Bobbie Update and Other Stuff

Just a quick howdy before I get busy with dinner prep and some yard work and then back to some crafty creating...

Bobbie did great with her procedure on Monday. The doctor said the filter came out no trouble at all. They went through a small cut in her neck. She was partially awake through the whole procedure. Just the thought of that creeps me out. They said she was chatty and she said the nurse standing closest to her head smelled wonderful. Silly the things we remember when we have medical procedures done. All she wanted Monday was coffee. Coffee, coffee, coffee!! :-) There was a fresh hot cup of coffee waiting for her when she returned to her room from out patient surgery. Wasn't that nice? There is such great communication among the nurses at St. Francis.

~~~~
Yesterday was my birthday and I had surprise phone calls and surprise gifts from many. Hubby took me to supper at the IHOP that just opened here. Good food and good atmosphere, we'll go back, next time for breakfast.
~~~~
I've joined an art swap and have been working on the "painting" I am swapping. It's my first real swap so I want it to be really nice. I just feel bad that I didn't get anything posted here about it before the entry deadline. I promise to do better next time. The Spring theme was easy and I even drew out something to create, however I was having trouble deciding on the medium. I finally decided and so far it really isn't looking anything like the drawing. I like what I'm creating though and how it is turning out so far. I just hope my swap partner will like it. I've really enjoyed the 6'oclock stitch blog and just wish I could remember who sent me her way so I could thank her (or him).
~~~~
Oh, and since April is National Poetry Month I've been doing poetry challenges over at Associated Content. I've done two so far and would love it if you'd take a peek.
Just click on Chocolate and Remember Those 80's Shows to read.
~~~~
That's about it. I hope you all have been having a great week so far. Blessings to you all until next time. (I think I'll do some blog browsing this evening, I miss you guys.)

Hugs,

Tess

Ready...Set....Go...

And there off...............................I spent Saturday at the races. The Pinewood Derby Races that is. I am the Unit Commissioner for the Chapman Pack and we were invited to come and help as race officials. What fun! :-) I have been working with this Pack for the past 7 years. It's built up enough now that our weekly help is no longer needed but I stayed as the Unit Commissioner and help out with paperwork and fun stuff whenever needed. The tornado that tore through Chapman destroyed the Pack track and the Cub Master found time to get the track rebuilt just in time for the races. It's not painted yet but no one seemed to mind one bit.

These are just a few of the 21 cars that raced yesterday. See that mouse trap on the far upper right? That car won most original for the Pack. The genius of one of the Wolf Den scouts. And what about that second car from the left on the upper row? Looks pretty primitive doesn't it? Ah, but every cub scout knows to just "Do Your Best". Well he did do his best and his car was fffffffffffffFast. (Recognize R2D2?)

The Webelos Den leader and Tiger Den leader took turns setting the cars on the track. Mike eyed them carefully to make sure they were lined up just so. We always have so much fun at a Pinewood Derby Race. The big race is in May. All of the 1st and 2nd place winners from every Pack Den goes to the District race. Fun, Fun!!
~~~~~

And who might this be?

None other than Bobbie of course. Her hair is coming in really well. It seems to be thicker in the back than the front but we think it's coming along nicely.

And here she is with her little sister. Billie (yes, Petticoat Junction was my favorite show) came over to spend some quiet time with mom and pamper me a bit. She dyed my hair, no more grays, yippee!! Now I'm Mexican Red Brown, and believe me it's more red than brown. Billie picked the color and I enjoyed the attention and conversation. Bobbie and Robert drove by and seen her car and stopped to say hi and get a big hug. I insisted on a picture of the two of them. They are 6 years apart and not the closest of sisters but they get along and are there for each other when needed. I do believe this health issue with Bobbie has brought them a bit closer together. They seem to be in contact more now. I am glad as they are each others only sibling. Bobbie can't wait for her hair to grow long enough to spike it like her sisters. I can't wait for that picture, it'll be cool!!! I had fun playing with the pictures in Picture It and realized I really should be playing with my PS Elements or I'll never get used to it.

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend. We are off to St. Francis again tomorrow. This will be her 3rd surgery. This time to take out the heart catheter that was placed during her 2nd surgery. She really is doing good.

Tess

Through Hard Work and Perseverence...

Bobbie has yet again bestowed a wondrous gift upon me. With a shining smile and giggly, wiggly step we made our way back to St. Francis Hospital today (actually yesterday as I just noticed it's past midnight) for a post-op cat scan and a visit with the neurosurgeon. The cat scan is clean, yep, it looks good. No trace of the tumor attempting to regrow. Yippee!! She goes in 6 weeks to visit with the rehab Dr. again and then has another cat scan 6 months from now. Dr. Ebeling said if that one looks good then there would be another every 2 years for a while just to keep an eye on the area and to be sure it's not trying top come back. Oh and the line between the two hemispheres was straight as it should be. Wonderful news.

And that gift I mentioned, well it seems a fellow blogger found need to bestow an award upon me in honor of Bobbie. So it is to Bobbie I dedicate the awesome

Bestowed upon us by none other than "Distracted By Shiny Objects" over at the A Tiding of Magpies blog.

The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all...

Now I am certain that the fact that I am a fan of zombie movies, as is Bobbie, and the fact that I watched the movie "The Land of the Dead" with my husband this evening had nothing to do with this award. Or did it! So as not to incur the wrath of the zombie chickens I too shall choose to pass on this amazing award to 5 unsuspecting souls. Who shall it be? Let's see.....

How about

1. Turqouise CRO Thyme

2. Misty Mawn

3. Lori at elvie studio

4. Diane at Duda Daze

And of course

5. Marilyn at As Seen Through My Eyes

All 5 of these wonderful bloggers and so many more have laid words of wisdom upon my heart these past months and I just couldn't think of any better way to say Thank You.

And now it's their turn....

Who will they honor with the

??? :-)

Hugs and Good Night,

Tess

Remember This...It Became This...

Remember this journal page?

Well, over the weekend it became this mixed media painting. I had so much fun playing with this. I have to admit the color pencils in my journal was easier than the painting was. I used so many things, acrylic paint, paper, markers, crayons, highlighters, my fingers and just played and played.
Then I did something else...
I put it up for sale in my etsy shop. Oh My Gosh, I think I'm hyperventilating! Ok, ok, enough of that.

The snow is almost gone here after our sudden snow storm Friday afternoon and night. It was still snowing some on Saturday morning too. So what is the saying, "In like a lion and out like a lamb", well we got it backwards. Our winter and spring sure have been mixed up here so far this year.

I hope all others that were facing bad weather over the weekend have fared well.

Well I'm off to watch 24. I just love Keifer Sutherland. This season has been pretty predictable, almost disappointing, but I love the show.

Have a good night,
Tess

Who Says Grass and Trees Have To Be Green?

Leftover paint ~ Not enough to save and too much to just throw away.

Remember that fish drawing I did? I'm painting something similar on canvas board with acrylic paints. I mixed a small amount of orange acrylic paint for one of the fish I'm painting and I guess it wasn't small enough. So I used it to paint a picture in my journal. What do you do with leftover paint?

Fish and Babies

My latest journal page. This is on the back of the "Home is Where Your Story Begins" page. I like how the glue and the fabric gave this piece texture. I have a really pretty scrap of cloth with a blue background and colorful fish all over it. I decided rather than gluing it to my page why not draw it out. I used color pencils. It really was fun and relaxing.

Have you ever created art in the dark or semi-dark? I have and did with this piece. Sometimes it's a fun surprise to see how it turns out under bright light. I think my purple fish must be full of little fishy eggs. :-) I like the black and yellow striped fish best.

On another subject:

If you have a baby shower to plan for you may find my newest published content on AC interesting. Just click on the titles and enjoy reading my newest articles:

Free Printable Baby Shower Invitations

Baby Shower Invitation Sayings: Words to Include on the Baby Shower Invitation

No, no new babies in my near future. I chose to claim these assignments because the looked interesting and fun.

And if you'd like to write for AC click below and join me on Associated Content:

Become a Source on Associated Content

Have a blessed day everyone. It's Friday, woo hoo!!

Tess

A Bag of Scraps, An Art Journal, A Button and Some Glue

Rainfall

It's been windy here the past few days and now it's raining. So I thought I'd leave you with a poem about:

Rainfall

With each and every rainfall,
everything is made anew.
From the tops of trees so tall,
to the grass touched by the dew.
All things are made fresh and new.
And yes, sometimes,
Even You!

Poem By Teresa Mahieu, cir. 1986

~~~

Many in my region are under thunderstorm and tornado watches.

I pray all will be safe.

Have a good evening,

Tess

Surgery Rescheduled

Greetings all,

I've just a bit of news to share about Bobbie. Her surgery to remove the heart catheter has been rescheduled. It will take place on April 6th. A scheduling problem with the doctor I, I am told she is fine with it in place but that it is not needed so is best it be removed. As she had some signs of paralysis just after the initial surgery the catheter was inserted as a precaution to prevent a blood clot from getting into her lungs or brain which would have been fatal. as it is she has regained the use of both her left leg and arm. The arm and hand are a lot weaker than the leg but she is quite mobile and thus the fear of a blood clot forming due to being sedentary is gone. It was so good to speak to the nurse myself and better fully understand this. Bobbie admitted she was worried but is relieved to know that nothing is wrong.
~~~~
It is Spring break time here as it is in many places. My granddaughter has been making new friends in her neighborhood and having sleep overs with "adopted cousins", nieces of Bobbie's best friend. I took the afternoon off from work this past Wednesday and picked her up for a play date. It was a dreary overcast day, (I love how this photo of the sun turned out)so we went to see a movie. I took her to see Race to Witch Mountain. It is the remake of Disney's Escape from Witch Mountain. If you have a chance to see it you will enjoy it. A good family movie with Dwayne Johnson and two of the cutest kids in Hollywood. I didn't recognize either of them but have a feeling we'll be seeing more of them to come. It was a fun movie and my granddaughter was amazed that she was able to sit all the way through it. (Yes, it was that good.) She usually gets up to go to the bathroom half way through a movie.

Afterwards we drove through McDonald's Drive-thru for an ice cream sundae and then to the park to sit under the shelter and eat.

We ended up leaving this park to go to Wal-mart and then stopped at another park on the way home where she decided to play a while. She was swinging and climbing and crawling aound, while grandma clicked away with her camera.

A fun afternoon and something to tell about when she returns to school on Monday. I'm sure she'll be telling everyone she saw "the Rock" fighting aliens. :)

Till next time, be well,

Tess

A pictorial view of Bobbie...

She has gone from this...
To this...

And from here...

To here...

Wearing a crown of metal...

But who is this?....
Could it be...

It's Bobbie and she's wearing a smile...

One month later the crown is gone and the sight is almost healed,

And she's growing hair.......

A long overdue update:

Bobbie is healing well and smiling more each day. Her hair is coming in nicely and she seldom wears the scarves or caps any more. (Her daughter picked this scarf out for her.) We ask for prayers once again as she is to have surgery this Friday, March 20th, to remove the heart catheter they put in just after her first surgery. We have no idea why they want it removed now just that the outpatient surgery has been scheduled and it needs to come out. We are taking this as a good thing. Bobbie is much more mobile than I think any of the doctor's expected. That's my girl, stubborn as all gets out, and never one to stay down for long....

Many Blessings to you all,

Tess

Is Life Not Like A Puzzle?

Many times the pieces of Life's Puzzle come together easily.

Sometimes fitting Life's Puzzle pieces together can be difficult.

And other times Life's Puzzle pieces are scattered far and wide....

I'm not finished yet, with my Life's Puzzle,or these ATC's.

~~~

I hope you all are having a good weekend. I am. I spent part of the afternoon with Bobbie and her family. She is doing good. I'll have photos to show soon.

Tess

Recycled Envelopes and Surprises in the Mail

I wanted to share a special surprise I created for my mom. I actually mailed it off today. We like to send each other things by snail mail now and then. Just little thinking of you reminders. Anyways, I was browsing around on the internet the other day and found this Donna Downey youtube clip with instructions to make a mini album using recycled envelopes. Since I just happened to have some bill envelopes saved and the clip looked pretty easy to follow I decided to give it a try. This is what I came up with.

I had more fun coming up with ideas to make the tags I think. At first I had stuff on just one side of the tags and then i added to the other. The black is ink. The instructions Donna gave sure looked easier than it was to use the ink. Either that or I'm just not any good at inking things. I think I will definitely do this again but without the ink next time. Maybe I'll try adding paint to the edges of the paper and envelopes. Any way I had fun with this, and recycled, and used up some themed scrapbook papers and stickers I had just laying there, calling to me. Ever have that feeling; your stash of crafting stuff is calling to you? :-)

I received a very special package in the mail recently myself. I bought a pack of postcards from Jessica of vol.25. She is a stay at home mom and an artist. I love her drawings and designs. She has a great little etsy shop too. She is running a special on post card packs this month and is including extra cards in the packs too.

The backs are blank so they could be used for other things besides postcards. I just mailed one to Finland and one to Texas through postcrossings. Isn't this just the cutest image? If you haven't seen her designs before do stop by Jessica's blog and etsy shop. She has two adorable little girls and is a wonderful artist.

I must sign off now. Frankie is needing attention again. That little cat gets into everything.

See what I mean!!

Tess

My little annies: ANNIE QUILT GIVAWAY!!

Check out this wonderful blog and her March giveaway. The quilt is just darling.

My little annies: ANNIE QUILT GIVAWAY!!

Have a great Monday,
Tess

Surprises in The Spiral Composition Book

I found this wonderful old Spiral Composition Notebook behind a bookshelf after we moved in to my husbands family home many years ago and just recently found it again. I understand now why I kept it. It contains a treasure trove of recipes and old home remedies.



The above Cake Mix insert is dated 1947. Printed on fine paper it's amazing it's lasted as well as it has. The box in the lower right hand corner of the second image is a "Double the cost of your ingredients back guarantee" and get this, offer expired July 1, 1949.

Do you remember Calumet Baking Powder with the Indian on the Can? I sure do. I knew that meant grandma was baking again. Mmm Mmm Good! This Ad is torn from a Country Gentleman Magazine and is dated March, 1952. I sure wish I had the rest of the story for the other side of the page (below).

Don't you just love the kitchen pictured here? And the colors on this page are still so vibrant. The story speaks of a couple building a new home at a cost of $14,000.00. The heading under the top photo states the kitchen has 17 outlets. I love the drop down laundry bin in the 2nd middle photo. We have a similar bin in our homes kitchen but I use it to hold paper sacks and plastic bags.

I hope you enjoyed the little trip down memory lane or peek into the past for you young'uns. Do any of you remember that term? There is actually an article on the back of a recipe that was torn from some magazine that uses the term young'uns, in print, slipped inside this wonderful little Composition book. And here I thought my grandpa made up that word!! :-)

Have a great weekend folks,

Tess

P.S. Click on the title of this post for a link to my grandmother's banana bread recipe.

A Fellow Blogger is Having a Give-away

I follow several bloggers around and find that clicking on links of other bloggers that have left comments on favorite blogs is a great way to meet new people. I did just this again today and had to share with you all the wonderful news. Tristan has 50 followers in just a few short months. Isn't that great? "Who is Tristan?" you ask. Well click on over to his wonderful blog and find out for yourself. Have fun and join in on his give-away while you are at it. Oh, and he has an etsy shop too.

Happy Tuesday,

Tess