62 and counting

Yep, it's my birthday.  I really have a hard time with my birthday...seems like I always have.  Maybe it's because it's at Christmas/New Year and there is so much else going on.  Maybe it's just that birthdays are hard for me.  Lots of feelings of sadness, for some reason, but life goes on, doesn't it!!

I have shed a few tears today and smiled quite a few smiles, too. 

I am 62 years old today.  I'm in pretty darned good shape, except for this broken shoulder thing, but that's healing and I'm going to be ok.

This morning when I was talking to the 4 of the "sweet six" (those near Pittsburgh) Nathan asked how old I was.  I told him..."62"...he answered, "That's a LOT!"  I laughed with him and said it sure was a lot!!!  Evelyn, too, said it was a LOT!  Grandkids almost ALWAYS make you smile and chuckle.

Tonight we are having dinner at House of Hunan.  It's Chinese food and I really like it a lot.  It's a pretty place and I'm looking forward to it.  Jennifer, Todd, Hadley and Treva are going out with Rick and me.

Happy birthday to me!!


 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!  May this season bring you peace, health and comfort along with the joy of being with loved ones.  God bless us all.

Tis the season

Christmas is coming and it's coming quickly!

All the gift shopping is done, with the exception that I need a couple of things for my sweet Rick.  I think I might need a few things for stockings, but that's minor cause they don't need wrapped!

All of the wrapping is done...nope, I didn't do it, but my great friend, Sandy, came to my house and wrapped for HOURS and did all of it!  What kind of friend is that?  I appreciate her help so much.  With this shoulder injury I'm not able to do a whole lot.  I wrapped a few presents, but Sandy wrapped for about 7 hour for me.  We had a great time chatting, munching lunch that was prepared by my sweet husband, tea time and then dinner prepared by all of us.

I have a project that I had started long before my fall/injury that I would like to finish for my daughters, but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get it done.  I tried sewing on Friday and it's pretty tough doing the cutting and pressing without strength and movement.  If the project doesn't get done, I'll show them the unfinished project or just wait and give it to them when I'm more easily able to finish.  Either way, I think they will like the gift(s).

Merry Christmas to you.  May the peace of Christ be in your heart and in your celebration.

My blessings

     I am blessed in many ways, I truly am.  I have marveled (from early in my life) just how blessed I have been.  I grew up in a stable, loving, God-centered family.  We were rich...not with money (even though we had enough of it), but with blessings.

     When I married, I found the best man I could ever dream.  He loved me.  I loved him.  Love was young and exciting...so exciting.  We  were blessed with two beautiful, wonderful, loving daughters.  My family was as I dreamed...stable, loving, God centered and rich in what was important.  We, as all families, had issues to deal with--illnesses, deaths and sadness at times.  But above everything, there was love.

     My family grew up, the girls are now beautiful, wonderful wives and mothers...again...blessings.  I've had the empty nest, and while I KNOW in my head that this is how life should be, sometimes I miss my little nucleus.  I've told friends who dislike their empty nest, "This is a blessing...God's way of bringing husband and wife closer".  

     The love is still there, not the young immature love, but the time-tested, true, love of a lifetime.

     My angel in the spotlight for this post is my husband, Rick.  As I write about him, tears are close to the surface.  This last few weeks has been very difficult for me since my fall -- with the injury, surgery, pain, recuperation, emotional times, etc.  Something I can not wrap my mind around is his patience, his caring and his demeanor in taking care of my every need.  He is here, not leaving me without taking care of what I need or might want.  When he leaves, he reminds me he can come home from work if I need anything at all.  He totally overwhelms me with his love.  He gives me my meds, keeping track of when I need it, as the narcotic keeps me from remembering when I last took it.  He brings me my meals, helps me shower (even helps me fix my hair), dresses my wounds, helps me dress...every detail.

     Thank you, Lord, for all the blessings you have showered upon me.  Thank you, Rick, for loving me.

This is my blessed family.  The handsome silver-haired man in the middle is my sweet Rick.

 

More injury, new doc & surgery

Change...Thought I was getting better, but I RE-DISLOCATED my shoulder on Monday, November 7.  I was going to put away a little clean laundry, reached out and the shoulder went out.  More excruciating pain.

I'll leave out the details of my former doctor being a total jerk and tell you he is no longer caring for me.  I went back to the ER, had the shoulder put back in place. 

I called a long-time friend and trainer on Tuesday morning, who got me headed in the right direction.  I went to see Dr. N. Shah who is incredible.  He is team doc for KSU and RHS football.  He looked at my ct scan and x-rays and stated I must have surgery.  He recommended I see Dr. R. Bell at the Crystal Clinic.  I saw Dr. Bell -- best shoulder surgeon in the area -- also on Tuesday.  I was scheduled for surgery on 11/11/11.

So, today at 2 pm, I am being operated on.  At this time, the full extent of the damage to my painful right shoulder is not completely known, but there is at least one broken bone and probably some muscle and ligament damage.  Possibly rotator cuff damage. 

Updates to follow.

Healing

I drafted this post on Nov. 5, but failed to post it at that time...I thought I should add some photos.  However, many things have changed since then.  I'm posting this, then I'll post again on the changes in my status.

I'm feeling better from the fall...the eyes got worse, now they are getting better!

As far as my dislocated shoulder, I'm waiting for my MRI appointment.  Sadly (not sure why I say that, other than I want to KNOW what's going on) my appointment isn't until November 14th, then a doctor visit on the 16th.  Dr. Pryce said there's a broken bone in the shoulder joint (not sure what bone he called it).

Doc said the shoulder should heal and in the event it doesn't, he could do surgery on it after that time to repair any unhealed damage.  Hope the MRI clears up some of the questions I have about this situation.

I'm finding some new bruises here and there.  I got a pedicure and one of my toenails is badly bruised.  My left thigh has a big bruise with a hard lump in it.  I'm not surprised by these findings, I think it's all part of the fall-process.

On top of not being in tip-top condition right now, I have acquired a cold.  It makes my sinuses hurt.  They hurt so much that my teeth are bothering me, too.  I'm taking ibuprofen and Airborne to deal with the symptoms and to make myself more comfortable.

I'm hoping that I can start hiking again with my sister this week.  I took this past week off due to recuperation from the fall...Rick didn't think it was a good idea for me to be hiking, either.  I've been pretty much laying around, playing on the computer and puttering about the house.  Time to get out and get some exercise...I'm sure I'll feel better.

I accidentally missed my hair appointment on Thursday.  I need my hair cut!!  It's shaggy and with my bum shoulder, it's even harder to look presentable!  I'm in on Thursday of this coming week, so things should be easier.

We are off to Jennifer and Todd's house this afternoon.  Kelly and Scott are dropping off their children at their house so they can attend a fancy-schmancy wedding in Cleveland.  It's black tie!  Woo hoo...don't think I've ever even been invited to a black tie affair.  All the men must wear tuxedos.  I asked my daughter what SHE was going to wear.  She laughed and said, "My bathrobe!"  I asked if she was wearing her fuzzy slippers to match!  Anyway, the reception is at the Ritz Carlton and they are spending the night in Cleveland.  Jennifer and Todd will have their hands full with 6 children tonight!  We'll go this afternoon for a few hours and have a wonderful time with all of them.

You should see the other guy! This is NOT a mug shot!

Warning--content may be upsetting to small children and sensitive adults.

Actually, there is no "other guy".  I did this all by myself.

Friday evening, about 5:30, I was transporting some plants to the basement for the winter.  On my first trip down, I don't know why, I fell OFF the stairs to the left. I fell onto a collapsible clothes drying rack--it collapsed (hence, the name) with me on top of it, face down. My head hit a bucket that holds my cleaning rags. There I lay, on m'belly, with a painful right arm/shoulder. Thankfully the phone was right there and I called Rick. He was home in a few minutes, helped me up (very slowly) and we went to the ER.

My experience at the hospital was less than adequate for about the first hour.  A little teenage volunteer asked us to fill out a questionnaire.  Rick starts to fill it out and a woman comes over and asks, "Why are you here?".  I answer, "I fell."  She replies, "Are you hurt?" and so many sarcastic comments come to mind, but I replied, "Yes, I hurt my arm and my face."

Anyway, after several bumbling, rude, insensitive and less-than-gentle staff, I got a great doctor and nurse and my care level skyrocketed!  Thankfully my arm isn't broken, I don't have a concussion, no blood on my brain.

I will hopefully see the orthopedist tomorrow about the dislocated shoulder and ligament damage. 

As I look back, I'm very fortunate I am not hurt more than I am and I'm very grateful for that.

Vivian

It's been a while since I've posted...life has been busy and that's a good thing!

However, my granddaughter, Vivian, will be two on Saturday. I've been working (very slowly) on her gift and time was a-growin' short!

So, today, it was "pedal to the metal" in my sewing studio!  I got her gift (the part I'm making anyway) all finished.

Above is Miss Viv and the picture to the left is Vivian and one of her big sisters, Anna.







The pictures below is the bag that I designed, quilted and stitched up just for Vivian along with a money holder she can wear (cause she's a big girl and her sisters have one, too!

I made the twins school bags for their birthdays and Vivian thinks she needed one, too.  Of course she does!!  So, here's Viv's bag and money holder.

Fall projects

My grandchildren (4 out of the 6) are going to school this fall.

Evie is 8 and in the 3rd grade and needed a bag for her cheer leading paraphernalia.   So, Mimi made her a bag to hold all that fun stuff.
Unfortunately, at this time, I don't have pictures of that bag.  Anna and Nathan are going to preschool and so, for their birthday, I made them school bags.  (Also don't have a picture of those.)

 

 
This bag...all the different views...is a bag for Hadley who also goes to preschool this fall.  I'm happy with the way the bags have turned out and each of them is personalized with their name.

I love the kids and hope they like their bags.

Peaceful Corner and my hike this morning

As I was looking back at my blog, I saw the post about my "Peaceful Corner".  Rick and I were just outside yesterday and we remarked on how much things have grown.  Thought I'd share my peaceful corner now that it's August!

It's still peaceful, but it's even MORE peaceful!

Also, feeling a bit blue this morning and Rick having a golf outing with his buddies, I decided to go for a hike at our nearby park.  It's named Towner's Woods and I spent a little while there this morning soaking up some nature.  I walked on what is called "Butterfly Loop" and upon entering the clearing to start the path, I saw a beautiful yellow butterfly.  Thinking there would be LOTS of them, I failed to get a picture!  Nope, no more butterflies on that trail.

However, I did see this little rascal...a black squirrel just as I was starting down the main path.  I have dozens of these in my yard, but he was there to welcome me, so I snapped his photo.  I saw two spotted fawns.  One crossed my path just about 5-10 feet in front of me.  Nope, I didn't have my camera ready, but knowing a bit about deer, I knew there HAD to be at least one more nearby.  I stood still and waited.  Nothing.  I took a few steps forward and looked into the wooded are to my left (where #1 bounded out) and looked really hard.  There was another fawn there, but he was well hidden.  I snapped a photo, but my automatic focus did it's job and focused on the nearer tree limbs, etc.  So, I didn't get that photo.  I remained still while a multitude of mosquitoes had a bite of ME for lunch.  Soon...about 20 feet ahead of me bounded the second fawn.  Still no photo, but I have their beauty etched in my mind.

Anyway, it was a nice way to spend some time with nature this morning.  I'm glad I went.

Frozen cappuccino!

 

 

 

I was reading Karen's blog, "Sew Many Ways" and she was making an iced coffee today.  This spurred me into showing you how I make my no-fat, sugar-free, frozen mocha cappuccino.  

 

I start with my Mr. Coffee espresso maker.  It was a birthday gift from my hubby many years ago.  I use a stick blender (mine is a Waring brand) and it's quite powerful and I really like it a lot.

 

I use espresso.  You can use regular coffee, but I really like ground espresso beans.  Make yourself a nice strong espresso.

 

 

I use lactose free, skim milk and freeze it into ice cubes.  (I make the milk cubes ahead of time and keep them ready.)  I use 8 cubes, which is one cup of milk...a full serving for meeting a portion of my daily nutritional needs.

After I make my espresso, I pour it over my milk cubes (in a BIG vessel, because it will increase in volume when you blend it) along with two Splenda packets, a few drops of vanilla extract and a quick shot of Hershey's sugar-free chocolate syrup.

 

Using the stick blender, start blending, and chopping up your milk cubes.  It will get thick and increase in volume.

Pour over a couple of ice cubes in your serving glass.

Put your feet up, relax a bit and enjoy.

What a guilt-free refreshment!

 

If you make one, let me know what you think!

 

 

Finished product----->

Peaceful corner

 

This is the front corner of my home.  I love this area...a small fountain and my summer plants.

Independence Day Celebration, 2011

This morning our town had what's called the Kent Heritage Festival.  It's ALWAYS on the Saturday before July 4th and we (Rick, Evelyn and I) went.  I forgot my camera (darn), but we had a really good couple of hours.  I saw old friends and enjoyed chatting with them.  Evelyn got an airbrush tattoo on her arm and some cool souvenirs.  I got a big frog that's stuffed with sand to use as a pin cushion.

Today my niece Kathy and her husband hosted their 7th annual pig roast.  It's such a fun day to be with extended family, see old friends and meet some new folks.

The only thing missing was my daughter Kelly and her family, but we did take Kelly's oldest daughter with us.  They live in PA and we drove there to bring her home with us for a few days.  That's Evie sporting a pair of FAB earrings and other jewelry from her cousin Ashleigh and a cell phone from her cousin Allie!  Eight is such a fun age.
 

This picture is of Treva, She's in the bounce house and having a great time!  She's quite the "firecracker", that girl!

This is Evie and Allie.  The girls love being together and they had a great day.  It makes me so happy to see them together.

 My silly brother, nickname Butch. 

Ev's having a bit of lunch...roast pork, escalloped potatoes, corn on the cob, cole slaw and rolls is on the menu. 

Q:  What does she eat? 
A:  A roll and an ear of corn!!!  That's my girl!  (Also a little dessert from a huge array.)

Treva's having a sip and lounging in her chair!!  Ah, to be one year old again!








Son in law, Todd.  Wonderful husband and father.

 Daughter Jennifer, busy mom and wife.

This is my sister, Cris.  She's tending to the horses and Ev just loves to help. 

Hadley and my sister Cris...again with the horses.  I'm so glad my grandchildren can have this experience.  I had it with friends of my parents when I was a child, but my children didn't have that opportunity so much.  Sad, but we didn't have many farm friends.

Now, this is me in the bounce house...can you believe I would get in the bounce house?  I guess I was being very invulnerable today.  It was fun, all the girls got in there while all the kids were swimming.  We had a blast!

Hadley's showing me just how to do it!

More bounce house.  I believe Jennifer has scored 2 points by putting Treva in the hoop!







Mama Jennifer and her babies...such fun to bounce.  Today was a fabulous day for me.