Back to blogging...

I've been "away" from blogging a long time and actually feel like I'm just getting back to being part of the human race again. I've had a busy summer and fall with lots of activies, traveling, teaching, nursing a friend through several surgeries, etc. I've also been dealing with chronic jaw pain since July. I've grinded my teeth when I sleep since I was a child so it was no surprise to me when the dentist said that's what was causing my pain. After getting a dental guard and chipping, cracking, and putting a hole in it (yes, I'm a grinder!), I still had pain which came and went but was never completely gone.  To make a long story short (yes it's already long!), I actually had a tooth that was fractured but never hurt until Thanksgiving when it got infected. By this time, it was completely broken in half. After a very long painful weekend,  I got into the dentist and then after a round of antibiotics (3 days) and painkillers (thank goodness!) got the said tooth pulled - it's the very last tooth and I don't miss it. Miraculously my jaw pain is completely gone and I feel like a new woman. I didn't realize how much pain I'd been in - just soldiered on as is my way.

I'm enjoying the holiday season during this month of December. I'm looking forward to my parents coming to my home for Christmas this year! I will get to cook in my new kitchen! I'm not a lover of cooking but it's much more pleasurable now. I have to admit though, my new countertop often looks like this... it's the perfect place to bag charts and I can see the TV from here!

I put up my Christmas tree last week - I skipped last year so it was extra fun to see all of my ornaments again. After all of the years in the shop and being part of several stitching guilds, I have a lot of ornaments that have come through swaps. Some are especially sentimental as the makers have passed.  I thought I'd share a couple with you...

Our first stitching group at our shop was run by a woman called Debbie - she passed away from cancer several years ago. She designed and stitched this ornament from various Shepherd's Bush patterns. She also finished it herself. I remember this ornament being from our group's very first ornament swap. It's a treasure to me.

Our group named itself "Friends who Count" and this ornament was another Debbie's (we had lots of Debbies just like my high school classes!!). She added the words to this hardanger and included her initials and the year. Since I haven't done much hardanger, I appreciate having it and remembering her when I add it to my tree. She moved away a long time ago.

I'll share more later...

As part of my holiday, I've been spending time in my sewing room. I went to my annual quilting retreat last month. I always return from it wanting to sew, sew, and sew some more. Boots and Samantha are not allowed in the sewing room unless I'm in there. Boots found a couple of new places to hang out - I just never know where he'll decide to plant himself!

Until next time,

Kathy