Seven hours of stitching will give...

this!

Every day I have been stitching for one hour. It's not going as fast as I would like but I am happy to work on this piece again!

I've also changed my stitching "work place". I used to sit on the couch, but I have now moved to the dining table and sit on a desk chair. I also only stitch with my right hand and hold my frame in my left. This seems to work, my right arm is now constantly moving instead of cramping up. I cannot wait to order my floor stand (I hope in a couple of months).

Some other great news: I weighed myself for the first time in 6 months and I was so happy to see that I've shed 10 pounds!! I now weigh as much as I did 10 years ago. I knew I had lost some because all my clothes were too big and lots of people were asking me if I lost some weight, but I didn't expect it to be this much. I think I've lost a total of 15 pounds in 2012. I haven't been dieting but have changed my attitude towards food. According to the Boyfriend I am more balanced now mentally so it might have something to do with it as well.

That's it for now. Have a great week and let's stitch some!

What an exciting day!!

At this very moment, my country is anxiously waiting for the speech of our Queen. Common belief is that she will anounce her abdication. In less than 30 minutes we will know. This would be the first abdication for me to witness and I am so excited! Whether I am happy with the new King, I don't know yet.


Last week was a dark week for me and the Boyfriend. We decided to let our beloved cat Ms Mikey go and went to the vet on Thursday where she died. Ofcourse being the feisty girl she was, she had to hiss at and hit the vet after the injection was given. It made me laugh through my tears. This ruined my chance of holding her while she was dying but we comforted her as best as we could. She was my baby and full of adventure and loved her humans. The last few days the only thing she wanted to do was to lie on my or Boyfriend's lap. She would hiss and growl if we only moved a muscle and in general she was feeling horrible, constantly asking with her eyes for our help. It was the hardest decision I have ever made in my life, but in my heart I know it was the right decision. My house is so empty when I come home every day. It's quiet and I hate it. We have decided however, not to bring a new cat into our family untill we live in another (bigger) house.

Bummed, but still an update

So, after the last update my sweet kitty got sick. We went to the vet who told us that kitty has a polyp in her nose, which is connected to a tumor. The tumor has been there for a while, since kitty has been sneezing and has fluids coming out of one eye for about six months now. The vet is able to operate her, but it will not help. Basically what we were told was: she's not getting better, it could go fast. We decided not to operate.

We were, but especially I was, devastated by this news. She's has been my baby and little friend for 7 years and I had such big dreams for her. All we can do now is to watch her health. The vet told us what to look for in order to see if it's time for her to go. Unfortunately my hand reacted to all this stress so my injury is back. Soooo this is where I ended last week:

I need this!!!

I know right, two posts in a day? I must be crazy. I just discovered something and I want to remember this so I'm blogging about it!

So after stitching for an hour it started again, the pain in my shoulder. I now know why. It's because my Q-snaps are resting on my right arm and since I am stitching with both hands my right arm is in a weird position: it tries to keep the frame in place and in the same movement it tries to stitch. And since Train is nearing the end there is a lot of weight. All in all: my shoulder gets cramped!

I am happy to know what's been causing my pain, because now I can look for a solution. I think I need a floor stand so my right arm can move freely. I have looked at floor stands before but never seriously considered buying one. Most of them are so big and expensive! I have no money to buy one now and I have no room for one.
This time I searched again and found a Dutch plan to build a floor stand myself. Looks nice and I have a friend who could build it for me, but again, it's too big.
So then I found a floor stand by Stitchmaster. I got really excited, this looks exactly like I needed! Plus it is cheap!!! I searched for some reviews, lots of positive ones but some people also wrote the stand couldn't bring the work close enough and then read about the Lowery floor stand. I looked it up and I am convinced: I need this. It's made of metal (so it's easy to clean), it's easy to adjust the height, it takes almost no space and the price is agreeable. So now I am going to save for it! I have no idea when I am able to buy it, but I am so excited!!

So my goals for 2013 are now:
1. To finish Train of Dreams
2. To get a Lowery floor stand!
3. Start a new project

Happy 2013!

Happy 2013 to my dear readers! I hope this new year will bring much happiness to all of you!

We've just got back from a small holiday with the in-laws. We had a wonderful time but are happy to be back home! I've just finished all the laundry and I also put all the Christmas decorations away. The only thing left are the Christmas cards, I just love to look at them!

This is my latest update from 2012:

I'll work on it tonight and I can't wait!! I am so going to finish this in 2013!!!

I've been home from work now since Christmas. I needed this so much!! I am finally feeling relaxed again. I will go back this Monday and I am happy to do so. I have so much more energy (and positive feelings!) than before. 

Merry Christmas!

From my house to yours:

Merry Christmas!!!

Today I have been busy cooking broccoli-stiltonsoup. It's a recipe by Gordon Ramsey and it's pretty easy. What I love most about it is I can cook it the day before and finish it just before serving. My kind of Christmas food!

We (meaning I) will plenty of stress already since we are expected in church in my hometown tomorrow at 9.45 in the morning!! It means we will have to leave at 8. It will be the first time Boyfriend will experience a church service in my hometown. I come from a pretty conservative town and I am not looking forward to all the looks I know we will get tomorrow. They will probably talk slow to my boyfriend and will think he is an immigrant. While he is in fact 10x brighter than they are and speaks impeccable Dutch (he was adopted when he was a baby).
My family will be delighted to see us. After church we will go to Grandma and auntie for coffee and meet up with the rest of my family (my other aunt with her family)! After coffee we will go to my parents' house and have dinner!

I am also so happy to tell you I have been stitching again! Every day I stitch a little bit, making sure I sit up straight and stretch my shoulders and arm. I have been in physical therapy for two months now. It is slowly getting better. My hand is working again but my neck and shoulders are stubborn. For almost 20 years they have been in a position they should not have been. So the muscles are fighting the new (and right!) position they are forced to take.
Anyway, I have a new picture later this week!!

New government!

Since yesterday my country has a new government:

The lady in the middle is our fabulous Queen Beatrix and the tall guy to her left (with the blue tie) our Prime Minister. This Cabinet is made of people of the VVD (liberal party) and PvdA (Labour, centre-left party), a true coalition and an interesting combination.

The plan they made for the next four years is daring and it made for a lot of uproar. It is going to hurt our wallets. I think it's necessary though. We need to live within our means. Something needs to be done about the mortgages. But still, all the measures are tough. I am trying to discover what it will mean for me but I still haven't figured it out. The first thing I will notice will be the cost of my health insurance I think. I am lucky to be very healthy and I do not need a lot of health care every year. I hope my physical therapy will be covered though.. I do not own a mortgage and I do not have children of my own yet.

I hope this Cabinet will last the next four years. My country needs it.

Today America will vote as well. Ofcourse we are following the elections (I like to watch foreign politics! Plus I am still trying to understand the voting system with electors - we just vote for a party (we can pick from I think 15 parties) and whoever has the most votes wins, also everyone who has the Dutch nationality aged 18 and up will get a voting billet in the mail). I am looking forward to wake up tomorrow morning and watch the news and hear the analysis.