Much relieved!

I talked to the nurse at the hospital who went to my mom's room and helped her get the phone. My mom sounded MUCH stronger and better than yesterday. I am so relieved. She is such a trooper! The nurse said that she hadn't been my mom's nurse for much more than an hour, but it was her impression that she is "sharp as a tack." That's my mom.

Worried

It has been awhile since I wrote a blog entry and for that I am sorry. I'm busy at work, and when I get home, I get busy with jewelry and Ebay selling, and talking to my friends. I now instant message with two other beaders and it is so much fun to learn and offer each other sugggestions, encouragement and lots of compliments!

My mom is sick again. She was doing so well, and Tuesday was even out in the back yard, but she said she felt something in her chest and...now she is in the cardiat unit at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City. After some soul searching, I decided to fly out there. I looked at airfares to see what the costs would be. From Boston, with short notice, it is about $700. I found a flight from Manchester NH to OKC for $279 yesterday, leaving on Sunday, and I grabbed it. At that low price, I can afford to go there again on Feb. 22 when I have another flight scheduled. Two trips is better than one I figure, and we all hope that mom can pull out of this. She is in a good hospital with good care, and I am turning the rest of it over to God. I am going to work today, and wish I could fly tomorrow, but...I decided to wait one more day. I hope I made the right decision. It weighs on me.

Sometimes I think that we just have to do the best we can, and bumble through, and try to do the next best thing.

I promise to write before I go, and also from Oklahoma.

Have a great day.

If you want to find me, here I am at my jewelry worktable. 

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Let's play more Hearts.

A few years ago, George and I started attending the annual Hearts Party at church that they hold around Valentine's Day. Since I was not a Heart player, I was slightly intimidated and wanted very much not to make a fool of myself. This feeling was accentuated by the fact that at the end of the evening, they crowed a King and Queen of Hearts, (people who had the lowest scores), and they announced the Joker...the person who had the highest score. They make these announcements of the winners in church and I desperately did not want to be announced the next morning at the church service as the "joker". I was so desperate, that it almost sorta ruined the fun for me.

I won't go into the long version here, but I played so well the second year that I attended, that I was the Queen of Hearts. It was incredibly lucky, since I am not an experienced Heart player. The third, fourth and fifth year of this event, the job of hosting this event has fallen to me by default. So, I made a few new rules: the evening would start earlier, at 7 p.m.; the evening would entail only three games instead of four, so we would be out of there long before 11:00 p.m., which was way too late for most of us; and there would be NO Joker. Woohoo. No one has to be recognized to the congregation as the worst card player of the evening. The person who had the highest score could leave merrily on their way knowing that their misfortune (or just stupid card playing) would not be announced to the whole congregation in the morning.

These were very good changes, and everyone likes them. Typically, about thirty people come, and this year it will be held on February 11th in the church fellowship hall. People bring delicious snacks and desserts, and we always have a really good time. George and I will set the tables and make up the score sheets and get out the Moon Hat the the person wears who "shoots the moon".

We are going out Saturday night to play Hearts at our friend's house. Pizza and cards. And a little much needed practice!

Have a great day!

Say yes to more time off

A few months ago, without me asking for it, my hours were cut from 40 a week to 30 a week. I get off Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 and I have Fridays off. There is a hit to the bottom line, that is for sure. My paycheck positivly creaks with lack of grease. However, I have come to look forward to each week more because there is a lot more time for what I really want to do--be creative.

I quickly learned that having a day off each week does not mean that I do more housework--although there is some time for that. Usually I spend Fridays creating new jewelry and listing jewelry items for my store in Ebay: Sparkleandcharm. This can take up most of the day, and in the afternoon I go shopping for supplies, or make something good for dinner. It is amazing to me how much time running my Ebay business takes. I spend almost one whole day each week, as well as at least two hours each day. This is not always selling, mind you, I wish it was. There is a lot of noodleing with listings, improving on pictures, writing to my friends, surfing to other sellers and buyers to do "research", and talking with my jewelry group. And, of course, there is always the purchasing from other Ebayers for beads and findings. I am always happy to support one of my buddies on the Bead Hive, the Ebay jewelry group that I enjoy so much.

We recently had four days off, and to show for them, I have a well organized beading area, a few new bracelets and necklaces, a new polymer clay area in the kitchen, and a few polymer heart pendants that are almost "sale" quality. I have been encouraged by my friends remarks that they think my polymer roses and hearts should be selling right now for at least $20. Nothing like a compliment to make you run for the work bench.

Tonight, after work, it is back to the clay table to perfect my polymer hearts. There is someting to be said for working shorter hours when I get to spend more time working at what I really love to do.

Have a great day.

George is in Hawaii so i had time to work with polymer clay. My first necklace. It looks rather elementary, my dear. But...maybe I'll wear it to the Hearts party at church. It is sorta cute...completely home-made. 

I went to K-Mart today for some beading organizers, and found this velour throw. It seemed like just the thing for Thunder to sleep on so that she wouldn't keep coming to my computer chair for a nap. She loves it. I love the color that matches her beautiful orange coat. 

George goes to Hawaii -- again

George left at six o'clock this morning for Hawaii on a business trip. He is coming back home on Sunday. Three days in paradise. Doesn't seem long enough to me, so I urged him to stay longer if he can. And I gave him my shopping list for fresh-water pearls, which they sell, and which I can make some lovely jewelry.

Kitty and I are alone and it is a long weekend. I should have time to make lots of pretty items for my next show, clean the house, and still have time left over to play Everquest and read a book.

Have a safe trip George!

Mike and Mommo 

Michelle and Michael

This weekend was an especially wonderful weekend. My mother is home safe and sound after a stay in the hospital. And Michael called to tell me he had given Michelle an engagement ring. I cannot be happier, and every time I even think of it I get tears of happiness in my eyes. It is amazing to have a wonderful son who found a lovely woman to share his life with who is just as nice as he is! They are a wonderful couple and I am thrilled beyond words!

Happy Engagement my dears, and may you live long and prosper!

A day of rejoicing

Today is a very good day. After several days of knowing that my mom was in the hospital with pneumonia, and not being able to reach her, I called this morning and she answered the phone. She is leaving the hospital today and going home. "Home sweet home", she said. She said she is steady on her feet now, although her back hurts. I'm sure she is looking forward to her nice soft bed at home. She is also looking forward to eating an apple, (she is 96 years old...one apple at a time), and putting a little salt on her food. They had her on a no salt diet because they wanted to get rid of the extra fluid brought on by the IV. She said she was going to go buy some Morton's No Salt. She is up on things, and ready to try to do what the Doctor orders. She checks her blood sugar each morning, and reports that today it was down to 100. She is a crackerjack at taking care of herself and I am so proud of her!

All I know is, this is a joyous day for me. I am home working on jewelry, and it is such a relief knowing that she is ok, and that she and I have a phone date for six o'clock this evening. I have missed talking to her, since she didn't have a phone handy enough to her hospital bed to answer it. Seems that hospitals could have cordless phones like the rest of us.

I am happy happy happy. Have a great day.

Blue lights!

I got stopped by the police last night on my way home from work. I had just crossed a railroad crossing, and I hadn't slowed down much. The police cruiser is always there, and lo, he pulled out quickly and followed me and pulled me over. Eeek. I was trying to remember if I was airborne when I crossed those tracks. I had no idea what I had done, but I thought maybe I didn't slow down enough or something.

Turns out, my inspection sticker on my car window reads 11. That is a no no. I Was going to tell him that I have been very busy with beading and Christmas preparations, but he didn't actually ask me anything or give me any time to talk. He was the nicest man! He said, "I'm not going to give you a ticket." Those were his first words. He said, "I'm going to give you a warning so you can keep it in your glove box, so if you get picked up, the next policeman won't give you a ticket either." He said, "Tickets go to insurance companies and then they raise their fees." Then he asked if I was related to a police officer named Danny Shea (I am not), who he particularly liked and said was "a hard working policeman, unlike most of them." Oops.

I like policemen. He could not have been nicer. It took a while for him to write the warning ... and needless to say, I am here happy enconsed at home this morning while the shining white knight George is off with my car to get the inspection sticker. An extra cup of coffee for me this morning. Two nice fellas!

Have a great day!

Back To Work

After all the holiday celebrations, it is back to work today. Seems strange not to have any holidays coming up. I'm making pink bracelets to sell for Valentines Day, but that hardly counts as a real holiday. Maybe for candy and flower stores it counts. I notice a lot of ads on TV for diets and exercise equipment. It is time to stop eating cookies and chocolates and pack up that lunch bag again with fruit and yogurt. I had fun, now it is back to reality.

Last night we did not achieve our goal of getting the Christmas tree undecorated. I'm reading a good book about the six unfortunate wives of Henry VIII, and I decided that was more important. By the time George came home from errands, it was already dark and time for a little soup supper. So we still have that to look forward to...blegh.

So, we get out our new 2006 calendars and start marking off the days with church meetings, board meetings, and hopefully a few fun nights out. I have not yet resorted to adding Weight Watcher meetings to the calendar, but the jury is still out. We will see how I do by myself.

Have a great day.

Is there such a thing as too much holiday?

I had four days off for Christmas and four days off for New Year, and only 2 1/2 work days. I hate to say it, but life will be good when it gets back to normal. George and I have been thinking about taking the Christmas decorations down, but we are only in the thinking and planning stages. We bought two huge red and green bins today, and that will help us next year. Last year packed things in boxes, and they were so hard to find in the attic that we never did find everything this year. But we had enough so that nothing was missed.

Today I made black eyed peas for good luck in the New Year, a southern tradition. They were delicious. I added sauteed vegetables, tomatoes, Cajun spices, and pieces of ham from the Honey Baked ham we had at Christmas. My New Year Resolution is to eat more salads, and the past three days I have served a salad. So far, so good.

Tomorrow we are going to the movies to see Memoire of Geisha. Then it is take down the tree decorations time, and then off to work on Tuesday.

A good thing. Have a great day.

My "christmas shawl". I started it on New Years Eve when Mike was here visiting and finished weaving the last thread in as the ball dropped on New Years Eve. Have a great New Year everyone!