Wow.....we had 38 people join us from all around the globe for FNSI this month....what a great start to 2021....thanks everyone! It makes my heart warm and fuzzy, knowing there are so many of us who love to get together and create!
I did say this first month of the year our prize for one lucky crafter would be this beauty....
....a gorgeous pink grateful heart journal
So without making you hold your breath any longer, I spun my wheel earlier and guess who came up?
Congratulations Pami!!!!!
Send me a message with your postal address and I'll get your prize to you pronto!
Have a fantastic January......I'm on cyclone watch for the next few days so I'll be battening down the hatches!
My Friday Night Stitching consisted of catching up on a 'previously prepared' Tilda project that just never got past go!
By mid evening I had only just finished stitching the words and doing long stitch to hold the flowers down.....I will add buttons for centres when I'm finished.
I got a little further but, having worked all day, I was a bit tired so shut up shop and went to bed. Yesterday I managed to get a bit more done and I hope to finish today.
I've nearly completed the border, which I've done in chain stitch (as Fee suggested) and I think it's come up a treat in Cottage Garden 105 Fuschia.
What did you think of the new Facebook page for our group?
I thought it added another level and gave people without blogs the chance to join in too. I've had some comments saying they don't want this to migrate to Facebook....and I promise it won't. It will remain primarily a blogging format just with the outreach of FB as another avenue. I love visiting you all on blogs too much and find it adds more to getting to know one another than just the quick picture and comment so don't worry......I won't be moving it away.
For those of you who missed the memo......we now have a Facebook group page for FNSI. Pop on by and join up if you'd like a quick snippet of what our Friday Night shenanigans are like!
Just a reminder now, to make sure your blog posts are up and running as tomorrow I will be drawing our Friday Night winner who will be receiving this.....
....the beautiful journal (not the rest...they were special gifts from VERY dear friends!!!!) We all need to be reminded to start each day with a grateful heart and I'm sure the winner of this gorgeous journal will pen lots of things she's grateful for.
I'm off to finish my stitchery. Hope you've managed some progress at our FNSI (and maybe even some finishes???). Drop by everyone's blogs HERE to click on their links and see.
Welcome to 2021, and to our (hopefully) new and improved F.N.S.I.
I've made a couple of changes, just so that we can share more readily, get to know each other better, and generally have more fun! It's been on the backburner for quite a while, bubbling about in the brain cells, but I just wasn't sure how I wanted our little group to progress (or indeed if I wanted it to).
Well, I've bitten the bullet and we now have a new Facebook page where we can share, as well as our blogs. I still love sitting with a cuppa, reading through blogs leisurely without the annoying and ever-constant refreshing of Facebook posts however I still think I need to bring us up-with-the-times. With our group consisting of stitchers from all across the globe, I think it's only fair that we can share instantly if we wish and then go and read more about it later on using the links you add when you sign up each month in this blog.
I have sent a few 'regulars' an invitation to join the Facebook group. It's a private group so it can't be seen by anyone other than those in the group but it can be found by anyone (although they wont be able to see content) and will have to 'apply' to join. If you don't get an invitation, the link to join is HERE and I encourage you all to as it will be immediate gratification for all of us, not to mention loads of fun!
The sign ups will still link to your blogs for the same reasons I mentioned above. They're our 'homes' where we can relax and enjoy visiting others in our own good time.
I'm also reinstating the random prize of the month to one lucky participant. It won't be anything flashy as it is coming out of my pocket....I don't have sponsors but hey, if anyone out there is interested..........?????........just putting it out there!
This month I have a beautiful notebook to jot special notes that inspire you, plan your FNSI's or perhaps even design some upcoming projects. I love it's inspirational cover and I'm sure our winner this month will love it too.
So, without further ado, welcome to F.N.S.I. version 2021, link your blog up below, sign up to the FB page and let's plan to get this party started this Friday night!
I'm still in shock typing that title! Can you believe it? This year has just been one crazy, hopefully never-to-be-repeated year, but despite Covid-19, health issues, hospital stays and work changes, we made it through!
Let's celebrate together at our very last-for-2020 FNSI where you can get comfy, finish off a few last Christmas gifts, nibble a few Chrissie treats topped off with a glass of wine, hot toddy or egg nog if you wish(or all of the above!) knowing you're in like-minded company with your virtual, crafty friends.
All you need to do is sign up below with your blog, IG or social media address and join us on the night. Next year I'll be doing a refresh and making our get-together more inclusive so keep an eye out for the new improved version then. In the meantime, sign up, organise some crafty business for Friday night and join in. Remember, it doesn't matter where you are in the world or whether you join in Friday night Australia time or anywhere-else-in-the-world-time. We'll be coming to visit during the week to see what you've been up to and cheer you on!
I'm a week behind and I didn't even know it....this year really hasn't been one for the faint-hearted, has it?
Sorry I’m late but i guess you won't mind if we join together this Friday night instead? I'll understand if you can't but if you're anything like me, you'll have heaps to do before Christmas so anytime is a good time, right?
just click on the link below, sign up and I'll see you then!
We've been home about 2 weeks now and I've had my hands full, to say the least. (For those of you new to the blog or who've been away since the last one, check back HERE for full details)
Mr B was recovering slowly as his diabetes was not well managed prior to the heart attack, which the diabetes specialist informs us was the cause of his heart issues.....not poor eating habits, but poor general follow-up by his gp with medicines and blood tests and a lack of knowledge on our part which resulted in a natural progression of the disease. If only we had a time machine! I definitely would be more in charge of learning about our health rather than just relying on the gp to keep on top of it! Don't get me wrong, our gp is wonderful, but we weren't aware of the blood tests we needed to get and medicines that were available to counteract issues Mr B was having....living in a rural town certainly has its downfalls with medical interventions for preventable diseases.
We spent four weeks in hospital, having had a fall (as he forgot he was attached to a blood pressure machine and oxygen and took a dive on his shoulder and whacked his head after getting up to go to the bathroom!), having two blood transfusions and then, after contracting an infection in his arm wound (where they took one of the veins for his bypasses) and then having high-dose antibiotics intravenously to kill the bacteria. Mr B was climbing the walls!
Fast forward to now and we are managing medications, we've perfected the art of injecting insulin, and our walks are getting longer and longer each day! AND we're extremely thankful for prayers and positive thoughts....I'm convinced that got him through so I get to enjoy his company for a lot longer!
Now onto our topic at hand.....this week is our FNSI....I've been doing lots of stitching but not getting much finished so maybe that's what I'll be working on. What about you?
I’ll be hosting FNSI from afar this month.....well, only an hour away from home but in ICU. Not me, I’ll be the visitor, but Mr B has had a big scare that’s thrown the biggest curve ball to us that we’ve ever had to face.
A week and a half ago, Mr B was complaining of not being able to catch his breath when he was lying down to sleep so had not had much sleep for 3 nights. On the second night he mentioned he had a bit of a whistle when he breathed so we monitored it. He also mentioned he had no energy to walk from his car to his workplace during the day, he was very lethargic. On the third morning he woke up not feeling well at all and his chest was rattling. I thought he had the beginnings of pneumonia so convinced him (after much “discussion”) it would be a good idea to go tho the emergency department of our local hospital.
When we got there and explained what the problem was, the took us in and within minutes of checking him over, had monitors and all sorts of tests and xrays happening. They thought he had either a blood clot in his lung or had had a heart attack but Mr B hadn’t had any pain or symptoms of a heart attack. After a trip in the ambulance to the radiology department for a ct scan, They discovered his heart was in fact damaged, and his right lung was filling with fluid as his heart was struggling. They informed us he had in fact, had a silent heart attack. We’d never heard of one before and as there were no symptoms, other than afterwards with lethargy and difficulty breathing, it appears he had his about 3 days prior, at work, whilst he continued about his job driving heavy machinery. Mr B drives a dozer clearing scrub timber on a cattle property so works by himself all day away from anyone else, often out of phone range so you can imagine my panic.
By late afternoon, we were travelling to Townsville, an hour away, by ambulance to a much larger hospital with cardiac specialists at hand. He was booked in for an angiogram last Monday, where they planned to put a stent in if at all possible. Well, Mr B being Mr B had to be a little more difficult than straightforward didn’t he? He was booked for open heart surgery Monday this week as it seemed he had five or six blocked arteries that needed bypass grafts. We did a tour of ICU on Sunday night so we knew what to expect when he returned from surgery as he was to stay there for one or two days till he was well enough to return to a hospital room. His surgery was booked for 12pm Monday and the surgeon rang me at 5 pm saying he was out and everything went well, although it was more extensive than they thought....he had to have SEVEN bypass grafts....unheard of!
I didn’t post FNSI yesterday as you can say I was a little preoccupied! But so far so good. Despite having difficulties overnight with maintaining his blood pressure, which they had to struggle to maintain with medications, he made it through. He was still intubated this morning and anesthetised so they could stabilise him but by afternoon the tube had been removed and he was breathing through nasal tubes to keep his lungs inflated and to avoid further complications like pneumonia. To say he’s out of the woods would be optimistic, but he has made progress and they are expecting he will spend another two days in ICU recovering where he will wake properly and walk around to promote healing. As they keep reminding me, it was a MAJOR operation, one of which the experienced nurses of 30 years had not seen before, six yes but seven......never! So my hubby is a bit of hard work at the moment, but worth every second in my opinion. And being 61 years old, he’s considered a youngster in the cardiac care unit, so he has a lot of life to look forward to. I’ll have me a new husband, Mr B 2.0!
To think, two weeks ago, we were planning a long needed weekend away with my son and his girlfriend but that has been postponed for quite a while now. I’m just thanking the Lord that I still have this special man still in my life and treasuring every moment we get. I won’t be taking any of it for granted anymore!
So you now can see where I’m coming from when I say this week I’ll be hosting FNSI from ICU. Join me in celebrating my new and improved model!
Sign ups below, and if your the praying kind, like me.....your prayers are very much appreciated. If not, thoughts and loving wishes of health and a speedy recovery are just as appreciated. It’s times like these you realise how precious family and friends are and how Quickly our routines can be changed forever.
Always Remember to tell your loved ones how precious they are
