Dennis Update

I wanted to let everyone know what transpired this week-end and today. Dennis’ pain in his operated leg increased significantly over the week-end. The strong pain meds he is on were not giving him the pain relief he needed. I called the dr. this morning. His dr. was out of town so we had to see someone else. He thinks that Dennis has a hematoma around the knee. He is suppose to rest his leg. He now has it in an immobilizer to ease the pain as well as continuing with pain meds. He will see his surgeon on Wed. Pray that his leg will start feeling better again. Pray that I will have the strength I need to take care of him.

Christmas Eve

Christmas this year was different. It was the first year without my dad. That was tough enough but there were some other circumstances that made it difficult. Dennis had knee replacement surgery on Dec. 19. He came home on Dec. 22. Because of this surgery and the way he was feeling we could not go to my sister's where the rest of the family was gathering. My son, Mark, had some sort of health crises when he was at work on Wed. (Dec 24). He fell to the ground shaking and had a terrible headache. A customer called 911 and they took him by ambulance to the hospital. I knew I couldn't get there because I couldn't leave Dennis. I was ok with that because my friend Dannie went to the hospital. When they thought Mark might be bleeding out in the brain, I knew I had to be there. I called my dear friends, Herb and Kathy, they drove to our house. Herb stayed with Dennis and Kathy took me to the hospital. It was snowing and sleeting at times. The roads were horrible but our friends were there when we needed help. I am so glad that they were able to minister to us that way. Isn't God good. I got to the hospital and waited with Mark for the results of the CT scan of his brain. He was not bleeding like they thought. Thank you, Jesus. They then wanted to do a spinal tap to make sure it wasn't meningitis. I could not be in the room when they did that. It was a tough think to do and they had some difficulty. That test was also clear so they figure it was a migraine. He has a following visit on Jan 6. with a neurologist. He has no insurance so I don't know how much this is going to cost him. God will provide.

When we knew we couldn't get to Grand Rapids for family Christmas, we talked to my sister and she postponed it until Jan. 10. My brother and his wife will be visiting so that is a perfect time to have a family Christmas. I can hardly wait to play our family Christmas game. That is another story that will have to wait for another time. Joy, Jeff, and the girls came down from Walled Lake on Christmas day. We had a good day visiting, playing and eating together. I even fixed one of Dennis' favorite meals in hopes of cheering him up a bit. There is always some depression after surgery. We played with the WII and had a lot of fun.

In Honor

In Memory

I have not written in a while. There were a horrific accident on the Wed. before Thanksgiving (Nov 26, 2008). I got a call in the morning from my mother which was unusual because my folks didn't call much. She told me dad had been in a terrible accident and it didn't look good. He was plowing his driveway from the snow that fell the night before. He was on is John Deere 1954 Model 40 tractor. He liked to push snow around but that morning it was not a good outcome. A woman came over the crest of a small hill in front of Dad's house. She must have been going too fast because she could not stop on the slippery road. She hit the tractor hard enough that it broke in two. This was not a small lawn tractor it was a regular farm tractor. Dad hit the pavement. 911 responded and he was so severely injured that they put him on a medflight to Grand Rapids. He never regained conscience He passed away at 6:35 pm. We were with him when they pronounced him dead. He is now singing with the angels. We know he was a child of God. He had put his faith in Christ many years earlier. My dad and mom would have celebrated 62 years of marriage on that Friday. These past few weeks have been the hardest of my life. My entire family is having a hard time with this and the holidays are upon us. We did sigh with relief when we found out that Mom is going to live with my brother. She cannot live alone any longer. Dad was her caregiving. A big job is ahead of us in cleaning out the house and selling things. It will also be a difficult job. There are 5 of us kids. I pray that we can work together to get it all done without fighting.

The True Meaning of Christmas

Don't let the true meaning of Christmas get left behind as you prepare for this busy time of the year. Take time to reflect on what God has done for you and your family in the last year. I know for me and my family we have had some difficulties. I can tell you that God is right there with us with His light showing us the way.

Rain or Snow

Today is cold and rainy or snowy here in Michigan. We had a weather man once who called this kind of weather "snain" . I went out this morning to get my hair done but I sure don't feel like going out for any other reason.

I have to get serious about getting some cards done. I have 2 anniv. cards to do for next week and then a few for Dec. Then I go full out to do Christmas cards.

I made a birthday card yesterday for a teen at our church. I love this little set. It is a lot of fun to color. The set is called "Sushi" and it is an exclusive to Ecletic Paperie. The orange on the little fishes smeared a little but other than that it was a success for coloring. The ribbon is a bright orange. That doesn't show up well in the picture.

I suppose I best get busy doing something worthwhile...

Maybe I will take a nap first. My hip is bothering me and if I lay down it might not be as bad for a while. I found out I have bursitis in my hip. I will know better after I get my x-ray results what for sure is going on.

Too busy doing Nothing

I have been spending too much time doing other stuff (like blogging) and am behind on getting cards made. That doesn't happen to me very often. I must have creative block.


IMy daughter and family went up north to get their dog on Saturday. It is a lab-husky mix and huge. He weighs 66 lbs. He has sure adopted their family well. Joy called this morning to tell me how Datsuk (named after a hockey player) jumped out the car window at the bus stop to play with the girls. They will have to watch him closly. With Husky blood in him he will be a runner. At least, our husky shepherd mix used to run and we would always have to be searching for her. They got a chip put in him yesterday so if he runs away they have a pretty good chance of getting him back. When I get a picture of him with the girls I will post it.

I found a fantastic paper place in Ann Arbor. They have over 3000 handmade papers. I got some gorgeous paper for my Christmas cards. Now all I have to do is get the stamp I want to use.

A Very Tired Friday Night

I haven't written for a while. I have managed to stay busy. I wonder sometimes how I had time to work, keep a household running, and take care of my kids. I got the family calendar done for next year. Now that I have that done and the Thanksgiving cards done for Joy I can concentrate on my Christmas cards. I have the things I need ordered. It is suppose to be in on Monday. I sure hope so. I also need to get some b'day cards done too. My dad's birthday is the 13th. He will be 84. My folks 62nd anniversary is on Nov 28. Wow can you imagine. That sounds like forever.

I got a frantic phone call from a friend tonight. She had locked her keys in her car and needed help to get in to the car. It was late she had a hard day at work. She was frustrated as you can imagine. We went to Ann Arbor, found her, called AAA and they got her into her car in less than 5 min. I am glad we were able to help her.

I have a funny story to tell about some election signs. My DH worked for GM for many years. His nickname was Speck. There were a couple of his friends that called him that. A couple of weeks before the election my husband awoke, got ready for work and found this planted in front of the house. It came from Taylor. We think we know who did it. A certain friend that shall remain nameless lives near Taylor. He knew that Dennis was known as "Speck" at work. We thought it was pretty funny. It brought us a few chuckles and of course our friend denied it.

Now an even funnier part. A couple of days later we had some politicians knock on the door. They were asking for our support for Pope for judge. We had the "Speck" for judge sign in the house at that point. The "Pope" for judge was at least in the correct location when they place it in the front yard with our permission. Our son had been out that day and when he came home underneath his arm was the "Pope" sign. He wanted to know if it was a joke again. "Oh no" was our reply go put it back.

Tuesday

I had a busy week-end. Sunday we attended church with our daughter, Joy, and the family. Joy played a special offertory song. She did a great job as always. We went and had dinner with them. A quick stop at WalMart was in order for my trip north. I met my brother, Bill and his wife, to head up north for an overnight visit with my folks.

Monday I went to funeral for my Aunt on my dad's side of the family. She was 83. My dad is the last one left of that generation in his family. My aunt and uncle had 7 kids. It had been 9 years since I saw any of my cousins. What a shame there is not a family reunion on that side of the family. I didn't know but 1 of them and none of the spouses or kids. We used to have such a great time going to Bad Axe in the summer. We spent many hours at the lake swimming, playing on the beach, getting sunburned...eating, laughing...what fond wonderful memories. The other thing about my Aunt Bertha I remember was her homemade bread. Oh my was it good. She made 7 or 8 loaves a day. I don't remember Aunt Bertha ever being rattled with her 7 kids, us 5 kids, Uncle Mike's and Aunt Marian's 4 kids. That was 16 kids we had running around at the lake and park, or visiting at someone's house. What a testimony. My cousin Roger is a minister and had part of the funeral. My cousin, Barb's son, is also a minister and the prayer he prayed at the graveside was so moving. If you can have a good day being at a funeral, I did. It was a long tiring day for my folks but I am glad I went.

Another thing that happened Monday in Bad Axe was a trip to Murphy's bakery. It is a family owned business that was there when my dad was a kid. Dad told me they used to go there to buy day old bread to feed their animals. The lady would always put fresh stuff in the top of the bag for the them. My dad lost his mom when he was really young so I think it was nice for the bakery lady to do that for them kids. My dad still remembered that and he is 83.

I would like to take a trip over that way next summer. I found out yesterday that my paternal grandparents, and my dad's younger siblings that died are buried right there in Bad Axe at the same cemetary where my Aunt's funeral was buried.

I spent last night with my folks. Mom is sick with a terrible cold or bronchitis or something. I hope she is better soon. Dennis (my DH) came after me today. We got back from up there about 4 this afternoon. I still haven't unpacked. I figured I have all day tomorrow to do that.

Friday

I had a good day today. Joy came down and we went and looked for a doggy for her. There is a no kill shelter near here that Jo knew about and Jo knows about doggys. She found Miriam for us. I don't know if they are going to adopt one or not. They may go look again. They did have a lot of nice kittys there - more than doggys. Then Joy had to go to the store because she needed to pick up somethings to make an appetizer for tonight. She made spanish rice for me for lunch. It was sooooo goooood. We ate the whole batch without any left over. She makes a appetizer out of water chestnuts, bacon and a bbq type sauce. They are really good.

Tonight we went to dinner with the Bobo's at Applebees. I can tell you the company was better than the dinner. For some reason neither Dennis or I like their food that much.

I spent an hour or so on YouTube today listening to quartet music. It was good to hear those old songs again.

I am going to try something here so lets see if it works.


This is one of my favorite songs. Especially the verse about no more pain. On days like this where I am hurting all over I long to be free of pain. And that is not going to happen until I am at home with Him.

New Card

This is the card I was trying to post yesterday when I was having all the problems. It is an anniversary card that I made for my niece. It turned out ok but it was a hurry up and get it in the mail type thing. Oops it looks crooked in the picture but the real thing was straight I think. The centerpiece on this card is layered onto a dark purple (Elegant Eggplant). It looks black in this photo but it is not.

Some people...

are so giving of themselves to help others. We have a few friends like that. Last night, my son was having friends over to paint things for their hobby. One of them, Mike, is a computer person that works at EMU (go Eagles) and goes to our church. I was having some issues on two of the computers that we have in the house. I have the old church computer and I was sure it was still usable but it wouldn't connect to the internet. I wanted to be able to do that for two reasons. The first is I would like my DH to be able to set up his fantasy football. I would also like him to be able to learn email to stay connected to his friends. The old computer would be perfect. I also wanted my grandgirls, Hannah and Lilli, to be able to go to the net and play on their websites. Since the computer is so old there were some real issues with getting it on-line. Mike succeeded last night. I am so THANKFUL. I feel bad because he came over to paint for his hobby and hang out with my son and another friend. I don't know if he was able to paint or not. He was still here when I went to be at 11.

Tuesday Frustration

I am so frustrated with my computer. My Internet Explorer quit working. I had downloaded a newer version it froze and when I restarted it won't load at all. I am getting around it by using the Yahoo Browser which I do not like. I have tried everything I know to fix it but nothing has worked. I have also been unable to upload photos to my gallery on SCS. I have not any idea how to fix that. I have emailed to see if I can get an answer. I only have one more card to make for October. It is special because it is for my daughter.

I just tried uploading a picture to this blog and I have the same problem as with SCS. I am ready to SCREAM.

Thanksgiving for Joy

Saturday

Today is Michigan football day. They are ahead in the first quarter 7 - 0 (Penn State). We did a little grocery shopping this morning. I guess that is necessary if you want to eat.

I actually made a cake today. It has been a long time since I baked anything. It will be time to get supper soon.

I have an earache. I have had it on and off for a week or so. I can tolerate it though. I am worried about my DH. His leg pain seems to be increasing. He can hardly walk. He doesn't complain though. He mowed the back yard when I wanted to ask our son to help out. He just won't ask for help.

I need to get an anniversary card made and get started on the family calendars. I keep putting it off. I really don't have anything else to say today.

BFF

I had my card club here at home last night. We did our card swap and a couple of us had difficulty with the sketch challenge but we managed. My friend Gail interpretated the sketch differently but I really liked how her cards turned out. She is so funny. She asks her husband how they look - that is her first mistake - never as DH about a card you have made. They generally don't care.

We learned to braid paper strips. Well, at least some of us did. I had a hard time but with it but with practice I could get it learned enough to actually use it on a card. Once I learn how to do a straight line with no wrong moves, I will attempt to make a corner. It really didn't take long to do the demo so we sat and talked. It was so good to have some time with my BFF's. I have had some emotional days this week and it was worth while to share and allow us to vent even if it was just to each other. I found out that several of us have basically the same issues with our adult children. We came to the conclusion that there is very little we can do to change things. We have to accept that the way we raised our kids was basically the same. The reason that things happen are the poor choices they are making.

It is time for me to get dressed (11:30 AM) and work on some cards. I wonder sometimes how I ever had time to work, because I can kill 4 hours and show very little for my effort.

Card Swap October

Wednesday Wisdom

I don't know why I wrote that title. I very rarely spout words of wisdom. The cards you see in this post are ones I made for a card swap club that I participate in once a month.

Now that I have that done I need to do a few things for my daughter.

I also need to do my family calendars that I do every year. I have been doing it for a long time. They have all the family birthday's and anniversaries on them. I also add some silly days on it too. Party, party date, National coffee day, grouch day, boss day (this is not the same day), french fry Friday ... you get the idea.

And finally I need to get started on my Christmas cards or they won't be finished on time. I wish I could go until midnight doing stuff. I have to admit I am very fatigued by evening. I fall asleep sitting in a chair at 7 pm . I wonder if it is the fibromyalgia playing havoc with my stamina or if it is RA and chronic pain. I don't suppose it really matters what it is it is now a part of my life.

Monkeying around

I made this cute little monkey card today. I started it last night and finished this morning. They are fun but I only have this b'day stamp set from Stampendous with Changito in it. I colored them with Prisma pencils and OMS. The base of the card is made with SU More Mustard. The blue is Brocade Blue. I also used some Sparkle on the picture frame.

My DH is off today so he has a chance to rest his leg and ankle. I just don't know if this is going to feel better before he has to make a decision about having the surgery to repair his knee replacement.

I need to go and pick up some meds for him.

Birthday Card

Here is a card I made for a friend for her birthday. I am not very good at it but I love to color. I used my new Prisma pencils with OMS to blend. The leaf brads I got at a little scrap book store in Midland MI. I really can't say where the stamp is from. I saw it, the price was right so I bought it. It was so much fun to color.

Today was a bit better

We went up to meet Joy to get some gifts for a baby shower. I did a few more stamps that I found that I had to unmount. That gives me 255 cd cases so far. I am running out of room. I did manage to get a card done today for a baby shower on Sat. Well, it is almost done. I have to find words for the inside. It is supposed to be light pink because it is for a baby girl but the camera did not pick it up too well.

Dennis was still hurting badly today. He even wondered about going to the dr. about this problem he has been having with his ankles hurting so bad. He did get all the laundry done. I wish I could help but I can't get up and down the steps.

Monday blah blah blah

Hi,

It has been one of those days for me. I feel like I should do something. I don't know what. Things that I think about doing I know I can't because of my arms and back. Oh, I wish I didn't hurt. Dennis is having a bad day with pain too. He doesn't feel well and has to work until 7. I lay in bed at night trying to go to sleep and dream about doing things around the house. I would like to do a major cleaning in my stamp room but I can't move everything myself. My DH would just get frustrated and he hurts too. I am destined to stay in this room the way it is. At least for the time being.

I did get a card made today. This is for my sister. I am sorry to scan is so bad but the brads on the card made it so it didn't lay completely flat on the scanner so there is a shadow. I colored this with my Prisma pencils. I used a bit of glitter on the pumpkins.

It is time to go and get dinner started. I am doing something that can go in the oven. Then when DH gets home we can eat rather quickly. DTWS is on tonight and I don't want clean up to keep me away from that.

I do have one football player playing tonight but it looks like I lost my second game. I will have to make some changes for next week. I don't want to stay in a losing slump.

A BIG Shout

If you heard yelling yesterday in the Ypsilanti area, it was me. Yes, I am doing with the unmounting/indexing project that I started in March (I think?). I did not unmount my Judith stamps because most of them are on round sticks. I also did not unmount my background stamps because they are so big that I don't have a block for them. I don't have many of them so they don't take up much room. Although I am not unmounting them I do want to incorporate them into the index.

Now I can go play with my toys. Now that they are all neat and clean. I have one card I have to make and then I want to get started on a new family calendar for next year.

SU Fun

I had a Stampin Up party last night. What fun. I am sorry so many people had things to do but I can have another party sometime. We did two cards. There are here on this post. There is glitter on the flowers but you can't really tell that. I am still indexing. I hope to be able to finish it in a couple of days.

Something from Youtube

Hi,

It has been a couple of days since I wrote. There is a reason - either I have been busy or I have been lazy. I don't know which. I only have 1 shelf left to index for my stamps. I still have cards to make for Thurs. I can hardly believe that I don't have them done.

A friend sent this to me and I really like it so please check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na509XTw3CY

A First -- I got brave

I posted a card I made on SCS. I have a gallery started now. I will post more when I get this crazy indexing done. I have almost 2 shelves yet to do. It takes a while to get this done. We met with some friends of ours for lunch today. We have known these friends for 35 + years. It is nice to sit and catch up once in a while. The problem is that now I am so full I won't want to cook dinner. My DH would say what else is new.

Are you ready for some football?

I did it! I won my first Fantsy Football game!!! I beat a family friend that used to be an AD. Wow I still can't believe it.

I also found an old acquaintance while perusing the posts on SCS. That was way cool. I am still working on my indexing for my stamps. Will it ever end? Probably not because there are hundreds of companies and always new stamps that I like.

My DH surprised me today with an ice tea from McDonald's. They are only $1 but I can't get enough of them.

My son lost his job on Saturday. Let's pray he finds something soon. He does have financial responsibility and we can't really bail him out.

Time to go to bed and get ready for another day.

Have you heard about National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week? September 8-14, 2008 will feature 20 seminars via Blog Talk Radio, (4 per day, M-F) plus tons of people are helping spread the word by blogging about invisible illness issues. Do you get tired of hearing, “But you look so good?” or weary of the stares when you park in a handicapped spot? This is our chance to educate the public as well as remember we are not alone. Nearly 1 in 2 people in the USA live with an illness and 96% of it is invisible.

Elegant Floral

Here is the first card on my blog. I used CTMH cranberry paper and ink, Elegant Floral stamp and accessories. I used the Cuttlebug to cut the circle and the swiss dot embossed background. The photo corner was made using a Stampin Up punch.

I hope to add more of my cards another time. I have been busy indexing stamps. I need to get that done so I can play.

Tuesday - Draft day

Today was the Fantasy Football draft. This is the first time I have had my own team. The drafting was so intense. Especially when I don't know much about football. Oh well, at least there is no money riding on this.

I had a good week-end visiting with family at our reunion. I think there was 80 of us this year. It was nice to be able to spend a little time with dad and mom too.

I am still indexing my stamps. I want that project done so I can play again. I want to get some cards done so I can take pictures and get something posted on this site.

Thurs

Oh my the week has slipped by too fast. I have been busy doing nothing. I am watching the girls today. Joy needs to get in to work. She has not gone much this week. She has been sick like the girls. I remember as a kid both her and Mark would get sick every year in Aug and Sept. Mark still is sick too but he did go to work yesterday.

I have been thinking about Tyler a lot the last couple of days. It seems like a really long time since we saw him. Here is a picture of him. I took this the last time he visited us. I wish I had my camera so I could take pictures of the girls today. Our daughter in law has the camera and I am not sure when she will return it. Maybe if she stops by I can get a new picture of our little boy. She has not been feeling well either. I hope Tyler doeson't get sick.

Our dear friend, Mike B, came by early this morning and fixed our shower. It has been a really long time since it worked right. It required a trip to the hardware store but almost every time you do a project it requires a trip somewhere to get what you need.

I need to get back to my stamp indexing project. I wish I were done and then I could have more fun playing!

I heard from an old friend yesterday. The gal I worked with for almost 30 years at the U. She is still there and working thru the end of the year. We had such great times together for a lot of years. I am glad I left when I did because my bosses were so awful but I do miss her.

Sunday

We once again had to hurry thru our McDonald's breakfast to get to church on time. We simply have not got the timing down to drive to church farther than we used to drive. We actually are driving farther now than when we went to church in Belleville 35 years ago. That is one of the drawbacks to going to LW. Pastor Clark had a good message today from Mark 8.

I still have to put some things away for the stamp convention. Then I really must get busy on my "indexing" project again. I don't think I have many cards to make for September so I should be able to get more of that done. Off to get some done.

Sad and good all in the same day

Our poor little Lilli has a double ear infection. She was up in the night last night. She just wanted her mommy. She felt terribly warm to me and she said her ear hurt. She laid with us for a little while and said she could go back to bed. I got up at 7 and she was laying in grampy's chair. She was crying again. I felt so bad for her. There was really nothing much I could do for her. I called Joy (who is also sick) and Jeff came and got the girls. We were going to take them home because we were going north later in the day. She got home and fell asleep. She had a temp of 102.6 which is pretty high. They let her sleep and took her to see the dr. later in the day. She has a double ear infection. I don't know if Hannah took a nap but she didn't feel well either. She was trying to sleep when Lilli was crying. I hate it when the kids are sick. I hated it when my kids were sick. It is part of growing up I guess but I just get frustrated because I can't help.

The other news is our friend Landy Bobo had to have surgery yesterday. His pacemaker was not working and has not worked since June. He has congestive heart failure. We were so relieved to hear he was doing ok. We ran in and saw them at Tim Horton's for a little bit. I wish it could have been longer but we didn't want to be late for the next item on our agenda.

Now on to better news. Once again we were able to spend time with some dear friends today some who we haven't seen in a while. Our friends, Ron and Gail, had a celebration of their 40th anniversary. We had a lovely lunch at Fleming's in Birmingham. Their son, Andrew, is the chef/partner there. It was very good. The steak was fantastic. From what I could observe and what I have been told, it is expensive to eat there. We had a good time and heard some stories about the Craig's and how they met and their "honeymoon". They have a new grandson who was born last Monday morning. He is a beautiful baby.

Here is a picture of my grandgirls, my daughter Joy and her husband Jeff.

A busy Friday

I was able to get my table cleaned up a bit today. I finished my August cards Yahoo!! My grandgirls are spending the night tonight and they are still not asleep!! It is going on 10 and grammy is getting tired. I forgot one of my favorite shows was on tonight and I missed it. Oh well, there is always reruns.

Great Time

Oh what a great time we had tonight. We got together with some old friends. It had been a very long time since we sat with them. We met for dinner and stayed at Olive Garden for 3 hours! We are going to try to get together again the first part of October. We spent a lot of time with them when we were going together and after we were first married. Such wonderful memories. One more card to make and I will have my August cards finished. It is a good thing since the month is almost over.

I have been thinking about what I am going to do for Christmas cards. I haven't come up with anything for sure yet.

Time Well Spent

Here I sit. I need a break from my stamping so I thought I would add a small item to my blog. I have to tell you that I spend a lot of time "researching" my hobby. My favorite site is http://www.splitcoaststampers.com . There are so many things on there you could spend all day looking at it. There incredible blogs to look at, wonderful card gallerys and member companies to spend money.

My favorite companies for stamps are: Stampin Up, The Angel Company, Stamps by Judith, Hero Arts. I am sure there are others. Maybe next time I will think of them.

My new favorite coloring technique is with Prisma pencils and OMS for blending.

Off to play.

Very first

I have taken the jump I was finally convinced this is something I can do. Thanks to my son and his blog here.

This is a picture of me that was taken in my messy room where creativity takes place (I hope).