What I do when Mark's gone

That's one of the first questions I get asked when people discover that Mark's been gone on business trips so now you all are in the know.......This is what I do....eat junk food, watch bad chick flicks or crime shows and stitch until my eyes can't take it any more.

Swan Lake by Blackbird Designs finished today 4/1/13 stitched to honor my niece, Josilyn aka Josi. She's really a great artist and one year for Christmas gave me a chalk drawing of a swan with a crystal snowflake attached so as soon as I saw this chart I knew I'd stitch it for her.  She just turned 15 last week (OMG, where has the time gone?) 

This is one of my favorite pics of my nieces and nephews so starting from the left, Kelton (16), Josi (15), Rachel (16) and finally Zared(20)  They are my pride and joy!  I love these kids and they make me a proud auntie everyday.

Ok I also finished this old chart called Alphabet Sampler by Birds of a Feather which has been in my stash for way, way too long.

Hoppy Easter

Just "hopping" in for a quick minute to wish everyone a glorious Easter.  Mark's been back in the US for the week and was to be home tomorrow but he's had to extend his stay for another week.  So I'm having a little pity party for myself and Clarice if anyone wants to join us.  Seriously, it's not so bad because I have been stitching up a storm, watching all the crime shows I can stomach and eating junk food for a week but today I'm off to buy some real food since I have the car.  Yes, I'll make sure to watch out for those parked cars that decide to jump into my path....lol!  I was just about over it when we got the bill from the guy yesterday.....$1500 Euros and trust me,  when I say very little damage on his car.  WTH but it's not like I can do anything about it so just gonna  pay it and move on with my life.  I can't change it and it was truly an accident, no one was hurt and quite frankly, I'm surprised it hadn't happened sooner.  I'm just not a great driver because my depth perception is always just a little off.  But don't ever, ever tell Mark I said I wasn't a good driver because we argue about that all the time. 
I'm off to shower then out for a quick jaunt to find some frames for my needlework and of yea, to get some food.
Hoppy Easter
Donna

One of those years Already!

It's been quite a week, month or for that matter year.  I decided to take the car on Saturday to hit a couple of antik stores on the hunt for some frames for my recent finishes and "hit" turned out to be the word of the day.  Yes, I hit a parked car and yes, I was driving Mark's company car and yes, it gets even worse....I don't have a German drivers license.  I'm just beyond sick still.  I have about cried myself dry at this point but I have to pick up a copy of the police report today so that will probably change.  I just can't believe that I hit a parked car and it's gonna cost us around $6000 Euros to get both cars fixed and pay my fines.  What a stupid, stupid  mistake!  And then unbelievably, Mark offered to drive me to the stores afterwards to find frames.  WTH! No, I didn't go because I just spent my entire European budget for the next 3 years on my little accident.

It was a crazy flight back to the states last month too.  It was my first solo flight with Clarice and I wish I could say it passed uneventfully but no such luck.  We made the flight just fine until we landed that is......we were stuck on the tarmac because the flight was early and there was another plane still at our gate.  We're just sitting there waiting when suddenly I smell something....oh no, she didn't???? Yes guys and gals, she did and it smelled to high heaven.  I forgot to take her food away the night before and in her defense, she had been in the carrier for 15 hours at this point so who could blame her really.  I apologized to everyone sitting around us, tried stuffing her bedding into a barf baggie and clean her up a little.  It was terrible because everything I tried to do was useless and I still had to drag her thru customs, immigration and of yea, the airport in general so poor little girl.  I took her into the bathroom and gave her a quick sink bath before we got into the car with Morgan and Donna for the final leg home.  After we got home it was a long, hot shower for both of us then a nice long snooze because we were both worn out.

I have been promising pictures from Switzerland and Carnival along with stories but I'm not sure I can do them any justice.  It was just an amazing adventure and just too unreal for words.  It's such a family event unlike New Orleans and they start planning the costumes as soon as the event is over.

Now to my stitching finishes.  I actually finished the E Cunningham by Blackbird Designs before Christmas to honor my friend's mother, Joyce Weatherford as a gift for her.  But I didn't get to see her when I was home so I couldn't post it until I was able to surprise her with it.  I found the most awesome gold, vintage frame to put it into but I forgot to take a picture of it.  I'll have to ask her to send me one.

 

 

 

And finally my last finish is My Valentine by Blackbird Designs but I still need to personalize it.  I just can't decide who to honor with this one.

 

 

 

 

Stateside!

Hey guys,
I know I've been MIA for awhile but I've been stateside for the last few weeks undergoing  some medical tests.  As I mentioned earlier, I was diagnosed with vitamin b12 issue when I was home for the holidays but I was still having some issues that needed o be checked out. Clarice and I flew home 3 weeks ago and it's been a whirlwind ever since.  I have been taking the  pills for a month now and the good news my levels are up so no shots needed...yippee!  I also had a test for Alpha 1 which is hereditary and my family has the gene but the wonderful news is I was negative. So now I'm batting 2 for 0 and the dr decides that in light of my excellent family history maybe I should have an echocardiogram done. I called the cardiologist and scheduled an appointment but felt like it was more of a CYA for my dr than I actually had any heart issues since the EKG he did in his office showed everything was ok. Well the cardiologist ran a new EKG in her office and showed I'd had a minor cardiac infraction at some point. Then it's on to wearing a heart monitor for a week, doing a nuclear stress test and taking beta blockers twice a day. WTH, I'm only 47 and in spite of the horrible family heart issues, I've always had  low blood pressure.  I have my follow up appointment to discuss the test results on Thursday and if she clears me I fly out to Germany Friday morning. Nothing like cutting it close to give me a heart attack!  I'm really worried about these tests and what this will mean.

But in spite of all this crap, I have had the most amazing time spending 3 weeks with my folks. You are never too old to need your mommy and daddy when you are scared. They drove in from Arkansas and have just been wonderful running me all around town, feeding me, doing my laundry, ect....so I feel very pampered.  I just don't know how I wold have gotten thru all this without them. Mark flew over last Wednesday but he's been in Tennessee working so my folks have been my support system here. I'm going to miss them when they go home but not as much as Clarice will. She's totally become a Pappa girl and even got him to pet her.  He so doesn't like cats but she has won him over. He speaks kitty to her and she meows back, he plays laser tag for hours on end and she thinks he hung the moon. She also takes daily naps on the couch with her Ninny so she doesn't miss Hubert as much.  My brother is staying at their  house and taking care of Hubert and Gizmo so I owe him one as well now.

Ok, I'm off for now to stitch a little before my pills kick in for the night because I haven't put in more than 20 stitches the entire time I've been home.

What's going on in Germany

I saw this on someone's blog and thought it was a great topic for today.

I'm feeling........ a little worried about seeing the doctor later this month instead of earlier

I' m seeing.........a clean apartment

I'm hearing........the clock ticking away in the kitchen

I'm thinking......about watching Dowtown Abbey 

I'm cooking.......homemade chicken pot pie

I'm planning........my trip home this month and what stitchy project to travel with

I'm reading........Lisa Gardener  Touch and Go

I'm wearing........black yoga pants, grey cami and sweater with my uggs

I'm creating........Birds of a Feather Alphabet Sampler( an older design)

I'm enjoying........fresh ginger snap cookies that I made earlier today

I'm sharing...........my pictures from Carnival in Switzerland later this week after I download them all

Carnival this weekend!

We are headed to Lake Lucerne this weekend to attend Carnival and experience something/everything new.  I'm so excited because we're riding the train in on Sunday and coming home on Tuesday.  We'll miss the "opening" parades but that's just fine with me.  Sometimes crowds get to be too much for me especially when I don't speak the language so a smaller, less rowdy works good for me. So now for the info from google on what to expect:

Carnival in Lucerne (LU)

Lucerne - Lake Lucerne Region

Dirty Thursday till Carnival Tuesday prior to Ash Wednesday

The origins of the Lucerne Carnival, the celebration of which practically rules the town for a few days, are marked by the figure of Fritschi, an elderly man with his wife known as the Fritschene, and the Fritschikind, or Fritschi's child.

 

• While the name Fritschi probably derives from Fridolin, the origin and meaning of the figure are not so easy to determine. What's certain is that Fritschi can be traced back to the fifteenth century, when he used to be a straw puppet and probably the symbolic figure of one of the guilds.
  
  The Fritschi family rides in a wagon and has been accompanied over the centuries by a parade. If the parade once symbolized patriotic, historical, or folkloristic themes, it now has a more satirical twist. In the 1920s, the Fritschi group found a rival in the newly-formed Wey Guild, who adopted the figure of a frog as the main character of their satirical parade. Today, the Fritschi parade takes place on Dirty Thursday, one week before Ash Wednesday, whereas the Wey parade takes place on Carnival Monday and the final evening, complete with a monster concert, on Shrove Tuesday. These events are the highlights of the colorful merrymaking.
  
  A major attraction of the Lucerne Carnival are the Guggemuusige, or improvised (masked) bands. They are dressed-up and masked or made-up carnival cliques who play well-known tunes on their brass and percussion instruments, rather loudly and not really in tune. The first of these groups was formed around 1950, taking its example from Basel. In the meantime, their number has increased to a few dozen. Unlike their counterparts in Basel, they do not march through the street in strict formation, but make frequent stops, acting out scenes and mingling with the crowd. There are also many individuals or small groups disguised and playing a musical instrument, or pulling a practical joke to liven things up. The masked balls attract huge crowds and are held in large venues in the evenings.

 

 

 

So now y'all know as much as I do and I'll post pictures next week after we return from our adventure. Have a great weekend and for those friends in the Northeast, stay warm and safe!

Very sad day!

Yesterday was a brisk sunny day so we went for a long walk thru the town.  It's so different on Sunday when everything is closed and people are just leisurely strolling around.  We stopped at one of the few places open and enjoyed a doner which is actually a Turkish food but this is the only "fast food" in Germany.  It's meat roasted on a spit then sliced very thin and served wrapped in a homemade tortilla with cabbage, onions, hot peppers and a spicy red pepper sprinkle.  They are very tasty and one of Mark's favorite foods over here. 

 

After our walk, we settled in for a peaceful Sunday of just lazing around the house, surfing the web and of course, for me some stitching time.  Unfortunately that peaceful time didn't last too long.  I signed onto Facebook and learned that one of my friends had passed away unexpectedly. I was just devastated because Marji was just an amazing woman that had overcome so much in her much too short life and I treasured our friendship greatly.  She was a wonderful mother of 4 great kids and they were the joy of her life.  We met thru the magic of the internet on a Bon Jovi message board.  We became so much more than fans of great music and she helped me thru some very serious times in my life.  I was lucky enough to make some wonderful memories with her in the too few years we were friends.  We attended several concerts together and even shared a semi stalking adventure when we tried to locate our boys'  hotel in Atlanta.  Lets just say we ended up wandering around lost, never saw the guys and laughed our asses off about our sleuthing skills or lack there of!  When my depression got so bad last year, she was one of the first to rush to my aid and help me navigate the long way back to finding myself.  Even though we lived very far away from each other, I always knew she was just a phone call, text or email away supporting me.  She loved CFM pumps, killer boots, Elvis, The Beatles, Heart and had crazy, amazing sewing talent and I will treasure the times we spent together. She was so excited because she had 2nd row seats to the Bon Jovi concert at Mohegan Sun for next week and I know that she'll be there in spirit just rocking out like she always did.  And when I go to my concert later this month I'll be taking her along with me as well.  Marji Joy Benson, I know that you'll Always have the best seat in the house now and

 

 

 

When you get to the gates and the angels sing
Go to that place where the church bells ring
You know I'll come runnin' ... runnin' to find you

Baby, say that you'll take me ... wherever you're going to
Maybe I want you to save me ... a seat next to you

 

 

Rest in peace my friend until we meet again.

Marji Joy Benson

4/1/59 - 2/2/13

 

 

She took this picture at the Lost Highway concert in Atlanta, GA