Struggling

I must say, this is hard.  I am trying to keep my faith, to know that there is a purpose, a plan.  Sometimes it is difficult.  23.  Daniel was just 23.  His big brother went out looking for him when he didn't show up and didn't answer his cell phone, saw an accident and didn't think too much about it but when he still couldn't find him went back.  Spoke to the police.  Found out about the make of the car, gave the police his name.  Was told the driver of the car didn't make it.  It is just heartbreaking.  No chance to say goodbye, just gone, in the blink of an eye.  It can happen like that.  Now his family is planning for his funeral. He was too young, gone too soon.  God must have a plan, but it is not for us to know, not to be revealed to us yet.  But I know that he was welcomed into the kingdom of Heaven by our Saviour and his Grandmother and I take comfort in that.  He is free from pain.  I worry not for Daniel, but for my brother Peter.
Now I am trying to plan my trip to California to be with my family.  To be together to mourn, to grieve, to remember.  My parents are flying in from Florida on Wednesday morning, my sister from Ohio on Thursday morning, my two sisters from Vermont may not be able to make it.  It is difficult, they still have small ones.  It is  Easter and one of them has a birthday on Easter.  She wants to celebrate her birthday and who can blame her?  Given the choice that is certainly what I would rather be doing!  But, we're not given the choice.  Children don't always understand that and that's okay, let them be kids for a while.  I have to go alone, without my husband or my children, can't afford for all of us to go.  Being a holiday the airlines can take you for whatever they can get you for and the rates are too high for the family to go.  Timmy is moving on Sunday and Jim had committed to helping him, with Tim's schedule it is difficult to find days' off.  Excuses, maybe.  Yes.  Still.  Too much.  Trying to get it all together, pull myself together, remember what I may be forgetting and get moving.  Here I am blogging...
Please lift our family up in your hearts and in your prayers.  We will need it over these next few days and weeks.  Especially those in California, it will be especially difficult for those who were used to seeing him and being with him on a daily basis.  Pray.  Please...

Sad News

My previous post was written yesterday and scheduled to post this morning, so I am compelled to post again.  This morning I received word that my nephew Daniel was in a single car accident in California last night and sustained injuries that tragically ended his life.  He was 23.  Daniel was the youngest of my brother Peter's two sons.  Peter described Daniel as his 'warm hearted boy'.  Dan was the peace maker, the one who wanted everyone happy and did his best to see that everyone was.  His gentle soul will be missed in this world.   Please say a prayer for Daniel and for his family as they endure this terrible time of pain and loss.

Weekend Recap!

Thursday night was a doozy!  Andy and Durinda came up and we celebrated Durinda's birthday, she was 40!  We were to meet Michelle and Bella at Longhorn for dinner after play practice got out which was scheduled to be over at 6:30.  When we still hadn't heard from them at seven we ordered.  I thought those girls were going to be mighty hungry and Jim thought Michelle might be pretty angry if we didn't hear from them soon.  At 7:20 we did hear from them and they finally made it over!  What a long day they had!  The play was very cute but I have to say that the second night went much more smoothly than the first night.  There were 80 students in it and they ranged in age from kindergarten to fifth grade and only 6 kindgrgarteners had speaking parts.  Bella was one of those with a speaking part and I have to say, all of the little ones did a great job with their parts.  They said their lines loud enough to be heard and spoke very cleary and not one of them had to be prompted!  I thought that was pretty good for 5 and 6 year olds!  But Bella was totally wiped out by the end of the night and just wanted to go to bed!  She had to be at the school for makeup at 5:00 and didn't return home again until 9:30 and then we had to take the make up off.  She didn't get up 'till 8:00 on Saturday morning and when she did she ate 3 eggs, yogurt and a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast!  Here's a picture of our little blue fish.

Feeling Blue

Have  you ever felt a little blue?  A little down?  Even though you know that you have nothing to feel down about?  I am  feeling a little bit that way now and I can't put my finger on it.  My blessings are abundant and I am surounded by them!  Family, friends, home, food enough to eat, a job, freedom to worship, and the list goes on, so why am I blue.  What is not right in my world?  What do I have to feel badly about?  When I ask myself those questions the answer is abundantly clear-nothing.  Yet, the feeling persists.  Don't get me wrong, I am not wringing my hands, moping about or in a depression, I am just a little down.  So much is happening in my life lately, and I have been so busy that I hardly have time to process it all.  Not life changing stuff really, just stuff.  And yesterday a man that I have worked closely with at work for the last year and a half retired.  Good for him-hooray!  Today, I feel as if my right arm is missing and I am sad without him.  Selfish?  Maybe, but I am sad none the less. 
Mother Nature had been giving us a taste of Spring and it has been glorious!  Only to snatch it away like an all too brief dream.  So the weather is changing again and my body is in revolt mode.  I am sore and tired constantly, the littlest movements can be difficult to make and I feel as though I have been put through Jillian's boot camp or something!  Ugh! 
So enough of my complaining...
Today our friends Andy and Durinda are driving up from Williamsburg to see Bella in her play tomorrow.  She is going to be a blue fish in her schools' production of The Littlest Mermaid.  Today is Durinda's birthday, so we will have a little celebration for her this evening.  We are all so excited to have them come up to see the show with us, especially Isabella!  The show is two nights Friday and Saturday, so we will all go on Friday and then on Saturday night Michelle has to help backstage and I am going to see it with our neighbor and friend Sabina.  She is also another of Isabella's 'special' friends, so we really appreciate everyone making time to see Bella and make her feel so special!  (They always do!)
I will be sure to take pictures and post them for everyone!  For now, I'll leave you with a card:

Another Monday Morning

How they come around so quickly!  It's been a busy few days.  Whew!  Friday started out bright and early with my appointment at Kennedy Krieger.  It went better than I had expected.  The doctor didn't see any significant changes in my muscle weakness, which is very good.  She said that if I continue to have success with the headache diet and the preventative, then in a few months she may be able to add back the stimulant which would be very good.  She said that she didn't know how I was continuing to work and carry on without it!  Ha!  The only negative was that my tremors and ticks are getting worse-noticibly.  The tremors don't bother me as much as the facial ticks, they are really bothersome.  She once again brought up the idea of Botox injections and I have to admit that I am warming up to the idea.  The amount that is used is not enough to give me that frozen in time look, just enough to do the job so it is something that I am going to consider for the future.  Not now, but if it is still bothering me next year, maybe then.  I also met with a physical therapist to see how I can improve my movement and will continue on a regimen of PT along with exercise and perhaps a class in Pilates, which she said specifically would be good for me.  So I'll have to see just how much I can fit in and get moving! 
In other news, we are gearing up for Isabella's big stage debut this week.  Friday night she and the rest of the cast will open in The Littlest Mermaid where she will play a fish.  We can't wait to see her performance! 
We were told that she needed to have a brightly colored short sleeved leotard, nude tights and ballet slippers to augment her costume, so we have been on the hunt for those things.  Since she was only going to be wearing them for two brief performances, we didn't see the need to spend a lot of money on them and we looked at WalMart, Target, Sears, K Mart and Kohls all without success.  Found something online at  Danskin only to find that what we ordered was no longer available!  So Saturday we went to a local dance boutique and sucked up, Michelle found what she wanted and for the leotard and tights paid $40.  The price of stardom!
We spent the rest of the day just enjoying the weather.  It was BEAUTIFUL!!!  Clear blue skies, 70's, couldn't ask for better weather. 
Sunday we went to church and Jim and Timmy played golf.   Later, the girls went to the zoo for a play date and I found myself in an unusual situation-home alone.  I didn't quite know what to do with myself!  I grabbed my book, a glass of iced decaf-tea and got in the hot tub.  Just as I got situated I heard 'Hello', they boys were back.  That moment of quiet sure didn't last long!  Oh, well. 
Here's a card for you.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Going with the green today!  Can't help it, my Grandma used to encourage us to wear our Irish on St. Patrick's Day and I carry on that tradition still.  Bella is all excited, she thinks that a leprechaun is going to bring her gold coins while she's at school-never know!  Stranger things have been known to happen. 

A big Happy Birthday goes out to my nephew Ben!  He is 17 today.  Happy Birthday Ben!!

 Got some more cards to show you today.  This one is a not a stamped image, it is a stenciled and pasted image a new technique for me.  I had fun with it though and will work at it some more.  Papertrey paper and ribbon though..

More butterfly fun!  Love those new dies from Papertrey, so easy to use!  

Lots going on this week.  Crazy with work stuff and have my appointment at Kennedy Keriger on Friday at 7:45 AM.  Ugh!  That means I'll have to leave the house by 6:15 at the latest, good thing they have valet parking.  I just hope I get the car back and that is not a fancy term for grand theft auto.  Ha!   The appointment is set to last for an hour with another hour scheduled with the physical therapists afterwards.  I'll let you know how that goes. 

Fabulous Friday!

Not much going on today and no big plans for the weekend, but it's Friday!  Yee-hah!   That makes it a better day than yesterday!  It's raining and gloomy and we are expecting 2 inches of rain and wicked winds but its Friday. 
I must confess, there are other men in my life who hold a special place in my life other than my husband and I plan on giving them some well deserved attention this weekend.  I'm not talking about my Dads either.  No, and get your mind out of the gutter, these men are very clean indeed.  The men I had in mind are Mr. Clean, Scrubbing Bubbles, Big and Bold Pledge, my own superhero Magic Eraser and who could forget that perennial favorite Bleach!  Yes, my big plans for the weekend include cleaning my house.  And I'm excited about it.  What does that tell you?  I can't start working on the basement yet, as Tim's move date has been moved back to April 1st.  It's a long story, but he is moving-we're pretty sure.  So I'm cleaning the other parts of the house.
Then Jim and I have tickets to see the musical ABBA on Saturday night, and I am sure that I can't get out of it.  I do want to go.  Yes, that's it, I want to go.  Right.  It will be fun.  When I get there.  All dressed up.  After working all week.  And cleaning all day.  Yeah.  I can do it. 

Anyway, a couple more cards from my weekend.

Perspective?

It's all a matter of perspective, right?  I think that I have mentioned before that I work hard to keep things in perspective.  And for the most part, I do a good job of it.  We all  have challenges to face in this journey we call life, and I do my best to make the most of what I have been given.  Which isn't to say that sometimes I don't rant and rave, scream and cry, or even howl at the moon once in a while.  Somethings are  harder to take than others though.  For instance, when my Grandmother died I went through a plethora of emotions.  Of course I was saddened by her death, I loved her and cherished my time with her here on earth but she was ready.  She had been ill and had become a mere shell of the proud, fun, loving, woman that I had loved for my whole life and I think that given the choice she would have choosen to go and be with her Heavenly Father.  Perspective.  When I was diagnosed with MD I was okay with it.  I wasn't  thrilled by the prospect, I was somewhat frightened by the unknown, but in the grand scheme of things I knew that it could be worse.  Perspective.  Right?  I try to wrap my mind around things as best I can and find the best way for me to deal with lifes challenges.  Which brings me to my most recent challenge.
Picture it if you will.  It was a normal day, much like any other day at work.  I was going about my normal routine and I stepped into the restroom to wash my hands.  Standing there at the sink I looked up to check my appearance in the mirror (Oh, vanity!) when I noticed something on my face.  On my jawline to be exact.  I tried to brush it away to no avail.  So I leaned in to get a closer look, and it was then that I discovered it.  Right there, growing, on the side of my face, for all to see- FUR!  I swear to you that's what it was, fur!  To you it may have been just a few hairs, but there were several of them.  And they were long.  I mean, I could have braided them for crying out loud!  OMG!  Just call me Rosie O!  I too, could go on national TV with braided facial hair and put a bead in it!  Or you know- NOT!  Why must I endure such trauma I ask you?  So there I was, without tweezers, nothing but my fingernails trying to pluck these dratted squatters from their unlawful encampment on my face.  Oh, the horror!  It makes me want to run right out and make an appointment for laser hair removal or something like that.  Luckily, with my fair skin and red hair my facial  hair (I can't believe that I just wrote those words) is light, but still.  I mean, reallly!  Don't we as women have enough to worry about? The only thing a man has to worry about is shaving and if he doesn't he is labeled as "rugged" or some other such nonsense, but a woman with facial hair is labeled as a 'circus act' or a 'side show'! There is simply no justice.  So please excuse me, I have to run to CVS and scour the aisles for  depilatory creams with guaranteed results and no stubble! 
Oh, I will leave you with a couple of cards from my weekend... These were for same layout, different colors.

Weekend Recap-the beginning

Too much to put into one post, so I'm going to break it down.  I went to Williamsburg for a weekend of cardmaking with my friend Durinda.  She and I had been trying to get together for a while and it was finally happening.  Jim was going to join me so that he could help occupy Andy and together they could stay out of our hair.  (So to speak!)  We wound up leaving o n Thursday night so that Durinda and I would have all day Friday and Saturday to work.  When we went up to go to bed on Thursday, I was surprised to find a pair of lounging pajamas on our bed wrapped in tissue and tied with a bow!  They were so soft and cuddly!  So Friday we spent the day cardmaking!  Durinda had sent me a beautiful invitation to the event and had indicated that there would be prizes for different types of techniques that I did and there were!  She  had decorated a prize jar and filled it with slips of paper that contained different 'prizes', I'll tell you about those later.  The weekend was filled with fun, laughter, friendship, inky fingers, chatter, paper, scissors, chaos, cards, and all kinds of fun, fun, fun!  Here is one card that I did.

It really is a blessing to have a friend like Durinda!  She is someone with whom I can be totally honest, rely upon, trust in and just have fun with.  She is always there for me, my biggest supporter and a great cheerleader!  Thanks D!  But I gotta tell ya', she worked my fingers to the bone.  Ha! Oh and did I mention, she cooks too! 

Another Manic Monday

Update: They took her back at around 7:30 and Michelle said she was pretty loopy by then.  She cried and wanted her Mommy, naturally Michelle cried too.  They finished up around 9:30 and Bella was in the recovery room.  Everything went well.  The dentist said that while she was in her mouth the two teeth on either side of the missing bottom two were so loose, she pulled them out!  So, she now has six missing teeth!  The good news is that she said the permanent teeth can be seen peeking through the surface.  They let her sleep in the recovery room for another hour and then she woke up and just wanted to go home.  Michelle got her dressed and then she was wheeled out to Grandaddy who was waiting in the car for her.  She is to take it easy today and stay inside and eat soft foods, but she can go back to school tomorrow.  Praise God!
Sorry for my absence, but you know how it is.  I had a great long weekend, which I'lll tell you about tomorrow.  For today, I am asking for a prayer for my Bella.  She is going in for surgery this morning.  Nothing serious, oral surgery to be exact.  Isabella was a preemie and from what I understand that can affect her teeth and in her case it has.  The dentist has been watching her molars because they came in without enamal on them.  He did coat them with enamal, but on her last appointment he took x-rays and said that they were damaged.  The damage is through no fault of her own, not due to a lack of care and as a matter of fact he said that she is a very good brusher.  Never the less, she needed to have crowns placed on four of her molars to protect them.  This poor little girl has not had the best luck with her teeth!  You may remember last summer when she fell face first into the concrete sidewalk and wound up having to have her top two teeth removed and her bottom two fell out.  The one bottom one has just started to grow back and the dentist says that the other three should be in by summer. 
Anyway, to have the crowns put on they have to put her under general anesthesia and to do that she has to be hospitalized.  The surgery is scheduled for 6:30 this morning and Jim is going to accompany Michelle and Bella there.  They left the house at 5:00 and expected the trip to take them an hour, they were told to be there by 6:00.  We were not told how long the proceedure would take, but I'd guess an hour or two? 
Grandma is going to work, hopefully it will help to keep my mind off of things.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Less Words Wednesday

My day began in a glorious way!  At 6:30 this morning I was celebrating the Lenten season at a prayer service at our church.  What a bright start to my day.  Afterwards I spent a few minutes chatting with my pastor which is always a blessing to me and then to top it off, on my way to work one of my best friends called me.  I'm riding high this morning!  LOL! 
So, I'll leave you with this...

Weekend Summary

Monday sure does roll around fast! We had a pretty uneventful weekend, and that was okay with me!  I had planned to crop with my girls on Friday night, but it would seem as though this new protocol of meds is wreaking havoc on my system and by the evening my face and neck were red hot and blotchy and my hands felt as though the skin would just peel right off.  I felt it was wise to stay home, so I did and consequently got nothing done.  Well, I did get a few easy cards done, but forgot to photograph them.  Ha! 

Saturday we took Bella to dance and were treated to a taste of both their ballet and tap numbers that they are working on for their recitals.  So cute!   This is ballet.

And here is tap-a cute country number!

Afterwards, we headed up to the Outlets at Gettysburg and did some spring shopping for Bella (we had coupons!).  She loved it!  Her favorite find of the day?  Here she is modeling it:

Yes, a sleep mask!  She has been asking for one for about a year now and we were able to find one on sale cheap at Bath & Body so this Grandma induldged her!  How funny is that?! 

After church on Sunday we went home and then the rest of the weekend was spent doing wash, house cleaning, reading and playing.  Just the usual, nothing too exciting.

What is exciting though is that I stuck to my new migraine diet and am pleased to say that I was realatively headache free all week!  I did have a brief headache last night but it went away quickly, so that was good.  I pray that this trend continues.