Gourdy

Meet Gourdy!  Last year I got elected by my OHCE group to decorate a gourd.  I sent off for one praying that I got a decent one though I had no idea what to make.  Then came my gourd.  

I raced to the cradle room, grabbed my dremel saw (?) drill (?) and went to work.  Gourdy magically appeared in just a few hours.  That is an antiperspirant lid for his hat, the rim is foam and a pipe cleaner nose.

Can you believe he won first place at the Rogers County Fair?

He might be my favorite snowman.  Or maybe not.  

After all, how can I pick just one?

Off to order my next gourd - I was chosen to decorate another gourd.  😊

 

December Came and Went!

 What the heck?  This will be a quick catch-up, but honestly, I forget to come here.  Our life is so boring!  

This last month was great though; Raelee had us over for pigs in a blanket Christmas Eve.  It was so calming and absolutely wonderful. Here is her tree and her Sonic ordering stand from the 80’s or so… she is a penny pincher, but she sure paid $70 for this at a garage sale!  We all love it!

And here she is with her grandmother Ruth, who moved here from Oregon this last month.  

Long story, another post.

We went to Eishand’s to eat while we were visiting mother and Rod - my request.  All the family kept raving about the food, but we hadn’t eaten there, so I asked to go!  Great fried chicken!

The whole family showed up.  That is Brad straight back, Mandy was in the left, Uncle Weldon, … Jeff, Steve’s brother, and Aunt Sandra is on the right… 

Mother and Rod: 

We went to see Steve’s Aunt June in Yukon on the way back from seeing his mom and Rod.  ❤️

We also saw our friends, Laura and Mike - he was best man at our wedding… a very long time ago.  😂

And we played Sequence with our friends 

and biker buds.  

Got a new biker shirt:

From Eischen’s Bar (the fried chicken place.

And Steve got Covid.  

We are still quarantined, for life from everything I read, and of course it changes day to day.  He is fine, it is like cold symptoms; nothing serious.  We both got the magical Regeneron medication.  Hopefully someday, we will leave the ranch again!  

Until then, we are hanging out and hanging on!

Sinus Surgery Day 2, 3, 4

I guess I forgot to finish this post and a few more I had started.  The reason?  I can’t upload pictures at home because we live so far out in the country, so I load them when we are in town.  Then I forget to finish the blog.

Day two after surgery was Steve unpacking ornaments and I was decorating the tree.

It got done and it is pretty.

Day 3 and day 4, he unpacked and I decorated the house.  My nativity picture, card and angels are on our mantel.  We do have just a nativity in the entry way as well.  There are crosses on the wall in there.  For some reason, I have inherited or gotten a half dozen or so.

This snowman Jeremy made for me in 2nd grade.  I am pretty darned proud it survived.  However, now we will leave it permanently in the curio cabinet.  It is fragile.  

And this is a picture a friend took of our family 17 years ago.  Just kinda missing family theses days.  Both of our kids live nearby; Steph 2.5 miles, Jeremy 30-ish miles.  Megan and Jaci lives in Tulsa, also about 30 miles.  Oh!  And Liz officially adopted them!  Liz also changed her name back to our maiden name - so all 3 have the same last name now.

So we were completely decorated for Christmas 4 days after my surgery.  Did I say he sawed bone in my head?

Day 1 Post Sinus Surgery

 It’s been fun, but we are getting it done!

Christmas has arrived in our home even with surgery. 

It has been a rough haul, but I am determined to get better.  This surgery has taken a lot out of me.  I guess I am getting old.  

The tree was up and decorated the day after surgery.  Go us!

Sinus Surgery Today

 

Wonderful picture, but we have started.  Numbing agents are in.  I will be awake while he trims my turbinates, balloons my sinuses, cuts polyps and trims whatever else needs to be done.

I am starting with a massive headache from the sinus infection and from a post concussion syndrome from the fall.  

Nervous about being awake for this procedure, but looking forward to the aftermath of not having a sinus infection for a while again.  It is always temporary but gives me a few months/years of better.  

Here we go!

😳

See you soon!!

Back!  My look until the bleeding stops - and boy is it bleeding!

Thank you everyone!  ❤️

Everything is done. Maxillary sinuses 100% blocked, other sinuses close, bone reductions, turbinate reductions, lots of polyps removed, part of sinuses not working and permanently broken but he thinks this surgery will overcome that.  Cultures taken.  Does not see fungal.  No pain during surgery and I was awake.  

Dr Cordray (Tulsa) is a wonderful ENT; very thorough, explains every step as he is remodeling and continuously asks if there is pain.  

Never had pain!

Until after the numbing meds wore off!  Ouchie momma!!  Pain meds, which I seldom take, are taking the edge off though.  All is well.  

I will be fine in a day or so.

My Head

My head hurts.  My body hurts.  I see why my moma just wanted to give up.  You fight every day through something.  Every day. There is no day just waking to enjoy life and carry on.  

I had a decent night’s rest - the headache only woke me a couple times.  About 6 am I woke to my right hand completely numb and my eyes blurry - and the headache.  Ya’ll, I hate it every day when my sweet husband asks how I am and I can’t say, “Awesome!”  This health life is a struggle.  Daily.  Hourly.  And I am tired through and through. I am still excited to wake up every day and see what God has to offer me.  Once I am awake, it is like, “Well, crap.”

On a good note, each of my kids asked to take pics with me.  We seldom see them and for some reason I am reserved when we do, because, inevitably I will try to say something, the brain scrambles, itcomes out wrong and I get snapped at and get hurt.  I love them so much.  I try hard but fail miserably.  But I miss seeing them.  When I do, I just feel like I have nothing at all to say or that is worth talking about.  I don’t do anything except try to stay afloat and sew.

Anyway, this is us ❤️

Blue Bird Quilt Retreat

 I am back!  We have been super busy for several weeks so I haven’t had time to write.  I am still busy, but decided to make a quick go of catching up.  Since my fall, my brain has been more scrambled than before.  Not sure why, but it has. 

Here are some examples:  

This is a block I need to make 20 of:

And this is me trying:

Yep, there seem to be a problem.  I realized they were not right when I went to put the blue on.  Now how did I not notice this?!?

This is what I am working towards:

A Veteran’s quilt!

I will write more later… I am just extremely frustrated that I can’t get this right without frogging each block - it is like I am making each block 3 times.  *sigh*

2 more retreat days, but the body is not cooperating.  Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Night all.