And to all a good night....

First of all - I want to start by wishing anyone out there a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. I hope that it is a blessed one for all those who follow me (and their families too)!

I have been so neglectful of my blog in recent months. Things have just been crazy which is fairly normal for me. Let me provide you with some updates.

As you can see by the date on this picture - this is a fairly recent picture of our little Alaina - she continues to do pretty well. She is still having to be fed through a feeding tube - but she is such a sweet and good baby. Smiles all the time. She is learning to wave and has learned to shake her head no (and knows what that means...lol.) She is also sitting up on her own pretty well. She will be 1 on January 3rd - I can hardly believe it!

Dad has spent some time in the hospital recently - due to an infection in his port-a-cath. He is doing pretty well all things considered. The good news there is that his cancer counts are getting better. YAY!!!!

I am working 2 jobs now - both of them waitressing. I like it for the most part although it can be terribly frustrating at times. But you do what you have to do - right?

This week, I finally decided to take the plunge and join Facebook. Please feel free to add me to your friends if you are so inclined. I have had a grand time finding my old friends - I have discovered I know a lot of people on there. I have had a ball catching up with them. If all goes well - I will be having lunch with a couple of them this week - I've not seen them in 10 years or so. (And for the record this has completely made my week as they are near and dear to my heart.) I also received a special call from a friend who lives in Canada tonight - we killed my phone as we hadn't talked in about 3 years. It was wonderful to talk to her - only thing that would be better would be to see her in person.

As for the jewelery - I have been working on making new items to add to my shop. My Etsy store is sadly empty now - I have a goal of 100 pieces for my inventory so that I can start adding new items to my shop on a daily basis. Look for these items (and perhaps some sneak peeks here) in the next few months. Pictures remain a challenge for me - so my goal is to make or buy a light box/tent to help with my picture quality. I have learned several new stitches and I am excited to show what I have made!

Take care all - I miss hearing from you all. Take the time to leave a comment if you like. I am always, ALWAYS happy to hear from you!

Update...

Hello all,

I do have an update to share on my Dad - and on my little niece Alaina.

Dad was transported down to Riverside yesterday - which is here in Columbus. Riverside is a HUGE hospital here in town and they specialize in cardiac care. Dad will be having open heart surgery hopefully before the week is out. I do not have a date or time for it yet as he has popped a fever and they will need to treat that first before they do surgery. His dialysis schedule may also affect when he has surgery as well.

Alaina will also be having surgery this week to put a feeding tube in place so that she can come home from the hospital for good. Colette and Sherman are literally going from one hospital to the next right now - so they are under a great deal of stress.

I want to thank everyone who has sent prayers, good thoughts and vibes our way. If you have left a comment here on my blog - or through one of my Yahoo groups, I thank you. I have read each and every one of them but simply have not had either the time or energy to reply. Just know that I have read them all - and the outpouring of love I have received has been truly overwhelming. Please keep those prayers and good thoughts coming as we do need them.

Family Emergency

I will keep this brief, but here we go again...

I need prayers, good thoughts, vibes from all of you yet again. My Dad suffered a heart attack today and although he is stable, he will be having surgery sometime soon. I do not have a date - or know what kind of surgery that he will be having at this point as they have not yet determined the extent of the damage.

He is not a great candidate for surgery right now because of all of his other medical issues. For those of you who don't know - he has multiple myleoma - A bone marrow cancer that manifests itself by destroying the kidneys. So in addition to chemo, he is on dialysis. He also has a colostemy which is a result of another condition called diverticulitis.

I love my Dad as much as any child can love a parent. We are very close. His good, sweet nature and oddball sense of humor truly endear him to everyone he meets. Seriously - nearly everyone in my hometown knows my Dad - and when they hear I am his daughter, the first words I hear, are "Oh - your Paul's daughter. I just LOVE him." Or "He's a great guy - truly one of a kind." I thank God every single day for him - and sometimes I have wondered how I got so lucky to have him as my Dad.

I will be posting updates as I have more information. I am off to bed shortly as it was a very long day at the hospital - and I know that there will be several more of them ahead.

Thanks for any prayers, thoughts, good wishes, vibes you care to send our way.

Time for the Juleseys again...

Wow - Two posts in one day - what IS the world coming too??? The EBW team has been up to being fabulous again as it is time for their monthly challenge. The theme for this month was HUMOR and there were some absolutely hysterical entries.

So - without further ado here are my monthly awards - otherwise known as the Juleseys:

Best use of toilet paper: Curiosity Killed the Toilet Paper by Licia Beads. Anyone who has ever owned a cat can totally relate to this piece.

Best story line: Punch-Line Bracelet by Francesca's Fancy. Who ever said you have to have words to get your point across???

Best reason to go to court: Jolly Jester by ArtfulAr. No, no - not the court that you go to for a speeding ticket.

Best immoratilization of a weed: WEED by Haute Ice Beadwork. Don't think you can blow this dandelion in the wind.

Best reason to move to a new location: HOUSE for RENT with Garden View by Enchanted Beads. If the spiders in my house were this pretty, I probably wouldn't be scared of them.

As always, the Juleseys are a fun way for me to promote the fabulous bead work that is constantly being created by this team. If you were not chosen - there is always next month!

If you have not already voted - please go to the EBW blog to cast your vote!!! Voting ends on June 15th at midnight - so hurry!!

Introducing our little Alaina

Howdy all - this is a long overdue post as is normal for me nowadays. Many of you will remember requests for prayers that I sent out a few months ago for our little Alaina. And here she is in all of her adorable glory. (This picture was taen in April - but it has taken me this long to figure out how to post her picture to my blog.)

Now seriously - isn't that one of the cutest baby pictures you have ever seen???? I know I am her biased Aunt, but if you look at this picture and don't go "Awwwww" something is seriously wrong with you ;-).

Here is her update - she is currently around 7 pounds. She came home from the hospital for a couple of weeks in April - and had to go back into the hospital where she still is at this time. She is not eating very well at this point - so she has to have a feeding tube to keep her going. The docs can't quite figure out what is going with her - we do know that she has terrible acid reflux. She is doing very well otherwise with all things considered.

For all of you that send prayers, good vibes and well wishes to us - I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I believe that all of those wonderful things that you did for us helped her get to where she is. As you can see - she is a little fighter and has done well with the overwhelming odds that were stacked against her from the get-go. Please keep them coming that the doctors can figure out why she is not eating so they can fix it - so she can come home for good!!!

And the award(s) go too....

Howdy everyone!!! It is back to business as usual for me. Well - sorta. I have been working an ungodly amount of hours for Steak and Shake which has left me little time for creativity. I did manage to re-list my art deco cuff today which makes me happy. I really love this piece and I am glad that I can remake it again. I think the next time I make it, a new color scheme will be in order though.

Anyways, I am back to blogging about my business again and it is time once again for you to vote in the Etsy Beadweavers monthly challenge. For February, the theme was "Temptation" and as you will see it was an absolutely delicious theme.

And so with that being said, I think that I am long over due to award the Juleseys again!!! So - without further ado, this month's winner's are:

Best use of a racy focal piece: Erthfae for her stunning Moonlit Seductress. Skinny dipping anyone?
Best reason to become a gambler: Pushing Luck by Caraway. Seriously - I want to find an old time call girl outfit to go with this necklace.
Best reason to collect itsy, bitsy, tiny things: A Case for Temptation by Licia Beads. This box makes me want to find small sparkly things to put in it.
Best use of icky things: The Spider and the Fly by daynamiles. Personal note here: I *hate* bugs - so thus the name of the award - this necklace is absolutely fabulous.
Best focal piece: Mist on the Moor by Beagle Beads. I am absolutely jealous of this focal piece. It makes me want to be actually sucked into the bead to see where it goes.

As always, the Juleseys are simply a fun way for me to showcase some of the stupendous talent on the Etsy Bead Weaver's Team. Don't feel bad if you have not been chosen - I am not creative enough to come up with something witty for all of the gorgeous entries - hehe.

So - if you have not taken the time to vote - please visit the Etsy Bead Weavers blog before midnight March 15th to cast your vote.

Now - on to a couple of personal notes here:

I was finally able to go see my absolutely gorgeous little step-niece Alaina for the first time tonight. (Yes, I am biased - but she *is* gorgeous - don't care what you say - hehe.) She is up to a whopping 4 lbs 11 ounces now and there is talk of letting her come home soon. Her big hurdle now is getting used to the bottle. Once we can get her on regular bottle feedings, she will get to come home. I got to hold her which was very exciting for me. I was 4 lbs 13 ounces when I was born so I got to see just how tiny I was. I am trying to figure out how to upload some pictures to my blog so that everyone can see her - for some reason the pictures I were sent in an email won't save to my computer.

The other big news in my life is that I finally have a car!!!!!!! I didn't realize how much not having a car had impacted my life - but it is almost like I have a new lease on life. It is nothing fancy - and that is fine by me - I am not a fancy girl. (OK - now I have "Fancy" by Reba McIntire running through my head. Great song.) And for those of you who need details - it is a white, 2004 Hyndai Accent 2 door. Cute car that I have nicknamed Betty. It had 41,000+ on it when I got it a month ago and is still under mactufacturer warranty.

I can slowly see the haze of depression lifting from my life as I hope to be able to find a better job with benefits now that I can actually get to a job without the bus. Plus this will open a whole new avenue for my business as I am no longer limited to what shows I can do since transportation is no longer an issue. I can work on making a better display for shows which makes me happy as well. And I have more time now - which has been eaten up by work lately - but at least I can use my time for better things other than waiting on a bus...

So - what has everyone out there been up too? I am out of the loop and would love if you took the time to comment on my blog and tell me how you have been....

Alaina update #763

I posted this update to my Yahoo groups a little while ago - and decided to add it here as well so that everyone could see my update:

Hello again everyone...

Just checking in with an update on our little fighter Alaina...

She had her surgery on Friday - was originally supposed to be on Thursday but the surgeon got tied up with another case. The operation went well - and she is doing well. My Dad and stepmom went to go see her on Saturday and when they got there, she was surrounded by a whole crew of people. Dad said to Coleen (my step-mom) "Uh-oh this isn't good." Turns out she had managed to pull her respirator tube out. The docs were caught off guard as they said that they had not seen a a baby this little be this active especially after surgery. I am surprised that she had the strength to pull it out. Sooo - they have put her back on the ventilator and have restrained her a bit so that she doesn't pull that stunt again...lol.

She has gained 10 ounces this week putting her to 2 pounds, 11 ounces - not sure if this is good or bad either as she is not eating - only on IVs at this point so I am concerned that this might be fluid. I have faith that the doctors will watch for this though.

So - everything is going well for her at this point. I want you all to know that I have read each and every response that I have gotten to my posts - but time and energy have not allowed me a personal reply to them all. It is so deeply touching to me that people from all over the world are thinking about, praying for, sending good vibes, lighting candles for little Alaina. So - thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the out-pouring of love and light that you have shared with me and my family. We ALL appreciate it!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I think her Mom and Dad are going to have their hands full with her as she is already quite determined and dare I say, stubborn...lol.

Thank you once again - much love to all of you.

Stressing out...

Just giving a quick update on my preemie step-niece Alaina....

She is due to have open-heart surgery tomorrow at Nationwide Children's Hospital here in town. This is the best place for her at this time as they have some of the best specialists in the nation. That being said however, things are not looking so good for her at this point. She has fluid in her chest cavity that is moving from her heart to her lungs, the valves in her heart are not closing properly and her heart is enlarged. Due to her size (she weighs 2 pounds and 1 ounce at this time) and heart conditions, she is a poor risk for surgery at best.

So today, I will be doing a great deal of praying and talking to God and most likely, crying. If you could send prayers, good thoughts, vibes, light a candle - whatever you can - our way, well just know that it will be deeply and truly appreciated, even if I can't thank you personally.

I pray that our little angel has the strength to make it through this. She has fought to make it this far, so I have hope that she will continue to be our little fighter.

Sit back and relax...

It's been ages since I have posted and there are many reasons for that. So grab a cuppa whatever you like and perhaps a snack as this will be a lengthy post....

The holidays were hectic for me as I was working 2 jobs. I was working 40-60 hours a week which left me exhausted in and of itself. It was stressful - but I was making the money that I need.

The Friday before Thanksgiving I finally had a successful show. This was a small venue that took place at my Dad's work. He works in a hospital and they have an annual craft show for the employees and their relatives. I had a steady stream of traffic by my table all day - and I can honestly say that I will be doing this show again next year as it was worth my time and energy to do it. Would I have liked to sell more? Sure - but I did have some sales and I was pleased by the end of the day.

During this time, I also had some sales to some of my co-workers at Longhorn. So business was pretty good for me in December.

The same day as the craft show, my step-sister went into OSU as she was having problems with her pregnancy. I ended up staying at her house, dog and house-sitting for them as she was in the hospital for the next 7 weeks. I had use of her truck which was wonderful - and it great having the company of a canine again. Their dog Petey is a sweet and wonderful dog - so it was a real treat watching him.

Colette had a long stay in the hospital and finally, on Jan 3rd, our little girl, Alaina Renee, decided she wanted to come see what the fuss was about even though she was nearly 3 months early. Oddly, my other step-sister's birthday is Jan 3rd - so that was quite a birthday gift!!! Alaina weighed only 1 lb 12 ounces when she was born and was only 12 inches long, but all things considered, she is doing well. Today she actually made it to 2 lbs and 1/2ounce (hey when you are that tiny every little bit helps). She does have a hole in her heart which I guess is common for babies that are this premature. The doctors hope that it will close on it's own, but they are going to give it some time first.

So - I was working 2 jobs until this past weekend - Saturday I got a call not to come into work and that they had closed the Longhorn location that I had worked at permanently. I had heard rumors that they were closing the place 2 weeks after I began working there, so I was not really surprised. I actually got the second job at Steak and Shake because I had heard this rumor - figured it was better to have something else to fall back on if they did close unexpectedly. It's all worked out for the better though - I make better money at Steak and Shake and I like it more.

So after several months of craziness, I am now back at home and working only 1 job again. I am not quite sure what to do with myself. I am looking forward to getting back to my stitching and beading again although I did find a bit of time for myself to work on those things even with all the chaos in my life as of late. Of course, when I came back home, I had to give up use of the truck and it has been really hard getting used to riding the bus again. It eats a great deal of time out of my day. Hopefully, I will have some new pictures to post soon.

And last but not least, they have started my Dad on IV chemo. He had his first treatment on Jan 6th and so far has tolerated it well. Other than being extremely fatigued, he has not really had any side effects (knock on wood that it stays that way). If I had my choice between hair loss, nausea, vomiting, or fatigue, I would take the fatigue any day.

Ok - so that is all in my little bit of the world. I keep saying that I hope to be able to post more often, but this time I hope I can actually stick to it!