"praiseGod,praiseGod,praiseGod"

Hi, my precious friends and family, my faithful prayer warriors, and all of you that voted for McCain. (I'm kidding, you sillies)

We'll start this post with a picture of my mother *going through her Publisher's Clearinghouse tree*
(get it? the trees they waste putting all of those packets together? Junk mail - another post...). She's home! She feels like sitting up and reading, she's eating and drinking (water - I'm drinking Boones Farm) JK!
If we keep her on her pain med schedule then she doesn't get a headache! woooooooooooooooo hoooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

I was so happy when I saw my mom the morning after her *brain* surgery and saw how wonderful she looked compared to the night before {just after her surgery} that the words just popped out of my mouth - "I'M SO HAPPY!" when I saw her.
I was just so stinkin' happy! God is so good! I knew that he would fix everything, that he would heal my mother, but to have him do it per my request [heehee], uh-hum, in such a wonderful way was, well, all I can say is, "PRAISE GOD!" Remember my first post? "pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease"?
We're a far cry from that with, "praiseGodpraiseGodpraiseGodpraiseGod"! PRAISE GOD!!

Through all of this I was stressed from sitting, sitting, sitting at the hospital waiting, waiting, waiting for doctors, didn't get very good sleep *or enough*, concerned that the doctors weren't communicating with each other [don't get me started], determined to keep up with my blog posts for those of y'all that I knew were praying and checking for updates - you get it.
But not once, never, did I doubt God, loose my faith, waver in my belief that God was in charge no matter what his will. My mom was in the best of hands - His - and now she's home and doing fabulously.

The neurosurgeon drilled two holes in her skull and drained out approximately 1/4 cup of f-l-u-i-d. *gagging*
The night of the surgery, after mom had been moved into ICU, she had a honkin' headache ("I know!!") and it was pretty spooky looking down at her in her bed in the darkened room where we were told "no cell phones, no noise". Needless to say, my brother and sisters and I didn't stay long.
Flash forward to the next morning. . . ."I'M SO HAPPY!"

So. The next day, that would be yesterday, mom is being released - *happy dance*.
It's going to be a while before the paper work is finished and she can leave and Jean's at the hospital so. . . . . .Joan and I make a quick run to the antique mall in downtown Kalamazoo and I managed to get a hit, a fix.
These things below are just a few of the precious treasures that I found. Check out that sweet girl, and that small square box thing with the vintage ribbon. Those black dots are straight pins, and then there are the vintage baby shoes *I hope to make into pin cushions*, oh, and that fabric children's book, and the pink floral hat with pink netting, and that beautiful vintage hankie.
I wish you could have been there. I had goosebumps.

I just must show you a close-up of the vintage hankie. Isn't it gorgeous?
I found about a half dozen white vintage hankies there with beautiful needle work. Again, goosebumps.

One more thing and I'll stop talking! {I think because I'm getting to talk about something other than p-u-s and s-c-a-b-s that I'm a bit giddy}
Okay, these vintage Valentines were THE FIND OF THE DAY!
About 20 of them, all precious and all priced at, well, I just can't say it. It's obscene.
Wanna guess???
Hmmmm. Okay, I'm tired and wanna go to bed and read. Tomorrow will be here before I know it!
Oh, and fyi, I was supposed to be home yesterday, but, changed my plane reservations and will be staying with my mother until the 20th. That's two more weeks.
Please don't forget me - I'll need some type of stimulation other than a med schedule, taking mom's blood pressure 3X a day, doctor's appointments, walking to the mailbox and back every day for mom's exercise, cooking (okay, heating up what Joan cooked and froze), watching Law and Order re-runs day after day, and counting my blessings - I need y'all to keep me mindful of my studio and that it WILL be waiting for me when I go home.
Oh, and Frank the Tank??? He misses me terribly - says it's boring without me. Hope that doesn't change! LOL


XOXO,

DOCTORS AND NURSES AND SURGERY, OH MY!!

Well, y'all, I think the worst is behind us. Of course, I'm not in control;)
Let me tell you about late yesterday through today - what a ride!
Especially in this particular hospital - doesn't seem like the right hand has known what the left is doing at any point in our experience AND I'M TALKING DOCTORS!

I feel a letter to Bronson Hospital coming on.....it's been stupid, and when it involves my sweet mother!

We'll start today's update with a picture of my sister, Joan, from Angola, Indiana, who came up yesterday. After a really long day at the hospital yesterday we collapsed in front of the t.v. at mom's and she and Sophie just vegged for a while.
It was decided that mom would have surgery this morning - did I mention this in yesterday's post? I don't think so, but if I did, I apologize. Tired.

Okay, so a neurosurgeon *precious, btw* was going to make two incisions and put in a drain tube *I feel a gag rising* to drain off, well, you get the picture.

He was going to wait and see how her night went with the headache, blah, blah, and we were to meet with him this morning at 9 a.m. to make a final decision.

So, we meet with the doc this morning and it's decided that, yes, surgery would be performed at noon with full anesthesia and he patiently answered all of our questions. This is a picture of mom waiting to be taken to pre-op.

I don't like looking at this picture, so let's move on. . . .

Oh, these two lovelies were responsible for getting my precious mother to pre-op and they were a hoot. Actually, Clara, the one in front, a bit of a problem. Gave me some lip.

But, mom loved them so all was well:)

Oh, yeah, Clara - the one I call Trouble - wanted her picture taken *over and over and over*. JK

She was so excited to hear that I was going to blog them.

Then she asked me what a blog was. . . . . . . . . . ."I know!"

I told Clara that I was going to have to report her for calling her boyfriend while she was supposed to be wheeling my mother down the hall.

She tried to tell me that she was "calling ahead" - she sure must like the nurse she was talking to - called her "sweetpants". JK
This is my brother from Florida, Russ, in the surgery waiting room. It was past wonderful that he flew up to be with all of us for mom's surgery!

And, when he made his plans, his plane reservations, he didn't even know she was going to have surgery so it worked out great. He's wonderful and I don't get to see him much so it was a double blessing that he was here.

Mom's surgery went very well, they drained what they drained and it drained so well *gagging* that she didn't have to have a "drain" put in the incision to drain out more.

Okay, that's enough.

We're in the surgery waiting room waiting for her to come out of recovery.

Here's Joan - she finally couldn't resist that long curved bench!

And, Jean. She snagged the only recliner! LOL

After mom's put in ICU, the N-surgeon said he would have a better idea how much longer I'm going to be here - probably 2 more weeks.

I'm not going home until she can manage on her own.

All of my siblings have jobs and I'm "just an artist" - hahaha - so I can stay! ROTF

I'm happy to be in the position to be here with her until she's back to herself!

I've missed my mom!

Praise God, give Him ALL of the glory for the surgery going so well.

The next step will be happening sometime this afternoon when she wakes up,

so KEEP PRAYING!

I love all y'all.

XOXO,

Jan

YOU'RE NOT IN TEXAS ANYMORE......

oh, good grief. i have tried to upload these photos in the correct order TWICE and i can't get it to work and after you read this post you'll understand why i'm posting it with the pictures out of order - i just can't mess with them any more.
this picture below is of mom and her best friend, norma, at mom's this last week.
norma is amazing.
mom can be in the worst mood and the minute norma shows up, her entire persona changes.
it's so aggravating - we've been putting up with mom being pitiful all day and then walks in norma and you'd never know that mom had been pitiful just minutes before! LOL
below is mom laying on the couch a couple of days ago with her baby, sophie, at her head, *probably* watching a Law and Order re-run.

okay, here we go......starting the out of order pictures - aughhhh! - this is mom leaving the doctor's office this last week after getting her stitches out. they had to wrap this turban around her head to keep the bandage over the s-c-a-b (i cannot say that word - makes me want to vomit) that was still on the back of her head where the stitches were because that's where she hit her head when she fell (ewwwwwwwww!).

nikki, her nurse, seemed to be rather fond of gauze. i can't help but wonder about that...

nikki is wrapping *and wrapping and wrapping and wrapping* gauze around mom's head.....i told you she had a thing for gauze.

jean, my sister, is helping nikki take the stitches out. guh-ross.

i was in the room only to take the pictures for blogging.

it was after this one that i hit the waiting room - too disgusting.

nikki obviously loves her job which i think is fortunate because there is no way i'm getting close to s-c-a-b-s or p-u-s.

no, no, no, not me. give me glue and paper and let nikki handle the bloody stuff.

still out of order, jean and mom waiting in the doctor's office to have the stitches removed.

okay, it's at this time that we start to go downhill.

last night we took mom to the E.R. because the last three days her headaches have gotten really bad and she had become nauseous. i insisted that we take her to the doctors and that they send her for a CAT scan because i knew something was up.......i admit that i had to get a wee bit bossy. they did the cat scan and wanted us to go home and wait for he doctor to call us with the results - right.

it's 4 p.m. on friday and we're going to go home and wait for the doctor to call that afternoon.

i told them we were not leaving;

that we would wait for the results and talk to the doctor that afternoon in person.

don't argue with me.

it worked *of course* and aren't we glad i was insistant.

long story short, fluid around the subdural hematoma which was causing pressure against the skull and brain and therefore, causing the headaches and nausea. they admitted her to the E.R. where we sat (mom laid down on the bed) in folding chairs for SEVEN hours waiting for admittance into the hospital.

finally, at 1:30 a.m. we go to her room.

she's put on this medicine called mannital (sp?) that pulls the fluid off the brain, blah, blah, blah.

anyway, she'll be here until at least tomorrow and she is NOT delightful. she is pissed.

there. i said it. *the "p" word. i said it because it's true. she's been rather upset about being in the hospital which i thought called for some comic relief..............it worked for about 10 seconds...............

before i close, i must tell y'all thank you.

every single one of you that has been praying and y'all that have left the most encouraging comments and sent the sweetest emails - i cannot thank you enough.

i had hoped to write each of you a personal email but there have been so many emails and posts that i'm afraid that's not going to happen, so let me tell you now how much i appreciate y'all and how much i love each of you.

also, my original plan was to be here for two weeks, flying back home this tuesday, but it's obvious to me that that's not going to happen. i'll be changing my flight home; i don't know how much longer i'll need to stay, i need to talk to my sisters first, but it will be a while longer.

i'm going to have to ask my best friend go to my studio and send me something more to work on....................or maybe not - below is what i've gotten accomplished so far.....it's slow going.

i love you all dearly and thank you again for your faithfulness in your prayers.

XOXO,

MY MOTHER, MY FRIEND

I've been wrestling all day with sharing some things with y'all - before I get into all of that, look at this photo. It's my mother. She has always thought that she looks like a boy in this picture, but I think she looks like, well, like 'her'. And, look closely - you can see that she's holding the locket on the necklace around her neck.
Of course, I love this picture. I adore it.
What I've been wrestling with is sharing with y'all how bad yesterday really was for me. I have been skimming over my feelings about all that has happened to my mother when posting because
I am quite aware that I'm not the first one to deal with an elderly (she would kill me for using that word! LOL) parent's health issues.
So, why should I give what I'm going through credence by blogging about it, by telling y'all?
I decided that I should because, first of all, there are those of you that haven't dealt with aging parents and health issues and maybe what I'm going through can help you in some way.
And, also because this is my blog, my diary of sorts, and I can write about what I want to write about - ewww, a little attitude caused by stress. LOL

Yesterday was hard in that it was another day of watching my mom act like she's on morphine.
Which she is, I know that.
I'm not THAT stressed.
Watching her doze, see things that aren't there (a bug - oh gosh, if there really was a bug there, please let it not be a june bug), doze, refuse to eat, doze, drink very little, doze, and for some reason, yesterday she had to go to the bathroom (or felt like she did) at least 12 times during the day.
It was an exhausting day though not that unusual of one since I got here on Tuesday night.

So, when the night nurse got here at 10:30, I went to bed very willingly.
I read for a long bit (Water for Elephants - it's soooooo good), crunched my nightly glass of ice as I read (pure heaven), finished reading, turned out the light and settled down into the soft bed under the fluffy comforter (remember, I'm in Michigan where it's already winter).
Ohhhh, it felt so good.
I said my nighttime prayers which I usually fall asleep saying and laid there thinking about the day and all that my mom had been going through.
It was then that I started to sob.
I just started sobbing. No warning. No toilet paper.
I cried for what seemed like forever, but, in reality, just long enough to soak my pillow, puff my eyes completely closed and impact my nose with snot.
I was so sad.
It hurts me so badly to see my mom not be my mom. Does that make sense?
And, I am well aware that I'm not the first, nor will I be the last, adult child to go through this. . . .so, when your best friend, or a person that goes to your church, or a neighbor, goes through something like this, pray really hard for them.
Pray for them, cook for them, why aren't you cooking for me?, help take care of their family, hug them, and do favors for them without having to first be asked.

Y'all have been so wonderful to me - your post comments and your emails.
Thank you for caring enough about me to care about my mother.

love,

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2008

MOM UPDATE:
mom is doing so much better today! she actually did quite well yesterday, also. She's been eating some (praise God), focusing, watching a bit of television(we just finished watching The Price is Right - it reminded me of the boys when they were young - they loved that show.), visiting, had a bath, and is wearing clothes instead of p.j.'s today!
I'm so excited about how she looks and is acting.

Praise God and thank you for praying.

And, after I finish this post p.s., i'm going to find that paper and glitter i brought with me! woooooooo hoooooooo!!!
I am so blessed with my family and friends. All y'all have been so darling. I cannot thank you enough for your prayers. Just keep on prayin'!

xoxo, jan

"Thank you, Jesus, thank you, thank you, thank you"

Hi, dear friends and family! I thought you might like an update on my mother's medical situation. . . . .but, first let's talk about ME:)


I have so much to be thankful for. . . .mom's progress *which we'll get to in a minute*, the fact that I was able to come to Michigan to be with her [because I'm married to the amazing Frank the Tank] and y'all, for your prayers.
Prayer works and mom's progress is a testament to that!!
Thank you, my sweet, sweet friends and family, for taking the time to pray for my mother.
Keep praying - it's working, but, she's far from recovered so we've got aways to go.


This first picture is of mom in the E.R. after her fall.

I always have my camera with me, but I'm not sure I would have been thinking along the lines of taking pictures in the emergency room! LOL! But, my sister, Jean, did - she thought I might want to scrapbook all of this.
Hmmmm, doesn't know me as well as I thought!!
I cannot look at this picture. No. No,no,no,no,no,no,no,no,no.

Eileen bought this little plush in the hospital gift shop - it looks JUST LIKE mom's maltese, Sophie. Oh, my, gosh, mom was thrilled! She kept that little Sophie wannabe at her side her entire hospital stay. Bless her heart!

This good lookin' thing is her favorite doctor, Dr. Rogers. She adored him and he took such good care of her in the hospital - he's now her *new* cardiologist:)

Would you believe this is her second day in the hospital???

"I KNOW!"

It looks like a Mickey D's birthday party! All they were missing was the ball pit!

She had a big smile, enjoyed her best friend *who brought the food*, and that 1/2 of a wee bitty cheeseburger she ate.

Heck, that's the most she's eaten since then!

Right now my sister, Jean, is having her drink an Ensure which she is doing quite obediently.

That's because Jean told her that the doctor called and said that she had to drink it......all of it.

JEAN LIED TO MY MOTHER!!

But, that's just fine with me - she drank it! LOL

Trust me. She is SO on morphine! She's crackin' me up, but it's not funny!

Bless her heart, I hate to see her loopy.

However, the first time I said that, my sisters were like in my face......"It's soooo much better than listening to her whimper in her sleep because the pain's so, so bad."

The picture below is one I took yesterday, my first day here.

I call this look her "Morphine Smile".

That's about it for today. Thanks, y'all for all you've been doing - the cards, calls and most of all, the prayers. They're working! That much you can see for yourself just by reading this post.

And, I know that she will continue to improve and will be completely healed, all accoring to God's will.

I have to tell you that the hardest part of this was, first, being in Texas when all of this happened last Wednesday and the following days, and now that I'm here???

It's so hard to see my mom incapacitated. I know a lot of you have already been through this kind of thing, that I'm not the first, but it's still hard.

I was thinking late last night about how this is like taking care of my babies those many years ago and here I am taking care of my mother like I took care of them. I hate it. . . .where's that vibrant, laughing, *fast moving without a walker* woman that I talked to on the phone two weeks ago?

I think about it, cry, go to sleep and get up the next morning ready to be Nurse Jannie another day - and, it's all good because God's in charge, you're praying, I'm with mom and mom's BFF cooked dinner:)

XOXO,

"pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease"

"pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease.", was all I could whimper.

". . . . . .I am glad that God promises that his Spirit interprets for us when all we have in us is prayers like these. . . . ." (Jay Dozier, my friend and pastor)


I will pray for you at any time for any reason.
If you've got something sad, hard, depressing or tough, I'll be right there with the right words and the right spirit.

Until my precious mother fell backwards, knocked herself unconcious and literally, for real, cracked her skull and incurred a hematoma. A hematoma is blood between the skull and the brain causing pressure that gives you a killer headache estimated to last for approximately two weeks - that's the way this was explained to me).
This happened last Wednesday and landed her in ICU two thousand miles away from me.

Then, all I could pray, all I could whimper, was "please" and at times, "nononononononononono...".

Jay said it so well when he said, "Our individual cries for help are perfectly suitable. And when we link our cries for help with those who love the Lord, we are more able to see him working all things out for the good for those who love him."

I'm asking you now, if I haven't asked you already, to pray with me for my mother. My heart bleeds to hear my sister(s) tell me how she whimpers in pain, how she begs for more pain medicine.
It's been so hard being so far away.
I've not been afraid for my mother's healing because I know God is taking care of her, but, I am suffering along with her because I am so, so far away during this horrible time.

It's been scary news, bad news, then good news, then bad news, then good news.
We're back to the bad news.
Mom started out in ICU, was sent home, her headache was totally unmanageable and she was taken back to the ER in the early hours this morning.
She's been re-admitted to the hospital and will probably be there through Tuesday. They've changed her pain meds *yet again* and hopefully this marriage will work and she will receive some relief from the excruciating pain in her head.
If that happens, she'll get to go back home *under 24/7 care*.

If it doesn't, ohhhhh, this is so hard to say.
If it doesn't, she'll very likely be put in a nursing facility (I will not say "home" because the only way I am going to let her go, is fighting tooth and nail) until the pain is manageable, gone,
whatever.

Jean, Eileen and Joan have been there with mom since last week. They all have committments and jobs and families, so I am flying out on Tuesday (this Tuesday) and unless something changes and I need to stay longer, I'll be with my mom for two weeks.

I have custom orders to fulfill and holiday pieces to create, but I work well under pressure:) I should be back by November 4th, so I should be okay with "my job". *giggle*

So. There you go, dear friends. I'm counting on you to be praying for my sweet mother.
Oh, and for those of you that don't know what caused her to black out, it was her blood pressure. It dipped and she lost it.

If she had my butt, it would have hit the floor first instead of her head and we wouldn't be going through all of this. That's how I see it.



XOXO,

WHERE DID SEPTEMBER GO???

Hi, everyone! Have y'all checked your calendars? I looked at mine just this morning and, sure enough, we DID have a September this year. I don't know what happened, but somehow I missed it! Well, I must have because I was going to have my precious Halloween tags and kits made and listed in my Etsy store by the first of October and today's the 9th OF OCTOBER! LOL
Tonight I just finished my dozen Halloween tags and envelopes and am ready to list them in my Etsy shop. Now, earlier this week I listed my Halloween "BOO" kits (oh, you simply must go check them out - they are so sweet!) in my shop and once I get the tags listed I'll be able to start on Christmas!

Now, don't think that I'm skipping Thanksgiving because I'm not!

I have Thanksgiving tags listed in my Etsy shop and I have the BEST IDEA!!. . . .

I thought it would be the neatest thing, for Thanksgiving dinner, to have a cute Thanksgiving tag for everyone coming and write why I'm thankful for each person. that's going to be at the dinner on the back of the tags And, I would lay their tag on their dinner plate as their place card. Isn't that a sweet idea?

Okay, back to Halloween! I finished my tags tonight and all I need to do is get them listed.

That's funny, isn't it? Anyone that has an Etsy shop knows that you don't "just" list something - especially when you have a dozen somethings! LOL

But, I'm determined to get them up tomorrow. . . . .I just made myself laugh!

Above and below are three examples of the tags. Aren't they just darling??? Look closely - there's a LOT of detail work on them - that must be why it took like 67 hours to make them. JK!
They're 5" x 7" and come with coordinating envelopes.

And, really, when you see them in person, they are so much cuter than what my camera and software program show you! I think I need to upgrade my camera and learn how to use Adobe.

Ewwwww.....just thinking about learning how to use Adobe ages me! LOL

Well, y'all, that's it! That was quite a bit of information for one post, wasn't it?
Tomorrow I simply must pay bills and then I'm going to spend an hour or so listing the Halloween tags in my Etsy store. And, if you're thinking that you've never sent/given Halloween cards before, wouldn't this year be the best time to start?
I need the money and your friends and family need to feel the love.

HAHAHA!

XOXO, precious readers,

HOW IN THE SAM HILL DID THAT HAPPEN???

You see that blog post right below this one??? The one about the personal signature???
I totally did NOT post that!
How did that get there?
No one has my password.
I'm freaking out that someone had/has the ability to put that on my blog.
Can anyone tell me how that happened?
Or who do I go to to find out?
I feel like someone has broken into my house.
euwww.

Hurry! He may still be here hiding in the bathtub!

***thank you, everyone, for all of your suggestions and attempts to stop me from looking in the bathtub everytime i came to blog!
i have followed all of your suggestions and did a little research on my account page and saw that quite a while ago i had given flickr permission to post pics on my blog, meaning that i could post photos directly from flickr without going through my software program or whatever first.
i am going to live the rest of my life "knowing" that flickr posted that wee post about personalizing your signature - i've stopped looking in the bathtub.
i've also revoked flickr's blog permission though i'm not sure that is what it was. . .
and since i cannot find a link to Bloggers customer service, i'm going on with my life like everything is right in the world! LOL

SOMETIMES I'M JUST IN THE MOOD TO CREATE "SWEET AND PRETTY"

Hi, you sweet girls!
When my middle child, Blake, who is 21 now, was 5 years old, he wanted a kitty for his birthday present.
I took him to the local humane society and followed that darling child around the cat and kitten pens two times while he studiously made his decision.
When he had finally decided which kitty he wanted, I asked him what he wanted to name her.
After several moments of quiet contemplation he said in his soft little voice, "I think Sweet and Pretty Kitty".

You know, sometimes you look at something and you can't help but think "sweet and pretty".
That's what I thought when I looked at these cards I finished this evening.
Fabulous papers, beautiful tags, precious girls, rub-on swirls, ribbon, lace and flowers, rick-rack and tiny seed beads {on the card below}.
I wish you could see the detail in the cards better, but, you know what?
I don't have the time nor do I have the inclination to take more photos and all that entails to show you the detail.....just look closer at the pictures. LOL

That's my hint that I'm exhausted and am going to bed.

I am reading a fabulous book *Tiger's Child by Torey Hayden* and my Mary mag is waiting for me to devour it!

So, goodnight, my sweet friends.

Thank you for reading my blog post!

And, if you're a regular reader, thank you for your support.

Nightie-night!

XOXO,

Jan

Pumpkins, Turkeys, Santas .....and the MAYO CLINIC

Hi, girls!
It's funny, I just posted a few days ago but had gone so long before that post that I now feel like I need to play catch up so here I am posting again - though for good reasons!

***I just posted this thing and was reading it and decided it was like a novel - it was entirely too long so I'm cuttin' the heck out of it! I don't want to lose you on the first paragraph! ***

First, I wanted to show you just a couple of the cards and tags I've designed for the holiday season. I know, I know, you live to see my work! LOL. But, really, these are just so cute that I just have to share them with y'all!

And, I just had a thought. I should list my favorite online stores - we all should - on the right side of my blog so that others can enjoy some of these shops I've found. I shouldn't be the only one paying their light bills. LOL. {I'll try to remember to do that before I hang up.}

This first card is just a cute "happy fall" card - something a little different for those that don't celebrate Halloween. It has the orange and black colors but I think that the precious pumpkin stamp along with the vintage Bingo card "tag", millinery flowers, hat pin, glitter and pom-poms make it simply precious!
This Thanksgiving tag made out of a vintage postcard is not only perfect for sending to someone you want to thank for being so special to you, but it's also fabulous set on top of the dinner plates at the Thanksgiving meal with a short note written on the back telling your family and dinner guests how much you appreciate them. What a wonderful keepsake!
This line of Christmas cards has different girls on each card but the rest, from the rick-rack to the Santa hat {and red pom-pom), are all the same. They're so stinkin' cute - I just love them!
I suppose I'm showing you this card just to show you that, yes, I do custom orders.
This card was ordered by a good customer for her daughter so, of course, the colors and other bits all have special meaning - and that tag? It comes out of the pocket! The background paper is vintage flocked wallpaper that I bought from Under The Red Roof, an Etsy store. The girl on the far left is from Shabby Cottage Studio and, one more thing, the little girl on the tag is from Paper Whimsy.

That's it for show and tell! Did y'all totally love that? Though most aren't yet listed in my Etsy store, if you would like to order any of the above, just email me at thomranch@hctc.net and I'll take care of you!

Please remember, and respect,
that the art you see on this blog are the property of Jan Thomason -
Please don't copy.

.

.

MAYO CLINIC

If you know anything about the Mayo Clinic (Phoenix) that you can share with me, please email me at thomranch@hctc.net.

Or, if you know about any other clinic, especially ones dealing with auto-immune diseases {and more}, please email me. And, please send a link to this post if you have a friend or family member that has information.

I really appreciate your help in my research. I have been gifted some money that would hopefully cover my expenses assuming my insurance would apply {haven't checked yet}, some free frequent flyer miles, and a house to live in (in Phoenix where there is a Mayo Clinic) so am now starting my research and continuing my prayers that I am able to get the kind of health care a place like the Mayo can offer.

Thanks, y'all!

Have a fabulous day and don't forget to leave a comment - I've been feelin' a bit lonely as about 95% of you are lurking and not commenting! LOL "Lurking" - isn't that the greatest? Makes me laugh out loud.

XOXO,

I MAY HAVE TURNED 55, BUT FRANK THE TANK PLANTED A GARDEN

You know I turned 55 this week. But, that doesn't compare to Frank the Tank's gardening attempts. You may wonder how the two are even related. Well, let me tell you, girlfriends, they're related because my birthday doesn't begin to compare to the Tank's gardening adventure and since I really didn't want to focus on my birthday, I kept remembering our, excuse me, Frank's, gardening exploits. I thought y'all would enjoy the best story.....so, in honor of my 55th and in honor of the most precious and wonderful husband on God's green earth, I give you, "Squash is Not Just a Vegetable Anymore"

I actually tried to forget my birthday this year even though I was way past grateful for being here to even have a birthday - but God knew all of that and I had a lot of work to do to get orders filled, make new art, TRY to catch up on some blog reading (that still hasn't happened), attempt to find some balance in my life, and I just didn't want to make a big deal out of my birthday.
"Hi, my name is Jan and I have guilt issues, you know, non-deserving issues, when people show me that they love me." The day didn't go quite as I had wanted - I got cards, gifts, way too many phone calls (those of you that know me, know that talking on the phone is not one of my favorite things, like ice cream), dinner made for me, a birthday cake and help in my studio by my best friend who totally doesn't get what I do. It was a nice day, a day full of tears (lots of sobbing - I am a big baby, I know that), but when I thought about my "big" day and how to blog about it, what I really wanted to talk about was Frank the Tank and his garden.
Frank, my husband for the uninformed, planted his first garden this year. Hard to believe, I know, seeing how we're ranchers.....maybe that's because planting the garden is woman's work? Forget it.
He took over the exercise yard next to the chicken house (we have no chickens a the moment - now THAT'S a funny story) Anyway, he tilled *with a shovel*, he got rid of the weeds, pulled up all of the old marijuana plants (just checkin'), did all the stuff you do when you plant a garden, and gently, ever so lovingly (I'm guessing) planted his wee baby plants. Then he started his daily ritual of watering and weeding and fertilizing (do you fertilize?).
Fast forward to crops producing................................. I'm in the master and he walks in with something behind his back, pulls it out like it's tickets to Ireland and shows me his first squash.
The man is puh-roud, let me tell ya.
Well, this goes on for days; seems like there's a new squash ready for pickin' every morning and well, he's so proud, that he must show it to me.........every morning of every day for weeks. Now, this is great. He's proud, I'm proud of him, but hey, he planted more than squash and all I'm seein' is squash.............and I can only come up with so many different and enthusiastic responses to his morning kill.......... "oh, honey, I think that's the best one yet".............."oh, Frank, beautiful!"............."wow."........

Then comes the day that makes it all worthwhile. The day that makes it okay that we've been eating squash every day, all summer, every day................. he comes in with a handful of (if you guess correctly here, I will send you 5# of squash and pay the postage)........... squash and says to me, holding it out in front of him like it's the Holy Grail and just as serious as can be, this big ol' rancher asks (kind of condensendingly) (that a word?)...............

"Did you know that squash is a fruit?"

(oh, please) "Re-e-e-ah-lly?"

"Yes. It is."

***that question from Frank the Tank............ you've got to know that he is a rancher. He's not a dietician nor has he ever shown a leaning towards knowing the gene make-up of food*** oh, and he's got a laptop now - for about six months. hasn't learned how to empty his deleted folder in email but has recently discovered...........GOOGLE.....

"Hmmm. Tell me, Frankie............how did you know that??? I always thought squash was a vegetable."

***here comes his response...........and when you say the second word in his response, use your Texas accent but put your lips together (as you say the second word) like you are whistling and give that word a little bit of a German accent - this will all make sense in a minute. Oh, and say it outloud (you can practice until you get it right)***

Frank's response:

"I Googled it."

"You Googled it?", I ask mimicking him.

"Yes, I Googled it. Google has a lot of information about squash."

Oh...........My.............Gosh!!!............. ROTF!!! I WAS LAUGHING SO HARD I COULDN'T BREATHE. But, it's okay because he started laughing, too, and we were both laid out! ................."I Googled it."

Oh, my gosh. "I Googled it."...................

The End and I love you all *especially if you tried to say, "I Googled it.".................outloud.

XOXO,

Jan