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A little blog about my big loves; family, friends, stitching and yep, chocolate!

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Thursday, February 3, 2011

News and Farm Finishes

Good morning, dear friends!

    Did you know that tomorrow is Wear Red to Work day?  It is a campaign by the American Heart Association to encourage awareness of heart disease in women.  When I've remembered, I have worn red in the past but tomorrow - I will for sure!  

I got home from the hospital yesterday after undergoing a heart catheterization with stint placement.  

Are you surprised?  

I am 51 years old (remember, I am the older woman) and my family has a devastating family history of heart disease.  My mom's brother died before the age of 50, her mom died at about 50, my dad has had quadruple bi-pass followed by stints, he had a brother die too young and just this past September, my 49 year old (at the time) sister had 6, count 'em, SIX bi-passes (a record for her hospital in Florida). 
My overall cholesterol numbers aren't bad but my bad cholesterol is not so good.  When my doc heard about my sister, he ordered a CT scan for me and it found that I had two blockages, one between 25 and 50% and one between 50 and 70%.  

He told me to quit running (for now).

Then he told me we needed to do a heart cath to determine just how bad the most severe blockage was.    Well, the first one was at 50% but they didn't stint it and the second was at 70% so they did stint that one.  
I went in for the procedure on Tuesday and got home last night. 

I am feeling fine and expect to be back to work tomorrow.
I'll be wearing RED!
I don't generally look like someone that would have heart disease, I don't think.  But I do.  From the outside, I look pretty healthy but I guess what you see isn't always what you get, is it?

The good thing about getting to be in the hospital overnight and having such a great family and friends is that you get things like this:

This from my family with the note written by Matt:

And this from my office!

And this from my best girl friends.  Yum!
Thank you all so very much!  
I love the flowers and the fruit was SO good (it's all gone, by the way)!

The other good thing about being in the hospital is that I finished 
The Farm Scene Sampler.
Handwork Samplers
The Farm Scene Sampler (Terri's version)
stitched on 32 count Vintage Light Exemplar
WDW and GAST fibers
(BTW, pics are once again clickable - I figured it out!)
The pattern for this was reproduced as it was found, I suppose, but I just didn't care for the fact that it was so obviously unfinished.  
Here's the pic from the pattern for comparison purposes:


So, the areas that were not complete, I finished.  
In addition to that I added a favorite verse from the Bible: Ecclesiastes 3:1 at the bottom, over one in a full cross.
 I didn't chart the verse but I think it was meant to be because as you can see above, it fit perfectly.  
Almost.  
I added a berry to the right side to complete the line.

 The farm scene at the bottom is stitched over one with a full cross except for the fields and fence which I did in tent stitch.

I love how it turned out.

Now, I can start work on Marianne!  Yeah!!!

And....

I'll be wearing RED to work tomorrow.

Peace,
Terri

85 comments:

Nancy said...

Take good care of your <3. That must have been such a scare, but it sounds like you are in the right hands.

Your Farm Sampler looks beautiful, and the changes you made make it uniquely yours (one of the things I love about hand made)!

BrendaS said...

Glad you are home and doing well. You take care of yourself:))

Love your Farm Sampler finish. Just lovely.

Have a good weekend and stay warm.

KAREN said...

Hey girl~ so glad you in good hands. So many doctors ignore women's heart issues. Stay healthy so we can meet again. Can't wait to see Marianne! Stay warm. I am in Florida for awhile so will be stitching with Cari tomorrow. We will be thinking of you XOXO

Edwina said...

What a shock to read your blog. Glad you are home and doing so well. Your Farm Sampler is beautiful and what a great addition in using the verse.

Sherry said...

Terri, I am so glad your doctor ordered the test before things got any worse. Take care of yourself.

Your Farm finish is lovely and I love the additions you added to it.

I can't wait to see your start on Marianne. For now I only several stitches in. I have to wait for things to calm down a bit here for any real stitching.

Vonna Pfeiffer said...

How scary, but how wonderful that your doctor listened and got the correct things ordered for you so that you could get it taken care of. Keeping you in my prayers.

Love all your goodies sent by your friends and co-workers and I love your sampler...it is gorgeous!

Deb said...

I'm so glad to hear that everything went well. Thank goodness for modern medicine and wonderful doctors! You'll be back running in no time.

Love, love your sampler and the additions you made to it. I think that the unfinished version would have bugged me to death. And love the verse that you put at the bottom!

Now you can start Marianne! Can't wait to see progress pics of that.

Cari said...

Oh my goodness girl....take care. I'm so glad you have a doctor that listened to you!! I'm glad you're home now and back to work tomorrow....medicine today is amazing.

Love, love, love your Farm Sampler. You did a simply fabulous job. I love all of your additions.

Love you to pieces....have a good day tomorrow. I think I'll wear RED too!! Hugs

jayne@~an eye for threads~ said...

hummm. I am so glad that you are back home and that they were able to identify and help correct the blockages. I have one thought here...well, maybe two but "did Rob get out the red marker to show the DR where your really big heart is?"
As always

Unknown said...

Terri! I pray for a full recovery and a healthy heart! my husband's side of the family have heart issues... amazing what the doctors and God can do! I love your farm house! it's beautiful!
Have a great day!

jayne@~an eye for threads~ said...

oh, yeah,,, the other though... I love the new font here girl. It looks wonderful.

JOLENE said...

Wow, Terri, I would have never guessed either. That was a little shocking to hear, but I am happy to hear you are home and doing well and looking forward to wearing RED! The flowers are beautiful and I bet they smell HEAVENLY.

Congrats on your Farm finish, I like how you added your favorite Bible verse on the bottom, what a special touch.

Take care sweet lady....in RED!!!!!

Cole said...

Glad everything went well for you, take care of yourself! DH's family has a huge history of heart and cholesterol issues too, I have a neice who was on cholesterol meds when she was 10! It's quite scary.

Your stitchy finish is wonderful :)

Anna van Schurman said...

If you read Woman's Day at all, there's always an article in February about women with heart disease, and quite often there's a healthy woman like you featured or someone quite young--even younger than you. We need all these stories to remind us to be good to ourselves. Glad they caught it early.

Wonder if the doctor knew about the relaxing properties of stitching? Your farm is precious.

Joy said...

The blessing is you are aware and have a doctor who is proactive with your health. I am glad that you are home and doing well.

Your finish is lovely and I do agree that the verse is perfect...great choice!! Take care of you! :-)

Holly Hills Primitives said...

Oh my gosh! So glad to hear you're going to be all right. You just never know, do you? Take care of yourself my friend. Dawn

Cathy Lloyd said...

WHAT??? Shocked! So glad you are home! Don't overdo my dear! You should stay home tomorrow AND over the weekend to just take it easy! Then you can stitch more on Marianne! Love your farm finish and the extras you added! BIG HUGS! ♥♥♥

Susan said...

Congrats on the Farm! It's lovely.

Glad the doc and you decided to do some investigative work and you are fixed up now!

Happy Stitching!

Hazel said...

Oh my! That is shocking. How did you know you had a problem? I mean... I get twinges now and again but I wouldn't know if I had a problem. Although I'm in UK I will wear red especially for you. Lovely wips progress. xxx

Bertie said...

Wishing you a speedy recovery Terri, what a shock that must have been for you. Last year I had a cardiac catheterisation myself and know it is not the most pleasant of procedure's. Love your flowers and the fruit looks very yummie:))
On a more pleasant note, your farm sampler is gorgeous.
Have a good rest:))

JillMN said...

So glad they caught that in time and you are doing well. That fruit arrangement looks yummy!

Did you know that I started a "red" blog? It is "Stitch Red for the Heart". I would love for you to join. It is dedicated to my mom and my sisters' good friend who both died unexpectedly from heart disease. You can find the link on my blog.

Take care.

Giovanna said...

So glad everything went well! And congratulations on the beautiful finish - love your additions!

Patty C. said...

Glad you are doing well- It's good to be home isn't it :)

Your sampler looks marvelous - I like that you filled in the blank areas & added a verse - Wonderful !!

Sweet Sue said...

Lovely Farm Sampler Terri. Your flowers are so sweet. You've been through a lot, glad to hear you're up and around, plz do take it easy in the coming days.

Katrina said...

Oh Terri, big hugs and prayers, that is just too scary!!!! So, so glad your doctor was proactive, take good care of yourself. And BTW, you absolutely look great :-). Lovely gifts and gorgeous finish too.

Glad you are home and go red.

Tammy said...

I WAS surprised! You seem to be a lovely example of healthy vitality. So glad you are aware of your challenges and taking care of yourself. You are dear to so many people.
The farm you built is fantastic. Keep up the wonderful stitching. Take Care.

woolwoman said...

Oh Terri - I was shocked to hear the news of your heart problems - but I know you can't tell by looking at a person what the health of the heart is - my boss who is mid 40's and the picture of health has just been thru lots of electrical issues with his heart - I will wear red tomorrow in honor of heart health. Love the changes you made to your farm scene - it's so neat. You take good care of yourself - Hugs Mel

Peonies & Magnolias said...

Thank goodness you were checked out and fixed before any major problems developed. So glad you are back home and doing well. Love your sampler, it is so beautiful. Take care of yourself.

Sandy

Margaret said...

Oh Terri! I'm so glad your doctor was smart when he heard about your family history and got you checked out. Glad the stent surgery is done too. You make sure to take good care of yourself now! There's a history of heart disease in my mother's side of the family as well, and my FIL just had stent surgery too.

I love your Farm Sampler finish! I never understand why designers leave a piece looking so unfinished like that -- they could easily have at least put in the option to finish it! I love how you finished yours for sure -- beautiful! Glad you got the clickable-ness back too!

Michelle said...

Terri, I am so glad that this was caught early and that you were able to get the stint put in now. My husband was put in the hospital for congestive heart failure when he was 34 - and he is at the gym ALL THE TIME. Very healthy, very young, but this kind of thing can happen when you least expect it. I think you were wise to get yourself checked out when you did.

Your Farm Sampler is fabulous! I love the things you've changed to make it "yours"!! Gorgeous finish! What will you stitch on next?

Carol said...

Oh, my gosh, Terri! I was just shocked to read your news. I'm so glad they caught the blockage early and managed to prevent something even more serious. With your family history, you can't be too careful...

Your little farm sampler is so dear--wonderful how you finished it off and added a verse with special meaning to you.

Take care now and I'll be wearing red tomorrow in honor of you and my mom who had a major heart attack at 69, but is still going strong at almost 84!

Laurie in Iowa said...

Terri,
I'm glad your doctor was pro-active and you were checked ASAP.
Congrats on your Farm Sampler finish, it's lovely.

Beth said...

You are awesome - confronting an issue head-one - taking charge and spreading awareness!

valerie said...

Wow, how scary but I'm glad the doctor's ordered the tests in light of your family history. Take care of yourself. Seeing you, you'd never know...you're tiny and fit!

Congrats on your Farm Sampler finish! Love the changes you made...the unfinishedness would have drove me batty too...

Siobhán said...

I'm glad that you're back home safe and sound. I'm glad that you are being proactive!

Beautifl finish! Great job.

lynda said...

You are very lucky to have a caring doctor who listened and acted quickly. Isn't heart disease the leading cause of death in women? I worry about it all the time, and I know I should be taking better care of myself, but don't usually. I'm glad you do and hope that everything is back to normal for you soon. Your sampler looks lovely, and I'm excited to see your progress on Marianne...I still haven't taken the plunge but I'm very close to ordering it! I'll be joining you in wearing red tomorrow...thanks for the reminder!

Jennifer said...

So glad that you are home from the hospital and all went well. That is shocking news.Your finished stitching is beautiful. Stay well and take care.

Robin in Virginia said...

Sending heart healthy thoughts, prayers, and hugs your way! Glad everything worked out and they were able to fix/repair your blockages!

Your Farm finish looks absolutely fabulous; love the addition of the verse! Looking forward to seeing it framed!

Stay warm and take care of yourself!

Jan said...

Oh me dear Terri!!! Goodness, how frightening that must have been. Heart disease is nothing to ignore for sure, and I am grateful that they seem to be taking care of you and possibly preventing something horrible from happening.

I love, love, love your Farm finish and it is perfect with your addition, especially of the bible verse. Yes, I think it was meant to be there!

I will most definitely be wearing red tomorrow and every February 4th from now on, promise!!

Take it easy, maybe they will be extra sweet at work, and just let you sit around and visit and do your work for you!:) One can hope, huh?

Beehive Needleworks said...

Prayers and blessings to you...be well.
LOVELY needlework finish!

Peaceful stitching...Judy

Annie Beez said...

awesome finish Terri-I love it!

Sampler Lover said...

Hi Terri, my goodness look after yourself. That sounds quite worrying, hopefully the Doctors have been able to correct any problems.

Your Farm Sampler looks lovely and I love the changes you made. Take care of yourself. I am thinking of you - Sandra.

Meadows08 said...

Take care of yourself! Lovely stitching :)

Anonymous said...

Sending you wishes for a healthy heart and prayers too! Your sampler is lovely..I especially love the bible verse you added..perfect!

Rachel S-H said...

I like your version of the sampler better! It looks fantastic, very pretty and clean. Perfection!

I am glad your heart visit went well. Heart disease runs in my family, and it's a fight to try to overcome it. Lovely flowers.

Lainey said...

Glad to hear everything went well for you and your Doctors are taking good care of you. Take it easy and look after yourself.
Your Sampler finish is beautiful.

Jeanne said...

Bless you Terri and hope you are recovering quickly! Glad your doctor decided to be proactive on this and get things in order. You are right, you look the picture of health to me. There's only so much you can do though to fight genetics. This may make you feel even better after you recuperate as that had to be dragging you down a bit.

Your sampler finish is lovely as all your projects are! Take care Terri and I will be wearing red tomorrow for sure!

Alice said...

I wish you a quick recovery! I'm so glad you know what you are up against and are receiving wonderful care. Beautiful stitching!

Annie said...

Yea for you for taking positive action! Rest up and do some more of that awesome stitching!

Jeanne said...

Happy to read that you are doing well. I really enjoyed visiting your blog and seeing so many of your beautiful stitchings.

Andrea said...

Oh my gosh, my sweet friend!!! I was shocked, but oh so relieved to read further on that everything is OK. Thank God you went in and they found the blockage so it could be fixed now!! Bless your heart. Girl, we know all too well about heart problems in our family...my husbands father died when he was 30, yes, THIRTY, and then he had a heart attack at age 41, with lots of damage and subsequent surgeries, etc. You can look perfectly healthy on the outside, but if your genes on the inside are bad, well, that's what gets ya.
Just so, so happy to read you're ok and I just want you to know I love ya and am sending you loads of good wishes and prayers for good health from here on out!!!
Love your stitching too ;)
xoxo

Ruth said...

For you I will wear red! Here's to your health!!!!!!!!!

Melissa said...

Gosh, that's scary Terri! I'm glad you are OK! I wore red today and I'll wear red tomorrow. How's that?

Your Farm Sampler looks fantastic and I love your special touches! Now I will look forward to your start on Marianne!

barbara said...

Oh my heavens, Terri!! You take care!!

The only red I own is a pair of socks, but I'll be wearing them!!

Myra said...

Goodness Terri! So glad you are home and doing well. You wear that red with pride girl! I think your Farm looks much better than the model - love the verse you added.

Roberta said...

Will wear red tomorrow in your honor and for the awareness of Heart Disease especially in women.

So glad that you are home and feeling good. Love your doctor!!

The Farm Sampler looks good.

Take care and have a wonderful weekend.

Nicole said...

Terri,

I would have never guessed that you would need a stint. Like many others have said before you just never know. I will wear red for you tomorrow! :)

Love your sampler finish - it's beautiful! Can't wait to see your Marianne start!!

Catherine said...

Surprised - yes, but so glad you are okay and took care of yourself. Thank you for reminding us all how we need to look after ourselves!

Your finish is lovely! I love how you personalized it!

Bine said...

I am so glad your doctor took your family's "heart history" serious and sent you for catheterization! Please, take good care of yourself!...more stitching than working! I will wear red tomorrow and thing of you.
Love the farm sampler. Is there some over one stitching?
Be careful! XOXO

LauraNorthernCA said...

You're in my prayers. Take care of yourself. It's a blessing that you have family and friends who obviously love you so much!

Karoline said...

Glad to hear that your doctor was proactive, glad to hear you're recovering well.

Farm Sampler is lovely, congratulations

marylin said...

Hi Terri I am sorry to know you "sick" ... I hope everything will be alright ...
Your finishes are beautiful, I kiss you hard and write you a note
kisses and take care of you
marylin

Just Me and My Shadow said...

Wishing you good health Terri. Chrissie

Rhona said...

What a shock to read this! Glad everything went well and that you are back home. The gifts were lovely, especially the fruit. I had one of these edible arrangemnts as a gift recently and they are almost too cute to eat!

Love the stitching.

Diana said...

Glad to hear the procedure went well! Your sampler is lovely.

the striped rose said...

Glad you are doing well, and found out your condition early! Glad you were able to get in some stitching.

Pumpkin said...

Terri!!!! I can't believe that you have such problems! You look so radiant and healthy in your photo that I never would have guessed. My dad has gone in once or twice (can't remember) and has around 3-4 stints. Doesn't look good for me either :o( It's a good thing that your doctor knows your history and has taken precautions. We all want you around for a LONG time :o) I hope you're on the mend.

Congrats on your beautiful finish! You must be SO happy with the results :o)

Littlebit said...

Oh Terri..I'm so very sorry to hear about all of this, but I'm so glad you are home and doing very well. Thank goodness for the technology we have today.
Your sampler is absolutely beautiful!!!

Jane said...

Oh Terri, what a surprise but I'm so glad things have gone well for you on the health front. Having a history in your family makes it more important to get things checked out and it's good your doctor decided to do the CT scan. Best wishes for you and it's wonderful you're feeling fine after the procedure. Take care:)

Faye said...

Hey Terri, Just catching up on blog posts and am reading about your stints...Hope you are doing ok now and I know you stay on top of things...My fathers family has heart disease in the family so this makes me want to have myself checked!! I have been so tired lately but am asuming I have the winter blues...You take care and keep up posted!! Faye

Kathy said...

I am so glad that your procedure went well. It is scary that you take care of yourself, exercise and still have problems like that. Here's hoping that you will remain healthy for a long long time.
After all you have so many more beautiful samplers to stitch. :)

Beautiful finish. I love how you personalized it too.

Karyn said...

So glad to read that you are home and doing well, dear friend...So thankful that your doctor took it all seriously. Sending hugs and comforting thoughts ;)
I love your Farm Sampler, it is coming along fantastic, especially with your personal touches, I can't wait to see it finished..wink wink.
You are so very blessed to have so many wonderful people who love you so much...the flowers are gorgeous and that fruit looks fabulous!
Take it easy and in good care.
XOXO
Ma

Debbie said...

So glad you are better, and that you and your doc were alert to this potential! Same thing in my family...maternal grandmother had her first heart attack at age 42, died 10 years later. My mom waited until she was 62 for her first MI, still living after big-time surgery over 10 years ago. Dad also has had heart attacks. Think I'll get a CT!

Linda said...

Wow, Terrie
You certainly don't look like someone who'd have heart disease. It's wonderful that they can find these things early and head them off. Thank God, you're good.
The Farm Sampler is wonderful.
I know I've asked where you get your fabric, but how about the patterns? I am so ready to stitch one.
Linda

Stitcher S said...

So glad you're getting the care you need.

A friend of mine just had a massive heart attack, and almost didn't make it. It's so frightening. (She's 53)

Your stitching is gorgeous, as always.

Take care.

Karen said...

Terri, I'm glad you're home and doing well...take care of yourself!

Robin said...

Oh my, what a shocker! Thankfully your doctor was proactive and had you tested right away. Glad to read that you are home, feeling fine, and will be sporting red on Monday.

Congratulations on finishing the lovely Farm Scene Sampler. The changes that you made are perfect and really enhance the overall design.

Natalia said...

Oh Terri, you look great !!! The most important thing is that you are taking care of your health... that's all we can do, isn't it? The rest is in God's hand. I am glad your procedure went well and you are back home. I love your sampler and I think you did a great job. I actually like it so much better than the original.
Take good care of yourself !!

Love to Stitch said...

Love your finish!! Great job! Glad you are back at home safe and sound :) Looking forward to Marianne!

Love to Stitch said...

Love your finish!! Great job! Glad you are back at home safe and sound :) Looking forward to Marianne!

Tanya said...

Oh my Terri, thank goodness you do have a terrific doctor and you are feeling fine. I alway like your finishes and how you add your own personal touches. Take care, Tanya

Tins and Treasures said...

Oh, my goodness, Terri,
I am so glad that the doctors caught this and took care of it. I'm especially glad that the procedure went well and you are home again.

Take care ~Natalie

Eileen said...

what a surprise to read this entry. You look like the picture of health...guess you never know. Wishing you well.
Loved the sampler and saw one that Julie was working on recently.

KsMaryLou said...

OMG Terri what a bummer! I'm so glad you have a good Dr. who knows the importance of women's heart issues and was on top of things right away. I pray you continue to just get better and better.

Your Farm Scene Sampler is lovely, and it was so cool you could finish it during such a trying time.

Bonnie said...

I was 53 when I found out I needed a pacemaker. Came as quite a shock. It took me awhile to process it. Best wishes to you and in your health.......Bonnie