Catching Up

My fairy house is finished! Inside the bottom door, there is a sycamore seed chandelier, a chair made of twigs and leaf ‘cushions’, and a bark chunk table with lichtin ’tv’. There is also a chunk of bark with a round seed head lamp. Too tiny to photograph though. Oh! And a rug! Well, really a crocheted coaster… 🤣

Next project is jammers. Shirt is finished. 

Working on britches now.

Still doing IV antibiotics. Steve is my hero, he hooks me up and unhooks me every 12 hours. The down side? After 2 weeks, Dr extended 2 weeks, 

and I still have a sinus infection. 😳

I would say it is 50% better, 2 weeks left.

Someone I know offered me cockscomb seeds many years ago. She explicitly said that if I wanted them, I better REALLY want them; I will have them forever! This was absolutely true. I do enjoy them forming their blossoms, however, they take over the entire flower bed! Anyhoo, here is a couple amazing ones… these are at least 8” across!

And how strange is this one? A perfect S!

I am trying to start old fashioned sour dough starter to make bread. Years ago, I used to make potato sourdough bread every week and we loved it! This is soooo different from that, and there is a huge learning curve - or I am a total near failure. Hopefully I will get it eventually.

My headache is awful, my body hurts from head to toe. Honestly, I am absolutely sick of being sick! 

Guess what? This is the rest of my life.

It sucks. The sick sucks. Not my life.

 

Reality Is Sobering

I have finally realized what I have failed to acknowledge since I stared these infusions:  I cannot do anything at all on day 2, and very little on day 3 after infusion.  I am also of the opinion that the mass Primary Immunodeficiency group is correct in that, and also that I must continue antihistamines for several days after infusion.  I am still suffering from Infusion flu and migraine.  Day 3 post infusion.  4 if you count day of… let’s see… it has only taken how many years for me to concede?

Here is something cool…  our granddaughter lives in her own apartment, pays her bills and works at Sonic.  She is 18 and does all of this!  Now she is saving for land to put a tiny house on.  Enough bragging… she had gone to an estate sale several years ago and got a Sonic menu sign, complete with pole, from the 70’s.  She has it standing in a corner of her living room.  Well, a few days ago, she saw the guys, that are remodeling her Sonic, dragging this sign to the dumpster and she rescued it, put her name on it and hid it.  Isn’t it cool?  She said she (papa?) is going to hang it in her apartment.  I think I love this kid!

I just wish I had the opportunity to know my other grandkids this well.  The boys love computers.  

I have been so sick that I have just been trying to work on my crumb quilt and today I was too sick to do that, so I started cutting squares to make hospice quilts.  Our church has been asked to do make them.  By cutting squares, I can cut squares, then rest.  

Cut.  Rest.  Repeat.  I do doze a lot, too.  

This headache and flu (both from infusion) is miserable.

And now I rest.  Good night world.

Plugged in and Fueling Up!

 I am all hooked up and getting my IgIV infusion.  So I look up about an hour into it and think it is going slow, but I am nearly comatose from 4 antihistamines, so I let it go.  A while later I see it is still moving slow and go to tell my nurse who is too busy with another infusion.  I sit back down, hear quiet and then talking again - she is with another patient.  Can’t bother her yet.

My friend and nurse Cathy (works here) comes in to visit.  We chat a while and she comments on how slow it appears to be going, but checks the setting and all appears to be ok.  The infusion machine is not beeping, so she sits, we chat… and she checks again… to find the valve is barely on!!  I have been here two hours and barely infused - and the stupid machine never once beeped!   Grrrr!! I will be 2 hours later than I always am - even though we sped it up and went much too fast!  I feel an infusion migraine coming on…

Life in the slow lane today.  It was supposed to be a great day - but you know?  God probably saved me from something else, so I think it’ll be ok.

This is part of my sewing buddy group at the Methodist Church.  Right now we are making 80 book bags for our summer reading program at our little town’s library.  Lotsa kiddos will get them. We have a great time designing, sewing, visiting and gifting.

   

This is the last one we Veteran’s Quilt awarded.  He was so surprised by our gift!  Watching his face when he realized what it was… it was absolutely priceless!  It feels so good to make/give to others.  

   

We got a beautiful thank you note the week after we awarded it.  These things are what make my world twirl.  I love making people smile.  

       

Off to finish infusing.  It’ll be a late night.  *sigh*

But, as always, thanks to the plasma donors!  🥰

Tah-Dah!!

Thanksgiving centerpiece is finally finished.  It only took a year, but I love it!

I am thinking of putting ties (like a tied quilt) for the pumpkin stems… what do you think?  

And I had scrap Halloween fabric so I made a back for it!  Now I just need add batting and quilt it.  

Thanks to the girls at Inola UMW Stitchers for the pics!

So Georgia finished this quilt… 

and I absolutely love it!!

And this is Karen’s quilt!

Isn’t it beautiful?

Have I ever said I love to quilt?  

I do.

And I love seeing quilts other people make!

1 Down, 1 to Go

Well I got this one fixed... and man was it a pain in my last... 

 

But this one is giving me fits now. I tried and tried to get it finished, but 3 hours later on ONE block, I finally threw in the towel.  I quit.  I will try again another day.   

Some days aren't worth bothering.

  

This was one of those days.  Gonna rock it next time though.  After I rest.  Lol... 

Brains broken.

Life Goes On.

Inola UMW Stitchers

We are sewing a scrappy quilt, making it as a quilt as you go so we don't have to quilt it later.  It has been a lot of fun, and pretty darned easy, too!

We were hanging it on the wall, but are planning a design board, made with insulation panels and covered with batting for the wall.  Hopefully it will come soon.

This is Georgia.  She is making one of the blocks, but... 

She kinda pinned the sewing machine cord into the block!  We sure had a good laugh over that.  Lol... 

 

Most of the ladies of the Inola UMW Stitchers are new stitchers.  I am enjoying showing them new things and we all plan the next project and carry it out.  It has been so nice to fit in with a sewing group of ladies.  I love them all.  We bring lunch and sew, laugh and make projects to help other people.

Do you see the problem?

 I have diligently been working on this wall hanging.  I keep saying my brain is broken.  This is proof.  Do you see my mistake?  😳 

So I have to try to piece part it, or take out 3 rows.  Wish me luck.

I went to my Dr today.  I am hurting from head to toe worse than normal, with a continuous awful headache.  I always hurt, but this is a major scale worse.  I was driving a few days ago, and, I have no idea how it happened, but I was driving, then suddenly in a ditch, trying to keep the truck from turning over.  I have no idea what happened.  I have never even had a wreck!  Cattle were all that were present.  Yesterday, again, country roads, I suddenly find myself in the dead center of the road!  Ya’ll, I am not looking down or messing with anything.  I am just suddenly where I shouldn’t be.

So I tell my Dr this, show him my CAT scan results that were taken when I fell.  I tell him my sinus Dr is fighting with my insurance company about my sinus surgery, and how much worse my pain is.  I told him I wanted to go to a chiropractor, I figure everything is out of place since I fell, but wanted his blessing.

He immediately said “absolutely not!”  Looking at the CAT scan he said it is possible that I may have an artery aneurysm - or a cancer in the bone.  *gulp*  I guess and aneurysm is an eroding vessel, which is what the radiologist stated on the results.

Whatever it is is about a quarter of an inch.  Tiny, right?  Anyway Dr said we don’t want a chiropractor touching me until we know for sure what is going on.  Oh, whatever it is is between C2/C3 in my neck.  

He felt my eye socket and it is still very swollen and dense.  My eyesight should return to normal once the swelling goes down, but at a month out, he thinks there could have been a fracture in there.

He thinks my brain was ‘shook’ badly and bruised when I fell.  Trust me, it probably was.  I swear I felt it slam against my skull - which he said could possibly be causing horrible headache and possibly small seizures, hence the driving problems.  I am now punished from driving until my brain heals.  I am not upset, I was genuinely scared anyway.

Dr also said that the fall put me into a major Lupus/Sjogren's flare, which combined with everything out of place, is causing my terrible headache and pain.

He is allowing me to take steroids to conquer the flares even though I am not supposed to have them.  He is giving me Celebrex to try to get the inflammation down.  I have my MRI for my neck (with contrast) on November 3 to determine what, if anything, is going on there.  I don’t claim it, so it will be fine.

So that is where I am.  Tired, hurting, frightened, and praying a lot.  And definitely not thinking clearly.  Back to my triangles.  😂

I met my sister after my Drs appointment to visit.  I love that we are close.  I shared all the details, whined a bit, ate ice cream and hugged her.  ❤️

More “now you know” in my life.

God said He won’t give us more than we can handle… 

In. Over. My. Head.

I am always in over my head.  Sewing 🪡 is my weakness and I think it always has been.  Years ago, raising children, I never had time for it.  Oh, I sewed for Stephenie when she was young into Jr High, and a bit for Jeremy… boys are difficult to sew for… and I made costumes.  Halloween costumes and dance and drill team costumes.  Flags.  And costumes for flag girls.  It wasn’t until I moved to Singapore that I realized I finally had time to sew.  But.  

I had no sewing machine.  So I shared a friends.  It has been non-stop since then.

My problem?  I made a baby quilt and thought it was finished, but I quilted it myself.  I was extremely excited that I found airplane fabric for my niece.  Her hubby is an air traffic controller!  Perfect, right?

Nope.  I shared with her that I couldn’t find her Scottish fabric that she had requested, but instead, I found second best, air plane traffic controller fabric - kid fun -  and I thought it was perfect.  Her message back?

😫

No, “I was kidding”, no “Joke!”, no apologies, no explanation except 😫.  So my ‘balloon’ popped.  I honestly don’t give a rat’s last if I get it done.  It is such a huge disappointment that my excitement is absolutely gone.  So I tossed it aside. 

4 little things to finish it and it is parked.  I will finish it and send it, but I won’t ever go out of my way again.  And maybe it will get lost in the shuffle of a new baby and get donated.  I really don’t care anymore.

And I started pajamas.  I see they will fit 2 of me.  I stopped them.  They will not fit me so…

I finally finished Steve’s and my quilt, but I have 1 border to put on Raelee’s, but a friend wanted to start that Fall Table Centerpiece so we did.  Well I went on the Sister Trip and then Brenda took a few camping days.  There sits the Fall centerpiece.

A friend needs me to make some signature blocks.  In line to do.

A local fabric shop asked me to make this:

I am on row 3, 

but look at my points!

My Etsy shop is booming!  Regulars come back and reorder, but I need to make about 40 bowl cozies and at least 10 pillowcases!  I also want to make soft tissue holders for the car.  I made one several years ago for our truck and oh my gosh, it is awesome!  

Washable, refillable and soft.  

So the piles keep piling up.  

Gotta stop making piles and finish piles I have started.  😂

Remember my OHCE friends?  We had 2 back to back meetings - and then went to lunch.  What a great visit with friends.  I would miss them if I quit. 

But I am so tired.  

I think this fall really did a number on me.  I am better, but not well - 2 weeks later.  

And yes, I am old and look old.  *sigh*. In the meantime, they found an eroding vessel between my C4/C5.  What the heck?!?  I go for an MRI with contrast the first week in November.  I am just tired of the physical stuff.  I have big shoulders, but I am about to cave.  

 

Randomness - Pin Cushions :-)

 

I collect pin cushions.  I don't think I have ever shared that before, but I think they are neat.  So, if I find one that I love at a garage or estate sale, I buy it. New ones don't interest me as much as 'story' ones; loved and used.  Anyway, I decided to try my hand at making one.  I had no idea it would be so big, but here it is. BIG.  I was disappointed, but I went ahead and finished it.  It actually comes in much more useful than I had ever imagined it would.  It sets near my sewing machine and because of its size, it doesn't get moved around much, so actually big is handy!  Whoot!

I have been sick with an awful sinus infection for 2 months.  I finally gave in and went to a new ENT.  He took one quick look at my sinuses, ordered a CAT scan and came in to tell me I have multiple problems that need surgery to fix.  He went on to tell me he would do it in his office and liked it being like oral surgery.  He will give me Valium, numb my nostrils, wait a few minutes and then numb my sinuses and do the surgery.  This is crazy.  I am terrified of this surgery.  In the office?  Seriously?  And I will be awake?  Ok, 'nuff said about that.

Here is a pic of some of my other pin cushions...

Tomorrow we go on a bike ride with our new friends.  My bestie here and sewing buddy is moving to Indiana, it will be tough.  I know it was tough on my friends in Louisiana when I left so I am getting the other end of it now.  Life goes on, but changes hurt sometimes - on both ends.  This is how the world twirls.  Everyone has to make decisions that is best for them, and the world rewinds and starts a new song. 

Embroidery and Grandcats

Been playing with my embroidery machine and lovin’ the results.  I hope in the next few months to do a lot more embroidering on shirts and such.  No matter how much I thought I didn’t need this machine, I thank God my hubby insisted on the upgrade.  I enjoy every moment I spend sewing and embroidering.

 

I went to Punkin’s new (2 month old) apartment a few days ago to drop something off.  I got to see my 3-legged grand kitty, Munchie.  Isn’t he adorable?  Munchie had a bad fungal infection in his leg that could not be cured.  He drug his leg and though the vets did everything they could to save it, they had to amputate it.  Raelee sure is getting a taste of adulting - and she is rocking it!  She loves where she lives, she loves living alone, she loves working (3 jobs) and she loves her $5 plus two grand $,$$$ cat.  We are super proud of this young lady.  Not many 18 year olds are doing as well as she is.  ❤️

 

I Bought Ny Dream Machine Today!

I bought my dream machine today!  It is a Singer Featherweight, gently used, commissioned on September 16, 1946.  It came with all original papers, original sales receipt ($125), button hole attachment ($20), original carrying box, tray, bobbins, thread, foot petal with its bag and it sews like a dream!!  

I love it’s hum while it sews.  WHOOT!  You have no idea how thrilled I am!!  This truly made my day!!

Getting Ready for Christmas 2021!

I am sewing today.  It’ll be a nice relaxing day.  My friend, Sharon, will be joining me.  We will chat and laugh at our goofs sewing.  We both do a lot of ‘frogging’ (rip-it!). (Started this early today, finished it later)

I made 6 bowl buddies, have 12 bowl buddies halfway made (all cut out) and I will work on getting them finished today.  On my Etsy site, Justa Stitchin Stuff, I sold down to my last 3 this past Christmas!  I am getting a head start this year - I hope a big head start.  I need to figure out how many I need in my stash.  

Another thing that I sold very well was my hot pads.  I need to make more of them as well.  Also, you know those Kleenex soft packs?  I made one to put in my truck and dang it works good.  So awhile back I was on Facebook Marketplace and a lady was selling a lot of the fabric I use for $10.  I snatched it right up.  I need to make some of those to sell - they are awesome!  No more squished boxes of tissues in my truck.  Looks pretty every time we need one.

I have been dieting. I started in September, and am down 23 lbs - and that is over the holidays even!  I am rocking it - on Noom.  It is a great program requiring only 10 minutes of (fun) reading.  Very educational and better than that, it is entertaining.  It seems to be working for me.  Yay!  Go me!  I will be one of those people trying to find someone to cut all my lose skin off if I get to my goal of 140 lbs!  Yeah, right... 

Steve took me to mail a package of $80 worth of loot someone bought yesterday.  After that we went to the drug store to get Tegaderm for my medication patch, then on to the fabric store for size 16 machine needles to sew the rest of the bowl buddies, and further into town to go to the grocery store.  I prefer him to drive - it flat wears me out.  It is nice riding with him, we just chat usually.  Today he was listening to my sick truck though.  Tomorrow he will work on it.

Tomorrow I will work on genealogy with my sister, Liz.  Looking forward to it.  I hope to put some of our genealogy on this site soon.

*****
Today was a good day health wise.  I didn't sleep well last night, because my pain patch hadn't kicked in and my measly half of a pain pill did not come close to shutting down the pain.  I got up and 7, drank some chocolate milk (thank you Cheyenne for telling me Nestle's has gone back to original -YUM!) and took some Advil.  I was able to make the bed, shower, sort some mail and vacuum our bedroom and the runway in the living/dining/kitchen.  I rested just enough when Sharon showed up to sew.  I find sewing relaxing as well, so I was able to rock and roll until 2:30 before crashing. Then we went to run errands.  It is nice to be sitting in my recliner typing, but over all today was a 4 on pain (after 3 Advil) and 6 on chronic fatigue.  Going to bed soon.

*****

Day 9: A Last Time for Everything...

Today’s (well yesterday’s) Update:

Steve had to spend half a day wangling a neighbor’s wild cow back to their property and looking for another that disappeared - not ours, theirs.

I'm  sure he was thrilled to come in and help me make face masks that had been ordered; 

45 to be exact.  Another 14 hour day.  

But he did help - I can’t tell you how much I appreciate him.

 Sewing the masks does not put me in a good place mentally.  I ponder on the crisis way too much.  I can’t get out and pretend everything is normal; I can’t go see my kids and grand kids, I can’t go to the store and I can’t eat out.  Instead I sew the desperately needed masks and worry.

There is a last time for everything.  

What if I have already seen my family for the last time?

😭

Now you know where my depression is.

My Drs office called at 8:40pm tonight to specifically ask how my lungs are.

And if I am ok or needed any meds.

Scary.