Sunday, January 15, 2012

Theme-a-licious

Heather came up with a great way to keep us from getting bored with out stitching in 2012, called Theme-a-licious.  Each month has a different theme.  I decided I'd play along as much as possible and try to fit it in with my other planned stitching.  There are definitely going to be some repeats from month to month, and some of it might even be stretching it a bit.

For Jardin January we were supposed to work on anything with flowers or gardens in it.  First up is Poinsettia House.  Nope, didn't get a finish in on this like I hoped, but I have a valid reason.  More about that later.  Close, but not quite, and its not getting done tonight, I'm exhausted.


Next up is my Halloween Rules.  I stopped working on this about a week ago, but I got enough of that sunflower stitched that I'm counting it!  Yeah, yeah, its stretching the whole jardin theme a bit, but I warned you.


Its been a very busy day, starting off with a phone call letting me know grandma had taken an ambulance ride to the emergency room during the night.  Mom and Dad were supposed to come back from their camping trip anyway, but to make matters worse, Dad is sick with food poisoning (we think).  Mom has a tendency to keep foot just a bit too long, and Dad just can't say no to cilantro lime shrimp from Costco.  He's paying for it now.  This would explain why why I err on the side of caution when it comes to cleaning out the fridge.

Anyway, back to grandma.  She ended up getting admitted to the hospital (which is a good thing) and I found my way over to it to visit and make sure everything was ok.  Now I don't want anyone to think I'm trying to kill off my grandmother, but the lady is 92 years old; so one of the top priorities was to ensure the medical staff know she has a DNR (do not resuscitate) order, and to NOT give her a stress test for her heart.  They just cause more harm than its worth.

She seems to be doing ok, other than not being able to breathe without oxygen and tiring very easily.  About this time last year she was admitted with congestive heart failure and we thought that was the end.  She pulled through like the fighter she is, but I don't think this is the same thing.  First off, she's talking much easier than last time, and doesn't have the same swelling.  The suspicion is a blood clot from her legs worked its way up to her heart or lungs.  Of course being admitted on a Sat night/Sun morning means medical staff is at a low, so I don't think we'll find much out until Monday.

By the time I got home from the hospital, a trip to Trader Joe's and the Costco Zoo, the motorhome was parked in the driveway.  So much for my plans to cook a surprise birthday dinner for my mother, with a lemon cake for dessert, much less finish Poinsettia House.  She got Costco rotisserie chicken.  I did make her some Lemon Olive Oil cake while she was out visiting grandma this evening.  I omitted sprinkling the extra sugar on the top before baking.  Technically these are lime cakes, since we get really great limes from the neighbor's tree.

As you can see by this picture, they're pretty darn tasty and the glaze just puts them over the top.  Again, I just used the lime I grated the zest from.  The limes are so ripe and mild, they look like lemons, and taste pretty close.  Mom was going for another slice when I had to remind her she has the weekly family weigh in tomorrow morning.  She put the knife back down.  I'll wrap some of these up and give to the neighbors, since this household is supposed to be on a diet.  Poor Shepherd's Bush, they got used to getting my baking, but I think driving 750 miles to drop these off is a bit far.


20 comments:

Christine said...

I hope your Grandma is getting better.
Poinsettia House looks fabulous.
I guess if you don't want to drive the lime cakes to Utah, jetting them over to England is out of the question ;D

cucki said...

oh dear..i hope your grand am feels better soon..
poinsettia house is looking so sweet..and halloween rule is coming along so nicely too..
yummy cakes..hmmnn looking so yummyy..
have a lovely day deary..
hugs cucki xx

Gabi said...

Hopefully your grandmother will be better soon.
Your stitching looks lovely, and your cakes really yummy

Giovanna said...

I'm sorry that your family is having to go through the health issues - I hope that both your gran and your dad will soon be better. The stitching is gorgeous!

Siobhán said...

I hope your grandmother is getting better! She sounds like a fighter. I hope your dad's feeling better, too.

Nice progress on both of your WIPs!

Shari said...

praying everyone gets feeling better...oh my!
your stitching looks great & I love the theme idea...everywhere you look right now, there are new ideas floating around.
those cakes look heavenly! yum.....

Nicola said...

I am so sorry to rad that your Grandmother has been taken ill. Family are so precious, please keep us updated on her condition. I will pray for her.

CalamityJr said...

Keep us posted on Grandma, please- hope she's doing well today. I personally like your sunflower being part of garden month; I tend to think the same way, haha. Wish we could share those cakes by computer, because you'd have some very excited bloggers asking for a taste!

Peggy Lee said...

Oh I do hope your grandma is comfortable. Mine is 86 and doesn't know anyone anymore. We were always very close so it is hard.
My MIL is the same way with food. We have found things in her pantry from 30 years ago....I am NOT kidding! She keeps stuff in the frig way too long as well.
Mmm.....the cakes look yummy!

Chris said...

I hope that your Grandmother is well soon. Is your Dad feeling better.
The lime cakes look wonderful, it is great that you can get the lime next door :) I hope that your Mom had a great birthday.
The stitching is beautiful. Poinsettia House will be finished in no time :)
Have a good Monday!

Margaret said...

I hope your grandmother is ok and recovers quickly. You got so close to a finish on Poinsettia House. I had to laugh about driving all the way to SB to drop off the baked goods. That would be a bit much! Hope your mom had a good birthday and there is good news for your grandmother. Oh, and hope your dad is feeling better too!

BrendaS said...

Mindi --
Your stitching looks wonderful. What a great idea to keep motivated with themes:)

Hope your Dad feels better soon and that things work out OK for your Grandma.

Your lime cakes looks delicious and how wonderful to use limes from your neighbor:)

Keeper of the Crowes said...

I'm sending good thoughts your way for both your grandmother and your dad! Hope the rest of the week goes a little more smoothly for all of you.
What a sweet piece Poinsetta House is turning out to be!
After seeing the pictures of you lime cakes,I can just imagine how wonderful they must be!!
Linda

BeckySC said...

(((hugs and prayers for your grandma and your dad AND you, dear Mindi)))

Lovely stitching :)

Sue said...

I hope your grandma feels better soon and your dad, too. Your stitching is lovely. Poinsettia House is gorgeous. Halloween Rules is looking good, too. Those cakes look scrumptious.

Melanie said...

I hope your Grandma gets better soon, wow 92 that's an incredible age she obviously has a strong spirit. I hope your Dad gets better soon too, nothing worse than food poisoning! Lovely progress on your stitching and the cakes look yummy.

Carol said...

Your Poinsettia House and Halloween Rules are both looking fabulous, Mindi. I'm not getting a ton of stitching done so far this year for some reason...

I do hope your grandmother is doing better. And your dad--food poisoning is so scary. My husband had a very, very serious case of it about 15 years ago from undercooked chicken at a local restaurant. No wonder you are a bit wary of the fridge's contents!!

Lovely looking cakes--I'll have to check out the recipe.

Myra said...

I hope you Grandma is improving Mindi. Lovely Poinsetta House and LOOK! Halloween Rules! Go you. :o) Wish you lived closer - I could help you out with those cakes.

geeky Heather said...

Ah...finding creative ways to fit WIPs into the themes is part of the fun. ;) After all, I counted a reindeer just because he was wearing a garland!

Sorry to hear about your family's health issues. I hope everyone is still on the mend.

Lynn said...

I'm just getting caught up on my blog reading and was sorry to hear about your grandmother and your Dad. I hope both will be on the mend soon.
Heather's theme idea is a great one! I love your Poinsettia House. I'll to go and check out what some of the others are stitching for this month for the theme.