4 Weeks

Well, it has officially been 4 weeks since my surgery. It seems to be healing well. I am still having some difficulty sleeping, but that is to be expected. It is so hard to find a comfortable position. It is amazing how many muscles get pulled if the shoulder isn't supported just right ~ especially in the neck and upper arm. It can get very uncomfortable!!!

All of the surgical tape fell off today and the scar looks good. It is a good 3" long, but has healed very nicely. I made a healing ointment/salve today. I infused some olive oil with calendula (marigold) petals on Monday. I used that, Shea butter, beeswax, sweet almond oil and sunflower oil in the ointment. I also added some extra Vitamin E oil even though sunflower oil naturally contains Vitamin E. I put in some tea tree oil and camphor oil for their healing properties.

I will be starting Physical Therapy in a couple weeks. I am half looking forward to it, but half not. I am sure it is going to hurt when they start moving my arm out, up and back. All for the best though so I will tough it out. LOL

Now to get some soap made since we are completely out. I can't do everything involved with making the soap because of the stirring involved, but I am sure I can find helpers.

Well, that's all for now.

Funny How the Mind Works

So, I had surgery on my shoulder on June 3oth to repair a rotator cuff tear. It is healing nicely. The pain gets less and less every day. Of course it is my right arm. I am allowed to use my arm to eat and anything else I can do without raising my elbow from my side for 6 weeks. Then I will start Physical Therapy that will be 2 to 3 months. So, here I sit in my recliner, my new friend. Without it, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. As I sit here, I have such a strong desire to craft. Then I started laughing right out loud. Isn't it ironic how when you can't do something, all the sudden you just HAVE to do it? Well, that is where I am. I can't do much crafting because the movement would be too much for the arm, but I want to so badly. It is like my crafting closet is calling to me. Ironic since I haven't really made time to craft much at all in the past month. So, as soon as my arm is healed enough, you know what I will be doing. LOL

Finally

Well, I am finally getting around to adding some pictures. Here are some cards I have made recently. Some of the pictures didn't turn out the best, but I wanted to add them any ways. Have discovered the craft card stock and absolutely love it for cards. It is so sturdy. Gives a nice base for the cards in my opinion.

So Behind

Wow! I am so behind on posting. I have so many things to take pictures of. I have made jewelry, soap and lots of cards. I plan to get busy adding some new pictures this week.

My daughter has her dance recital this weekend. They put on 3 shows. A very exciting time. We really look forward to it every year.

I found out a few weeks ago that I have a rotator cuff tear. I saw the ortho yesterday and he said I have a full tear that goes almost all the way across and a bone spur. He said it is my decision as to whether to have surgery or try PT first. Not a decision I want to make. LOL I keep going back and forth on what to do. Do I try PT first to see if it will relieve the pain and weakness? Or would it be better to have the surgery now while I am fairly young since it won't get better and more than likely will cause problems later in life? And it is my right arm, so that is a huge factor too. I have an evaluation scheduled with the PT on Thursday. The doctor said that PT should not cause any pain or swelling and if it does, to stop immediately and he will have to do surgery for sure. It is already swollen so I am thinking maybe I should see if it swells worse and that will be my answer from God as to what to do. This is a very hard decision for sure. Any one have any opinions or thoughts on this? If so, please share!

Geode Necklace

I haven't posted anything in way too long! I made this necklace for my mother in law for her birthday. The pendant is a slice of geode. I used copper wire and findings. I snapped a quick picture. I need to get a better one when we have a nice, bright day. Really hope she likes it. Thanks for stopping by!

Stylish Blogger Award

I received this award from ~ http://craftingmisfit.blogspot.com/. Go check out her blog. She is very talented and I am very honored to be chosen for this award. Thanks!!!

Now I am to pay the award forward to 8 other talented people and tell you 8 things about myself.

Here are the people I would like to honor with this award:

1. http://bugbites411.blogspot.com/
2. http://chick-n-scrap.blogspot.com/
3. http://www.craftjunkietoo.com/
4. http://expressionbypinke.blogspot.com/
5. http://msscrappycreations.blogspot.com/
6. http://www.obsessedwithscrapbooking.com/
7. http://okieladybugsscrapnmore.blogspot.com/
8. http://sueannscrafts.blogspot.com/

All of these ladies are very talented. I hope you will check out their blogs.

8 Things about myself:

1. I am a home schooling mom to two wonderful children ~ son (15) and daugher (13).
2. I love to browse stores for those special and hidden steals. Nothing more exciting than finding a crafting supply on clearance!
3. I am gluten intolerant.
4. I love to learn new things, especially if they involve crafting.
5. My family, both immediate and extended, is my number one priority in life. They are my unconditional support system.
6. My faith is very important to me.
7. I love to help others.
8. I wish that life and society would get back to the basics so people can have more time for family and friends.

Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate all comments. Please share what you are thinking :0)

Blog Awards

I had the honor of receiving the Liebster Award from two different people:

Raechel ~ http://raechelscards.blogspot.com/

And

Sherri ~ http://sherri-ladybugscrapperfriend.blogspot.com/

Thanks you so much ladies :0)

Now, as a recipient of the Liebster Award, I am to reveal 3 - 5 blog picks and :
1. Let them know I chose them.
2. Copy and paste the award on my blog.
3. Have faith that my followers will rally and show their crafty love back out to those awarded.
4. Have fun!

So, I award the Liebster Award to:

http://scrappinwithmybug-scrappinwithmybug.blogspot.com/
http://www.craftingwithcristina.com/
http://www.creativetimeforme.com/
http://slofarmgirl.blogspot.com/

Thanks ladies for sharing. I love browsing your blogs for inspiration.

Sweet 16 Card My Daughter Made

We got our daughter the Rock Princess Cartridge for Valentine's Day. She finally got a chance to try it out tonight. She made a sweet 16 card for her cousin. I absolutely love this card and just had to share it. She did such a wonderful job on it! She is working on setting up her own blog. Last week Blogger was having problems so she couldn't design. Then we lost power. So, hopefully she can get it done this weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Cindy Loo

I finally got a chance to try out my new Cindy Loo cartridge that my Bestie found on clearance. Yay!! I have to say, I think this is going to be one of my favorites. I decided on Doily1 and the cute squirrel. The colors look a little off in the pictures, but they really do coordinate. I decided to line the inside of the card with the same green I have under the doily and then stamped a border along the bottom. I came across a great deal at Michael's today (thanks to Michele at http://scrappinwithmybug-scrappinwithmybug.blogspot.com/). Michele shared her discovery of the rhinestones on her Facebook page so I decided to check it out and they had packages of Rhinestones on clearance for 49 cents just like she said. One of the packs had the perfect green for this card. Thanks for stopping by!

Winter Storm

Well, we actually got the ice they were predicting, and then some. We ended up with a good 1/2 inch of ice on everything. Then to top it off, we were without power Sunday night to Wednesday early afternoon. Thank God for generators!! And the natural gas space heater in our basement that kept our home comfortable. I actually ended up melting snow and ice to wash my hair on Tuesday. A little taste of the past I suppose. Funny how, when it is taken away from you, you realize how much you take running water for granted. On Tuesday the sun was shining and everything really looked beautiful. I took a picture of our small weeping willow tree that looked amazing. Funny how something so damaging can look so pretty. Our three dogs looked so cute out enjoying the sunshine that I just had to take their pictures too.

More Jewelry

Here are a few jewelry projects I made last year. I made more than this, but I always end up wrapping them up for gifts before I think to take pictures. Need to start taking pictures as soon as I finish them so this doesn't happen. Two of these are mine ~the fairy cameo and the pearl set. Have to keep some things for myself, huh? Although I really like to give them away. I made the other cameo for my mother. She absolutely loves it which makes me feel very happy. I forgot to take a picture of that one too, but I remembered to snap one when she put it on. The last project was a Christmas gift for my sister-in-law Melissa. Everything is made with sterling silver wire or findings. The crystals are Swarovski. The pearls are also Swarovski. Maybe I will discover some pictures as I go through my many folders :0) Thanks for looking! Let me know what you think.

Czech Glass Jewelry

This is a set I made for my sister for her birthday. She hasn't gotten it yet, so Shhhh! I used Czech Glass beads, Swarovski Crystal Bicones, Sterling Silver spacers, beads, chain and message heart. Turned out very pretty. What do you think?

My Pink Stamper's Pinkalicious Blog Hop February

I am very new to all of this. My Pink Stamper was one of the first blogs I discovered after we got our Cricut. I have learned so much from Robyn. This is the first Blog Hop I have experience and I am amazed at the creativity I saw as I hopped along. So, I decided to take the challenge and create something using black with my favorite color or colors. I love sage or ivy green. So, this is what I ended up with.

Here is a list of the supplies I used:

Stretch Your Imagination Cricut Cartridge ~ for the Bride and Groom. I cut them at 3 1/4 in. I cut the Shadow in a light grey, the bride and groom in green and the silhouette in black. It still amazes me that the machine can cut such detail.

Floral Paper ~ Garden Vignettes by Carina Gardner. It is a pack called "In Basic Black." It is hard to see it in the picture, but it is a glitter Cardstock and the glitter is a faint green. Very pretty! I got it at Hobby Lobby just today because my Bestie let me know their paper was 50% off. Thanks Michele :0)

Punch ~ ek heart border punch that I got at Joanns.

Ribbon ~ just a basic ribbon from Hobby Lobby.

Thanks for the challenge Robyn and her fellow Blog Hoppers. I am really enjoying myself. I love making cards! What I love the most is that my 13 year old daughter and I have just spent the past couple of hours crafting together with her Cricut. Priceless!

Wild Card Cartridge and More

Well, I recently got the Wild Card Cartridge and decided to give it a try. I started with something simple ~ the "Doily." I cut it out in plain white card stock first and then cut it again in color. I then cut the colored one in half at the scoring marks and glued that to the front of the white card. The bird is from the Create a Critter Cartridge. I think they turned out really cute. What do you think?

The other card is made using the Doodle Charms Cartridge and the Create a Critter cartridge. I used one of the phrase options of the Create a Critter to cut out the shape behind the stamped saying.

Lady Bug Card

This is a card I made using my daughter's Cricut Create (we got it for her for her 13th birthday this past January. We are both addicted!). I used the Doodle Charms cartridge for the lady bugs. I believe I had it set at 1 1/2 inches. I used a tiny hole punch to add eyes to the lady bugs. Don't know the exact size of the punch because I have had it for years. I attached the lady bugs with pop dots. I made the circles with the Simply Sweet cartridge. The rest is just card stock and basic ribbon. One of my favorite cards so far.

Learning All of This

Well, I have just spent the last couple of hours designing this blog. Boy is there a lot to learn. I did figure out how to center the blog title though with the help of google :0) Now to figure out how to get some pictures loaded. That will have to wait till later though. Have to get some food cooking so my husband can be fed before he heads off to work. Really looking forward to getting this all going.