MRI Results

Dr Manifold said that the report showed 'nothing significant' and that the tumour was not compressing my spine. Therefore we can assume that it is my medication that is causing the numbness and tingling. I now have to cut down my medication again. Today is my first day and already I'm feeling lousy. It is yet to be seen if the numbness will go away. Still, at least the tumour hasn't got any bigger. :0)

Red Buttons, Bathroom Tiles and MRI

Daddy has more or less finished decorating and tiling the bathroom. The thing is, he ran out of tile spacers. I had an idea and after shuffling around in the craft room for a few minutes managed to find enough matching red buttons to do the job! Doesn't it look nice? Far better than those nasty white plastic crosses that they use! :0) Also, look at my new tiles:




************************************************************************************

Today I went for my monthly bone strengthening infusion at the hospital. While there I told Dr Manifold about my numb feet. He said it could be one of two things. Either my medication or the tumour on my spine is pressing on some nerves. To see one way or the other he sent me down for an MRI scan. I've never had one of those before. I laid down and was put into a big tube. I say big but it was only just big enough for my fat bum! Then I had to wear headphones as the machine is so noisy. The scan took about half an hour and I had a nice little snoozy-poozy as is was being done. There is one thing that I have been thinking of, up until now it has been assumed that the little shadow that was seen on my spine on the bone scan was a tumour. there has been no real proof. I suppose there is a slight chance that this scan would rule that out. Maybe I'm just dreaming, but by tonight I should get the phone-call to tell me one way or the other. I'll also get to know if there's anything else going on in there. Of course I shall let you know the results...

Bonsai, Chain Stitch and Decorative Art & Weight Loss

A few days ago I noticed that Billy Bonsai was looking a bit thirsty, the trouble was I didn't know just how thirsty he was! When I took him off the shelf and placed him on the table, every single leaf fell just like they would in a cartoon. PLOP! Here's what he looks like now:

Then after watering him for a few days I noticed a tiny green sprig. Can you see it?:

Hopefully he'll recover fully. I'm so ashamed. :0(

************************************************************************************

Last week in craft class we did decorative painting. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. When the tutor showed us what we were going to do, everyone said they couldn't do it, but once you get the hang of the technique it's actually quite easy! Here's what I did:

And this is my favourite:

************************************************************************************

My new project isn't really getting anywhere. I think it's the wrong sort of project for me, too grown-up if you like. I much prefer doing character portraits. I think I might leave this one and start another. Here's what I've done so far. This is fused applique ready to stitch:

And here's the tiny chain stitch I have done so far:

I think I'll do my own version of this, but with me and Gary as the main subject:

http://tinyurl.com/6ecpdq

I think this is much more my thing don't you? :0)

************************************************************************************

Last week I lost 4lbs and this week I lost 4lbs too. I am so thrilled. I really hope that this diet continues to work. I'm finding it ok and don't feel deprived at all. The trouble is, my shopping bill has literally doubled! It's because of all the extra fruit and vegetables. I'm not we can continue this way, but we'll see how it works out.

Craft Classes And Suzie's First Walk

Three weeks ago me and mum started some mixed art classes. Little did we know, until we arrived for our first class, that we would be working towards a qualification! There are two parts to the 20 week course. At the moment we are doing NCFE Paper Crafting level 1. We are now officially students of Rotherham College and are now entitled to Student Cards which gives us healthy discounts on all sorts of things. After doing this weeks subject 'Paper Quilling', Mum leaned in and asked me 'Do you think anyone ever fails this course?' That set me off giggling as I replied 'You'd have to be some kind of mega idiot to fail!' The course is...how can I put it.....easy on the old grey matter! We're enjoying it though and I guess that's the main thing. :0) Next week is 'Decorative Painting'. I expect that will impress us a bit more as the finished result looks quite good. I'll keep you informed of how we're doing.



**************************************************************

Although Suzie has been allowed to go out for a walk for a week or more, we haven't had much success so far. Livvie took her out a week ago and Suzie point blank refused to walk on the lead so Livvie ended up carrying her for over a mile! Since then however, due to my training schedule, she has been doing reasonable well on the lead so I took mum and dad up on their offer of a dog walk yesterday afternoon. Here's Suzie starting out. There are so many sniffs and smells on the ground, she loved it!:

She walked very well indeed and I was very proud of her. Here's a short video of her playing fetch with mum:

********************************************************

Puppy Training - Day Four

Well......Suzie is managing to do most of her wee-wees and poops outside, but that's only because I take her out so often. The minute I let my guard down, she does it in the house! I reckon this is going to take far longer than one week. Oh well, I am dedicated to the cause and willing to do this routine for six months if I have to! At least summer is coming up. This morning I was standing in the garden at 6am with the dog on a lead and me in my dressing gown in the pouring rain. You'll also find me there at 11pm with dressing gown on and the addition of a torch. Other training is coming on well though. She's excellent at night, in the bath and when I groom her. She sits on the sink unit (I can't bend down) as good as gold while I tug all the knots out of her moustache and beard. Then she sits patiently while I brush her entire body and then comb her hair and put her top-knot in. She's also good at travelling and when I say 'in you go' she hops into her crate and sits like a good girl while I fasten the door shut.

*************************************************

Diet -Day Four

I have been stunning, stupendous, incredible, wicked, wonderful and also jolly good so far. I am eating a tonne of fruit and veg and salad and only smattering of anything else. I have been going by the book. I must admit to being hungry most of the time, but that can't be a bad thing to feel after nearly four years of being stuffed! I have to stop feeling sorry for myself and making excuses. I need to lose weight for my own good. I can just imagine how much easier I would be able to get around if I dropped 3-4 stone.

**************************************************

At the moment I am listening to Livvie and her band having band practice in her little bedroom. It sounds quite good actually. :0) It's very rocky, like every other teen band I've ever heard! :0)

Diet And Puppy Training Day Two

I decided my life was going far too well lately, so I have decided I needed to punish myself. Yesterday I started both a new diet and puppy training. The diet is well overdue. I have now reached 16 st and size 18/20. It's just not good enough. My face is now so fat I look like Squirrel Nutkins hiding nuts in my cheeks! So yesterday was Day One of the Rosemary Connolly GI Jeans Diet. It's alright so far and I'll keep you posted about my successes and failures.

Day One of puppy training was middling. I am beginning to lead train the poppy puppy dog. She hasn't been best pleased about me putting on a lead and dragging her around the garden at all hours of the day and night. I am out there at 7.30am in my dressing gown and throughout the day and again at 11pm. I am using a book called How To Housebreak You Dog In 7 Days.



The basic idea is that the dog is penned in for long stretches of time. Because they don't like to soil their small area they wait for the loo until you let them out. They of course are like humans and pee and poop at certain times of the day and it's up to me to recognise when that will be. So far Suzie has managed one pee and one poop outside. She's a little confused though as she thinks it's correct to do it indoors at the moment. I was wandering around the garden with her on the lead waiting for her to poop and nothing happened. I then let her off the lead to go back indoors for ten minutes and she immediately rushed in and pooped in Emily's bedroom in a panic! I suppose it must be weird pooping outside with the wind whistling round your bum? Anyway, I shall persevere. :0)

Here's Suzie looking very sad in her pen. She wants to come out to play and it's not time yet. 'Look mummy, I'm so sad I even shredded my paper!'



Another thing I am trying to take care of is her constant barking. I am actually getting somewhere with that. I bought these little brass disks. When she barks I throw them noisily near her and it distracts her immediately. If she barks again, I throw them again and so on. I was doing at 6.30am this morning! She is now realising that when she barks these disks come flying from nowhere (I try and hide when I throw them) and she doesn't like it! The barking is much better. I was using a metal tray with a metal cake cooling rack to make noise but that was frightening the hell out of her so I changed to the disks.

Totally changing the subject, here's some Peyote beading I did yesterday:

I put it on the fork for a size comparison. The thread was stretching and the beads are a slightly irregular size so I gave up after 2". However, I have ordered the correct thread stuff and will definitely try again as it is addictive! I want to make a bracelet next.

I Will keep you regularly updated wit the diet, puppy training and beading. :0

Snow And Latest Project And Dyeing

I awoke to a thick covering of snow this morning (in mid April?) and got out there to video Suzie's first snow experience before it melted:



She had a jolly nice time eating all the snow and scampering about. :0) Talking of Suzie, look what I pulled out yesterday morning:



It was hanging on a thread and I nipped it out and she didn't even notice. She was more interested gnawing on my fingers! How impossibly teeny tiny is this?

I have started on a new project and was running it by mum (as is always necessary on these occasions) when she pointed out the need for some yellow. As I told mum I didn't have any in my stash. So I decided that I needed another dyeing day. Here are today's results, just for mummy:


My monitor is showing those brightest colours as bright orange, when in fact they're a vivid lipstick red. I also did some flesh tones (or tried to) as I'll be needing them for more portrait quilts in the future. Do click on the photo and then you can see that some of it is muslin and some cotton and some velvet. I can't show you my latest project as hubble has invaded the sewing room with computer jiggery pokery, so it'll have to wait till next time. :0)

Quilt Challenge Revealed And Bathroom

As some of you know I belong to a web group named The Fibre Pirates. Basically we are a group of rufty tufty pirates who swear and spit and sew. The latest piratey challenge that was thrown out was called Baggo 2008. Those who wished to participate had to collect together scraps of fabric, ribbon, thread and beads and put them in a zippy bag and mail them to the coordinator. 10 people took part so the coordinator (in the US) mailed them out to everyone so that we all had a mystery pack of scraps from a mystery donor. Then we had to make something from the scraps. Here's a sketch of my original idea:

I wanted to do something pirate themed and would you believe that the pack of scraps I received contained some skull and crossbones printed organza and some skull and crossbones beads? Perfick! Here's is the picture midway through fusing the collage pieces to the background:

Here is the finished article. I 'sketched' using free motion embroidery on my machine. I added organza layers, beads, couched threads and strings of pearls. I think it's suitably piratey, don't you? :0) This is Buxom Betty Bones:

The idea now is that whoever recognised these fabrics as their own can claim it and I will post it to them. In turn, I shall recognise my fabrics and claim mine back. I wonder what I'll get? The challenge has about six weeks to run yet and I was rather prompt at making this so I might have a long wait to claim mine!

Over a year ago we had a lot of building work done on the house which was supposed to include re plastering and beautifying of the upstairs bathroom. However, as is often the case in these situations, we ran out of money, but not before me and dad had pulled all the old tiles and most of the plaster off the walls first! So we have been living with a rather cool cave-look bathroom for over a year now. I have been so fed up with pieces of ceiling falling on my head while I luxuriate in a hot bath! This week, Steve the builder is here again to plaster the bathroom at last! Here's a pic of dad pulling the last of the tiles and hardboard off in readiness:

Hubble is a bit miffed as he was doing the hard work right up until this point when dad took over to give him a break. He says it looks like dad did it all!

At the moment we are widdling in an ancient portapotti that I was given by a Freecycler. I have bleached it all up (although it was spotless anyway) and that is now our upstairs loo. We had no choice because I am very unsteady at night with all the drugs I have to take. I would have killed myself having to go up and down the stairs about 3 or 4 times a night! Steve has plaster boarded the whole bathroom now so I guess he'll start plastering in the morning. I already bought the tiles and accessories last year so now all I have to do is choose the paint and get some new towels. Well, I say 'new' but I believe my matey Dawn has some that she is willing to donate. :0)

Lastly, here's a couple of photos of Suzie who is now 16 weeks old. I love her soooooo much and she's an absolute darling. She's certainly brightened my life up. It is now time to train her and I keep putting it off because I'm so lazy! Here's an action shot of her eating her favourite treat, a carrot:

And here's a shot of her after digging in the garden in the rain. I found her with her head in a muddy hole. This photo really does not do the mess justice!: