Click to set custom HTML Quick one today. Did the whole colonoscopy thing yesterday. Everything was good and it shows I am spelling that wrong! Can't figure it out...must be spelling it wrong! HEHE Just glad it's over. Next comes hernia surgery, but not for a while I hope. October is not my month historically and the first 2 weeks are basically the whole month is very bad for me. I lost Dave on October 4, 2004, 10 years this year. Too soon and still can't say it or write it without crying. But he is worth crying over and over again. He is with me every minute of every day. A song, a sight, a memory, all bring tears to my eyes. But I hope I never stop shedding tears for my husband, my first love, my second daddy. I was with him from age 15 till 44 and it wasn't enough by a long shot. We were gonna be the 70 year anniversary pair. But God needed him home early, and I will only understand this when I see Jesus and ask him why. Didn't mean to go so deep there but October is always a trip.....not really good either.
This year I am gonna try and stay occupied with the 31 Days of Halloween Challenge at Smeared and Smudged. Already have some projects completed. So wanted to post their icon on here. Whew! Just got home and settled in after a short visit to Fairhope, Alabama. Home Sweet Home.....both directions. Down there is my retreat, I absolutely love it! But the ties at home are sweet, too. And just one of the kids got to go, so my heart was in two places; I really missed my daughter not being there. It was little Yoshi's first trip since his surgery, and mom's too! Ironic, huh? Both seemed to enjoy themselves the whole time. It was Yoshi's first interaction with my son's doggies since his surgery 5 weeks ago. He played himself out! My son made a little shopping and photo trip with his grandparents which is always good for my heart. He and I went on a little shopping journey ending up stranded in a Halloween store for over an hour while a huge rain storm fell down. We finally caught a slight let up in the deluge and made a run/limp to the car! We were wet but not as wet as we could have been. We packed back up this morning and headed back. Sad to leave my safe haven but glad to see my daughter who got her mama time in another shopping trip to Covington, Louisiana, this afternoon. Talk about a tired mama....this is one tired mama! But a happy one and a happy daughter, can't ask for more. We went to Michael's craft store to buy my stuff for the oil painting classes that start Wednesday that I am taking with my aunt and uncle. I needed some Halloween stamps for my 31 Days of Halloween challenged over at Smeared and Smudged. I was so disappointed at first because last weekend I had run in Michaels in Slidell, Louisiana, and their dollar bin was full on stamps and all kinds of goodies, but then I hit the mother load! I bought 12 stamps I think and my daughter bought me some more! I also got a few goodies for the challenge which I will remain mum about so as not to post anything before hand. I have a very big mouth! Who would have thunk it? LOL Below will be a photo as I still haven't learned how to post a pic under the paragraph!! On the way to Alabama a very new friend called me to tell me her husband had found her father passed away downstairs that morning. So many good people I love are hurting right now and I hurt for them. I have to tell the story of our meeting because it shows what a good person she is. When mama was in the hospital the next to the last time, she had a nursing assistant (PCP) at the Heart Hospital named E. She had the brightest personality you could ever meet. My dad always tells everyone he got the wrong baby from the hospital and his child is out there rich and smart. (He thinks it's a hoot:) Well, he tells the story to E. in front of my aunt and uncle and she throws her arms out and yells "Daddy!" My daddy was speechless and it was hilarious! We laughed and she made mama laugh so hard. So I was sister, mama was mama and daddy was daddy. Her last day with us when she left she gave me her number and asked me to keep in touch about mama. On mama's last visit to the hospital before stopping the chemo, we reconnected and I had text messaged her once and hadn't got a reply but I didn't mention it. But E. did! She told mama why I didn't answer her text. So we had to pull out our phones and prove to each other we had both sent a text but my phone didn't (still won't ) accept her text messages. That Saturday before she left she asked mama what she wanted her to sing in church for her. And that Sunday night she called to see how mama was doing. We got to have lunch with her; I ran to mail something for Etsy and brought us back some food and she ate in the room with us. It was special to have someone you just met care about you mama that you are so in fear of loosing. And not that it has anything to do with anything but we call each other "sister" in the halls at the front desk it didn't matter and she is black and I am white. People like to stare when that happens. Why I don't know besides the obvious color of our skin because to me she is my sister. She called me a week ago and wanted to check on mama on her day off. That is selfless love. Not part of her job description, but very much part of her love for people and above all her love for Jesus. I immediately got out messages to my Prayer Warriors for mama to pray for her and her family. It's all I can do. I wish I could make it not have happened. When she called she was so broken and I have never heard her broken. Again, a reminder of how blessed I am. Anyway, I wanted to share a beautiful person with a beautiful soul with you. Sorry for the sadness that I promised wouldn't be in every post; but it keeps happening. As it happens in every person's lives with family and friends. I was totally surprised to see 5 comments on my blog!! I thought these were just journal ramblings that no one would ever really read. But now with the 31DOH challenge right around the corner I better be set for business! And to you who commented I will be replying now that I am home with my own computer and wonderful, wonderful internet! It is sketchy at best down there. Going into the week it is really full with wrestling, art class, chemo, another doctor's appointment with mama, and my dreaded colonoscopy: however, I am gonna try to do a tutorial. Haven't decided on what yet but we will put something together! Hold me to it or I will get lazy! hehehe Have a great week and be happy and be crafty!! 
I have joined two art groups this week. I am a DA on the deviant art site and a member of Smeared and Smudged. Doing this was scary due to my technology issues! and I was just going to observe for a loooooong time. But Smeared and Smudged has a 31 Days of Halloween Challenge where you submit something pertaining to the theme, Halloween and DOTD, each day of October. That's a project a day for 31 days......and guess who went for it? Yep, me. With hernia problems the whole shebang I went for it! And hold on to your hat....I entered the Freaky Freebie September Challenge and my project is drying as we write/read! This site is for rubber stamping something I seldom do and then mess up but I need to grow not being able to work I am growing stagnant...UGH! And still got that hat? The deviant art group had a challenge to free hand draw two characters from other artist's original works. You heard it right. Free hand draw. Never have been able to pull it off but you know what's coming....I accepted Saturday night and drew them Sunday with input from wonderful children. So to recap: joined two sites, took 3 challenges, finished 2 challenges. Who would have thunk it? Not me in a thousand years! But it is fun to be nervous and planning and completing art. Nice. Really. Since this morning early when I was writing I entered my photo of my project to Smeared and Smudged! I was terrified someone/everyone would make fun of my level of "artistic talent". So far I have had two very uplifting comments on my coloring and dimensional effect. I feel so energized! This is just what I needed to pull out of a rut that I had fallen in because of my health and back problems. I still hurt, but I have so many ideas running through my head it really helps. This weeks tutorial is gonna be a recycled project again this time using plastic water bottles and aluminum cans. Hope to fix the photo issue and remember to take the photos as I go! Either way we will do it and make do with what comes out like the first one. I haven't finished all the details on the scrapbook book to give to my friend but hope to do so by Monday. Took down "Camp Yoshi" yesterday. Today would have made week six that I have been sleeping in the kitchen on a camp cot with him cause I had to feed him every 3 to 4 hours and he got up a lot at night. Plus it was the only "sterile" place ie. where I could keep him out of everything and no carpet to hide things he could swallow and cause him misery. So last night we slept in our nice, comfortable bed. Ahhhh, very nice and my back was in heaven! But still taking Camp Yoshi down was like any moving forward thing, a little sad but it symbolized him getting better so the gladness far outweighed the sadness. I put a chair in there (comfy one) to stay in during the day as I have not tackled the living room disaster yet. Oh the horror! He is getting used to not having a bed to lie in all day....me too...but Girlie, my very big Girlie, can't understand why she has no bed now for her afternoon nap and cannot fit in the chair with Yoshi and me. Sigh. Tomorrow after my doctor's appointment in Covington, mom, dad, and I are going to Fairhope for the weekend. It has been at least 8 months since I have been down there and 6 months since they have been due to chemo and surgery. I am excited to get a little vacation, and I am taking Yoshi or course! so I get away but don't have to leave him. Win, win situation. We really need to check everything out and make sure no little creatures have moved in....ewwww! I love going down there this time of year; it ushers in fall. They have a huge Halloween train ride at the adjoining campground and we dress up in our homemade costumes (some years many hours of sewing have gone into mine and my daughter's) and ride the train in October. Once again, thank you Jesus for giving us another fall with us all together! Time passes quickly the older you get and it is important to remember how many blessings you have as each year rolls swiftly by you. I had my eyes opened to this when I lost Dave and again with mom's cancer. As for that subject, she resumed the herceptin treatment yesterday. That is the drug that keeps any rouge cells from attaching and duplicating, so very glad to have that going again. And it never seemed to have any side effects before and isn't supposed to have any but she always took it with the other big, bad ones so I have held my breath. Going back to infusion was bitter sweet. All the staff was welcoming us back and getting the update on things, but so many visions of her being in there so very sick. I had to suck it up and smile right on. Also, a man with his wife was taking the tour meeting the staff in the infusion room and they had there chemo school bag with them. He is starting chemo....sending prayers for him and his family.....and once again those anxious beginnings rushed into my mind. I pray he has a good outcome like we ultimately did. And pray his wife will have the strength to fight for him and get what he needs to finish his treatments. I will always regret not researching or asking enough people to find out about Marinol and compazine so that mama could have finished her chemo. But I do believe everything happens on God's timeline and it was meant to play out as it did. Still I could have done better! That is the main reason I write. If just one person can get some information about how to deal with chemo and cancer, it is worth writing a zillion words! Well, it's off to sleep. Got to get up and go to vet before we leave here at 9:15 in the morning....yes, another ugh. I don't mind getting up early any more; I mind having to get dressed and leave the house early. Oh well, it must be done and I just nodded off in the middle of the word "dressed" Time to say good night moon, stars, and sun....see you at first light. Peace 
Here'a my project for Smeared and Smudged:)
Through following Candace Jedrowicz's awesome works, I found the "31 Days of Halloween" challenge at Smeared and Smudged website. I am planning on being a Horrifying Hopper and Sinister Lurker this year. I so wanted to be a Wicked Blogger, but to have a Halloween/Day of the Dead project posted every day of October is fading out of my ability due to health issues. So as to not overload my plate and add to the stress levels right now, I am going to start preparing for next year. But by being a Hopper I will see so many awesome projects that it will be a great learning experience, plus on this site you are required to use a stamp somewhere on the project and I have to build my stamp collection (especially gothic, fairies, etc.). I am somewhat disappointed but life is what it is and I have received so many blessings this year I cannot complain at all!! Just a quick explanation on the health issue. I went to the gastroenterology doctor today and I have a hernia (sounds like I should be a retiree in Florida wearing burmuda shorts:( ) that will require surgery....double ugh!! And of course that lovely word "colonoscopy" shudder! But I am blessed to be able to have medical coverage that allows me to have these problems seen to and as a diagnostic test a colonoscopy is excellent in alerting you to impending problems that can take your life if left untreated so I will stop complaining or try and be thankful. Next point.....I failed at my own challenge to post a tutorial today. WAWAWAAA! We were at the Heart Hospital with Mom for a heart test so she can resume her needed after surgery chemo at 8 and I came home and went back to Covington at 10 with my daughter for my doctor's appointment. And of course a much needed 3rd stop at the book store in 6 days (hehehe) that we thoroughly enjoyed and once again I found many treasures, more than I could buy but still I found them! So not to belabor the point, we got home at 4ish and with feeding Yosh and giving him his meds and a hurting tummy....I missed my own goal for today. But that's not going to stop me there is always tomorrow! And I enjoyed being with my folks and my daughter time so no worries here! But be forewarned, the tutorial is coming. It is a fear I have and I must tackle it and conquer it! This weekend maybe? We shall see. Speaking of my little heart, Yoshi, I gotta post a pic of him. He is doing much better, not a hundred percent yet but gaining some weight and back to his little mischievious ways again, God bless his little heart! Time to try and go back to sleep....so i will be real quiet so you keep sleeping and see you tomorrow..shhhh
 This past weekend my son and I found a book paradise! Yes, real books that you hold and turn the pages and read!! Mom had an appointment with the surgeon this morning in Covington and after another great report and visit; we stopped by the used mega book store. I now have soooo many books to list on our Etsy site that it is actually quite daunting, but oh so exciting to share with other old book lovers like myself! Mom and Dad picked up some vinyl records, which totally surprised me!, and we found the craft book section! Oh my gosh, we were drooling!! I found 5 amazing craft books, one vintage, and can't wait to try some projects. It was fun sharing a new experience with the folks, especially since it has been so long since Mom was able to stay up long enough to truly shop. So all in all a very satisfying day seeing her improvement and getting some awesome books. Still want to do my first tutorial on here, I might be a little scared :) So tomorrow I hope to cross that off the bucket list! I got some glass beads today from another Etsy seller so I can start back with some jewelry projects, and took "Sam and Sarah" out of the oven this morning. They fared well in there, coming out with no more injuries I am happy to say! Now to add that gore for just the right touch! I baked some other clay pieces I have had sitting around too. So the first tutorial may be a polymer clay one, I am still pondering on it. It's off to Covington again in the morning to see my doctor about my stomach and loosing too much weight. I know, I know everybody wishes they had that problem; I hear that every time I try to explain that I don't want to weigh a hundred pounds! I have been on both sides of the fence all my life. I never had a weight problem till years after the kids were born and then when Dave passed away I packed it on. But at 54, this weight is so not attractive. Wrinkles have over taken me! So to all those folks who think I am intentionally trying to stay this size just try to understand gaining weight can be just as hard as loosing weight if your health is affecting it just like it affects being overweight a lot of times. Enough of that, just wanted to say I get another chance at the book store! Yay! Just look at the picture of all the old books I made off with......a beautiful site in a computer run world! See you back tomorrow with the first tutorial! It is written so I must make it so now! Keep on laughing and crafting or writing, or taking pictures; whatever makes you happy! Click to set custom HTML It has been a great weekend at the family compound! My daughter got to go to an all day concert yesterday with her bestie and my son treated me to a trip to the book store (2 actually!) and we did some shopping around and had a wonderful day! He bought my dad 5 puzzles that you have to take apart and put back together...way harder than it sounds! Had daddy frustrated! He got my mom a chunky knitting beginner kit and a book from a series she loves. Today we are all being lazy, fixing to take a nap with my grandpups, Yoshi and Girlie. Yoshi is 7 pounds and Girlie is 49 pounds but both think they are the same size as the other, meaning Girlie thinks she can sleep on my chest!! OOMPH! No air in the lungs:). I have been crafting up a storm the past few weeks. My goal after mom's surgery was to add at least one item to my Etsy shop each day. I have exceeded my goal!! I have just finished sculpting my zombie couple, Sam and Sarah, haven't baked them yet (they are out of polymer clay) but they are awesome. Also have to embellish with some blood and bling, but I had a blast doing them. Sam is an older not so gentleman with a combover hair do who met Sarah the gold digger and they fell madly in love.You will notice Sarah is taller than Sam, but the money he has made up for his height. Also, the prominent feature of Sarah is her augmentation paid for by Sam, of course. I am going to try their picture on here if I can figure the technology out! They need some gorying up but for my favorite zombie apocalypse person, here they are! Since i really never paid any attention to the zombie apocalypse before her explanation of it. Now I have a zombie apocalypse survival plan...maybe I should share that in another post. Also, I am fully intending on doing some tutorials of my zany craft making so be ready to make something out of nothing. I use recycled materials alot!! Plastic bottles, aluminum cans, egg shells (yes, egg shells and a empty cereal box can be a rocking piece of jewelry!) Of course, my son is catching on that stuff is coming out of the garbage can..lol!
So Happy Labor Day! And you can still wear white after today, that doesn't apply anymore. It used to be punishable almost by death to wear a white pair of shoes after Labor Day; now it is no big deal. Although I guess I am a product of my time, cause I will wear white pants but not white dress shoes, any shoe for that matter. Hmmm, wonder what other repressed fashion ideas I have? If I make it out of the house with all pertinent items on I consider that a "Project Runway" moment! Anyway back to my good bye for today, enjoy you time off and your family even more! And catch that nap, it rocks! | 
 
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 ArchivesMarch 2015 
My precious grandpuppy, Yoshi! He went through gastrointestinal surgery for an obstruction in August and almost didn't make it. It is now November and he is doing so well just can't eat hard food:( But I love mushing his food twice a day and feeding my beautiful baby boy:)
Yoshi's Nana all dressed up for Mama and Daddy's 56th wedding anniversary!
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