Bliss and More Bliss

BOO HOO! My camera is sick right now. I'm not sure, but it may need a **complete hysterectomy** so I'll send it in to Kodak and see what they say. When it gets out of the hospital, I'll take pictures of my "finished" studio, which is very messy right now, even though I finally have a place to put everything... I'm creating!

MONDAY WAS BLISS -- Michelle called early to see if I wanted to go do some errands with her and the girls. We started at Michael's Crafts, but since my wallet was empty, I didn't find anything I needed. (The girls each got a CUTE pink foam cowgirl hat, and they've been galloping ever since. Giddyap!!)

Then I asked Michelle to drop me at Borders across the street while she did her shopping. She called me a few hours later to see if I was ready to go home. I hadn't read all the sewing / quilting books and magazines yet, so I told her I'd catch the bus home. Once all the books and magazines were read, I walked around the corner (stopping for lunch at McDonald's) to Barnes and Noble and read all of their sewing / quilting books and magazines.

Denny finally called me about 5:30 to see where I was (he got off work early), and since I was ready for dinner, he came and picked me up. I thoroughly enjoyed my day visiting the books; I think I'll do it again very soon!

Time + books = total bliss

MORE BLISS -- Yesterday, Nadara picked me up and we went shopping for a new sewing machine for her. Hancock's was hosting a sale on Singer student models. These machines sew AND serge -- for $99. They're left-over stock from high school orders, so should be good machines.

After Hancock's we went to Hobby Lobby, which I had never been in before. What a gi-normous store! We checked out the sewing department, of course, and not much else.

Then we hit Joann's where Nadara found the perfect fabric for a sewing hussif. It's got all manner of sewing tools on a happy yellow background. She'll add solids (blue, green and/or red) for the insides of the hussif.

Speaking of hussifs, I finally finished writing up directions for my hussif, and will make them available for sale.

Saying Good-bye at Billings International Airport

The sun was bright! We're all squinting!
Den and DJ


Annie, Den, and Mom


When we drove away, we both agreed that we missed Mom and DJ already (and still do)!!!

SURPRISE VISIT!

Thursday, May 1 was our 25th wedding anniversary. That and our recent illnesses prompted a SURPRISE visit from my mom and our son DJ. Here's how it happened...

It was my last week at home before returning to work. My doorbell rang, but when I opened the door, nobody was there - but there were flowers, fruit and chocolate on the doorstep. A moment later, Debbie, Michelle, and Mia popped out from around the corner! They came in and we had a brief but lovely visit.

As they were leaving, we stopped to talk with the door open, and I saw DJ come around the corner - and I screamed!!! Then my mom came around the corner!!! I was busy hugging them and crying, thinking what a wonderful, amazing surprise this was. It's on the short list of the best days of my life.

They planned the surprise for two weeks and successfully kept it a secret! Mom had been asking me if I would be home that day in case she sent flowers, and sure enough, she brought flowers, wine and chocolate.

We visited for a while, then went to Denny's job to surprise him. Here we are outside his office.





We had our special anniversary meal at The Granery (a 5-star restaurant).
Here's Mom.


DJ taking a picture of me taking a picture of him.


Everyone say "cheese!"


They stayed for 5 days. I went back to work the day after they went home. What amazing timing! They didn't know when I was going back to work; I didn't know they were coming. I'm so happy it turned out the way it did! It will be one of my best memories ever.

Proverbs 31 Gathering - March 2008

Our last Proverbs 31 gathering was at Nadara's home. The next one is Sunday!


Jasmine's beautiful smile



Debbie and Jacob



Jazzy with Nadara's kid-sized tea set






Ardith


Deb


Tasha with her precious babes




Tasha sharing fabrics


Deb and Nadara


La belle Michelle

Back to "Normal" - WHEW!

I forgot to post pictures of me AFTER my recovery in the previous post -- well, I'm really still recovering, but I'm very close to "normal" again. See for yourself...

Our Cute Apartment

I want to show you our cute apartment... I LOVE living here! Michelle, Debbie, and Marjorie are so close by, and I cherish being able to see these friends and their families throughout the week. They took such good care of me during my illness, too, and I knew I could count on them if I needed anything!

KITCHEN









More apartment pics below...

Here are some pics of me during my recovery. I was tired and in pain all the time (and it shows). This was a GOOD DAY...










Sorry if the picture of my incision (previous post) was TMI!!

Back to the apartment...

BEDROOM (doubles as our office, too)


















































































BATHROOM







LINEN CLOSET




I'll take pictures of the living room and my studio very soon and post them. These rooms are FINALLY FINISHED!!

A BRAVE NEW WORLD

SO MUCH has changed since I last posted!

Briefly, in March 2007, our son DJ was in a terrible motorcycle accident and I became his full-time care giver for several months. In July, he was mobile enough to achieve his goal of moving to Southern California, and Denny and I moved to Billings, Montana. I am working as a sign language interpreter for a fourth grade boy in a nearby public school.

In February, I made a Comfort Quilt for a teacher recovering from breast cancer surgery. The staff signed it and we presented it to her at a staff meeting just after she came back to school.







Last month, I had emergency surgery to remove a (benign) tumor the size of a grapefruit that was causing tremendous pain; this also required a complete hysterectomy. I've been at home for 5 weeks, but will probably go back to work next week. It's been a slow and sometimes agonizing recovery, truly the worst pain of my life. I have an 8-inch vertical scar to show off (ha!), but life is finally getting back to normal. Friends from all over have been so good to me and I am very grateful for their love and prayers on my behalf.



We moved to a small apartment the day before I got really sick, so my studio is not organized yet. But a friend is going to put up shelves for me; then I can unpack all my tools and start using them! I know just how it's going to look, but here's how it looks for the moment...





Two weeks after my surgery, Denny got an infection in his big toe (he's diabetic), and had to go to the hostpital. He ended up having surgery, too, and had to stay in the hostpital for 9 days.

Now I know why they say "Life is short; eat dessert first!"