Progress and a New Start

I actually pulled out my former incentive piece, LHN's City Stitcher, Country Stitcher this past Sunday and put in a few stitches. I really do like this piece, so I'm not sure why I have such a hard time stitching on this.

Here's where I am now:



And this is the last progress pic I have from November, 08.



Just working on it pretty much only on Sundays has really helped me get closer to a finish on this pretty piece.

I started my February ornie this week. I decided to do the PS Santa from the Dec. 08 issue of The Gift of Stitching Magazine (TGOS). Here's what I've gotten done in 3 days.



The scan is a bit dark; it looks much better in person. I'm stitching this on a 32 ct. Silkweaver Solo, so the fabric has no name. Sorry about that for those who might want more specifics. I'm kinda excited about seeing how it works up. All the finished pieces I've seen of this have been on some shade of tan. Two things I wanted to do this year in my stitching were to stitch on fabric from my stash and use more than fabrics in the tan/brown range. I think this definitely meets the 2nd goal!

Health-wise, I'm doing better. The crud is almost gone from my head. I'm still blowing my nose A LOT, but not as much as I was. I went back to the doctor because half my head is still plugged up, and she decided to completely change all my antihistamine-decongestant medicines. I really just want the gunk in my head to clear up. She wants to change my medicine. I just don't get it! LOL I did get a new antibiotic, which will probably take care of the congestion. I can never seem to kick one of these sinus infections with just one round of antibiotics. The good news is that this one isn't as powerful as the last one.

My back is still hurting like mad! I'm still not able to sit for more than about 20 minutes at a time and then getting up and walking around. (Gotta loosen up those hip flexors!!) I did go to my pain and torture session today (aka "physical therapy") and he worked me over pretty good. Told me what was going on, told me to continue to do my exercises (Praise God for the exercise ball and my biofoam roller!!) and then to come back in 2 weeks. I might be back NEXT week if I don't feel any better. I also might make a trip to my friendly chiropractor for a decompression treatment and adjustment. Lastly, I think I definitely need to put a massage in the budget! LOL

Hannah's finished her 2nd round of antibiotics for her infection. She's definitely doing better, but we have to take her for another culture to make sure the infection is clearing up. This will also tell us if we need to do more antibiotics. This last time, the vet also prescribed Gentimicin, an eye and nose drop medicine. We've used it before when we first got her to help clear up the infection she had when she first came to live with us. Mark gives her the medicines followed up with some cheese, so she's a very good kitty about taking her meds. Bribery goes a long way with some cats!! LOL Callie goes for a dental cleaning later this month. She also is due for her kidney check-up, so she'll have blood work to check her BUN & creatinine (tells us about her kidney function and health), as well as a urinalysis. She's such a good girl when it comes to all these procedures, but it's so much less stressful for her to have it all done while under anesthesia. It's a good thing my medical reimbursement check is coming mid-month. LOL I leave you with a not-so-great picture of her playing. I just couldn't resist her expression!