Work to be done

I'm slowly buying fabric for the new curtains. I'm quite indecisive and have expensive taste....thus, having to start over from square one. I picked out $45/yd fabric. Ummm....not gonna happen. :-)

Above is what has been purchased so far. The dark material will be used for the windows in the den on the left & right of the fireplace. I will make plain panels. One rod (only had one 40% off coupon), the lining and main fabric has been purchased. We will paint the fireplace wall a dark brown.


The lighter striped fabric is for the kitchen & keeping room. I will do scalloped-typed valences on all 6 windows. They will be lined in green (see the scrape of fabric lying on top of the bolt). That green will also be used to make a roman shade for the bay window. During the summer the sun beats in that window and we're unable to eat at the table in the late afternoon/early evening. The entire kitchen & keeping room will be painted green.

I still have to order the green fabric. I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics yesterday to pick up the striped fabric. It's on back order until 9/30 and I bought all they had. I think I may be a yard or so short. They didn't have enough of the green in house so I thought I'd order it on-line and have it shipped for FREE to my house vs. ordering at the store and paying them $15 to ship it to the store....then having to lug the kids to the store to pick it up. But....as fate would have it, I can't find it on-line. Soooo.....back to the store I go next week. I hope they still have the 40% off sale running.

While there I found some fleece blankets for $.75 each. I picked up 5 and will try to crochet around the edges.

Jason should be close to finishing the playroom entertainment center this weekend and then it's my turn for some sewing!

More Prayers Today

Deana meets with her new dr's at MD Anderson today (in about 20 mins actually) for the first time. Please pray for a healing course of treatment! Above is a picture of Deana with her 2 young sons. You can follow along more depth at her caringbridge site.

Prayers for Deana

Dear friends out there reading, please add my internet friend Deana to your prayers. Several months ago she was diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma. It's rare, but the odds of beating it were in her favor...but things do not look well now. Deana is a mom to 2 young boys that need her badly. Below is an update posted by her husband a few days ago.

Dearest family and friends,

Deana and I met with her doctor today and received some disturbing news. Apparently Deana's cancer is not responding at all to the chemotherapy treatment she's been receiving these last several weeks. It has started to appear on the right side of her face causing a numbing sensation that Deana describes as 5 novacaine shots after a dentist visit.

Deana has tried two different chemotherapy protocols and is now going to start a third (possibly final) no later than Monday. We will know in as little as two weeks if it is successful.

To our shock and utter dismay, the doctor is not optimistic about this round of chemotherapy, but given the odds are greater than zero, we charge forward. We will not give in.

Tomorrow, Deana's oncologist and I will each be contacting medical oncologists at M. D. Anderson Hospital in Houston, TX. Apparently their lymphoma treatment is the most progressive and if there are applicable clinical trials with experimental drugs -- should it come to that -- that hospital will be leading those efforts.

Deana wanted me to let everyone know that while we are hopeful, and are trying to remain positive, that the doctor did tell us that given the aggressive nature of Deana's cancer, we are dealing with just a matter of weeks for Deana if not addressed. He has encouraged us to contact Hospice.

I apologize for the impersonal nature of this update, but wanted to make sure to keep you all informed.

Please keep Deana and our boys Zane and Zachary in your prayers. It means so much to us. We need them now more than ever.

On a much happier note, when asked last week by his teacher how Zane's parents met (apparently a Valentine's Day exercise at school), he responded:

They ate chocolate donuts, brown donuts and chocolate donuts and just fellin love.

Priceless. This hangs on our refrigerator now.

Please, please take the extra moment to hug your spouse and kids today and often.

Either I or Deana will post an update just as soon as we know more.

God bless you all,

Jack

EGF Message Board

One of the MANY things on my "to do" list for EGF is create a message board. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I made one. Check it out if you'd like to join some crafting discussion......or should I say, more crafting discussions. I really needed a way to post updates and needs of EGF without constantly changing the main website, which I do not have access to yet.

Alive and Well

We're all good! Don't you know to assume "No News Is Good News" with me?? :-) Thanks for checking on me Sarita and Kathy! wink! wink!

Austin's fine! He had some kind of "mystery" fever that went away as mysteriously as it came. He never really had any symptoms, other than being cranky.

So....what have I been doing for the last few weeks.....

1. 3 dr's appts - yearly GYN stuff, u/s to check a fibroid that popped up when pg with Austin, and a dental appt


2. Hosting Bunco


3. Hannah's weekly PT


4. Meeting with the school to develop a 504 Plan for Hannah to receive some therapy there. Since she got the ataxia cerebal palsy diagnosis, I think they will let us receive therapy now.


5. A gazillion trips to Jo-Ann Fabrics trying to pick out material for drapes. The den fabric is ordered, but I'm back at square one on the kitchen keeping room. Upon check-out, I discovered that I have expensive taste......$45/yd taste.....sssoooooo I'll keep looking.


6. Yard work - spring greens are planted, playground almost complete, rock bed done.


7. KID DUTY - because Jason is building a PotteryBarn-like entertainment center for the playroom. It's ready for paint....finally.

Looking ahead to March:

1. Family coming this weekend.


2. More Kid Duty so that Jason can finish the entertainment center.


3. Organize playroom.


4. Consignment sale the 2nd week in March.


5. Nephew coming for his Spring Break.


6. Start planting shrubs in the backyard.


7. Try to find a ballet class for Hannah.

Catching Up

Austin's sick and napping right now so I thought I'd take a second before Hannah gets off the bus to catch up a bit.

Above is a little rag quilt that Hannah and I made last Friday night. I got the idea from Marcia and like she suggested, I did not put any batting between the two layers. They are super cute and quick.....provided that you don't mix up the squares. Oops!

On Saturday, I rushed off BY MYSELF to Jo-Ann Fabrics and picked out some deco fabric for some curtains. It was they last day of their 50% off sale, but since I'm Miss Indecisive I didn't buy anything, only checked out some samples.

When I returned home, Miranda (our 12 year old neighbor) called saying she was bored and wanted to come over. As she and Hannah made a pillow, I worked in the EGF room.


Afterwards, she wanted to do a rag quilt herself. So....I cut out the squares and she sewed them together. I don't have a picture of that one because it's now at her house. She's using it as a pattern.

See....on Sunday, I had to go to her house to set up her mom's old sewing machine.

And.....tomorrow her mom and I will be heading back to Jo-Ann's to turn in my samples and buy the fabric for the den curtains......since I finally made up my mind. Now, I must decide on my kitchen curtains. I'll post a separate photo with some pictures when I have time. I'm sooooo ready to get rid of all this "builder's tan" on my walls. Between that and this neverending winter weather, I'm getting depressed. :-)

Btw, if anyone knows where I can find that groundhog, please let me know. I have a few choice words for him!

Wraps from MeMe

One of my sister's and I gave Mom a new sewing machine for Christmas. She used to sew (along with my grandmother) quite a bit when we were children. Each year she'd make us matching Easter dresses.

Mom told us just to buy a cheap machine from Walmart, but I wouldn't have it. So, I found what looked like a decent one on Amazon. So far, so good.

The above wraps are 3 of the 13 that she sent and anywhere from 7" - 12" square. Piedmont in Atlanta really likes these little wraps, so I'm thankful that Mom sent a few.

Feeding the Homeless

I can now put a check by something that I've wanted to do for years. Yesterday, Jason and I helped at St. Francis Table, a soup kitchen that has been feeding approx 500 every single Saturday for the last 27(?) years. Although it was our first time, it will not be our last. For those of you that have never done it, please add it on your list of "things to do."

As part of Jason's company's "Cares" program, his facility collected coats and socks. They also made and donated 500 sandwhiches. We arrived shortly after 7 am and left after noon when the last guest was served.

It was an amazingly heartwrenching experience. The vast majority were those that your mind's eye imagines as homeless, those that have been homeless for years. Then there were those that appeared to be newly homeless, possibly caught up in the struggles of these tough economic times. And, there were families......families with young children.

The children got to me.....their smiles even though I'm sure that are embarrassed, so well behaved as they sat and ate their meals.

One young woman also tugged at my heartstrings. Many brought in plastic containers and we filled them full of soup to go. Others brought in bottles that we filled full of tea or water. This particular woman looked new to homelessness. I did not see her say a word to anyone. She sat quietly and "secretly" stuffed her bag full of bread as if she was doing something that she shouldn't. Right before she left, she asked for a stack of napkins and quietly stuffed all of them in her bag. I'm pretty certain that those napkins won't be used to wipe her hands.

One white woman and black man sat down together and they broke out with the most beautiful song. They harmonized so well together....really!! Then, they devoured their sandwhiches and soup.

We learned that caps and socks are needed all year long! Diapers are often asked for, but rarely donated. That made me think....what about femine products for the ladies. One lady said she needed underwear. There was none to give her.

As I sat with my hot coffee, grits, eggs, bacon, and fresh biscuits this morning couldn't help but think of those that are so less fortunate than I. God Bless!

Sharing the craft

MeMe (my mom) gave Hannah a Hello Kitty sewing machine for Christmas. She really wanted a pink one, but I refused to get her a cheap toy one. This one is by Janome and works pretty good. It's a bit stiff, but for a child it's a good first one.

This weekend we worked on potholders. We finished one, but it's a bit too small. I'll edit this post when I tweak the pattern and get the size that I like. They'll be Valentine's gifts for MeMe.

Memory Boxes

My sister informed me that I needed to update my blog. Since I have no crafting of my own to show, here are the 22 memory boxes that Jason's co-workers in Chicago made. They are LOVELY!

Red Velvet Cake

A YUMMY red velvet cake from my great-grandmother's (aka Granny) recipe. Let me know if you'd like the recipe. I have it in a word file and will email it to you.

Appliques

Picked up a few iron-on appliques from Quiltware and added them to Kathy's gowns. Kathy, I'm aware that I STILL haven't put some in the mail to you. Please bear with me!

Oh, I also have some loomed hats to send for your St. Jude drive. Austin received them as a gift, but they are too small for his head.

A Little Crafting

Believe it or not, I did a little sewing this week. Piedmont in Atlanta needed some things and I was out of little sewn wraps. I made 6 and have a few more cut out. They are super easy to make and do fill a great need. The satin was from the dress I cut up earlier this year to make this gown. These guys were made on my trip out to California in October. I'm just now getting around to posting a picture. The pattern is here....don't look closely though as you will see that I didn't do the right stitches. I guess that's what happens when you haven't crocheted in 18 months.

Btw, if any of you out there want to make some, make them small. Sharon (doesn't blog) has sent EGF 111 of them in the last few weeks. I told her that she must have arms of steel!! Mine are abou half the size of the ones she made.

Christmas Wreath

I was in need of a change. Burgandy had been our holiday colors for ohhh....12 years or so. I recently fell in love with the new lime green and red decorations. With some green poinsettias and a little ribbon, the old wreath becomes new again.

Election Day Crafts

I know...I know....I'm slow, but you're getting used to that aren't you??

I have the hardest time keeping ribbons in Hannah's hair. If I tie a bow, it falls out by the end of the day. If I use a bow on a clip, it ends up down around her ear or something. So....tie some ribbon on a ponnytail holder and problem solved....except that this is the only one I've made so far.


Hannah was out of school for Election Day. She loves to do crafts and I found this one to try. I'm not sure that they turned out all that great, but they were fun anyway....once I figured out that a veggie peeler works better than a cheese grater.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Hannah's finally on the mend (although still wheezing a little bit) and we'll be on the road for a few days.

In case you're keeping track

I took Hannah back to the ped yesterday (3rd time in 7 days) after she puked yesterday morning and did not get off the couch until 11am. Once there she had a temp of 99.something and still wheezing and O2 sat of 91. So, ped ordered a chest and head x-ray. Then, added singulair, duoneb (to be alternated with the albuterol) in the nebulizer, and orapred. Seriously...this is nuts. Chest x-ray was clear and sinuses impacted per the radiologist. I'll call the ped this morning. Last night she had a 101 temp and slept for 45 mins on the way home. I tried to get her to eat an ice cream sandwich and she wouldn't even do that. SURELY all of these drugs will make her better.

Advice Needed re: Memory Boxes

One of Jason's co-workers in Chicago has volunteered his group to make memory boxes as a team building experience. They volunteer every year doing community projects and this year they would like to help us. Obviously, I can't go to Chicago to help out so I'm thinking of ordering things online and having it shipped to them.

There will be 10-12 individuals working 4-6 hours on memory boxes. Do you have any clue how many boxes I should order? I guess I'll order paint, brushes, paper, stickers, etc.

They want to do this the week of Dec 9th so I need to get ordering. If you have any advice, please post. I want to make sure that this is a successful project. Thanks!

Emmazing Giving

The generosity of Jason's peers continue! This note was shoved under Jason's door while he was on a conference call. Desiree took part in the charity giving program for the first time this year saying that she was very moved by our story. As I talked on Monday, I saw her wiping her eyes.

Each day during the campaign, winners are drawn and money is sent to the charity of their choice. Desiree won Day 3 and has donated her $500 to Emmazing Grace. Thanks so much, Desiree!!!

Pneumonia

Yep, add pneumonia to the list of Hannah's ailments. I took her back to the pediatrician tomorrow because she's still coughing non-stop. We saw a different dr in the practice. She says the wheezing is gone, but she can hear the crackling in the bottom of her right lung. She did not x-ray her. So....we're armed with breathing treatments and antibiotics.....surely she'll make the turn for the better this weekend.

Catherine - yes, her papers said RAD like you mentioned. This dr was no so convinced she has asthma. I don't know....will discuss it with the original dr next week at her follow-up appointment.

Hannah

My precious Hannah has a tough run of it lately. I'm a bit overwhelmed and not too sure which way to turn.

I've blogged about Hannah's balance and coordination issues, about her new shoe inserts, about the MRI and physical therapy. Well, Tuesday we had a follow-up post MRI with the neurologist. As I shared, the MRI was clear. Apparently, that doesn't rule out cerebal palsy. He confirmed that she does have very mild CP. I'm shocked. The good news is that....it is what it is....it's not progressive and she'll just continue on with her PT. But, I'm shocked and can't seem to process it all. I mean, it's obvious now that she has more than just "clumsy" issues. When PT pins her down on tasks, you can see leftside involvement too.

And, as if that's not enough news for the week, yesterday she was diagnosed with asthma. Since 2 years of age, she's had middle of the night croup attacks out of the blue. If you've never experienced one, they are scary!! She gasps for air, barks like a seal, has stridor, etc. Our routine is to rush to her, head to the little bathroom, turn on the hot shower. Jason sits with her trying to keep her from freaking out, while I rush to the frig to grab the steroids. You're supposed to grow out of the croup. It's caused by a virus, but children get it because their passages through their voicebox are small. She should have grown out of it by now.

She's had 2 attacks since starting kindergarten in Aug. Recent events (including inaccurate shot records, weight recording, missing the flat feet & CP, etc) caused me to change pediatricians. Yesterday I took her to a new one because she's had a cough (so bad that she threw up the night before) for 2 weeks, since her last croup attack. This is not even close to being the first time she's thrown up for coughing so hard. It is not uncommon at all for her to cough for 2 hours at night when she's sick like this. I've talked to every pediatrician that would listen at the old office.

Well, the new one yesterday immediately said she has asthma. She's now on nebulizer albuterol treatments. Her O2 sats were 89 and 91 yesterday before the treatment. This all confuses me too because I thought that asthma was the acute attacks with exercise and such. I guess I have a lot to learn.

Gotta run. Austin's ready for me to get off the computer. ;-)