Taking A Rest

I started my blog in July of 2008 and it remains one of my most favorite things to do.  My topics are pretty random ~ posting grandbaby photos was initially my primary motivation ~ but over time it's become that plus a bit of home, crafts, places to see and some spiritual inspiration. 

My posts have been fairly frequent too. About 5 to 6 times a week. 

Since I had this knee surgery I have found myself losing interest in posting. Mostly because I'm not doing much worth posting about.  Rather than continuing to feel guilty about my lack of regular posts, I'm going to release myself from this (self-imposed) guilt and I'm going to step away from (regular) posting.  I'm going to loan my lap top to my daughter Katie. She has a fun blog -you might like to visit her!

You know - I'm doing okay.  The knee is (slowly) healing. But it's been tough to get back my strength and my energy.  It's still hard to remain in one position for any length of time too - the whole recovery process is a bit more "involved" than I anticipated.  Plus I thought there would be a lot less discomfort by now - I guess thinking that is a little unrealistic considering it's been a bit less than three weeks since the surgery.

Anyway - I covet your prayers.  Specifically for physical comfort and healing.  Prayers for emotional well being would be appreciated as well.

I'll be around - mostly lurking for now.  Thanks for visiting.......and caring!! 

Happy Birthday to Penelope!

Happy Birthday #2 to Little Miss "P"!

One of the sweetest girls I know.

Gramma loves you Penelope...so much!!

Last three photos of Penelope courtesy of her mommy's facebook page.

Staples Are Coming Out Today

I'm getting the staples removed from my knee today. I am so looking forward to this!  The staples are pinchy, itchy and just plain yucky!  I think having the staples in causes me to hold back in my knee flex exercises too.....it feels like they might pop right out if I bend my knee too much.  So I am really ready to have this done today......I think!  : )   I'm sure it's going to hurt a little but it's just one more part of the process!!  Right?  : ) 

So 0 down.....32 to go!

Staple Removers - flickr


I just wanted to thank you all for the kind, sweet, thoughtful comments you've left for me the past two weeks.  (yep! It's been two weeks since my surgery!)
Each one has meant so much to me.  To know that you have been remembering me in your prayers has blessed me more than I can say.  I'm sorry I haven't been by to visit you and your blogs very much.  One of my biggest challenges is being able to sit comfortably.  I have yet to find a comfortable place to sit for any length of time.  The bruising on my leg is taking it's good old time to heal  and my new joint is still getting used to it's new home.  So I don't spend much time on the computer right now.  But I know that will  change and that each day brings me closer to pain-free walking (and sitting) ~ that hasn't been the case in years! I'm really looking forward to it.
Thanks again ~ so much!!



Healing....

Knowing God is in Control makes the healing process a little easier.

"I am the Lord, who heals you."

Exodus 15:26

Knowing my family cares makes me smile through the pain.

Love this!  Elijah colored a picture for me. Johanna cut letters out of his drawing and glued them on cardstock. 

  

Tulips

Aren't these lovely? 

They have certainly brought much pleasure to a pretty painful week!! 

So did the note on the card.



Dear Marie,

Hope that you're feeling much better

and hope you're remembering, too,

The many warm thoughts and good wishes

that always are right there with you.

Wishing you a very speedy recovery.

Love,

Brenda

Brenda is Charlotte's Nana ~ her Daddy's Mum. She lives in England
She is the dearest lady!

Thank you so much Brenda ~ I love them!

Hodge Podge & Random

I haven't been able to sit, lie or stand in one place for longer than 10 miniutes or so since I've been home from the hospital.  I can't read or watch TV either ~ The pain meds make me fall asleep, but I don't stay asleep! : )  The post that I shared on Monday took me about eight hours to put together and I've been playing around with this one on and off since Wednesday afternoon. It must be a combination of drugs, pain and sleepiness I think!  I'm sure this post will end up being pretty random....but that is exactly how life has been lately!!
The past week has been a bit of a blur for me. I can't believe that my knee surgery was a week ago!  Since coming home last Saturday I've been hanging out in my bedroom 80% of the time.  I really hoped that we'd be able to get the room re-painted before I had to spend a bunch of time in it BUT it didn't happen.  I'll have to look at this (VERY old) scrap of wallpaper border for a little while longer.  This cute little border willl be a blog post in and of itself someday.

Back in Februrary I participated in The One World One Heart Event and LUCKY me, I won two giveaways!   This sweet red heart came from Susan at Threads of Inspiration.  It's going to have a home in my "soon to be" freshly painted kitchen.  Bill will be painting the dining room & kitchen this weekend!

 

I also won this package of vintage French/English ephemera from Liz at Lululiz in Lalaland.  It's going to great fun creating with all these wonderful pieces. I love the handmade tag that Liz included!

 

The night before I left the hospital, Bill, his Dad, Mandy, Katie, Mark & Charlotte stopped in to see me.  Charlotte immediately saw my hospital issued styrofoam cup full of ice chips and water. Her Momma carefully placed her on my lap and we visited for a little while. Charlotte also took a walk with me. Her little hand was clutched firmly around the walker's sidebar.  Too cute!   

Penelope stopped by to visit me the evening I returned home.  She was happy to see me...I got the best big hug and the sweetest grin. But then she noticed the hangers full off Gramma's necklaces. I quickly became old news! With Aunt Mandy's help she hung everyone of them around her neck.  All 23 of them!  Why is it always so much fun putting them on?  And then you try to take them.....
  

DISCLAIMER

POST SURGERY LEG SHOTS AHEAD

Here's a shot of my knee and the 31 staples that are in it.  The swelling is down in this shot. When it is swollen (several times a day) it really hurts!  It's stretches and tightens and feels like the staples are going to pop right out!

And here we have a very lovely view from the rear of the leg. This colorful mess is the biggest reason why I'm having problems lying or sitting anywhere for any length of time.  But everything is healing...and it's all downhill from here! The physical therapist said (yesterday) that I'm making good progress with my knee flexes & extensions!  I only have 9 more injections of blood thinner to give myself.  Thank goodness because thin blood = a freezing Marie! Yes, Regina D, I said that I'm freezing these days, you're probably warmer than me!  I'm almost ready to progress from my walker to a cane. 

Hopefully I'll  feel like getting a little crafting done sometime soon.

Here's a really cute photo of sweet Elijah to end this post.  I haven't seen him since before my surgery but I will be seeing him in about 1 1/2 weeks.  It kind of looks like he's dreaming of seeing his gramma real soon!



I hope you're all having a great week and an extra special day!!

It's Me!

 I'm home from the hospital.  I came home on Saturday.  Yesterday I was able to sit down and finally take a peek at my lap top.  What a treat to see all the wonderful comments left by you and you and you and you....oh and you too!  What a blessing to know that you were praying.   The surgery is done ~ so far, that has been the easy part.   Moving the leg is pretty of tough.  Standing or sitting still, stiffening up and then moving again.....OH MY GOODNESS!  I start my first out-patient physical therapy today at 11:30 AM.  Prayers will be greatly appreciated! 

My room ~ yes, it's private. That was a pleasant surprise! 
This is a brand new wing on the hospital, and everything was shiny and new. It was (almost) a pleasure to stay in this room!

The room was decorated nicely. Pretty colors. Nice enough wall art. And a really clever headboard idea!  Cork board, chrome and a nice assortment of duplex receptacles!  : ) 

The pain medication that I'm taking makes me REALLY thirsty. A regular old cotton ball mouth!  So a great big thank you to Gail and Bill for the "Jolly Ranchers!"!  I'm sure the nursing staff was thankful too!  If I hadn't been sucking on these, I'm sure I would have drank at least two more gallons of water. That would have kept them "hoppin"!  (see room sign below)

Here's the legs!  The right one was/is swollen twice the normal size.  From this angle it looks a little flat.  It was not flat!  The surgery is over. The three day hospital stay was work.  I learned how to climb a short flight of stairs and how to get into and out of the (passenger) seat of a mid-size sedan.  I have a neat "picker-upper" tool and a very creative "sock put-er on-er" (I don't think I'll be using spell check on this post!)  I also have my own rolling walker ~ it's a little sluggish on carpeting but boy, does it take off on the hardwood floors!!   Plus, what hospital visit would be complete without a pair of these fashionista socks!?  I got an extra pair.......maybe I should have a giveaway! 

Anyway, now the real work begins - actual it started yesterday.  Home exercises - and out-patient therapy.  Mandy helped me yesterday with some bending and stretching exercises.  The pain of the exercises is pretty intense but GOODNESS GRACIOUS the tightness afterwards is beyond description! It feels like the staples (all 30 plus of them) are going to burst from the swelling!   I'm getting ready to leave for my out-patient appointment in about an hour ~ Pain medication as we walk out the door and a REALLY LONG nap when I get home ~ that's my plan.

Thanks again for your prayers....they truly, truly bless me in a very special way!  I'll be back when I can!

An Update

Hello all!  It's Katie here, stopping by to give you a quick update on my mom.  Her surgery went smoothly and she came out of anesthesia fairly well, which is no small feat for her.  She'll be in the hospital recovering for the next few days and then will be home, actively working on physical therapy to get her knee back to normal.  Well, better than normal we hope!

Everything we've heard says the exercises after the surgery can be grueling, so we still covet your prayers for her.  Each and every one is appreciated! 

Today Is The Day!

I'm getting my new knee today ~ in fact when you read this I may already have it!

It's about 12:05 AM and I just finished my last very large glass of water!  Normally I'm still awake right now....but considering I need to get up in about four hours I probably should think about getting some sleep.  But I really wanted to pop in here real quick to say something really important.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your dear comments and emails and phone calls and especially your prayers. 
You have blessed me in a mighty way! 

In more ways than you will ever know my heart thanks you!

"Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God."

Philippians 1:3 The Message

Tomorrow

I mentioned in this post that I had an important date coming up.  That date is March 9th ~ tomorrow.  I'll be having a TKA (Total Knee Arthroplasty) done. Otherwise known as Knee Replacement surgery.  It's time....
I've been limping and hobbling and moaning and groaning on and off for over five years. It'll be great to go shopping somewhere that doesn't have a shopping cart.  Lately I've needed one of those even if I didn't need one of those ~ if you know what I mean!

We're as prepared as we're going to be...a whole lot of simplifying has been going on.  I have some little craft kits ready to be worked on, books to read and even a few movies to watch.  Hopefully I'll be back to blogging soon because I visited some really neat stores this past weekend that I'd like to share with you. I've also received some wonderful treasures in the mail that I need to show off!  : )
 I'll be packing my bag tonight and finishing up a bit more cleaning.  Bill is taking some time off to help me once I'm home ~ that should be Friday or Saturday.  Mandy will be available when he's not.
So everything is ready.  I think....

We have to be at the hospital at 5:45 AM tomorrow!  I'm the very first surgery ~ promptly at 7:30 AM! The surgery is probably the easy part.  The therapy sounds pretty tough.  I'd really appreciate your prayers and good thoughts.  Because I tend to get a little anxious in this type of situation, I've been reciting Philippians 4:6-7.  I've been praying and praising the Lord because I know He's in control. I really do have peace about it all, and I thank the Lord for that.  I thank Him for each of you as well!
 

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

Have a great weekend!

I'm looking forward to mine ~ I get to spend part of it playing with a couple friends. 

I hope you get to do something fun this weekend!

I don't remember where I found this image ~ but it's a pretty one!

612 Riverside: A Giveaway

Update ~ Giveaway Has Ended

I was doing a little blog hopping last night and happened upon Theresa's blog ~ 612 Riverside. Yesterday's  was Theresa's birthday (Happy Birthday to You!) and to celebrate she's hosting a giveaway for a Treat Bag ~ the one in the photo below.  It's so cute!!  I love this bag and guess what? Theresa's going to add goodies to it for the rest of this week and the lucky winner will receive their very own bag full of treats!

612 Riverside Birthday Giveaway

If you pop over to Theresa's blog to enter her birthday giveaway you should stay for awhile and look around.  She has some really great ideas  to share ~ check out the cute felt heart banner down below.  I'm not quite sure how I found 612 Riverside ~ but I've saved the directions so I can head back there anytime!

The Road Less Traveled



My father-in-law is 93 years old.  He still has a driver's license and he still drives. He never goes too far.  Usually he's headed to places like the bank, his doctors, Walmart or the Library. 
He sticks to familiar routes....until today.

Mandy was home from work (sick) today and my FIL didn't realize that.  But he did realize that her Jeep was parked behind his car ~ and he had a doctor appointment. 
When it was time to go to his doctor appointment he said: "I looked down the stairs to her room and saw that the lights were all off so I said S#@*!  I never drove her Jeep before so I decided to just try and get mine out.  I was a little concerned that I might put some ruts in the lawn ~ but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do!"

He told me that he pulled forward a little bit and then backed up onto the lawn and then pulled up a bit to straighten out and then backed up again and so on and so on and so on.....

" I was a little worried about ruining the lawn but then but it's not in the best shape anyway.  It's a good thing that I drove over it because I found out that my kidneys are good!  I think finding that out is worth some ruts in the lawn!"

I told him that I was glad that his kidneys were okay - and did he know that Mandy was home all day?  He did not - he just figured she got a ride to work with Katie.  If he had known he would have asked her to move her own car!

I'll take moments with him over a nice lawn any day!



No we don't have things blooming right now - this is an old photo. I just wanted you to see
where he (and Mandy) usually park.  The Jeep was much closer to his car
yesterday....hence the "backed up and pulled forward again and again".

She's Home!

Gramma missed this little girl!  She (and her mommy & daddy) went to Florida to visit some of her mommy's family.  Penelope got home last night and Mandy and I picked her up from the airport.  Now all is right with my world....all the grandbabies are back where they belong ~ within 45 minutes of me. Two are within ten minutes of me!  I am so blessed to have them so near.
P.S. Her mommy & daddy are home too!



Isn't this a beautiful sight!  Oh Spring....come quickly!