2017 Smalls Stitch A Long - February

This year I plan to stitch the calendar cats (free charts at Happiness is Cross Stitching).  One small ornament per month, so this month is February.  I will wait to finish them all at the same time in December so that they will be the same size and somehow coordinate.

I'm Linking up with Heather, at Stitching Lotus, the hostess of this stitch a long.

Big Tokyo Weekend - Ueno Zoo

Panda!

Work in Progress Wednesday - Mary is watching me!

This week I have been stitching during my lunch hour at work, in addition to in the evening and have made a good bit of progress.  

I haven't done any canvaswork in awhile and I am enjoying this.  This is one of my 17 in 2017 projects.

Hearts and Flowers

The group is finishing the blackwork heart pieces. Here are three of them. 

I love how they individually chose to  finish them.  This one has a stick with fabric balls at the end.  

This one has lace added.  

This one has a sleeve on the back.  

The next project is a little snap purse with flowers.   They will each design their own purses, so first we needed to learn some stitches.  I'm sorry I didn't take pictures of their practice pieces.  We made flowers with organdy ribbon and spider web roses with various types of threads.  Next time we will practice making leaves, then the designing will begin! 

These little "8" shaped cookies look like chocolate, but they are made with tea!  Delicious!

Monday Morning Star Count - Thinking About Something New

I have been spending most of my stitching time with Queen Mary, but I have been thinking about epp.  I've seen several wall quilts of Christmas trees made from hexagons and I've been thinking of making one.  So far, all I've done is think about it and cut some green fabric.  Maybe I'll have more to show next week.

Half-Way

I am now half-way through my scheduled eight rounds of chemotherapy.  I was side-tracked with breaking my arm and the surgery to repair it, but I am back on schedule again.  All in all I think I am holding up rather well.  Probably the worst thing is being so tired all the time.  I have been dealing with some other side effects, but they seem rather minor compared to other people I see at the hospital.  

I had x-rays and saw the wrist doctor last week. He said my bone is healing well.  I go to physical therapy three times a week and do exercises at home to improve the mobility.  It's getting better. 

I think I would be in big financial trouble if I had these medical issues in the US.  Here, I have national health insurance and pay 30% of the actual cost.  To see the orthopedic surgeon (the wrist doctor) I pay 220 yen per visit.  To see the oncologist, I am charged 630 yen.  The x-rays cost me 670 yen.  The physical therapy cost is 1330 yen for an hour appointment.  Blood tests are 1490 yen.  The is also a limit on how much I have to pay, so if I pay more than the limit, the insurance refunds money and it is direct deposited to my bank account.  I don't understand the formula, but every month I am getting money back.  

The hospital where I see all these medical professionals is just a 10 minute walk from my apartment.  This is the view of Mt. Fuji from the hospital entrance.

I am so fortunate and so thankful.

Big Tokyo Weekend - Peony Show in Ueno Park

We just happened upon this show in Ueno Park.  It was a chilly day, but the flowers didn't seem affected - they were gorgeous!  

I had some nice views of this five tiered pagoda elsewhere in the park and I liked how it looked.