Back in my Studio for Halloween!

After a handful of attempts at working at my table in my studio, I finally succeeded. I got a little tired out the first day that I spent a few hours in there. Picking up the tools and materials needed for the simplest projects were surprisingly challenging! I enlisted my husband for backup. He punched paper shapes and reached heavy paper stacks and boxes of supplies for me. This is in addition to his constant care giving, cooking, grocery shopping, laundry . . . and running our real estate business!

Since I don't have new projects to post, I pulled a couple favorites off the shelf. I made these a couple years ago and planned to make several more this past year to sell...but that plan had to take a back seat to two major surgeries and recovery. I am happy to have the chance to make more for next year and will have them available by next August. Yay!

Below are some photos of two 6" x 6" handmade mini albums. These are custom created from plain chipboard and designer papers and embellishments. There is space for various sizes of photographs and tags to use for journaling. Each album comes in a matching box.

And here is the second album . . . 

That was a lot of photographs for you to wade through. If you made it this far, congratulations! LOL.

We are prepared for beggars' night here in our little village. Kids can go trick or treating from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Halloween night. We usually have 250 to 300 little goblins and ghosts come to our door. They come from all of the neighboring farms and rural homes that are spread out too far apart to go house to house for candy. I missed out on the fun last year because I was sick. I hope to help my husband pass candy out this year. It is remarkable how organized and safe the whole event always turns out. At 8 p.m., the street gets quiet. Only a few stragglers who got a late start ring our doorbell after 8. There is no vandalism, there are no tricks, ... just treats! Any candy that is left over gets bagged up and taken to our real estate office.

Thank you for stopping by and taking time out of your day to read my blog. As always, your questions and comments are welcome. 

And until we meet again, may the Lord hold you in the hollow if His hand.

It's the little things that count . . .

Most of us have been sick a few times with a bad cold or the flu. It always surprises me how much energy they steal from me.  When I am sick, I try to remember what it felt like to feel well and tell myself at these times that I will never take my good health for granted. So, while I have been recovering from surgery, (see my September 29, 2015, blog post), I have once again been reminded that feeling good is never to be taken for granted.

My surgery was a month ago and I have been home for almost three weeks. My surgeon and my nurses have been wonderful teachers. I have learned so much from them about the healing process. Things need time to heal. My surgeon explained to me that every part of the body does not heal at the same rate. That makes sense. But, what I didn't realize is that when I am healing up on the inside and the outside, there is an important medical reason why I have been told not to overdo it...a reason that up until now had escaped me. If I push my body to do too much, the energy spent on what ever it is, is stolen away from the part that needs to heal. It reminds me of a quote by Publilius Syrus (circa 85 - 43 B.C.) which I came across the other day, that said, "To do two things at once is to do neither."

As I thought about it, it seemed like a good analogy would be a home remodeling project. My surgeon said while one part is healing, another part may just be resting, or at a stage where it needs to wait for another part to be improved before it can re-engage in the process. This is where it seems similar to a remodeling project. If you've ever remodeled something, you know there are certain stages where, from the outside, it looks like nothing is happening. But, while the foundation has been fortified, or the walls are just roughed in, there are other things that must happen at the right time, such wiring or heating and plumbing. One of my nurses pointed out that the body's healing process is a delicate balance that, if given the time and rest it requires, functions wonderfully.

In the fast-paced world we live in, where medicine and technology have lured us into a false sense of security, we push our bodies in unnatural ways. I think people forget there are limits to our body's ability to heal itself. We focus on getting better fast so we can get out and get back to our normal lives. There have been medical advances and technological advances that help speed things up; but the human body is built the same way today as it was when God created it. The reason why I can heal faster today from this particular kind of surgery than I could have ten or twenty years ago, is due to technology. I was stitched up on the inside, but not on the outside. Before you pass out, stop here and know that I will NOT elaborate or provide details. I have a device that is a vacuum that is attached to my wounds. The good news is that I am healing up at a miraculous pace. But I still need to let my body rest and allow it to heal in the stages it requires.

My pace, as I try to maneuver around the house with a walker, is slow. I haven't been able to do much of anything for myself, so today when I got out to the kitchen and poured my own coffee and carried it to the living room, it felt like a real big deal! I sat at my studio work bench a couple times this week, but I am just not quite there yet. I hope to work on finishing some projects I started a couple months ago. Maybe I can do that soon. I can't wait to post photos here on my blog when they are complete!

I ordered yarn to knit a couple chunky scarves/shawls for the winter. As I type this, my hubby is at the post office picking up the order. I usually work on at least one knitted or crocheted project every year when the weather starts to turn cold. I should have a photo or two to post next time.

My yarn order arrived.
Now to pick out a pattern and start a project!

But for now, I appreciate the rest I am getting and the care I am being given by my visiting nurses and my devoted husband. I look forward to slowly getting back into my studio and, in the meanwhile, knitting something new to wear this winter.

It really is the little things that count, from pouring my own coffee, to knitting, to even sleeping while the painkillers do their job. I am grateful.

I hope those you love are well and happy. And, until we meet again, may the Lord hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Emmy

Good News . . . I'm Home!

My friend Elaine said this week that she hoped my next blog post would say, "Good News . . . I'm Home!" So, here you go, Elaine! This one's for you!

My younger granddaughter turns 11 this week!
Such as special occasion calls for special paper.
I used Graphic 45's "Time to Celebrate" paper line.
I added a lot of glitter to the birthday girl's party dress
and the candles on the cake!

It worked out just right to have these two candles on the card interior
to stand for "11" years old!

I made this card to go with the tag pictured below.
It was really fun to do all the fussy cutting and add layers
of glitter glue and watch the card come to life!

This tag as made as part of a swap in Craft That Divas, a Facebook group.
The theme was Cirque de la Diva.
I love how it turned out!
I used Graphic 45's Le Cirque paper line that I had hoarded for about 3 years!
The glitter glue really makes the highwire aerialist' s dress
and elephants' jackets sparkle!

This card was made to go with the tag below.
More glitter glue!

I have had this paper for a few years.
I am so glad I was given a special reason to use it!
It is "Fun House" by Tina Higgins.
I fussy cut and glitter glued the components and
used some of my hand-dyed seam binding.

While I was in the hospital this week,
my husband spotted this authentic Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus train
winding it's way through Batavia.
I think the circus is this weekend in Rochester!
I was so excited when he showed me these photos.
Great timing!

These cars have windows.
I wish I could see inside!

And finally, one of those fancy circus wagons just like on the card I made!
It is on the far left in this photo.
My hubby surprised me with tickets to this circus two years ago when it came to Rochester.
I was very excited and loved every minute of it.
I felt like a little kid. He loves doing things like that for me that make me feel special. 

The cards and tags were all completed before my surgery. I am not sure how much I will be making in the next few weeks because the doctor has my activities so limited that I can't do any lifting, pushing or pulling. I never would have thought it took so many muscles to do paper crafting! I will try to do some hand sewing once I get my bearings, and it might be a good time to write all those stories and things that have been swimming around in my head! 

Having my first cup of home-brewed coffee this morning! Thank you, Paul!   Mmmmmmm... It is funny how much you miss the little things when you are in the hospital. It will take some time to get back to a normal pace here at home. I begin my home care visits today and hopefully the visiting nurses will give my husband a little break from the 110% care regime he has been undertaking. 

Thank you for your prayers as we make our way through this next stage of my recovery journey.

May the Lord bless you and keep you, and until we meet again, may He hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Emmy

. . . a little different kind of blog post . . .

Hello! This post is being written from my hospital bed. I had reconstructive colon surgery a week ago today and expect to be released into the care of my loving and capable husband, and a parade of visiting nurses, in a day or two. I am amazed at what kinds of medical procedures can be done ... and with such promising outcomes. I have access to all of my medical reports through a portal. I went there tonight and read the surgical reports. I didn't understand all of the lingo and procedural info, but I got the overall gist of what the doctors did. It was no easy or insignificant task. How on earth do they ever get brave enough to do this kind of work? I have had many first days on the job, but nothing I have done on my first day would ever compare to theirs! My surgeon is one of the nicest, most genuine, and expertly skilled doctors in Buffalo. I was referred to him by my internist, who hand-picked him for me. None of this was ever left to mere chance. My doctor's office staff has been immensely helpful, compassionate and understanding while shepherding me through all the details of my care.

I am humbled and blessed. I have had the pleasure of being cared for by a team of caring and capable experts here at the hospital. I am especially fond of my PCAs ( Personal Care Assistants) and Nurses. They have cared for my every need in ways that I cannot imagine doing for others...regardless of getting a paycheck for it. These professions take a special brand of person. My life has been forever changed by their touch. Without them, I would not have survived. I owe them more than mere gratitude. 

I am not in the habit of disclosing my medical condition on social media, and I thought about it a lot before I posted info to my Facebook account and now here, to my blog. I prayed about it and when it was overwhelmingly clear to me that I was being prayed for by hundreds of people, I was glad I did. I had asked for prayers , too, for my doctors and caregivers and my husband. This has been far from easy on him. He has taken care of me for over a year, when this whole chain of events began...from two tough bouts of diverticulitis, to many trips back and forth to Buffalo for tests, doctor appointments, and then surgery last December ...plus a Christmas Eve emergency admission due to a raging post-surgery infection. Some of you reading this know from your own experience, what this is like. For those of you who don't know, I hope it stays that way! I believe that I have healed faster than I expected through prayer. Thank you to each and every one of you who prayed for me, including my cousin and a friend who carried me on their hearts to the Pope this week. That is a feeling beyond describing!

So, as I lay here listening to the Nurses and PCAs care for my new roommate, who arrived this evening after surgery, the cycle renews. She is speaking softy and asking the same questions over and over; and they softly answer....over and over...

As usual, I have taken photos of lots if different things over the past few weeks. They appear below with captions.  

I drove over to the cemetery last week to visit my parents' grave.
When I arrived, they already had a visitor!

You can see just what a chameleon this little guy was!
I don't know what kind of toad or frog he was, but he made himself look just like granite!

LOOK!
Our Mustang hit 50K !
She is a 2007, has never been driven in the winter or on a salty road.
I'd say she is pretty special!

I took this photo of her one day on the way home from Batavia.
She is a lot of fun to drive and autumn is perfect convertible weather!
I think a few rides a week during my recuperation is just what the doctor ordered, don't you?

Another visitor in our midst spun this pretty web on our back deck. 

My new Rykas!
They're great for my nightly walks.

I am trying to get my studio organized for about the umpteenth time!
I plan to add another of these little bookshelves to my right,
 so I will have a "U-shaped" work area with all of my most-used items at my finger tips! 

There were a few things being crafted prior to my hospital stay.
This is a birthday card I made for my older stepson.
I used the Stationers paper collection by Prima.
Since he is a writer, this was perfect.
The corrugated paper and burlap kept it looking masculine.

Here is the interior.
I really like how it turned out.

When we were in Pennsylvania in August, on a nice long vacation,
I shopped at one of my favorite stores in Blue Ball.
I purchased these silk flowers there for the beautiful vase
that my husband picked out at the Lenox store.

On the morning of my surgery, I couldn't sleep.
I had done a little decorating for fall in the wee hours of the morning,
so we would come come home to a cheery house after my surgery.
I decided to pull out the yards and yards, (24 yards to be exact), of tulle and burlap
that I had purchased to dress Genevieve, my studio companion.
I placed her in our central hallway so she could greet my husband during my absence.

My little friend has made my stay at the hospital cheerful when it was kind if scary at times.
If you give her tummy a squeeze, she says her prayers....Now I lay me down to sleep . . . in the cutest little voice. 

I think we are starting to even look alike!  ;-)

See....this WAS a little different kind of blog post!

I hope you enjoyed reading about what's been happening here and some if my thoughts about all if it. I plan to post again soon. As always, your questions and comments are welcome. 

And until we meet again, may the Lord hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Sincerely,

Emmy

Quilts 'n' Things

There are just a few things to write about in today's post. Two quilty things are included that are unrelated, but worth mentioning. First is a card I made for my sister for her August birthday. I wanted a change from the kinds of cards I had been making. This patchwork pinwheel style card is a definite departure from the floral and shabby chic cards I have been making!

I used a few sheets of 6x6 paper made by Authentique.
I embellished the card front with sheer ribbon and metal brads.

The interior of the card.

Another August birthday in our family!
Our oldest grandson turned 15 this year.
I couldn't wait to finally use my 8x8 pad of Graphic 45 Good ol' Sport paper!
I used a corrugated card base and inked the edges.
He is a true sports enthusiast, so this paper was perfect!

The interior.
I used individual little block stamps for the simple sentiment.

Another quilt.
This one has a funny little story.
I saw this hanging on the wall of my younger granddaughter' s room.
I thought it was cute.
When I asked my daughter-in-law who made it, she said,
 "You did. You and Becca made it together several years ago!"
After searching my memory banks, I remembered sewing it at our house when the kids and grandkids were at our house for a summertime visit.
It was a quick project and intended to be a doll quilt, but has been elevated to art on the wall!

My granddaughter, who is ten years old, also absolutely loves to craft,
especially with her Gramma Emmy.
She had an idea for an altered composition book.
She intently searched the internet for a mermaid image and printed one out.
Her plan for the cover was for it to look as though you were looking at the mermaid through a dimensional "window".
We rescued an empty cereal box from the recycling bin and cut the ovals and "windows", layered them, painted them with silver paint, and placed them over the mermaid before we glued the whole piece to the cover that Becca had chosen to cover with the light blue floral paper.
The metal key is strung on a cord to resemble rope and, in keeping with the mermaid theme, is tied with a nautical knot.
What I find most interesting and precious, is the poem on the cover.
I asked Becca if she found it on the internet and she matter-of-factly answered,
"No. I wrote it."
I might be just a little biased, but I think it is pretty cool that a ten-year-old could write something so poetic!
Becca wrote it that morning!

Being that it is now September, there is no getting around it. Fall is right around the corner. It is time to button up all the end of summer lawn work. We need to buy a couple bales of straw and get some pumpkins and gourds and hang the fall wreaths and garlands. That is on the agenda for this weekend! Don't you just love fall? What special traditions do you have...or what traditions do you want to begin? It's a new season. Have fun!

That is all for today. I hope you are happy and well; and until we meet again, May the Lord hold you in the hollow of His hand.