Finally! -- A New Camera!

Yay! Finally got hubby to break down and actually go out and look at cameras -- and we came home with a great one! A Sony DSC-W290 in silver. I love it! It's sooooo easy to use. We also invested wisely in an 8GB memory card which ups the picture storage to almost 2,000 pictures or 2-1/2 hours of video. Sweet. The store didn't have it, but we are also going to get another battery, so one is always charged and ready to go. With the nice new red case we're good to go! Can't wait to take pictures now! The picture screen is a huge 3". Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout. LOL! :o)

Camera Crazy,
Suzy

Road To Recovery

Hi all! I am finally feeling better (although still not 100%). Advil is now able to keep the pain at bay and as the days go by, the Neurosurgeon says time will heal it. I am soooo happy to hear that surgery is a last resort! I'm getting up and around now, and although I'm not allowed to bend, lift, stretch, clean or vacuum (jeez, what a shame -- thank you Merry Maids!), I am doing some cooking. The herniated disk is between L1-L2 and herniated toward the spine rather than out the side. That's the main reason surgery is a last resort. He would have to cut the bone of the spine to get to it and the herniation itself is located quite closely to my spinal cord which isn't a great thing either. Even with all said and done, the surgery would only carry a 60-70% success rate. No thanks. But like the surgeon said, the good part of where it is located and the size of it indicates that time should heal it. Taking it easy and not pushing myself is key. If the pain gets too bad, he indicated that I could get an epidural block, which would be a needle in my spine with quartizone (spelling?) and other meds to block the pain. Depending on the person, it could alleviate the pain for 1 day or up to 6 months per shot. I'm not a big fan of needles (so much so that I had my children naturally to avoid the epidural shot itself), so that will be a last resort for me for the pain. Right now two Advil 2-3 times a day is sufficient. So I AM healing! Yay!

The past week or so I have done a little quilting (in spurts) and finished a top for my sister's newly decorated hallway (it was an easy to piece top and is one of my UFO kits called Taffy Treats :o) ) and it is now at the quilter's waiting to be quilted. It will have a scalloped edge, which is new to me -- so keep your fingers crossed it turns out right. LOL! I'll post a pic when it's done. We s-t-i-l-l need a new camera, so I'm trying to talk hubby into it some time this week.

We also had our grandson this past weekend and I had him practicing his stitching at the sewing machine using lines printed on paper that I had drawn using my EQ program. He learned straight lines and pivoting. He enjoyed it a lot! Next visit I'll have him do more pivoting and move him on to following a curly-cue line. He catches on fast. I think I have a future quilter/sewist on my hands and couldn't be more tickled.

Recovering Nicely,
Suzy

Out Of Commission

I know, I know. It's been more than 2 long months since I've posted. However, I have a very good excuse. I have been sidelined since July 5 with a herniated disc which they finally (F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!) diagnosed after a recent MRI. Stupid insurance companies!!! Now I'm just waiting for a call from the NeuroSurgeon as to the next steps to take to make my life painfree again. I have been in agony!

I can only spend small amounts of time at my computer (basically just reading my e-mail messages), so please forgive the lack of posts. I'll update as I learn more.

Big Time Hurting,
Suzy

Say "Hi!" to Tasha

First of all -- Happy Father's Day to all you Dad's out there! You rock!



Next up -- Lexie has a new sister. Meet Tasha. She is also a Yorkie-Bichon mix. (Sorry for the blurry picture, we still need to get a new camera.) Anyway, she is soooo cute and soooo little. Last night was a sleepless night for me. Ah, don't you love babies of all kinds (human, puppy, etc.). Count on being up for potty breaks and the like. Overall though, she was really pretty good for her first night. I'm gonna have my hands full training this one, too. I remember the sleepless nights with Lexie making sure she didn't have any accidents in her crate. Although she caught on within about 3 weeks or so, it couldn't happen soon enough. I train them for indoor potty on a potty pad and protection tray. Lexie started out with just the indoor training and now she does both indoor and then outdoor when weather permits (which is usually the case). But if it's raining buckets or we're not home to take her out, she goes on her potty pad. Now to just get Tasha to the indoor point. I'll worry about the outdoor one when she's got the indoor one down pat. LOL! Lexie's not sure what to make of it all, but they do play "tag" together, so it will probably take Lexie a week to get used to the idea that Tasha's here to stay. :o)

I've been pretty busy lately. Even before the puppy adventure. I just finished up a week at Kids Quilt Camp where I was a volunteer Quilting Angel. My student was a cute little 9-year old girl named Nikitha. We became pretty close during the week and exchanged e-mails (at her mother's suggestion, of course). Her mom was so sweet as well. She raised Nikitha well -- she was so polite and well-mannered in addition to the usual kid humor. She was very outgoing and I can see a career in politics for her, even though she wants to be a doctor. What a charmer! LOL! "Thank you so much for teaching me to quilt, Mrs. Prickett. Your the best teacher ever, Mrs. Prickett. I really like you Mrs. Prickett," etc. What a doll. She (and her mom, I'm sure) even surprised me with a gift on Friday after they had their "show and tell." A beautiful scarf and chocolates. I was very touched.

I've also been officially "inducted" into our 300-member quilt guild -- the Seaside Piecemaker's Quilt Guild. So I'm becoming very active in that, too. We have a show in March, so lots of preparation in the works for that.

I'm sure there's more I'm leaving out; but it's already a pretty long entry.

Enjoy your day!
Suzy

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there!

My daughter's are cooking me brunch today. :o)

You're In BIG Trouble, Missy!

Would you ever think this cute, adorable, innocent face has a terrible secret?

Behold! Her secret... A MAJOR paper fetish!

Bad Dog! LOL! I can't help but laugh sometimes. After all, it could have been worse, right? Imagine all the scenarios. Ugh.

Unconditional doggie love,

Suzy

Another Finish!

I'm on a roll (for now, LOL)! Utopia is now completely finished -- label and all! I'm very pleased how it turned out. I just love the colors. It matches the decor in my house wonderfully -- and it was an easy quilt to piece! Can't ask for more. Hehehehehe.

Enjoy your day,

Suzy

A Finish!

After 10 years of lingering on the sidelines, my "Sunset at Aunt Dinah's" UFO is finally complete! I'm really pleased that so far I've been sticking to my New Year's Quilting Resolution. :o) Hope I can keep this up. LOL!

Utopia is also done -- just needs the label sewn on. I'll upload pics of that quilt sometime this weekend (hopefully). We've got the grandson for the weekend so it's a bit of a question-mark. You know how that can be, right? :oD

UFO completion happiness,

Suzy

FQ Frenzy

Yesterday was my lucky day. At least I see it that way. We picked up my grandson from school to bring him back to spend the weekend with us and I decided to ask hubby to make a quick stop at the really nice quilt shop near Anthony's school. Lo and behold! They were having a great FQ sale for one day only! 50 FQ's for $50. You better believe I took advantage of that one! Lookee at all the gorgeous FQ's I acquired for my stash! (Click pic to enlarge) 50 lovelies! Did I step in it or what?

Jumping for joy,

Suzy

Celebrate the miracle that is Easter with family and friends.

Blessings,

Suzy