Post Surgery Update

I had my back surgery on Nov 16th and everything went well.  I can't believe I was home 6 hours after they started the surgery!  Last time they had me stay overnight but I guess they (the insurance companies) changed the rules.  But it was great actually, much better than a sleepless night in the hospital.  The pain wasn't too bad (with the appropriate drugs) and I didn't need the drugs any more after the first few days.  The only problem is I still have some lower back pain and sciatic pain in my leg.  I am hopeful it is just from irritation/swelling from the surgery and will subside, but it makes me nervous.  The doctor has said that if the same disc herniates a 3rd time they will do spinal fusion the next time, which is a much more serious surgery with a much longer recovery time from what I understand.   The lingering pain was at its worst about a week after surgery, and has improved some since then.  Today marks 2 weeks since surgery, and I don't even go back to the doctor for followup until Dec 12, so I am hoping it will continue to improve and be better by then.  After that I am sure I will be returning to work as I can't really see any reason I wouldn't be able to.  Too bad, I kind of like being home.

After the first week I have been able to sew/craft as all my work tables are at standing height and it isn't very physical, so it has been nice having something I can do while I am recovering.  Wish I had some way to do this full time and still get paid, but that is not how it works.

Loving my new facebook fan page, it provides me a way to reach more people that are interested in my sewing who may not be my friends on facebook, and avoids boring my friends who are not interested in sewing.  I don't have a ton of fans yet, but enough for now.

I am working on a fun xmas countdown calendar I made with my Cricut for Hayley, I need to finish it today since tomorrow is the first of December.  Pictures hopefully after today.

Here is a cute little turkey box I made her for Thanksgiving.  Love using my Cricut!

I was also able to complete a couple of Big Gives.  I love both of these!

And a Christmas stocking for my beautiful new grandson Tyler:

Speaking of my new Grandson, the kids came over for Thanksgiving and we had a nice quiet evening at home.  Tyler wore the bib I made for him, and Hayley wore the Turkey tee I made.  They are both so darned cute!

That's all for now, maybe I will be able to add the countdown calendar photos later today!

Just a note to let everyone know that I have started a facebook fan page to show items I have made.  This way I won't be sharing all my sewing on my personal page since not everyone is interested, and I can connect with others who are interested in my work who I may not be friends with.

I am hoping to continue to gain interest in my work, but unfortunately due to the fact that I will be having back surgery on Nov 16th, I won't be taking any custom orders for now until after my recovery.  Hopefully I will be feeling well enough to sew within a few weeks at most.  Working full time also gets in the way of my sewing, but I hope to be able to do a few custom orders each month, along with t-shirt orders as they come in.

Here is a direct link to my new page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ELB-Boutique/290282744329257

As far as my back, I have a herniated disk which causes me all kinds of trouble when I lay down.  It is not too bad when standing, walking, or sitting on a hard surface with back support, but it quite painful when I lay down, sit on a soft surface or without back support, and when I do any bending/lifting.  I had surgery for the same disk in 2009, and the recovery wasn't too bad for the most part, so I am hopeful that this will go well and I will be feeling better quickly.

Everything else is going well, we have a new grandson, Tyler James Bennett, born Oct 12th, and all are doing well.  We plan to host a fairly quiet thanksgiving at home with Greg doing most of the cooking, with direction from me, and I'm sure some help from Jamie (our daughter in law) too.

Wow, I am not very good at this blogging thing, considering it has been over 2 months since my last entry. 

We are headed down to Sanibel Island, Florida on Saturday for a week.  Will be celebrating my niece's graduation with family.  My sister and her family, my brother and his family and my Mom will all be there.  Unfortunately Michael and Scott won't be there, wish they could be, especially since it is a family celebration.  Scott finished up school in May and recently started a new job, so can't really take the time off right now.  And Michael has a few things going on in Atlanta that he really wants to be there for, and doesn't get much vacation either.

Still, looking forward to a fun week of beach and sun and family!

My latest obsession is still going strong, I am still loving my Cricut.  I have made a few cards and done a little scrapbooking.  Here are a few pictures of some of the things I have made.

First is a fathers day tool belt card/gift card holder, made for Greg's dad, although I am not sure he could really appreciate how cool it is (at least to me.)  It could have used more eyelets to make it look more realistic, but I still love how it came out.

I made this card for mother's day (along with another I forgot to take a picture of):

And I love this card I made to go with a Big Give for a family going on a Disney Cruise:



And this scrapbook layout from our trip to Atlanta to visit Michael.  I made more pages, but didn't take pictures.



I have also made some decorations and cards for Lizzie's graduation celebration next week.  Maybe I will post pictures of those after the party.  They came out pretty cute as well.

There is so much you can do with the cricut, in fact I wish I was more creative so I could take advantage of even more it can do, but I am learning and trying.  And or course always buying more stuff to go with it.

I've also been given a new job at work, from 'Thermal Media Manufacturing - Product Engineer' to 'Thermal Media Development - Systems Engineer'.  I am still transitioning, and will probably continue to support both areas, but it is keeping me busier and will likely be more rewarding as a result.  It also has the potential to be a safer spot to be, because if they decide to shut down the manufacturing plant I support in Rochester they will likely still keep the development group to support manufacturing in Colorado.  Although for right now they have announced that they do not intend to shut down our manufacturing plant this year.  Of course that could be the kiss of death - I've certainly seen it happen before... they can change their minds next week if they want to. 

Over 22 years of employment with Kodak I have seen so many downsizings and shutdowns I can't count them.  I think when I started with Kodak there were over 40,000 employees in Rochester, down from over 60,000 in the early 80s, and we now stand at somewhere around 6,000.  So yes, I have seen my share of people losing their jobs, and they have almost all moved on to better places, so I just keep telling myself it won't be the end of the world.  And the funny thing is they may keep me til I have my 30 years, just to spite me for changing retirement plans back in '95.  I only had 6 years with the company and I was absolutely certain I could never make 30 years so I switched when they offered the choice.  One never knows what the future holds, that's for sure. 

I didn't ask for this most recent job change, but I think it will work out fine.  They tell me what they want me to do, I do it, so far that has kept me employed all these years.

And just to be sure nobody thinks I've stopped sewing, here are some outfits I made for the family going on the Disney Cruise, apparently they do a villain show one night on the cruise and these will be for them to wear to that:

I just love how these came out, but they took a lot of time to do.  I can't wait to see pictures of the family receiving them!

Well there you go, I went from no blogging at all to a huge post.    More later....not sure how much later.

A new obsession

Oh no, I can't afford another obsession.   But here it is... it just crept up on me.  I wanted to be able to make tags for my gifts that I send for the Big Gives.  I don't really know how it happened, but I went and bought a Cricut.  And then I fell in love.  And then someone told me about software you can get to make your own designs so you don't have to pay for cartridges.  And I fell deeper in love.  What is wrong with me?  I don't even have time to finish all the projects I need to sew.  And now I love cutting paper.  I have always known I am weird, as in different.

I know that I am not even really good at it yet.  I can't quite figure out how to glue everything together without getting some glue on the top of the designs, and I don't always set everything right to get it to cut cleanly.  And I am not creative enough (yet).  But I still love the idea of it.

I started out with 2 Disney cartridges (before I knew about the software) and I also have the font cartridge that came with it.  

Here you can see my glue on the top issue.  I bought a new glue stick and a glue pen after this.  Cute though.

You can make banners

 Tags

 Borders

 Mickey heads in all sizes

 A bow to turn a Mickey into a Minnie

 Greeting cards

And my new favorite, using the software to create my own designs

Next I need to get some fancier papers and get more creative, that is when I have the time.

In my spare time I made an Easter shirt for Hayley

Okay, off to sew up a crib set, a rag quilt, 2 appliqued t-shirts, 4 dresses, 3 outfits, a backpack, and whatever else comes to mind.  See you soon (I hope).

GIVE KIDS THE WORLD PILLOW PROGRAM INFO:

I copied the following from a thread on the disboards:

HELP needed for GKTW pillow program!

---

Give Kids The World is running low on Dream pillows for their Pillow Tree program. However, supplies are starting to run low and more help is needed. For those that don't know what I'm talking about, all of the children under the age of 18 who are traveling with a Wish child have the opportunity to make a pillow with Hermes, the owl that lives in the pillow tree.

Anyone who has any sewing experience is needed for help.
If you or someone that you know would be interested in helping, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for any help that you can provide.

Here are the instructions that were posted on the Disboards:

These are special pillows for our very special children. Please use new, very soft fabric- this is IMPORTANT for the children.

Here are the directions straight from the Village:

For the project, you will be working with PILLOW FABRIC. (cozy flannel - plain color) and the pocket (Novelty print which can be flannel or cotton) Please look for novelty prints suitable for both boys and girls. Cozy flannel is used for pillow fabric - one yard of flannel will make four (4) Wish Pillows. Cotton, Cotton/Poly blend, or flannel is used for the pocket - One yard of novelty print will make twelve (12) pockets for the wish pillows.

Cut the plain pillow fabric into 36 inch lengths. A rotary cutter and board will help to ensure accuracy and also speed up the process. The pockets are cut into 12 inch lengths. On the pillow fabric make a hem on both raw ends (do not sew selvages). Turn down fabric about 1/4" to 1/2" and then again another 1/4" to 1/2" taking up about an inch to one and a half inches. Accuracy is not critical. On the pocket material, hem one raw end only using the same measurements as on the pillow fabric.

Match the hemmed edge of the pocket and pillow. Sew the pocket material strip to the pillow fabric right side to right side along the length that is not hemmed. (You could go back to the cutting board to pin them together to get a straighter line for sewing.

Take the fabric back to the cutting board and fold the pocket material toward the center (wrong side of the pocket material to the right side of the pillow material). Lay a ruler at the pocket where it is sewn and measure 15 inches. Fold the pillow fabric over the ruler with the fabric right sides together. Then fold the other end on top of the end you just folded at the pocket where it is sewn.

Now cut the flannel lengthwise into 4 pieces approxiately 10-1/2" to 11 inches wide. Flannel comes in different widths so just divide the flannel into fourths and do not worry about the selvage; they will be sewn or serged over.

Make sure the pocket in the front and opening in the back are opposite. The overlap in the back must be at least two (2) inches.

Use your serger to finish the side seams or use a straight stitch and then zig zag the seams. Clip corners and turn pillow to right side.

The finished size of the pillow and pocket will be (depending on your hem widths of 1/4" to 1/2" as well as the width of the flannel) as follows: Pillow 9-3/4" to 10" wide X 15" long. Pocket: 9-3/4" to 10" wide X 11-1/2" long.

And a little more info from the disboards:

You do NOT have to provide the insert, just the pillow case. With some love, some luck, a wish and a kiss, the pillow tree will provide children at GKTW a memorable interactive experience. At the Pillow Tree each child will be guided by Hermes the Owl, the virtual caretaker, to create their very-own "sweet dreams" pillow. The pocket is a place for them to store their hopes and wishes, if they chose to write them down or a place to carry things that they love.

Where to send them:

Philip E. Torres
Support Services Manager
Give Kids The World

210 S Bass Road

Kissimmee, FL 34746
407.396.1114 ext.4280
philipt@gktw.org

Please be sure to include a letter, with every shipment, with the following information:

Name, Address, Phone, Email, Quantity and $ value. This information will allow us to properly thank you, as well as record your in-kind donation as it is required by law.

And here is a quick tutorial I wrote up as I followed the instructions above, hopefully some will find this helpful:

GKTW Pillowcase Tutorial by Ellen Bennett

Okay, I tried this tonight and here is my best attempt to explain what I did.

First, cut 36" of solid flannel by the full width of the fabric

Next cut 12" of novelty cotton by full width of the fabric
Hem with a narrow hem along one long cut edge of the novelty cotton, and along both long cut edges of the flannel:

Then line up the hemmed edge of the cotton with one hemmed edge of the flannel, right sides together

With the hemmed edges aligned and right sides together, sew the cotton to the flannel along the cut edge of the cotton

With the 2 pieces sewn together, lay out the fabric with the novelty cotton on top

Fold the cotton back at the seam so that the wrong side of the cotton is against the right side of the flannel

Measure 15" from the seam

 fold the flannel back over the cotton at the 15" mark you just made

Fold the other end of the flannel back at the seam where it meets the cotton

This is where you have right sides together, wrong sides out, and the seamed edges of the flannel should be overlapping at least 2"

Now you cut the package into quarters that are about 10 1/2 " long

Take one of the folded pieces and sew along both edges, then serge or zigzag

Turn right side out.. you should have an overlapped opening in the back, and a pocket on the front

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope some will find this helpful!!

Moving forward

So Monday was one of the most painful days of my life, but it is over and we are moving on.  I couldn't bring myself to change things and erase the signs of Pepper, but Greg was pretty quick to get at it.  The cage is gone, the bowls are gone, the blankets on the couch are washed.  He pulled out the bed and vacuumed under there.  Yes our house was full of dog hair, and probably still will be for a while.  And noone is there waiting for me in the mornings when I come out of the bathroom, and noone comes running to jump on the bed when I go to sleep at night.  I know she was "just a dog" to some, but she was part of my family and a true companion and I will be sad for a long time.

To keep my mind off of things I will keep trying to work on projects.  I have made a really cool crib set for Raven (Jamie's little sister).  The theme is New York Yankees, which is not really my thing, but I am still proud of how it came out.

So far I have made a quilt, bumper pads, a crib skirt, a pillow, a diaper stacker and a fleece tied blanket.  I had never made a real quilt before.  I had made rag quilts and a table runner, but nothing that I would call a real quilt.  I know this is a really small quilt, but still a lot of work.  I embroidered the logos onto the squares before sewing it all together.  I would say the hardest part was the binding, because it is hard to do neatly by machine, and I didn't want to hand sew the whole thing.  I think the whole set came out great, I really hope she likes it.  The shower is on the 30th of this month, I won't be in town so I won't get to see how she reacts, but hopefully I will at least see pictures of it in the nursury some day.

Other than that I have been working on a few applique t-shirt and custom shirt orders for customers, with 3 t-shirts and a doll dress to complete next.  I also still want to make a couple more baby gifts: bibs and burpies using embroidery designs I haven't tried yet, and a wipes case in the hoop as well.  Hopefully I will get them done before the shower.

I am tired of cold and snow, but it is a normal part of life here so I should be used to it.  It does get a bit depressing, so I am glad we are once again heading back to Florida for a week at the end of this month.  Just Greg and I this time.  I will be hoping for sunshine, relaxation, and good meals.  (Even if it means a bit of a setback to my Weight Watchers progress!)   I am also excited that I will also be getting the chance to meet a few of my on-line sewing friends in person. 

I will leave you with a picture of the view I have most of the day, so you can see why it is a bit depressing. It is almost always gray here in the winter and my feet are always cold!

This one wasn't taken today, but trust me, that's what it looks like today.

Saddest day

Just a warning... this is not about stuff I make.

Today at 4:30pm we have an appointment at our vet to let our sweet baby girl go.  We are doing it for her, and for us.  She is almost 14 years old, and it has been such a good run.  Sure there have been times (many of them for sure) that she has been a pain in the you know what, and a whole lot of work.  But the companionship and love have been worth it.   How will I get used to this, I really don't know, but I am sure it will get easier some day.  For now there will be so many tears.

Goodbye my sweet baby girl...