Happy Birthday To Me!

Today is my birthday! Wow...I have hit the ripe old age of 59 but still feel like I am 20...okay it's the mind that feels like 20...the body feels like 100....lol. This is the first time in many years I have worked on my birthday. For some reason I decided not to take off. Not sure why but I didn't so here I sit at my work computer, doing exactly what I shouldn't be doing...a personal post...lol...Maybe at this age I just feel bolder than I did years ago....

I had a wonderful Christmas...it was quiet. Just my mom, myself, my daughter, son in law and grandson....I enjoyed it this year more so than in the past. We had our big meal on Christmas eve and then when my daughter and her family left to see the other parents, mom and I had the day to ourselves and it was quiet and peaceful. We got to enjoy ourselves with lots of mom and daughter talk. Family is what the season is about. The good Lord gave us so much and not to take the time to sit back and enjoy life is such a sad commentary on how we live our lives. I hope this coming years brings love, laughter, happiness and peace to all and may God bless you and keep you in his arms as I pray he does for me also.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I Love The Holidays!

Oh how I love the holidays. But on the other hand they make me sad because I am alone at home. Sometimes it is an effort to put up decorations alone. I miss having the family atmosphere I had years ago. But then I remember what this holiday is about. It is about our Lord Jesus and his birth. I believe in the beautiful Christmas story and the miracles around the wondrous story.....God's grace is so giving and each year I pray we all can love him as much as he loves us. Through all our hustle and bustle I hope each and everyone takes the time to look at your family and friends and be so grateful they are in your life and realize that God put them their for you. Hug them and tell them how much you care. This is my special Christmas wish this year for each and everyone. Merry Christmas through out the month and may all year bring us all joy!

Oh My! Where have the last Two Months gone????

In August I started thinking about fun things for the holidays. My plan was to start working each day on something to accomplish all my mind wanted....well...two months later and I still haven't gotten my ideas out of my head to my hands to start the process...once again....I am behind....

You would think I would learn by my past procrastination and get a jump on things...No...I let them languish in my head like sugar plum fairies and there they stay until I forget about them. So the following year I think up all new ideas and they never leave my head either....I mean so well...what is it they say...the road to Hell is paved with good intentions...Oh I have paved mine to the doorstep!!!!!

Okay..it is just Nov. 1st...maybe I can pull it together and at least get some of my great ideas done! I will try very hard.

Where I Store My Crowns

Since I am the oldest in the family of two other brothers, I have always teased them and told them I was queen....my wants are the first to be pleased...(LOL) so when I saw this. I just had to put it on my blog. I found it on another friends blog. (Stop over it is a beautiful blog about our furry little children and friends.)

I am sure my brothers and their kids would agree "Aunt Iva thinks she deserves these. LOL!!!! NOT!

Sometimes I just don't know which one to wear?

Once again...Where has the time gone....?

I remember my mother telling us kids time goes by so fast. Of course being a youngster we thought it never went fast enough. Now I completely understand what she meant. Here it is almost the holidays and have I finished much of my knitting projects that I started last year....NOT. But I will keep plugging along. Not much happening other than work and trying to clean the house. Cleaning is something I detest...and once I get things sorted out I am hiring a cleaning person. I am thinking about trading in my car for a new one. I wasn't going to but where that young girl hit my car several years ago..I am having some issues where they didn't fix it properly...something that wouldn't have shown up until later. Still makes me made. A parent giving a 16 year old a brand new car and she was so irresponsible. She backed into my car full force and didn't hit the brake until too late. Her foot slipped off the pedal because it had been raining and her feet were wet. So...I am considering a new vehicle. Will have to really think about it.

Another Sad Story

This story is about a relative of mine. I saw her one time when she was a little girl. She lived in Texas and she was my second cousin. Sunday an Aunt called and told us she had died of an infection and pneumonia. But is doesn't end there. The reason she lost her life is because she got an infection from having a stomach by-pass. Once again, because society places upon women the burden of being thin we have lost one more lovely woman to this tragedy. I don't know the particulars but I am sure she felt the pressure from someone in her life or society to be thin. I realize there are serious health risk patients that need something to this effect, but we are loosing what is right and important in the world. Pressure, pressure, be thin, be thin!...I want to just smack the next person who so kindly says that someone is overweight...don't they realize not only do we know THAT, but that constantly placing the burden of telling us constantly just exacerbates the situation. I have had little children say to me...your fat! I have responded them if their mother doesn't say something...well you are rude....and a nasty little child. Yes mom gets mad but where did the child learn their comment from? Hmmmm..I wonder. Don't pity someone who has a weight problem...I more than likely dress better than others, spend more time looking and acting like a lady and I certainly have better manners....

Okay...enough standing on the soap box. Had to do it! LOL

Looks like rain!

Today it finally looks like rain. They are calling for it and we desperately need the rain. It is so dry in our area. We have had a few 105 degree days and the rest have been up in the 90's. Only a few in the 80's. The heat is hard on me and I have never done well with it. I crave the cool nights of fall.

I am dealing with so much swelling in my legs, ankles, and feet. I need to put my legs up more since my surgery...but who has time. I try to when I knit but I don't knit all that long each day. I try to drink more water and that helps some but ....well....loosing weight I guess will help. I am taking each progress a little at a time and doing the best I can. Tough running a house all on your own....but you deal with the hand dealt...right?

The weekend has gone by so fast like every weekend does. I never seem to get all the things I want to accomplish.....not enough hours in the day. I have finished some knitting projects, but I really want to begin quilting again. I haven't done much because of my studies. I have purchased fabric for several quilts and I have washed the fabric. Now I just need to press all of the fabric and cut out the pieces. I will have to clean the house faster to get to my projects. LOL

I am headed to visit my mother today. A little more knitting time there. Mom always fixes a great lunch and we have a good time talking.

Until later.....

It's Too Hot!

I don't know how others feel about our hot weather here on the East but I can't stand it! I have always lived in the basic area within a 50 mile radius....but I still don't tolerate the heat well. It's the humidity that is awful...okay hot is hot....not matter with humidity or not. All I want to do is lay in front of the fan and turn down the air conditioning until icicles form...okay not that much but I am dying with the heat......yucky.....yucky!

On a happier note I just finished a scarf for a swap friend. I need to get her package off next week. It will travel to Italy. She sent my package already and I am behind. Well not really behind. We have until the end of the month, I am still okay.

Quilting ....

Now that I have finished my degree I am getting out the sewing machine and going through my fabrics and working on one of my favorite hobbies. I love to quilt. I have not done much of it for so many years because it took so much time. Quilts are much bigger projects than my sock knitting. So...I have picked the fabrics for a quilt and today I am pre-washing them and cutting out the quilt later today. It was so much fun going through the fabrics and picking out what would work together...this is so restful for me. I go to my happy place with my fabrics and yarn. I could sit in the middle of them and never move .....just touching and matching and yes....you all that love fibers...smelling them and rubbing them on your face! Admit it...you all do it...LOL...so I am off to launder my fabrics and will knit while I wait for them to wash....oh what a happy day I have created for myself.....picture me with a smile on my face with scissors in my hand...ahhhhhh

Oh No...I sounded so desparate.....

The other day I sounded so awful in my blog...I really was down. My situation does exist but no I don't sit around grieving over it. Just makes me sad at times.

The heat is unbearable for the last two days. Will head home in a few minutes and I am not going out after I get home. I don't do well with the heat and feel ill at times with it and the humidity. You can bundle up and get warm when it is cold, but you can't take enough clothes off when you are hot! This too shall pass I am sure!

Time...it's not enough

I sit and worry and wonder....I can't seem to get things done. I want a relationship with someone that I have fallen so deeply in love with and yet...it doesn't seem to happen. I pray daily for him to ask me out...or just come visit. I have invited and he always has an excuse. Am I so naive that I don't see that he likes me but not to date. I am lonely and I hate this lonely feeling. I wonder on a daily basis how so many of my friends go through divorces and within a very short period of time they either have a relationship or are married again......and here I sit alone. I have encouraged them and I have sat and listened to their endless unhappy stories. Then I experience the abandonment of their friendship because they are too busy with their "new Love"....I live in a sadness that I can't even describe. When will my turn come? Why are my prayers not answered? I only want to find love and give love...and yet my heart is always broken....

I had my surgery!

I had my surgery and the knee replacement went well. I have recovered nicely and will return to work soon. I followed the doctors orders and did the therapy and have done very well. I am glad I did the surgery. I just need to learn not to hobble because I have done it for so long. I don't have pain though! Each day I get better and better. I look forward to all of this just being a very long past memory. Thank goodness for great Doctors and wonderful care givers. My mom stayed with me during the week and my daughter on the weekends. I am so blessed to have had them for my recovery. I was spoiled and the company was wonderful! I am truly blessed!

I Think I am Ready...????

Well..finished my last appointment today and will have my surgery next Monday. I am anxious and ....okay scared...but I know that I will be in good hands and all will be okay. I will be off from work for 6 to 8 weeks. I just hope I will want to get back to work when it is time...LOL. I am fortunate though I was given the opportunity to work from home when I feel better. So...life is good and soon I will enjoy running the roads again and getting so much done!

Keep me in your prayers!

Two weeks away......

Two weeks from today I will be in surgery having my knee replaced. And tomorrow I go to the hospital to register and a class at the doctors office. As much as I thought I was okay with it, I am having serious anxiety. I have so much to do and so little time. I have never had major surgery before and I am very nervous. Okay...I am just plain afraid and scared. I know all will be fine, but I can't stop the little woman in my head going over and over things, scenarios and "stuff". I know for the first week all I will want to do is sleep. Never mind I am in the last 3 class I have to complete my degree. All are on line but I am worried about completing the work.....what would the world be if a woman didn't worry about others, things and just in general....LOL

Keep me in your prayers.

MRI

I had my MRI yesterday. My doctor is doing a new procedure where he takes measurements of my knee from the MRI and it is less time in OR...so that is a good thing. So one step down.

Step Two: Week after next is the class that tells me all about what I am going to have done and procedures to follow....and all the "stuff" for recovery.

Keep me in your prayers.

It's Official Now

I made the appointment with the orthopedic doctor and I went there on February 19th. He confirmed that I needed my knee replaced and on March 22, 2010 I will get my new warranty part! I have gone through so many emotional phases over the past few days. But I have made the decision to go ahead with the operation because my physical quality of life is horrible right now. I have a great group of friends who have offered to help, my mom and daughter are planning to be with me and my job is going to let me work from home when I feel I am able after surgery. Life couldn't be any better could it?

Will blog more about this later....but in the meantime....keep me in your prayers!

Snow - way too much!

Living in Virginia all of my life we just haven't haven't had that much snow in the areas I have lived. But this year has outdone itself! We have had significant snowfalls. There was one on Saturday and I loved seeing it come down but then I began to wonder just how I was going to get out. It was only 8 inches and by most peoples standards...that's not much. But when you don't' unusually have any or very little...I was worried. With my bad knee and back I just didn't know if I could do it. But then again, the angels of the neighborhood once again came out and cleaned my drive way. I was so grateful! So this morning I, along with all the other commuters, headed out to work in 21 degree weather and I hope that some of this stuff melts today. I had a hard time starting my car, my feet are still cold, and I slid making a turn onto the road that takes me to the train station. So this morning I am moving a little slower and just trying to get some organization and work done here at work. I think I am going to make a list for work and then for home.

I started my online class for finishing my Bachelors and I will do two more in about 6 weeks. Then I will be completely finished. These last two were added to the new course outline and I had to take them because I procrastinated and had to reapply for school so I fell under the catalog....this is going to teach me not to procrastinate anymore!

I did spend the weekend getting homework done, doing some housework and the rest knitting on projects I am trying to complete.

I have found my camera cable so when I take some pictures of the projects I am working on, I will post them.

Until another day....