I think my brain is turning into a ball of yarn! March 5, 2009

In the past week I have finished 5 projects…5!  (2 pairs fingerless mitts, a cowl, and 2 hats)  Number one, I don’t even know where I found the time to do it all, and number two, since when am I so efficient?!?  I am not complaining about my brain turning into a ball of yarn…I just can’t believe how much of it I have processed in the past week. 

Right now, I am trying to finish a cowl I started a couple of weeks ago.  Easy pattern, but I apparently am too busy making other things!

The past couple of weeks have been pretty stressful here at work…The students must be going crazy!  I had one student for 5 days in a row…2 in-school suspensions, one lunch detention, one afterschool detention, one time out.  Think he was looking for an out of school suspension?  I’d say.  Well, he got it…5 days of it.  Thank God I had a week of peace here at school.

Healthwise I am doing great…they finally have weaned me down to 20mg of prednisone.  I can’t wait to be completely done with that stuff…If my face gets any fatter, I won’t be able to see. (JK…LOL)  I think that the Zumba classes I have been taking have been awesome!  It is nice to finally be doing something fun and physical as opposed to being bored in a hospital bed.

Well, I am off to be my normal overworked self…Looking forward to knitting group tonight and some Zumba after that!

Knittin’ Stuff February 24, 2009

So, as I was surfing Ravelry the other day, I found that there is someone already using the tag Ninaknits.  That really sucks!  So I have changed my business name to Sturdymama Knits.  My patterns that I have written will be posted in the next few days and I can breathe a little easier (Ha Ha Ha).

Saturday, I went with my Mom to a local knitting group, and I had so much fun!  I am usually the lone knitter in the world around me, and to be around other knitting enthusiasts brightened my day!  Not only that, but the meeting was at The Starry Night Bakery in Westminster, and I treated myself to a cannoli cheesecake.  Fabulous! 

A student from the middle school I work at found me yesterday to give me the Christmas present she had for me while I was in the hospital back in December.  She said she kept forgetting to bring it in.  I had to laugh.  But it was a great gift…it was a skein of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick in Claret, this fab burgundy color.  I usually don’t like working with acrylic blends, but I was pleasantly surprised.  I just can’t figure out what to make with the extra chunkiness.  I prefer working with the lighter weight yarns.  I am imagining a pair of comfy slippers, so I think that will be my next attempt at creativity.  We’ll see, won’t we?

What am I Thinking? January 29, 2009

Am I certifiably crazy?  I have so much on my proverbial plate, that perhaps I over served myself.  I am trying to salvage the PTO for the middle school, I am trying to keep myself cancer and vasculitis free, I am trying to be an active mom and wife and everything that comes along with that, and I am trying to get my knitting business off of the ground.  I hope that anyone who hears me saying that I have nothing to do would smack me back into reality!  While I don’t feel the pressure quite yet, looking at it as I am trying to schedule everything is quite daunting. 

I have been trying to publish my very first original knitting patterns, which also adds a little extra work, but it makes my brain feel like it is working.  I have really enjoyed the past few months, knitting for everyone, and I am excited to build upon the business that has been created.  Stay tuned for more pics and, eventually, an official website from NinaKnits.

New Stuff January 27, 2009

Well, I was told by my doctor that we are going to do another 4 weeks of the Rituxan chemo for my HSP Vasculitis.  That in itself is not so bad…minimal side effects.  That means every Tuesday for the next few weeks I will be at Hopkins for several hours of IV chemo.  Yay…Superfun (said with a sarcastic smirk!)!  At this point I feel that whatever I have to do is is whatever I have to do…

Happy New Year!!! Bring it on, 2009! December 31, 2008

Happy New Year to everyone!  As I am sitting here, reminiscing about the past year, I can’t really complain…I can definitely say it has been interesting!  And as I am coming out of my treatment phase for the moment, I can whole heartedly start to think of ways to help my dear friend Lara as she starts the new year with her battle.  I feel that if God gave me the past 7 years of experience just to help her through her journey, it has been worth every single bit!  No doubt!  So, I thank the Lord for the friends and family that I have been so mightily blessed with…Here is to another year to love and be loved!  God Bless every single one of you, until you think you can’t be blessed anymore…because I know that’s the way God works!!!

Home Sweet Home December 25, 2008

I am home.

I came home on Christmas Eve, after visiting with the big family, and passed out on my couch.  Chris said he tried to wake me up to go to bed, and I pleasantly told him I was fine, and went back to sleep.  I must have been comfortable!  It feels so good to be in my zone, my territory.  I have to go to the outpatient clinic on Friday, but that is okay, because I get to come right back home.

It is a merry Christmas for me, and I hope yours is just as blissfully merry!

I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it…. December 23, 2008

Not only does the title of this post pay homage to the fabulous Pointer Sisters, it also sums up my being right now.  I am going home tomorrow!  Yes, tomorrow!  I can’t wait to see my family!  I will have to go back and forth every few days, but small price to pay for the comforts of home, don’t you think?  If I knew I wouldn’t get all tangled up in my IV tubes, I would be dancing around my room right now (I know what kind of scary visions you are all having as you read that sentence. Sorry!)

Good news… December 21, 2008

Well, today I got some good news…my body is making neutrophils! Yay!  FYI…neutrophils are white blood cells that eat up the bad stuff.  Dr. Karp said she “feels it in her bones” that I’ll be home for Christmas.  Can’t, and won’t, argue with her bones.  She is a wise little woman!  And a very sweet one…I mean, really, how many attending physicians come in and give their patients big kisses before addressing the illness issues?  She is the same doctor who let me have a ”day pass” to go to Katie’s bridal shower.  LOVE HER!!!!

I can’t wait to be home with my family, take a long hot shower without an IV pole standing next to me, sleep in my own bed, eat good food, and get back to the “real” life of Jen Sturdivant.  I think it is kind of funny that I separated chemo life from “real” life.  Chemo is a part of my life.  Not one I am fond of, but an integral part nonetheless.

And my dreams last night were in technicolor with funny little munchkins running around…definitely too much Wizard of Oz last night!

Light in the Darkness December 20, 2008

So…I know the title of my post today seems really serious, but I couldn’t think of anything else.  My day was spent sleeping off my fever, which luckily has stayed away for the last 4 hours.  I think I threw a curveball at the doctors this morning when I told them that I felt that my vasculitis was starting to flare up.  Dr. Karp, the attending, was a little unprepared to address my concern.  Apparently, she failed to think that my lymphocyte (white blood cell) recovery could be confused with an actual vasculitis flare-up.  So, the docs are just watching me through tomorrow morning to see if my vasculitis symptoms get worse.  I am just now feeling a little better from the fever. 

The light in my ”dark” day was that Alex and Will came up to visit me today.  I love that Chris brought them even though it was for such a short time ( I think the visit only lasted maybe 30 minutes) and I love that I got some healing hugs from my little men, as well as my big man.  

On a much more random note:  I am watching “The Wizard of Oz” for the second time in a row, and now I remember why I don’t really like that movie.  I say that as I am reciting the words to the movie as it goes on.

I think I was over-exposed to that film as a child.  I can only imagine the dreams I’ll have tonight!

I’m still here… December 19, 2008

I know it has been a couple of days since I last posted anything.  The past couple of days have been a little rough for me.  Wednesday was a good day, with visits from lots of people (thanks for the fried chicken, Annette!) but then that night I spiked a fever and I have been miserable ever since.  I am still feverish, and they have me on numerous medications to treat the fever, but I am not feeling any better.  So it goes, I guess.  I’m glad I got my fever here at the hospital, because my fever got high (102) really quickly.  If I had been at home, it may have been worse.  I think I will just keep this short and sweet.  I’ll post again tomorrow, hopefully feeling much better.