Sewing Fun

 Above is the first thing I used my sewing machine on, I had to fix a seem that had given out, it's the one below the red pen.

 Then I made a catnip pillow for Kramer. I took the owl fabric and folded it over and sewed up the sides, turned it so the pattern was out, then I took an old sock filled it with catnip sewed it shut cut off the excess then stuffed it in the pillow case and then sewed it shut.

Today I measured and cut fabric and sewed it together and got this 9 square. It took me quite a few hours to do as I had to rip some seams a couple of times. It's not perfect but for being the first time it's not bad either. 

I am really enjoying my sewing machine and can't wait to use it more.

What A Month

This week started out super amazing and by Wednesday it had gone to hell and then decided to get worse from there. But let me take you back to September for a few brief seconds. A few days before mom left on vacation I was sitting on the couch here at home and was resting my hand on my chest when I found a lump in my left breast.  I called mom, she came over and confirmed it was indeed a lump and that she would take me to the doc in the box the next day. Needless to say they told me I needed a mammogram done but they felt it was either a fatty lump or a cyst and to not be worried.  We made the appointment for October 7th and so I waited. I didn't want to post about it on here till I knew what was going on and if it was something more serious then we thought or if it was just what we thought.

Flash forward to This Monday Oct 7th, which was by the way Richards Birthday. Richard and I went to Snow City Cafe for his Birthday Breakfast cause he really wanted to go, they have AMAZING food. Then we were off to my mammogram and unbeknownst to me ultrasound. Can I just say I rather have a mammogram done then get my blood pressure taken by one of those automatic ones any day of the week. So I get done there and off to ultrasound I go, then the Radiologist comes in and gives me the good news, it's just a cyst and that I don't have to come back in for another 10 years. WOOHOO!

After we left the hospital, we went to Color Me Mine where I finished a pumpkin light I had started a week before hand, and Richard finished up painting his Dragon he had been working on for a year. I really do enjoy going there, it's fun, we can take our time and it's really not all that expensive. After we were done there we came home had some lunch then went to out to pay the electric bill and I convinced Richard to take me to JoAnn's so I could buy myself a sewing machine, after we were done there we stopped by to see a friend then went home. A few hours later we went out to dinner with mom at Ramono's to celebrate Richards birthday. What a great day we had.

Tuesday went off with out any problems, we went to Paint the Rink Pink and watched the Aces lose to the Cyclones 4-2. Then Wednesday happened.

Wednesday Richard was in a 3 car, car accident on his way to work and he was in the middle car. So as I like to state he was in the middle of an I hate you sandwich. I called a very dear friend of the family and asked if he could pick Richard up because our truck was dead and leaking fluid and then bring him home and he did  Needless to say Richard is missing a few days of work and well our truck is totaled (ugh!).

Thursday went off with out much a problem besides poor Richard being sore.

Today, it was my turn to be in pain. at 5 something this morning Kramer (the cat) decided to attack my left arm, and attack it he did. The upper part of my arm is scratched to shit by his teeth and claws, I have a very nice, lovely bruise forming, it is all pretty much just flesh wounds and no none of them are infected, I have been keeping an eye on them all day today.

So that basically wraps up our week, we are car less till we find a new used truck or SUV which means Mom and Richard are sharing moms truck. We wont have a way around town this weekend as mom is on call and needs her rig, which is fine cause we are both going to be home bodies cause on top of everything else my body decided I needed to come down with a cold.

Can this month be over with?

Heating up the work days sewing machine

I caved today and turned the heat back on in the apartment. I actually lasted longer then I thought I would as I wanted to turn it on on Monday but Richard talked me out of it. He can't talk me out of it today though. I am pretty cold at the moment as I just turned the heat on about 5 minutes ago. I did everything from putting socks then slippers on and curling up under a blanket and still couldn't get warm. So the heat is now officially on for the long Alaskan Winter. Still no snow on the ground and hardly any on the mountains but that will change as we always tend to have snow for Halloween.

Poor Richard is going to work 6 days straight before getting 2 days off. He was supposed to have yesterday off but the guy that covers the morning run when Richard has a day off called in sick, this is after calling in sick on Wednesday and before that on Friday the week before. I really don't like this guys work ethic and am sick of him doing stuff like this to Richard. I was pretty mad when Richard got called into work yesterday morning but I am also proud of him because he is proving to his boss that he values his job and the company he works for by being willing to come in on his day off and work. It proves he is a hard worker.  Plus on Monday they can try to call him in but it wont happen cause we have plans that can't be cancelled. So at least he gets a weekend off somewhat.

That's pretty much everything from here for right now, not much going one since I am home alone all day, excluding the cat. Here shortly it will be time for Holiday Bazaars which are always fun to go to, even if it is the same stuff every year, gives us something to do during the winter.

Oh still no word on the sewing machine, which makes me wonder if they just decided to wait till mom gets home and back to work or if they don't even know whats wrong with it. Hope it gets figured out soon cause I would like to be able to sew stuff, mind you the first stuff I do manage to sew wont be amazing works of art or perfectly done but hey gives me something to do while home during the day besides sitting at the computer. That is if I ever get a working machine. 

It's Snowing Sewing Machines

As some might remember, months back I was complaining about a sewing machine and how it was evil and didn't like me and wasn't working right. Well mom got around to getting it from me and gave it to someone to have them clean it up and see if they can't fix the problem. She did this before she went on vacation so I'm just waiting to hear from them to see if they fixed it, if it's a lost cause or if in fact I'm the problem with the machine. My money is on my dyslexic self being the problem.

In some fun news it snowed today, it's not really sticking but it definitely snowed. In fact the day after mom left there was a little termination dust on the mountains, needless to say there is a lot more now. The temperature has also dropped and hasn't gotten out of the 40s since she has been gone.  Winter is fast approaching now. We have all the windows closed but have yet to turn the heat back on, I'm hoping to make it to October but it the temps drop any more I will give in and turn the heat on. For those of you wondering our apartment is at about 65 right now so it's not bad.

Some sad news, my very first Dyson has kicked the bucket, I have had that thing for about 6 years now. It has been used and abused over those 6 years too. It makes this horribly loud noise and we can't figure out what is causing it to do so. The brush is clean so it can rotate without a problem. When we get our PFD's on Oct 3 we will go buy a new Dyson as I loved my first one and it's the only one I have ever had that has lasted this long. I might keep the old one around and use it for when I vacuum out our truck cause the hose part of it still works. haven't decided about that yet though.

That's pretty much it for now. I'm still healthy (knock on wood) and just chilling at home. Richards birthday is coming up in 2 weeks and so is Paint the Rink Pink. (GO ACES!!!) so I have a dinner out to look forward to and some hockey. Plus of course the return of mom from her much needed vacation. I hope she is having fun as I haven't heard from her since she got there, but that's not unusual for her.

I'm addicted to video games

I am happy to report that the last set of antibiotics did the trick, my throat is perfectly fine now and I haven't been sick in weeks. Of course I also haven't hung out with my friend whom uses the Doterra oils since before the last post so still haven't solved what caused my throat to get so bad. She has been busy with work and school.

Richard is no longer on 2 different jury duties. He was called in yesterday for trial jury, so all he has to do is finish off this week and he is done, instead of having to call in till the18th of October for district jury duty. I bet this makes his bosses and work happy too cause when Richard doesn't work they have to have 2 people do his job. Basically one guy does the morning runs and then another does the afternoon runs.

I haven't updated much here cause I have been playing a lot of video games as of lately, ok a single video game but been playing it tons. It's just this stupid game for the Nintendo 3DS called Animal Crossing New Leaf. It's a great way to kill a few hours when I have nothing better to do. I have gone as far as putting my 3DS in my purse so if something comes up like a long wait to be seated at a restaurant or stuck at a drs office waiting to be seen I can have something to do.

I also knitted mom a blanket on Saturday. I started it earlier in the week but worked on it all Saturday and got it finished. This blanket is made by knitting 5 strands of yarn at the same time, that sucker is heavy and warm. Mom really likes it and used it yesterday while working on a crochet project. Her cat Data even seemed to enjoy it as he was laying on her while she was using it. Now all I need to do is finish up the one blanket I'm making for a friends little boy, and a cross stitch pattern for a different friend and get to work on my brothers gift. I still also need to make a pair of fingerless gloves/wristlets for a different friend of mine. GAH so much stuff to do!!

In some fun only to Alaskans news, tomorrow we find out how much our PFD's are going to be this year. We get them around Richards birthday which is fast approaching which also means Aces Hockey is just right around the corner as well. WOOT!!!!!!!!!

Mystery Diagnosis

I am once again on antibiotics for my throat, I had the added bonus this time of being on steroids for the first three days of meds as well. This was due to the fact that my uvula was severely swollen and I was basically swallowing it, every time I swallowed. I am half way through the meds and am feeling fine again.  The troubling thing about this is that I have been plagued with what ever this is all summer.  I get off of the antibiotics and am fine for a week or two then my throat starts hurting a little then it gets to the point where it hurts to swallow or talk and I'm miserable and off to the doctor I go. I have baffled the doctors office that I go to when I can't get into my E.N.T. Doc.  The last time I was in there which was last Monday he said that if it comes back I need to make an appointment with my specialist because he doesn't know what is causing me to have this problem and it would be cheaper for me to go to the E.N.T. and get tests then to do them there at the walk in clinic.

I have a theory of what could actually be causing me to get so sick. A really good friend of mine uses the Doterra essential oils and swears by them, they work for her and she is allergic to almost everything under the sun. She only started using them earlier this year. You are probably wondering why I told you this, well it's important to my theory that's why. I realized after getting sick this most recent time that I had hung out with her and her son literally right before I started getting sick and thought back and every time I have gotten this blasted throat problem I have hung out with her.  SO I wonder if I could be allergic to the oils. But then I think ok if I'm allergic to them wouldn't my symptoms go away after being away from them for a while? to which I counter with well yeah you would think that but remember Stephanie you are your own kind of special  when it comes to getting sick.  Plus like I said earlier my friend only started using them earlier this year and every single time this summer I have been around her I end up having to go on antibiotics because of my throat. I at first maybe thought because she has a kid that I was just picking up germs from him but wouldn't I get something different every time and not the same thing? I talked to her about it, and she says they have never heard of anyone being allergic to the oils like this, just with skin irritations so she doesn't think it's the oils.

Anyways I asked her that the next time we hang out if she could please make sure not to have put on any of the oils, that includes her son as well, just to see if in fact it is the oils that is causing this problem or if indeed I have some weird infection that I just haven't killed completely with the antibiotics so it keeps coming back. Hopefully she remembers but if she doesn't and I get sick again well I guess that proves it too.

Back to Normal

After months of the apartment looking like a tornado went through it I finally have it looking good again. When I get sick it's hard for me to convince myself to keep up with the chores of the apartment because I just don't feel good, so I slack off then the next thing you know it's been 2 months and we are having to dig through garbage bags to find clothes to wear cause I haven't folded the clean laundry. But all that is behind me now and I hope to keep it that way for a while and even if I do get sick to try and at least not let it get so bad.

 It's August which means in just a few short weeks it will be time for the State Fair, which also means the rain has come and trust me we needed the rain. It also signals the end of Summer and the start of Fall. Our days are getting shorter not by much but it is now getting dark around 9-10pm. We are slowly getting to my favorite season, when the temps get cooler and I start making crock pot dishes and warm hearty meals again. Oh and tons of Taco Soup. Mmmm Taco Soup man that sounds good.

I have been reading a bit more which is nice, I haven't really wanted to read for a long while but now I'm getting back into seeing as how I am doing it just for me and not to see how many I can read in a year. I find myself gravitating back to books if I'm bored or don't want to do anything else. I even started a group on Facebook called Whatcha Reading? Where you basically tell other members of the group what you are reading, in hopes that it will give someone else an idea of what to read next. It's just a fledgling group not many people in it but hopefully it takes off and helps people decide what to read.