Blooming

The first daffodil of Spring has bloomed! I made sure to take a picture, so I could believe that Spring is really here. 

It has been so very cold and windy at the end of March this year. I only decided to put my wool-blend work pants away for the season as I can't bring myself to wear wool in April. Some of my Spring-time work pants are still a little too light-weight though for April . 
Last weekend our son came to visit and we went to Belmont Lake State Park.
In all my years living on Long Island, I have never been there. 

 The ducks and geese were enjoying the lake.

We walked all the way around the lake. There were lots of families and dogs. I actually learned something about the area also.

 It was weird seeing cannons at the park

I am starting to get my Easter decorations out. It will be here before you know it. I bought a new wreath for my front door. Usually I craft a wreath, but the last one that I made I wasn't happy with and I realized that my lack of time would not result in a new one that I would be happy with. This wreath works just fine.

Hubby and I have been looking to update our 16 year old carpeting. In the process we decided to finally purchase a carpet runner for our staircase. We have always wanted one, but just never got around to looking. Well it is finally done and we both love it. 

We have noticed that we surprise each other a lot now though as we can quietly go up and down the staircase.

I will be getting an epidural injection in my back this week. My back is feeling better, but my leg is still numb and starts to ache at the end of each day. I am hoping to feel well enough the day of the injection to spend some time cross-stitching. I will be finishing the second corner of my secret cross-stitch today.  A bout of frogging limited my progress last weekend, but I made up for it yesterday morning. 

I am joining Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching. Pop on over to her site to see what other bloggers are stitching.

Thanks for stopping by!

Spring is Here!

It is Spring, but it certainly doesn't feel like it here on Long Island. Friday and Saturday were cold and very windy. The plastic containers that should be in our recycling bin were all over our backyard. Today it has made it to the 40's, but it is still not outdoor weather. My daffodils are showing their leaves and will probably bloom over the next few weeks. 

Hubby and I made the trip to Boston for my daughter's first try-on of her wedding gown. It fits like it was specifically made for her. All it needs is to be shortened and bustled. That will all begin happening in June. She also picked out a beautiful fingertip length veil to complement the gown. Her wedding is now less than 6 months away. Wow!

I started crocheting the Bridal Bear outfit. 

This is actually the second start as I realized that I had made a mistake in adjusting the pattern about 6 rows in. I need to write out the changes so that the pattern works out correctly for my smaller sized bear. I think I have the correct idea now.

I am joining Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching. Pop on over to her site to see what other bloggers are stitching. I will get some secret stitching done today. Although I can't share it, I can tell you that I am almost done with the second corner of the chart. The fourth corner is the same as the second and the third corner should be fairly quick to stitch. I am pleased with my progress so far. 

My back problems are status quo for right now....no better, no worse. I will say that my back no longer hurts, but my leg is still numb and often has a burning sensation down the side. I am going to therapy and doing my exercises at home. I had an MRI this past week and will meet with a pain management doctor this week. I have good days and bad days, but I am doing okay.

Thanks for stopping by!

Adjustments

I have decided to make a wedding dress for my 12" bear to have on display when I host my daughter's bridal shower. It is wearing it's Leprechaun outfit right now.

  Don't worry, it won't be a surprise shower. I was having trouble finding a dress pattern to crochet. I came upon this one which I downloaded and printed, but it is for the 14" size of my bear. (Sorry for the awfully dark photo, but it is a miserably dark and rainy day here and this is the best photo that I could get.)

No worries about the size though. I have crocheted the witch outfit below for my bear in the past, so I am just going to go with the torso sizing for this dress and the adjust the skirt sizing of the Bridal Bear to fit the number of stitches. It shouldn't be too hard. 

Now I have to go buy some white yarn. You would think that I would have some hanging around in my stash, but alas I do not. I have to get the yarn this week as we are driving up to my daughter at the end of the week as her own wedding gown has arrived and needs a first try-on. I am hoping to start crocheting the dress in the car while Hubby is driving to Boston. Gee, I hope he was planning to go with me. LOL 

I am wearing my back brace and it helps a lot. If I don't wear it right now, I pay the price with pain. Each day is a different experience. Some days I feel far better than others. I can't really say that I am at all feeling close to being healed. My right thigh and knee are still quite numb and I have a burning sensation down the leg most of the time. I am spending a lot of my time at home at my kitchen table as I can't sit on a couch or soft chair. I am cross-stitching, reading and playing around on the computer. I did go to work 4 days this week. I am faithfully going to therapy and resigning myself to the fact that I might need an MRI and/or an epidural. Full pain relief would be gladly welcomed. I am not sure how the 4 hour car ride at the end of the week will go, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that we can stop often and I will be comfortable.

I am joining Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching. Pop on over to her site to see what other bloggers are stitching. I will be working on my secret cross-stitch. It is coming along nicely as I spend so much time at my kitchen table.

Thanks for stopping by.

Back to work and a birthday

My winter break is long over. I am always amazed at how quickly this week disappears. I spent a lot of it cross-stitching and I made some great progress. I can't show it to you unfortunately. 

I also spent a lot of time cooking and baking so that Hubby and I have some "heat and eat meals" for those days that we work late. 

I will show you a cross-stitch I made many years ago at my mother's request. It hangs in her living room. It is a beautiful Irish saying for the month of March.

I recently treated myself to two new books. Mom had given me a Barnes and Noble gift card for Christmas. I adore Log Cabin quilts and this book definitely appealed to me.

In it I found this.  

I want to make a bed quilt for my daughter and her future husband. We had chosen a quilt from a magazine that I have, but she didn't seem real thrilled with it. She did determine that she likes stars. I sent her this picture and she loved this quilt.

Once my cross-stitching is completed I am going to start this quilt. This picture is of a wall-hanging size, but directions are given for a queen-sized quilt. I can't wait to start searching for and buying fabric. I will be making over 200 blocks, but who's counting.

I also bought this book, basically to use up the gift card, but also because it appealed to me. I always find books that include witchcraft or ghosts quite appealing. I'm not sure why, but I do.

We shall see how I like it.

This past week I celebrated a birthday....the last of my 50s. I really don't feel that old. At least I didn't until Thursday. I had been having some trouble with sciatica down my left leg on and off for 2 weeks. I have experienced the same thing with my right leg before and I was doing my exercises from past therapy to ease the problem I was now having. I woke up Thursday morning in extreme pain. I couldn't sit. I was barely able to stand and walk around. I was most comfortable kneeling or laying on the floor flat on my stomach. Obviously a doctor's visit was needed. My usual orthopedist was unavailable so I took the first appointment with another doctor in the same medical group but a different office. I have been diagnosed with Spinal Stenosis (I was told years ago that it was starting, but to just leave it alone). I was sent home with meds, a back brace and an Rx for therapy. It took quite a while for the meds to kick in though and I spent most of Thursday laying on the floor on my stomach. I now know the meaning of "writhing on the floor with pain". I do not want to experience that ever again. I have rug burns in some interesting places because of it. By the night time, I was able to lay on the couch. Thankfully, a good night's sleep in my bed with the help of some pain medication found me in a much better place on Friday. I am hoping that I continue to improve and maybe make it back to work this coming week. 

I am joining Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching. Pop on over to her site to see what other bloggers are stitching. You all know what I will be working on.... some secret stitching.

Thanks for stopping by!