The picture was taken a year or so ago. My DH is on the right, by me, and our son is on the left. The other two are associated with NASCAR racing, of course, what else since my guys like racing and have just built another car.

My DH checkup went well. His lab work was in normal range but it's been 10 years since he had a stress test so Dr. R scheduled one for this week. It's a nuclear stress test -- neither one of us has had that kind, they'll give him an IV with some dye.

UPDATE: My DH did just fine, praise God, no blockages but the atrial fib causes his heart to be "sluggish". The only thing to do for that is to continue with current meds.

My "Special" Dad

This picture is one of my favorite. It's our youngest GD with my dad, he will be 92 next Tuesday and she's 2! I'll start this post by praising God for bringing him through surgery yesterday. He had bone cancer several years ago, its been in remission, but for the past two years he has had several places removed off his face, neck, arms and has had his nose reconstructed. Yesterday the doctor operated on his left arm and had to go deep to scrap the bone to clean the area. Dr. K. also removed a spot on his neck that was cancer but Dad came through surgery just fine. It scares all of us when he goes to the doctor, he has already said he's not going through radiation or chemo -- he is very thin, has other medical problems and says he's ready to go when God decides to take him home. My mom has a pace maker, she's 82, and naturally our concern is for her also. But praise the Lord they are okay although tired from yesterday. Next Thursday we will find out what the pathologist said about his arm and DR. K said we would discuss treatment, but we already know dad's not agreeing to any treatment.

Mom and I sat in the waiting rooms sewing - she's making a yo yo pillow and I was embroidering on a GD's panels for her quilt. I thought of how much she has taught me, my sewing and quilting have been the best therapy for me through the years. I told my DD that when I'm anciently old and go to the nursing home and I'm sewing in the air to please explain what I'm doing. haha What would you like to have if you were stranded on a deserted island? DD says "Mom would want her sewing bag". I have sooooo many UFO's it's not fynny. What would some of you want on a desert island??

Today my DH goes to Dr. R , the cardiologist, for his checkup. With all this, I'm so glad my health is okay and the fibro is not causing too much pain. I've found the best thing for me to combat the fibro is VEMMA. It's all natural and helps in so many other areas - cholesterol, depression, staphe infection, diabetes, weight, etc etc etc. I can't take Lyrica, it left me too woozy, I couldn't function properly at work. I still continue to take a mild sleeping pill (I started that when God took our DGD to live with him in heaven) but VEMMA PM, for sleeping, will be on the market in November - I'm anxious to try it so I can stop taking pills.

Our weather has been a little cooler in the mornings but still is in the 90's by the afternoon. I'm ready for the coolness of Fall... my flower beds need attention and pine straw needs to be put on them. It's just been too hot to be outside on the weekends or when I get home from work.

Thank for letting me ramble, I better stop blogging and start doing something more productive.

Hope all of you have a great weekend.... Dad's birthday party will be Sunday afternoon after church. He's looking forward to it -- he knows we will cook his favorite dishes. !!

Doilies & chores

These are pictures of some thrift shopping. I use these for decorating and save the ones my mom has made thorugh the years to add beauty to my house. She has made so many - she always says it was the cheapest entertainment for the money, "a big ball of thread for a little money". I'm lucky to also have some of the doilies my paternal grandmother made. My maternal grandmother was the baker of the family and her homemade bread was the tastiest. The other day, I had a taste for homemade bread and not being a good baker I bought a loaf of something at Wal Marts. Before I knew it, half the loaf was gone --- sometimes I think I'd like to have a bread machine but I'd probably be as big as the side of a barn if I had one.

Isn't it strange how certain smells or tastes bring back such memories. My Grandma Patton always made butterscotch pudding and homemade bread for us when we visited her. We usually visited during the summer and had all the garden goodies from the traveling produce truck. Dose anyone remember the "traveling produce trucks" that used to come through the neighborhood for folks that didn't grow their own veggies? My grandfather was a coal miner, they lived on a little piece of land, with not much growing space, so they never had a garden of their own. He did raise honey bees during the depression so the family could have honey and he sold a little of it to the neighbors. Theer's alsp stories of the moonshine still in the basement but the family won't talk much ablout it -- I need to remember to ask my mom.

I just read the cutest blog of a husband taking care of a wife, who has recently had surgery.. you have to give him credit for trying. Isn't it strange how men just think the house "takes care of itself" but they don't know how to wash clothes without the underwear getting pink, or looking at the dates on packages so the money isn't wasted on expired items.

July 4th

My mom took this picture when our national guard was deployed to Afghanistan, there were two fire trucks holding it over the main street of our little town.



On this wonderful 4th of July weekend, I wish you all well, joy and happiness. I'm from a military family and I guess I'll always get misty eyed and proud when I hear The Star Spangled Banner. My children were raised to place their hand over their heart in a salute to the flag and, likewise, they have taught their children to do the same. It amazes me how many Americans don't do this or totally ignore and talk during observance to the flag - that's a pet peeve of mine, my grandfather, FIL, husband and dad fought for them to have this freedom and it just ircks (if that's a word) me for them not to show respect.
Wow, let me get off my soapbox and again wish you all a great weekend, enjoy your freedoms...Love to all....

I made "Bugs" little sundress last night, with a matching hair bow. The dress has an elastic top with ribbon ties so we'll see if she likes it. Right now she's going through a "too tight" phase so she'll decide for herself if she likes the dress. I hope so, even though it was one of those materials with the elastic already in it. I also finished a placemat that "Race Queen" started for her mother. She has already decided sewing is not her cup of tea. She prefers making jewelry, either necklaces or bracelets. Naturally, all the women of the family have several bracelets.

The weather is so hot here - we haven't gotten much rain this week and the temps have been high 90's. It's too hot to breath......

I went to a childs funeral this morning. The little boy was 3 years old and drowned in the swimming pool at his mother's house. It was hard, but with God's help I made it through the funeral without a lot of tears. All funerals are difficult since our Jessie is now a Heavenly Angel.

I took a Lyrica last night at 9:00 p.m. and this morning at 6:30 a.m. I still didn't want to get out of bed. The leftover feeling is like being drunk with a bad hangover, and it's been several years since we've done any partying. I never have been much on taking medicines and I guess this is one that doesn't agree with me. So I took 2 mild pain pills before coming to work and 3 Arthritis Tylenol at lunch. This is the first time today I don't feel sore. I'm glad Dr T gave me a sample of the Lyrica so I didn't waste my money purchasing this myself.

Fibro

A follow-up on the previous blog : Dr. T prescribed Lyrica for the fibro, but when I take that I could eat everything in sight and can't seem to stay out of the refrigerator. If I continue like that I'd be as big as a cow. So, I didn't take any yesterday, finally fell asleep at 1:15 a.m. this morning, was in a medium amount of pain, and only slept until 4:00 a.m.., at midnight I wished I had taken the Lyrica at 9:00 p.m., like I had been doing, I knew 1:00 a.m. was too late and I would want to sleep past 6:00 a.m. when I'm supposed to get ready for work. There must be a happy medium somewhere -- does any one know of any or what are you taking?

How do I start this post? I went to the doctor's yesterday and the diagnosis I thought it was going to be is true - I have fibromyalgia. That was the only thing that could explain some of the symptoms - chronic fatigue, tiredness, lack of sleep, sore muscles & joints. I had been taking slight pain pills fro what we thought was arthritis but since the muscles are so sensitive he changed the medication. I know I'm getting older but still I didn't think I should give "out of steam" so fast that I couldn't finish a small chore. Anyway, I'll go on from here - now that we know. Several of my cousins have fibro and according to the internet its a predisposition and somewhat hereditary. My mom was more upset than I, but she already sees the effects on other people. I follow a blogger who has fibro and she was so kind as to answer my comment. It helps knowing that I can reach out to someone. I think it is so strange that I feel more comfortable talking with my blogger friends than my "real life" friends (whom I haven't told yet).
I changed the main picture on the top of the blog. Once again, I was inspired by a fellow blogger. Her pillow was cute with all the yo yo's and my mom gave me several, so I made a pillow. I used a navy background instead of a white. I have so many projects started that I need to finish - I guess I need to pick up the pace to get them done.....and to the family members I promised them to....

Pillow Swap

I did a pillow swap with modifiedmix@gmail.com and my pillow arrived Saturday. It's so pretty, my colors are pink and all country colors so this fits in my decor nicely. It's always such fun to see who sends your pillow to you, since the names are given in secret.

The top picture doesn't do it justice, I was trying to get close so you could see the flowers - they really are pretty.

Thank you to jamie and my swap buddy....