Love and loss...

Warning: LOOOOONG post---

life lesson first-art work at the end...

 

 * * * * * * *

 

I've been away from my blog for awhile now.

I've had my hands full with this girl...



 

and I need to share her story with you today.

When she and I first met

she was in a cage in our vet's office.

She had been abandoned at Paws Place

a local dog rescue

and brought to our vet`s office.

She was very friendly-rubbing and butting and meowing

at me through the bars.

I was drawn to her mainly because well,

she was a SHE

and I am a SHE surrounded by males

(we had 3 inside male cats at home not to mention our

outside male feral

and I didn't think we could take on another).

I saw her off and on for about a month.

Friendly as she seemed, she also had some sort of damage

to her left eye--it was cloudy but it clearly didn't stop her

from getting around.

I think that was part of the reason she wasn`t

quickly adopted.

One day I caved

and she came home with me.

We put her in a room by herself for starters.

We wanted to give her time to adjust.

But we got a surprise.

She was terrified of us.

She would not let me near her for a very, very long time.

When she finally did, she would often reach a point of panic

and strike out with claws bared with no warning whatsoever.

She was terrified of us-and of the boy cats.

She would run and hide.

I kept telling her all she had to do

was puff and hiss.

We put up a screen door so she could see all of us

and vice versa.

We knew she (like me....) had been abused.

Eventually,

she came to trust me.

And a good bit later, my husband as well.

The panic ceased.

She would sit with me and love and cuddle.

She would play and chatter at the birds.

I could bring her out next to me

and she would tolerate the boys.

She and Inky were friends

as long as there was a door --- or Momma--between them.

One day about a month ago

a mysterious lump showed up on her head.

I opted to watch it hoping it was simply a cyst that would reabsorb itself.

A week later, overnight, it doubled in size.

Surgery happened quickly.

The pathology report....not so fast.

And, when it did, sadly, it was not good news.

A rare form of cancer - T-cell lymphoma.

Little known about this disease.

While we were waiting,

despite our vet's  best efforts,

our girl declined rapidly.

And Wednesday of this week I had to make

an extremely difficult decision.

I could not let her suffer any longer

and we chose to say good-bye to our sweet girl.

Now, why do I share such a heart-breaking story?

Well,

in her last weeks,

she overcame the last of her fears.

She wanted to come out of her room....

she toured the entire house!

And she finally realized that

if she puffed and hissed

the boys would back off

and leave her alone!

She overcame.

She learned from us

that it was ok to love, to trust,

and to overcome her fears.

She won.

 

And, as Paul Harvey would say---

the rest of the story...

one person involved in dealing with her pathology report

shared that his one-year old daughter

has an inoperable brain tumor.

Just like our girl, Miss Dolly.

Coincidence?

Not on your life!

God-incidence?

You'd better believe it!

I do.

That little girl

will have a purrfect friend

waiting on her.

Thank you, Ms. Dolly

for the lessons you taught me

for the love you gave me.

You won't be forgotten!

You are truly AN OVERCOMER

 

 

* * * * * * * *

And, speaking of Overcoming...

here are some Easter projects I was working on last week-end

 

Until next time, as a fellow blogger used to say--

HUG THE ONES YOU LOVE

 happy stamping and scrapping.

Blessings,



Wanted: Extra dose of energy, inspiration and hope....

(Warning: Long Rambling Post-Vintage finds at end...~!)

 

It's been a bit since I have posted.

I did recover from my cold

but life has been slapping me on all sides

and I am worn out.

Today finds me with my fibromyalgia raging

(the weather (raining cats and dogs isn't helping!)

and I am curled up yet again in bed with cats and heating pad.

I have more issues I can count and not good ones.

And it's my party blog and I'll cry if I want to...!

 

Although we did have a miracle here...

and I am calling it Resurrection Sunday Monday.

This little girl had surgery--and the pathology report came back

inconclusive.

(pic after surgery)

 

We sent it off for the second one and are still waiting.

She had her stitches out and was a real trooper through that.

Her fur is coming back in and you can hardly see her scar.

All was well --so we thought.

Saturday of last week-end she wanted out of her room.

So I let her out to roam the house with the boys

and for awhile, she was fine.

And then she  began frantically pacing the entire house

and then began running into things.

Back in her room she went.

Sunday morning she was cowering under a table in her room---

and looking at me but not interacting.

By mid-afternoon she was sitting on my lap

basically unresponsive.

Called the vet and we made an emergency run.

Of course by the time we got there-she was highly agitated

and along with pacing around the exam room,  was now panting heavily.

The vet observed this, brought in a litter box and left to see if she would settle down.

She did-but not by much. 

After examining her, the vet in turn had bad, more bad, and worse choices....

it was a heart issue/stroke

(which typically happens after surgery if there is a previously undetected heart issue);

 it could be seizure(s) (and there is no real way to diagnose that in a cat...)

or the mystery lump had indeed invaded/infected the brain.

No clue.

Since she was a little dehydrated, we (yes, all three of us)

worked to get fluids into her.

She got a steroid shot

and three of us again worked to get a dose of phenobarbital in her.

And we came home to wait.

Monday am-not much improvement but she did seem to "see me".

(Frankly, I was surprised she was alive....!)

By Monday afternoon-she came to me.

By Monday evening...it was as if nothing had ever happened

and she was even playing with us!

I spent the next few days on poop patrol to put it politely

(it was also determined Sun. she was constipated!)

That, too, has changed!

And you thought this was an art blog?!

See--this why I don't get time to blog! 

Poop patrol! 

 

Other major things I won't go into-

just suffice it to say that, if you are a believer and prayer,

please say an extra one for me.

I promise I am one of those that pays it forward when I can!

 

I ---as well as my cohort in crime--aka Theresa

needed a diversion from life yesterday

so we headed to a favorite haunt of ours

Miss Minnie's Antiques.

We have a craft show coming up

and I needed a way to display my eggs...

I got the blue pedestals...

and then, as we were getting ready to leave---

I spied three small fluted tin trays

and Theresa and the shops owner convinced me that they would be perfect

to sit on top and hold the eggs.

So I got those, too.

And then I spied an apron-more on that later.

The shop owner asked me

if I wanted her to wrap my pedestals and I said oh,  no, they will be fine

(I ASSUMED they were wood as they were heavy...)

and when I got home and rushed into my craft room

noticing the afternoon sun was just right if I hurried

to take photos of them with my eggs...

I dropped one.

It slipped out of the bag, hit the floor and the top snapped off.

They may be heavy---but they sure as heck aren't wood!

Thankfully---I had E-6000;

they are vintage distressed look anyway

and, in her usual see the glass wayyyy more than half full approach to life

Theresa said, " just put a bow around it."

Good idea!

And I am thinking that a bow of  tulle with long tails

will be just the thing to dress this display up---

that and a little green Easter grass under the eggs

(if I can find the green paper kind---I despise the plasticky stuff!)

What do you think?

Good find!

 

When our church remodeled some years back

and downsized the old sanctuary, they sold off the extra pews.

And I bought one.

We use it at our table---and the hymn racks hold cookbooks

and, as you can see, I decorate it with pretty towels and aprons.

Found this apron again as I was going out the door!

Not sure what that sheer fabric really was/is--

and after the pedestal predicament-

I was hesitant to iron it but I did--

I just looped the ties into individual bows on either end

and secured it with pretty clothespins.

 

I had one more find that I will use in my craft show display

but will save that for another day.

 

Until next time,

happy stamping and scrapping!

Blessings,



Saturday Mish-Mash...

Just one of those days where I am in the middle

of any number of things

and really don't feel like doing anything.

First

I decided to do a little cooking

and tried a new recipe



Found a recipe in a magazine for

Stuffed Pepper Casserole.

The recipe called for Italian sausage

instead of ground meat.

It is good-but I think I would absolutely love it with the ground meat instead.

Go to www.fiveminutesformommy.com for the  (original ground meat) recipe.

It makes a lot--and I think it would freeze well, too.

I wasn't sure about the corn, either-but it is actually good.

 

Then I took a break

did some blog hopping in between sneezing

and I had company as I was curled up in bed

That's Poppa Cat grooming Inky (aka the baby...)

 Two minutes later they were wrestling and fussing with one another!

Boys!

After my break...I got brave

and ventured into my magic kingdom

aka my DISASTER AREA!

UGH!

 

No-I won't give you a bigger picture-

the little one looks bad enough!

I have not cleaned in here in forever-it looks it, too!

Have I mentioned...

I HATE dealing with putting paper away?

My hubby built me great shelves-

 

and I thought it would solve my never-ending paper problem...

I even labeled the shelves...and still have a mess.

Time to tackle it!

I set the timer

Flylady says-you can do ANYTHING for 15 minutes...

even clean up paper piles...

I did NOT CHEAT---I stopped when the timer did...

and look how far I got....

Remember the before?

 

In a mere 15 minutes...

I put the packages of paper where they belonged;

the paper pads where they belonged;

the chipboard back on it's shelf

and managed to sort the pile of paper on the floor

into two stacks:

full pages and a stack of scraps.

I bet in another 15 minutes--

I can sort out the box that's left into those two same piles

and get what's in there on it's appropriate shelves, too.

Another 15--and I can probably get the two stacks done.

I was taking a break (Flylady is a big advocate of taking breaks in between...)

when Theresa (aka my partner in a variety of crimes) called.

She was in the ER last night with heart issues-

we decided it was due to her husband who decided to cook!

lol!

She's ok, thank God.

We had a good chat---now it's time to go do those other 15 minutes.

Oh-I found a few gems while I was in there...

I am a member of The Button Farm Club

and I get some awesome kits on a monthly basis

(which I seem to be collecting vs. doing!)

I opened February's kit and found an additional kit inside

as a thank you.

I was a mini album--but a good size one with awesome embellishments.

Their kits are top-notch.  PLENTY of paper and embellishments

of good great quality, too.

 

The other thing I found when sorting that pile of paper

were these pics of my goddaughter...

I need to scrap these...I love them!

She's since cut that long blond hair-but I love her expression.

And the one next to it--she did in a photoshop program...

I think its interesting and intriguing...

 

 I am also up to my eyeballs in eggs!

I absolutely LOVE making these!

The flowers are super easy and relaxing for me to do--

and I just love decorating the eggs.

They make a nice little gift--

and I also add a Cricut cut card

so they can be used as place cards.

Getting ready for a spring craft show-

I do hope they sell! I don't want to have to

hang onto them for another year!

 

Ok.

Gotta get back to it.

 

Until next time,

happy stamping and scrapping.

Blessings,

Wishing for Spring...

PSPTP (PS-PRIOR TO POST: So I go into the magic kingdom last night

and what do I find on the floor? One of the small dark pink roses...GRRR!

Since the others are all hot glued down-I will find another use for it---oh well!)

on to the post...

 

I did not manage to dodge the germs

everyone around me was spreading

so I have the cold--aka ``the crud``.

I spent yesterday in bed sleeping

and today I was too antsy to just lie here

so I worked on a craft project while propped up

with my pillow, Kleenex and Popsicles (great for sore throats!

I purchased a paper peony flower wreath kit from

The Paper Source

I accidently got two kits instead of one-not sure how that happened---

but their customer service is AWESOME---I had it within 3 days of ordering!

And the kit was good quality, too.

Isn`t it beautiful

(uh-oh-I`ve done something wonky to my keyboard again-weird characters)

The ``welcome`` sign is not part of it-it`s a sign on my door to my magic kingdom

that just happened to fit perfectly at the top

so I left it there.

This was super, super easy to do--

you punch out the precut flowers

sort them by shape and color

and then go to work with your bone folder

to curl the edges

and then you just stick them together

alternating the petals.

If you purchase this kit-here`s a tip---

you can curl the petals with your bone folder,

use glue dots to adhere them together,

and then gently `smoosh`` it to make it curl into itself even a bit more.

There are several colors-and two sizes of flowers-

and they really do look real!

I have to add that I used my Cricut to cut leaves-

the kit comes with a template to hand cut 9 leaves...

I found I wanted more to help fill it in a little bit

and I didn`t want to sit and trace and cut by hand.

 The ribbon included with the kit was plentiful---

a pet peeve of mine is kits or companies that skimp on the embellishments.

It was a good way to pass the day

in between sneezing.

 

On another note,

our vet just called about Ms. Dolly.

 

The pathology report was---inconclusive.

There`s still a possibility that the bump that was removed

wasn`t cancerous.

But they can`t tell without running more tests on it.

Need consult with the other half.

We`ve been hit hard with vet bills this year.

Ms. Dolly is doing well-and the vet is surprised a new bump hasn`t appeared.

That is good news.

Now if Momma can just get better...

Pass the Vitamin C and the tissues, please....

 

Until next time,

Happy Spring-

stamping and scrapping.

Blessings,

Project of the day...

I recently bit the bullet

and switched from Tracfone to an i phone.

While it's more than I want to pay per month,

I've enjoyed it's bells and whistles

(at least the one's I've figured out so far!)

I did buy a protective case for it as I am a clumsy on a good day...

but

having had a cat vomit on an open laptop,

I learned the hard (expensive!) way

that I wanted to be sure this piece of high priced technology

was protected even a little  bit more.

While I know a few layers of fabric and some quilt batting

won't do a whole lot-it certainly can't hurt...

when it's  being charged or sitting on the dresser

where I typically have a drink while reading in bed...

or stashed in my purse

(FYI-DO NOT put your purse in that intsy tinsy space

to the left of the bag carousal at Wal-Mart

when the clerk gives that thing a wild turn-

it slings your purse half way across the aisle with all your stuff

falling out while she stands there staring and asking,

"What was that?!"

She did go and pick it up---and THANK GOD

I bought the protective case that I did!)

so I pulled out some fabric from my stash

and this is what I came up with...

 That's the front---here's the back...

and the inside is a pretty pink and white stripe...

I have 4 boy cats and 1 girl cat...

the pink is in honor of Ms. D (and Momma is a girl, too!)

It's a beautiful day outside today---!

And,

since this went oh so well --even the topstitching!--

(once I figured out the format for putting it all together so no raw edges showed...)

I decided to whip up a few more...

I need buttons, however, for the closure on these tho...

I didn't take a pic of the lining on this one-

but it, too, coordinates.  It's paw prints in the same colors

on a black background.

These will go with me to the April craft show---

and maybe I will take the time and finally put some things

in my Etsy shop.

With the vet bills mounting, I have to do something!!!

 

Speaking of which,

the patient (of the day-it seems to change so fast around here)

is curled up next to me sleeping.

She took her meds like a good girl

and is pretty much leaving her stitches alone.

If you are squeamish, scroll fast past these next two pictures...

 

 

 

I mentioned in earlier posts that Bad Cat has lost so much weight

he's been cold.

And I made a coat for him-but it wasn't the best of fits.

I wanted something a little snugglier and warmer for him

and Wal-Mart had this one for a mere $ 4

 

He had it on all day yesterday and slept in it.

This morning my husband saw him trying to groom himself

but the sweater was in the way so he took it off him.

When Bad Cat was done grooming,

he went right over to it and laid down on it!

Guess that was his way of saying he wants his clothes back on!

The other cats weren't sure what to make of it---

they kept sniffing him and then would back away really fast!

Maybe they are jealous?!

 

Didn't get much housework done that I had intentions of doing

but the craft project went well and I feel good about that.

Hubby picking up ribs, slaw and fries for supper.

Me and my girl plan on blog hopping and snuggling.

Please keep praying that this tumor is GONE

and not malignant.

I appreciate it more than words can say. 

Until next time,

happy stamping and scrapping.

Blessings,