MORE COMFORT DOLLS

These 2 babies were born over the weekend!

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These two little babies are my latest Comfort Dolls.
In case anyone was wondering The Comfort Doll project is still alive and well and living in Valparaiso, IN
Breanda Hutchings took it over when it got to be too much for Patricia Winter the founder of The Comfort Doll Project.

If any of you are interested in making Comfort Dolls just click on the Comfort Doll icon on my sidebar.

IN MEMORY OF MY DADDY

My Daddy served our country in WWII. He joined the Marine Corp at the age of 17. He served for three years in 5 major battles and was missing in action for 9 months. He contacted malaria and it weakened his heart. A heart attack took him from me when I was only 7 years old, he was 32.

This is a picture of my Daddy sitting in front of his barracks in New York City. I have had this picture for years. It sat on my dresser from the time he died until about 5 years ago I put it with his metals, his marine corp ring and the American flag in a flag box.

Now it hangs on my wall.

This is an ACEO that I created in Photoshop about 2 years ago. You can see the image of the photo that sat on my dresser in the background.

War is a horrible thing but necessary to keep our country free.
I would like to thank all who served and those who gave their lives to keep America Free.
God Bless America

I miss you Daddy

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES / MOVEMENT CHALLENGE

Look at how funny we look.
The girl that used to baby sit us, Marilee, my cousins Harold and Jimmy, my little brother Richie, my cousin Connie and the sexy one with the 2 piece sun suite on is ME! Oh and the small photo is of my Mother when she was 14 years old.

This really bring back memories of my childhood growing up on a farm. My Auntie Maxine, the mother of Connie, Harold and Jimmy was so much a part of my childhood. After my Father passed away when I was 7 years old, we moved into the upstairs apartment of her farm house.

I have memories of Harold and Jimmy milking the cows and of course they would have to squirt milk in my face. We would gather eggs from the chicken coop and ride along on the hay wagon when they picked up the hay bails.

The farm was a milk farm as well as a hay farm. The dairy truck would come and pick up the milk cans each day. I can still smell the stinky barn and hear the milking machines as the cows were being milked.

The most fun was waiting for the bakery truck to come everyday and we would get to pick our favorite doughnut or jellyroll or maple bar.

My Auntie cooked for the hired hands on the farm and she was a great cook which is why I have had a problem with my weight all my life. She would pour the raw milk into all the glasses and she made butter from the fresh cream that was skimmed off the top. She made the BEST cinnamon rolls on earth and lemon and chocolate cream pie. Often she would find me sneaking into her pantry to find a cookie or one of her other goodies.

I guess all these memories came flooding back when I visited my home town last month. Since I left, the farm house burned to the ground and the farm was sold to developers who built houses all over the rich farm land.

Our babysitter Marilee is still in my home town. She married a nice man by the name of Ron and soon after they married she lost her leg in a motorcycle accident. It did not hold her down believe me.

Harold became a scientist discovering vaccines for cows. He was a medic in the Vietnam war and passed away 2 years ago from cancer.

Jimmy was the tease. I loved him so much. He was such a big help to his Father on the farm after old age and a lung disease took over. He lived in the little house on the farm with his beautiful wife and 5 children. He passed away in the 90's from the same lung disease that his Father had.

Connie is still the same old Connie. We had so much fun playing paper dolls and going to town with Auntie Maxine, swimming in the canal. We used to go asparagus hunting in those days. It grew wild around the canals.

Richie, my brother married at the age of 17 and twice since then and has 5 children. He is a truck driver.

Me, well you all know about me, I never wore a 2 piece sun suite since this one.

These are my grandparents, Herbert and Marie Corder. This is their wedding photo. They were married on October 28th 1915. They are both gone but I still have fond memories of them. My Grandpa was a character and Grandma was so quiet and sweet. She used to call me Pretty Patti.

Well there you go.....Childhood Memories.
Do you have childhood memories to share too?

Click on the image to view closer

This is my latest collage done for Digital Whisper Challenge using the background image. The challenge was to make it look like it has movement....How did I do?

UPDATE ON MY BOYS

Well the update on my dear sweet hubby is that he is breathing better since his Sinus surgery but today he started coughing again. My prayers are that his sinuses are just clearing from the surgery and that the cough is from drainage. He sees the E.N.T. for a follow up on Friday.


Petey is doing well after his knee surgery. He actually walked on it today.
He does not understand why he can't go out and play. His brother Sampson is just as confused, so...they just lay around and look depressed all day. I take them out for a brief walk 4 times a day. I don't think they are happy about that . The looks on their faces says "what did I do Mom?"

"God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you'

MY LATEST WORK...OR SHOULD I SAY FUN!

A Hiding Place

Sisters

PETEY IS DOING FINE

Petey had his surgery on Tuesday and he is doing great. He was a little groggy when we picked him up but he came through the surgery just fine and the doctor says this repair should last at least 10 years. He is a good boy taking his medication without any problems and he is eating and drinking and today he is alert and wants to go out to play.

Doctor says to not let him lick his incision...yeah right! He gave me a HUGH cone to put on Petey to keep him from licking. Last night I put it on him before bed and he is scared of the darn thing! I would be too, it is like having your head in a bowl! I sat by his bed until he went to sleep and slept in Alan's recliner to be near him in case he woke up confused with this horrible thing on his head. Around 4AM he woke up and he was confused and ran into the table scaring him even more and then his brother was scared too. It took me over an hour to calm him and get him to get back on his bed. I took the stupid thing off and he has been fine all day. I will just have to watch him closely but they can have that thing back because we are not going to use it.

Tonight he was putting some pressure on his leg as he walked so I am sure he will heal up and recover really well.

I THOUGHT MY HEART WAS GOING TO STOP

My very favorite TV show is Grey's Anatomy. It is strange how one can get to know a television character and feel their joy, frustration and pain.

I read in the TV Guide last week about how one should be prepared for the trauma that was going to happen in this season's finale but I was NOT prepared for what I saw.

Talk about suspense! I was shocked to say the least and was on the edge of my seat from the first 10 minutes.

I found this information online to share with all of you fans. Like you don't already know!

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A shooter was loose at Seattle Grace in the Grey's Anatomy season 6 finale and the result was two of the best hours of television all year. It was certainly the best Grey's Anatomy has ever been, which is saying a lot since I'd written the show off for the past few years.

No show does a big traumatic event like Grey's Anatomy, and the shooter gave the show license for heightened drama with five major characters being shot over the two hours. It was emotional, expertly paced and had me in tears for most of the finale.

Meredith's Pregnancy
I hated Meredith for a long time because she was so dark and twisty, but now that she's ready to accept happiness, I squealed with joy when she found out she was pregnant, and was even happier when Cristina was the first person she told.

Meredith's Miscarriage
Happiness doesn't last long, and while operating on Owen, Meredith matter-of-factly stated that she was having a miscarriage. It was the most heartbreaking moment in a finale full of sadness, made even worse by the fact that Meredith wasn't even allowed to be sad.

Meredith Shoves Cristina
When Meredith learned the shooter was after Derek, Cristina said Mer would have to go through her. And that's just what she did, in a moment of triumph that proved how deep Meredith's love is.

Alex Karev Is Shot
The first series regular to get a bullet was Alex, who dragged himself to an elevator and had my screaming at the TV for someone to find him. Thankfully he was safe.

Derek Shepherd Is Shot
The tense standoff appeared to be over, but April's arrival caused the sudden and awful shooting of the Chief right in front of Meredith.

Owen Hunt Is Shot
Just when you thought Grey's Anatomy wouldn't shoot anyone else, Owen Hunt gets a bullet. He was fine, but it was still thrilling to see the show rack up such a high body count of major stars.

April's Freakouts
Some of the best moments were April's mini freakout after finding her best friend, Dr. Reed, and again later when she used what she learned on Oprah to get the shooter to spare her by telling him her life story.

Gary Clark Has a Gun on Cristina
I was on a rollercoaster ride for the whole finale, so when Owen Hunt casually stepped into the O.R. and the camera revealed that the shooter had a gun to Cristina's head while she was operating on Derek, my mouth dropped.

Cristina Saves Derek's Life
Cristina is Meredith's person, so it was fitting that she saved Derek's life after ordering Meredith to stay down.

Dr. Reed and Dr. Percy Die
Grey's Anatomy has a soft spot for romantic symbolism, so it was nice that the two major characters to die were Dr. Reed and the man who secretly loved her, Dr. Percy. Now they can spend eternity together in Hospital Heaven.

Dr. Bailey Pretends to Be a Nurse
Miranda is always incredibly brave, so to see her tremble in terror and claim to be a nurse to avoid being shot was both understandable and heartbreaking.

Dr. Bailey's Tears
Miranda is also the rock, so seeing her cry is just about the saddest thing the show can do. And she did it a lot.

"There Are Only Children Here"
When the shooter came to Arizona and Callie's door, Callie took charge, but the usually calm and collected Arizona freaked out, quietly repeating this brilliant quote as a magic spell to protect her. It was so effective that I started chanting it too.

Arizona and Callie Get Back Together
After all the shooting and death, it was nice to have a happy ending as these two got back together and agreed to have 10 kids.

Michael O'Neil's Performance as Gary Clark
Throughout the season O'Neil has been quite good as the grieving husband, but in these two hours, this veteran character actor was at the top of his game and delivered a memorable and haunting performance that should definitely earn him an Emmy nomination.


There was certainly a lot more greatness, but this list should be enough to explain why I loved these Grey's Anatomy episodes more than any others. I am truly in awe, because right when I thought the show was running out of steam, Grey's Anatomy delivered a season finale that highlighted everything I loved about it.

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Me too honey, me too! I almost died when all of the characters I love were involved in some way with this shooter running around Seattle Grace. Not to mention Meredith did a pregnancy test and it was positive!

I am glad it had a happy ending or I would have not been able to sleep. Can't call this one a cliff hanger. It was all there in the raw. Shocking, suspenseful, sad and wonderful! Congratulations to the writers of Grey's. I LOVE YOU for letting McDreamy survive his gun shot wound to the chest.

So what do you think of Grey's Anatomy?

A FOOTBALL INJURY ??

This is Petey one of my beautiful dogs. Doesn't he look cute with his ear back??
He hurt his leg about 2 months ago and after seeing a surgeon needs surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right knee. The vet said he has a "football injury" !

He will have his surgery on Tuesday and will have to be kept quiet for 6 weeks!! Oh, I can see this is going to be fun. His brother is going to be confused when his buddy can't go out to run and play.

Petey is an active dog and this is going to be so hard on all of us. No stairs (our bedroom is upstairs), no running ( I will have to take him out to potty on a leash) . He won't have a cast so I am sure there will be lots of licking :)

Say a little prayer for Petey. For the next three days Dad and Mom will be worrying. We will go up to Eugene three hours away on Monday afternoon so to be there for his surgery at 8AM on Tuesday. They will keep him overnight and then he will be able to come home on Wednesday....how are we ever going to get him in the car? He weighs 118 lbs and Alan just had surgery so he can't bend over or create any pressure on himself. This ought to be interesting.

NOT FOR THE WEAK STOMACH

If don't know if you know the story of Alan (The Rooster) my hubby and what has been going on with him for the past yea,r or if you get weak the site of blood but I want to tell you the story of The Rooster.


4 Hours after surgery....look no bruising or swelling!

The gauze is to catch the blood that will drain from the surgery site for a few days.
Cute little belt they use to keep in place huh?
Something new to me was his hospital gown. It has warm air flowing through it. It is hooked up with a hose. Eliminates blankets and the patient can control the temperature! What will they think of next?

For the past year my husband, Alan, The Rooste,r has been sick. He has had severe reaction to Advair, has had numerous breathing treatments, has been on at least 5 different antibiotics for a month at a time. Has had bronchoscopies, pulmonary studies, pneumonia three times, sinus infection, severe cough and numerous XRay's, three MIR's and two CAT Scans. Blood drawn so many times he is a regular a the lab. He has been probed and prodded until he had enough.

None of the doctors he saw could figure out what was wrong with him and why he kept getting pneumonia. He started thinking back about what could have caused this. He finally figured out that a year ago he had an tooth implant repaired and when the dentist was drilling for the post to fit in his upper jaw he pierced the sinus cavity AND he did not give him any antibiotics! This is about the time all of this started.

After his last episode of pneumonia the doctor sent him to a lung specialist and he went down his bronchial tube and saw that he did still have infection in his right lung. He sent him to an ENT and the ENT put him on 1000 mg Augmentwn for 30 days and said he had large puss pockets in his sinus cavity and that when the Augmenten was gone he wanted to do surgery.

Today he had that surgery. They scrapped his sinus cavity, removed a large inflamed mass, fixed the area between the two nasal cavites, removed the turbonate from both sides, straightened his nose which the doctor said was very crooked inside from all the infection.

The entire operation took about 2 1/2 hours. He came through it just fine and the doctor said he should start to feel better soon. FINALLY! They removed the packing this afternoon and he was amazed at how his breathing has improved even with the splints still in there. We are hopeful that his cough will be gone, no more pneumonia, no more lung infection and maybe no more snoring!

He is a tough old bird and I love him dearly. Through all of this and surgery on his right eye to remove a lymph node, leukemia, lymphoma, C.O.P.D. (which I hope disappears now) he has pretty much remained strong even though he was exhausted most of the time. His spirits were up most of the time. A bit cranky at times but understandably so.

Say a pray that my Rooster will be okay now. He has had his share of health problems. Oh and next time you have any opening drilled in your mouth ASK FOR ANTIBIOTIC! Even though we don't know for sure if this is what caused it, we will be able to tell if he is cured.

HAPPY MOTHER;S DAY

These are some Mother's Day ATC's I created before I had Photoshop. I actually had them on display at the Crawdaddy Festival in Lakeside at our booth in 2009. This year I swapped them over at my ZNE ATC SWAPPERS 2010 Group.

All I ever wanted to be was a Mommy when I was grew up!



HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY
I miss you Mama xoxox

VISIT WITH MY FAMILY :)

I had the best time on my trip to my home town Nampa, Idaho.
My niece Mandy and her adorable children were there to welcome me with open arms and lots of hugs when I arrived.

Mandy is very special to me. She has always had such a special place in my heart that I feel as close to her as I do to my own children. She has always loved her Aunt Patti and has never faltered from her attention to me. She used to write me letters before we had the convenience of email and Facebook. Her younger sister ask her one time why she was so close to me. Her answer was "I work on it".

I always welcomed letters from Mandy because they were silly, cute and very long. She was a character for sure. While I was there she said to me "Aunt Patti, I found a letter I wrote you and I wanted to read it to you since I never sent it"
It was a continuous letter spreading over about 4 months. It must have been 20 pages or more. She read it to me and we laughed . She never did send the letter and I was going to take it but she sort of had a sad look when I took it out of her hand so I left it there where we can get it out and read it again next time I visit.

Mandy is a very busy person. She has three beautiful children, is married to a hay farmer. She shuffles between two homes, one in Caldwell, Idaho and one in Nevada where there hay farm is. She and the kids go stay on the farm in Nevada while Daddy is working during the summer but during the winter months Mandy home schools them, is very active in Church and she loves to go metal detecting hoping she will find arrowheads or old artifacts from the past her favorite place to metal detect is Silver City, an old ghost town not far from Caldwell.

While I was there I set her up a blog so you must go visit her and welcome her to blogland. She is a very interesting person and has a very busy life . Here is her link Philippians 413. I am sure she will have some interesting things to blog about IF she finds the time :)


The evening I was going to set her up a blog I went into her piano room where she has her computer and had to laugh when there she was sitting at the computer that she shares with her three kids on a tiny little child's chair where her computer sits on a tiny child's table.

She collected all of these vintage documents and put them in this vintage display case

and won all of these ribbons at the fair last year! That's my girl!!


My Brother Randy took the day off just to be with his Sister so
We picked up my Aunt Margie and went to see my Aunt Sara and Uncle Lloyd

To be continued......