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!