YES, I REALLY HAD TO SCRAP ABOUT THIS!

Plain Brown Wrapper Alert!

I just had breast reduction surgery on January 19th and it has been such an emotional journey that I had to scrap about it. Yes, I included before and after pictures of myself. No, you can't see them as they are covered. But my "before" is shown in my bra and my "during" is shown wrapped in ace bandages. So, there's you're alert. I've also been keeping a journal about my journey but it's not finished just as my journey is not finished. This layout is very personal and all about ME but I felt I needed to blog about it anyway. So, there you are.

Prior to surgery I was a 36G. Not easy to find that size on the rack. And, when you do they are quite costly. This has been years in the making; dating back to my teenage/high school years. It wasn't until recently that I took my feelings seriously. The result is that I will probably be a "D" but until all of the swelling goes down, I won't be positive.

Then, when I saw that Scrapping the Music's latest challenge song was "I Feel Good", I knew this was the right way to scrap about this.

Here's another plain brown wrapper, just in case...

I Feel Good

BIRTHDAY SURPRISES

This all started when I bought this pattern at Jo-Ann's but didn't know why. I guess I just thought I'd make one sometime. I've started really liking owls. Then, I showed it to my daughter, Tracy and she just loved it and wanted me to make one for her.

So,this is the owl I made for Tracy. I had never made a rag quilt before so it had its learning curves. But I was very happy with how it turned out. One of my friends from work held it up for me so I could get a good picture of it. You can really see how big it is and you can see his feet sticking out at the bottom.

I was hooked! Then I had to make more of these rag quilts. So, I started making birthday gifts for all of the little ones. These next two were for my sister's grandchildren. I loved them as well.

My friend, Doreen, saw my first owl and thought her daughter would love one. She commissioned me to make one for her. We went to Jo-Ann's and picked out all of the fabrics together. I hope her daughter loved the results as much as the two of us did.

And, last, but certainly not least, I made one for my brother's granddaughter. As of this post, she hasn't received it yet as it is sitting in the post office waiting for her mommy to pick up the package. I didn't want to post any of these pictures until the last child received their quilt so it would be a surprise. I hope she and mommy love it. This may be my favorite of all of them. Maybe.
They are all large and fun with cozy batting inside so they'll be warm too. They can also be wall hangings. Now, I am working on my 3rd owl. I am helping my friend with hers. With a much different color scheme, I think it will be very cute. Should be finished soon. The cutting and marking the quilting lines are the hardest part. The sewing together is a breeze.

Thanks for stopping by!

KEEPING BUSY

I've really been busy now that I have all of this "free" time on my hands. I'm trying to get a lot done before I'm out of commission for a little while (the big day is coming up this Thursday!). I've been cleaning out closets and drawers, making Good Will donations, helping a friend with a sewing project, baking for my synagogue's special upcoming event, knitting and scrapping.

I keep finding things to scrap about from our 2011 trip to NYC. This photo is from our gastronomical tour around New york. I think this is the best picture of the two of us from this vacation. We were in DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) where there were trendy restaurants and some shops. It is starting to get very popular. AND, we had the Brooklyn Bridge in the background ; can't get better than that!

This photo is of my sister's two grandchildren. I just love that he's pointing to his cheek and she gave him a kiss. My dad used to do that whenever he wanted a kiss...he'd just tap on his cheek with his finger. Very sentimental to me. I don't know if they told him to do this or he did it on his own, but it's very cute!
I'm sure I'll do more layouts in the next week or so, so stay tuned...

AM I REALLY POSTING ABOUT THIS???

You bet I am! It's may seem strange to blog about a new washer and dryer but you have to understand why.

First of all, my old dryer is old...bought when we first moved to Louisville back in the late 80's. So, we certainly got our money's worth out of it. But, strangely, I'd become attached to it. I knew it and all of its idiosyncrasies, like how many times I had to run it to get my clothes dry and how to clean out its hard to reach lint vent. but, I digress...

OLD

Then there's the washer that really wasn't so old. I still have the sales slip dated 2005. But, I had to keep re-washing clothes. Spots didn't come out and sometimes there were white linty things all over some items. The times that I'd left tissues in pockets don't count. There were plenty of other times.

So, dear hubby insisted on getting a new washer and figured we might as well get a pair. But as we were looking at these appliances I found new developments in the washer world. The latest thing is that they've done away with the agitators...you know, those tall things that spin back and forth in the center of the bin? Then, they've done away with warm rinses. They are all cold now...more energy efficient, you know. The final thing is that the water level is all automatic...you can't set it yourself. The washer decides your water level based on the weight of what's in your washer. Smarty-pants!

NEW

This last thing posed a problem. You see, I felt. That is I knit or crochet things with wool yarn and then I shrink them in a process called felting (I won't get more technical). Felting requires hot water and lots of agitation. So, I had to find a machine that still had the center agitator and a way to change the water level.. YAY, I found it. But, the catch is that within 6 months, my new washer will be obsolete; won't even be available! Phew! I got mine just in time!

So, you see, blogging about my new washer isn't so silly after all! But, strangely, I still miss my old mismatched pair. I won't even get into the gory details on why the pair were delivered one day and the plumber's visit and leaking hose and finally getting the washer hooked a week and a half later...

MADE A NEW FRIEND

Our once a month girls night out took us to Mark's Feed Store in Middletown. I only wish I could have eaten the b-b-q as that is their main stay. No b-b-q for me since November 2010 due to my sensitivity to tomatoes! So sad! But, I had a great salad with salmon in it. But, boy, did that b-b-q smell great!! Definitely NOT worth the migraine that comes along with the tomatoes (most of the time). Plus, I'm getting ready for Steph's wedding so I'm really watching what I am eating, especially since I gained an ungodly amount since this November. (Reunion, Cruise, Thanksgiving, laziness)


So, on to my new friend...

This is Danny (with Doreen), Doreen's special friend and now he's all of our friend too! He was SO much fun!

Danny, showing off his blingy pockets. He just wouldn't stand still so the picture is a bit blurry. Let's just say Danny loves to wiggle. :D

We had good company; we were only missing 2 people last night. One has been MIA for 2 months (Where are you Karen??) and the other just HAD to move to Arizona. Some excuse! Sometimes Laura joins us by Skype but just couldn't do it in the restaurant. Well, maybe we could have but I didn't think of it and we've used my husband's laptop for the last couple of months. Sorry Laura!

And, what's with the 2 pair of glasses, Pam? Trendsetter, you!!

Of course we couldn't forget our traditional foot picture. See anything different??

Maybe this will give you a hint. It's official. We now have our first honorary Red Hot!

Once again, we had a great evening. Thanks to Doreen for her selection. See you all next month!

TODAY'S FINDS

Pinterest strikes again! I wanted to make some pedestal plates so I went out to search for just the right parts. Here's what I came up with. No, they are not glued together just yet but I will do that soon. I need to find just the right adhesive.



Yay! Feels so good to plan something and actually (almost) complete it. And the best part...the parts cost $1 to $1.50 per piece. So, no including the glue, the plates will cost $2 to $2.50 each. That sure beats spending a minimum of $15 for a pedestal cake plate!

HANUKKAH CAME TWICE THIS YEAR!

It's great to have a fun holiday last just a little longer than normal. This season's Hanukkah did just that. Today we got 2 belated Hanukkah gifts from our girls.

Today, Tracy handed me her gift; a beautiful memory tray with tons of great detail. I've been thinking of making a tray like this for quite a while, but I've too many projects going on right now. So glad Tracy beat me to it!

Then, today's mail brought a gift from Steph and Grant, her fiance. They sent us a beautiful framed photo of the two of them. This pic was part of their engagement photo shoot, although I don't remember seeing this one. It's such a great photo!


I feel so lucky to have 2 great daughters that always think of both Frank and me.

I MADE YARN...NOW WHAT?

I was very reluctant to start with Pinterest, Very. When my daughter sent me that first invitation, I just deleted it. I did not want to get involved with anything else on the internet. I wanted to simplify not add to my life. I don't remember how or why I finally started looking but, boy, am I glad I did. There are so many great ideas!


Making t-shirt yarn is my latest thing. The tutorial was easy as was finding the shirts. Now, I have a small basket full of t-shirt yarn in lots of colors and don't know what to do with them now.

Do I make a hook rug?

Or a crochet rug?

Or, How about a crochet basket?

Anyway I look at it, I probably don't have enough right now to start AND finish anything. And, I thought I bought a lot of shirts. I guess it's back to the thrift stores!

ON BEING PRODUCTIVE

I've been home since late December. I got sick and have been having a hard time shaking this upper respiratory infection and having some asthma trouble as well. I haven't consistently needed a rescue inhaler in about 9 years. I have been SO under control that the asthma just hasn't been an issue and I forget that I even have it (since 10 years old). I've been limiting my time outdoors; I'll run one errand and then come home. And, I cover my face so I don't breathe the cold air.


So, what does one do when you don't go to work and have to stay home? Create!! And, I have a lot to work with. Just before I got sick we went to Florida for my jr. college sorority reunion and then went on a cruise. Plus there were other events during 2011 that I've been wanting to scrap. It feels good being productive but I do miss going to work too. I wish there were a happy balance. I know I'll get better but it's still going to take a few weeks.

The family all got together for Thanksgiving...a rare treat.

And, of course, there was a bit of just plain fun & silliness.

This layout is about my group of friends that call ourselves Red Hots. Whenever we get together we (almost) always manage to get a foot picture. Not sure how this tradition got started but we always have fun with it.

And, of course, I can't forget Adam Luther. He had a great time this Halloween, dressing up as a magician. One of his best friends "trick-or-treated" with him as a dragon.

These next layouts are about the cruise. This was Frank's first cruise. Not sure he'll do it again but it was a trip we'll never forget.

Thanks for peeking in my life for just a little moment. I hope to be back with more.