The Treasure Principle

Since I’m pretty much been stuck at home, mostly sleeping but sometimes not.  When I am awake I can’t be too active so I try to at  least keep my mind active.  My reading stack is way out of control and so I picked up a harmless looking book off the top and started reading.  It was a book I got at Church, The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn.  It didn’t take me long to read it but it really made me take stock of what I have and take advantage of.  I never thought of myself as “wealthy” but by his terms I am.  I was amazed at the amount of giving in his examples.  What really caught my attention was when he talked about giving in other ways like volunteering.  He said God gives you talents that you are meant to use them to help others.  Most people think about how they can make money from their talents.  You can also help by giving your time by volunterring.  There is a lot packed into this little book!  Check the link on the left called “Bugs picks on Amazon” to get your own copy.

“A good deed is never lost: he who sows courtesy reaps friendship; and he who plants kindness gathers love.”
―Basil

Comfort colors?

Is there such a thing?  I know there are comfort foods but colors? 

I have been sick for a while now but I was having an especially painful day today.  I finally got to the point where I couldn’t stand it any longer and took some pain medication.  As I laid on the couch waiting for it to kick in my eyes caught the ragged waist band of my sage green lounge pants.  The elastic could be seen in a few areas and although I know most people would throw them out my thought was actually, “how can I fix that?”.  These pants are always the thing I look for when I’m not feeling well.  Well, then I noticed that my shirt was a newer-not-so-washed shade of the same color…..and as I looked around I noticed my blanket, and my couch and even my curtains and area rug in my living room are the same color.  It makes since to me that if sage green equals comfort to me that my couches and other things in my livingroom where I live to be comfortable would be that color…. and my blanket that I like to snuggle with when I don’t feel well of course needs to be that color.  The curtains, well I guess they had to go with the couch.  I’m just glad my mashed potatoes aren’t that color.

Is it just me or do other people have a comfort color?

Giraffe blanket

Well, I finally finished the body of the blanket and last night I added “grass” and the trim to finish the edges off nicely.  Now I’m working on the tree and that’s certainly interesting.  I learned a new stitch in the process.  Well, it’s a decrease actually and I had to go to google to learn how to do it before I could continue.  What I found interesting was the page I learned the stitch from was the same place I bought the pattern from.  Good ‘ol Annie’s Attic! 

So hdc dec means half double crochet decrease and here is where you can learn how to do it –> http://www.freepatterns.com/content/content.html?content_id=8  There is even a quick time video.

Handmade Especially for You

I’m trying to brighten up my thinking so I’m brightening up my text as well ;O) 

I was reading my email and came across this information about Handmade Especially for You which is another charity where people can use their talents for crochet or knitting to help others.  Leslye Borden makes handmade scarves in soft and beautiful fibers to brighten the day of a battered woman.  You can read the article from Crochet! Magazine by clicking  here

I think this is a beautiful idea.  I would help if I weren’t already hosting Project Linus for this area.  I can spread the word though.  I think this is a wonderful cause. 

No news is not always good news

I went to the doctor again for the umpteenth time and again…..a big fat nothing.  The most recent tests I did also came back perfectly normal.  So STILL no clue as to what is causing my abdominal pain although my stomach is getting more and more upset.  Ever since this started I have been only able to eat bland foods.  I would have some lightly flavored yogurt for breakfast and then white rice was the only other thing I wanted.  I have eaten boxes of white rice.  This past week it got a lot worse.  I’ve had bad heartburn and no appetite at all.  I went several days without eating anything but a few crackers.   I was so tired and weak that I slept most of the time.   When I would try to take a few bites of something to try to get my energy up I noticed that the pain I’ve been having would suddenly start hurting worse a while after I ate it.   Then last night I woke up dry heaving.  Every time I layed back down it would start again and  I would have to rush for the bathroom, only I didn’t have anything in my stomach to throw up.  So, today the doctor prescribed me something for my stomach and got me an appointment with a surgeon for an assessment.  She said they might want to do an EGD (scope into the stomach).   She faxed all of my info to him (all of which says I’m perfectly fine only in severe pain).    Anyway, I guess I have some hope from that.  I have to count my blessings; Things could be worse.

Giraffe blanket

I have been working steadily on the baby blanket for my friend even though it’s slow going.  I slept a lot today.  It’s a cute pattern though.  I got it from annie’s attic (anniesattic.com).  It’s the Giraffe Afghan & Pillow Pattern Pack.  It even has instructions to make a toy giraffe to go with it.  Right now though, I’m just concentrating on the blanket.  My colors at a little different too.  The exact shades were not available where I was at so I have a darker green and the other colors are just the closest shades I could find.  I couldn’t even find fun fur in green so I’m going to try something fuzzy…… we’ll see how it looks.  If it doesn’t look right I’ll order some fun fur online.  I’ll post a picture as I get a little more accomplished.

Odds and ends

So I need to update.  The surgeon didn’t find anything they would help with.  They did blood work and everything came back normal.  So I went to another doctor, my regular doctor.  She’s the one that knew my appendix was screwed up years back even though the tests didn’t show it.  So she ordered a bunch of lab work and x-rays.  I even did them at her clinic instead of the hosptial (which would have saved money) because she would get the results sooner.  So that was one week ago now.  My appointment is at 10:30 am (Tuesday).  If they don’t know what’s going on I’m going to cry.  I haven’t been out of my house except to go to the doctor appointments and my husband has to take me everywhere because it hurts all the time.  I’m already decided on a next route though.  I’m going to see a female internist I work with to see about a colonoscopy.  My mom had bad ulcerative colitis and I think the pains I’m having are in the area of my large intestine (pretty much all of it).  So if this  other doctor waited a week to tell me zip then I’m going to the internist or the ER….. whichever comes first.  Sometimes I’m doing okay (usually first thing in the am) and then it starts building.  I can only take it for so long.  It’s like a migraine that makes you want to slam your head into a wall after 3 days of it. 

Oh, and on top of all of this I found out that a friend of mine was killed in a motercycle accident a few months ago and I didn’t even know until I went to her facebook page to leave her a note.  Some friend I am huh?  She was a great friend and I really miss her.  I do feel sorry for the poor young guy who hit her because he will have to live with that. 

Anyway, that’s enough depressing stuff.  I’m keeping myself busy by crocheting.  I finished a blanket for Project Linus.  I sewed Project Linus tags on some other blankets that were donated and my husband delievered 15 to pediatrics.  He said the nurses were so glad to get them.  I’m glad.  Now I’m working on another blanket for a co-worker’s baby.  She’s due soon so I’m hoping to get it finished in time.  If not, she’ll get it later than sooner.   I have found that if I fall asleep when I’m crocheting something it doesn’t get all messed up like knitting does.  If I take pain meds I will fall asleep sooner or later. 

Okay, cross your fingers and say some prayers.  I need some answers.

Fear is my biggest obstacle

I am an anomaly.  As always, whenever I get sick I end up leaving everyone scratching their heads.  It never fails, they run test after test and nothing.  Before my appendix was removed they did every test they could and nothing showed up.  My white cell count never budged.  It never changed then or ever.  I think they are on strike or something.  In the end they did exploratory surgery and my appendix was about to burst.  I’ve had my gallbladder removed.  No symptoms and them boom, sick as a dog and hospitalized.  I’ve had kidney stones before so I thought I had them again but they did a CAT scan today and nothing.  Now I have a consult with a surgeon tomorrow and I’m really scared.   I am the type of person who is afraid of IV’s.  I have nightmares of all the little holes they’ve put in my veins popping back open and then bleeding to death.  I know it’s insane.  So, now they want to cut me open to just rummage around for something unknown.  If only I can get past the IV……

Quote of the Day – Robert H. Schuller – “Tough times never last, but tough people do.”

God let me be one of those tough people.

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.”
―Ambrose Redmoon

Barbs galore

I am so excited to have 4 new fish in my tank.  I love adding to my little family.  I love barbs and I finally got a couple green tigers and a black ruby barb.  I also got an albino tiger barb to replace the one I lost.  I blame it on karma for naming the fish “white trash”.  Bad Donna!  Well, I’ll have to come up with a better name for this one.  

My new fish certainly better eat up because they are way smaller than the gang of tigers I’ve had for a while now.  I sure hope they are fast little buggers. 

Well, while shopping I also found out that the fish I bought at Petco a while back as a “tetra” is really a rosy barb!  I guess I already knew they didn’t know their fish from their butt but this fish just didn’t even look like a barb to me.  It is interesting how I seem to be attracted to barbs.  There is no way I’d go back to guppies.  I would die to have this huge tank full of tinfoil barbs that this guy had at Fishtopia.  They are gorgeous!!!!  The smallest was probably 7 inches long!  And, while I was checking out the fish I was being followed by a tortoise on foot.  It was the size of a small dog….. well, about the size of my beagle minus head and legs. 

haha, that reminds me of a silly joke a friend of mine loves to tell over and over….  Where do you find a dog with no legs?

 

Right where you left him.  *ba dah dum tah*

Knots of love

I think this sounds like a great Charity.  I was just reading my email and came across this information from Crochet! magazine about Knots-of-love.  http://www.crochetmagazine.com/newsletters.php?mode=article&article_id=160&key=NL00

I think this sounds like something I could get into…. inbetween making blankets for Project Linus of course ;O)