Happy New Year! I got my annual illness and compiled with fabric dyeing, gift giving, and starting an Ebay store I have been done for the count. No stitching (what? you didn't fall over in shock?). Not enough stashing. Really, nothing that start with an "S."

We are currently enjoying the spoils of a broken pipe somewhere in the nether regions of our walls. On the plus side, I am "flush" with amusing stories. On the minus side, I definitely not "flush" with cash. We do now have water--every day since Saturday (!!!) so I will settle for that modern convenience, and for not having to mop water, wash towels, and repeat 8 quadrillion times an hour. Several of my favorite towels were sacrificed for the good of my floor, a memorial service is being planned (or I can lament their loss at odd moments to anyone who will listen, which is my current behavioral pattern). Are you still reading????

Way, way back when we bought the house the first time (long boring story just like this one) I was very house proud and did tons of repairs to it all by my girlie self. I saved up for and lovingly picked out the MOST AWESOME, MOST GRACEFUL, MOST ELEGANT kitchen faucet in the history of all faucets, kitchen AND bathroom included. I installed it myself to many compliments as apparently plumbing can be tricky. I loved my faucet. I would notice every once in a while through the haze of dirty dishes and soap-scummy film what a great choice I made, and smile because I installed it. Flash forward to the Great Flood of 2009 when the pipes leaked (and so did our checking account). The plumber mentioned to my husband that my beloved faucet was leaking. I came home to a new faucet. Not a lovingly selected faucet that I installed myself. A perfectly serviceable, totally unimaginative kitchen faucet. Yes, it's shiny, yes the sprayer is a spiffy black, but it's not the same. Plus, I did not even get to say goodbye. They had to talk me out of taking a photo of the old faucet, MY faucet, sitting on top of the trash with our worn out rags and the wet wood we ripped out of our cabinets. So here's to you, discarded faucet, thanks for the plumbing self-esteem and the messes you cleaned, the dog dishes you filled, and the fabric you've dyed. I honor your memory!

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Just Say No - The things that prevent me from stitching...