Newspaper

I'm going to be in the newspaper!
There was a forum for new years resolutions. I wrote that I wanted to go on a diet in 2009 because I am obese. They picked me and 4 others to follow for six months in the newspaper. They are doing 5 people too for stopping smoking.
Yesterday the photographer came to take some pics, I'm afraid they won't be flattering!
We will get the chance to write a blog about it (in Flemish) and people will give us advice end encourage us.
So I will have to diet now, I definitely won't go down in front of all those people who know me and read about it in the paper.
Long ago I did some weeks of Weight Watchers, I still have the books, so I will try to do that. The newspaper said they would send a book about diets, so I can pick some advice from that too.
The moment I got the phonecall that they picked me, I could slap myself that I had done something so stupid! But now I see it as an adventure. Until now only my family knows about it, so I guess some people will totaly be caugth by surprise when they see my picture in the newspaper, I hope they will support me.
I'll keep you update next year about what happens!
I did a lot of stitching on my Cut Thru Lighthouse, I hoped it would be finished by the end of the year, but it will be January. I've sorted out what I want to stitch next year (besides cards and SALs and exchanges). Just need to take pics of it all and then I can publish it.

Stitching pics

A couple of pics this time.

First there is one of the Christmascard I stitched for my daughter and het family. I used satin threadfrom DMC, I'm a bit dissapointed in them as I thought they would shine more.

Then there is a little gem from Michael Powell, I will make into an ornament and it will be used for every birthday in the family.

Last there is the Winter SAL, only one part to go and it is finished. I will make it into a wall hanging, probably will have matching fabric in my stash.

I will post a pic of the Cut Thru Lighthouse next week, I hope to have it nearly finished at the end of the year.

Then it will be time to make my stitching (and other) resolutions for 2009.

To all who read this blog: a very nice belated Christmas!
We spent Christmas eve with my daughter's family. Hubby was up for a couple of hours and enjoyed it. As usual there was nice food, small but many and different bit and bites. We played Wii games, after each game a number was drawn and the according present was opened. I got 2 fleece blankets with according reindeer, a little bath duck with reindeer antlers (yes, Rudolph is in town!) and J.K.Rowlings 'The tales of Beedle the Bard'. Hubby got nice pijamas for his hospitalvisit next month (year). SIL got DVD's, DD got socks she can put in nthe microwave before putting them on (always has cold feet) and bright pots for crisps and popcorn. Stein and Robbe got mainly Lego, Jelle got some more bath ducklings. Their dogs got a large yummy bone and the cats got little mousy toys.
Christmas was spent at our house. First Stein, Robbe and me read the Christmas story, each of us read loud a couple of pages of the child friendly story. Then we had a nice dinner, nothing fancy, roast with a variety of veggies, and we had a nice chat while the kids were playing. Stein wondered why we always talked about the virgin Mary, was Virgin her family name? We all laughed and said we would explain when he was old enough. Hubby was tired after all that and the kids went home, we settled for a quiet evening and so Christmas 2008 passed quickly without much fuss, just as we planned it. Our cats were happy with it, they don't like people to sit in their chairs, especially after a nice Christmas meal when their tummy needs a much deserved rest!
Today we had no important things to do, we eat the leftovers from yesterday, so plenty of time to stitch. I finished the 8th part of my winter SAL and took my WIP Cut Thru Lighthouse. I hope to have it finished very soon!

A bit of grumbling

Not much stitching done lately, so no pics. I'll have to take myself together and pick up that needle again!
Last week we were in hospital because of the pain my DH experienced was so much, he couldn't cope with it anymore. They prescribed another type of painkillers he can take together with the ones he is taking already. He started with one dose, after 3 days it became 2 doses, now he is on 3 doses and it seems to work finally. He isn't in bed all the time and can do a little bit of reading and watching television again. He also can go for a beer to his favourite pub again (he drinks only one and according to the doctor there is no harm in it).
Another bad part of him being sick for so long and me being working part time is that the piggy bank is getting empty. We have a good insurance for hospital bills, but there is so much more you have to pay for and the mortgage, electricity and other monthly bills keeps running. Last month we got a bill from the Taxoffice from which we fell over. Today I saw what the income of my DH was this month, I even can't pay the Christmaspresents from it! And we even don't buy expensive things, but we want to eat something more luxurious as a Christmas dinner.
I guess I am a bit depressed by it all, not knowing what the outcome of the surgery is, having just enough money to pay for everything but no extras, being in the darkest months of the year so very much lack of sunshine.
Lucky for me I have loads of stash gathered in the past, so I can stitch for a long time before I run out of it! I always laughed when DH grumbled about buying things that would go into a box for 'later'. It is astonishing how soon 'later' has come around.
We have only a very tiny Christmastree, a few inches high. But I have taken my collection of reindeer (I'm a Rudolph addict) and scattered them over the house, so there is a bit of holiday atmosphere. Some presents are wrapped up and are lying under my painting easel, where I have put up the cards I received already. Every little bit helps!

SAL and more

The mystery SAL is finished. I'm looking for a nice fabric to match the design and make a wall hanging for it.

The winter SAL has its 5th part done, I'm waiting for the 6th part to be sent now. The 7th part is already sent, so I will have to stitch fast. I've seen in the picture album that I'm not the only one who's behind, probably the Christmas period is so busy!

The Christmas card is for a penfriend in the Netherlands, it is the latest freebie of Michael Powell. I will stitch it for myself once more as he really is one of my favourite designers. I ordered some of his little gems and I got free stationary with it, so wonderful!

Yesterday was Christmas market in our village, we didn't go as hubby was too sick. On Friday we had to go to hospital for new pain medication. Fortunately the doctors are so willing to see us and help him. The good thing is that the pain will be controlled better, the bad thing is, he will be sleeping most of the day. I have put the bed from our guest room in our living room now, so he can be with me when I'm home, he always was upstairs and we hardly saw each other. Because of the pain, I can't sleep in the same bed with him, so we sleep separate already for some months. Now I sleep on the coach, the new medicines can make him dizzy, I want to be there in case he will fall. Fortunately I will have to work only one week more and then I have holidays until next year, so I don't have to worry about him being alone.
Our cats love to be on the bed with him and he loves the company of them.

Christmas cards

These are the cards I stitched this year, I must admit not many, due to the circumstances. I would like to stitch one more for a penfriend, the freebie of Michael Powell. I think it is the first time since many years that my family got non stitched cards. I had the intention to make some in waterpaint, but that neither was time for (and no inspiration). I hope they will like the cards I sent though.

Mail art

Finally the mailart is finished and posted to its receiver. Magda chose monkeys as a subject ( it was animals as a theme) and she loves Margaret Sherry. So I thought it appropriate to stich the alphabet monkeys, it is also the first letter of her name, a nice coincidence. I stitched on evenweave and used DMC threads instead of Anchor. I inserted a few skeins of thread, a small kit and a stitched Christmascard, after all it's the season!

I have the full set of DMC threads, only few Anchor's or Venus' ones. In Belgium needlework is rather expensive, so I always order my kits, threads, fabric and other haberdasheries online with sewandso. I'm very pleased with the service they do.

I'm a real stashoholic, have numerous kits an designs and loads of magz. My favourite designs are Margaret Sherry designs, especially the cats and chicks, Michael Powell and Bothy Threads cut thru's.

At the moment I'm stitching the Christmas exchange and then my commitments for this year will be done. Next year I'm involved in a birthday card list and I will try to take part in some exchanges, no RR's though, first I have to finish the ones who already came home. I hope to finish some of my own project and they always are put aside to stich for someone else!

Grandsons

I promised some pictures in my last entry, so here they are, my three beatiful grandsons.

In the first picture is Stein at the left and Robbe in the right. They are ver instensly playing one of the new games that they received from Sinterklaas.

The second one is Jelle with his short heir. He didn't want to be in the picture I guess and is wobbling his tongue, but I didn't hesitate, these pics are the most beautiful.

On wednesday afternoon, while school is only half a day then, they come to our place when their mum has to work. Also on friday after school they come together with their mum and we take the evening meal together. It's always a challenge to make food that everyone likes! I have a grandson who doesn't like spagetti, another one likes Brussels sprouts very much while the two others get sick when smelling them, and so on. But I'm so happy to have a full table of people eating and chatting. Especially in summer when we can eat outside and it doesn't matter when the kids go to sleep.

Sometimes they have a sleepover and they love it, probably while they can do things that aren't allowed at home, but that's why grandparents are for!!!

At the moment they make my life bearable with their laughter and hugs and kisses. When I think about them, I get an energy boost and can go on for a while again!

Hubby's doctors appointment

Today was the important doctors appointment for my hubby.
It was a bit of good and also bad news.
First the good news, the cancer hasn't spread at the moment to other places than the one we know about now.
The bad news is that the radiotherapy hasn't worked. The tumor still is there and it is still alive. No therapy will work on it anymore. The only option left is surgery. We spoke to the surgeons today, the tumor is in a difficult place where many bloodvessels and nerves meet. They cannot give us guarantee that they can remove all of the tumor, nor that no damage any nerve or bloodvessel will be done. The paralysis of his arm can be permanent or even worsen.
At the moment hubby is over the moon because of no further spreading. He doesn't realise the rest of the message they gave us. I let him in his believe, the moments he is happy are so precious.
The surgery is scheduled for 14 January. No more tests or hospital appointments this year. I don't know in what spirit we will be on Christmas or New Year, I guess see day by day what happens.
He is having a drink with his friends in the pub at the moment, I will take my mail art and stitch for a while. The kids were at home after school for their Sinterklaas presents. Stein and Robbe got a Nintendo DS game each, Stein chose Batman and Robbe Powerrangers. Jelle got a garage with cars.
The big surprise is that my daughter shaved Jelle's lovely curls. People started to refer to him as 'she' and so it was time to do something about it. I will post some pictures next time. He really isn't a baby anymore now, but a little boy. At 1,5 years old, it probably is time for a new look!

SAL

I'm participating in 2 SAL's on one of my Yahoo groups.

The first one is a mystery SAL. it is the left one. I should have received the 6th and final part by now, but I'm behind, so only 4 pieces done and the 5th waiting to be done.

The second is a 4 season one, each season is 9 pieces. We started with the winter, the same time as the mystery Sal. And here the same problem: way behind schedule.

I have posted 2 Christmas cards exchanges today, at least they will be in time with the receiver. I am stitching an animal mail art, the receiver asked for monkeys. It should have gone out last week, circumstances have delayed it. The group owner knows about it. There is also a Christmas exchange which should go out next week, so I will have plenty of stitching to do! This means only a short blog entry today!

Sinterklaas

Yesterday I went to St Nicolas (Sinterklaas in Flemish) with my grandsons. It was organised by the employees club of my job. Each year you can subscribe for a small charge and the kids get presents. First there is a show for the kids, this year there was a magician and he did a very nice job with the kids. Then each kid goes to the saint and his helpers (called Black Peter, there is a sweets Peter, a toys Peter and so on). When you are in the big book under the names of the good children, you get a present. Our youngest grandson Jelle wasn't pleased at all to sit in the Sinterklaas's lap! He cryed his eyes out. But he was pleased with the bag of sweets and his toy, a musical book of his favourite Bumba, a little circus clown. It is costum to get chocolate, speculoos (a kind of gingerbread) and oranges as sweets. The oranges come from Spain, where the saint lives during the year. The two elder know the truth by now and the magic is lost (although Robbe, who is 7 thinks there is a fake one and there is a true one, he still hasn't decided what to think). Robbe got a jumping stick and Stein who is 9 got a magnetic dinosaur.

The big day is 6 December, when the kids will find their presents shen they get up. This year it is a saturday and they can play all day long with the toys, yippee no school!

Hubby had a very bad day, was very angry at the whole world and went into the pub. He came home drunk and had smoked almost a package of sigarets (he quit smoking last year after his surgery). Friday is the day when we will get the results of the tests he has done, so I guess more unhappy days will come before that.

Robbe won a price for a drawing he made during the carnival week of our village. He got the 3rd price in his age category. He got a voucher of 15 Euro of the toyshop and wen immediately to buy a box of Pokemon trading cards. He was so happy, he jumped for joy the whole way home. We're waiting to see if a picture will appear in the paper.