Bits and Bobs, Dribs and Drabs

Hard to believe March is almost over.  With the exception of that one day I got to the beach, it's been mostly cold and snowy.  We're all so tired and beaten down by it.

Sagan had his 10th birthday on March 11.  I can't believe he's 10.  He still jumps around and runs up and down the hallway like a crazed puppy.  I've had him over 9 years now.  Where has the time gone?

"Take dis dum fing off mai head."

So of course they got special peanut butter cheese treats after dinner.

"Huwwy up and make mai birfday tweat!"

Pushy pups!  I'm cornered AGAIN!

*Sigh*  This was March 15th.  We had another snow event on the 21st too, another 2".  At least this time of year it melts off pretty fast.  Go home Mother Nature.  You're drunk.  Still below normal temps with a cold wind.  Really hoping this is it.  I know I keep saying that....but....

I cannot remember if I already posted pics of this celestial needlepoint.  Not happy with the frame but it works for now.

I really should be working on my custom cross stitch projects for people, but I couldn't resist whipping out this wizard in about 2 weeks' time.  Here it is before the beads....

....and after it was completed.  This was way harder than it looked in the catalog picture. The dark blue floss against dark blue perforated paper was really hard to see.  

We spent most of the month taking care of routine medical and paperwork stuff.  I got a letter from Premera Blue Cross, saying that their site was hacked, last May, and millions of people's info was stolen.  I haven't had that health insurance since 2008, but I signed up for their offer for two years' worth of free credit monitoring and ID theft insurance.  Why can't the hackers use their powers for good?  

My craft muse is still on an extended vacation so I haven't done anything new.  I went through my Pinterest boards, craft pics on my hard drive and a bunch of tutorials and nothing, and I do mean nothing floats my boat.  I have my resin jewelry kit but....meh.  I don't want to blow through all the stuff I bought.  All I really feel like doing is colouring and cross stitch so that's what I'm doing.  Lord knows I have enough kits and books to keep me busy.

Speaking of books, I just finished The Mighty Fitz: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Michael Schumacher.  It was really quite good, although I got teary eyed and emotional on more than one occasion thinking about those poor guys that died, and how awful it was for their families. Plus I had Gordon Lightfoot's song stuck in my head the entire time and that didn't help.  They were so close to the safety and shelter of Whitefish Bay when they went down.  After all this time, there is still no real way of knowing what happened out there that stormy night.  A lot of theories, but no proof.  It's a really good read, if you are interested in shipwrecks.  

Other than that, I've been living on my heating pad b/c my back's been so achy, and when I'm not reading, colouring or cross stitching, I'm cooking lots of homemade soups and baking cookies (most of which I've given away.  I love to bake but I really don't need to be eating 3 dozen cookies). Hubby's birthday is the end of the month and I'll be fixing him some of his fave foodstuffs and attemping a pineapple upside down bundt cake.  

This is what I see peering around the corner of the cabinet at me every time I'm cooking or baking. Always ready to help.