Surgery Update . . .

Thanks so much for thinking of me everyone. I just actually thought I would try to get under my desk. I can see this will be a short lived experience until I can lose this leg brace. Doesn't feel real good but thought an update was needed.

Surgery went well and wasn't as long as expected which is good. He did the reconstruction of my ACL and the cartilage turned out to be in good shape so there was no need to repair it. I did however have a chipped bone which he fixed and smoothed out. The doctor took pictures and showed them to my DH while I was in recovery. I do have a few questions about the photos so they will be venturing to the doctor with me. The after surgery care instructions are a bit muttled but I intend to clear that up as well when I see the doctor on the 1st. I start physical therapy on Wednesday though I have to remain in this brace until my appointment with the doctor. I think a bunch of the pain comes from the leg being held straight with no bending.

The pain has been horrendous but manageable. The entire leg has been in pain since the surgery but it is getting better. Missing a pain medication dose on accident, I found, was a very bad idea. The incisions do look good though and that is a good sign. Though they really aren't incisions but I have been glued back together. Wonder if he scraps ??? There is still some swelling but no infection that I can see. I have some numbness around and below the knee but I am hoping that will go away soon. I just started using my cane today and put the crutches off to the side for the final time I hope. Not sure I am ready for therapy as I have heard some bad things about it. I did tell my DH I was not afraid to smack a man if needed. That meaning I refuse to let them put me in too much pain as I have had enough of that for a while.

That is about all I can stand for now. Not sure when I will be back on to post but I will be back when I can stand it under my desk.

Just Have To Share

The grandkids came over Sunday with their mother to share father's day with their Grandfather/Dad. It was so much fun to share some time with them all. Miranda baked a cake and some yummy italian dish. Tristan played with Grandpa and they took turns in the recliner. You know...Move your feet lose your seat. It was so funny, Tristan was trying to lure his grandpa out of the chair so he could steal it.

Avri is getting so big and of course cuter by the minute. Grandpa got her first since I was busy with the camera. She just loves him to death and talks to him when he talks to her. He even had her laughing and I managed a few good photos.

You see Avriana is sitting with Mommy on the left and looks tired. This was just after they arrived and just before Grandpa got to hold her. On the right she is laughing at her Grandpa because he said something funny.

This picture of Tristan is after one of the recliner battles.

He needed to get a drink to continue.

Grandpa has the right words to make you laugh it seems.

She is talking to him here and this is just before he had her laughing.

I think I am ready

They called me today to give me my surgery time. I will need to be at the hospital by 6 am and surgery will be at 7:30 am. If all goes right I should be home by noon. I am ready to get on with the healing but I am always amprehensive about surgery. The thought of everything I suppose always weighs heavy on me for some reason. I know it will be alright, I just need to get past the first few steps.

I think I will try to do a layout tonight. It will be the last one for a while as I won't be able to get to my computer. Sure hope they get something better on the tv's during the day. I suppose I could record some more shows at night to have something during the day to watch.

Only Two More Days

Two more days until my surgery, well tomorrow then in the am on Wednesday. I suppose I am ready but still a bit nervous just the same. I did a bit of research today on the ACL. This site here explains it pretty well. Anterior cruciate ligament repair It's interesting to know that women are 2 - 8 times more likely to have an ACL tear than men because of how we are made. Go figure. I can't remember what he called the other tear, I just know it's the cartilage in my knee. Wonder if he will need to do that first and then the ACL ? Supposed to ba about 2 hours for the surgery, 1 hour in recovery and then 1 more hour in a room. Then if all goes well I will be home. I don't know how long it will be before I can get on the computer again and I have loaned out my laptop for a bit. So I suppose it will be a lot of movies and HGTV shows along with of course TrueTV (CourtTV). The cabin fever will set in again I am sure of it as it's right on the edge now.

One More Layout Finished

Since I couldn't sleep I did a layout for the sketch challenge I posted at SAF. Just thought I would share it with all of you. Now off I go to try to get some rest through the pain. I hear the weather warning going off. Looks like we are in for some more storms today. High winds up to 60 mile per hour with hail and heavy rain.

Another Sleepless Night

I am so hoping that this upcoming surgery will help the pain go away eventually. I have been in pain since May 26th and to tell you the truth I have had enough. So here I sit with another sleepless night because the pain won't go away. I have taken my pain pill and am still waiting for relief. I think it became more pronounced once all of the swelling went away. At least that is when I began noticing it more.

Since I am up, I wonder if I can manage a layout or two. I just posted a couple more challenges trying to get SAF moving a little bit. The ladies aren't very chatty yet. I sure miss seeing all the wonderful layouts everyone is doing too. Hmmm...I wonder though, if they aren't where I am and not being very creative lately.

OK so I am off now to try to do a layout. OH and I have a flier that needs to be made for a friend again this year. Should do that as well since it has a date on it...LOL

Surgery Date...Guess I forgot that last night

Well, they have me scheduled for the 18th in the early morning. I will need to arrive 1 1/2 hours before the scheduled time though. I am so ready to start getting better, so tired of all the pain. The surgery should take roughly 2 hours then 1 hour in recovery and then another hour in a room. They want to make sure I am ok before allowing me to go home. I will be taking my crutches and some shorts along. The doctor said I will be wearing a brace when I leave so I need something that can go over that.

I went for all of the pre-op stuff today. Blood work, urine tests and X-rays. They want to make sure I am good to go before hand. That is a good thing for sure. I am not supposed to shave 2 days before surgery either because they don't want any open wounds at all. An open wound would cancel out the surgery so we don't want that because I want to get better and right now I think I am just living with the pain and not really healing.

I took the brace I have been wearing off for some breathing time tonight. I just started wearing it since it popped for the third time last week. Well, now my leg is killing me again and I know it's because it doesn't have that support of the brace. I also noticed that since the swelling has gone down, the pain is more intense than it had been. Probably because I can actually feel the tears.

I thought I would start doing an altered book today. I found a couple of those children's cardboard books on clearance at the dollar store today. I think they will be perfect for what I want to do. It's going to basically be just an art inspiration book. Is that it or would it just be a book of my creativity. At any rate you will be able to see them at Scrapbooking Among Friends as I will be posting them there when I am finished. I do have the books posted there now as the before pictures. I will be working on them tomorrow since I don't have any appointments I need to go to for a change.

Here's To Some Healing Finally...

Finally some really nice weather for a change. The sun was shining all day and the humidity was gone for a change. It was so nice to be able to go outside and be able to breath at the same time.

There have been a few things going on since I last posted so maybe I should update everyone. I know I have been slacking but I have also been sick and still hobbling around the house. I did finally manage another layout.

CJ should be coming home on June 29th for a short leave until July 19th. I am so excited and it will be so good to see him again. Too bad it won't be home for good but I will take what I can get. He said he wasn't going to tell me because he wanted to surprise me but he said he was so excited he had to tell me...LOL

I went for my MRI on the 5th. That is truly an adventure for someone who has never had one before. It would be wise to try and get it scheduled for when you "AREN'T" sick though. I did manage to only have her pause it one time because of my coughing fit. So glad I took some cold medicine before I left for my appointment. It took about 50 minutes to scan my knee but she did give me some music to listen to during the process.

Today I had a doctor's appointment to go over my MRI's. We had all figured that surgery would indeed be needed. Well, we were right according to the MRI's. The cartilage is indeed torn around my knee. There was another tear that wasn't expected though. Looks like my ACL is also in need of some repair. This took a 3 week recovery to 6 weeks. The way I look at it though, as long as this will make it better that is all that matters. I am so ready to try and get back to normal.

I truly LOVE my Dear Husband and everything he has and is doing for me. There is a part of me that is ready to be able to do things other than sit on the sofa or for my limited times on the computer. WOW...I am so very lucky to have such a wonderful man in my life. It's moments like this that make me realize just how lucky I truly am.

Rainy Days

Looks like we are in for several of them according to the weather man. At least a week he said. Sure hope he's wrong but so far it looks like he's not wrong.

Wrenched the knee yesterday while walking in the kitchen. Not good and had me in tears again. So I am sporting a brand new knee brace to help support it. Better than it going out for a third time. Good thing we had already gotten the braces. It sure made a difference in sleeping. Well when I got to sleep that is. If I could lose this cold I would be good to go.

I did get to speak to my son Sunday night. Sure is nice being able to chat with him through yahoo. Seems the heat didn't do his laptop any good either. It is useless now, well unitl he get's a new video card and motherboard that is. He said he did get a regular computer so hopefully this one will hold up in the 110 degree temps over there. I can hardly believe he turned 21 on the 2nd.

Finally managed a couple of layouts. I haven't been doing many lately but I had been on my laptop and not many pictures on there to work with. Then little Avrianna came visiting with her Mommy yesterday and of course I had to get some more scrapping pictures. You do know a grandmother can never have too many of those. Will have to see if I can come up with another layout or two from some of these pictures.

A Beautiful Day Today

Good evening everyone. I know it's been a bit since I last posted. I suppose I am slacking just a little bit. The weather is beautiful today and finally over 70 degrees.

I had my doctors appointment this morning. It was at 9:30 but I didn't get in until 10:00 and didn't see the doctor until 10:30. I am scheduled for an MRI on the 5th. He feels 85% certain that surgery is needed. Then on the 10th I will be seeing him again for the results and if needed to schedule surgery. I am off work until then and just hobbling around the house.

I wanted to clean up my office and take some stuff upstairs but my DH said I don't think so. You don't need to be attempting those steps. I suppose he is right but let's keep that to ourselves. lol

What a Wonderful Night....

I just have to say that today's technology is certainly fabulous. It is because of it that I was able to chat with and see my Dear Son who is currently serving his tour in Iraq. It was so nice to see him, even if he was being a goof at times...LOL...LOL I wouldn't have it any other way though. We all miss him so much and only want a safe return home for him.

The leg is about the same as it was yesterday. Though I am down to only 1 crutch because a little weight doesn't hurt it though it feels strange. Bending is still a major issue and causes much pain. I have learned how to move it while sleeping without causing pain. The only way is to use my other leg under it because I am not able to move it without help. Well I can move it but the pain is so bad I prefer not to if you know what I mean.

I supposed that is about it fo today. I really need to rest my leg some more. Sitting up is bothering it right now. Have a wonderful evening and morning all.

The Sun Is Out

The weather is pretty good here today. Too bad I can't move around much to enjoy it all. The yard looks good and green though.

I had a visit with the orthopedic doctor today. He thinks that I have torn the cartlidge in my knee. I am off work for 10 days, until I see him again. He thinks he might have to have surgery on it but we shall wait and see. He said it's too early to tell because of the swelling and pain. No brace but the crutches stay for a while.

Teresa and I have begun a new adventure. A new scrap site called Among *Friends* with a link at the top of my blog or click the name here in this post. I would love to see some of you there. We don't have a gallery right now. Maybe in the future we can get one. I am still working on that. For now you can post to photo bucket or a simular site for photo storage.

OH What A Start To The Weekend....

Today finally turned out to be a fairly nice day. I was surprised because it was so cold this morning. The wind finally died down a little bit and the sun showed me it's pretty little head. We finished our work week early this morning and headed for home around 10:30 am. That makes for a nice day and makes it almost feel like a long weekend.

On our way home I stopped at the local garden center for some flowers to plant in my tree stump. I also bought some more soil for potting and a plant for the front porch. We also picked up some tomato plants, red for Melvin and a couple of yellow for me. I went out and fed the boys around 3 pm. They truly are rotten Momma's boys, though I don't mind it one bit. I brought home the empty feed bags, 4 of them stuffed with other bags, and tied together so they wouldn't blow out of my truck.

At about 5:30 Melvin and I decided to go out to eat some dinner. I changed out of my work clothes and into something clean while Melvin was getting ready. I remembered those feed bags in my truck so I headed out to toss them out. I climbed up on my rear tire and tossed them behind me to the ground. I bet they don't weigh 10 pounds total for all 4 of them, so it made tossing easy peasy.

I started to bring myself back down off the tire, pulled my right leg towards the ground, and poof...My left knee popped and gave way and down to the ground I went with a thud. I did land on those bags so the sudden stop wasn't too bad. That was the best part of it all though. I couldn't move my left leg and bending it was out of the question. I would have almost sworn I had broken it, just because of the shear pain and lack of movement I had in it.

I yelled for Melvin probably 4 or 5 times but he couldn't hear me. The neighbor's dog Ike was throwing a fit by now because I did something I normally don't do. Gunner was in a state of panic, running about in his little fenced area and barking. I told him to go get his Daddy about 4 or 5 times. Melvin said he came into the house at a dead run, looked him square in the eyes and ran back outside. He did this each time I told him to...What a good boy he is :) Melvin finally said what is she doing and headed towards the kitchen at which point he heard me telling Gunner, again, to go get his Daddy. With his help, I finally got to my feet and managed to get into the house to drop my jeans down past my knees. Nothing looked broken but the pain was (and still is) so bad that I was crying.

So much for going out to eat dinner. Two and a half hours later we finally left the emergency room. Nothing is broken in my knee, though the doctor thinks I tore my tendons or muscles. I am now on crutches with a knee brace that keeps my leg from bending, which if bent is excruciating pain anyways. I also gained a pair of pull up pants as my jeans wouldn't go over the brace. Who would want to see me walking out of the emergency room in my T-Shirt and underpants...lol..lol

Where Did The Sunshine Go To..

I watched the weather tonight and it looks like we are not going to be seeing much of it over the next 7 days. Rain...Rain...Rain... However is still forcasted for 5 of the 7 days.

I took the high wheel weed eater out to the boys tonight and used it around the gate and one side of the fence. What a wonderful tool (TOY) for sure. The boys weren't overly excited about it though. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I did that before I fed them.

The work week is finally almost over with and I am so ready for the weekend. I would really like to sleep in past 3 am and maybe even lay around in my pajamas all day if I wanted to. Melvin went to the doctor today to have his broken foot looked at. He was hoping that he would be able to take off the cast but that doesn't seem to be the case. After taking some x-rays the doctor gave him a scolding for not following his instructions. I personally think it's all the walking he has to do at work that is causing the exta calcium build up around the break in the bone. Melvin said it just didn't seem right to pay the man to chew him out. I said well I could have done it and you wouldn't have had to pay me to tell you. Sure hope his foot will heal properly, he's got to do 6 more weeks in the cast. If not the doctor said they may have to do something else but didn't say what.

Raining AGAIN........

It's been a gloomy old day again. The rain has been with us since we woke at 3 am. It was only a drizzle most of the day, you know the kind that just makes it a day for napping. On the way home from work it became more than drizzle.

I think I have finally gotten the new blog design how I wanted it. I think it seems to suit me just a bit. When I saw the template I knew it was perfectly ME. It's amazing all of the different templates out there. All one has to do is look around a bit and then one will jump out at you and say "Hey I am what you have been looking for!"

The aches and pains come back like clock work once the rain finds the ground. It's a shame that with age comes the pains. I wonder who thought that would be appropriate anyway ? I suppose I should go feed the boys before it gets too late and the mud gets so deep that my feet get stuck in it. I am certain they will be more than happy to help me find my way through the deepest parts as they vie for possition to be closest to me to grab a bite of hay as I pass by. Though today may be one of those days where I end up on my rump with 3 horses looking at me laughing and wondering why I decided to sit in the mud. So look out boys, as I come to feed you. I am set on NOT landing in the mud on my rump, even if it means chasing you off for a brief moment so I can keep my feet.

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*Just a little note*

I made it through feeding time in the mud and managed to remain on my feet the entire time.

Another Beautiful Day

It turned out to be another beautiful day today. Sunshine came at last but the wind has yet to leave. It started out too cool for me and I thought I would never warm up. I was actually shivering for a while, even with a jacket on. Did I ever mention I don't really like the cold ???

I got this fabulous package in the mail today. It arrived all the way from Malaysia from a sweet friend (Ida). I want to thank you for the beautiful gifts. I just love it all. The skirt is beautiful and I love it's boldness. Those coin purses are so adorable and the keychain is awesome. I love my name that you made as well. Guess I should get busy and finishe up my scrap room so I can hang it up in there :) Thank You So Much.

The boys were full of themselves tonight. I love watching them run around and play with each other. Then of course it was down to eating since I was handing it out...LOL Gunner was upset again because I made him stay home tonight. Melvin said he wanted to call the animal welfare on me because he was feeling neglected. He's a funny man, putting words into my dog's mouth. It's all good though because he at leat got to smell the boys on me and then he was all happy again (Gunner...NOT Melvin...hehehe).

How about another photo or two today? I took a few pictures of some of my flowers again. What shall it be ? The lilacs, the Tulips, the Holly, the Azalea Bush, the Fire Bush ? Hmm Let me think a bit. I could just add them all or at least one of each of them.

I decided on the Lilacs for today. My white bush is in need of some serious trimming. Not sure if it will make it another year. The poison ivy has choked out one bush already and seems to be working on this one as well. Not sure how to get rid of it without killing the bushes. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Finally No Rain...

I am so glad we didn't get any rain today. I personally have had enough to last me for a while. Hopefully tomorrow will bring some warmer temperatures though. It did manage to get into the 60's but with the wind it really wasn't warm enough for me.

Picked up some hay for the boys today after work. Thought I would take the big red truck but decided to take my ford instead. I managed to get 38 bales in the truck which is good. I could have gotten 45 if I wanted to strap it all down but that took too much time and I just wanted to finish and get home to get my shoes off. Looks like I will be loading the flatbed by myself next time. With my brother's help we only managed 28 bales on it, go figure, and could have easily gotten 50. I haven't been able to find any round bales for a couple of weeks so I have been feeding square bales. It's a lot more work on my part and days like today I would have prefered a round bale. It wouldn't have been too bad if my neck and shoulder weren't hurting so badly I suppose.

Thought I would share a couple shots of my boys with you tonight. It's not always easy to get good shots of them as they tend to be right in my face most of the time. So it's moments like these that are very few and far between. It's funny how they never seem to want to help unload the hay either. They will eat it right off the truck but want nothing to do with pulling it off the truck. Some days when the round bales are really heavy I wish they would help me but they just watch and move out of the way when it finally comes rolling off of the truck.

Happy Mother's Day

I sure hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day today. I arrived home today from my Mother's. It rained every day I was there except for Saturday which was good since that was sale day. I had her take some photos of me while I was there so I had some decent one's for the swap.

Good thing I have the e-mail addy I need since KC seems to be down again. Didn't even know it until one of the girls told me this evening. I haven't been on since Tuesday night before I went to Mother's.

This weather has me sore and aching though. Tomorrow is another start to another work week. Too bad we couldn't all be rich and not have to work to survive. Sure hope my body loosens up or it's going to be a long day for sure.

I was so glad to see my dear sweet husband when I got home. I sure missed him. Gunner about knocked me over when he saw me. :) Off I go to lay down and try to ease these pains.

It's a Birthday Party

Today I will be driving to Kokomo for little Brandon's birthday party. Can you believe that he will be a year old already ?? I know I can hardly believe it myself. I just finished a couple of layouts of him. He is such a cutie and he concentrates when he's watching everyone.

The weather is cooler than I would like but it will make for a nice drive today. It will take an hour and a half to get there so I will be leaving a bit early to pick up his gifts.

I am currently uploading all of the images off of my digital camera's card so I have an empty one to start with. Anyone that knows me will know I will have at least 400 on there before the trip is done. Miranda and Avri will be riding along today so of course there will be plenty more pictures of the grandbaby to be taken today. This will give me more to scrap which makes it all good.

My Wonderful Spring Flowers

Today I thought I would share some of the images I took of flowers throughout my yard. I love pushing the limits with my camera...LOL These are the results from some of my photo sessions.

The first 2 are layouts I created with the photos. The pink flower is a bloom on my Magnolia tree. The second flower is my Crown Imperial. They are both a spectacular thing to see.

Work went quickly today and everyone was done and out of there by 10:00 am. I love days like this for sure. The weather is nice with a warm breeze. They are calling for rain and I hope we get some because I need the ground softened up to be able to roll out the areas that the moles have lifted up.

My Maple Tree...

This has got me wondering for 3 years now. In 2006 the trees did this exact same thing in the early spring. This was the first time since 1996 that I noticed this happening. I do not know what type of Maple tree this is so if you have any ideas it would be greatly appreciated. It looks as though there is a petal type thing at the base with the, what I think as flowers coming out of it. At the end there are what seems to be stamens and our vehicles are covered in pollen right now. There also seems to be leaves shooting out of the base of the petals. If memory serves me correctly, when it did this in 2006 we did not have the little helicopters later in the season.

My son called me yesterday afternoon. Seems he is 7 hours ahead of my time. It was good to hear from him again. This tells me he is fine which makes my heart glad. I am also glad he has all the heat and my weather is pleasant at 70 degrees compared to his 114 degrees. I will be so thankful and happy when he finally comes home.

More Rambling Thoughts. . . . .

I don't mean to bore you all with this but it has to come out somwhere. I overdid it a bit at work today and can hardly move. Then I happened to see the news while eating dinner and I usually only watch the weather. This got me to thinking about the past two weeks. It's been such a rollercoaster of emotions. Sunday the 9th I lost my Father, Monday the 10th my son went to Iraq, Wednesday the 12th we had the funeral, Thursday the 13th we welcomed Avri into our lives, Saturday the 15th my Mother had a birthday, then Monday the 17th my niece had her sweet little boy Julian.

I am still having sleeping issues but I know it will get better. I look terrible, according to a friend of mine, thanks a lot June I Love you too. I have listened to my son's voice mail 5 times and only hope that saving it will keep it so I can listen to it some more. He is the reason I try to only watch the weather though tonight I saw more than I wanted.

Enough rambling I suppose. I need to call Mother in a few minutes to see that she made it home from work ok. I sure wish I lived closer to her so I could be there when she needed me. It would be nice to be minutes away instead of hours.

Keeping My Mind Busy..

I am currently working on a hardback book with all of the guest book comments for my father's passing. It's a Loving Memories book, I will be adding photos and places to write some memories as well. Mother told me what colors she wanted and I am going from there. I searched on line for instructions and found this fabulous web site, Book Binding. I found this very helpful and feel that even I can accomplish this. So there are at least 7 books that need to be made. I thought 10 but after counting again I realize it was only 7 and therefore left me with less work.

I originally thought that an 8 x 8 would be perfect but for home printing this won't quite work like I thought. I don't have one of those 12 x 12 printers so I need to get it sized so I can print it out. I think printing at 5 x 7 may be the right size. Then I need to figure out what pages need to be printed together and I should be all set to go.

This is the cover I made for the book. Though I think this will be placed as the first page in the book. Using gold embossing on the cover I think will look better. That's about all the latest here. I need to get busy and finish making all the pages for the book. Then I need to go to the store and get some supplies for making these.

Gathering My Thoughts. . . . .

I am sitting here tonight with so many thoughts going through my head. Spinning would be a good word for how it is feeling. So much has happened in the past week that I am trying to settle all of the emotions. Trying to find a place where they aren't bumping into one another and causing chaos. Trying to get my nerves to settle so the nausia goes away.

I found myself in tears again today while I was at work. I suppose I really wasn't ready to go back but the need to survive drove me back there. The support and caring words from all of my co-workers touched me deeply and then the tears came again. It's a mix of saddness and joy flowing through me. Losing and gaining is causing quite the upset with me right now. I go from crying to beaming in an instant.

Today we were all blessed again with another addition to our family. My niece delivered her beautiful baby boy, Julian Lawrence, this morning. What a great name, honoring my Grandmother. As you can see, more emotions flowing wildly out of control. He will be so loved as I know Avri will be.

Not sure if gathering is the word for my thoughts today. I can't seem to get them together in any sort of order. So it's more of the rambling effect that I do so well. I suppose in time everything will settle down and the nausia will go away and my thoughts will quit running wildly through my head, causing explosions of emotions and tears.

More Of Avriana . . . .

I didn't think I had enough pictures of Avriana so I took a drive to the hospital today. I have hundreds of photos now, it seemed like a little over 140 just wasn't enough. I even made Miranda put her in a cute little dress for me. I am quite pleased with the pictures. She is adorable and looks a lot like her big brother. They are going home from the hospital tonight. She will grow so fast and we will wonder where the time went. So while the chances are here I will do my best to capture her growing.