Chipmunk Mode

I have entered into chipmunk mode, AKA, I had my wisdom teeth out at around 12:30 today. All things told, it really wasn't that bad, that worst part of today was the starting of the IV. No matter how much I insisted that it WOULD NOT work on my right arm, they still insisted on trying, because my veins appear more prominent there. They thought that they had it in, and started injecting the sedation medicines, but all that did was cause me to be in intense pain, while not drifting off to sleep. Finally, they switched it to my left arm, and in about 2 seconds, I was out, and the next thing I knew I was waking up. I don't think that I was that spacey, but I don't remember much of the car ride to the pharmacy, although I DO remember running into my piano teacher there, and then rambling on about the conference, the student she had referred to me, and Mrs. Treble Clef and Mr. Bass Clef...

Glad that she has known me for almost 20 years now...

So far, it has not been very painful, I am getting by pretty well on just advil. Mostly, it actually seems to be my cheeks that are hurting from the swelling, and I know that that is only going to increase over the next day or so, but the advil is also an anti-inflammatory and should help with that. In all honesty, doing my stress test, although shorter, was harder on me.

Exhausted, but happy

I am utterly exhausted now, even though it is only 8pm. Although, my body does think that it is 9pm because from saturday until the plane left at 2:30 this afternoon, I was a timezone further east. A wonderful conference, with many great memories and lots of education to help me in my teaching, but now I am tired!

Friday I go in to get my wisdom teeth out. Obviously not looking forward to that, and there is still that bad gut-feeling that going under general anaesthesia was the wrong choice for me to make...I guess only time will tell.

Term Insurance

Long story about what has been going on lately, but I've applied for term insurance. Applied, and I have no clue if I will be accepted. My medical history kind of makes me nervous that I won't. Being born with my heart condition, I certainly couldn't help that-if that's what disqualifies me, then there is nothing that I can do about it. But no one told me at 15 that getting diagnosed with depression could someday make it so that I couldn't get insurance. Note that term insurance is different than life insurance. Term insurance, you are covered for a certain period of time, with lower premiums and less hidden print. It is through Primerica, so the phrase "Buy term and save the difference" is what we go by. Part of the reason I am applying now is that things are NOT going to get better on the heart front, only more likely to make me denied coverage. On the mental exclusion front, well, time will help that...

It's not that I personally need insurance at this point in my life...but let's fast forward to ten years down the road. Maybe I'm married and have a child. I am then at a point where I DO likely need insurance, but it's only going to be more challenging to get then, as my heart is likely to continue gradually worsening to the point where medications and/or surgery are necessary to fix or replace my valve. I wish I had done this back in October, then I would only have had one big exclusion mark against me, not two possible ones.

Having to tell the company over the phone about my eating disorder past was hard. Is it at a very manageable point at this time in my life? Yes. Did I feel like I was being judged when I talked about still involving myself actively in doing a group and seeing a dietician from time to time to make sure that I am still on the right track? YES.

It could be some time before I hear about this, and even if I am denied, it is not the be-all-and-end-all...if I am denied coverage, at least I know and can prepare in other ways, such as investing more. If I am accepted, then I am covered for 35 years...

I haven't felt this stressed for some time, but I do now. And it is not a nice kind of stress in the least.

Bernat Baby Blanket Corner to Corner Blanket

Sometimes, it's nice to have a blanket made from REALLY thick yarn because it works up so fast! This one didn't take very long at all to make. It's a corner to corner blanket in a seed stitch pattern-so you increase or decrease every other row. The seed stitch means that it's Knit 1, Purl 1 all the way across, giving it a bit more texture. Because Wal-Mart didn't have enough of any single colour, I figured that combining two would work out okay, and it did. So, here it is in Baby Blue and Funny Prints. I decided that I would just knit until I was out of yarn/almost out of yarn on the "10th row of pattern" so it's a bit larger than the pattern specified. Oh well. I have no problems with that, and I'm sure some small child will not either! I never understand the patterns that have baby blankets only, say, 28 x 27 inches. If you have a well-knit or crocheted baby blanket, you will want it to last well into their childhood. Mine was definitely an adequate blanket until I hit around double digits in age. Okay, so I was a strange child in that I was stunted in growth (or so it seemed), but either way, mine lasted a LONG time in it's original blanket on bed/couch type of function. It is STILL on my pillow every night, and I have definitely been known to put it around my shoulders while studying or working on late night essays. My good friend B. told me that until just a few months ago, her blankie was on her pillow every night...until she found a guy and felt that she didn't need it anymore. And she is 26!

Anyways...

Bernat Baby Sport Round Blanket

I finished the edging for this one last night. It probably only took about 2 weeks of crocheting, and it was not the only one that I was working on. Although I did get kind of obsessive with it the past few days! Like yesterday, I was determined to finish the edging!!! It really introduced me to several techniques that I had not done before including crocheting in the round, a 'shell' type stitch, treble crochet (in the edging) and picot edging. I am pretty happy with the results, and very pleased with the colour that I found at Zellers, called "Pretty Girl". I'm hoping that it will show up online as well at some point, but I have yet to see it on the Bernat website.

I like that it is 'more' than a full circle-adds a little bit more to snuggle up with. I still have several projects on the go (what else is new?!) and will have to buy some more yarn to create a special blanket for a friend who is going to have a baby! Fellow flute player-it's her third child, but that doesn't make it any less exciting-for any of us! I'm thinking that I'll find a nice mint-green and make a feather and fan blanket...as I typically do for my friends, due to it's significance. Project Linus I will experiment for, but for my friends-the Feather and Fan blanket.

Summer= More blankets for Project Linus

As those who read this blog last year know, I spent a lot of time last year beginning in February and continuing through August knitting, crocheting, and creating fleece blankets for Bernat's Project Linus Knit-Along and Crochet-Along. In total during those months, I created 15 blankets for the drive, of which I posted pictures online. Well, it's summer, which means time to knit and crochet again! I finally took the pictures of the blankets I have completed so far this year and so, in all their cuddliness, here they are:

This one is a Stripes and Textures blanket in Bernat Baby Cakes, a cuddly blend of cotton and acrylic which has unfortunately been discontinued. Somehow, it always seems like the more practical or fun yarns and the best colours are always the ones that get discontinued...

I started this one last summer, and finished knitting the sides yesterday. Some parts were not that difficult (like the simple blue and yellow stripes) but the pink pattern drove me slightly crazy! And picking up the stitches along the sides was not the most fun thing in the world. Still, the bright results and the many different stitches were fun to combine, and I like the end picture. 

Because this is ME, it's naturally a crochet Wavy Ripple blanket using Bernat Baby Coordinates. Again, one that I started last summer and found in my knitting/crocheting basket when I went looking a few weeks ago. I used leftovers from other projects, and lined up the colours to create a rainbow effect. If only my tension had been the same last year and this year. I guess it's part of only having done a handful of crochet projects so far.

Yet another Wavy Ripple blanket in Bernat Baby Coordinates. This was from a book called Baby Gifts, and I added some extra stripes, including the Soft Mauve and the Soft Turquoise. I also decided to do a single crochet in the Soft Blue along the edges. 

A knitted Fan and Feather blanket, which is the same pattern that my own knitted baby blanket-which rests at the top of my pillow each night-is in. It's done in the Pastel Shades variegated colour of Bernat Super Value yarn. 

At last count, I had five more blankets on the go. I figure a couple of them will be finished before the week is over. And now I am very tired!

Explain this one...

Last September, when my dad and sister went east for two weeks, I was happy for them, enjoyed having the house to myself, etc etc. My dad left for a twelve day trip to Great Britain today, very early this morning. It's his first time over there since he was 21...my age. He's now 63. So explain why I am feeling, well, lonely?Perhaps even, scared? (!!!)  I guess I'm just at a different place then I was in September. September, before I heard those words that changed everything, "You have a heart murmur, did you know that?". Before I started having problems breathing, and eating (physically).

I'm sure it will improve tomorrow. I think this is just a sign that I need to see people my own age again, and SOON. And really chill. I guess things were different because in September, I was in school. And I have to say that I didn't feel slightly creeped out with the windows open, because they weren't! Now, well, I got a bit creeped out when I was downstairs cataloguing yarn/putting yarn away while watching I dream of Jeannie and the windows were open upstairs. But, I wasn't about to just close them up and negate all the cooling evening air. I guess it was really only the living room and dining room windows that bothered me, because they are the ones that are big enough-and low enough-to the ground that someone could come in them. The others, yes, someone could come in them, but they're pretty high up. You'd have to be quite tall and strong or have a ladder to manage it.

I guess this is also part of having entered into the 3 weeks on for more challenging depression. Generally, it seems like I have three weeks of harder depression, and one week where it isn't so bad. It kind of messes up the brain. (Kind of?)

Cataloguing yarn. Having inherited a lot of yarn...in addition to buying a lot on my own...there is a lot of yarn in the house. Fortunately, it catalogues faster than music! A large percentage of it was catalogued and stored back neatly in the closet in the library this evening. Basically the only thing in that closet is yarn. Yarn in boxes, yarn in the two dressers that used to be in my room when I was a little girl, yarn in a couple of bags. Some other craft supplies are in a cardboard chest of drawers that also used to be in my room. For many years it stored sorted barbie things...Now, it stores needle point, embroidery, glue guns, beads...

As I often say to my friends, there are a few things that my house has in abundance: Yarn, fabric, music(both print and recorded), and books. I guess I can add musical instruments to the list as well!

One of the things I want to do this summer is make my first true quilt, and then donate it to Project Linus. I just finished another crochet blanket for Project Linus today, and with all the fabric around, it would be a nice challenge to learn something new. I've done some sewing in the past, but not for a couple of years. Well, I guess about two years exactly...I think that I probably did one or two things after my mom got sick. When it comes to sewing I dearly wish that I had her around for guidance, but I guess I'll just have to rely on my memory and on Sewing for Dummies and any other books that I've since purchased on the subject!

Enough for now. Writing has actually helped soothe me, and I think I'll go take a nice hot bath and then go to bed...with a good 'comfort book' and some music of course!