One more week..

before his line comes out! We are doing really well with it though, changing the bottle in the morning isn't that bad and the inconveniences aren't that great. Good thing he has a couple of baggy pants that won't show the bottle as much when he sticks it in his pocket. Monday we had the Home Health Nurse here to change his port and draw blood. I did not like her at all!!! First she was late and made us really nervous because his bottle was empty. She was more concerned to stay dry getting out of her car  than to get in the house, really, it took her forever to open that darn umbrella of hers and she was late already. Then she went to change the port and dropped the new cap. So she hands hubby the port and tells him to hold his breath while she gets another one. Now that can happen, but she just seemed really unprofessional. I was told to wipe the port for at least 15 seconds with the alcohol pad to make sure all the germs get killed, while she wiped it twice and was done. Huh?? That's his life you are fooling with, all we'd need would be a staph infection. Then she tells me to change the bottle after she is done with the rest, are you kidding me? You are already there gloved up and everything and you make me go wash up and all. That is just ridiculous if you ask me! anyway, I called the agency and told them I didn't want to see her again and to please send our old nurse back. She was soooo much more professional.

Guess what, guess what, I am so excited. I am going to meet Katie Pertiet next Saturday!!! It's the funniest story really. She posted these pics of her daughter with these little kittens and I said in a comment that I would snatch one up in a heartbeat, not really thinking anything of it. Here she writes back that they were available and if I really wanted one, she would arrange it. Knowing that she lives in Maryland I just asked her laughing if she included free shipping. There she answers back that she and her daughter would love to meet me half way to drop the cat of. Now, it's not even her cat, plus she is allergic! It just seems so nice, I was really impressed and how could I say no?! the girls of course were all over me and are already deciding on a name. I took one of the pictures Katie sent me to make a page

Isn't she just adorable? They are going for either Misty or Willow. What do you think? We are all really excited, I can't believe I am going to meet her, she is one of my idols and a great inspiration!

Today my Church choir had their annual get together. We went out to brunch and I took Rachel with me. It was a great place at a  local Hotel. The food was wonderful! Mediterranean salads and grilled fruit and all kinds of goodies. I was stuffed to the gills, I had to literally open my pants once we were in the car! It's going to be back to my diet, I am exploding out of all my clothes, especially since I am not training as much as I used to. which reminds me of my Physical Therapy which seems to help while I'm there, but as soon as I do anything, like planting seed yesterday and pulling weeds, then is back to pain and stiffness. I know it takes time. Enough of that, here are some more pages I did

these are all at Designer Digitals, all my credts can be found there in my gallery (see link on the right). I am taking Pattie Knox's new class at DebbieHodge.com. More digi skillz, it's awesome. We just learned how to rip paper (Spring LO) and how to emboss (Shhh, baby sleeping LO). Really awesome stuff and her instructions are so easy to follow. Of course I will need my papers to do it again, because there is not way I could remember the steps, at least for embossing. The ripping I got down now, but it takes a lot of practice to make it look good. That part isn't easy at all. The strips were easier, the paper is hard, it's so big.  

These two are for PixelCanvas. The girls there made some new kits, they are sooo talented. That's not even all of the new stuff. I have to make a few more pages. the credits for those can be found in my gallery at PixelCanvas (link on the right)

 

Three more days until the end of school. The kids really have a couple of half days and Wednesday they get out at 10AM. Why even go to school? But that's the way it is. Then we are done!!! Yeah!!! No more deadlines and assignments and all that for a while. then Gabrielle is going to be in 8th grade. Scary!!!

All right you all, that's it for today. If I may ask, please pray for my friend's special intention, she would be sooo happy to have people pray for her and I would so appreciate it!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! (or what's left of it)

Lazy Weekend

that is what we had. No Karate on Saturday, we just hung out and I scrapped a little. We went to Panera Bread and stuffed ourselves. Sunday we did a movie (Night at the Museum II) and went to Hoss's to eat. We were stuffed to the gills, or at least I was. I wasn't too long before Gabrielle was hungry again. I don't know where she puts it all. Today was Memorial Day of course and we did nothing. Well, Gabrielle slept over at Katie's and right now Rachel is at a friend's house too. All I do is run these kids around :)

I did 2 more 365 pages

 

I try to keep them looking similar, since they will be facing pages. I usually just flip the template for the second page

I did a page for PaperbagStudios. I really need to do more, she has some cool stuff. I really liked this fairly new kit of hers that I used here

Here are the credits for this one

PaperbagStudios
QuietGarden (doodle frame)
Signs of spring Kit (bird)
Gentle Reminder Kit
Darcy Kit (alpha)

font: LD chubby

 

Let's see what else, oh yeah, I did this one for PixelCanvas

It was so simple to do with Heather's gorgeous mask and that backlight from one of the Viva kits. Credits in my PC gallery.

This one too:

I kind of liked the circles with the different papers. this is with Ashley's new kit and again, credits in my gallery.

At DD I did the Saturday Scraplift, which I liked. That color combination is one of my favorites lately

Isn't she a cutie?

Six pages in three days isn't too shabby, huh! Of course I don't get anything else done. I have to force myself to make dinner and clean a little :) Major addiction going on here.

All right, the grill is lit, the ribs are pre-cooked and waiting for me, so I better get moving. I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day!

Project 365

I am really trying!!! I just did 4 pages in 48 hours or so. Yesterday I thought, if I had to do another one of them I might just have to start screaming! They can become so monotone and boring.... I try to add different little things to them but basically they always look the same. So yesterday I had to do a different page, man that felt good LOL. Here are the 365s

and here is the page I did yesterday for the Itunes challenge at Designer digitals

I had fun trying to figure out how to do those flaps, it took a lot of fiddling with the burn and dodge tool. I like the result though, it was worth it!

This one is from a couple of days ago, a heritage page challenge, at least this time it was the house and not me :)

That's actually my older sister with my Dad, people thought that was my Mom. My brother looks incredibly bored, doesn't he? I have so many memories about this garden and that sitting area. As little as I was, I remember the crooked pavement, the chairs would wobble all the time. I remember the bees and bugs that I was terrified of. My mom used to make those great cakes on Sundays and we would eat outside. those darn bugs wanted that fruit as much as we did. Oh how I love the memories of eating out there though, I really miss it and try to do it as much as I can in our yard. It's funny to see how my kids now are scared of the bugs...

Phil is continuing to improve. He feels normal again, which is just wonderful! I change his bottle every morning and I am pretty paranoid about it. Try not to breath on the port while cleaning it, keep everything sterile, don't touch anything and so on. We are halfway there, yesterday it was 2 weeks!

I finally got my porch cleaned, what a great feeling. That is always such a job, since it's so big and it gets so dirty, especially now with the Pellet stove. The exhaust is right on the edge of the porch, so the dirt blows right on the tile. Took a while, but it looks nice now and all my plants are outside again. I always love that look, so tropical

Look how shiny that tile is :) Pledge to the rescue! Not that it will last long, but it sure gives me a feeling of satisfaction!

The weather has been gorgeous lately, sunny and warm. All I can see is work that needs done outside. I haven't pulled any weeds, the sidewalk is turning green (boy how I hate that), all the old stems are still in the garden beds and on and on. At least my vegetable garden has been tilled, all I have to do is plant and mulch (like that is nothing :))

Well, time to get moving here, it's Saturday lazy morning time, I love it, but at some point one needs to get the butt upstairs to get ready for the day. We might make a run for Panera Bread at lunchtime. The kids and Phil love it!

First Day back to work

at least his first full day of work. I think this will be good for him, better than sitting around the house thinking about the worst. He's been on his IV Penicillin for a week now and is tolerating it well. He is feeling much better, his appetite is coming back and he is not bone tired anymore like he used to be. His color is still pretty bad and our friends really scared him yesterday when they told him. I think it just takes a little while longer, his body is still fighting this crap, that's why he has to be on the IV for 4 full weeks. Wednesday he has an appointment to see the Doctor and we will see what he says. He had some bloodwork done today, his count is still down, everything else was fine. I guess they check renal functions to see if he is tolerating the Penicillin, which was okay. I learned to change his bottle every morning, it's really not hard, I just have to be careful to keep the port really clean. I was a little paranoid at first, hands shaking etc. Now it's easier. It also can't get wet, so no showers. We have to do sponge baths. It's all doable, not that big a deal. I am thinking it is sooo much better than him having to stay in the hospital or being home with a big pole for the drip. Well, we keep our fingers crossed that the valve might not have to be replaced. I have so many people praying for him, it is so nice to have so many online and other friends who care enough to do that!

This month must be the worst out of the year, it seems that everything is scheduled now. All the field trips, the play, Karate testing, First Mass, appointments galore etc etc.... I can't wait for the end of school! It is so nice outside and I haven't bought a single flower yet. I finally started cleaning my porch and it's starting to look nice. Then I can put my house plants out there. It always looks so cool, like a tropical garden, I love to sit out there.

The kids had their play this weekend, annie Jr., it was quite cute even if Gabrielle didn't have a large role in it. It was still sweet! Maybe next year she can have a solo part. We are never hear when they do auditions, because we go to Cancun in the winter. Who knows what it is going to be like next year, maybe we won't be able to go.

I did manage to get a few pages done, that is my relaxation!

these are in my DD gallery where you can find the credits also.

These are in my PixelCanvas gallery, find the credits there. The links are on the right hand side. I loved this new PDF Vinnie just put out, it's a little walk through for the use of her new artist Overlays. They really are fun to work with and the results are so cool! Look at that page with Gabrielle, that's what I used for that one. I love that light from behind, so cool!

Well, that is all the news from around here, other than the fact that life is really busy and I am spinning my wheels, it seems like. Leaving comments in the galleries takes such a long time and going through blogs and keep everything updated is becoming a part time job :) Not that I am complaining, it's a lot of fun. I just wish I had more time to do it all and still get a lot of scrapping done. Oh well.

Tomorrow I will start some physical therapy for my back, I just hope that's going to help it some. It has been bothering me now for 6 months and it's not getting better on it's own, so I have to do something. Karate is really not much fun, when I can't do anything that involves jumping the least bit. We had to certify this past Saturday and it was like torture. They have this stupid thing at the end, it's called an endurance test, different things for different ranks. We had to do this thing that looks like you are doing the CanCan, stupid! Plus after doing basics, forms, sparring and all the other stuff for an hour, how much more prove of endurance do they need? But, you have to jump through the hoops when they ask you to, it's part of the game.

Okay, enough for today, I just hope I'll have a chance to do some scrapping today!

keep praying

Well, the did another echocardiogram and it shows damage to the heart valve, to what extent needs to be seen in the future. 2 weeks ago the echo was still okay, so the damage was done within the last two weeks, what a bummer. All we needed was for the blood cultures to be done sooner, but nobody thought about it. Had he not almost passed out the other day and had to be taken to the ER, they would still not have been ordered and he would still continue to be miserable and probably be getting a bone marrow biopsy to test for Lymphoma. Oh dear Lord, it just never ends. Well, no use crying over spilled milk, we just have to live with the facts and go from there. At least 4 weeks of IV antibiotics and then another echo to see what the damage is. If the valve needs to be fixed we'll have it done. At least he seems to feel better, no fever, no night sweats last night.... We went to see him twice today and he was so happy. He can't wait to come home!
Here is a page I did this morning. It's for the Itunes challenge at DD. I really like it, but not many people shared my enthusiasm :) That's okay, Rachel and I still like it. It's funny how people like some things that I find just okay and then dislike something that I really love. Different tastes I guess.












Credits as always in my DD gallery

I am really beat, it's time for me to turn in!

Update

Well, as we speak hubby is in the Hospital. I received a call this morning from the Hematologist who wanted him to be checked in as soon as possible. Scared the living daylights out of me, I had no idea what was going on. As it turns out they did a blood culture in the ER yesterday which did not come back until today and tested positive!!!! this means that he has a pretty serious infection in his bloodstream that needed to be treated immediately. They seem to think that it is settled in his heart valve (endocarditis). Anyway, he walked through the door just as I was speaking with the doctor, so we got his stuff together and took him down. They are really taking good care of him and I am sooooo relieved!!! this is far better than Lymphoma, very treatable if everything goes well and hopefully this is it!!! thank the Lord and thank you all for your prayers!!!!! I stopped down with the kids twice today and he was so happy to see them and they to see him. He'll have to stay in on IV antibiotics for a few days, then he'll have a port where they can give it to him every day for several weeks. We are both so relieved that there is an end in sight with this nightmare. No wonder he has been so tired these last few months, this poison has been circulating in his blood all these weeks, poor guy! They think that's why he almost passed out yesterday too, his body is just totally worn out. Oh, it will be so nice to see some color in his face again and get rid of those dark circles.

I was so happy, I had to make a page tonight

This is from Fr. Sylvan's 60th anniversary of his priesthood last weekend. He is the most wonderful person... I don't think you'll be able to read the journaling, but he is just the sweetest and most holy man! Credits as always are here

Still no answer

The saga of DH's sickness continues! He seemed to have gotten better, his appetite was back, he had more energy, we were so happy. Then a few days ago he started developing fevers. Nothing during the day, then at night he'd get them. Yesterday morning it was 102 - 103 and we got really scared. The nightsweats were still there, some nights more than others. So I pressed him to take the day off and we went to see the Hematologist. By now he does not believe it to be an infectious inflammation anymore, it's been there way too long. All the symptoms seem to point to Lymphoma! It's so scary! He has no swelling of any glands and nothing showed up on any of the scans so far. We have to wait a few weeks before we can repeat the CT scan of  the abdomen again (for insurance purposes, doesn't that stink) He also suggested a bone marrow biopsy at which point hubby's blood pressure tanked so much they had to put a saline IV into him and roll him to the ER. Poor guy, he felt better right away, but we had to sit there for 2 hours going through the EKG and chest X-ray routine anyway. At least his EKG was much better  than the last one he said (he knows since he is one of the official readers LOL). Thank God for small favors!  The doctor put him on naprosyn for a few days to see if that would take care of the fever, if it does it would indicate Lymphoma. Well, there was no fever last night or this morning, but the nightsweats were worse than ever! We'll see what today brings. He felt well enough to go to work today at least, although he is really scared. Who wouldn't be? The doctor also suggested some tropical infectious disease, I don't know, anything's possible. I told Phil to suggest a consult to the Infectious Disease guy, see what he has to say. Two days ago life seemed okay, now we are back to status quo......

Here are some pages I made in the last few days

These are done with Ashley Kennedy's new kits. She just started designing for Vinnie, very cute stuff!

Heather T is another new designer, I love her kits, her elements are gorgeous!

 

Viva Artistry is also new, gorgeous stuff, really nice for playing!

this is Vinnie's Little fire Man Kit! Isn't is adorable?

all the credits can be found in my gallery at PixelCanvas

Here is my other stuff

The weather here is gorgeous this morning, I wish I felt like going out there and doing some yardwork. I feel like I'm frozen. I guess we just have to wait and pray. Please if you don't mind, say some prayers for him!