September ORT Report

Golly gee whillikers! I nearly forgot it was the new moon! Busy at home, busy at work...just too much going on sometimes. Whew - I made it, I'm not early as I'd like to be but I'm not late!

So much went on the last month, I didn't really have much stitching time. Still haven't finished this Lizzie*Kate but I did put a few ORTs in my jar:

Then I found another project that screamed "stitch me now!" and I listened so that one has been kitted and started. I'm such a loose floozy when it comes to stitching. I promise to show you that one soon.

An example of how crazy it's been here. I had hives last month. Went to the doctor only after my hands swelled to giant proportions. I could not make a fist and had no knuckles. Then my throat was swelling up so I went to the walk-in clinic. 2 injections and a packet of steroid pills set me right to rain.

It happened again this week. Oh no! At the first symptoms of intense itching and wee bumps I went back to the clinic. It's cause is a medicine I've been taking for my Rosacea, I'm allergic and won't be taking it again. It was worse this time than I thought - the swelling in my throat was constricting my airways so my oxygen saturation level was low. The gave me a pill, those 2 injections and another dose packet of steroids. I had to wait in the office while it began to work to make sure I could breath. This treatment stops the allergic reaction pretty fast  and I'm back to normal, whatever that is.

More Crazy, got up at 3:30 this morning, had coffee, got ready & left the house, worked until 1:30. Went and got gas. Got home, took Molly out to pee, changed clothes, started some laundry, straightened up the house a bit, Molly out to pee again and left for the city to pick up my daughter, Jessie, to stay with us a few days. We drove back, checked on our car that is in the shop (still not ready) so came back to town. Liquor store, needed wine. Grocery store, needed food. Because apparently you can do some really crazy things drinking wine if you don't eat. I don't really remember, it's all just a blur.

We finally step foot in the house with arms full of chickens, wines and vegetables and peanut butter poptarts to spot this on the living-room floor. Look it snowed! Molly bit a hole in her soccer ball and must have had a BLAST pulling every last bit of stuffing out. That sucker was e m p t y. I think she was sad being alone all day, that doesn't happen too often! Silly Molly, what a giggle she is. 

Now let's see your ORTs! TUSALers leave a comment on this post with the address to your September update. If I decide to host a giveaway at the end of the year you will receive an extra entry! Are you wondering what the heck a TUSAL is? Click here for info!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Some Blogging Instructions

Last Saturday I posted about cleaning up my blog lists ~ deleting abandoned blogs or those blogs that no longer point to anything but a notice from Blogger that the blog has been removed. Some of you had questions about how to do this. It's really very easy!

Disclaimer...this is said because you may have trouble with these instructions: If you are using Windows Internet Explorer you probably have A LOT of problems on Blogger. I know I did! I had trouble commenting on some blogs, I had trouble with screwy spaces being inserted in my posts, I had trouble period. I thought it was Blogger. I thought Blogger was crap.

Not True.

Internet Explorer is crap.

Blogger and Internet Explorer do not like each other.

If you are one of those rare people that have ZERO PROBLEMS using Internet Explorer with Blogger my hat is off to you. I wish you all the best! This is NOT THE CASE for most people that I can tell.

If you DO have problems, the fix is simple ~ download a different browser. I changed to Chrome a while back and magically, ALL my Blogger problems went away. ALL the things I griped about, "Why don't they fix this?" were FIXED!

It is heavenly. I love Blogger. I love Chrome. If I never open Internet Explorer again it will be too soon.

Back to my original topic...If you are signed into Blogger and you open your blog, meaning visit your own blog you should see this little "tools" symbol (pointed to by my very crudely drawn red arrow) on the bottom right corners of each gadget on your blog:

If you do not see this button, you might not be correctly signed in. Or you might be using Internet Explorer ~ told you so. Once you click that button it brings up a box to edit that gadget. On my blog I use a "link list" (2, actually) to link to my blogs. Some of you use the actual "blog list" gadget that has the blogs moved to the top in order of recent posts. I used to use that one too but I guess I had too many blogs or something because it never worked correctly, hummm, I was using Internet Explorer at that time. In any case, clicking that tools symbol will let you edit your gadget. When it has opened, make your edits...then scroll down to the bottom of the pop-up window and click save. If you forget to save ~ it will stay the same and all your work will be for nothing!

Some of you are using your Dashboard as a reader. The photo below is an example of the Dashboard, what you see when you've signed in to Blogger. The blogs you have "followed" appear in a reading list. Some blogs you might wish you never followed. Or there are so many it takes FOREVER to scroll through them. How do you get rid of them without going TO THAT BLOG, and clicking the "unfollow" button ~ which you can't do if the blog has been deleted, can you?

Yup, it's that tiny "gear" symbol. Like anyone would know that, right? Click that button and WAIT.

And. Wait.

Wait forever.

Because it takes forever to bring up this list:

Then you can click the settings button for the blog you want to remove:

Then you can click the button "stop following this site." But don't click "stop following" for California Stitcher ~ Annette has a really awesome blog...if you aren't already following, I'd recommend her.

Warning ~ "managing" the Blogs You Follow takes FOREVER. It really does. Click the buttons and be prepared to WAIT and WAIT and WAIT. 

Now then, does that help? If you are asking for help removing blogs in a specific reader, like Feedly just email me. For editing your Bloglovin reader, I have no clue since I don't use it...perhaps another blogger will volunteer to help out?

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

A Hidden Giveaway

If you have been reading my blog very long you will know I am quite sneaky. Sometimes when you comment on my blog, you are actually entering yourself into a secret "hidden" giveaway. Here is another one! Back in June, I noticed I was getting very close to a major blogging milestone...my 20000 comment!

I waited very impatiently for this to be reached because I wanted to send that special blogger a little treat. Finally on July 10, 2013 someone left the 20000th comment! I was so excited I snapped these pictures of the screen on my phone.

Linda of Stitchin with my Furbabies left that 20000th comment on my July TUSAL post. Congratulations, Linda! Here is your prize:

I will get this out in the mail tomorrow!

Thank you all, who read my blog. Thank you for commenting. Don't hold back...on this blog you never know if one of my posts is a hidden giveaway!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Cleaning House

I think it was Parsley that recently mentioned something about going through your blog list and deleting blogs that are inactive or that have been removed. Oh my, it's been so long since I've done that ~ I mean the ones you see here on my blog. Maybe since I first set up those lists? It took me an entire week but I think I have them cleaned up! I removed the links that no longer worked and those that went to blogs that haven't been updated in months. Isn't it annoying to click a link and be directed to a blog that was last updated two years ago?

Another thing I did was update my reader. About a year and a half ago I was doing something on Google Reader and somehow managed to delete most of the blogs I was reading. Being in a severe blogging funk, I didn't do too much about it, relying on what was left, who appeared on my following page and on those that commented on my sparse blog posts for any needed blogging fixes. Then Google Reader went away and I had to move so I chose Feedly. However, I was still missing most of my blogs! This past week, as I went through my blog list, I added them all back into my reader. Happy days are here again!

A little note from Molly:

 Mom & Dad went to the pet store to buy me a big bag of dog food. 

They came home with some toys because I keep eating all the old ones.

I got a big peanut butter chew bone.

A stuffed soccer ball and a flat weasel.

 This is a really good bone!

Mom says the whole house smells like peanut butter.

Did I hear dad just open the back door?

Maybe he's gone back to the pet store!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Fetch The Brain

Border Collies are funny dogs. Most collies I know love to play fetch. I remember teaching Sheba to fetch. She took a long time to learn! She would run to get the tennis ball quick enough ~ it was the bringing it back part that took awhile. Once she got it though, she was hooked. She would fetch a tennis ball until your arm fell off. But only a tennis ball. Sometimes, to gauge your interest in playing, she would bring you some other toy but if you threw it she would bring you back a tennis ball! Sneaky huh?

Molly picked up fetch right off. She doesn't care one whit what she fetches either. Any toy is fair game! Here are only a few of the toys she has brought me over the weekend to throw:

From top left,  a sea monster, a giant bone (I can't throw this!), a rubber boot, a tennis ball, a chicken, an orange rope, a sad alligator, a starfish, a hamburger, a ginormous tire (I AM NOT THROWING THAT - GO GET SOMETHING ELSE), a stuffed happy ball and we don't know what that thing at the bottom is so we call it a brain. The sea monster and brain seem to be her favorite. Mine too because they have sticky-outy things I can pinch on to pick up and I don't get too very slobbery.

Hi Mom! I brought you an elephant! Wanna play fetch?

What are you doing with your phone? I said I brought you an elephant!

Aren't you going to throw it? I could go get the brain...

What are your pet's favorite things to do?

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

August ORT Report

Woo! Two posts in two days. I'm on a roll! And did you notice I actually posted something last month that wasn't an ORT report? Maybe my blogging mojo is back along with my stitching mojo? I have hopes...

It's the New Moon...time for your Totally Useless Stitch A Long updates. Here is mine:

A nice collection of ORTs! I have started yet another patriotic piece, 4th of July by Lizzie*Kate. I might be tired of red, white & blue before I'm through. On second thought, nahhh ~ never!

Since people complain if I post ORT reports without puppy photos here is Miss Molly stretched out loooong on my bed yesterday morning. She's a little pouty in this picture since I'm getting ready to leave for work. She likes the coming home part of the day much better.

Now let's see your ORTs! TUSALers leave a comment on this post with the address to your August update. If I decide to host a giveaway at the end of the year you will receive an extra entry! Are you wondering what the heck a TUSAL is? Click here for info!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Better Late Than Never

Waaaay back in January I participated in a blog-hop to help grow my friend's blogs. There was supposed to be a giveaway drawing announcement on February first. Yeah, that SO didn't happen! The past year for me has been a whirlwind blur...I am only now getting to it. Here was the prize in case you don't remember and are too lazy to click the linky above:

I've finally chosen the winner ~ Melissa of Boyett-Brinkley. Please, go visit Melissa's blog and click her followers gadget. She'd love to welcome you! Congratulations, Melissa!

I've been busy stitching. I'd say it was too hot to do much else but this summer has been so much better than the past three summers, who can complain? Me. I'm a wimp when it comes to heat. If it's 90 degrees or higher, I'm staying inside in the air-conditioning! So I've been stitching a lot.

I finished Wave by Bent Creek.

Then Celebrate Freedom, again by Bent Creek. Both of these were done in DMC and need buttons and finishing. I am really looking forward to doing all the finishing on my patriotic basket pieces! Just a few more to stitch.

Miss Molly doesn't care if it's hot outside. She loves to go out and run. Then she comes inside panting and slobbering and collapses in a hot mess. I try to keep her inside when it gets too hot. Giant chew bones help keep her busy!

Be sure to post tomorrow for the TUSAL! 

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

I'm Moving...My House is Possessed

Yup. 

It's haunted.

I am so outta here.

What? Proof?

You want proof?

How is this for proof...there is a stuffed monkey, which is obviously possessed, moving around my house.

The Possessed Monkey

See? I came upon him, just sitting like this, on the kitchen floor. He hadn't time to arrange himself in an innocuous position before I stepped into the kitchen so he just sat down and tried to look harmless.

I am too wise for that.

I know this innocent looking monkey is actually an evil demon in need of exorcism. 

Sam? Dean? Where are you when I need you?

No, no way!

Molly could NOT have left said monkey on the floor.

It

SAT

DOWN

I tell you!

Molly knew the evil nature of this creature before I ever caught it sitting-down-all-innocent-looking and chewed off it's devil-spawned tail in an effort to hobble it's fiendish presence. We NEVER found that tail ~ so either Molly swallowed it or it evaporated into a puff of smoke once disconnected from it's malevolent host.

Molly is the darnedest toy-eating dog I've ever seen! She doesn't just chew them UP - she EATS them. Poor Dash awoke to find Molly vomiting up squeaky toy pieces ON HIM. Ewww! Only a couple days after the above photo was taken, the cute yellow sheepie was rescued into the trash can before it made it's way to Molly's tummy. The darn dog has eaten her way through BASKETS full of toys. We've taken to only buying those toys labeled for serious chewers!

I must go.

After I pick up some packing boxes, I need to run by the pet shop.

For some reason all of Molly's toys have disappeared.

Except one very creepy monkey.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

July ORT Report

I do apologize for the boring blog this year. When I post the TUSAL each month, I promise myself I'm going to make a new post in a couple of days...and it never happens. I have even done some really cool things, taken neat trips, accomplished incredible feats and even had cross stitch finishes ~ and not shared a single one of them! I shall endeavor to catch you up when my blogging mojo returns. I also know I have winners of various giveaways still to be announced ~ how sad is that? *blush*

For now, you are here to see ORTs, correct? I'm STILL on that patriotic kick so my threads are still mostly red, white and blue. There is a tiny bit of tan and golden brown mixed in this time:

I'm working on Bent Creek's Wave. I adore these alphabet word samplers! Much fun. This one is going quickly when I get time to stitch. I hope no one gets tired of my "kick" this year. I have several patriotic themed projects kitted up ~ fair warning!

Now let's see your ORTs! TUSALers leave a comment on this post with the address to your July update. If I decide to host a giveaway at the end of the year you will receive an extra entry! Are you wondering what the heck a TUSAL is? Click here for info!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

June ORT Report

This will have to be a QUICK post ~ we have been away all day! It's the New Moon so it's time for the Totally Useless Stitch A Long...let's see those ORTs! I am still on a patriotic kick so all I have are red, white and blue threads in my jar. I finished Pop! by Bent Creek, shown here, and started another patriotic themed stitch. I will save that for another post...

I showed you mine now let me see yours! TUSALers leave a comment on this post with the address to your June update. If I decide to host a giveaway at the end of the year you will receive an extra entry! Are you wondering what the heck a TUSAL is? Click here for info!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox