Preoccupied

I've not finished a SINGLE project all week. Mostly because I've had this contraption on my mind:

For those of you lucky enough to have never needed one...it's a CT Scanner (a "CAT" scan.) And I took a trip through that hole this morning. I had to drink a bum-load of this:

(Oh, ok, just 3 bottles. Still. And the friendly fruit images on the bottle are a decoy. It tastes like white glue.)

and then I got one of these as a prize:

(I'm talking to the nurse as she prepares the IV and I'm right in the middle of a sentence and say "I'll wait til you're finished", you know, with my eyes squeezed shut so I can't see the poke. And she says, "Hon, I am finished." Man, she was good.)

It was all over in 90 minutes and other than the mini-freakout I had last night on learning of my copay ($250!!!) I think it went rather well.

Lest you all worry from my ToooMuchInfo posting tonight, I've had a persistent kidney infection. Stubborn bugger. The CT is just a precaution to rule out abscess, and I fully expect it to be normal. (Good vibes sent my way won't hurt either.)

Your regularly scheduled sewing humor should commence asap.

to me!

Gingerbread Tee

I whipped up this cute little tee for Lu this afternoon:


The ribbon accents weren't intentional. They were to cover up these:


HOLES!! I guess I had the tee pinched in the embroidery hoop, and this is where I screwed it in really snug. The sewing gremlin is going back and forth from my house to Shannon's and back to mine.

I kinda like the ribbons in the end, though. I used Steam a Seam to fuse them in place, and then straight stitched them to the tee. The gingerbread girl's bow is a removable pin for laundering.

You can find the adorable gingerbread applique machine embroidery design at Sewing For Sarah. It's a free download!

Happy Stitching!

Gratitude.

I am thankful for a lot of things in mylife...my children whom I adore, my parents & siblings who always make me laugh (even when I want to choke them), my job (which is trying but has those tiny moments of joy that keep you going), my friends...

And I am especially grateful for all of the friends I have made in this wonderful world called the internet.

This Christmas season is the 10th year I've been single. Most of you know that I'm divorced, but none of you know that my ex-husband left me, my toddler son & baby girl a week before Christmas, ten years ago this December. For a few years, I dreaded Christmas. It's not an easy holiday to spend alone.

Christmas is my favorite holiday, and I love everything about it. The tree, the music, buying and making special gifts, the baking, the old movies. I love it. So it didn't take me long to get over the dread.

But it is a lonely time of year for a single person. The kids & I go and do lots of things during the season where we're surrounded by family "units". I've never let my fear of being the only single mom in the crowd stop us from enjoying all of the fun and splendor of the season. (Or for that matter, hopping on a plane and flying to some unknown city for a week. Yes, I'm terrified when I do it, but I keep doing it because if I don'thow would we ever go anywhere??)

Many people ask why I never remarried. My kids were very small when I divorced, and frankly I had my hands full. After a few years, I went back to college to get my teaching degree. And the years just sort of....passed.

In all honesty, I live in a small rural community whose population is aging. The church we attend is filled with families and the elderly... and all of my friends are married. Around here, the only place singles have to go is the local tavern. Not exactly where you'd like to meet the man of your dreams. Or even a pizza sharing partner. Besides, I'm not as cute as I was a decade ago.

So single I remain.

Today as the holiday season officially begins, I am especially thankful for all of you. For making me laugh and keeping me sane, and for letting me share a little bit in your lives. And for that I am really grateful.

Wishing a safe & happy turkey day to all my blogger friends, near and far!