Wow, It's been over a year!

It has been over a year since I posted on this blog.
A lot has happened in that time.  Do I remember much of it?  Not really.  What I do remember is having another arm surgery back in July.  This was the worst one of them all.  I was in so much pain for so long.  It took 2 months after my surgery before I could get into physical therapy.  Ridiculous!

I finally got the therapy I needed, and the pain has been resolved for the most part.  I have days here and there that are still extremely bad.  Now, I am waiting to get this work hardening program.  I have no strength in my right hand whatsoever.  I do the 4 exercises that I know every two days like I am suppose to, but I only have a 2 pound weight and in therapy I was up to 4 pounds with one of the exercises.

The insurance company and the lawyers are trying to close my case, but there is no way it can be closed.  I have no strength!  I am a right handed person who is doing the majority of my tasks left handed!  This is not right!  I can't even lift a full coffee cup right handed because I'm afraid I will drop it!  Tell me there isn't something wrong with that picture?!

I don't stamp as much as I use to.  Because if people compliment you, then you are obligated to reply to them.  That hurts me.  My arms are shot!  Both of them!  My left arm is getting bad because I do everything left handed the cubital tunnel is coming back.  I've already had surgery on this arm for that problem once.  I don't really want to do it again, but gee whiz what the heck am I suppose to do?

This is so frustrating!  Because I over-compensate with my left arm, now it is bad too!  I just wish the insurance people and lawyers would give me the treatment I need so I can get my right arm back to where it needs to be, so I don't have to over-compensate with the left and maybe I can avoid something more with that arm.

It has been 6 years that I've been going through this.  It is no fun for me!  I was an Office Manager for 7 years. I loved it.  But I know, there is no way I can go back to that type of work.  I'm actually looking for receptionist jobs just so I don't have to type all day.  What kind of life is this?  I'm a single mom.  I have to take care of my kid.  I have to maintain my house and I have difficulty even doing mundane tasks.  It is so upsetting.  Frustrating!  I hate this!  I feel so helpless.  All I have wanted since this has started is to feel better, and I keep getting the run around.  Does the insurance company really think they are going to save money by continuing to delay my care?  Do they think I will settle for less that almost back to normal as far as my health is concerned?  If they do, they are crazy.  I want to get back to 100% of what I can be considering what I've gone through.  Granted, it won't be 100% because 5 surgeries later, there is no 100% but I want to get back and be the best I can, and the way it is now, that isn't happening.

If someone asked me how I would rate my right hand/arm right now, I would say, I am 90% disabled.  Because I can't do anything.  I barely get by.  If I didn't have a left arm, I would be screwed!  I wouldn't be able to function at all.  These people don't see that and are just delaying the inevitable and costing themselves more by delaying what needs to be done, and it is at my expense.

I'm done blowing off steam.  I can't type any more.  My arms are starting to hurt.

Here are my most recent cards.

Masculine Bday Card

I was in the mood to try out my brand new stamp. I just picked it up from Joanne Fabrics on Sunday. Then I saw Stampin B's challenge 103 to make a masculine card. http://stampinbsdesignteam.blogspot.com/

I had a good idea of what I wanted to do with the stamp. I definitely wanted two-toned blue. I tried lighter blues but they just weren't showing up, so then I stamped tempting turquoise then used my brillian blue marker to outline the guests, balloons and candles. I used summer sun and pumpkin pie for the flames on the candles. It took 6 attempts to get the image right. I always ended up with partial images.

So then I had to come up with a layout. I didn't really know what to do, so I went to Pricillastyles and checked out their layout for the week. It seemed pretty good, so I decided to try it. http://priscillastyles.blogspot.com/ This is challenge MMSC97.

After I found the layout, I decided to use my nesties. I mounted my image on tempting turquoise, then backed it up with garden green. The layer on the base is vanilla. I used one of my new cb folders and dry embossed the image in the background for texture. I then mounted my card on my bashful blue base. Thanks for looking and have a great day! :)

Has it been that long?

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted anything to this blog since October of last year! That just amazes me!!!

Life is good! I am very happy in life. I still don't have much of anything. The snowstorms we have been having have been wreaking havock on my arms, but I am determined not to let that get me down. I spent far too long dwelling on the bad stuff. "Oh, whoa is me!" Yea! Enough of that! Been there, done that! NO MORE!!! Life is too short to dwell on the bad stuff. It is time to focus on the good stuff, like God and family.

I am in such a good place now that I got God back into my life. I swear, I am totally a new person. I spend much of my time in God's word (The Bible), it really has changed me.

I recently saw a very good friend of mine. She has diabetes, rhuemetoid arthritis, carpal tunnel and no insurance. She is in a very bad place. She cracked a beer open at 12 in the afternoon. I'm afraid she is heading towards alcoholism, if she isn't already there. But something struck a chord in me. I looked at her, and I actually saw me. I saw the person I use to be. She is letting her circumstanes kick her down a very dark path. It truly saddens me. We went out, and she was just plain nasty to me. In reflection, I realized that was who I once was. Because of my arms being such an issue, not working for years, and being in a bad marraige, I was a miserable B! I got drunk, and I got nasty!

I realized that because of my circumstances, alcohol intensified all the bad things in my life. That is exactly what is happening with my friend. I need to have a heart to heart with her. I've been down that road, and it isn't pretty.

I didn't drink for 40 days, because I was using wine as a stress reliever and I wanted to stop it before it became a problem. Then I had a glass of wine with dinner at a friends, then last weekend I had two over the course of 4 hours, just relaxing. Then Sunday came. Daytona 500. I was with my friend that I mentioned above. I had a few too many glasses of wine. NOT GOOD!

I realized this is not what I want out of life. Why on earth am I drinking in bars? Granted it was Daytona 500, and it was a party, but it is not what I want out of life. I don't like being in a fog like that. That lifestyle of bars, and partying, is not me anymore. I'm not a kid. I'm a parent. What is the purpose? To get drunk! Who needs that?! I certainly don't! You are not going to meet a nice guy in a bar. I've changed. I am a different person. I am proud of who I have become, and who I am changing into on a daily basis.

I'm not sick anymore. I'm not depressed. I am happy. I feel like I have so much to give in this world, so much love, peace, joy and happiness. I love life. I don't need to drink for happiness, and I feel sorry for the people that feel they need to drink to find it. It will never happen. It will just suck you into darkness even more.

Live life! Be Happy! Don't let your circumstances get the best of you. Overcome them with determination and self-preservation. We all go thru junk in our lives. It is how we choose to deal with it which determines whether we will survive it or not. Strive to be a better person. Choose the right path. Live life!

Here are some cards I've made recently:

Lanore's Birthday

I made this card primarily because I wanted to make a special card for my cousin's birthday Granted, I have plenty of cards on hand that I could have just sent, but my cousin is one of my closest friends. I haven't seen her in 26 years and we recently found each other again and picked up like we never missed a beat.

I saw Pricilla's midnite madness challenge, and decided to use that as my layout for Lanore's card.

I used pink pirouette as my base. I used last years Valentines DSP from SU as my designer paper. I mounted my image on rich razzleberry. I stamped the Elements of Style in Rich Razzleberry, then colored it in using pretty in pink, regal rose, mellow moss and always artichoke. I went over key areas with glitter gel pen. I then added medium pink brads to the top, grabbed a glue pen, then added dazzling diamonds to the brads.

I really tried to make this card special for my cousin. I hope she likes it.

tfl

Mom's Birthday

Well, it's been a while since I've made cards. I just really haven't been into it lately. I guess I lost my card-making mojo. I was so into it for the past 4 years, I guess maybe the need to be creative with cards has passed. I've been writing. I guess that is where my creative flow has been going lately. God is so good! When I'm done posting this, I'm going to transcribe more of my latest book. Who knows, maybe God will bless me, and this book will be published too!

Anyway, about mom's card. I used Splitcoast Color Challenge colors for the card. Pear Pizazz, Real Red, and Pink Pirouette. The pear is the base, and red is the mat. I used SU's Bella Blue DSP for the panels, and layered pink pirouette under my main image. I used Pricilla Style's sketch as the design for the card.

I stamped my main image in black, then colored it using blushing bride, pretty in pink, and regal rose. The leaves are in pear Pizazz. The butterfly is pretty in pink and thump-n-rolled real red on it, then I added some dazzling diamonds for some sparkle. I also added sparkle on the flowers using glitter gel pen.

I hope my mom likes it. I even used corner punches on the inside to make it extra special.

Thanks for looking.

From Breast Milk to Table Food

For anyone that is interested, here is the link to my first book. My second book is in transcription, and hopefully will be published also.

God Bless, and enjoy!

http://www.publishamerica.net/product17570.html

mojo151

I guess I was in a crafty mood today. I tried my hand at the Mojo Monday Sketch 151.

I used pink pirouette as my base, then used rich razzleberry as my mat. The dsp is from SU Cottage Grove collection. I added the rich razzleberry ribbon.

I stamped my main image in black, then I colored it in using pretty in pink and highlighting with regal rose, the stem is colored with certain celery and highlighted with old olive. The sentiment is stamped in rich razzleberry.

tfl