Taking a Break

I think I am officially taking a break from posting. I may pick it up again later when my hand is completely healed and I can type with both hands again.

So MUCH later . . .

Weekend

YUM

We received lemons from our neighbors again and made three lemon meringue pies. They turned out beautiful - we gave one to the neighbors in thanks for the lemons (will get some next year too). Kathy, Max and I went to Volcano so Kathy could work on Max's mom's computer and Max could repair a broken ceiling fan. It was a quick but fun trip. The rest of the weekend was kind of kicked back.

I purchased some curtain rods and a cookie sheet and Max glued them for me (one handed I would end with up glue everywhere - which now that I think about it I do with two hands). It is a really cool idea for a cheap tray for my quilting machine. Other than watching some movies and Tivo programs the weekend was quiet and peaceful.

Later . . .

BORED!

It is official - I am bored to death. The limitations imposed by this cast and the surgery are driving me crazy. I guess I can be grateful that the resultant pain from movements I am NOT suppose to be doing is in fact keeping me from doing them (probably more accurate to say - keeping me from completing them). I am talking I can't even fold clothes unless it is something small that does not weight much and I can handle with one hand. Of course quilting, sewing, cutting fabric and all that stuff is on hold. I am not liking this situation very much at all. So needless to say I have not been doing much to write about.

Later . . .

Finally the New Year

We brought an end to all the Christmas celebrations with dinner and presents on New Years Day. Jesse had the kids for New Years (he gets every other Christmas) so Kathy cooked a fab dinner of prime rib, baked potatoes, yorkshire pudding, salad, corn, garlic bread and ended it with cheesecake topped with cherries and chocolate! The entire Lawson family was here and we had a great time (no work for me with "the hand"). It goes without saying the kids (Katie and JD) had a great time cause it was all about them when the presents came out!

The family went to see "AVATAR" on Saturday and I have to say I was amazed by the movie - awesome! Well worth seeing and we are going to see it again at the iMax. Michael was in Redbluff this last week so we will see it again with him. I usually do not ever want to see a movie more than once, but I am ready to see it again. I loved that movie - go see it!

We got the house "undecorated" Saturday morning. I did a lot of one handed carrying, but Max got the brunt of it all. Debby came over today to help her get the stuff back up in the rafters - no lifting more than a pound for me!

Max has one more day before she has to go back to work. Hard to believe it is 2010 and another birthday is staring me in the face.

Later . . .

Clearing things up . . .

I was told my last post was a bit confusing regarding the ability to email post. What happened is when I sent the email it automatically posted, but the text was all out of alignment and I had to spend a lot of time trying to fix it - so what is the point? You still have to upload the pictures - so what I thought would be handy is not gonna do the job for me - unless I am missing some component.

Later . . .

Email Posts

I don't think I will be using the email posts because they transfer over all out of format. It would have been handy, but the old way works just fine.

Later . . .

Catching Up

Well I have my cast and I wish I could say that all is well, but I am still having some pain associated with the thumb joint. It is really hard not using the hand, but I just can't use it. I am trying my best to not use it and the pain does remind me to stop! I got the stitches (and there were many) out and am now sporting a purple and pink cast. It is scheduled to come off on the 21st.

Duane and Denise came up the weekend before Christmas and we had a great time with them and the grandkids. We basically bought games for the kids and we spent most of our time playing games with them. The weekend went by rapidly as they arrived on Friday night and left on Sunday afternoon. We had our Christmas on Saturday. The kids had never been here for Christmas (we have always gone to their house) and it was really nice to have them here. We don't have any extra room, but we got out the air mattresses and it worked out.

Max and I took a couple of days and drove up to Reno - had some snow on the way, but not too bad. We had a really nice time just messing around and doing some gambling. We came back on Christmas Eve as Max's mom was having surgery on that day. All went well with the surgery
and she got to do the out-patient thing and went home that night. We spent the day at Debby's having snacks and watching movies (The Hangover and Four Christmases). For anyone who is interested, The Hangover was a total HOOT! Max ended up sick to her stomach and did not feel good for a couple of days.

We are having another Christmas on New Year's Day. Kathy is fixing dinner at our house and all the Lawson family will be here. Jesse only gets the kids for Christmas every other year and this was his off year - thus New Years.

I am experiencing some severe boredom due to the fact I can't do anything that I normally do. No sewing, no quilting and nothing around the house really. Not a whole lot you can do with one hand. I am sure Max will be happy when the cast is off and the PT starts.

Later . . .

Testing Email Posting

This is just a test for email posting.

No Infection

I corresponded with my surgeon today and he said that after checking all my test results, I did not have any infections. He said it must have been bruising or a reaction to the soap they used during the surgery. I guess still better safe than sorry, but all the blood taken and the IV was not much fun. He also indicated the bandages were probably fine unless I was having some severe discomfort (discomfort -yes, severe discomfort - no). The main problem I seem to be having is the darn itching! Ahhhhh well - suffer on.

Later . . .

OUCH MY THUMB

My hand is pretty swollen as you can see from the picture. Not going to be easy doing this post with one hand - I have never been a hunt and peck kind of typist. I could use the fingers of my other hand except it hurts like hell to move them. The surgery went well according to the doctor. It was delayed a bit and we did not get back home until around 6:30. I am still in more pain than I would like to be in. I was sent home with strict instructions to take pain medications every 4 hours for the first 48 hours. That schedule ended up having me sleeping or nodding off most of the time, but the pain level was pretty high so that was probably my best treatment.

We settled in to watch some TV last night and while we were watching Law & Order SVU someone in the program jumped out and scared me - you know that feeling when your whole body tenses up? Well I am here to tell you even with the half cast there was room for tension that resulted in unbelievable PAIN. OMG the tears were rolling down my cheeks and another pain pill was popped immediately! I declared at that time there would be no scary movies or surprises.

I progressed into Saturday doing pretty well. Not as much pain and feeling better and moving around more. Did not have much of an appetite and ended up being sick a couple of times. We then noticed the "oh please don't really be there" redness growing out from under my bandage. Started taking my temp and it was slowly rising with the redness spreading. Needless to say that required a trip to the emergency room. They took a bunch of blood and started me on IV antibiotics. Unfortunately, they had to remove the "very well placed bandage" from my surgeon to check the actual incision sites for infection. What an additional pain! So I was sent home with 10 days of antiobiotics and an email to my surgeon. The replacement bandage does not feel like the one they took off and I would not be opposed to going back and having my surgeon replace it again.

Soon this will be over. Max is doing a very good job taking care of me, but she does have to go back to work on Monday.

Later . . .

Sewing Machine

I finally got my sewing machine back from the factory - AGAIN. I had the chance to sew on it today and I am very happy to announce that it is working quite well. The machine sewed like I knew it always should have. I did this design on one of the shirts that I already had decorated for Christmas. It was over 55k stitches and I only had the thread break twice. That it a fricking miracle as previously I could not get 100 stitches without having the thread break or shred.

Kathy finished with the binding and now only has to do the hand work and make a label.

My doctor was very pleased with the way my nose is healing and said I should be healed in 2-3 weeks as opposed to 5-6. I will wait and see what the final result is to make the decision if I want to do anything cosmetically.

So I guess I am ready for the hand surgery tomorrow. I think I will play some video games tonight just to get some "thumb time" in before the surgery. Kathy is going to keep Max company tomorrow during my surgery. I have to be at the hospital at 10:15 for a scheduled 11:15 surgery. The surgery should take about 1 1/2 hours and with recovery time I should be home around 3:30 or 4:00.

Later . . .

I did my part . . .

My part is finished and it really turned out nice. Kathy is going to come over tomorrow and get the binding on. I have a doctor's appointment to check out the nose tomorrow, but it is progressing nicely.

Later . . .

Ready, set, go . . .

Kathy's quilt is on the frame and I am ready to start quilting. The decision has been made for loops and stars.

Later . . .

Bandage Off

It was not near as bad as I was expecting. Kathy came over this AM to play Dr. Ahre and help take the bandages off and proceed to clean the "holes". I was expecting more trauma than actually occurred. The tape pulled somewhat and was not pleasant getting off, but the cleaning of the "holes" with the hydrogen peroxide was practically painless. Getting the Aquaphor to stay in the "holes" is going to prove a challenge. It fills in good, but as my body heats it tends to slip out. I am not sure what the answer to that is. I can put bandages on the "holes", but the Aquaphor still seems to seep out. I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday so I will be able to ask the doctor about what I am suppose to be doing. I can breathe a bit better, but I am still a bit stuffed up and that is likely to continue for a while cause blowing my nose is not going to be an option.

Looks like we are a go to work on Kathy's quilt tomorrow. I got the other quilt off the frame and hopefully will be able to get Kathy's on the frame tomorrow or Tuesday for sure.

Later . . .

Christmas Decorations Up

We had a somewhat lazy day today. We got the house decorated for Christmas. It looks very cute and I am happy we put up all the decorations. Max is having her office Christmas party here on the 16th and then Duane and family will be coming up the weekend of the 18th. It will be totally fun to have the grandkids here for Christmas. We usually make a trip to their house for an extra Christmas and it will be nice to have everyone here this time.

Kathy, Paul and Michael were over for dinner. I bought a new cookbook with all casseroles and I tried out one on them tonight. It was a chicken, mushroom, water chestnut, cheese, soup and bread kind of thing. It was a make the day before type and it turned out really tasty. We then watched "Night at the Museum - Return to the Smithsonian" which was really cute. Had brownies, hot fudge and ice cream for dessert.

Still not looking forward to the bandage removal, but also will be glad to have it done. I am really tired of not being able to breathe and I really don't see that improving a great deal in the near future. Time will tell.

Later . . .

Quilts

Considering I have not been feeling all that great (nose pain). I am making progress on the quilting front. The quilt that needs to come off (above) is almost done. I only have three squares to quilt and it can come off. Kathy's quilt, the one that needs to go on (below) is ready. Kathy just has to get the backing sewn together and we should have a completed quilt the first of the week. Of course Kathy will have to add the binding and then she will have a completed quilt. Diesel (Kathy's new kitten) will be so happy as the quilt is for him.

Tomorrow I get to take the bandages off my nose and I have mixed feelings about that. I am totally ready to have the bandages off, but pulling the tape off my face is not going to be a pleasant experience. I also do not think the cleaning and putting medication on my "holes" is going to be much of a pleasant experience either. However, be assured that I will blog about it and let everyone know how it went!

Later . . .

Skin Cancer Surgery

Max took the day off work to take me in for my nose surgery. She was a very brave soldier (as was I) and tried to be as supportive as possible (they let her be in the room for the cancer removal), but the ordeal was a bit much - she almost passed out and came close to throwing up). She was very good when it was over and we were waiting for the results - she turned into a surprisingly good lair. When I asked her if I had BIG holes in my nose she convincing told me they were not so big and the problem she had during the surgery was with the smell of the burning skin when the doctor was cauterizing the blood vessels. Truthfully, that smell is horrid, but it was the size of the pieces of "meat" he removed from my nose that completely grossed her out. She was sure that I would have a through and through hole in the side of my nose. It was hard for me to judge by feel how much he was taking out, but when I saw the holes - I was genuinely shocked. It took all I had not to burst into tears on the spot. I hated the procedure of shooting my nose full of Novocaine - that is the worst cause ALL the shots HURT!

So my doctor, AKA McDreamy/Steamy Hottie Hottington (OMG he is a young, gorgeously sexy , latte skinned, curly headed stud with melted dark chocolate pools for eyes) explained my options regarding my recovery and the holes. His recommendation is to treat the wounds for the next 5 weeks with hopes they will fill in naturally (He says there has been great success with this method). The other option was to graft tips of my cheek skin into the holes leaving the skin attached and then separating the skin once it had grafted. The option we chose was to treat the wounds (clean daily with hydrogen peroxide and fill with Aquaphor) and see what they look like in 5 weeks. If I am not happy with the results, I can choose to have the cheek skin grafts at that time. I am not very happy with the whole matter, but as Max says, "You are cancer free and that feels good". Of course, I am grateful to be cancer free and also that we have good insurance. I am a swollen mess and my nose HURTS, but I know it will pass and all will be good in a couple of days.

Next is the thumb surgery one week from today and I know that is going to be painful. At least I am getting things taken care of and it will all be for the better when it is over. I will be in a splint for 10 days and then in a cast for weeks (not sure how many). Due to having the thumb surgery next week, my priority this next week is to get Kathy's quilt on my frame and finished before I have my thumb surgery.

I plan to post a picture of Kathy's quilt and my Christmas quilt in the next few days and then will post again when I have completed the quilting. Since this was Kathy's first quilt, I know she is anxious to have it finished (and I don't blame her for that - I would feel the same way) . Unfortunately, the stupid swine flu set me back on my progress completing the "cheater" quilt I have on my frame now, but I should be able to finish it in the next few days and move on to Kathy's.

I am tired and in pain. Time for ice on the face/nose and perhaps another pain pill. I had a nice nap this afternoon and might do the same while Max watches football.

Later . . .

Hello Again

Hmmmm there seems to be a pattern emerging here - posting about once a month. I really wish I would do better, but I just don't seem to find the time or want to do it; however, right now I have nothing but time on my hands because I am sick with the flu. This has forced me to a "do nothing" few days (at least I hope it will only last for a few days). Well that was wishful thinking - I haven't even had the energy to type or think. I swear it was not until today that I actually feel like my brain is functioning. So the update on "the flu" is that I got the swine flu and have never been so sick in my life. I do believe that my fever finally broke and I am on the road to recovery (please God).

My main concern right now is getting my energy and stamina back to be able to do the SF Ghost Hunt Walking Tour, which Debby has scheduled for us to do on this coming Saturday. We have all been wanting to do it for quite some time and it should be really fun (providing I can breath).

I am sure there is no way I will be able to remember what has happened in the month I have been gone. I did have a good time with my sister Joy visiting. Joy, Kathy and I hit the quilt show two days and spent MUCH money and bought some beautiful stuff. Kathy decided that she would try quilting and I promised her "IF" she did not like quilting I would make all her projects for her. This last week she actually made her first quilt top that turned out really beautiful. I don't have a picture of it, but I will post one later. I am going to do the quilting for her (I don't want to frustrate her too much trying to do it on her machine). We had a good time "playing" together and she is a quick learner (she has much sewing experience and is very precise which helps with with quilting).

In the process of getting ready to help Kathy learn quilting I ended up with two more quilt tops. I have a large "cheater quilt" on my frame that I am practicing on to try different things. I was having a great time with that and then getting knocked on my butt with the flu and left that untouched for almost two weeks! I have to get that done and off the frame so I can get some of these tops that are stacking up taken care of. I do know Kathy is anxious to actually have a completed quilt in her hands too.

Ummmm what else? Oh yeah - I ended up packing up my stupid sewing machine and sending it back to the factory. They seriously have to get it right this time! They have had it since 11/4 and I am choosing to take that as a positive sign that are COMPLETELY going through the thing and don't darn send it back unless it works PERFECTLY! Of course I am not holding my breath on that one.

Well yesterday I thought I was heading back to a real life, but today - not so much. I feel like I am catching a fricking cold - ah go figure! Perhaps I am just letting go of some of the mucus that has been collecting. I am taking medication to break up the congestion in my chest and I think I am stretching my wishful think about as far as I can go. The whole SF trip is not looking good so good at this point

Anyway, I think it is time for me to hit the publish button and send this on it's way.

Later . . .

Fast Week

Well the week is coming to an end and we will be heading back home tomorrow. Joy and I have had a really good time sewing and generally messing around. We have visited with friends, but mainly the time has been spent in her sewing room. I completed a "strip" quilt that I really love. I have been wanting to do one and it really helped to have her show me what to do (I did the whole thing myself with her guidance). The binding is sewn on, but the hand work still has to be done.

Next project was to make a pillow case. We had made one years ago and I had completely forgotten how to do it. So we both made one at the same time and they turned out really cute. I want to be able to make some more by myself and I now feel confident enough to do it.

We moved on to place mats. I have been wanting to do place mats for a long so Joy showed me two different ways to do them. One way is to sew and turn and the other is to quilt and then bind. The quilt and bind is really professional looking - more time consuming, but worth it once the project is finished. I have to take the place mats home and complete them there. I also bought some material to do some autumn type mats that I think will be beautiful and perfect for Thanksgiving.

We will have sewing to do when we are home at my house and I am looking forward to being home. It is always nice to visit, but there no place like HOME!

Later . . .

Geez . . . .

WELL - I certainly have not been doing a good job of keeping up with the blog. I want to blame Facebook, but maybe I am just being lazy. I really put out an effort to keep posting while Debby was in Iraq, but since she has been home - no posts.

I am thinking a lot has happened since the last post and I know I have pictures connected with it, but I am on my Macbook and the pictures are on my Mac (I am visiting with my sister Joy for a week in Ventura). At least she now has wireless access - thus this blog.

Kathy, Paul, Debby, Max and I all went to our Timeshare in Nevada the first part of September. We finally got to fish in Red Lake. Max and I have been wanting to fish there for a long time and the last time we were going to fish there it was solid ice. We had the float tubes and it was a beautiful and calm day. I caught one fish and got one bite, but I took a book along with me and when I got tired of fishing I just floated around and read - ahhhh the life! We did a lot of exploring in Paul's new Ford truck. We found some beautiful lakes in the area and were able to fish in some. That fishing trip is what prompted the purchase of our new Ford Escape - the need for a 4x4 to get to some of the fishing spots. We went out in search of wild horses and THAT required a 4x4 for sure. We did get to see some, but it was from quite a distance, but it was still fun.

We ventured off to Sacramento for a birthday gathering for Katie and JD. That turned into a "thing" as the keys to Max's mother's car were lost. We did the key search for a while and then called AAA to come out. Before they arrived Max & Paul managed to get the car open (there was some hope the keys just might be in the trunk). No luck for keys in the trunk so we used AAA to have a locksmith come out and when he arrived (an hour and a half after the 45 minute wait for the tow truck) he informed us that it might take him up to 3 hours to get a key made because it was some special chipped key! The decision was made to just drive Annette home and have her come back the next day with the extra key to get the car. I think we managed to leave around 9:00 PM (we had started to leave about 5:00 PM). We had to stay because it was our AAA card.

Oh I forgot that Max and I went to Fremont for her to do a photo session with the teacher she has found to help her progress in her photography. That was fun - I sat and worked on the binding for a quilt while they took pictures and were messing around with lighting. The guy is very nice and seems to be a very good teacher - patient and clear.

The next weekend Paul, Max and I took our old mattress and box spring to Max's mother and then went fishing the next morning. We got up EARLY and headed out to be there when the sun came up. Max used her float tube, but I got lazy and just did not feel like going through the motions to get out in the water. I fished from shore throwing lures. I managed to hook 9 nice trout and fall in the lake once. The water was not too cold and thankfully I was able to change into my waders and let my clothes dry out. Max and Paul got lots of hits, but did not manage to hook any fish. I was very happy and the experience brought back the thrill of fishing again.

I got my new car just in time to make the trip to my sister's house in Ventura. I am really happy with the car and the way it drives. It is equipped with bluetooth and that is very cool for using the cell phone. It also came with 6 months of Sirius radio which was awesome - never lost a signal the entire drive. We are having fun sewing (I am in the process of making a really cool flannel strip quilt). I had to take my mondo expensive Creative Vision to the shop so they could send it back to the factory. This is the second machine that has gone hey-wire on me. I sent a very frustrated email to my dealer and she forwarded it up the food chain. The president of the company stepped in and I got a phone call from the head of quality control and was assured that they would take my machine and completly go over it and promised when I got it back it would be working perfectly. All I can say is it better. I have been very patient but VERY frustrated with the machine since I first got it.

I wish I had some pictures to post, but sadly the narrative will have to be it for now. I am going to put some effort into keeping up with the blog if I only do a weekly entry. I like having it and it is really nice to go back and see what was happening before. Easy to forget things as time passes.

Later . . .