I've Been Quilting

Good Morning friends! Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay
My, oh my, what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine headin' my way
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay

How the heck are ya?! Guess what? GUESS WHAT?!? After this last test injection in my left SI joint, I told Brian we should just look online to see what I can do with meds instead. It turns out I am on the lowest dose of Neurontin. I asked the PA if she would increase it, and she did. She doubled it. My pain is now usually a 2 on the pain scale. Friends, that is fantastic!!!

I did have a moment of bitterness. I was upset and wondered, why did I have to ask for this?! Why didn't someone do this for me YEARS ago?! I could have avoided painful procedures THAT DIDN'T WORK!! But I am letting that go. I am thankful instead I have it NOW. God is good and He is merciful and compassionate.

I broke a rib! I did this once about 10 years ago. From coughing. Yes, I broke my rib coughing. That dumb cold I got like the rest of the family a month ago. Well, I get lingering coughs with at least one cold a year it seems for years now. So on Friday I coughed and felt it kind of click/crack. Amazing how painful a broken rib can be. I am not going to the doctor with this. I did 10 years ago. They took an x-ray, said yep it's broke and then sent me home. It takes about one month to heal.

I made an applique quilt of Henry.

 I had plans to make this since we got him back in spring. But, well. I loosely used the pattern for a poodle found in Best In Show: 24 Applique Quilts for Dog Lovers by Carol Armstrong. I had to redraw many of the pattern pieces to make it look like Henry. And I decided if I ever wanted it to get done, I needed to just do fusible applique to make it easier. That is the method I used for Mabel's quilt. Remember this?

Amish Mabel In A Square

Henry's Quilt hangs in the kitchen. He needed his own quilt too. His replaced this one that was in the kitchen.

"Mac, Maggie and Mabel"

The quilt is 18"x22". The "Henry" is just about life size. =)

I just outline quilted Henry, and quilted in the ditch. I quilted 4 paw prints, one in each corner.

I really struggle when using the quilting foot on my sewing machine. That whole free motion thing is hard for me to conquer. But it is done, and I did it.

 Here's the little rascal. ;)

And here is the little lady. I just gave her a bath and haircut. Isn't she pretty?♥

Have a beautiful day in the Lord my friends!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Papa Francisco

Hi friends! Hope all is well with you. Welcome to new friends! =) Glad you stopped by!

I designed, stitched and finished a little pinkeep back in spring. I call it 'Papa Francisco'.

I kept it neutral in color. I used a platinum linen. I researched his attire. Made sure to give him his iron cross, silver ring and his black shoes.

Am I Catholic? Nope. I was raised Catholic and was for the first 30 years of my life. Became Lutheran like my husband and kids. Anyhow, it's kinda still a large part of me. My whole family is Catholic. I really, really admire Pope Francis. I thought it would be super to make a pinkeep of him and leave a space for him to sign. I looked up how to properly write a letter to the Pope and the address and I sent it off in June. Well, I guess I am real naive.

Guess what came in the mail for me yesterday?! Yup! It's back from Vatican City. BUT... no signature. :( I suppose it was too much to expect honestly. But I did get this.

Well, it is a copy of his signature. ;)

I walked over to the park and got myself some Willow tree branches. Those are a lot straighter than our Silver Maple tree branches. And.... I framed my 'Autumn Delights' with twigs, right on the top of the flatfold. It turned out just like I envisioned. Not the best picture, but here ya go.

I made a loaf of Challah bread yesterday. One of my favorite breads I bake. It is a Jewish recipe.

This one does not have the egg wash I usually put on it.

That's all I got for today friends. You have yourself a stitchtastic day now. =)

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Autumn Delights

Hi friends! How about we do the happy stuff first, okay? I finished the Barbara Ana 'Autumn Delights' into a framed flatfold. I used a chocolate colored linen I had in my stash. I tried making a twig frame from fallen branches from our big Silver Bark Maple tree. I may still make up a twig frame to mount around the stitched piece, on the flatfold. It is not that easy to get twigs to lay straight!

I stitched this all one over one using DMC on a creamy mystery colored 27 count evenweave.

This is where it sits out on display now. On Great Aunt Ethel's treadle sewing machine with my fall pieces and Cathey's Pumpkin.♥

Here it is in the chocolate garden, amongst the chocolate colored foliage. Did any of you notice the two personalizations I made? Instead of stitching the kitty peeking out from behind the tree, I stitched Henry!! ♥ And I "carved" my initials into the tree bark. =)

Here is my updated picture on the PSS SAL, Mary's Sampler.

Now for the unhappy. I had the second test injection today. The pain relief so far from this test injection is slightly better than two weeks ago. I insisted on stronger sedation this time, so this injection went a lot better. I will have a consult with the doctor in two weeks. If he finds the relief I got this time not very impressive, he will not be doing the radiofrequency alblation in my SI joint. To be honest, our talk this morning was depressing for me. To see my pain specialist discouraged, well it made me feel low. I have tried so very many procedures and therapies over these 9 1/2 years. If he does not do the ablation, we will just manage my pain with medication and occasional cortisone shots. =(

I finished listening to  The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan on CD. It was very good. This book was written in 1678, so it was very different and interesting. I had been wanting to read this for years. I know that it is a popular book with quite a few Amish people actually. It is a Christian allegory. I am glad I found it on CD through the library system so I could finally get this book done!

Let's end with more happiness shall we? I gave Henry a haircut on Sunday.

Boy is he hard to get a decent picture of. He doesn't hold still. Here he is chewing a bone.

Here he is waiting for me to open Winky's cage door. ;)

I couldn't resist adding this one in too. He is so intent on Winky here. He is giving a little leap. Doesn't he look like he is flying or something? hahaha!

Have a stitchtastic day my friends! I am so glad you stopped by!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

SALs

Hi friends! How are you today? I hope all is well. I have been working on an applique quilt. The piecing is all done. I need to baste the top, batting and backing together next.

I forgot to show you my PSS SAL. I got this stitched up right away on Sunday. ;)

I have been stitching away on the Barbara Ana SAL too. Just take a look.

I took this picture yesterday afternoon. Sorry Vicki, Annette and Donna, but I finished it last night!! I just enjoyed this stitch so much. So you might wonder why I showed you a picture of it unfinished? Well there are two things more I added to it after this picture. And they are both my own little changes. Stay tuned! ;) I will be back next time with a picture of it all finished up into a pinkeep.(Remember, I stitched mine all over one!)

The geraniums are still bright and beautiful.

The dahlias are still blooming too. I bought two varieties of dinner plate dahlia tubers this spring on clearance, for a few dollars. This is one of them, the first to bloom.

It measures almost 9 inches across. It is the same size as a paper plate.♥

Brian bought me this little apricot glass poodle thimble. Henry is apricot and I do not have any apricot poodles in my collection.

Have a stitchtastic day my friends! I thank God for YOU!!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

My Gifts From Gracie

Good Morning my friends! Hello to new friends! It is chilly here this morning, 36º right now.

Gracie had a  Blogoversary Giveaway, and I was one of her winners. Take a look at what I received from her.

She made me a sweet, beaded and buttoned pink pincushion. The Holiday Sylk Angel is my first Mill Hill Kit. =) And just take a look at that fun Southwest Christmas fabric! tee hee! Thank you so much Gracie. How very fun!

I have yet another pumpkin yummy to share with you. We finally located Edy's Pumpkin ice cream on Saturday. The third store we tried! ;) I am not even a big ice cream eater, but this stuff is delicious! Edy's changed it a bit this year. It still tastes great. It has new packaging and a new name. LOOK at the name.

Yep! Made me smile and it warmed my heart.♥ I would have definitely told dear Cathey about this one!!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Poodle Pajamas =)

Good Morning friends! Hope all is well with you? I have a heavy heart still from the passing of our friend Cathey. I am not sad for Cathey, her suffering in this life is now over. I am sad for her husband and little son. I continue to pray for them. I know this makes Cathey happy. She prayed for me and I for her.♥ She was such an inspiration, and I told her so! For continued updates on Cathey, please check her friend Katie's blog here for continual updates.

I wasn't feeling stitchy yesterday, so I made pajama pants for Madeleine and for myself. I found this great flannel at JoAnn months ago. Perfect for us or what?!

Here is my progress thus far on the Barbara Ana SAL.

Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes. I had the first test injection to my left SI joint Tuesday morning. To put it plainly, this was the second most painful injection I have EVER had. I told the doctor so afterwards. I told him it was like he used a needle with a barbed wire tip and was jabbing and grinding around in there. My pain is now lower than when I went in on Tuesday morning.The doctor also put some cortisone in there. This must be what has brought the pain down, as the anesthetic he injected me with only lasts for about 6 hours. I imagine they will still give me injection number 2 in less than two weeks. It will be a different anesthetic he will use that time.

I have been dealing with the most bizarre reaction. When I sleep my left leg kicks out every few minutes. I am not talking about tremors or spasms, but big 'ol jerks. Try sleeping through that!! It lasted for the first two hours of my sleep the first night. I don't think it goes on that long every night. I have learned to roll over onto my left side to suppress it. Since the injection, my leg from above the hip, all the way down to my toes is tingly nonstop.BUT the pain is reduced since Thursday. I am thankful. I need to talk with the doctor before the next injection.

Dahlias are still growing strong.

I finished reading The Spymistress by Jennifer Chiaverini. It was an interesting, historical fiction read. I enjoyed it. I am now beginning The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan. Have any of you ever read this book? I am going to listen to it on CD. I have wanted to read it for a few years, but have put it off because of the language. It was written in 1678!!!

Have a beautiful day friends!

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Prayer Request

Good Morning my friends! Hello new friends! So happy to have you stop by. Come again! ;)
Here is a picture for you of my PSS SAL. I am enjoying this.

Here is a picture for you of my Barbara Ana SAL with Vicki, Annette, and Donna. =) So sweet!

Gotta say, I am enjoying this SAL thing!

Have you ever made these?

Thought I would share this as my next pumpkin yummy. I made them a few days ago. I have made these cookies for many years actually. The cookie mix is available every fall. Yummy.

This weekend I baked Lemon Bread in the bread machine. It is one of my all time favorite breads.♥ I made Rice Krispie Treats last night. Do you put green and gold sprinkles on them for the Green Bay Packers too? hahaha!

Well, I ask for your prayers friends. My pain has been creeping back. What a glorious gift from God those 2 1/2 weeks of almost pain free living were! I keep reminding myself to be thankful for that, and NOT to focus on the "why can't I still be almost pain free? Why?" sigh! It is hard, chronic pain. It is tough.

I have decided to go for test injection number one in my left SI joint(hip joint). Remember the drill? One test injection. Go home and do strenuous activities that day to provoke it. See if you still get good pain relief for those hours. Then suffer for it for almost a week straight. Then two weeks later, get test injection number two. He uses a different type of anesthetic for this second guinea pig procedure injection. Go home and do strenuous activities that day to provoke it.  If I get good pain relief both times, I am "allowed" to have the radiofrequency nerve ablation. Whoopee! NOT! =(

The last one I had done in June, was a medial branch nerve ablation. Yeah, whatever. When that was decided to be "not successful", they told me I could try again in the SI joint. I thought they were nuts! THAT is where my pain is!! Why didn't we do that FIRST?! The PA explained that the doctor was pleased with the test results from my "medial branch" and felt that was the way to go. Yeah right. WAY TO GO!

So I need prayers because this time I am not sure how I will get through the extra pain afterwards. I know that I can take one quarter of one percocet at a time since my stomach ailments. It makes me sick and makes my stomach hurt quite bad if I take a whole one. I am doubting one quarter is going to help with the intense pain much at all. I have an appointment with the doctor directly before this procedure on Tuesday morning. I will ask about what else I can take for pain.

I am sorta desperate for pain relief here folks. That is the only reason I am subjecting myself to this mess. The Neurontin that I finally got approved for and have been taking just won't take the pain down like it did for me years ago. =(  I will try this and hope and pray it works. If not, well, I shall try not to be discouraged. This is actually helping me to keep focused on the truly important and eternal things of life.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

21 Years Ago Today

Good Morning friends! Hello new friends! So glad to have you all stop by for a visit.  It is dark here. It will thunder storm today.

Twenty-one years ago today Brian and I were wed. Here is a picture for you of us at my high school Sweethearts Dance. Brian had graduated from Pius XI already. This was about 4 months before I graduated high school.

Notice our pink roses? ;) And my pale pink leather pumps? ♥

I have been stitching away on the Barbara Ana SAL I am doing with Vicki, Annette and Donna. This is how far I have gotten.

Isn't is sweet?! I just love it.♥

I made a double batch of chocolate chip cookies the other night.One batch just will not last around here. I have a question for you. Do you eat the cookie dough too? ;) We are all just mad for it around here. It is not good for you I do know this, but, well. And we only eat a small amount, really!

That's it for now friends. I hope you have a wonderful day. Thanks for stopping by.

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

SALs and More Pumpkin Goodness

Good Morning my friends! Still beautiful autumn weather around here. I hope it is beautiful where you are at! Thank you for your kind words and complements on my Queen Bee from my last post. I am so happy with her. =)

First up, my Mary's Sampler SAL from Paulette. I am stitching this one over two on 40ct Sandstone linen.

This is the Barbara Ana Autumn Delights SAL I am starting today with Vicki, Annette and Donna. Wanna join us? Take a look here.

I will be stitching this on a creamy mystery colored 27ct evenweave from my stash. I am going to stitch it over one. =)

I made Pumpkin Bread Pudding with the remainder of the first loaf of the Pumpkin Yeast Bread. I froze the second untouched loaf for a future batch. Oh. My. Goodness! Delicious!

Well, I am off to check out your blogs now friends. I have thanked God for YOU today friend. I am so glad you stopped by. I hope you have a spectacular day in the Lord. =)

Stitching and praying,
Vickie