Little tidbits of my life

Have you ever known anyone who tries to think of something bad to tell with everything good instead of for every bad thing, try to think of something good?

Well on this rainy day, I am reminded of that old, old saying "when it rains it POURS!". Having said that, I am determined not to write ONLY bad things in my post! I will followup with good things! God is so good and I feel I must at least do that much this morning.

As you know, and as many are suffering across the country and world, my hubby, too is laid off from work at the moment and I cannot work due to bad health problems. Normally our unemployment money would show up on tuesday. Guess what? No money yesterday!!! I am not sure yet what is going on, but my medical bills are really piling up as we are doing good just to pay the monthly bills.

NEXT, my hubby was working on a forge he has made all by himself (for his knifemaking) and somehow he got in a fight with a drill and the drill won! Jamey broke his hand last night! After an hour of telling him he either needed to go to the hospital or let me stabilize it, he jumped up and decided to go to the hospital and said I should stay home because I hadnt felt good all day and there was no need in him waiting on me to get ready (I was in my gown). I am still having the weird spells and not able to drive, so I guess I would have been useless except I could have filled out his paperwork AND BEEN THERE FOR HIM!!!! We have a stick shift truck and two motorcycles (all 3 are actually HIS, not mine), AND it was his RIGHT hand, so I suggested he take his mother's car since it was an automatic. He told me that his mother had to go see her mother at the assisted living care facility.

I called his mother because I knew she would want to know her "baby" has broken his hand. GUESS WHAT??? She was at the hospital with her mother! Jamey had left the part out about Nana FALLING!!! Poor Nana had fell and busted the back of her head open enough that she needed stitches. SO Jamey was at one hospital and his mother was with Nana at another hospital. While I was talking to my mother in law, she was having an asthma attack! Fortunately she had her inhalers with her and her sister and brother in law soon showed up to wait with her and Nana.

Thankfully Jamey's x-ray revealed a clean break, so it should heal nicely, however the on call doctor suggested he follow up today with his primary care physician to get a referral to an orthopedic surgeon because he thinks he will need surgery to put pins in his hands. I hope it is only one bone. I could clearly see at least one myself upon inspection. They stabilized his hand, gave him some pain pills and sent him on his way.

Well I am trying to think of some good things this morning to start my day off as I wait for my hubby's doctor's office to open. Just two days ago I started reading a book entitled "Pray Big for Your Marriage". I did this and am wondering how all these events are coming into play with that prayer. So far I am reminded that when we pray "Lord, please be with so and so...well the Lord is already with so and so...this book is getting into more specifics like actually praying scripture...the very words of God regarding situations and people. It is a whole new way of looking at prayer for me. The book suggests not to be vague, but to be very specific when talking to the Lord. I had a feeling I would see changes immediately and I just pray God gives me strength during this phase as He makes our marriage stronger as only HE can do!

Here is a thought I am having just now. Sure we have all quoted "The Lord is my Shepherd...Psalm 23" But when we say it are we really praying it from deep inside, or are we robots just going through the motions? There are so many wonderful scriptures out there that are relevant to today that we can use to pray and make a HUGE difference. The Psalms would be a great place to start in my opinion just to read through and note where the writer is crying out to God. The author of the book I have been reading said he actually marks initials of familiy members and friends by different scriptures as he goes along noting what is relevant to their needs and helping him to know what to pray on their behalf.

No matter how many rainy days come along, stand strong and keep your eyes focused.

Well not only do I have to try to get an appointment for Jamey, but I have to go see the rheumatologist today, so I am going to stop for now and try to reach his doctor.

By the way, our dogs are no longer teathered, Jamey finished the bottom of the fences a few weeks ago and the dogs are now together and much happier again! YAY!!!

Thank you for listening. Please pray for us and let us know if you need prayer, too.

Things that matter

I came across this photo this evening and just wanted to share it with you. This was my middle sister Lavonda's wedding a little over 10 years ago now. But it is a picture that includes my parents and all my sisters.

Family means so much to me and the older I get, the more I realize it. I am so glad that my sisters and I have each developed close friendships as well as being sisters. My oldest sister Tina is the shortest one on the end. I am between her and the bride. Of course Lavonda (middle sister) is in the wedding dress. My parents are on her other side.

We sure do enjoy and look forward to the times we all get together at our parents' house and have dinner (usually fried chicken, mashed potatoes, HOMEMADE mac-n-cheese, green beans and corn bread) and enjoy my father's flower beds and all the birds and butterflies that surround the area. It is truly a paradise on earth. As you can see from how dark my dad is, he stays outside nearly all day long. We have quite a bit of Cherokee in us as wel as Irish, but you'd never know about the Cherokee by looking at me! lol. ANYWAY, my oldest sister Tina knows more about our heritage than I do. I would like to learn more, though. Do you ever think about that? I often wonder if I still have relatives in Ireland because it wasnt that many generations ago that the Irish relatives came over in our family. That is just simply a thought I'm throwing out there for you to ponder about your own heritage.

I'll add one more pic at the end. This is my sister Lavonda and her hubby Tim cutting the cake. I actually made the cake as their gift. I have not made cakes in many years. It is one of the many things I no longer do, but I do not miss the hard work, I only miss the creativity of it, the originality...but I try to find ways to use my creativity elsewhere. More than one person recently has asked me if I have ever considered writing a book. This actually has been in my mind for awhile, but I honestly am not sure what my subject would be, so I have not written a book. I have written Christian songs before, but not in a while. My oldest sister Tina has written a WONDERFUL book and I hope she finishes the illustrations soon. When she does, I will blog about it and give you a link in case you want to order it.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and that it gets warmer soon so that everyone can really start gardening!

APRON CONTEST through ALLPEOPLEQUILT.COM

As many of you may have suspected and gossiped about me, I am addicted to quilt magazines. while browsing through the following magazine today, I found a great contest I thought some of you may be interested in participating in through ALLPEOPLEQUILT.COM!

At least I think it was the magazine pictured above, I have received several this week! hehe...I AM SURE OF THE CONTEST WEBSITE, which is the most important focus.

According to the article, the 2nd quarter challenge this year will be an APRON CONTEST! Once the contest begins, you will be able to download a free apron pattern. I checked the link and the 1st quarterly challenge is still active, which involves making a handbag. SO as soon as that contest ends in April, the Apron contest will be posted and official rules will be posted.

The following link will take you to the quarterly challenge through ALLPEOPLEQUILT's website:

Please let me know if you decide to participate. The prizes are really great! ALSO let me know if you would be interested in similar challenges and I will try to remember to start posting more contests from the magazines.

Apron Giveaway...HURRRY

Apron Giveaway.

This is an adorable waist apron over at http://krisantecountrymom.blogspot.com/.

This is Kris's FIRST giveaway! Let's all support her giveaway and blog! She has a great layout you just have to go check out, too! I am enjoying reading her blog and she seems to be a very loving, humble Christian wife and mother. I am so proud of her, too for making her first quilt lately, as most of you know that is one of my favorite things to do!

Kris made the apron and is going to give away to someone. It's pink and brown paisley. She calls it "simply cottage chic" and I agree! I LOVE those two colors together!

Deadline is April 1st, so hurry!!!.

The Lion in my house

As many of you who often read my blog know, my hubby and I have indoor cats. One of our cats is a ragdoll cat named Buster. He has long hair and is hot ALL the time. He lays around on the stone in front of the fireplace or just hangs out on top of the air vents when the air conditioner is on. My hubby has mentioned for awhile he thinks we should get him shaved. I have been very leary of this idea because one of my best friends and neighbor as a child had a chow who...well I guess you would call it...went into shock from the grooming and never was the same afterwards.

Well our Buster he is pitiful. He grooms himself constantly and leaves what looks like big cottonballs literally all over the house. I had to buy a special vacuum (the Bissell pet hair vacuum) just because of him. He often gets sick from the hairballs and he thinks we are the ENEMY when we give him hairball medicine, but it HAS to be done to keep him from choking....and I feel so helpless when he is trying to get rid of one...nothing I can do but just hope he doesnt get it on my carpet (hehe)....seriously, it is scary to see a cat gagging and choking all the time.

On my facebook page this week, one of my friends had posted a pic of her mother's himalayan cat who looked alot like my Buster, but was alot lighter. When I asked her about the cat, I found out that the cat is shaved twice a year and she was lighter because it was her undercoat! She said the grooming changed this particular cat's personality for the better because she felt so much better. She became more sociable and just LOVED the haircut. She gave me the info for the veterinary clinic who shaves her. I talked with Jamey about it and we decided to make Buster an appointment.

That is the background for my story today. I want to tell this as a life lesson because Buster's actions to the entire preperation process really hit me as how we act as God's children alot of times.

The instructions I was given seemed simple enough...no food after 6 pm and no water after 10 pm. Make sure Buster is at the clinic between 7 am and 8:30 am and pick him up any time after 3:30 pm. because he would have to be sedated for the procedure. He also needed his shots (just a side note...but he got those while sedated, so no trauma there, yay!)

Of course everything looks simple written down, but for a cat like Buster, putting his food bowl up at 6 pm was a MAJOR EVENT! I feed Buster and Sassy with an automatic feeder, so they just take a nibble here and there, but mostly in the evening and night, then go to bed with us and do not usually eat again until suppertime because we also give them treats at designated times. At the time, Jamey was working 3rd shift, so I had to handle everything. No sweat, not much to do... Put their automatic feeder in the large container that we keep the bag of cat food in...the water is in our master bathroom, so at 10 pm just close the door and we are all set!

Well at first Buster attempted the loving approach. He jumped up on the back of my recliner and just leaned his whole 18 lb body over on my head and purred, purred, purred. He did this literally for about 30 minutes. We feed them in our den, about 10 feet from my recliner. There is a little sink, refrigerator and bar in that area that is "their" domain. Sassy (our gray tabby) just quietly sat on the edge of the bar, patiently waiting. I think she knew that I have never withheld food for very long, so she was just simply not too worried about it, just waiting. She is a wise and patient kitty. HAHA

After Buster attempted the loving approach of nuzzling my head for 30 minutes or so, he finally gave up and huffed VERY LOUDLY and jumped down, then raced down the hall in a tantrum. He acted much like a very angry and spoiled child. He is a vocal cat, so he was fussing the whole time.

When he jumped down, it scared Sassy, so she ran, too. This was a bad idea because he took his frustrations out on her. I could hear them wrestling (they are both declawed on the front, so their fighting is usually pretty harmless) and Sassy started whining. This meant Buster was really mad because usually he does not get the best of Sassy. I told Buster to leave her alone. This got his attention long enough for Sassy to go hide. She is only about 8 lb soaking wet.

Bedtime was pretty much a repeat of loving/anger/loving/anger. When I went to bed, Buster immediately jumped up beside me. We have a king size bed, so I usually scoot toward Jamey and give Buster the corner. Most of the time he starts out at the foot of the bed on Jamey's side on top of the covers, and then by early morning, he is laying beside my head on the corner. I even lay a blanket out there for him. Well this night he went straight to his blanket purring and loving. He wanted a treat. We always give them a treat just before bedtime. When he realized I was not going to get up and get a treat, he huffed VERY LOUDLY AGAIN and then took a GIANT LEAP clear across the king size bed to the floor, never touching the end of the bed, and started chasing Sassy again. She finally got away and hid under the bed. He will not go under the bed, so she was safe there.

I got up at 6 am and Buster was laying beside me asleep. I quickly got a bag of cat treats and although I felt guilty about it, I pretended to throw a treat into the cat carrier. He ran in and I closed the door. Then I got ready to go to town. My mother-in-law took us to the vet and my mother was planning to come get me from my MIL's work to take me to the dr later that day (I am still not allowed to drive). The ride to the vet that morning made me think of what I heard called Chinese water torture when I was in elementary school. I do not know if it is true. I think it is where just a drip of water falls intermittently nonstop for hours and drives one insane? I did not call it that to offend anyone reading this that may be Chinese. That is simply the name I heard it was called...ANYWAY, the noise Buster made all the way to town was like that...just an intermittent tone that sounded like a meow of the word "no" every few seconds. No matter what my mother-in-law or I did, he would not stop. He did not know what was going on. He was hungry and thirsty and MAD, MAD, MAD! SO he wanted to torture us. :o)

We dropped him off and I filled out the necessary paperwork. when I looked in to the front of the cage to tell him bye, he curled himself up in a ball as far away as possible to really make me feel guilty for leaving him. Just seconds before, he had been at the front of the cage looking at the vet tech, so I know this was done "just for me".

Several hours passed and I was back at my mother-in-law's work that evening ready to pick Buster up. I was so ready for him. I had thought about him ALL DAY. I was excited and nervous all at the same time. They brought him in to me and he looked like a lion! He was SO CUTE! He looked like he'd lost about 10 lbs, too! I was SHOCKED! Everyone there just kept gushing over how cute he looked. They left his mane and the hair on his feet and end of his tail. He is just adorable! SO I sat in the back seat and put a big towel in my lap and let him out of the carrier for most of the ride since he was still groggy. FORTUNATELY, he was glad to see me and let me hold him. He enjoyed watching the traffic on the interstate.

Sure enough, he HAS been like a different cat. He has never been a cat to sit in the den WITH us all evening or in our laps or even to let us pet him much. BUT now he curls up on the blanket right beside us on the couch and stays in the living room all evening. He LOVES for his back to be rubbed where the hair was shaved. He purrs every time we touch him (in a good way, does not run off). I have not seen him fight with Sassy even ONE time since he has been home. It has been 4 days now! His whole demeanor has changed. He did not hold a grudge toward me. He still follows me around the house like he used to. I have always called him my Butler, but now that he looks like a lion, I hate to give him a servant's role! HAHA. In the summary below I will refer to myself as master only to make the lesson clear.

There are SO MANY LIFE LESSONS in this story of Buster. Buster did not know WHY his master was treating him this way. Buster tried many approaches to get his master to do things Buster's way instead of his master's way. Buster did not consider that the master knew best and was looking out for his good. Buster did not know how much better his life was going to be once the master's plan was carried out. Buster fought and fought against the master's plan. Buster's anger hurt his master as his master had to show tough love and go against Buster's wishes for his own good. It is too bad he did not enjoy the time with his master, that he did not simply be patient like Sassy. Buster put so much unneeded stress upon himself by NOT trusting his master. He also hurt those around him in the process (Sassy). But now look at how happy he is! He is cool, calm, his belly is full and he has all the water he could ever want...plus now he can enjoy closeness with us, which he could not do before because he was just simply too hot to sit with us! THE MASTER KNOWS BEST! TRUST THE MASTER!

Why do we so often want to do things OUR way instead of God's way...why as Christians can we not see that God's Plan is that we trust Him so much that our Will becomes the SAME as His will? My cat helped me really see just how much I have to learn about keeping with God's Will and not following a different path. HE is not the enemy, so why in the world do we so often treat HIM like HE is? The song "Trust and obey, there is no other way"...sounds easy, but is so hard....oh but that sweet peace and joy we will find if we trust and obey our Lord! He DOES know best! His ways are not our ways, but HE is teaching us and guiding us....we must LISTEN and NOT RUN THE OTHER WAY, do not be a fickle Christian...be steadfast...it is all part of the process of maturing as a Christian.

I love this pic because he looks mad, but it is just because he has ice blue eyes. It is so hard to get a pic of his eyes! If I put it on the red eye reduction setting, he blinks, so instead I get a pic like this! He's a cutie, though! He's a gift from God and I am thankful for him!

Jack Russells Saga

My little Jack Russells Bonnie and Baby...Here they were just after I bought them for Jamey as an early Christmas present in 2003 I believe it was...would have to look at their papers to make sure of the year...this was back before everyone had really good digital cameras! haha...notice, too I had bought myself a sewing machine of some sort for Christmas that year...haha

We found out quickly Jamey was severely allergic to dogs and that Jack Russells were VERY hard to house train. We had to move them to outside instead of letting them live inside. Jamey and I (and the puppies) were all very disappointed...that brings us to the saga now of their pen getting destroyed by a pine tree during a storm recently...

Jamey and his dad have been making a large dog lot for Bonnie and Baby in our backyard because of the accident. My father had GENEROUSLY given us all the chain length fence and posts we needed, we just needed some parts to connect everything together. Well the day Jamey bought the last few parts needed to finish it was also the day we found out he got the job and we had to leave in about 3 hours to West Virginia...well 8 days later when Jamey got his lay off and we returned home, we were surprised to see the dogs actually IN our backyard in the new dog lot! Apparently his dad had finished it and put them in there...BUT the stealthy little jack named Bonnie was in her harness and was tied to the fence (she digs out easily)...SOOOOOO we assumed she had already been trying to get out of the new huge lot. Jamey had planned on devising something around the bottom so that the jacks would not be able to escape. The whole point was so they'd have 50 ft by 20 ft of room to run around and play, NOT BE TIED UP!!! Plus we planned on joining the fence to the edge of the back of our house afterwards, thus fencing in my aboveground pool and giving us the further option of letting the dogs out to play with me where I could sit down (I cant stand too long and if I go up and down much, I get very sick and have near-fainting spells)...

Here is a picture of our sweet and VERY loving Bonnie with a VERY fast wagging tail...on her rope:

JAMEY GOT A JOB THIS WEEK...YEAH...10 to 12 WEEK CALL...CLOSE TO HOME, NIGHTSHIFT...so the day Jamey gets this new job and needs to be in bed sleeping, I had gotten ready and was going next door to visit w/Jamey's mom and her two sisters...well I happened to notice the jack russells were NOT IN THEIR PEN!!!! OH NO!!!! I called and called....no jack russells!!! I get Jamey and we get in the truck and search. Picture where we live as VERY RURAL...farms and woods...neighbors very spread out...SO we are going down long driveways and looking for two little white spots...going down long country roads, glancing down endless hills of fields and woods....we finally give up and come back home as Jamey has to get ready to go to his new job...very little rest and going in to work 12 hours!!! I just couldnt bring myself to stop looking. I had my cane, so I kept walking the perimeters of our yard. We have almost 2 acres, maybe an acre is cleared and is grass...so i was walking that part of it calling them...and there is a huge farm at the back of our property w/a rolling hill, so I assume my voice would carry if they are out that way....

LONG STORY, HUH??? WELL I WAS GETTING WEARY BY NOW, TOO! I was about to give up, but I decided to try the front yard one more time...and what do my eyes behold???TWO white spots just flying toward me from the opposite direction of where I had been calling! Who knows how far they'd been, but they came running out of the woods, which are fairly clear right now due to leaves being off the trees and all...ANYWAY, both nearly knocked me over jumping to me! haha...I just sat right down in the grass and grabbed both of them. That was all I could do! I couldnt stand up without my cane and I could not let go of the dogs for fear they would take off again! SO I just LIVED FOR THE MOMENT!!! I WAS JUST SO HAPPY TO SEE THEM!!! I must have been loud in my excitement because both Jamey and his dad, James heard me and came to my rescue. James got Bonnie from me as she is the one who will take off at will. Baby will pretty much stay with us. SO I got my cane and got up and managed to get Baby in the other arm. First James tied Bonnie back up (she is the one that has the harness and always finds ways to dig out)...and then he just lets Baby (the other Jack Russell is named Baby...she's my little Baby) back in b/c she never seems to give us trouble. (YEAH RIGHT!!!! SHE ACTUALLY UNTIES BONNIE'S KNOTS I THINK!!!)

End of story, right? WRONG!!!! Jamey goes on to work and all seems well that night, probably because they are tired from their journey. BUT the next morning after Jamey comes home and goes to sleep, I of course am awake b/c I hadnt been asleep yet (insomnia)...I made the Jack Russells each a peanut butter jelly sandwich (this is something Jamey's dad got them hooked on and they never eat regular dog food now)...so I pull it apart into small bites and feed them and pet them a little. It is starting to sprinkle, so i come back inside. A few minutes later, I look outside because I hear Bonnie barking. I see Baby shoving herself through the hole that Bonnie had dug the day before and that James had put a huge roll of wire...she had stubbornly shoved the wire out of the way and was loose!!! SO I go to the back deck and call her. I put her in our utility room as she is muddy. I try to wake Jamey up. No success, after 12 hr shift and no sleep the day before, I cant blame him! SO I call my father in law, James...I get the answering machine! So I put on my jacket and am thinking furiously b/c it's hard for me to do a thing w/o being able to walk well or hardly bend over!...well about that time, I see James walking leisurely around the side of our house with his pipe! So I open up the back door and tell him where Baby is as I can tell he is looking for her. Baby and I go outside (Baby generally stays with us if we are outside, but no telling where she will go if we are not out there...Bonnie, though would likely run in the road and get killed)...ANYWAY, he realized we will have to tie her up, too. These two dogs have ALWAYS slept together, SINCE BIRTH! They are 6 years old! This was so sad to me! I tell him he will have to put her on the opposite end of the pen. He doesnt listen...so about 2 min. later I stand back and watch my father in law try to untangle two VERY hyper jack russells and I try unsuccessfully not to smile (HAHA)...so then he ties her at the opposite end so they cant get tangled up. I mention that he has tied her where she can still get to the hole...and he also ties the rope around her neck in a SLIP KNOT!!! I tell him that could choke her. He doesnt seem to think these are issues that should be changed. His idea is that as it gets tight, she will back off. I explain that she HATES A LEASH, I HAVE NEVER BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL AT TEACHING HER TO LEAD ON A LEASH...but he doesnt listen. He seems to change the way he ties the rope at her neck, but it looks the same to me. SO then he moves the 2nd dog box over so she will also have shelter. My father in law then goes home (which is across the road).

Well I have a very bad feeling about the WHOLE SETUP...so I keep my jacket on and I watch from the sliding glass doors in my kitchen (looks over our backyard and the pastureland and dog lot)...

SURE ENOUGH, I notice a white dog's butt (haha) with tiny little nub of a tail pointed straight down, but OUTSIDE of the pen and on the BACKSIDE of the pen...and not moving...as if the dog was a tug boat pulling a barge! I knew it had to be Baby...as Bonnie had resumed her barking. I limp out there and I call Baby, is that you? That little tail went straight up and just started wagging about 90 miles a minute. HAHA...there she was...had just literally shoved herself underneath the fence, not dug out or anything and was pushing against the rope which was just getting tighter on her little neck. The rope on the other end had been pulled so tight, it was almost broke. The rope was also cutting into the fence she had pushed through and freying. I quickly got it all untied and took the rope off her neck. I have never been a fan of having collars on small dogs. I prefer harnesses, but Bonnie had already broke Baby's harness, so we only had one harness at this time. I quickly looked around to make sure my father in law was NOT looking...I leaned over on one of the posts as I was getting DIZZY (haha)...I tied the rope into a little harness on her so it wasnt on her neck AT ALL...then I tied her on the front side of the pen, not the back near the holes...it made the rope much shorter, but at least I knew she would be safe til Jamey could fix the fence. About this time James (my father in law showed up...I never can figure out how he shows up like this as there are no windows on the side of his house facing ours except for his garage door...lol...ANYWAY, it never fails, he always knows what is going on...this is actually a good thing unless you are changing something that was HIS idea. HAHA...ANYWAY, I quickly informed him she almost CHOKED and I saved her and I tied her a little harness, so no more collars.

SO that was yesterday and so far, for 24 hours my little harness has held up...but I saw her chewing on the rope yesterday...fortunately it rained last night, which made them stay in their boxes...so hopefully that will buy us some time...

Here is a pic of our very sad Baby as she absolutely feels like she is being punished. She just makes me feels so bad for her. Look at her sweet little face. She puts thos little ears down and lets you know this is only something her sister deserves b/c she never does anything wrong...haha...she literally is like a different dog when she has a leash on, so this is just awful for her and me, too!

NOW ONE MORE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE!!! Jamey went out there to inspect my handy work just before he went to work yesterday evening...would u believe that his dad had put the fence on UPSIDE DOWN!!!! oops!!! SO that is why she was able to just push herself out w/o diggin! anywhere there is a diagonal spot she can shove her head and if it bends, she is free (if no rope!)...SO he will have to take the fence back down before finishing it!!! I believe the top of a fence is diagonal like that all the way around...

Here it is so far...there is a little more to the right, I couldnt back up the hill far enough to get it all in the pic b/c of my feet...they look like little tiny puppies in it, dont they?...they have learned if they can fit their head through a place, then their body will fit, thus the challenge! BUT the lot is NOT FINISHED and they will NOT be tied up for long (that is what both they and I keep telling Jamey...we hope he gets a day or two off during the next 10 weeks! haha)

Well his dad meant well and was just trying to help out since we were out of town and he knew how bad we wanted to get them settled over here since their other place had gotten hit with the pine tree. PLUS Bonnie kept getting out of Jamey's Nana's lot and was being a real pain over there.

OH, if only I could do more than I am able to, I believe I could fix the fence myself. I have an idea of digging a trench all along the fenceline, putting in gravel, then a row of cinderblocks, concreting it along w/the poles...then put the fence on...BUT that would be alot of work, and Jamey wont be able to do anything like that if this job is a 7 day/week job. It may be a bit expensive, but if Jamey wants to keep his jack russells safe, that seems to me the only way to do it. We wanted to keep them in the house, but he is SEVERELY allergic. I am allergic to cats and dogs, but nothing like this...and I have even took the shots...so I cant insist on it as he would truly be miserable...we'd have to put him in the dog lot outside! haha

That was alot of reading I know, but I thought you might enjoy the little drama...do u know after I came in that 2nd time around 1 pm, I laid down and did not get up again til 4 am this morning!!! That is how much that little Baby wore me out!!! She's just a little maybe 8 lb dog!!! haha...she'd be smaller if my father-in-law hadnt started feeding them only table scraps! I can hardly walk today, but the exercise was good for me otherwise...plus the rain is gone, so I feel MUCH better other than my ankles/feet today. I'm just kicked back in the recliner for now, staying off my footsies! Mentally I feel so much better, too. I believe that Jamey getting that job has took aLOT of stress off of me, though. AGAIN, what a difference a DAY makes!, or should I say a DOG???

What a Difference a Day Makes!

Do you ever ponder what a difference just one single day makes in your life...or even just one single moment? OR what a difference YOU make in a day? Well lately it seems my moods have been topsy tervy (sp?). One minute woohoo...I'm on top of the world, feeling like everything is absolutely just as it should be in my life...next minute I feel hopeless, helpless and USELESS...then I just feel despair.

I was having such a day a few weeks ago. I am not sure what is bringing on such feelings other than I just feel like my health is not really showing much improvement. Each time I am given medicine to help something, the medicine makes me sleepier, more lethargic, just generally less useful compared to what I would like to be doing with my life. I often tell myself I am content in my circumstances, or more accurately "regardless" of circumstances, but I am learning this is a process to learn moreso than a state of being. Does that make sense? Due to how often the medicine makes me fall asleep, I have not been able to go to church for several months.

WELL as I was sinking into despair and hopelessness, I felt a deep need to pray about the hopelessness I felt. Something that has always kept me going is feeling useful to God, feeling as though He has a purpose for me...as though He wants to use me to touch other folks' lives. I have felt this part of my life was slipping away and I think this is where this utter despair and hopeless feeling had originated. SO I poured my heart out as openly and honestly as I could about my physical health situation, what a burden I feel I am to others, how useless I felt I had become and wondering what use I am anymore. After all, once a person becomes a Christian, isnt their main purpose here on earth to serve God and carry out His purpose? SO after I prayed so earnestly and openly, I went to sleep and had a long restful night's sleep, totally uninterrupted sleep...you know the kind of sleep I mean...the kind where you wake up feeling totally renewed?

I explain it this way because I often sleep 12 hours or more at a time, but almost never wake up feeling fresh and revived. I almost always wake up with pain and knowing it is time for more medicine to try to keep going a little longer. Since I felt so much better, I suddenly had an urge within to do LAUNDRY! I say this in capital letters because I hadnt touched the laundry in probably at least two weeks! I just simply had not felt like doing laundry. Pulling on the wet clothes to put them in the dryer and trying to fold them up is just rough on me, so I tend to avoid the chore. Sometimes Jamey will take them out of the wash and put them into the dryer for me to help out, but I have to catch him at just the right moment. SO ANYWAY, 5 loads later, my cell phone rang. It was my hubby Jamey calling me as he had went to visit his friend for whom he had made the knife I had shown in my previous blog. He informed me that I needed to start washing his clothes because as soon as his clothes were ready he just found out he needed to pack and head back to Charleston, West Virginia to work! I happily informed him that 4 of his loads were already finished and I had a load of mine in, then one more load of his before finishing up. THEN I informed him I would be accompanying him on this trip. He quickly told me NO this was going to be a job where he would work 7 days a week and 12 hours a day. He planned on staying at a cheap motel until the hours decreased and just sleep and work, repeat, sleep and work, repeat, etc...then we could talk about me coming out there.

I was SO GLAD that something inside me had told me to wash that load of my clothes before his last load! Had this not happened, I do not think he would have waited on me! I told him I did not have to stay with him. I would stay with our former neighbor Peggy! He was skeptical, so after I ended our conversation I called Peggy. Just as I suspected, she was thrilled with the idea! SO GOD WAS SHOWING ME THAT HE IS NOT FINISHED WITH ME! JUST OVERNIGHT, HE USED ME TO IMPACT BOTH MY HUBBY AND PEGGY'S LIVES!

We started our almost 8 hour journey to West Virginia and about halfway there it occurred to my hubby that it would be less expensive if we actually rented an apartment again at the same place Peggy lives. The places have furnished studios and sometimes furnished 1 or 2 bedrooms! SO the first night we slept on an air mattress in Peggy's living room and then Peggy and I went apartment hunting on our 2nd day. We found a furnished studio apartment just as Jamey drove back in and informed us he had been put on nightshift. SO this all worked out perfect! The apartment was almost a stone's throw away from Peggy's front door!

One of the first things I observed about my friend Peggy was she seemed very stressed. She is going through a divorce after her marriage of 14 years. Her final hearing is coming up this week and I honestly have never seen her as distraught as she was while I was in West Virginia. We both agreed that once again, God's timing was PERFECT! We both needed each other. We spent quite a bit of time together just talking, looking through picture her soon to be ex-husband had brought her, and just enjoying each other's company. We always have so much fun together. She has found a church there and has enrolled in a weekly bible study, too that is also good for her.

I brought Peggy a new songbook to help her in her piano playing endeavors since I am no longer there fulltime to teach her. If you are familiar with music, I actually brought her a fakebook so that she could practice improvising on the base chord/notes hand. I was able to give her a partial lesson as to how to use the book since it played into some of what we had discussed during my last stay there. She told me she was so glad I was there as she has not been able to concentrate on playing ever since I left, and she really missed our lessons.

Unfortunately 8 days after we arrived, the same company who hired Jamey laid off 200 workers, including Jamey. HOWEVER, he was able to work almost 90 hours during that time, much of which was time and a half or double time and it was just what was needed to catch us up on our bills.

PLUS God reminded me He is not finished with me yet! He used me, my hubby and Peggy all during this time to show us how we all have to lean on each other! He loves us all so very much and He does not want us to be in such despair. How many times do the Psalms mention "rejoice in the Lord..."? He really means it!

What is interesting is that I am home again. Nothing has really changed in my circumstances. I am still taking the same medications that make me just as tired, but help pain and other symptoms. I still have trouble walking and need assistance from hubby often....BUT my outlook has changed. God has shown me I am USEFUL...we are PRECIOUS IN HIS SIGHT!!!!!!!

So whatever you are going through, or however you are feeling right now,just remember this:

I felt the need to write this down so that if I start to have a pity party, I can read my own words and say "HELLO TERESA!!!! REMEMBER WHAT GOD TAUGHT YOU ON THIS DAY?????" HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN ALREADY???"

Springtime Custom Knife Loving Life and Health Update

Do you find yourself daydreaming about Spring activities already? I sure am ready for Springtime! We had some dirt moved around on our property last year, so I hope to spread some wildflower seeds where the dirt was taken from. It is at the edge of our yard near our woods, so would be so pretty. I have a large bag of wildflower seeds that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies, so if it works out, I will post pictures! Most of my perennials do the same, so maybe I will have hummingbirds/butterflies galore! My dad just made a huge stack of birdhouses and sent a few home with me, so I am looking forward to my hubby Jamey putting those up for me. I know my father in law has already "borrowed" two of them just two days ago. The birds have already started building in them! Hurry Jamey, hurry!!!

Sadly, a storm came through while we were at my parents' house and it blew my above ground pool over several feet and bent some of the frame. It is flipped over in half, like a taco shell. I am not sure how much damage was done to the lining. It had a couple feet of water in it for most of the winter holding it down, but my hubby and FIL had drained it just a few weeks ago b/c they were worried the ice would puncture it. SO I am praying it will be usable this summer as swimming is literally the ONLY exercise my rheumy wants me to attempt at this point.

My hubby has been laid off work since the weekend before Christmas, so all this 24/7 bonding is driving us BOTH a little stir crazy! Do not get me wrong, I love my hubby! I just need some quiet time now and then. This in mind, he has started his knifemaking hobby up again while waiting for the Local Union to post more calls for electricians. I am SO PROUD OF HIM! He just completed his 3rd knife ever and it is BEAUTIFUL! He used a technique on the blade to age it like an antique. The guard is made from bone at the tip of the antler.

He is now working on another knife. He is a perfectionist. He may have forged a blade a couple years ago, then was not sure of the exact method to do a certain thing, or of his ability level yet...so he would simply STOP and move on to the next one...he has like 30 or more unfinished blades and has now completed only 3! SO the fact that he feels ready to actually finish them to completion is quite an accomplishment! We have made several trips to my parents' house during the process of his knifemaking. My parents have a full partially unfinished basement, so my hubby can get out of the cold, rainy weather to work on the final stages of the knives. I have enjoyed the time with my family since we live about an hour from them and I do not see them too often. I still sleep often, and tend to wake up at odd hours of the night, BUT so does my father. SO I have had alot of fun just giggling and joking with my dad! I feel like a kid again when we act so goofy! I think he does, too! We were in the kitchen having a 2 a.m. snack

and "joke party" and accidently woke up my hubby and my mother one night, though because we laughed so loud! We were both scolded and sent into separate rooms! He he he. In our defense, their kitchen has tile floors and echos very badly...but yes, we did get a little out of control!

AH laughter is such good medicine. I have found that I have progressively been able to do less and less things around the house and I tend to feel worse in general both with pain and fatigue since the doctors had to decrease my lyrica due to the near-fainting spells. My rheumatologist gave me two cortizone injections in my shoulders last week, so my shoulders feel almost no pain at all now which is MIRACULOUS!!! However, as soon as that pain decreased, I started realizing just how bad I hurt elsewhere. I guess the pain had been so bad there that it overshadowed everything else. Doc, could ya just give me a little of that everywhere??? Seriously, though, he cant put it everywhere at once he told me. Plus since I have osteopenia already, the doctors have to monitor how much cortizone they give me for asthma and this pain. It is a shame that it works SO WELL and yet does such damage to my bones all at the same time. I just dont understand why no one has found anything else that can help as well yet.

Oh and a quick update gastro related: I went to my gastro dr this week for my followup and he said the severe flareups are from IBS. He put me on a medicine called Librax to take 3 times a day. If anyone reading this takes this med, feel free to pm me on your opinion of its effectiveness. So far its working great i.e. no flareups, HOWEVER I seem to be stumbling around allover the place! Braces aside, I do not usually walk into a wall if I am a good 8 feet away from it! It would be comical if it were not so dangerous. This happens even using my cane! SO if you are familiar w/this med, do ya think it's related to getting used to the med? I have only been on it for about a week.

The plus side is I got my leg braces adjusted this week by a different man than the one I've been seeing...this guy was SO HELPFUL! My podiatrist had told me to just keep insisting they fix the braces until they get them right and I had been told they could do nothing about the two worst problems. I have tendonitis and the braces were pushing onto a tendon on the side of my foot and causing my ankle to swell and also causing throbbing pain all the way to my knee. This new guy fixed both problems PLUS he made them about a half inch more narrow, making them fit around my feet more snuggly inside my shoe! I can walk so much better while I'm stumbling into walls! He he he...My knee feels better AND the ankle swelling seems to be going down a bit!!! Praise the Lord!!!!!

My father has the same illnesses as me plus CREST syndrome, a form of sclerderma, so we understand each other and it is nice to be around someone who understands. I wish he felt better, though. When I see him, I do not usually think "oh look, he is hurting like me"...I usually think "Lord, please help my dad to have a great day today and painless so he can work outside in his flowers as he LOVES to do". We like to still be useful inspite of our chronic pain, to still do the things we enjoy sometimes, things that will make others smile. Mostly I do not want to be a burden. I pray I could actually clean my house up b/c most of the time it is a wreck nowadays and DRIVES ME CRAZY!!! Anyone wanna be a maid for me? lol...sorry, it wont pay anything...hahaha Seriously, though, even with all I have just said, I know there is a reason for all this. I know God has a reason. As He has said there is a season for everything. I just have to hang in there...rejoice anyway...life is still good! I still love life!

I am enjoying catching up on everyone's posts. I am so bad to read a post and really be touched by it, but then not leave a comment saying so. I will try to do better, okay? Please ladies, even if you only get 1 comment, or even 0, still post...lots of folks read and never leave a comment! You never know whose life you will touch. You dont necessarily have to even know about it...but I for one will try to tell you, okay?

Negative Biopsies and our Jack Russells

I called dr's office today. The nurse told me the biopsies were negative for cancer, so for esophogus, no Barrett's...just severe reflux and inflammation was present. She said colon biopsies also negative. I asked her if that means I do NOt have inflammatory bowel disease...she said nothing in the notes??? That was my primary complaint upon going to dr...trouble there...NOT esophogus...BUT she said dr wants to see me, so he will talk to me about it. SO GOOD NEWS but still unexplained for symptoms w/these flareups that keep happening.

NOW on to other matters! Roxie asked about my cats. If I have not told you yet, I had to give away our sweet cat Charlie, the wonderful orange tabby who was my best bud! When we were planning the move to WV, I knew he would not be able to handle the stress of living at our GA home with no humans, only cats. SO I did the responsible thing and gave him to a relative's neighbor. HE LOVES HIS NEW HOME. He didnt even have the decency to pretend otherwise at least till I LEFT! lol. Seriously, though...I am so glad he adjusted so seamlessly. His new owner is an elderly lady with no other animals. She has a screened in back porch which he is free to roam, as well as her entire home. She said he mostly just sits in her lap and looks at her adoringly. Yes, that's our Charlie...or HER Charlie now. BUSTER AND SASSY are SO happy we are home from WV now. It was tough on them I think, even though they had visits every day from my in-laws. They missed us SO BAD! Buster is now closer to me than before. He also TOLERATES Jamey more! LOL. He's the quirky ragdoll I've mentioned in previous articles. Sassy is the tiny gray tabby. She's now as clingy as Charlie was previously. Every time we sit down, she's in our lap. When I'm at the computer, she's whining b/c she wants in my lap. When we go to bed, she's on my hip. Buster sleeps beside me almost every night now. They have both changed as a result of our extended leave to WV. I feel bad that we had to leave them here. I have asked Jamey to please find a pet friendly apartment if we have to find work out of town again. He missed them, too and thought that would be a very good idea now that we've seen their reaction. We're such bad pet parents! BUT we are home w/them now and all is well at the moment!

Jamey is still out of work, but hopefully something will be available locally soon. Please pray about this for us if you feel inclined to do so. Thank you so much!

Have I mentioned to you that we own two Jack Russells, not just our cats? ACTUALLY I think I posted a pic of them on one of my very first posts, but not much else. Well perhaps I havent mentioned them too much because they have not actually lived with us in over 4 years! Not as bad as it sounds, though...they live across the road on Jamey's parents' property and his dad calls them his two little hound dogs. He feeds them NOTHING BUT TABLE SCRAPS...although I have tried many times to get them on a strict dog food diet. He wont have it and neither will "those two little hound dogs". LOL He doesnt even call them by name, but boy they love him! He makes them peanut butter jelly sandwiches EVERY DAY, too! ANYWAY a few weeks ago, their outside pen was struck by a falling pine tree during a severe storm. It demolished the pen and they fortunately were saved by their igloo dog house. That's a STURDY dog house! SO ANYWAY, Jamey and I talked and I suggested it is time HIS dogs come live on OUR property! lol. My dad has told him for quite awhile that he can have all the fencing/posts he wants to build a big lot. SO for the past two days Jamey and his dad have been building those two little hound dogs a nice big lot...over 50 ft across and at least 20 ft wide. They are currently living next door at Jamey's grandmother's house in her fence until their move.

OH by the way, these two little hound dogs are actually named Baby and Bonnie. They are pure bred and sisters. They are also SO SWEET and SO CUTE. I bought them for Jamey probably 6 years ago for Christmas b/c he wanted to squirrel hunt. That's YET to happen with them! lol. We hoped they would be in the house, but we soon found out two things: Jamey is severely allergic to them and they are very hard to potty train as youngsters b/c of their high energy level and short attention span. Was that actually three things?

Well anyway, I just wanted to post my health update real quick and thought I'd share the latest happenings while I'm at it.

WHERE HAVE I BEEN? Sick again...here is an update:

I am SO SORRY I have not written since BEFORE CHRISTMAS!!! Well about the last time I wrote here was when Jamey was laid off in West Virginia. We stayed there for the next week and got things sorted out to move back home. We spent a wonderful Christmas with our neighbor Peggy. We moved back HOME to Georgia the weekend between Christmas and New Years.

I spent the next two days trying to unpack, but really just felt AWFUL, not to mention how rough I always feel after traveling 8 hours in a vehicle much less unpacking an apartment full of things. NOT COMPLAINING THOUGH...we are fortunate to have been able to stay in both places and keep our Georgia home...I was just sick and weak.

SO by tuesday, Dec. 30, I was really getting sick. I started having a flareup of (I hate to say the word, so I'll use it just this once so we'll all know what I'm talking about)...severe diarrhea. I stayed up all night long because I was so sick. I slept all the next day and woke up around 4 pm feeling a little better. I figured it was just IBS and that I was better, so I made the desserts I had intended to make for my sister's New Year's Eve party and we went to that. WELL for the next 2 weeks I was STILL SICK...SO I have copied my note from FACEBOOK as a followup to show you all the things my doctors have done since then. By the way, this was the 2nd flareup in 2 and a half months, and the lab results ruled out several viruses and food poisons...just as my internist had suspected, NOT A VIRUS.

NOW here's my follow up notes to show you what's been going on in the past two to three weeks now:

Colonoscopy:
My internist and gastro dr suspect I have Inflammatory Bowel Disease or ulcerative colitis, so that's why the colonoscopy was ordered. The good news is I've lost 9 lbs during this flare-up! lol...I only said that so I can share with you that line from "Devil Wears Prada" - "I'm just one stomach flu away from my goal weight" although it's not true in my case. It's certainly not the way to lose weight. I have these flareups several times a year, so my internist sent me to gastro dr.

The gastro dr wanted to take some biopsies and look on a microscopic level. A few years ago I went through this and was told I do not have Crohns disease, but no biopsies were done. I told this to this gastro dr, but he said that the diagnosis should be made based on biopsies microscopically before ruling it out. I should get the biopsy results in 10 days.

Endoscopy:
Based on the gastro dr's findings, I have Esophagitis, which is inflammation or irritation in the esphagus. He also suspects Barrett's disease, so he did biopsies of that. You can google that, or google SSBE esophagus to read about it. I should get the biopsy results in 10 days.

I also had what is called a nissen fundiplication about 5 years ago b/c my sphincter muscles do not work. These are the muscles that are supposed to control the opening at the top of the stomach. They are supposed to keep the stomach closed when not eating and opened when swallowing from what I understand. Mine did nothing, they were lazy...just laid around. SO to try to partially close the opening, a surgeon did the Nissan wrap (nissen fundiplication) 5 years ago. He took part of the stomach and tacked it on either side of the very bottom of the esophagus to narrow the opening to help reduce the amount of reflux that had been going on as a result of the muscles not closing the opening at all. I also had a hiatal hernia repair at the time and I have it again. Go figure.

The dr put me on reflux meds again, 2 pills a day, just like before I had the stomach surgery 5 years ago. I'm not complaining, though b/c I'm nowhere near as bad as I was when I opted for surgery. I was actually surprised I was bad enough to deem 2 pills a day. I'm a chronic pain patient and I have a high tolerance for pain, despite how it may sound to you by reading all my reports of complaints...so I often just go for months untreated and without telling dr certain symptoms, opting to live with them because it is tolerable and b/c I get so tired of going to the dr all the time. SEE WHERE THAT'S GOTTEN ME!!!! I thought I was doing the right thing by managing all this on my own for all this time!

Anyway, God is good and I am making it fine. I got lots of rest yesterday. Poor Jamey, bless his heart last night...I had crazy dreams all night and kept talking in my sleep. I remember clapping real loud at one point and saying "why am I the only one clapping" and Jamey responded "because I'm trying to sleep" or something like that. I finally got up at 7 am so he could get some rest. lol

I'll update again when I get the biopsy results. Thank you so much for all the well wishes and prayers!!! It means so much to me to have a support group!!!

I hope all is well with you and I plan to start catching up on your blogs soon, too! Please drop me a PM anytime you want me to pray for something specific or if you just want to say hello or whatever...when we do not post for awhile, we really have a hard time catching up because it only shows the last 5 pages of posts. That can fill up fast if someone is extra happy and posting every single day! LOL

Quilt Exchange - Winter Theme...Update

I just wanted to post a quick update to those who are still participating in the quilt block exchange.

It seems our finally tally for participants were 5 folks. The packages of exchanged blocks were mailed last friday, Dec 19th.

I had originally suggested to finish the project and then once ALL projects are finished, we can post them on the website, BUT I have found that not everyone plans to start on the project immediately due to various things going on and LIFE in general. SO we can just approach this in a more leisurely manner. Whenever you finish the project of your choice, just send your finished pictures to Chas, Senior Editor and she can then post them here on the website at that time. We do not have to wait for everyone to finish the projects.

Thank you to all who were involved with the first Quilt Challenge with theme WINTER! This certainly has been interesting to say the least! If you had to drop out, please do not beat yourself up. LIFE and CIRCUMSTANCES can get in the way of planned events, that's just how it goes sometimes. Feel free to participate again in the future.

Communication is the key to success for this event, so ladies, I look forward to the 2nd Quilt Challenge being even better than the first! INFO COMING SOON!!!

Homemade Christmas Ornaments from Cathedral Window Quilt Pattern

Well readers, due to my inbox being filled with requests for more posts, I am here again today to write to you. OKAY, OKAY, so it was actually just ONE person...AND she is my MOTHER, my most faithful reader. ANYWAY, since she asked why I have not posted in such a long time, I decided to write a short post.

Above are three different ornaments I have made over the years using the Cathedral Window Quilt pattern. The first picture is my middle sister's BEAUTIFUL tree this year. The last ornament is for "baby's first Christmas".

My dad loves to go to a store called "The Samaritan Center" which is similar to Good Will stores. He often finds craft books for me and in one of these old dusty books is where I got the inspiration for these ornaments. See MOM...sometimes he does find treasures there! lol...we often joke that we should secretly pack all the things away that he has bought from there over the years and donate it back so he will have something to buy again.

I have also used the Cathedral Window pattern as the front of a handbag, but I cannot find a picture of it on my laptop. Since I am still in West Virginia, it is the only thing I currently have access to find files. ANYWAY, try to envision 4 cathedral window blocks put together as the front of a purse. I had used blue material w/silver snowflakes imprinted on it for the material, then for the center squares, i had embroidered dark blue snowflakes onto white material. The purse was also made in the blue w/snowflakes material. I will try to find a picture soon.

The baby pics were made using the special solution for fabric that makes it photoready. It is called Bubble Jet Set 2000. Click here for the website to purchase the complete kit.

I used my embroidery machine to sew out the year, but this could also be done by hand embroidery. Just make sure you make your year small enough that it is not covered up when you sew it into the window.

If you do not know how to make a cathedral window quilt pattern and would like to know, leave me a comment. If there is interest, then I will do a small tutorial for you. I have found that it is nowhere near as complicated as I have always heard it is!

UPDATE: I searched old emails and found two pics with the snowflake purse attachment and the purse itself...neither show a very good pic of the finished purse, but it at least gives you a visual to go along with my explanation above...

My FIRST Giveaway - WINNER ANNOUNCED!

In honor of my 7th anniversary last Sunday, I hosted my first giveaway on my blog.

Congratulations and thank you to all who entered and who continue to read my posts. I enjoy writing on the blog and hope I am always an encouragement to you.

My First Giveaway UPDATE

As I mentioned in the original post, the giveaway is in honor of my 7th anniversary. I had a great anniversary Sunday, but nothing like I had expected to spend an anniversary. It was actually a day spent with bronchitis, but also visiting with my father's extended family who are here for the holidays. My husband is still working a million hours away in West Virginia. I am thankful he still has the job, though because the job is apparently closing down soon. Happily though, my hubby is scheduled to spend the next 4 days with us, so I am excitedly awaiting his return home! I had planned on posting one of my "stories" telling how my hubby and I met and married, but since I've been so sick with bronchitis, I haven't been online much at all. I will try to get that written soon so you can have a few chuckles over yet another drama over a tidbit of my life!

I'm sad today! I'm happy today!

I'm sad because...no one seems to want to sign up for my giveaway and I was so excited about it!!!

I'm happy because...my MRI was normal except for 4 spots on it that are common to migraine sufferers such as myself

I'm happy because...the union was able to negotiate and he will go back to work saturday

I'm sad because it seems dark way too soon this time of year and that tends to make me depressed

I'm happy because I had a wonderful time just praying and playing my piano last night

I'm sad because one of my best friends who just finished her treatment for breast cancer just found out her husband's melanoma has come back in 7 places, including a spot on each lung. He has already had part of his lung removed a few months ago. He is about to start chemo for 7 days every three weeks at Emory University. Please pray for him and his family.

I'm happy because God has blessed me with such wonderful in-laws and parents who help take care of me while Jamey is away.

I'm happy because Jamey is coming home for Thanksgiving and will take me to WV with him the following weekend!!!

Enter for Christmas Book Giveaway plus BONUS! DEADLINE November 23, 2008

To enter once, simply leave me a comment to this post or send me an email at teresa@stitchesbyteresa.com. To receive 4 extra chances to win the book, post this giveaway on your blog, then send me a link to your post along with your contact information.

Deadline to enter is November 23, 2008 (in honor of my 7th wedding anniversary!) I will draw one name from all entries and announce the winner November 24, 2008.

The book can be used during the Christmas season as a family devotional to explain each piece of the Nativity Scene.

The author Rev. Zachary Carden III and I attended a bible study group for most of our teenage years. He has since went on to seminary and then later to become a children's and youth pastor. I am so honored to share his book with you through my blog!

The book The King in the Corner is available on the author's storefront both by paper copy for only $12.55 or as a download for $2.50. The CD Greybobby Discovers Creation is available on the author's storefront for $6.75 and a coloring page of Greybobby is also available as a FREE download. The CD and coloring page are in the left hand column of the page.

This book will make a great Christmas gift for anyone with children trying to find the perfect way to make Jesus the Reason for the Season and to help them really understand how He ended up in that manger.

Here's a little background for the book:

A few years ago I penned the book The King in the Corner. It is a book for Christmas that I recently updated with full color illustrations. It is a self-published work. Honestly I only get a dollar from the sale of each of these books, so the main reason I'm putting it out there is because I believe it can help families focus on the true meaning of Christmas.

I originally wrote the book in response to fathers who felt awkward in leading family devotions. Let's face it, sometimes men don't know what to say nor how to communicate with their kids. If something is awkward then a man will typically not give it another try. Knowing the reality of family devotions not being the norm, I wrote this book as a narrative. It is like sitting in on another family's devotional time during the Christmas season. So it is less awkward for fathers, because the father in the story is actually teaching his children.

Another reason I wrote this book is that I was not satisfied with the Christmas stories that were out there. I felt like all they did was rehash the Christmas Story which children have heard over and over again (even in Charlie Brown). Though the story is great and been retold countless times, we all know how it turns out, right? That's when little ears begin to tune the story out or become numb to its meaning. The King in the Corner is different.

The King in the Corner starts out with a family in which, though the parents know the Lord, they have neglected teaching their children much about Him. They have tended to focus on other things during Christmas. They have a family nativity set, but it is shoved in the corner. Lamenting this fact, the father tells the stories his own father told him and he treats it like a mystery. Who is this King? What is He like?

The father in the story adds a each piece of the nativity set one at a time. He tells his children how each piece tells about the King who would come to earth. For example the stable reminds us that Jesus was a humble king, the animals remind us that he was king of Creation, Mary reminds us that he was born in the priestly line and is the Priest King, the figure of Joseph reminds us that he is born of the line of David and is the King of kings, and so on and so forth.

Quilt Challenge UPDATE REMINDER

This note is for the 9 participants of the WINTER themed quilt challenge here on the blog.

I am heading back to Georgia this weekend and will be ready to sort these out by the end of the week if we have received all the blocks by then. This means if you still need a little more time, please try to get them in the mail by tuesday or wednesday this week if possible.

SO FAR, 5 are accounted for, SO 4 folks still need to mail the blocks to Chasity. If you need me to send the mailing address to you again, please let me know.

From West Virginia to Georgia AGAIN

I want to share a bargain: Prescription eyeglasses...I purchased online for $32, shipped to my door! I can see clearly for the first time in over a year! I am so amazed at the quality! I had read a blog on homestead a few months ago that first suggested this option, but I could not find it, so I just googled the idea and I found www.eyebuydirect.com. Here are my glasses:

A neighbor moved out and sold us a used washer and dryer for a very low price! My new friend and I were both so happy because although she was glad to let me do my laundry at her house, I kept having the weak spells and twice she sent me home and had to bring our laundry over to us after it dried because I was unable to do it. SO now that it is in our apartment, there is no need to lift heavy bags or drag them several yards anymore!!! Just the night before, I had prayed God would make a way for us to get a used one somehow...I knew our budget was tight, so when I found out about the offer, I got out the calculator and started figuring...we had just enough extra over our budget to cover it! My hubby immediately said "I'll stop by the bank on the way home...tell them we'll take it"...the lady's father was there with a dolly, so he brought them over and put them in the utility room for me, too! JUST ONE BLESSING AFTER ANOTHER!!!

I have actually given my new friend one piano lesson. We had SO MUCH FUN! As I said before, we both have fibromyalgia, so we were exhausted and will just have to learn to pace ourselves. She has taken lessons before, so we are specifically working on chords. I could tell she has a good ear for music and will be a very good student. I look forward to the challenge. I am amazed at how God works through our friends. Every time one of us is having a bad day, the other calls at just the right time and we both end up feeling better. It has done wonders for both of us stresswise. My hubby has told me several times that he is so glad I met my new neighbor. I was not able to go to church with her because it was another bad day for me, but I hope to be able to soon! She says the church is really great and she thinks I will like it. She is definitely Godsent! I thank the Lord for all the friends He has given me!

SADLY, my hubby told me today that he will not get to take the week off to go home (to GA) with me next week to my doctor visits for my test results. HAPPILY, I will still be able to go...Fortunately my wonderful middle sister and mother are going to come up saturday, spend the night, and bring me home sunday...so I will not miss my appointments. I just am not sure at this point what my plans will be after that. We have discussed getting my rheumatologist's advice on scheduling the surgery with the podiatrist for my left ankle/foot (total reconstruction and put back together w/rods/pins/screws/bolts)...or if he thinks fibromyalgia too severe...BUT this is all contingent still on test results...MRI, ECHOCARDIOGRAM, holtor monitor...my cardio dr expects everything will be fine with my heart, he just thinks my BP is too low and dropping even lower at times...neurologist had ordered all the tests as a result of my visit w/him b/c of the weak spells and migraines. The meds he gave me for migraine prevention are working GREAT. I am AMAZED. It is the first time in YEARS I have gone an entire two weeks without a headache. I am so thankful he was able to help me. That should bring you up to date on medical issues for those who wanted to know. I won't know anything more till the end of next week.

The main dr visits are wed and thurs, so if you'd like to pray for me, those are the days I will be talking about all this to the drs.

All things work together for good....

As you may have noticed, I have not posted in awhile. I have been trying to get settled in West Virginia in our little apartment. I am determined not to give up and do NOTHING all day long. That being said, I told my hubby that I wanted to try to at least do our laundry while here. Since I am disabled with fibromyalgia and have a hard time doing daily tasks such as cleaning chores at our home in GA, he was hesitant to turn this chore over to me. However, when I had heard he was spending between $30 and $50 paying a laundry-mat company to clean and fold his laundry for him, I assured him I was capable. I was sure I could save us quite a bit of money by spending mere quarters per load. The laundry unit is located directly behind our apartment, so is not very far at all.

My FIRST trip was akin to a horror film, at least in my paranoid little mind...that is once I finally hauled 3 mesh sacks of laundry up the little hill to the laundry unit. There I was - alone - in this little room with 4 washers and 4 dryers - blinds all closed and one door without a lock on it. The lights were on a timer. To use the washer, I had to turn my back to the door. I nervously, but successfully filled 3 washers full of clothes, put the quarters in and proceeded to start all 3 loads as once (very nice feature, having a room full of washers!)...the joy was very shortlived as two washers started knocking very loudly and a red light came on both showing the load was unbalanced. I unsuccessfully rearranged and then finally unloaded one of the washers altogether without success of the red light going off. The second washer gave the same result. The third washer...a SUCCESS! I proceeded in drying one load and finishing up the other two loads. At this point I noticed there were muddy tracks all over the floor and I was standing in water! One of the washers had been leaking and evidently no one had reported it...so now my socks were getting soaked through my tennis shoes and I was still a nervous wreck being in here alone. I finally just left the room and went back to the apartment hoping all would go well on its own. I checked everything a bit later and then dried the clothes in order and finally was able to finish up my first official wash day at the apartments.

Back at the apartment, I put all the clothes away and then rubbed down my neck/arms/wrists w/arthritis cream and took pain meds. The rest of the day was spent doing as little as possible. I soon realized that wash day was not working out very well for me.

For several months, I have taken my hubby's advice and not driven a vehicle due to several issues related to my health. We live about 15-20 miles away from Walmart in GA, but here in WV, it is a mere 2 mile journey to Wallie World!!!! SO this being the case, my hubby has offered to let me attempt to drive just a little ways again. SO I decided I might feel safer going to a public laundry mat instead of the isolated apartment laundry mat. I used our GPS and found that there is one about 3 miles from the apartment. I loaded up a week after the first laundry day and headed for the public laundry mat. I never had realized how blessed I truly was to have my very own washer and dryer all these many years. Anyway, I had even more clothes on this trip than the first time because now I had both my clothes and my hubby's clothes. I tried to bring them all in at once, but it was not working and I was just hurting my shoulders. I could only imagine what onlookers might be thinking (as if I were drawing a crowd...really and truly, there were NO onlookers! lol). I finally gave up and brought in one bag in at a time, hoping against hope that no one wanted to steal a bag of dirty laundry (CRAZY now that it's in print!). I walked in and never had I seen so many washers and dryers! I noticed the extra large washers in the very back just calling for me! I found that I was able to wash all of my hubby's overalls in ONE LOAD!!! These were triple load washers...cost more, but washes alot more, too...ANYWAY, I was able to get everything done all at once and felt quite pleased with myself. I decided to sit down and read a book as I waited, just relax a bit. There was a pleasant looking lady in there doing the same and I said hi to her and she returned the pleasantries. At that moment, we both saw it...a ROACH on the side of my drink cup!!!!! We both screamed as we womenfolk sometimes do and I grabbed my cup and quickly turned on the hot water at the sink and scalded the bug and my cup, poured my soda out and immediately started wondering why I ever thought I should come to a public laundry mat!!! At this point, the lady started telling me that she thought they would have sprayed by now and then she started fighting the dryer as it had eaten her quarters. The owner came out and explained she had to SLAM the door on the dryer harder. SO this makes sense...abuse the equipment and it will work better...amazingly enough, the dryer roared to life. At this point, I saw a roach fall from the sky...okay, okay, so it was the ceiling, but it might as well have been the sky the way it just appeared like that!...I stomped it. I'm really getting creeped out at this point and I decided to keep my handbag against my side at all times so as to prevent critters from crawling into it. Finally my laundry is ready for the dryers and I grab a buggy (yes, to my surprise, I could have used a buggy and brought all my laundry in at once and stopped all that needless fretting!!!) and head for the dryers. I find that I have the same trouble as the other laundry lady. I cannot make the dryer work. She tells me to use my fist and hit it hard. I have very little strength and it hurts my hands/arms to hit things...finally she hit it for me and it roared to life! SO for the next hour or two, each time I had to stop the dryers to check for dampness, this kind little lady would gently walk over and pound on the dryer for me! By the time I saw the third roach, I had made a game out of it. I started chasing it with the buggy! I know, crazy, but I was getting bored I suppose. ANYWAY, the lady finished up her laundry and left me and I found myself alone there except for three young guys who looked to be all of 20 or so...you know the age...think they own the world, but barely old enough to keep from getting a whipping! lol...so at one point one of my dryers stopped and wouldnt ya know it...a pair of my panties are right there as if plastered on the screen! I heard "Mee-OWWW" behind me...I quickly got my clothes out and packed up and left. Unfortunately, none of the socks were dry, so when I got home, Jamey had to help me lay them out on a towel to dry...then I had to lay all the denim out to dry on the bed. All this b/c I got me-owed at! lol...I told Jamey I don't know that I had ever gotten me-owed at before that day. lol...kinda funny.

SO onto the THIRD laundry week...what to do??? Should I just give up and let Jamey pay out the big bucks for our laundry? NO b/c these places are infested w/roaches!!! SO I have no alternative but to go back to the unit behind our home. I decided I would just take one load at a time and only use the one washer that I knew worked great. SO I spot treated one of Jamey's shirts and one of mine and then headed to the laundry unit. I put the laundry detergent in, put the clothes in, got out my bag of change, put in one quarter, two quarters...that's it!!! NO MORE QUARTERS!!! I'd put all the other quarters in those horrid dryers!!!!!! What shall I do??? The spot treatment will bleach the shirts if on there for longer than say 5 or 10 minutes...I called my hubby who was at work. He suggested I go next door to the manager's office and see if he has change for dimes/nickels. SO I did this, but no one was there. I went back to the laundry unit and just stood there over the washer. I said a little prayer. At this point, a lady walked in. She asked me if I was Curtis's wife (I think that's the name she said)...I told her my hubby was Jamey...then I asked her if she had any quarters...well that was the beginning of my first friendship here in West Virginia.

I had been here for two and a half weeks and not met a single person to remember by name until I had met Peggy. From the minute I met her, I knew God had sent her in the laundry room to be my friend. Several days later, we have gotten to know each other better. I now do my laundry at her house and I have agreed to give her piano lessons. That's right! There is a piano in her apartment to my heart's delight! This is one of the things I miss from home, but no longer! Plus, she sings alto, so we enjoyed the day yesterday singing gospel songs in duets while my wash got cleaner and cleaner...she had moved in just a couple weeks ago, so God had brought us here together at the same time...and to think, I had wanted my hubby to go to a different apartment complex...AND she had almost moved into a different one, too! Now we are both quite content here!

As for driving, I have come to realize that I still should not be driving. I had the weak spells all day long yesterday, and Peggy told me that we could be shopping buddies now and she agreed that I should not drive since I'm still having these spells so frequently. She is also going to take me to church sunday as she has been visiting in the area (and we are the SAME denomination!)...Jamey was relieved to hear this news as he was upset to hear I had a spell last week while at Dollar General and the ladies there took care of me till I was able to get to my truck. Everyone was very nice, though and I was okay once the spell passed. By the way, my heart doctor does think it's my blood pressure dropping too low and causing these spells.

May God Bless you and I hope you will notice that everything you encounter happens for a reason and all things work together for good for them who love the Lord, for them who are Called according to His purpose!

Winter Quilt Challenge Update

I just wanted to send out an update on our first quilt challenge, our quilt block exchange with a WINTER theme. As you finish your blocks, please mail them to Chasity as explained in your private messages I sent out a couple weeks ago.

I am in West Virginia for the month of October visiting my hubby...SO for those of you who still have not finished the quilt blocks, this will give you a couple extra weeks to finish up. I plan to return home the first weekend of November. At that time, I will touch base with Chasity (Senior Editor) and we will then make sure everyone has sent in the blocks. At that point we will match up the blocks and send out everyone's packages!

You will still have most of November and December to work on finishing the quilting project if you hope to get it ready in time for Christmas!

As I have said before, I just want to say again, please do NOT feel pressured AT ALL with the deadlines! This is meant to be fun for all! As each participant sends me messages, I am learning that we quilters have many common characteristics, including taking on a TON of projects all at once! It does seem that folks are starting to get this project wrapped up, though...which is GREAT because I would like to continue with the same idea of themes and go with the next season in line if you folks agree! Of course we can discuss that more after this project is finished.