The finish and the Giveaway

Hello my fine blogging friends.  I've finished the Cricket design "Wicked Patch" and I'm ready to give it to some lucky stitcher.  The design called for a fabric color of green but I wanted mine on a more neutral color so I picked a fabric that they don't make anymore but I had one piece of it left...Whittenburg.  It's a 28ct. fabric that has a fabulous texture to it and I wish they still made it.  It would be fantastic for primitives.  Here's mine finished and soon it will be off to the framers....

So let's have the Giveaway so someone else can have the fun of stitching this amazing design.  Here is what you will receive if you win.

The original design that I received from Cricket plus all the fibers used in the design (all the silks and specialty fibers are included).  You will have to provide the buttons for the spider and the fabric.  Here are the guidelines for entering:

1.  You must be a follower of my blog.

2.  You must agree not to try and sell this design when you are finished with it.  That is why it is marked "Copy".  

3.  You must agree to enjoy stitching it.  :o)

Now if you agree to these feel free to comment to this post only and enter your name and an email address so I can contact you if you win.  The name will be picked by the random number generator next Wednesday evening.  Unfortunately let's keep this within the U.S. because postage is just getting too expensive.

Good luck!

Barbara

Update

Hello my fellow stitchers.  I have been working my fingers to the bone trying to finish the Cricket design Wicked Patch.  I am loving stitching this with the different fibers and specialty stitches and it's really keeping my interest.  I did make one mistake but I'm not changing it.  The purple leaves in the bottom of the design were to be done in satin stitch and I just did cross stitch.  This is just too much to remove and I really don't think it makes a difference to the design.  Also, I'm going to add something.  The witches hat has neon green stars on it done in metallic braid but I think I'm going to do them in beads.  Add a little more interest to it.  Here's what I have finished so far....

I'm hoping another week will see it finished.

My youngest brother could use some prayers right now.  He had another stroke and this one has affected his memory.  He remembers things that happened long ago but from one minute to the next, he doesn't remember where he is and why.  They can't seem to get his blood pressure to come down.  When he was admitted it was over 200 and it's still in the 190's.  He was in ICU for several days but now he's in a regular room.  Of course the insurance company is yelling for him to be released but with his blood pressure still way too high, they can't do that.  At least I hope they can't.  Who knows anymore with this broken health care system we have to put up with.

Just for laughs......

Blessings, Barbara

Back to Normal

Well I'm back to as normal as I can get.  No more pain, no more stent but I did have a day on friday.  I had  1 1/2 percocet left and one of the fragments of the kidney stone picked that day to move.  The pain was really bad so I took all that I had to relieve it.  The next day on Saturday I felt horrible.  I had body chills, headache, body aches and a general feeling of miserable.  As it turned out I was having withdrawal from the Percocet.  I never thought that someone's body could get hooked on a drug that fast and then have to go thru withdrawal.  I had only taken a total of 25 pills in the two weeks.  Never again will I take so many of those horrible pills.

I want to tell you a story about a terrific designer who has a heart of gold.  I was on a cross stitch forum the other day and I saw a picture of a Cross Eyed Cricket design that I fell in love with.  The name of it was Wicked Patch.  I looked it up on her website but didn't see it listed so I thought it was a free design and I decided to contact Vicki Hastings the designer.  I received a message back from her telling me that she would not be home for about 2 weeks but she would look it up when she did.  About 2 weeks later I got an email from her telling me that that was a design she did for a special store and they were going to have a class on it.  Because the class was so many years ago, she felt that she could send it to me without doing any damage.  This is it and it arrived on Saturday.  I think this goes way above being a wonderful designer and a wonderful person also.

Now because I received this free and it is a copy of her original design I'm going to give this away when I'm finished with it.  I started it today and I will tell you that this design must be done on a linen type fabric because of some specialty stitches.  There are some SNC silks that I have to order and they will be included with all the other fibers (dmc floss) for the giveaway.  The reason this design hit my heart so hard was there are 3 little dressed up pumpkins....witch, ghost and mummy.....which to me represents my 3 little monsters with Evelyn coming in August.  I will post updates and hopefully this won't take too long to stitch.  I love all the colors and I know you will too.

Blessings to All, Barbara

Blessings Upon This Country

Barbara

My final treatment

I just want to let you know that this morning I had my final treatment and the stent removed.  I was able to talk with the doctor and he explained why the 3 treatments and I feel so much better.  I'm still a little loopy from being knocked out but I do feel great.  The nurses were wonderful as always and I'm home in my pj's cuddling with Vallie.  Thank you so much again for your words of encouragement and prayers and I am lucky to have ones like you helping me through this trial.

Maybe now I'll feel like doing some stitching but I am enjoying the granny square blanket and I want to make some more of them.  But right now a nap is in order. 

Blessings, Barbara

Another week has passed and I found out that I have to undergo another procedure this coming Wednesday.  How much more must I endure?  I've begun reading up on what these repeated treatments can do to your body and it's not good.  Damage to kidney, spleen, bladder and surrounding areas.  This will be the third treatment and if I have anything to say about it, my last.  What makes me very upset that after I wake up the doctor never comes in to talk to me.   I feel like I'm a product on an assembly line and the only time I get touched is when I'm done and put in a box.  Has anyone else ever felt that way with a doctor?  I don't know yet what time I have to be there but I'm sure they'll call me.  So sick of this.  

I still don't feel like stitching.  I've started a granny square blanket with some multicolored baby yarn I have.  I want to start using up these acrylic yarns and make blankets to take to the hospital for chemo patients and for whoever else might need them.  I will post them on here when I finish each one and if you would like one for a loved one,  I will only charge for shipping.  

We had a terrible storm here last nite.  Vallie was so nervous and just wouldn't leave my side.  We had one a few days ago in the middle of the night and we lost power.  She work me up by licking my nose because she knew something was different.  With her having trouble with her sight, I keep a small night light on in our bedroom and she noticed that it was out.  Pretty smart little girl.  

I wish all of you a Blessed week filled with love and sunshine.  May the troubles in your life drift away like rain clouds after a storm.

Barbara