Tuesday Happenings

Hello and happy Tuesday!!! Another busy and full week last week. We finally got my mother in law moved to a care facility closer to us. She is doing as well as can be expected. We are just taking it day by day. We are trying not to expect too much and hoping and praying for the best. She is ninety years old and we are realistic about how things can change quickly with her.

Last week was also a crazy work week. My work is starting to get really busy. Between work and going back and forth visiting my mil there wasn’t a lot of down time. She sleeps most of the time it is hard to rouse her to talk. I do think she knows we are there and that she gets some comfort from that.

I did take a couple of hours last weekend to make these cute paper roses. I saw the idea on Instagram and then went to YouTube and found a few videos. I love the way they turned out. Once you get the hang of it they’re really easy to make. I made these while watching a DIY on YouTube called Paper Book Roses.

I hated the idea of cutting up a book. I want to the thrift store and bought a couple of really old books. I think that made the roses even better because it gave them a more vintage look. Instead of trying to tell you or show you how to make them, and if you are interested in making them, just google paper roses or roses made from book pages or something like that and you will get lots of different ways to do them.

I also finished knitting a scarf over the weekend. I was really close to finishing and finally just buckled down and finished it. I love red and I think this will go great with a lot of things. It is almost getting too warm here for scarves but there is always next year. I am trying so hard to focus on some of the projects I have started and finishing them!!!!

And every chance I get I am working on my nephews’ Afghan. I am doing this one in gray and navy blue, Tennessee Titans colors. That is his favorite team. This one is crocheted and it is nice to switch from knitting to crochet every now and then.

Isn’t this the cutest brooch. I bought it a couple of weeks ago at one of my local thrift stores. I almost forgot about it. I started to throw the bag away and it was in the bottom. I collect some of the really big brooches. I love the unique ones. I don’t really like to wear them but I plan to use them for a project one day. I do occasionally put them on a purse or hat.

I leave you with a picture of our work cat. Her name is Anthodite which is a cave formation made up of crystals. We call her Anthey for short. She showed up about two years ago. She is a bit feral and only comes around when there is not a lot of people around. There are a few of us who have been lucky enough to pet Anthey, for just a second or two, but she is very selective. I would love to take her home someday. she is the most precious girl and has made it for quite a while in the wild.

So yes a very busy week but I did want to catch up with all of you. My blog is my happy place and I love reading blog posts from my fellow bloggers. I am catching up on some of those right now. Have a wonderful rest of your week.

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!

Sunday Morning Coffee Share

Hello and happy Sunday. Come in and share a cup of coffee or maybe tea or a hot chocolate. Before we have our hot drink, or you can bring it with you, I wanted to take you with me on a short walk this morning. The weather is cool and a bit foggy. We have had a lot of rain lately. But I think it is just the best time to get out and smell spring and feel the soft grass under your feet. Let’s go.

The morning dew on the bottles on the bottle tree are shimmering in the light.

The lake has an eerie fog across it this morning.

My Iris’ are starting to pop out. I really need to clean this bed and thin out this bunch of Iris’ or they may not bloom this year. I have a lot of outside work to do.

Daffodils, they are such a happy flower. I love them. I think they are the bravest because they come popping out before any of the other flowers.

These daffodils make me think of a little lady wearing a bonnet.

And all of the wet weather and the dead leaves bring out many types of mushrooms.

After our walk we will go in and warm up and catch up with what has been going on in our lives.

What have I been up to? Mostly working and checking in with my mother in law. She fell a couple of weeks ago and broke her hip. She is 90. She is still in the hospital because she tested positive for Covid. So she had to remain in the hospital for ten days. She will be moved to a full care nursing facility tomorrow. You can read more about this on the post I did earlier in the week. Sunrise, Sunset

What I am wearing Anything comfy and warm. Although the temps here have been very mild a rain storm came through on Wednesday and the temperatures did a nose dive. I wear hoodies a lot. They are warm and cozy. I also wear them at work a lot of the time. When I have a lot going on I have to be comfortable.

What I am reading: I am still reading The Shell Seekers. It is a big book and I think it will take a little while to finish it. I am also reading Boil The Frog by Dennis McVicker. The author started this book as a journey of his weight loss but it became so much more to him. I will let you know all about it when I have finished it.

What I am excited for: A girl’s trip with a friend. We are headed to Nashville at the end of this month for a few days. She is from Pennsylvania and hasn’t spent much time in Nashville. I have a lot of fun things planned for us. She wants to see The Johnny Cash Museum. I want to take her to the Parthenon and the Grand Ole Opry. I am sure we will have a lot of fun.

Something I am doing for a better me: I am trying to reduce my screen time. This is a bit of a challenge with a blog and a full time job where I communicate a lot with my employees by text, not to mention having several email accounts. What I have been working on is not picking my phone up constantly. It can become such a habit. I think it also causes stress because you are always “on”. So while I am at home I try to put my phone aside and work on things I enjoy and not focus on what is on my screen. My screen time has reduced by about 40% in the last few weeks. That is a good thing but also sad that I spent that much time looking at my phone.

What have you been up to this past week?

Always remember

Love your day your way!!

I am linking up with Natalie The Explorer for the Weekend Coffee Share. Come and check out some other posts here #Weekend Coffee Share

Friday Favorites

Hello friends and happy Friday and happy first day of March. I have a few Friday Favorites I want to share with you.

First I had Sister Lunch with my sister and my niece this past week and then lunch another day with my sister and nephew. Those were very special favorites. I love weeks like that.

A few weeks ago I ordered this paint by number set. Wow have things changed since I did these a few years ago. I love all of these colors and of course I love the cat design. I finally started it today. It is going to take a while to complete this. I can’t wait to see how it turns out. I remember when I did these as a kid and they never quite turned out like the picture. I hope this one will be different.

Licorice flavored jelly beans. I love them!!!! I can only find them around Easter time. I will probably buy several bags before they all sell out. I find that most people don’t like these. You either love them or hate them there is no middle ground.

Look at this gorgeous plate I found last week at one of my favorite thrift stores. Remember the tray I didn’t buy a few weeks ago? Well this is similar. Much smaller than the tray but I snagged it before it could get gone. I think it would look great with easter eggs on it.

I think I forgot to show these beautiful flowers my husband sent me for Valentine’s. They lasted for a long time so we were able to enjoy them long after Valentine’s Day. I love the colors.

I made Artisan bread last week. It was pretty good. I have made it a few times. I prefer it sometimes to my sourdough bread.

Just look at these mild temps. That’s definitely a favorite. Spring is on the way!!!

So what were some of your favorites this week?

Always remember

Love your day your way!!

Sunrise Sunset

Hello friends. What a week it has been. I hope yours has been much better. I am sorry that it has been a bit quiet here on the blog but as Dolly Parton says, I haven’t had time to scratch.

Last Saturday, eleven days ago to be exact, my little mother in law fell. We got the call from the Assisted Living Village, where she lives, around noon on Saturday. My husband and I were on our way to Lowe’s to pick out a new refrigerator and stove and have a late Valentine’s Day lunch. So we were actually already in town. They told us they thought she had broken her leg.

An ambulance was called and we spent several hours at our local hospital ER. After doing X-Rays and a CT scan they told us nothing was broken and she was just bruised up. She was sent back to the assisted living village.

She was in more pain than ever the next day and the village called for a mobile X-ray unit. They discovered that her hip had a fracture. The same hip she broke in 2018. We then spent several hours back at our local ER for more images. They confirmed the fractured hip and referred us to The University of Tennessee Hospital in Knoxville. She was taken by ambulance. This was around 2:00 AM on Monday morning. I was told that the check in process in Knoxville would take several hours. I ran home to get a bag to take with me. I got to the hospital a short while after the ambulance. It was about 4:30 AM. We waited ten hours to get a hospital room. It was a nightmare. The ER was packed.

After consulting with the surgeons and the ER doctor we decided against the surgery. She doesn’t walk now and they knew and we knew she couldn’t and wouldn’t do the therapy. The pain would be handled with medication.

In the last six months my husband and I have watched her decline quickly. After being put in the hospital it was worse. She doesn’t know us most of the time. She won’t eat. A lot is going on. Thursday we were ready to have her moved to a full care facility. Transport had been called and she was given a Covid test. She tested positive for Covid. WHAT??? I felt so sorry for her. So she is still in the hospital. She will probably be there for a while. The full care facility will not take her until ten days after testing positive for Covid. Things are not looking good.

***This is me and my little mother in law on. Valentine’s Day. I was able to visit her and eat lunch with her.***

So this last week has been a whirl wind of hospital and work for me and my husband. There is no one else to help. My husband’s only brother passed away last July. His mom was an only child so it is just the two of us. We have either been at the hospital or work almost every day since this happened. The first two days she was in the hospital I took off from work and stayed with her all day leaving her only at night. I packed a bag with lots of books and knitting and anything else I thought I would need.

I stayed at home all day yesterday and caught up on laundry and just a lot of things that needed attention. It was good to be at home. I know Gus has missed us being at home he has been extra loving to us. It’s funny how animals always seem to know when you need some extra attention. The other cats have been their same aloof selves.

A lot of things happened in the last couple of weeks and I will catch up on all of them in a future post. My blog turned six years old. The Anniversary of my husband’s kidney transplant was last Saturday. It has been 13 years. We named the kidney Baby Kay. Since we don’t have children and the kidney did belong to me for many years we decided to name her. So Baby Kay officially turned 13 and is now a teenager. If you would like to read more about the kidney transplant you can find it in a previous blog post here

The reason I named this post Sunrise Sunset is because the sun was usually rising about the time that I got to the hospital to be with my mother in law and then setting when I started for home. The hospital is an hour and fifteen minutes from where we live. I think during times of stress and worry it helps to appreciate the little things that are really quite beautiful things.

***Daffodils are starting to pop up everywhere.***

The daffodils are blooming and spring is in the air. Of course with our crazy East Tennessee weather it could be snowing next week. I hope you are having a great start to your week.

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!