Exchange goodies and belated birthday gift ^^

I actually received Cathy's exchange some time ago, but it has been insane at work so it took this long for me to post pictures for you to admire...

Cathy stitched me gorgeous pinkeep using a design on my wishlist and she made it even more perfect as the colours match the pinkeep I received in Here's to Ewe!
She also added some lovely goodies so I was really pampered to bits!

Thank you Cathy!

With stitching friends you can have your birthday more than once every year

For aforementioned reason I haven't blogged about belated birthday gift I got from Leena either...

Leena stitched me cute little Halloweeny ornaments and sent me magazine where the designs are from and skein of Pomme de Pin hand-dyed, which is completely new brand to me (the colour is much better in person, flash just does things to colours) and looks absolutely yummy.

Thank you Leena!

Life in general

There has been annoyance and good things in my life lately, but just to end this entry with positive things a little rant:

I sold some stuff at local auction site in last month and one of the winners has been a nuisance... I sent her win to her about three weeks ago and accidentally found out that she had complaints about the postages (which she accepted and paid when requested) - her claim is that she paid more than the postage was (she should try eBay some day: that is SO common). Accidentally because she had left, excuse my French, paranoia filled rant in my feedback (and of course she gave me negative) without trying to contact me in ANY way before that (she knew my email, of course). Of course I got annoyed and left her negative feedback in return just because she obviously is not a good customer even though she paid quickly... after this she started to harass me in quite threatening way and sent me an SMS threatening to come behind my door (she lives on the other side of the country...) if I don't answer to her call right now...
I sent her courteously chilly SMS that she should read her email and that I do not answer to personal calls while I am at work (it's very common for people to be at work around 8:30 in the morning).

At the moment I am intentionally communicating slowly with her through email trying to help her to see the plain stupidity of her claim: if she had contacted me right after she got the item and asked me for a refund I would have said yes without thinking twice, but after coping with her ignorance, plain stupidity, harassment and obvious lack of sense of reality I am not very fond of the idea. Eventually I may refund her as a charitable action (if her finances depend on those three euros she needs charity!), but she will never get the other things she wants from me: positive feedback. Why would I give to her? She's real pain in my behind and I don't want that anyone else has to suffer from her...

On brighter side of things: I have lately begun to receive my purchases from eBay so I have had lovely stash filled days and pile of new and new/ used stuff waiting for to be blogged about.

But, great things last: first of all I have two whole days off starting tomorrow!
Secondly I have been praised today by our area manager and SALO (our branch's quality control/ improvement and work effectivity program) trainer, which feels good for several reasons. ^^

But now I must run: I just got an email from Mr. Wonderful. ^^

Actually I am alive and well, but...

... lately I have just spent all my days at work or sleeping and have barely had energy to do anything in addition of working because of the anaphylaxis and the cortisone treatment.
Luckily the symptoms have vanished (mostly, at least) and I have noticed an interesting additional benefit of high dose of cortisone: my leg hairs haven't been growing since I started the medication.

Admittedly I know that I am just asking for trouble by working this much and sacrificing my days off when I am asked to come to work: my plan is to actually have next two days off I have in the end of coming week - I need to as I am planning to get influenza vaccination and I may get slight cold from it and it's better that I am off when the side effects strike.
But, on the other hand I know why I am so willing to be the one who saves the day by coming to work when needed: it's not that much about the money, but about not having to be at home when Mr. Wonderful is not here as more or less surprisingly I find it quite confusing not to have him here close to me at all times.

What makes it even more difficult is that because of the news he received when he arrived back to Europe we won't probably see before I go there (hopefully in the beginning of January) as at the moment he just simply can't take that time off. (Which makes the situation probably even more stressfull for both of us as we miss each other and I know that he would need me there more than usual at this moment. If we could spend some time together he would have a possibility to forget about his stress for a minute, relax a bit and concentrate on finer things of life: us.)
So, it's easier for me to spend my days working as I can distract myself and concentrate on customers and my duties - and of course being paid for it is an additional bonus (it pays my newly found eBay addiction (which probably is partially caused by missing Mr. W. - though admittedly I have been justifying postages and bid on things I might sell on a local auction site ($1 leaflets/ booklets will very likely pay themselves back through there) and some items for couple of friends)).

But, as we always remind each other: there will be a day when this phase passes and we are together on daily basis. And that day is worth waiting for.

And something completely diferent...

I have lost my eBay seller virginity and placed few mags on sale just out of curiosity:

• CS 165; Margaret Sherry's "12 Days of Christmas", part I
• CS 166; Margaret Sherry's "12 Days of Christmas", part II
• CS 167; Margaret Sherry's "12 Days of Christmas", part III

More stitchy content coming to a blog near you one of these days... hopefully tomorrow.

eBay, the source of all evil - and wonderful new stash!

My Noah's Ark arrived last week in pristine condition from the seller and about two days after that I received some more Out-Of-Print Teresa Wentzlers from another eBay seller - two of three designs are such I wasn't even aware of!

Those formerly-unbeknownst-to-me designs were "Peaceable Kingdom" and "Diamonds in Squares" (not OOP, but I have never seen it anywhere), "Treetop Sampler" wasn't that high on my wish list, but as the same seller who had PK and DiS had it I bid for it and got it (I think that is called "justifying the postages").

Choking

Well, I still have some of it, but it's getting easier to cope with - it only happens about once a day and I don't need the bronchodilator to release my larynx anymore. (Though I also suspect that some bad news Mr. Wonderful told me today may have affected negatively to my condition (nothing to do with us, in theory (it will probably affect to our plans for the future though), but the da**ed global financial crisis), but knowing how devastated he is at this moment I am not telling him that, he has enough on his mind already.)

One down, one less to use

Well, it seems that that "nothing" was actually an allergic reaction to doxicyclin (an antibiotic I was prescribed for my bronchitis) as I feel lots better after only one dose (40mg) of cortisone prescribed to me by a nice doctor at private clinic (and employer pays ).

They say that allergy for several antibiotics (in my case two: penicillin and doxicyclin) is very, very rare condition, but oddly enough I am not only person in my family allergic to at least two different kind antibiotics. Maybe we are slightly odd then.

At least one thing is for sure: I will sleep like a baby next two weeks, because of that course of cortisone. (Taking that the reaction actually becomes milder within 24 hours, otherwise I have to run back to the clinic.)

Learning to be reasonable

I realised yesterday that it is not reasonable from me to stress about the ornament set I have been model stitching for quite some time with an intention to get them published this year. Even though my goal was to get them out this year so much have happened since I started stitching them that I simply have to accept the fact that I am not a machine, only a human.

There's always next year and good things are worth waiting for (and they are, even I say so, gorgeous).

This decision has freed me to think of the designs of next year and I know what I am going to model stitch next: a cute Valentine's Day design which I have wanted to stitch since I designed it - all three versions of it.

I want to know what's wrong with me!

My health issues continue and current ones are rather scary... I almost choked this morning when coughing, twice, and because of this I went to ER. Like that had been a good idea, quite contrary: the doctor honestly said to me that she has not idea nor means to check what's wrong with me (that is a hospital, for Pete's sake!) so she prescribed antibiotics and stronger asthma medication for me - no use, it's Father's Day and I couldn't find a pharmacy which had been open.
I decided to go to my mother's, just in case I get another choking attack and bronchodilator isn't helpful - as it is quite difficult to call an ambulance when you can't breathe.

When I came here I took some terbutaline, which used to cause nasty twitching, and to my surprise I feel quite fine now (I do still cough, but for now my larynx has been behaving) - I just hope this continues and I don't need to have another panic attack in the morning because I simply can't breathe...

Regardless, I am going to book a doctor's appointment through my employer's health care plan (private sector has the fun side that they do have interest towards you because you, or in this case your employer, pay good money for them).

OOPitis i.e. how I ended up shopping at eBay

I was chatting with Linda today and she happened to mention Teresa Wentzler's "Noah's Ark" and how she would love to have it some day even it is OOP (Out Of Print). I recalled adoring that same design in someone's blog and thought that I would like to find the design.
Well, just after we had ended our little gossip moment I decided to google the design, just out of curiosity, and found this as Buy Now.

I think I don't even need to ask you to guess did I buy it or not.

I also found this link through Google and I think many of us TW addicts will find it useful: Teresa Wentzler Design List

Cross posting: This the Season to Be Jolly

The Gift of Stitching's ornament number was published earlier than normal this year and I can't say anything else, but WOW!
It is filled with beautiful designs from several designers one of them being Frosty Pinecones from Periphaeria Designs!

I have loved the design since I designed it ages ago and when I was looking for ornament design for TGOS' ornament issue it was an obvious choice.
The design style is generally very traditionally Slavic (the name comes from the "pinecone" motif within the whole design), but I wanted to give it a special twist and make it suitable also for those stitchers who don't live in Northern Hemisphere and decided to go with shades of raspberry and rose to make an example of how varying the design is.

It was originally planned to be stitched with only one colour, but my household gnomes hid not one, but two skeins while I was model stitching the design and it ended to have three colours - very succesfully, if you ask my opinion. :)
The design can, of course, be stitched with just one colour or three colours of your own preference.

Feel free to play with the colours and I hope you enjoy stitching the design! I did.

(Originally posted to Tales from Periphaeria.)

Shiny... my preciousssssssss!

Well, my excuse is that I was shopping for a gift for bits_2_whole... you know how it goes with international shipping... So, I bought two rings for myself:

And after that I had some pleasant window shopping... Ooh, pretty: Nepali Sterling Jali Mandala Necklace and Nepali Sterling & Lapis Mandala Earrings!

And more...

• Boulder Opal in Ironstone Matrix Earrings
• Green Amber Celtic Earrings
• Green Amber Celtic Ring - North/South
• Green Amber Celtic Necklace
• Ammonite Drop Earrings
• Sterling Teardrop Earrings
• Sterling & Garnet Khamsa Earrings (I have ordered this already)
• Simple Amethyst & Sterling Drop Earrings
• Zuluwood Adventure Earrings
• Nepali Sterling & Opal Necklace
• Rice Grain Dangling Earrings
• Yemenite Sterling Filigree Paisley Earrings
• Copper Bead & Silver Spike Earrings

Oh my, I am afraid that I am getting all girly. O_o