Saturday SAL

Thanks to my dear friends Sheryl (no blog) and Maggee, I have my mojo back in full swing......

I had just finished up "Faith" and I was searching for something else to work on while I stitched with my friends a couple of Saturdays ago.  (Miss you Darlene!)  I rummaged through my travel stitching bag and nothing really grabbed me.  Then I found "Abby Rhodes" by  Shakespeare's Peddler.  So, while I sat with my friends, I got to work.

As our discussion wore on that day, we started talking about different projects.  Last year's Mystery Sampler from With Thy Needle came up.  Here's a reminder picture:


Mystery Sampler

Maggee worked on hers last summer and had completed much of the border.  I don't know when Sheryl started hers, but she was much further than I was.  Me?  Would you believe that I never even started mine?!?  That little puppy was sitting in my bag just waiting patiently for me to start.  Scary, right?  How dare I call myself a "Serial Starter"! 

After talking it through, the three of us decided to have a Saturday SAL for the Birds of a Feather Mystery Sampler starting this past Saturday.  This was my Saturday start:

And here are all of our pieces at the end of our time together:

Top - Maggee's version on 32(?)count
Middle - Sheryl's version on 36 count
Bottom - My version on 40 count

I can't wait to see how the different versions are going to come out.  We are all stitching on different counts and different color fabrics.  Maggee is using the called for fibers while Sheryl and I are using a conversion from The Attic for Belle Soie.  (Mmmmm.....my favorite!)  Even though Sheryl is using the Belle Soie, she changed her border color because it didn't show up.  Don't you just love her change?

You should have seen me on Saturday.  I was having so much fun working on this piece.  I kept commenting on how the first little flower was "soooo c..u..t..e!" and I kept giggling.  I guess that means the mojo is back! 

Needless to say, I have continued to stitch on this project even though Saturday is long gone.  (I can't help it if I woke up at 5am and couldn't go back to sleep.  What else is a girl to do?)  Here is how my sampler stands as of this morning:

I can't wait for next Saturday!

Happy Mystery Stitches!

Faith

Lately, for me, faith has been a hard thing to have.  So many things have happened in the last couple of weeks that have really set me on an uneven keel. 

First my hysteroscopy was denied by the insurance company, so that never happened.  Next, we lost my (step) grandfather on Memorial Day.  (While he wasn't my biological grandfather, he is my "Grandaddy" just the same.  Thankfully he lived a full and relatively healthy 95 years.  For the last week of May we celebrated his life.  I was able to see my (step) sisters and spend some quality time with them.)  Then, when I got back to work the first week of June, I found out that there were not one, but two more coworkers are pregnant.  One is now 7 weeks and the other is 19 weeks along.  This made me the only one who isn't pregnant.

All this stress has really gotten to me and I ended up having a horrible breakdown with a full on hysterical crying session while at work. After I came out of it, I knew that I needed a reminder of who is in charge and that there is a reason for everything.  Determined, I set my needle to work and in a few days time I ended up with this reminder........

Faith by Lizzie*Kate
32 ct Silkweaver Solo

AC Moore is having a 60% + an additional 10% off sale right now, so I will be heading over on Saturday to try and find a frame for this.  I'm planning on hanging it in my office right next to my computer screen.  This way I have a constant reminder to keep the Faith.

Since I finished the piece, things have begun to look up.  I went to another doctor for a second opinion as to why I'm not holding a pregnancy.  Based on our initial conversation, he thinks that he can have me pregnant by my birthday (August)!  I'm now in the process of waiting for a huge battery of labs to be completed.  (They took 14 vials of blood!)  I will be heading back to his office on Monday for some further testing including a saline sonogram.  This time I will be going through with the testing even if the insurance company denies it.  Getting my faith back has shown me that I don't have to be worried about all the things that have been on my mind up until this point.  I'm just praying for his guidance through this tough journey.

I think he has given me the beginnings of an answer this week.....I can look at my pregnant coworkers and I don't break down into tears.  For this I am thankful.......

Wordless Wednesday (In The Backyard)

Two Week Wait

These last two weeks have been very rough.  I've tried to keep myself busy and keep my mind off of anything remotely related to babies. 

I've spent lots of time with my needle over the last 14 days.  Much of the time it was to deal with frogs.  It seems that since my mind is not fully there the frogs decided to take advantage of me.  Even with the frogs, I did mange to finish an old wip.  I was trying to figure out when I started it and I have a feeling it was sometime back in 2006.  I'll tell you all about the frogs and the piece next time.

After my finish I began working on Mouline Rouge again.  She's a little bit further than she was, but nowhere near close.  I tried to plug along but I was struggling with my lack of mojo.  Instead I went digging through some of my kitted projects and I came up with "Delivering Wares" by Homespun Elegance.  I've got a good start on it and I think it will go a long way in helping me to get my mojo back on track.  I don't have enough for a picture though...maybe next time.

My personal mojo has been suffering as well.  I found out on Saturday that the IUI didn't take.  Then on Sunday I found out that my youngest sister is 8 weeks pregnant.  Needless to say I didn't have a great Mother's Day.  Then today my co-worker brought in her week old twin boys.  I couldn't even bring myself to hold one of them as I knew if I did I would end up a hot mess.

I did place a call to the doctor's office after the IUI failure and now I'm scheduled for a hysteroscopy.  Basically the doctor is going to look inside and see if there is anything that could possibly be preventing pregnancy, like scar tissue from previous D&C's.  So, I'm out of the running for TQfM again this month.  I'm scheduled for the outpatient procedure early next month. Hopefully everything will be good so that we can start trying again in mid June.

Unitl then I will just have to be patient.  I guess I could practice that patience with those darn frogs.

Happy Stitching!

The Next Step

**WARNING: This post is very personal in nature and there may be descriptions that are a tad unnerving to some.**

It has been three and a half months since DH and I had our first visit with the Fertility Specialist.  Throughout tax season I have been on a regimen of Femara, Ovidrel and Progesterone along with Timed Intercourse.  I have had three ultrasounds and many appointments with the acupuncturist. 

When the first two cycles ended with a normal period I swore to relax as much as possible during the third cycle.  I cut my hours from 60+ to just above 55 hours per week.  I didn't go to the acupuncturist as going there would stress me out only because of the time it would take and I don't think that worrying about time always helped.  Unfortunately, on the last day of tax season I found out that we had failed to conceive yet again.

After talking with the doctor we decided to try one more cycle of drugs, but this time we are adding something new.  Today I will be going in for an IUI (Intrauterine Insemination).  It isn't a complicated procedure and it is nowhere near as expensive as IVF (In Vitro Fertilization).

Prior to the IUI, DH will go in and give a "sample".  That "sample" will be washed so that the semen will be separated from the seminal fluid.  The semen will then be placed in a catheter and DH's little men/women will be inserted past the cervical wall directly into my uterus.  The procedure shouldn't take long and it should involve little to no discomfort.  I will be required to rest for 10 - 15 minutes after the IUI, but I can resume normal activities afterwards.  I've decided to take the day off from work.....I don't want any kind of stress to affect me today!

In a couple of days I will begin taking the progesterone again while I deal with the two week wait.  During the next two weeks I plan on putting needle to thread to help me cope.

Thank you so much for allowing me to share this with you all.  This is a very tough subject for many and we need all the support we can get.

Happy Stitches!

In Review

Like many of you, I was recently contacted by Yiota to review a kit.  Yiota was so kind as to be patient for my review as the request came during the worst part of tax season.

After getting Yiota's email I headed over to Yiota's XStitch to pick out my kit to review.  There was definitely lots to choose from and when I found the Lavender Biscornu I knew I had to review it.  I've always wanted to stitch a biscournu and it was in my favorite color.  How could I turn that down?

My kit arrived quickly, especially since it was an overseas shipment.  It was well packaged and even withstood some time out on the porch in a rainstorm.  When I opened up the envelope this is what I found:

The kit included everything that was needed all the way down to the needles.  I even had the opportunity to choose between Aida and Evenweave.  (Being the Linen snob that I am I had to choose the Evenweave).  The floss was even wound on individual bobbins which I really liked since I don't like having to separate all the floss and try to figure out what goes where.

There were even detailed instructions with pictures on how to put the biscornu together.  I'm sure these will come in handy since I'm not the best finisher.

The only thing I didn't like was that the pattern was in color.  I'm not one for color patterns.....I prefer black and white.  But, that is just a personal preference and it wouldn't have stopped me from purchasing the kit.

Now I just need to find a place for this on my "to do" list!

So, if any of this interests you, head on over to Yiota's Site.


(Please note that I was not compensated for this review.  This review is my own personal opinion and not influenced by any outside sources.)

Changed Plans

Ahh......I've finally got my weekends back and boy am I thankful!

Today was supposed to be a "Mother/Daughter Day".  Unfortunately, a dear friend of my Step-Father passed away and so my parents had to travel to another state for the funeral.  So, instead of spending time with my mom I'm taking care of her pup.  That means that I will spend the day at home as a hermit since their pup is used to going outside on a whim.  We don't need any accidents here!

Staying home is giving me time to catch up on lots of things.  This morning I got my Google Reader down to a manageable 72 posts.  Hopefully by the end of the weekend I will be back down to zero.  I also managed to get a few pictures that I wanted to share with you.

First I would like to share my Friends Stitching Through the Seasons Exchange.  I was blessed to receive my exchange from Natasha of A Stitchers Ramblings.  Look at all the goodies she sent!

 

And the pillow she stitched is just amazing!  I stitched this as a giveaway awhile ago and I've always wanted to do it again for myself.  Natasha.....you've read my mind!  You know how much I love the Blackbird gals.

My love of Blackbird spilled over into my exchange for Karen.....

Hope you enjoy your package Karen!

That's it for now, but I promise that there is more to come!

Happy Stitches!