The pain is in my middle left side of my back.  In the past it has been due to stress.  I can't figure out what triggered it, I've been having fun with my hobby, so I don't see where I am having stress.

Oh!  Cross stitch is lovely; that's a wonderful hobby.  I'm better with yarn than thread, so I admire your skill and talent  :-)  

Regardless of my back issue, I'll be going out on Saturday again to look for more ceramic dogs.  If my back is going to hurt whether I stay home or go out, I might as well go out and have fun  :-)  Hopefully, it will be better by then.  I'm resting with a heating pad.  Thanks for the prayers.  I really appreciate you!

Shari

I also have major back issues. My dr tells me most lower back issues are stress. Probably true in my case lol.

I worked on my Coronation Street cross-stitch for most of the weekend :)

I hope you get better soon and find more dogs. I remember my mom used to have a ceramic poddle that was painted in some special paint that predicted the weather, mood dog maybe.

Sunflower :)

I can use all of the positive energy I can get :-)

Thanks a bunch!

Shari

I hope your back feels better soon Shari.

Sending postive energy your way!

If anyone believes in God, please pray for my back.  I haven't had any problems in months and now it's debilitating.  Thank you.

I  took a better avatar photo of my dog collection, thus far.  I decided I would collect dogs 2" and under, so I gave my 2 larger pieces to a friend.  I also, decided to just stick with collecting dogs instead of branching off into other collectibles, so I canceled my Wade Miniatures book, but will keep the Made in Japan Ceramics order as I will continue to collect dogs from Japan.

I know I need to relate my posts to anxiety, so I will say that any anxiety I have had, has been reduced significantly by having a fun hobby to enjoy.  I highly recommend it.  It's good to have fun things to look forward to in life.  I'm excited about the weekends and going with George to the various flea markets.  It's an adventure.

Shari

I've been having so much fun collecting, I'm branching out already.  It's funny how you start with one thing in mind and it branches off into other areas.  First, I ordered two collecting books.  One, Made in Japan Ceramics, so I know how much my Japan dogs are worth (it's just fun to know, when you pay a dollar for something and find out it's worth $45; that you got a great bargain!).  I also got a Wade Miniatures book.  I have four of their dogs from yesterday's purchases.  They are from the English Red Rose Tea Company and one figurine will come in the 100 ct. tea bag box.  They have different series to collect, so that's the branch I'm talking about :)  The Bargain Barn is open at noon today, so I may go back and see Mike and see if he has the series called, Pet Shop and Circus.  There are more, some are older and hard to find, but for the more recent ones that have come out the past decade, I'm going to see how many complete sets I can find.  They are inexpensive, about $2 each, so it's an affordable hobby.  I looked into Staffordshire dog collectibles and they go from $50 up into the hundreds and I'd be out of money and a hobby if I collected those.  The great thing about collecting is, that it's a treasure hunt, it's as cheap or as expensive as you want to get into and there are literally tons of things to collect.  When I looked at the Shiffer book for collectors series; they had 100 pages of books about various collectibles.  Some were really funny too and I had a good laugh.  But, it's whatever makes people happy and give them joy that counts.  I also got a notebook and I'm keeping a log of my purchases.  I have the date, place, item, what I paid for it and what it's worth.  I take a group photo and tape it to that page, so I have a visual of the items described.  That way if I end up with more than one blue dog, I'll know which is which.  Collecting can be simply picking up various items or getting more involved in logging them.  If you get tired of collecting certain objects, you can start a new collection.  It's limitless and it's fun.  I'm trying to get smaller pieces, so I have room for more than I would with large objects.  You can personalize it anyway you like.  Well, I'll keep you updated with avatar photos of my new finds of the week.  I'll try to control myself and not write about them, just show the pictures. Anyway, I hope you are inspired in some way to find a hobby; they are so enjoyable and fun and relaxing and give you something to look forward to.  I'll always be grateful to my dear friend who shared her hobby of collecting ceramic dogs, so now I have a shared collecting passion with her as well.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Shari

My Avatar is of my the ceramic dogs I started collecting today!  It was so much fun!  The blue spaniel in the background is from Beswick, England and is hand painted 21 out of 454 made.  I got it for $ 3 and saw a Beswick selling for $100 on eBay! The puppy in the back right (with the umbrella) is from Japan and I got it for $ 1 and saw the exact same one on eBay selling for $ 45!  The white terrier in front of the blue dog is from Japan and it was $ 5.25, but I got it for $ 4 and the same one was on eBay selling for $ 45 also!  The dancing white Poodle center with a blue skirt on was 25 cents.  It's from Wade, England and it comes in the Rose Tea boxes.  The Labrador, to the right of the Poodle, is also a Wade, as well as the two spaniel pups in front (left) and the singular spaniel in front (right).  The latter three were $ 3 each.  So, I got 7 dogs for my collection for about $20.  This is a super fun hobby and something I will enjoy doing the rest of my life.  It's like a treasure hunt to find these collectibles at the flea markets.  We went to one antique store afterward, but everything was too expensive. Next week, we're going to the Amish Market to look.  I will avoid the real puppies for sale; the ceramic ones don't require food and vet bills :-)

Have you taken any pictures, so far, this weekend?  If you do, feel free to post them as avatars, if you feel like it.  Hope you're having a great weekend, like I am.

Shari

There is something very wrong here and it is not my place to point it out. I am disturbed though. I'm only posting this because I care. 

Davit.

Ps I'm going to take my frustration out on weeds.

Sunflower

I LOVE YOUR DOG!!!  Sooooo cute.  I love the mix.  You and Mai made my day!  I used to have a Japanese Chin, years ago.  I've had neighbors with Bichon's and Maltese are just too cute.  It looks like you've got the best of all of them rolled into one.  Thanks for sharing your new avatar.  I really appreciate it!

Shari