I do feel better today! Yesterday I could barely walk by the end of the day! My left knee was hurting so badly and that is my good one.
I can watch butterflies from my window since I have my butterfly bushes out there, the zinnias are up front and attract them and hummingbirds, too. Great photo ops, just still a little too hot for me to breathe well out there, though.

A few more art quilts

I started feeling a little better today, slept a lot, cross stitched and watched TV. The doctor's office said all the tests were fine including uric acid so no gout!
These are most of the quilts now, they really motivated me!

More Art Quilts and rambling

Here are more of the art quilts and a close up up my favorite one.
We took Charli with us to the Picnic and singing tonight at church. She enjoyed it.
For the last 3 days I have been in a weak phase with no energy. I am getting ready to go to bed already and it is not quite 9PM. I will get my blood work tomorrow to find out is I still have gout. I usually eat chicken and beef liver when I feel like this but it will make my knees hurt worse. I will just wait to hear what he says and it is allergy time so my coughing is very bad at night and my ribs and back hurt after that. Sounds like I'm complaining but really just trying to keep up with things here. I really am blessed!
Two wonderful men from Mama's church (I grew up there) Roy Pinson and Dan Adams have cancer that is very serious, Dan is in Hospice. Also a 15 Year old girl Lauren Kittles passed away this week end of cancer. I know of two teens laying in hospital beds, one, Scotty, in a coma since his Christmas Eve car wreck (on life support) and another, Ryan, paralized from the shoulders down from a swimming accident. My son-in-law's Dad had his bladder removed this year and his tumor is back so I do feel blessed! Yes, I have only 41% lung function but I can go to church and even walk through Wal-Mart and play with Charli and...
Yes I finally made pages with PSE4! I still have to switch to my old program to do text because it is so much better but I scrapped this week end, the first time this month!
I do face the fact I won't live as long as my Grandmother and maybe not even as long as my Mom but that makes me think about the way I live. I plan on giving a lot of home made gifts for Christmas and leaving my 'mark' and if anyone knows me they can say "I know she is in Heaven because she lived it" I just hope I don't go before seeing more of my family that way.

Zinnias for Kar

I love the different varieties of Zinnias! I planted a circle and sectioned them out this year. We have had a lot of rain lately and they are growing crazy! I need to go out and take a new picture of them!






These are smaller varieties

This is ONE flower!

Art Quilts

We took Charli to the Museum a couple of weeks ago to see a Robot exhibit and I saw these quilts. I love art quilts! The Sunbonnet Sue made me think of my Nanny. She and my Aunt Doll made several of them! I will post more later as I took a lot of pictures of them.
My Photo program is still down and so still no scrapping but doing other things to keep busy. I am working on Seth's Cross stitch stocking and got a lot done yesterday. Les is cutting grass and I am going to close the computer down and work on it now.

Jeremy's Birthday Quilt

It took me several weeks but I got Jeremy's quilt made and shipped in time for his 30th Birthday today! It is far from perfect but he is very happy and that it all that counts! I am going to but my a large cutting mat next month and start doing some quilts. I have an idea for one for Seth and have already bought the stuff a long time ago but need the larger cutting mat for my rotary cutter. Charli already told me she wants a baby blanket, LOL! I have made her several crocheted and fleece already, maybe I will do a small quilt for her...
I texted Jeremy at 3:11, the time he was born and told him he was getting old!

I made a Bible cover today and sent Jeremy's gift to him. I will post later because I do not want him to see it at all, not that he reads my Blog, LOL! It was a good day, been raining all week which we need. My flowers are looking great, the butterfly bushes are tall and the zinnias are showing out, too. The heat has been hard on our tomatoes but we have lots of blooms, I guess we will see...

I finished sewing the patches on my quilt! Tomorrow I will put it together and try to ship it as soon as possible since he will be 30 Saturday!

The guys of Nantucket really took to Charli! As you can see they sang to her and played the guitar for her but she got nervous and crawled into my lap. That's where see is right now as I am typing.
This week the health dept called and said I have a bacteria in my knee. I had to go have it drained again and retested. Will find out in a couple of weeks what's up with it. It is supposedly the bacteria that causes TB but I have had 3 x-rays and a lung CT this year alone Plus a TB test in Feb. so I am not worried about it. It was 40mls of fluid this time. Dr. Holman told Dr Powell he thinks the the tests were contaminated.

I had my treatment today. It went fine but now I have a headache. Gina and I worked on recovering a chair for the nursery, I don't know if that did it or what else could have. She has made good progress in the nursery and had a good report from her Dr. today.

You can even tell through my sleep pants how big my knee is because of the gout, my right foot is swelling again. They are not hurting just swelling. My knee is stiff in the morning though. Tomorrow my MIL will be 70! Taking her to lunch.

I got my letter from Social Security today! They are paying me back pay from April! I know God was in this for sure as I never had any trouble with getting approved! I didn't have to even talk to my representative. I did call them when I got back from Charleston in June and told then to add the doctor to my profile and that's when it was put through. I will get my first check in September which is actually for this month. Do not know for sure when I will get back pay. I sure do feel relieved!
Now the notes on Les. He had hearing tests and has lost about 25% of his hearing and needs 2 hearing aids. Now anyone that knows him will understand my concern to pay $1600 for something he will misplace! I KNOW we will be getting insurance for these! Insurance doesn't pay for them. Also he has a mole in his eye! He had to be sent from office to Hospital to check it out! Thank goodness we have excellent vision insurance! That was $2200. of which $60 was out of pocket and that includes his glasses!

I didn't think I would have to start playing Barbies THIS SOON, LOL! Charli has had a couple that she would play with a little in her toys but she found some clothes I had in a box and that did it. I pulled out Gina's dollhouse and the clothes from Gina and Jordon so now Meme has to dress the dolls! But it makes her very happy so....
I saw on the news about solar storms that are happening now. I asked Jeremy if they were supposed to see them but he didn't know bout it. He said they have a cloud cover. I hope he can!

YAY! I have to take 6 more months of the chemo which is not good But when I texted Jeremy to tell him he responded and said I was in his prayers and I got a letter telling me to set my password for my Disability! I didn't get a letter yet with details but I know I am getting it from the site!

Les told me if I took a picture and scrapped it he would throw away his shoes. It has been so hot he burns his feet when he wears them, LOL! He has always had trouble getting rid of holey jeans and shoes, they are a way to defy authority. He seemed to love to wear them around his Dad and Granddaddy! He still brings up a pair of pink and yellow swim trunks he had, he thinks one of us threw them away after the kitchen burned, I do not know what happened to them, honestly, just get tired of hearing about it!
That brings up Jeremy is not texting or communicating with me. He sent me a 9 page letter on how his right wing political views are Biblical and my Conservative views are not Christian. That was not the thing to hit me with! I prayed about it and answered his letter with scripture and love. I told him he was not using his scripture in context and that I loved him no matter what his political beliefs and that I was a Christian because I believed Christ died to set me free not for who I voted for! He has not responded. That shows he is from my family for sure! I admit I have a 'cool down period" when I get mad but I then say to mayself, "this is stupid forgive and forget!" Not my family! I remember weeks without my parents talking. There is not a lot of forgiveness, even if they get bad service at a business instead of seeing it as the waitress or a bad day they don't go back. I admit I do not like K-Mart and avoid there. I used to work at Wal-Mart and when I entered they made security calls and followed me around. I avoid them to this day but I do like the children's clothes there. Now I do not go shopping any where a lot. Waiting to hear from Disability, LOL!
I hope he comes around soon! At least I can talk to Julie. His Birthday is in 3 weeks and I am making him a special gift so I will be devistated if he doesn't get over it and like my gift!
Les is out cutting grass! He is mad at my brother so he is doing it even though his back is killing him. I am hoping he will finish painting the hall he started 4 weeks ago today. He says he doesn't want to ask Jeff for a brush... I guess he needs a little forgiveness, too, LOL!
Well, off to the doctor to have a chest x-ray and to work a few minutes!

This is the fluid drained from my knee Monday, 50Ml. Because it wasn't clear it had to be tested. I went back today and was supposed to get a steroid shot but Dr. Powell said it had Uric Acid crystals and more fluid so we are going to play it by ear. I have it wrapped up but am going to get a knee brace and since I go see Dr. Holman Monday I am not going to worry about it. I know that since I was eating extra liver and red meat to keep my iron up during my Chemo that could have made my kidneys not filter as well. I am not really hurting and the swelling is less than before he drained it so...

My Grandmother is 92 today, I took this picture 2 years ago of her holding Charli, I love it!
I went with Les to get his physical yesterday, he got a couple of meds added to what he takes now, something for pain that is not a narcotic and something mild to help him relax a little. It is just an antihistamine but I sure hope he takes it. I am really tired of his griping about work and Jeff! It is stressful for me being between the two!

I didn't realize I hadn't posted in a week, I was really pretty busy last week during VBS, here is Charli as a garden fairy. Yesterday Gina was cramping and having contractions, Mom, Les and I went to the hospital to meet her and Charli came back with them but I stayed. The baby's head is down and very low, she is 27 weeks so she has to be careful. Ames is about 2 lb. now. They gave her Terbutaline and that stopped her contractions. She has a bladder infection and is taking Macrobid.
I called Social Security and my clain has had a decision and is now being reviewed at Federal level. I should know in 3 or 4 weeks if I get my disability or not.

Started VBS tonight, Charli really loved it and did not want to leave!
I also started a Very special Secret project for Jeremy's birthday, I will say I am SEWING and most of it is by hand and anyone that knows me well know that is a least favorite thing for me! But jeremy will be 30 in August and I wanted to do something so special it will bring tears to his eyes. I think it will... can't reveal yet, though.

Heading to bed but thought I would make a quick post, Charli fell running when her Daddy came to pick her up and I bandaged her little knees, she Hates band aids and was saying "I don't want to, Meme!" She wouldn't walk as long as they were on her knees but when Gina took them off she started walking, LOL!
I have to go to Orthopedic surgeon about my knee to see if it is torn tendon. I am praying it is not!

This adorable kit is called Ain't Life Grand? by Connie Prince and I Love it! I had so much fun using it.
I had my last Cytoxan today, tomorrow I see Dr. Holman and talk about what to do next. Dr. Hightower suggested CellCept and Rapaume, I guess I will see what he says. I just want this swelling to go down, my feet are so fat by the end of the day and I can stand by Gina and look as pregnant as she is!
Ames is a good active baby. You can watch him move just like his Mommy did. I really feel for Julie, she lost the baby, had her birthday and Jeremy has been shipped out to California for dessert training for the month And Alexis will be coming home to SC soon to go to school. I am praying she will have strength she needs.

Had a nice weekend, Friday David and Paula came over for grilled pork chops and then Saturday morning they came over and helped fix the corner of our yard with a seating area and Paula weeded the section of the flower bed I didn't get to the other day. Then I went to 96 with Trey and Gina and we watched Mary Jane's band and when Les got off he joined us for the fireworks.
Charli had a great time playing and dancing and loved the fireworks!
Sunday Les got off at 6 and we took Charli to church while the kids went to see Grown Ups and came home to watch the Macy's Fireworks show which she enjoyed but was impatient while they played music and wanted fireworks, LOL! I recorded it so I can fast foward just for them next time.
My last Cytoxan is in the morning and I go to Dr Wednesday to discuss next round of meds. Les is off until Thursday.
Today we are going to Tye dye t-shirts at church for Bible school and probably hang out with David. We may go out to the lake for awhile in Paula's boat.
I also started a project for Jeremy's birthday, a quilt with his Scout badges, he is in California for the month doing desert maneuvers, that's sad because today is Julie's birthday and since she lost the baby she is depressed. Also Alexis will be coming back to SC to go to school soon and he will be missing her.

Very excited the Gamecocks won the College Baseball National Championship, very cool for the state to have some positive press!

Had a night Birthday Dinner with my family today at Sweet Peas for Les and Keith, Les was late for work as he often is when he goes in at 2:00 and we go to eat. He has to work so many Sundays! He will work next Sunday on the Fourth, too since I have my last Cytoxan treatment the 6th and a doctor appointment the 7th so we can talk about my next group of meds.
Get to spend some time with my baby tomorrow since Gina has Jury Duty.

Just a quick post because I am very tired. Today is Les's Birthday and we didn't do much, he had to get up at 4AM and go to do an inventory in a GA store and we had a vacation Bible School meeting and they had him a cake from Brewster's and that was fun. Tomorrow he and I are going to go to Greenville and eat and spend some time together doing things we like. He has to work Saturday night but Saturday morning we plan on doing the Garden tours for the Festival.

We lost our Dad 4 years ago on Father's Day June 18. My brother moped around and would not go to church because he doesn't celebrate Father's Day. I told him I was thankful to have a Dad and I celebrate with good memories, also this was our first FD without my FIL. It actually was a good day, though, Papa Hearst was the Father of the Year at church and Jeremy called to tell me that they are going to have another baby! Gina is 6 months along now so they will have the babies just months apart. I think that's nice!