Since Thanksgiving

Has it really been more than two weeks since my last post? It has! You know, I used to have some organization in my life. Sadly, it's gone now, and I still haven't adjusted.

Thanksgiving was a fabulous event at the folks' house. We ended up having 15 hungry people sit down to turkey and ham dinner. My sister, sister-in-law and I managed to get everything ready near the planned time, and Mom supervised as necessary. We had loads of fun. My only baking failure occurred when the pie crust I baked for one of the chocolate pies shrank about halfway down the side of the pie pan. Bummer. But in the true sense of accomodation, I covered it up with meringue. Hey, I'm not completely clueless.

I'm including pics for you today only to show you the pathetic lack of stitching progress since my last post. Oh ... my ... gosh! Get out your hankies, because it's rather sad. Here's what's happened to Shores Block Four ...

I know! Almost nuttin'! I'm gonna give it some attention tonight, though, so maybe a stitching miracle will happen and I'll finish the block. Yeah, and the lottery will be awarded to me for last night, even though I forgot to buy a ticket. And then there's the newest stand-up guy I've sort of been working on ...

Pitiful, isn't it? When I told Sharri (my sister) that I was working on this Santa, she said, "Oh, I did that one. It goes really fast." Uh huh, right. I guess I have to actually pull thread through the linen with a needle more than I do other things in order for progress to be made. He'll probably get some more action this weekend. I do enjoy seeing him in stages of completion. Now he kinda looks like he's wearing a hoodie or one of those hats with flaps.

So what the hell have I been doing instead of stitching? Well, let's see. I hung out with the family for Turkey weekend, and we did some fun things. Then I dragged out my tree and spent some days (ok, a week) working after school and in between other activities to get most of the ornaments on it. Today was the first day I've gotten home when the sky was cloudless and the sun was above the horizon, and the east side of my house (where the tree is) was still too dark to get a good pic. Saturday is the day for pics of the tree, so maybe I'll get 'er done.

Then we (my son, niece and I) decorated Mom's tree last Saturday. Dad was all about skipping the Christmas decorations this year, but Mom needs her tree up so rearranging the ornaments (a genetic OCD trait that's been passed on to me and now to my daughter) can be her non-stitching seasonal hobby. We got the job done, and Mom is content.

About Mom: the last chemo recipe didn't do the job the docs had hoped for, so Mom is now in a chemo drug trial. She'll be going once a week for eight weeks, and then there'll be another scan. These treatments require her to go to downtown Denver (about a 45-minute drive when traffic is good, like at midnight), and they take quite a while to complete each time. Because it's a great opportunity for her, the extra inconvenience is worthwhile. The big event the week before Thanksgiving was Mom's fancy new wig. Even though her head has a lovely shape, she wasn't at all fond of her Yoda-esque hair style. Her new hair makes her look a lot more like herself ... very cute. Again, I want to thank all of you who comment and email and ask about Mom and pray/think good thoughts/chant for her recovery. I tell her about everyone out in blogland who is doing what they can on her behalf, and she's very appreciative, as I am. What's most surprising to her about her illness is the number of people who do things to show that they care. That's how she is.

Before I leave you, I hope all of you affected by the gigantic snowstorm and extreme cold are doing OK and staying warm. Brrrrrrr! I haven't had much time to visit blogs, but I'll eventually catch up and read your stories about the storm. Now for some time on the exercise bike and then in the purple chair. Make some fun.