Winter Stitching

I've become a huge fan of Pinterest..in fact, my time on Pinterest has seriously given my time on Facebook a run for its money!  I love typing in "cross stitch" or "embroidery" or "digital scrapbooking" and seeing so many wonderful things!  I have found quite a few free cross stitch designs (I always take them back to the source to make sure they are REALLY free) that I have been stitching on the last couple of months...its been fun to find some new designs to stitch without having to order them online and wait weeks for them to arrive. I have been also a bit addicted to watching "The Good Wife", Comcast has had all five seasons available this winter, so I have had a marathon of watching every episode...so sad when I watched the final one last night!!

Here is one of the designs I worked on while watching The Good Wife...It was fun to do.  It is called Winter House by Brooks Books. She has houses for the other three seasons as well.



Winter House

It's been a typical January around here with all of  us battling the flu, and John battling unemployment.  It always makes the winter such a downer when he gets laid off, because all the progress we  have made financially during the good times quickly ends us back in the same state we were in.  We have a better plan this time. John has started school this week to be a Certified Nursing Assistant.  It will take about 2 months and he will  have his choice of positions, people are constantly needing CNA's around here.  It is good to know this will be our last winter of unemployment and lack and falling back into (more) debt.  One good thing that has come out of this exhausting year of caring for both of my elderly parents with dementia is that John has the patience and emotional security to be able to do the job well.  Another thing I found out is that I don't!!! LOL!

Daughter Amy and her family moved in with us last winter, which in the long run has been a good thing as she was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer in November.  Its been easier on me to help take care of things when I am not with Mom and Dad by not having to drive across town to do so.  After two surgeries in November, and radioactive Iodine treatment in January, she has a three month rest period until May, and she tackles the next round of treatment.  She still  has cancer in the side of her neck that they didn't operate on in November, so depending on the size of the tumors, she will either have more surgery and another dose of iodine, or just the iodine treatment.  We are thankful that the full body scan showed NO tumors in her lungs, which would have meant it would have been untreatable, and have a very different outcome.

Daughter Alizabeth is doing well, though she was a passenger in a car accident two weeks ago.  She has whiplash, but will be fine soon.  She is working as a Night Auditor at a local hotel, but hopes to find a day job in an office soon.  In her own words:  "I love doing paperwork!"

Daughter Allison is plugging away at Montana State University working on her Thesis in Organic Chemistry.  She will then have about 3 years to go to finish up her PhD.  We miss her, its such a long way from Lacey, and we only get to see her about 3 times a year, but we are sure proud of her and the work she is doing!!

So, such is our life.  The grandkids are doing great and growing fast, and are our pride and joy!

 

Silas, Alana and Gracie, Christmas 2013