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Monday, October 31, 2011

Update: A Journal of a Sorts

Last week was very rough.

  • Tuesday: As you know, I went to the ER late in the evening on suspected gall bladder troubles because I had been suffering for seven/eight days straight. The results of both blood work and ultrasound came back saying my gall bladder looks good.

    They wanted to do a CT scan and by then I had enough. I was so tired and feeling sick from lack of sleep. I just could not handle the idea of them establishing yet another IV location, which was finally in my left hand after they could not get one in my right arm and could not find a spot in the left arm. For the CT scan, the IV location has to be in the arm and not the hand. I was not going through all that again. I hate needles and tend to panic with them. I also was terrified of the idea of a foreign substance (dye) being injected into my body. Dan insisted on talking with the emergency room doctor and after discussing things, he refused on my behalf because they were only fishing.

  • Wednesday: I was so sick. The upper abdomen burning/pain was about a four spiking to six or seven on the scale of ten. I was also suffering from facial pain. I decided to take some pain medication they gave me in hopes of making me feel a tad better. Instead, it caused me to vomit violently. I'll have you know that medicine ended up in the trash. Anyway, I was one messed up woman. I told Dan I wanted to die after I threw up the first time. I was so fortunate that he chose to stay home from work that day. He watched over me.
  • Thursday: I was better albeit extremely weak. The burning/pain had subsided somewhat. I only had bland liquids. Dan made me some jello which helped.

  • Friday: I woke up feeling much better. I tried bland solids. And, ever since, I have only been drinking and eating bland stuff. I will wake up in the mornings fine but the burning would begin after I drink and eat and continue throughout the day. But, at least it was tolerable.

  • Saturday and Sunday: I mostly rested. We did go out both days.

    Saturday was the grocery. I only went to HEB and I didn't care about costs. I wanted real food even though it was bland. We got small potatoes, chicken, white rice, and a few other things. Dan grilled some chicken for me that night. It was bland as can be -- nothing but chicken. I also a little plain pasta with the chicken. I couldn't eat a whole lot; but, at least I was eating.

    We shopped for a little on Sunday. I got myself a new mouse for the laptop and Dan got himself a new game (Batman: Arkham City for XBox 360). These only costed a little over $17 total -- due to rebate gift cards. I also purchased a little Christmas gift. I was so tired that we went home after about an hour out and about.

  • Today: I saw the Gastroenterology doctor at 8:00am. Actually, I saw him a little bit later due to my body going into panic attack mode. Sheesh. It was just what my body needed - NOT! After some discussion, the doctor mentioned ulcer. He also wants to look into a secondary problem I have had for as long as I can remember and that is difficulty swallowing. For the first time in my life, I feel validated. I might actually have a legitimate answer to this ridiculous problem.

    Anyway, he wants to do an endoscope for the primary suspect (ulcer). So, an endoscopy was scheduled for Thursday at 8:10am and I will be put under some anesthesia which scares me half to death. I pray I will survive being scared. Ha!

So, as of this date, I have lost 10 pounds in one week. All this without trying! Sheesh. I will continue to eat and drink only bland stuff as that is all I can tolerate. I still do not feel like doing much. Can you believe that I have packages unopened since last Monday? I just don't have the energy to do anything and all of this health crap is causing me to be depressed. I can only hope things will look up soon.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Forced Blogging Break


Today is the first day I felt like even coming on to check emails. I just don't have the energy to do much of anything else. I went to the MedClinic Tuesday evening and then it was off to the ER on the advice of the MedClinic doctor for fear it's my gall bladder since I've been struggling with this for eight days straight. I checked out fine from the ultrasound and bloodwork. I was so sick yesterday from trying the pain medication. Dan discovered that one of the side affects of the medication is vomiting. Just great. Just what I needed. NOT!

Anyway, I have a doctor's appointment at 8:00am Monday. In the meantime, I am just going to take it easy and try to survive until then. I will come back as soon as I feel up to it. I am so sorry to have left you all hanging.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Link Roundup


Hey everyone! I finally made it back to post links, huh? Dan arrived yesterday evening around 7:45pm and I was so happy to see him. I will be returning home tomorrow with him and maybe, just maybe, life can return to normal. Ha! In the meantime, enjoy the links I found this past week.



  • Free BOM: Autumn’s Bounty Quilting; 10 Blocks total
    Block 1 & 2 is already posted. Block 3 will be posted in November.

  • Quilt in a Day and Elaeanor Burns on facebook
    There is a Block Party for a quilt called Treasure Chest on facebook. Free pattern for each block released every 4 – 6 weeks with the first one already posted.

  • Wednesday Funny Humor
    For Lexiphiles -- lovers of words

  • Christmas Comes but Six Months a Year
    This guy gave voice to a lot of what I think about Christmas these days with the exception of the shopping bit. I don't shop for Christmas stuff; but, I do shop for presents and the like early on to spread costs. There are not a whole lot to shop for these days.

  • My Fingernails or His Hand Christian; Devotional
    She told me she had been missing her daughter terribly, and she told God she felt as if she were hanging on by her fingernails. Then she felt as if God reminded her that His hand of protection was there to hold her up—that she could let go, and He would catch her.

    That’s a better perspective, isn’t it? This picture reminds us that when troubles come and we feel least able to hold on to our faith, it’s not up to us. It’s up to God to support us with His mighty hand.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
~Matthew 11:28

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Just in Case You're Wondering...


Just in case you're wondering what happened to me, I am still around. I am just struggling really hard this week. I have a bad case of "don't wannas" today and even laid in bed like a sluggard this morning instead of getting up at the usual time.

However, I had a real good day yesterday health-wise and I took off doing what I love best - shopping! I had coupons and snagged deals at CVS (razor refills for only 29 cents!) and at JoAnn's (50% off on the OttLight's Craft Caddy Lamp). That lamp is one that has been on my wish list for quite some time now and it's portable -- perfect for my sewing / crafting room at night when I wish to sew as it gets really dark in there. I also bought myself two long-sleeved shirts and a pair of jeans. This is something I needed to do for a long time - shop for me. :-)

Today, I think I'm just going to be lazy. I will go to the mall for lunch - Subway. It will force me to walk and get a little exercise. I will also go visit Mother a couple of times.

I want to let you all know that there will not be a whole lot of posting this week. It is not easy to be inspired and creative away from home. I meant to process some pictures; but, just did not feel like doing that. So, this blog stagnates as a result. Ha!

I'll be back to normal again soon. In the meantime, have a wonderful week!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Link Roundup


This list is super short on account of not jotting down interesting links. And, it's a day late! I claim my birthday, distractions and being away from home an excuse.


Thursday, October 13, 2011

Today I am...


Today I am old! Ha! One year older. I turned 47 years old today. Yikes!


I found out yesterday that I won two yards of Panier de Fleurs of my choice from the Fat Quarter Shop through Talkin’ Tuesdays on Twitter. Learning this bit of news lifted my mood immensely. Thank you @caraquilts and @FatQuarterShop for this early birthday present! I do not think anybody knew that the next day was going to be my birthday. So, it was a wonderful surprise!

In the middle of the night (last night), I woke up with a migraine. It was a pounding ugly one. Fortunately, it eased by 7:00am this morning. I disliked the sunshine. Someone on facebook said it was a glorious morning! I privately said “bah humbug” to that cheerful person.

bird ate sun (sun hate bird)
source
Ha!

I still have residual effects of the migraine; so, you'll have to excuse any grammar and spelling errors that may be in this post.

I was planning to go the beach today; but, the after effects of the migraine changed my mind. I took it easy this morning and gradually felt better. By the time 11:00am rolled around, I felt like venturing outdoors. I decided to see Mother and then head on over to the nearest Denny’s for my free Grand Slam birthday meal. It was delicious; although, the service stunk at that particular restaurant.

Since I felt up to doing some shopping, I decided to go on mini quilt shop hop! I first went to my formerly favorite quilt shop, the Painted Pony ‘n Qults (PPQ). I roamed inside the store for a bit; but, I did not find anything I had to have. So, I went onto another quilt shop called Pinwheels and Posies (P&P) which has now become my favorite shop in the area. This was my first visit to this particular shop. It is smaller; but, still loaded with fabric. The staff is really nice! I have never encountered friendlier staff than they. Most do not have the patience with hearing impaired or deaf people like me. But, these were very nice and understanding people.

Anyway, I roamed the shop and noticed that the prices were slightly lower than the PPQ. Although, P&P probably had less than half the amount of fabric. The shop is mostly organized and grouped by color with a few fabric lines standing out. They had some Essential Dots by Moda mixed up in the groupings of colors. I wanted these for eons. But, I decided against purchasing any of these because I knew that I can eventually buy some at my favorite online quilt store.

I found a fabric I loved. And then, I noticed the same pattern was in another color. I kept on finding the same pattern in different colors.


source: Moi!

Ten in all! I ended up purchasing ½ yard of each except the brown. I purchased 2 yards of that as I loved the color. Don’t ask me why; but, I have loved rich browns for several years now. One of these fabrics, I believe it was the black, was 20% off. I did not know this until she marked the ticket. I told the lady that I was not going to argue with her. Ha! These fabrics are part of the Isadora line by Blank Quilting. And, I discovered via this site that the brown color is “Chocolate”! How appropriate!

After I finished with the P&P shop, I decided to head on over to Quakertown Quilts (QQ) . Imagine my disappointment upon discovering that this shop is closed. They were in business for 23 years! They do have what I call a 'sister shop' in The Woodlands; but, I was not about to travel that far!

So, I went to see my Mother again briefly and then crashed a bit at the house. I decided that I did not feel like dining out for dinner; so, I went to Chili's to order some food to go. Once I got back to the house, I settled down with a book and pigged out on some delicious Cajun Pasta with Grilled Chicken.


In spite of my disappointment over QQ, in spite of my rough beginning to this day due to the migraine, and in spite of missing my Dan, I had a pretty good day!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Wordy Wednesday: The Lion Sleeps Tonight



In the jungle, the mighty jungle
The lion sleeps tonight
Both Chessie and Gracie were allowed outside on Sunday, October 2nd. Dan was out there working on a few things and the cats were begging to be let out. So, I put the leashes on them, opened the door and Gracie charged outside while Chessie sedately walked like an old lioness.

Chessie was in a strange mood. She usually goes immediately into the grass. Instead, she sat there on the edge of the front stoop for the longest time. She finally decided to go into the bushes that are next to the front stoop. I did not have the heart to discourage her like I usually do because of the weird mood she was in. (I am always afraid of possible snakes in hiding.) She settled herself down, and gazed out onto the world.

She eventually got up, buried herself even deeper into the bushes, and settled down. The above picture is what I captured when she did this and it is my favorite one out of all the ones I snapped that day. She was one happy kitteh. She laid down her head and went to sleep.

When it was time to go in, Chessie didn't want to budge. She complained a bit. I felt bad; but, there was no way I was going to leave her (or Gracie) outside. Both of my cats are indoor cats with supervised visits to the great outdoors.

I brushed Chessie upon going inside and there were five tiny leaves buried in her fur. Sheesh. This is another reason not to let her go into the bushes! Ha!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

What Am I Working On?


Nothing much changed from last Tuesday’s status except I cut up the fabric for the hexies (hexagons). It was so easy with the handy dandy gadget!

Note: I am a lefty. So, things will look backwards to you Rightys. Also, ignore the unsheathed rotary cutter. It's a bad habit I have. Dan came into the sewing room and made a move to pick up the cutter and I panicked and said "NO!" I quickly picked up the thing and sheathed it. And then handed it to him. He looked so surprised! LOL. I'll never forget the look on his face. It's strange how I am sort of careless when it comes to me; but when it comes to others, I am hyper vigilant. Anyway...


Cut fabric into strips you want/need. I wanted 2” hexies. So, I cut 2.5” strips

Cut in one direction

Flip each piece and trim

You will get a pile of hexies in no time!



I’m thinking that this is going to be way too much yellow. *puke* But, It will be good practice.

All packaged up and ready to go by Thursday afternoon (10/6/2011).


I sewed four hexies using the English Paper Piecing method yesterday and am planning to sew up more today. It keeps me busy and out of mischief. Ha!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Lily



While we were at the softball game, I managed to snap a few decent pictures of Lily who has grown so much! It was kind of hot and it was already a long day for her; so, she was not in the best of moods. But, she was still too cute!


Yay Team!


Whatcha doing?


Is that Umpire Watching the Same Game I Am?

That night, we all gathered together at Dave and Busters for dinner. I managed to snap a couple pictures that I thought was decent before it got too dark inside. The last one is my favorite.


I dare you to pinch my toes


Soulful Eyes

Friday, October 7, 2011

Link Roundup


Note: I added two new sweepstakes to the giveaways page above. I thought they were worthy. One is for a chance to win $15,000 and the other is for a Pfaff sewing machine! I’m not going to lie; I would rather be one of the 25 winners winning miscellaneous prizes instead of the grand prize (Pfaff sewing machine). Ha!

Now on to the Link Roundup.
You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality. ~ Ayn Rand

  1. Loved xOXo print By Red Letter Words

  2. Book: Still Crazy for Baby by Me & My Sisters Designs 4 Quick Quilts for Baby

  • Cornbread Topped Chili in a Jar Recipe

  • Pretzel Snacks Mini pretzels, Hershey kisses, and mini M&Ms. Simple! Kids would love these!

  • Conformity versus Conviction Christian; Inspirational
    I am not going to lie. The beginning of this article is one of the reasons why I disliked school.
    Behavior driven by conformity is the exact opposite of conviction-driven behavior. Conformity says,“I’m acting this way because of external pressure. This is what you expect or demand of me, but I don’t necessarily believe in it or give it freely.

    Conviction-driven behavior springs from within: “I’m modeling my life on principles that I believe are true. I live this way because I’m convinced that it’s right.
  • We Don’t Talk About It Christian; Inspirational; on Depression
    Years, decades have passed. And I still struggle. Struggle with the self perceptions.

    Struggle with the baggage I have brought. To my children. To my marriage. Struggle with the darkness that tries to invade me. Struggle with the fear of going back.
  • Why I Hate Surrender Christian; Inspirational
    One of Satan’s most brilliant lies is that if you surrender something to God, you’ll receive something less beautiful in return.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

A Softball Game


I thought I share some more pictures today instead of the usual writing.

When we went to see Clare, we also went to see her older sister play softball. It was a lot of fun watching the game and visiting with the others. And, she did fabulous!

All the pictures were taken by Dan. Enjoy!


Keep your eyes on the ball

Here it Comes!

Close your eyes and SMACK!
{You can't see it very well here; but, her eyes were closed.}

Run, girl, Run!

I got the ball!

Watch out people! The ball is coming your way!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Wordy Wednesday: Another Baby



When we went to see the newest baby, Clare, another baby in the family managed to get on my lap.

He was very sweet.

And, affectionate.

And, wanted attention badly.

Want to see the baby?

Here he is:


photo credit: Dan

Ha!

He just settled himself down after a bit and went to sleep. Too funny! And, what is even funnier is when I had to get up, he dug in because he did not want to leave my lap. Poor baby.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

What Am I Working On?



On My Design Wall: Backing in Progess for Layer Cake Quilt

I am real pleased with how this is turning out from what I envisioned. The main fabric is my favorite.

On My Ironing Board: A Bunch of Blocks Waiting to be Ironed and Squared

Some blocks will be used to complete the backing for Layer Cake quilt. I am thinking that the leftover blocks will be used to make a small quilt or two. We'll see.

On my Cutting Table: Getting Ready to Cut Fabrics to Make Hexies

I grabbed some fabrics from my stash. They are not perfect; but, it will do for a practice project. I thought that this would be a good project to take on the road. I do not have much time to get the fabrics cut and packaged as I will be on the road again soon. So, I better get going on this little project.

Monday, October 3, 2011

CVS Pharmacy Shopping Trip (Frugality)


I had two CVS Extra Reward Bucks (ERB), $10 from a shopping trip and $2 from a free Facebook promotion. One of these was expiring today. I had to use it up. Otherwise, it would be like throwing cash away. At least, in my mind, it would be.

So, I went online and perused the weekly ads. I am not one to buy things just for the sake of buying them because they are on sale. I tend to buy things that we need and/or I know we will use in the future. And, almost always, I stay away from food products with the exception of Coke for Dan when they are on an excellent sale.

I made a list of things that were on sale and tracked down a couple coupons I had clipped. I then made a run to CVS. There is an ERB station located near the front of the store. I always scan my card in hopes of garnering another free ERB coupon. I was lucky to get a $1 ERB this trip. This turned my $12 stash of ERB into $13.

Here is the list of things I needed/wanted:

Nbr of Items Product Total Cost
2
Dawn Ultra Antibacterial  
1.94
2
Maxi 18 ct
6.00
1
Hydro 3 Razor
8.29
2
Sure solid Deodorant
3.19
-----
Grand Total:
19.42

I was getting low on both Dawn and the Maxi. And, I was getting nervous about the deodorant supply. They were buy 1, get 1 and I had a coupon. So, I decided to get more. These were all on sale and I knew I had that $12 total in ERB coupons. I didn't really need the razor. I prefer cartridge refills. But, every once in awhile, you need to get yourself a new razor (handle) because they do get grody over time. Ha! So, this will get stored in our linen closet until I (or Dan) needs a new one. And, I had two other reasons for purchasing the razor. I am sure you can find them below.

Here are the coupons I used:

Total Amount 19.42
Hydro 5 or 3 razor
-5.00
14.42
Sure Deoderant
-1.00
13.42
CVS ERB
-10.00
3.42
CVS ERB
-2.00
1.42
CVS ERB
-1.00
0.42

Yes, the total amount for all of this was 42 cents. Tax of 7 cents was then applied making it a grand total of 49 cents! That is all I paid. AND, get this! I received a $3.00 ERB back for the razor I purchased. So, in a sense, I got paid for shopping at CVS. You can't beat that!

Beautiful Clare

We went to see the newest addition in the family on the weekend of September 17th. She was born September 11th while we were on a mini vacation at North Padre Island. I wanted so badly to go see the little one at the hospital and we planned on going the next day. But, much to my surprise, I found out they were going to be released that day. So, after much discussion, we decided to go up and see her the following weekend instead, which turned out to be wonderful all around. It was a very relaxing time.

Clare is the cutest little baby girl with reddish hair. Here are a few of my favorite pictures and all of them were shot by Dan. I had trouble deciding which ones I liked best; so, I'm showing 'duplicates'. ha! She is a week old in these pictures. Enjoy.

PS I have a few more pictures with Clare. We will take them up to her parents the next time we go up there to visit family. For some reason or another, I choose not to post them here.