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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

A Fine And Dandy Day In May

My Brie Cheese.....

My snuggle bug.....

Sorry for the long absence! Been healing, volunteering, super spring cleaning, grilling, walking, traveling, bicycling, you name it! I have been super busy lately! Got my vintage fabric collection all organized finally, from big scraps/fat quarters all the way down to the teeny tiny odd shaped scraps! Been working real hard on my new life style change...lost now 20 pounds since the surgery, and a full dress size might I add! All I am doing is eating right and mild to moderate exercise! I also think the extra yard work outdoors helps too, my hubby and I are working hard to get rid of the colony of massive weeds that grew in our back yard! we finally broke down yesterday and bought some round up weed killer, the hard core stuff so all we have to do now is wait....

What on earth is that???

My lucky lavender stick! My mom gave this to me several years ago, I found it in another forgotten box down in my basement, and it still smells oh so good! my cats even like to take the occasional whiff without sneaking off with it in their mouths....hehehe

Here's me with my newest made pillow!

My vintage fabric scrap garland friends softly and slowly dancing in my bedroom courtesy of my new bedroom fan!

Meant to take a picture of this, but the day before my surgery, I was feelin stressed, scared, and distracted, so I went to one of like 7 goodwills in my town and came across a pair of these pillow cases, only 1.99 I was so happy to come across them! now they live with me and my hubs happily.

Found this half rusted metal fairy at my parent's last month when I was visiting...even though half of her is missing and broken off, I decided to take her back home with me to Nebraska and I gave her a hanging string and hung her in my bedroom window....I kind of like that she has stood the sands of time in the Kansas outdoors and became rusted and distressed...


Hope everyone had a good holiday weekend, I will be having great 3rd wedding anniversary coming up on the 6th of June!

What's closing my month of may in a good way:
1. today was my red meat day! (only 1 day per week I have allotted myself red meat)
2. down the 20 pound mark as of this morning!
3. looking forward to receiving a HUGE vintage scrap pack!!
4. finally warming up into the 80's this week!
5. my 3rd wedding anniversary in 6 days!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Going Outdoors!

Mizz Trudy Elna (my sewing machine and business partner) was indeed busy the other day!! look at this 40 feet long vintage scrap garland I made for my fence line between mine and my neighbor's yard!

They love their new out door home! Dancing in the wind!

And this hangs off my front porch, it's a wind chime effect, they can blow upward pretty high on even 10-15 mph winds!

Here is my sexy husband mowing our backyard one morning not too long in the past....work that mower baby! hehe that mower was given to us last summer from my papa (grandpa)...it's been a blessing and a joy to have and use!

And yes, there's me 6 days after surgery, feeling great! Sorry for my 5 day absence, just resting as best as I can, working on some crafting, and preparing to go to Kansas this weekend for my niece and nephew's baptism!

What's making my day feel great!
1. calming rain and distant thunder
2. Hubby is making me some home made pasta sauce!
3. down 13 pounds since the surgery! yay!
4. my new 40 footer garland
5. my soft bathrobe I am wearing right now with my jammies past noon!!!!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Getting My Life Back....

This was taken the night before my surgery....what a sweet sight!

And today I got a picture of my sweet boys!

I made a couple of projects the day before my surgery to keep myself occupied....this is the seed catcher I made for my boys' cage, they are real messy and fling bird seed everywhere!

On the day of my surgery I got spoiled big time! Here are the wonderful roses my hubby got for me!

These are the goodies my mum got me at the hospital gift shop! My kitty card, a lilac scented candle and the beautiful "Kansas Angel" is what I call her!

Here is a closer look at the Kansas Angel, I added my little touch to her, I gave her a little scarf for those chilly days upstairs in my studio, which is now her permanent home! I just used a tiny piece of vintage fabric for her scarf! how cute!!!!!


And my most recent pillow I made, simple but chic!

I am feeling much better today on day 4! I am basically muscle sore now, my sore throat from the breathing tube is gone, and my incisions are looking better today and are not as swollen! My life is already made an improvement! I like it!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Recovering....

Yesterday was my gallbladder removal surgery and it went textbook smoothly! I am a little sore today, very gassy from all of that air pumped into me! hehe my parents and little sister drove all the way from my home town to be with me, along with my husband. It was so comforting having them all there with me, I did feel better for that. But of course the extreme nerves really kicked in when I was in the O.R. I started crying uncontrollably and shaking like one of those newborn puppies. But the anesthesiologist then gave me what he called "the good stuff". It burned at first going into my vein, and then my body felt so heavy and I felt so loopy and I remember saying "wow....that stuff really is good, you were right doc...." and the very last thing i remember saying something about my etsy shop since my anesthesiologist asked me about it, and then that was it....I was unconscious, but what felt like maybe seconds for me was 40 minutes in real time, I opened my eyes and was in a different room (recovery) and my golly my shoulder was hurting real bad. (the gas pressing up on my diaphragm and causing nerve pain on my right shoulder ) and it also felt like I did over 500 sit ups! I asked the nurse "didn't they finish my surgery?" hahaha she laughed and said yes they did, you were under for about 45 minutes...but I got out of recovery very fast and left the hospital at about 1 pm! (I was only there for a total of almost 8 hours!) my mom got me a get well surprise, she got me this beautiful angel figurine holding sunflowers (my home state's flower) and a lilac candle reminding me of my mom's lilacs back at home, and of course a lovely card with kittens on it (I am a sucker for kittens)...when my parents and sister were at my house, I told my mum to go upstairs and pick out a finished pillow, she picked out a joel dewberry damask one, great choice! I was sad to see them all leave, but they had a long drive back home, I sure know how long that drive is...and my hubby took all of yesterday off from work and watched over me and helped me do everything. I am walking around even better today, keeping my incisions clean, took a nice hot shower this morning, I was awake most of last night with a very raw throat (side effects from the breathing tube and the general anesthetic) I am excited to get back to crafting and walking and riding my bike, jogging, going on many errands without feeling those gallbladder attacks, I am so happy to start living my life and for everything to be back to the way they were before....I haven't had any pains in my chest and back since the surgery, just pain from where the gallbladder was attached and the incisions of course. I feel so much better!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

"The Lucky Date"

Well it looks like my lucky date for my cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) will be on Monday, May 16th (6 more days from now)! I'm am not too excited for this since this is my first surgery ever performed on my body...I know, at least it will be done and over with and by this same time 2 weeks from now, I will feel good as new and will be getting my life back, but I have to tell you, I have the biggest fear of hospitals, being cut open, and worse yet, going under general anesthesia. I haven't gone thru being put under, I heard some horror stories, it's freaking me out just by typing this out, I can't believe it....I AM HAVING SURGERY NEXT WEEK!!! I won't be typing much this week, I have no new projects that I worked on, I don't think I could work on anything new right now, I am upset and anxious....my hubby says he is not scared at all, but he isn't going through this! I am! I am only 28 and my health has downhill so far in the last few years, and with my gallbladder being compromised, the symptoms make me feel triple my age. That and I do need to lose some more weight, I always over eat even when slightly stressed. I have decided many things are going to change now....I decided to completely alter my diet, I will be cutting ALL fats, even right down to not putting creamer in my coffee, by which caffeine will be very limited, hopefully completely avoided in the next couple of months. I have already had a head start on this, even before my surgery....I will not be eating anymore red meats at all, just white meats and fish, crab has cholesterol so I won't be eating that either anymore, NO MORE CHEESE only ricotta and cottage cheese with the lowest % milk fat, I will be eating 2 hard boiled eggs per week, nothing but clear (ish) liquids, water will be 95% of my liquid intake, no more pop, sweet tea, and coffee very sparingly....I have also started experimenting with tofu, like tofurkey...I will be eating lots of home made asian inspired dishes, very little salt, no more high sodium foods either, I am now intaking at least 2 servings of veggies and 2 servings of fruit daily now, no more pizza, fried foods are completely out of the question, I will not be intaking any gluten only whole grains....that means....no more pasta with alfredo sauce. Everything needs to be organic and not pumped full of hormones, my doc says those things are bad for the liver...yogurt (greek) is good once everyday, either for a dessert or for breakfast, I can have turkey bacon too, 2 pieces for breakfast...no more processed deli meats either, no mayo, just mustard. Also in addition, I will no longer be intaking any alcohol, that won't be a problem for me though since I only drink socially and on certain occasions...and lastly, every single day I will be going for 15 minute brisk walks, and/or riding my bike either in the evenings or early mornings when it is cool out.....
I have also decided to switch jobs. oh no I will always have my minxden job, but my current part time job is starting to get to me, my hours have diminished to almost nothing since so many more people were hired and the labor needs to be evenly spread out, I took that job only for a temporary source of income, and then I would find something else that is full time only and better pay, so my resignation takes effect after this friday, that am retail really isn't my calling anyway, I am pretty tired of it. (I wanted to at least finish out this week out of courtesy) the resignation thing may not make sense to others, since my recovery time from my surgery is 7-10 days max, but I also want to take some time and focus souly on my health and spirit...I also think getting involved with a church should be good for me, since my faith has been shaken, I am also volunteering at the cat house in lincoln to help poor kitties in need, my husband and I are doing this together (I will be doing this 2x weekly starting 2 weeks from now) so I will be plenty busy, also I have applied to several desk jobs ( which is what I really want for a job)...I also want to lower my cholesterol to a better level too. Like I said lots of changes and for the better too, my hubby is totally supportive on my job switch decision...After my surgery next week, I will be posting some more and letting my readers know how things are going. I ask for your prayers if you pray to a higher power, or your thoughts if you do not, for the surgery to go well, and for a speedy recovery....I AM READY TO GET MY PAIN FREE LIFE BACK AND MY HEALTH BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS AND FEEL LIKE A 28 YEAR OLD IS SUPPOSED TO FEEL!

Monday, May 9, 2011

New In My Shop


Mosaic Pillow In Olive....my home town's fabric store had some amy butler fabric additions recently and while I was down in Kansas visiting family, I went and took advantage! This pillow is a newbie, and I only have 2 pillows readily available in this print, I reckon I will get more when I come back down next time!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Silent Sunday

My mummy gave me these cute shelves to put in my studio, what a great idea....now I can sort my fabrics properly...and of course a few knick knacks here and there...thanks mom!

My vintage sheets from my home town and other various vintage fabrics folded nicely....I have been told I fold linens just like my grandmother does....

On this silent still Sunday, with severe thunderstorms rumbling in the distance, my girls snooze in my bed...


And best of all, my hubby surprised me with yellow roses...he wanted to cheer me up since I will be going to that dreaded consult with my surgeon tomorrow....

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Creating And Waiting



Had some fun yesterday with some embroidering hoops I hunted down in my hometown's Goodwill!

My Brie Brie...


My Ci-Ci...

An update with my gallbladder....well I had an ultra sound done, and I do indeed have 1 gallstone to be exact, it's roughly the size of a nickel (or 1.1 cm in diameter) anything bigger than .8 centimeters cannot naturally dissolve, so I will be having surgery to have the whole gallbladder taken out via laproscopy....the gallbladder itself is swollen and there is quite a bit of "sludge" in there too....yucky. no wonder why I have been feeling like crap for almost a year now! so once this surgery is over with (I have a consult with my surgeon on may 9th), my life with return to normal. And yes, my diet will drastically change as well, and for the better! keep up your prayers that I go through this smoothly, (I have never had any surgeries performed on my body) and for a smooth recovery! and also pray for my family's safe travels to and from to be with me during my surgery too....

Thursday, May 5, 2011

I'm Back And Refreshed

What a great trip I had! and my stress lifted away due to sweet felines surrounding me.....

This little old lady is Scarlett....she has been a part of our family for 15 years next month (her birthday is on my wedding anniversary!) She is a chartreux kitty, little chirps instead of meows, her body has some wear and tear, but she still gets around pretty good for her age. She is ever so sweet, gentle, and she is on borrowed time, so I must make all visits with her as memorable as possible. I remember leaving for college, and when i returned home after a couple of weeks, she punished me by not coming anywhere near me....but now whenever I return from a 300 mile drive, she is just so happy to see me and is the first to welcome me home from a long journey.

Here is Ashes, he is pretty sweet too...he always looks after Scarlett.

Here is Whispers. He is the brother of Ashes (litter mate) and he reminds me of a cat I once had that looked just like him.

This is Malcolm, my mom's pride and joy...he is a mainecoon cat who lives strictly indoors. I found him back in Manhattan, KS abandoned as a 3-4 week old kitten, I took him here to my parent's house, and he was nursed back to health and then he adopted my family, he isn't too smitten with me, but after 3-4 days, he and I start to really get along....he is very territorial when it comes to my mom (she is all his)...

Here is Shiloh....very shy, I was surprised to get this good of a picture of her, she will be 10 this summer, and she is a good pal of Scarlett's...

Here is the little boy that stole my heart, this is Buster, or I like to call him "Bust-a-Must"...he is the little brother of Ashes and Whispers (different litter, but same mother and father who are both gone now)....this little fella and I bonded hardcore! He snuggles with me, plays with me, chases me, and had lots of fun with my luggage! what a stinker!

And of course while visiting my family, my sister and I head to the only goodwill in my hometown, and wouldn't you know it, I hit the vintage linens jackpot! I could never find anything in Lincoln! here they all are line drying in my mum's beautiful rose garden!



All in all, it was a great time, got to see my family, my grandparents, a friend, and had lots of fun with tons of kitties!