2 for the road....

two for the road....a delightful creative weekend....this morning, I had a hubby that made the most delicious cup of coffee and french toast, then sent me to the studio to relax and create.

So I came up with two this morning..I love them both!!! Mostly I made a huge giant mess!! You should see the studio I am pretty sure a tornado hit, not me! Pictures of the disaster tomorrow....

Thank you for sharing!~L.

when all else fails....

make a great hat....It still amazes me that a little bit of yarn and one little hook can make something delightful...

It is so great to have a finished product that you can wear in public...hehehe

The first one I originally made a tiny little one for a sweet friend's baby. I then adjust the pattern for Belle. It is adorable, just not any to big. She said also that it isn't very warm. You know how it is to look good, you got to give up for fashion.

Then came the second one it is chunky, heavy, big and warm warm warm. This is one that a girl should wear here with all our cold weather. She loves this one. I reserve comment I am thinking it is to big, I can barely see her eyes. She thinks that rocks, go figure.

I love to make them! They work up fast and instant satisfaction.
Thanks for stopping...~L

it's a love hate hate kinda thing.....

The yellow elephant in the room......

okay well hate is a strong word..........I disliked this enormously!!!

It is a most basic crocheted throw...it is of the sweetest yellow and it is just the right size for a girl to pull on and cozy up to a great big book. I am done with this number and I have no plans to cozy with it ever...

I started this little number LAST winter when I was under the weather I must have been out of mind. I know I was out of my mind!!!! I have not enjoyed this project one single ounce, even when it was done I want to pack it up and hide it away.

For starters I had put it away and started something new. Then 18 inches from the end I run out of yarn! Really. I have a search team looking for this cheap, scratchy yarn that I am not loving. No luck. the project again gets put away. Only to find in my stash one last skein hidden in the depths of the miles of yarn that live here. Then the excuse was no more I must finish this number. There you have it, done done done.

Rule #1: Never start a creative project and not finish it in a timely matter. You'll have a hard time going back to it. I have created so many delightful things since this has been in the cardboard, growling at me.
Rule #2: It is ok to let the project go. I can't just give up, I had to finish. I needed a "clean plate" if you will.
Rule #3: Your not going to "love" everything you create. That's okay!
Rule #4: Admit and move on.
Rule #5: Don't gift it away either.

Today, life is about this crazy project, It may not always be pretty, you may not always love it, but in the end you need finish what you start. You need to face it and realize it isn't magically going to go far away. You'll be happier with yourself. You'll be able to look at it with a sense of accomplishment.

This is my little yellow elephant: now my yellow piece of mind. I climbed the yellow yarn mountain and I have won!!

Yay for me!!

In the end it is not so bad, kinda springy and kinda done. I am fairly sure that the next time you stop to visit you probably won't find it, it will be on that estate sale when I am dead!!

Have a great yellowy, scratchy day! A day of a finished project!!

~L.

a dreamy field....

of delightful layouts.....

days gone by....

dreaming of days gone by.....I woke this morning trying so hard to touch and smell the dream I was floating in.

I walked in the backdoor of my Gramma's house and as I looked up at her, I realized I was small again. She greets me with a hug and waits to see if I remembered my verse for Sunday school that day..She seemed pleased and moves quickly back to her business in the kitchen.

Today I am especially lucky because the laundry is going and she has been ironing. Oh how wonderful the house smells. The oven is full of baked goodness and on the stove top waits lunch. I could only hope that we are staying for dinner. It looks like fried chicken...but right now I smell something divine and fresh coffee.

The dinning room is already full of life my aunts are laughing and passing around magazines. One is sewing and another is knitting. Their chatter is almost overwhelming. I want them to slow down and breathe in this moment with me. It's Gramma's she is here!!I see her apron and she keeps moving in the kitchen. Her little dog is eating and not overly happy we are here.

Look she made us chocolate milk (old school) nothing is more delicious.

She never comes to sit with us, she is just busy cooking and shuffling throughout the kitchen. I heard the pans and her laughter as she chimes in the conversation. I only wish I knew what they were talking about.

I wake only wanting her to come in the dining room with us, I can feel her with me, I can seeing her moving, I can smell her. It's not enough, I want to embrace her and I want her to stop for just a moment and tell me something, everything....I want to hold her tight and never let go of the moment. I want her to know I remembered my verse, today.

Missing Gramma....

scrappin' goodness

This started with a dab of mist that lead to machine stitching, and painting the edges.

Well that only got carried away from there and each of the patterned papers are machine stitched together, seamed open and stitched to the card stock. The patterned papers are bits and pieces of things I should have tossed long ago. But I often can't help myself, some of those bits are perfect for just this, finishing touches of goodness....

Progress report: I am up and around slowly, my spine feels like a giant thing growing out of my body. I described it this morning to feel like the size of a giant couple of cans of vegetables in my back. I was thinking of the diameter of that can. I can feel where the bones of my spine are missing, that's icky!

It is simple the process is moving forward, and we are happy with that. Some days I am at a stand still, but everyday I am always grateful. I can feel the days will come that I will not only walk but I will dance with joy for this life. This years surgery is bigger than last years I guess but it is easier, maybe because I could plan for this one. Unless it is just because I am getting good at this!

In the end of this I am wanting it to be all better now, I have never been known for my patience.

~L

yumies yumies yumies.....

back to busy.........lovelies

evening in the midwest....

I could imagine what this poor, poor snowman must have felt like.....losing his head.... It is wonderful to live here and be negative negative negative something something for days and then boom!!

Here it is above zero and 50* plus and everything is melting away!! Yay!! They keep reminding us that snow is coming and the snowy months are still coming but, I say it is melting and that is a happy dance kinda thing!!

I have seen a good share of walkers and joggers today. Even in shorts! Love it!

The recovery is going well, and I am back to work a bit. Walked outside yesterday to the mailbox with a little help, but we still got there and back in one piece. Joy!! Crazy to think three weeks ago even happened and here we are today. Another happy dance moment. I realize things are going take time, but I couldn't ask for more. This is good.

Man it is down right tropical here!!! It is 6 pm and not even dark yet!!

Come on spring!

~L

my path....

I am sharing a favorite photo today....It is my path...well I guess it's not mine, exactly...it belongs to the family and to the woods. But I claim it! This path has seen many years of farming, hunting, walking, flooding, snowmobiler's, outdoors men, and creatures. But for me this path is worth so much more than anything one could give or take.

Each year it is forever changing, adjusting to the climate and new growth. yet, it remains open and quietly waiting for you take it and embrace its destination. Which, usually will grant and Bald eagle or maybe a deer or two... But the one thing it saves for each visit, isn't something you can always see, hear, smell, or touch...

It is peace....when you reach the path in the woods, the world stops. It never gets in. This path holds all the secrets, the dreams and wishes for a good life...Today I want to thank this path, for also taking on my burdens.

While I was at the edge of a critical point in the hospital, and in extreme pain. A sweet nurse walked this path with me and talked me down this path and away from my pain. We listened, to the birds and the crackle of the sticks below our feet. We could smell the breeze and feel the peace. I was there and as the pain intensified this path engulfed me and pulled me away, it shut out the world.

I was gone. I was at peace. I was pain free. I was soft. I was unseen. I was happy.

When I woke, my life had rested, and was ready to try again. To survive..

Welcome to my heaven......... ~L

journal..

It's been 2 1/2 weeks since my surgery. Welcome to the pity party.....

Yesterday started out so good, then boom migraine and hot shiver shakes. I can't get rid of them. I am so tired....I want to cry, scream, and run away from this body that is failing me.
I only wish that I could keep moving forward and no longer have to continue to take those steps backward every few days. This body is no longer my own it is broken and doesn't wish to be strong. I feel as if my limbs are attached only by a thin string dangling them to the sides of me unable to fall into rhythm and just work.

Maybe the reason I say it like that is because when the surgery took place in order to get to the tumor they had to remove sections in my back of spine and those sections were not replaced with anything. I can feel the empty section in my back. They plan to have scar tissue grow and replace the missing bone structure. Really? I only wonder how it will do this, I get the process. But think about it for now there's nothing....and no brace or anything to keep me in line. I have had to learn to move again, the simple task of walking down a hall. I had to learn to move my arms and offer my body strength I didn't have. To get out of bed is so hard...for many days I cried. I'm still crying.. To sit in a chair...to get up from that chair. To reach, to touch, to move, every detail has to be thought about. I have to plan how I'm simply going to get to the bathroom and more importantly how I'm going to get out on my own. To brush my teeth is a task that is painful. The doctors I am confident know what they are asking of me, but I imagine if it were them it might be different.

It is so frustrating to be depend on every movement, every detail, every second of every day the pain is there. It moves with me and keeps me from moving any inch. To think of the task of getting into bed and just resting is a two man job. We won't even discuss getting up. My body had become a sack of potatoes, it is all enclosed together but each potato or part moves loosely and out of order.

They had to remove a large section of the filum which in cases the spinal cord, because the tumor had grown larger than last recorded. That also means the nerve was attached, and is now gone. The feeling in my hip and leg is no longer, it is dead, they suggest in 18 months that feeling may return but there are no promises. Only if the nerve grows back and mends its self. The sheering pain that does come, down each leg is overwhelming, it stops me in my tracks and knocks me down each time.

I remember having to pull myself up less than a year ago from the last major surgery. This is harder physically than last time.

I know I will live thorough this, but for today I want to give up and just lie down. I am tired and I have only just begun.....

The pain is often times overwhelming. I can't believe I am doing this.....

5 days ....
Come Monday I have to be at my best.

~L

time heals all.....

As many have said...Time is an amazing thing....

I am working my way back too the start line...where you must pick yourself up, dust yourself off and plunge forward.
It is amazing how such a short time could take so long, and seem so big.

As l climb back from this surgery I am reminded of how life is filled little blessings. My surgery went well, with few complications. The tumor had grown and therefore with some nerve damage. We are hopeful that it is something that's not permanent but only time will tell.
I will hopefully move quickly from bed rest and walking with an aid, to back to my Independence.

Each night was a challenge and each day was a struggle. But during my time in the hospital I was so lucky to have amazing nurses that walked me through the pain to the other side. I woke in the night to find them praying with me and for me. Granting me strength to survive and offering me hope for a better tomorrow.

I have little things that need to mend but time heals all wounds. Yet the tumor was cancer free and for that we are celebrating. And giving thanks!

I am looking forward to getting back in the studio and creating with a whole lot of goodness....

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers, we are so very grateful!!!

xxoo~L