mega Boots Stretch, color # 704. I loved the feel of the yarn while knitting, and I enjoy wearing them (which I can't say about all of my hand-knitted socks). I am a little disappointed at how the pattern shows up, or rather, doesn't, but that's ok. I enjoyed knitting these socks, and would use the yarn again, but maybe in a simpler pattern, like maybe stockinette stitch with a simple ribbed top.

While waiting for Stanford's surgery, I worked a bit on the Drawn Thread Spring sampler, picture later. I also made progress on the Lizzie Kate Spring Cottage. It's a lot of stitching for me, though I see other people's blogs, and realize they do that much and more all the time. Since the hospital waiting room, I've stitched on it while on the phone for a long conversation with a friend, then again at a lovely stitching afternoon on a screened porch of another friend. During the phone conversation, I stitched merrily away on the left tree, then as I put in the grass beneath it, I realized the whole tree was off by one row, and because it was symmetrical I couldn't just ignore the mistake. So during the stitching afternoon I unpicked it and re-stitched it. Twice the fun! And I'm glad to say the mental associations of how I felt when I learned my son has cancer (I was stitching on the LK piece when the doctor came in to tell me) have been somewhat replaced by stitching on it in other places and settings.

My DD, Heather, and I took two classes in June. One was a lace knitting class, over three Wednesday evenings. For that one, I knitted a doily (it took just a few days), and I've begun on a scarf/shawl. It will be triangular, and I've stretched part of it out so you can see the lace pattern. It is knit with Koigu yarn. The doily is knit with Cotton Fine. I also took inspiration from Sue and began My Home Town, though I haven't gotten very far. I'll post a picture when there is something to post. I keep wanting to start more and more projects! Oh, Heather and I also took a Saturday morning punch-needle class, which was very fun, and I can see I'll really enjoy doing this. I remember years ago a friend who is a very prolific stitcher saying she only stitches when she is stressed, and I commented on how she must be stressed a lot. She would stitch a couple of hours in the evening to relax. Now I'm finding I, too, am stitching more, which is a wonderful healing thing to do.

Well, so much for being brief . . . oh, well, as I post more often I'll have less to say (maybe!) with each entry. I can try!

Life Throws Curves, Sometimes

Finally, the pictures worked! Well, here they are, though the Spring Cottage has lots more added to it. I've been stitching a lot, in hospital waiting rooms. When John takes more pictures, I'll post them.

The graduation went well, and Stanford was feeling better for that, so we thought it must have been a virus after all. Then he was in more pain on Saturday night, and Sunday and finally late Sunday we took him again to the emergency room. They admitted him because they couldn't find the cause of the pain and he needed morphine to control it. Monday late afternoon they did a laproscopy to look around and take out the appendix if it turned out to be that. Then they found that it was a bowel obstruction, a blockage in the small intestine, caused by a tumor, which the doctor said was a kind of lymphoma that will respond well to chemotherapy. He said he got the tumor completly, and there was no sign of anything else. They have sent it to pathology, and when it is analyzed all the way, we'll be talking to an oncologist to see what happens next. So, this post is short, and I'm off to the hospital to be with Stanford. John has been sleeping there at nights while I do home stuff, and I go over during the day. He has missed work all this week, but has a very understanding boss, even though he has only been at the job for five weeks. They said they'll work out everything later, and to take care of the family, that's the important thing right now. More later as I know more.

Misc comments, also Emergency Room Stitching

I finally finished up the socks I was working on, both of them! They are Glad Ragg socks, from the Six Socks Knitalong group. I keep trying to post a picture, but blogger isn't cooperating tonight. I've really enjoyed knitting these, loving the feel of the yarn, though I think the color hides the lace pattern somewhat. They are not perfect mates, since the color patches are not in the same place, but are "fraternal twins". One thing to remember when knitting with more than two double-pointed needles is that you are only knitting with two of them at a time. Having the others hanging there does tend to make it feel like you're knitting with a porcupine at first, but once I figured out how to hold my hands and where to put the points so they weren't constantly getting in my way, it's second-nature.

About my garden: New Hampshire has decided it needs a monsoon season, so I only got in one session of gardening this week. I did put in tomatoes and beans, as well as marigolds around the tomatoes to keep the bugs off. I think that's called companion gardening, where you put two plants together, and the bugs that like the tomatoes don't like the marigolds, so the tomatoes are protected. You can also plant basil with tomatoes with the same effect, I've heard. I know there are books on this subject, and I'm sure, things all over the internet about all kinds of plants you can put together that benefit each other. Also, in case anyone thinks I'm being noble by getting up at 6am to do the gardening, I'm not! My son and I share a newspaper route, which has to be done by 6am. So, on my newspaper days, I'm up by about 5:20 and delivering papers, walking around to do it, then since I'm up I might as well use the time to do some gardening. So, there you have it: the little job I do to earn stash money also provides me with convenient time for the garden (when it isn't pouring!).

Someone asked about the Winter Cottage. It's a Boxer kit from Lizzie Kate. I'm now working on Spring Cottage, and actually made some really good progress last night in the emergency room. My son, Stanford, the one who graduated from High School today, began feeling severe stomach pains yesterday late morning. I kept telling him it must be gas or something, and had him lay down, go to the bathroom, etc. But the pains kept coming and were not getting better, so I finally ended up calling the doctor, who said to go to the emergency room. We arrived about 5 pm, and didn't get home until midnight. Stanford had a CAT scan to make sure it wasn't his appendix (it wasn't) and the poked and prodded, drew blood and took urine. Finally they said it must be a virus, gave him some morphine and a prescription for a narcotic pain reliever and sent us home. With all the waiting, I had good light for reading and stitching, and a comfortable chair, and we were lucky enough to have a corner room, fairly private, and the nurses and doctors were really nice. I had lots of stitching time, only having to interrupt it to get Stanford a warm blanket once, and hold a pan for him to throw up all of the iodine solution he had drunk for the CAT scan (stitching safely out of the way for this part), but with all of this, the emergency room is not really my favorite place to stitch. Oh, Stanford is doing better today, and we made it to the graduation (I was not sure we would!)

Lady Liberty

My days are very full just now, often more full than I would like them to be. With one son graduating from High School this Saturday, and all of the end-of-the-year things that involves, and two other kids finishing up their school projects, a field trip to chaperone this week, one son who just bought his first car and the help he needed in getting it inspected and being driven to work while the car was in the shop, periodontal surgery tomorrow (I scheduled that, and a mammogram next week to get them done before school lets out for the summer) and all the recitals and concerts that happen, it's a wonder I've found the time to breathe, let alone stitch or read or blog. But the stitching and reading and blogging (which I'm finding I really enjoy, both the reading and the writing) are my sanity and help me through the busy times. On Saturday, though, we spent the day on a family outing (which we haven't done for ages) to some place I have never been before, and it was wonderful.

Julia's 4th grade class sponsored a trip to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Now I've lived in New England for 21 years, and have only driven past New York City, never into it. So this was quite an opportunity. We met at the elementary school at 6 am and got on one of the two coach busses that were hired. We rode in comfort for about five hours, sleeping, reading, watching DVD's, and I stitched a little (on the more smooth parts of the ride) and knitted a lot. Here is what I knitted: Isn't the yarn turning out great? It's a sock version of the American flag. It is so much fun to knit away and see what the yarn becomes. Now, Patti, before you think that I always knit socks this fast, keep in mind that we were on the bus for five hours going down, and five hours coming back. And knitting is much easier on a bus than stitching is, though I tried them both. I have actually amazed myself with how fast this sock is knitting up, and maybe I will actually have the pair done by the 4th of July!

It was so exciting to go through New York City, first seeing all the skyscrapers (did you know some of them have gardens growing on the roof?), some of them rising into the clouds. We drove down Broadway and saw lots of theatres, where Wicked was playing, and Phantom of the Opera, too, Carnegie Hall, and all sorts of others. I was so much wanting to get out and walk all around and be a true tourist, gazing at the skyscrapers and staring in awe at all of the sights I only read about.

Finally we arrived at the ferry to take us to the Statue of Liberty. The only sad part of the trip (for me) is that when they do the security screening to get onto the ferry, they run your stuff through an x-ray machine, like at airports. I had purposely taken a pair of child's Fiskar's in my knitting bag, which I was allowed to take on my last airplane flight with no problem. They took those away from me. And the really sad part is that they also took my little folding scissors that have been on my keyring for years and years. I had completely forgotten to take them off and leave them on the bus. And by the time I discovered I couldn't have them, the bus was gone to wherever it would park for the day, the rest of the tour group had gone ahead, also my children, and even though they gave me the option of refunding my money and letting me have my things back, I didn't really have that choice since we were with the group. So, sadly, I let them go. The folding scissors have been mine since I was about 10 years old, when I got them in my stocking at Christmas. I have to admit I cried a little, and was really ticked, too (just how can terrorists use folding scissors and children's Fiskar scissors for evil purposes? Or even if they can, I can think of even more evil ways to use ball-point pens and my own thumbs!) I will be replacing the scissors as soon as I can corner my husband to do what he does with temporary credit card numbers on the internet, maybe tomorrow night, and ALWAYS remember to take them off my keyring when going through security checkpoints from now on!

The Statue of Liberty is amazing . . . imagine arriving into the harbor after ten days on board a crowded ship, seeing this for the first time, your first look at your new country. (I'll post pictures soon.) The day was misty, sometimes pouring rain, which lent a softness and wistfulness to the New York skyline and to the Statue of Liberty herself. Then from there we went by ferry to Ellis Island, to see where 12,000,000 people have entered the USA. It was a very moving and touching experience, to see where they waited their turns for quick medical exams (including having their eyelids upturned by a buttonhook to check for signs of a very contagious eye disease), and had other tests to make sure they could contribute to the society, before being allowed into America. There was a museum of belongings some of the people had brought, and displays showing which countries the people had come from at various times. There were walls with many, many names of the people who had come there listed on them.

After Ellis Island, we had a chance to walk around New York City for a short time before meeting up with the bus again. We walked several city blocks, passing a large bull (for the bull market in the financial district), seeing Trinity Church (the one featured in the movie National Treasure), and finally arriving at the site of the World Trade Center. What a sobering sight.

One day I would like to go back to New York City and spend more time there. I would love to explore the streets and shops, eat in the restaurants, and visit museums.

On the way back, we watched the movie, Hitch, which I had never seen before, and which takes place in New York City, and showed many of the sights we had seen. What a fun day!

Summertime, when the living is easy.

Thank you all so much for your kind comments and welcoming me so warmly to blogland! I'm learning more about posting each day, and between my husband, John, who takes the pictures, and my daughter, Heather, who helps me with the html stuff (John could do this as well, since he is a super geek, but Heather has a good eye for layout, as well as experience in editing, and has also inherited a little of her Dad's geek tendencies), this blog is truly a group effort.

I used to wonder what anyone could write about one subject, even stitching or knitting, day after day. How could there be new things to say all the time, especially if you only stitch for a few minutes so basically have not too much to show in the way of progress? But stitching (and knitting and reading, and all of those good things) are such a rich part of my life, I can't imagine days going by without at least thinking about them, even if there isn't the time for the hours of doing them that I would like.

My mother used to tease me that when I got married my wedding dress would need a pocket in it for the current book I was reading, because I couldn't be away from my books. Now I've added stitching and knitting to that, and usually carry my purse, along with my project bag to wherever I go, and at least have the bag in the car. My purse always has a tiny "emergency" cross-stitch kit in it, and if I'm going some place where a bag would be awkward, I will often throw a sock I'm knitting in my purse as well.

This evening we had two concerts to attend: the elementary school concert in which Julia, age 10, was singing with the chorus, also the jazz band concert in which Stanford, age 17 played with the jazz band and jazz lab band. Cloning has not yet been perfected, so I went with two of the kids to Julia's concert, and John went with the other to Stanford's. We arrived at the elementary school along with lots of other doting parents. As usual, there were about 250 people in the gym, and only about 200 chairs, so a fair number of us had to stand or sit on the floor. The gym was literally about 95 degrees (it has been about 90 and humid all day here), and they had four enormous fans, about 4' in diameter each, set up. The lights went out twice, because they were overheating, and they are huge industrial lights that take about 7 minutes to be lit again. So the kids who were supposed to play musical instruments couldn't see their music, so they scrambled up onto the risers (there was still light coming in from the open doors to see to do that), and did a few choral numbers, which were memorized. I felt bad for the parents who were trying to take movies, of shadows in the dark, singing! However, in the 10 minutes or so before the concert started while I was waiting, I got the second sock of the pair I'm making done to the last 8 stitches on the toe, and ready to be grafted together! By that time, the heat was unbearable, and knitting wool socks, even thin sock yarn on skinny needles, irritated me and stuck to my hands, so I was glad to put it away. Pictures later.

Earlier today I spent lunchtime knitting at my LYS, Ewe'll Love It. Beverly has knit-lunch every Thursday, and I go when I can. It is so relaxing and inspiring. Today I also bought a pattern for a shawl, and some patriotic sock yarn that had just come in. I wasn't going to buy it at first, and listed it in a little notebook I had in my purse. When I went to write down the color number, it was "1776", the year the USA gained its independence. How cool is that!

Even earlier today, first thing in the morning, actually . . . actually about 6:15 this morning, I finally worked a little on the garden. I like gardening, once I get started, even though bugs don't thrill me, and dirt and sweat hinder my stitching. I want the yard and garden to look decent, so I figured I would just have to commit to about 20 minutes a day of work, and if I do it first thing in the morning, there aren't too many bugs, and I could shower right after, and it's not too hot just yet, plus I can work in the shade. So today I planted parsley, which also involved cleaning out the first box garden of dead leaves and weeds. I read that the sage should not be allowed to flower, and should be replaced every two or three years, so next time I'll take care of that, also plant the tomato plants, cucumber, and beans that I bought. Here is the garden as it looks now. The cute little house behind is our shed. I suggested when we got it that if John wired it for light, I could make it into a perfect little play house for me to escape to and stitch, but he said no, we needed a place for the lawnmower and bikes and such. Details, details!

Last night I went to visit my friend, Patty, and we sat out on her deck and stitched for as long as the light lasted. It was just delightful! I made more progress on DT's Spring while we listened to the birds and talked. I would love to make a welcoming outdoor retreat like that. I'm hoping to get a screen house this year so I can enjoy looking at the garden, and stitching, without the bugs enjoying me.

Dental Floss

I couldn't resist today's title . . . I was stitching while waiting for my son at the dentist. Now that my children are not little, and needing constant supervision, I enjoy waiting time in dental and doctor offices. It gives me a chance to take a few stitches, knit a row, or read a chapter.

Today I worked on Drawn Thread's Spring, a piece that I think is out of print, because I checked on the Drawn Thread website and it isn't there. I was looking for corrections, because I had stitched the entire tree trunk in DMC 738, a very light tan, merrily stitching along and following what I thought the chart said. Then I realized that it looked nothing like any tree trunk I had ever seen, also there was one darker, brown color that hadn't been used, and whose symbol didn't seem to show up anywhere on the chart. So in the dentist's waiting room, after reading about what Brittany, Brooke, and Tom and his lady are up to, I unpicked out the light tan tree trunk. Then (no cavities for my son!), we drove to pick up my daughter from work. Being about ten minutes early, we put down the windows, listened to the birds, and my son played Sudoku on my iPaq while I started the new, brown tree trunk. It looks much better!



By the way, I started stitching on Spring in the springtime of 1996, when my now-10-year-old daughter was a newborn. I have more stitching time now than when she was a newborn! I've been pulling out UFO's and finishing them up, little by little. It feels good. I've toyed with the idea of putting all of my UFO's in one basket (if they would fit) instead of the way I now have them, which is with the other pieces of that same designer. Or making a (very long) list of them, so I can see progress by crossing them out on the list. I tend to be a little obsessive about lists, making lists of things to do, when just doing the thing might be faster than writing it all down. Listing my UFO's would take away from stitching time. However, it could also count as "playing" with my stash, which is a fun thing to do when my eyes might be too tired to stitch. We'll see.

Here is my most recent finish. I actually started and completed this in the same calendar year! I really enjoyed stitching it, and after I got used to working on the dark fabric, it wasn't hard.

Starting Out

Until recently, blogging has seemed to me to be something that other people do. I enjoy reading my friends' blogs, and love seeing their stitched pieces. It's fun to "meet" new friends through their blogs, and I always love to be inspired by all the creativity I see. But now I have a desire to write one as well, and hope that keeping a blog will help my writing and journaling skills, as well as encourage more stitching and knitting. If I'm reporting on what I'm stitching and knitting every day or so, I must have something to report, after all!

The title of my blog was suggested to me by my son, who teases me that when I have stitching friends over to share our favorite creative activity, we always have M&M's and ice water (with or without lemon!). In his eyes, it adds to the genteel and ladylike feeling of these gatherings to have these refreshments (he says it's "lovely" to have M&M's and ice water).

Stitching is my first creative love, with knitting a close (but more recent) second. I also do some scrapbooking, and I love to read. I'm a little obsessive when it comes to organizing closets and bags and such, and I sometimes find myself spending more time on arranging my projects than on actually stitching them. But hopefully I'll soon be merrily stitching away with lovely progress pictures to post every day or two.