Cards

Here are some cards I have been making. Some are for certain people, and some are just stocking up while I can.

 For Bentley - his birthday is Sunday.

 Love purple and butterflies.

 Love this hot air balloon with bears in the basket.

 A one layer card using white ink. This was fun!

 For Kristen and Evan. I made this using Cricut Craft Room to weld shapes to make a shaped card. The face is a Peachy Keen stamp.

 I watercolor painted the flower. I had never done grown up water color and it is fun. I am also learning to paint free hand with them.

A Cricut chicken.

 More watercolor.

 Cricut and Stickles.

 Cricut cut Thank You.

I am pushing to do more, knowing that a crash is coming. It always does. That isn't being negative; it is being real.

Catching Up

Wow - Lots has happened since my last post.

Scott was in the hospital for a week for an abscess in his colon. He is fine now.

We had to have new sewer lines put in - all the way from the house to the street. Everything is back to normal minus grass in the front.

I am having more good days than bad. I have been able to do a little crafting and have pretty much been keeping the dishes done for Scott. I have came so far!

I am in bird watching heaven. My cardinals have stayed for the summer. I think they may have a nest in the forsythia out front. I hope to have some good pictures soon.

I have finished 20 books for the year. 32 more to meet my goal.

I will post some pictures of my crafts soon.

The Flu...

...has struck at our house. Scott is terribly sick. His doctor called in Tamiflu for him, and also a prescription for me in case I get it. Scott is miserable. He shakes so badly when he has chills and isn't able to keep down solid food.

Book 11 was Lord John and the Hellfire Club. I am not enjoying the Lord John novels as much as the Outlander series. I am almost finished with book 12, Lord John and the Private Matter. The Lord John books have a bit of humor in them.

House troubles

For almost 2 weeks we have been dealing with clogged sewer issues. At first we thought it was a regular clog, but after Scott and his friend Bart worked 16 hours trying to unclog it we decided it was something worse.

It turns out we have to have new sewer lines all the way to the street. No one was able to find where our current sewer lines connected to the city sewer lines, so we had to have a new tap. The city charged $1200 for the privilege of reconnecting to the sewer, even though we already had been using the sewer system. I will not get on my soap box, but I am appalled that current customers have to pay the same as someone getting a tap for a new structure.

We have been held up by our plumber being tied up on another job, and now the weather. As soon as everything works again we are going to be doing laundry round the clock for days, or at least as much as we can physically do. I plan on sitting in the shower under the hot water until it runs out.

I finished book 11.

 

This is the 3rd in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. It is just as good as the first two. On Diana's blog, she says it doesn't start or end where you think it will, and that is very true. I listened to this rather than reading the paper book.

 

Based on the order listed on Diana's blog, I will be starting the Lord John series next. I want to read her books chronologically, and the Lord John series actually starts in the middle of Voyager.

 

We had a wonderful Easter; lots of good food and family.

 



Vile Disease

I hate this disease. I'm tired of my skin burning like fire with an itch that is almost like pain. Tired of swelling and nausea. Tired of my airway closing so that I cannot breathe. Tired of the drugs I must take to keep this beast at bay.

I'm tired of feeling bad for the doctor's who cannot cure me. Tired of the giving money to hospitals and doctors and mostly, the pharmacy.

I'm tired of not being able to sleep or not being able to wake up - never just normal.

I am tired of the weight I have gained since this beast came to live in my body. Tired of the belly. Tired of the double chin.

I'm tired of living with a fear that if I go outside my home I may be exposed to something that will cause the beast to raise it's head. Tired of being afraid for anyone outside my family to come in my house.
Mostly, I'm tired of not being able to work - not even take care of my house.

 I'm tired of it all.

So I escape. I take trips in my mind because my body won't allow me to go in life. I am just home from Scotland because I have been reading (listening to)...

 

 

Dragonfly in Amber. I really cannot convey how good this book is. It is a 40+ hour listen and you don't want to miss a minute. It is superb - really.

 

My latest history obsession is the Borgias. We watched season one of Borgia on Netflix. When we watch something historical I like to read some of the history to see how much of the show is true. The Borgia family is more interesting than the Tudors.

 



 Speaking of the Tudors...

 

 

 

 

I just read the Anne Boleyn Collection. This is a very informative piece documenting why the common conception of Anne Boleyn is wrong. There is research showing that Anne did not commit adultery and therefore her execution was purely a set up by Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell. This is interesting for any English history fans, but if you aren't into Tudor history, skip it. You would be bored.

 

 





 

Last Saturday, Bentley took his first fire engine ride. We met my brother, Mike, at the fire department. Bentley was interested in the fire engine, but when Mike turned on the lights he wasn't very impressed. After his ride, he wanted to stay in the engine. He kept trying to get Mike and Daddy to put him back in there and would point at the driver's seat wanting to ride. He makes me smile. 

 



"Last of the Summer Wine: Home Comfort" & Sad Thoughts

I got to read Peggy Poe Stern's latest book on my Kindle. I have become addicted to that little e-reader. I find it hard to read paper books now. The Kindle lets me adjust the text size to my liking. With my eyesight not being what it was, this is a real advantage.

 

I enjoyed the book. It wasn't my favorite of Peggy's novels, but was still a good read.

 

We are covered in snow here on our little hill in Mountain City. We have had flurries all day but no real accumulation.

 

My latest immunology appointment was not my best. Dr. Kazmier had been to an immunology conference and had spoke to the "experts" about my case. It seems there is only one drug left to try, and it has serious side effects. We are trying stopping a large percentage of my medications. It is one last thing to try before I have to think about trying the bad drug.

 

I have had a really bad day. I had to use my Epipen for airway swelling. This one has wiped me out more than they had been. I think maybe the medications were helping with that. It will take a few days for the medications to fully be out of my system. It is a bit scary, but if I don't try this we will never know if it might be a drug interaction causing my problems to continue.

 

I know that I was not on all these medications when the problems started, and I was only on Benadryl at night when I had to go in the hospital the second time for anaphylaxis. I am humoring Dr. Kazmier because he just really does not want to start me on this last drug. I think we are both afraid it won't work, and also afraid that if it does the side effects will be devastating. He is really worried that it may push me into complete renal failure and require me to be on dialysis. It is really not a good thing either way.

 

As is usual for me, when I am faced with these big changes, it affects my mood. I really feel like I am a hopeless case. I know there are people who have been living with IA for years; one since the 70s. They know how I feel, but it is impossible for anyone else to completely understand. My friend Evelyn, who lives in Malaysia, suffers much more than I do. She just passed her 4 year IA birthday. Below is a link to her blog post on her "birthday". She expresses how this disease feels so well.

 

http://therighttobealive.blogspot.com/2013/03/4-years.html

 

Sad Birthday Evelyn. Wishing you a good night's sleep.

 

Invisible

Invisible is a song from Steve Earle's new album, The Low Highway, that will be available in April. I really like the video linked below.

http://www.cmt.com/videos/steve-earle/883098/invisible.jhtml#artist=400128

Scott and I have been Steve Earle fans since before we met. We drove to Knoxville and back in the snow to see him in concert years ago. Many of his songs are about current issues in society. His views aren't for everyone, but my Liberal friends would probably like him. He is famous here for his song Copperhead Road that mentions the Johnson County Sheriff's Department.

 

 

The Kitchen House was awesome. It is about an Irish indentured servant and the slaves she adopted as her family. It is a really incredible book that I recommend for everyone. I am anxious to see what Casey thinks(www.heelstohighchairs.com).

 

I purposely don't give many details about the books I read because I really hate it when someone spoils a book for me. I don't even read the jacket before I read the book if it has been recommended to me. I really like a surprise. I don't try to solve a mystery either. I just enjoy the story.

 

Everything is pretty much the same here. Spring allergies are in full force already. Tree pollen is not my friend.