Time Time Time? Where does it go?

I am sooo excited to get to go to Paper Cow Girls Art Retreat in June and get to spend some time with some really cool artists and teachers such as my blog buddy Cindy Mayfield! She has tried to get me to go before and sadly did not have the funds but this year I am going for a Rootin' Tootin' Boot Scootin time! In June I will post after all the goodies and what I will be making for the swaps I am in! Things such as a bloom swap , Napkin swap, Cuff swap, ATC swap and more in classes and vendors and shopping so it will be picture overload time I hope! Be sure and check it out and all the links on the page, Cindy is the Yapping Cat Link she has a really cool blog also as well as an Etsy shop!

Well I changed part of my journey in weight loss two weeks ago !

Instead of just Harris Fast food or HMR I have now added Fruits and veggies into my world! It is so hard not having them and doing this for 28 weeks I was assured by my educator Stacy that I could still loose the weight and last week I lost 1.8 lbs where the week before I gained .8lbs, so I think that was my confirmation that this can work! just had or have to be more optimistic 36 lbs to my next goal to be under 200, so we will see . Here is October compared to 2 weeks ago in April crop! The Ole hips are shrinking....Hip Hip hooray!

October 2009 April 2010

It is finally sunny outside after 3 days if rain and Gee is in the window sleeping in it!

Went shopping on payday Friday! and found some sales and coupon goodies now to go and play!

Just did some Cards for the troops again two Sundays ago and this is one that one of the other girls did in baby girl mode! Way to go Terri!

Here is some of the finished cards...I did 86 this time!

Terri's baby boy card!

I will show close ups next post of my cards but they were Fathers day and thinking of you cards!

LeeAnn's fab work of a shirt and tie card and part of one of my shirt cards is laying next to hers!

We have to much fun doing this at the Scrappers Boutique once a month to send to the troops !

Well gotta get back to housework then hopefully the studio for some down time!

Keep creating!

Denise

Bad Blogging!

Well boys and girls I have been a pretty bad blogger this year so far with all that has been going on around here. But her goes a long one! first of all last month I designed my first cards for "The Cards For the Troops" at Scrappers boutique! I had a phobia for card making till now....Made and prepped 66 cards for last month! And I am working on that and some more for this coming Sunday! two will be Father's Day again and two common like Thinking of you and maybe another Birthday! Still working on those tonight!

My first Father's day card!

Happy Birthday!

Second Father's Day card!

We have had a crazy spring thus far with invasions of nature itself in the form of Bees, Squirrels, Rats and others.......Needless to say I have not been a happy camper in my house!....MONEY MONEY MONEY! MMOOONNNEY!

Bee's were coming into our bedroom wall outside through the mortar next to the window and along the brick , these are pics after he dosed them with something to make them go away for a bit to be able to get them out of the wall.

To be kinder to my house they came into the house to get them , which means they tore at part of the sheet rock to get them, I thought that they would have to take more but wound up to be less! Whew!

The squirrels no more than an hour after cable guy came and fixed this they had it chewed again! even after metal applied over their holes that they were getting in the attic from! UGH!

Below is the wall before bees removed! All nice and intact! Also with sheet rock and paint!

Casey and I had to cover everything we thought might get sticky or that the bees might fall into!

Casey was wonderful in helping shorty me out!

This is my wonderful wall after they removed honeycomb and bees and my poor wall!

Oh by the way forgot to say Jeff my DH is deathly allergic to bee stings, The grand kids came to watch all the activity although they were closed out of the room during the capture in the BIG vacuum they had!

After most bees gone they let the boys help with some clean up and finishing of all of it! They thought that was cool , but their mom is the one that wants to get into the suit and do this! Crazy daughter of mine!

The guys telling the boys what they had been doing in the closed room!

One of the bags of honeycomb that came out of the wall.....It went from floor to ceiling but only top half was juicy with honey thank goodness!

Showing and retrieving some of the honeycomb for show and tell!

The wildlife truck portion of Orkin! and Toby and TJ!

Viewing my room from outside! The safe view! Tee Hee!

Toby showing me that they were missing the ones behind the blinds! And scaring me with his pose on top of the fence!

Honey comb in jar with some bees that were still in the honeycomb! one lived without any air in there for four days protecting the stuff!

To another topic when we got the channels and cable back Jeff was very intense with his sports and Gee decided she needed attention, getting into his lap wasn't working so......

She climbed on his shoulder and verbally started letting him know....LOL!

And decided she liked the view out the window from there much to my husbands dismay!
Well I finally had another pic taken and I am now 60 lbs lighter but still have so much more to loose! Was hoping to make one of my goals by summer but.......

Not sure the 37lbs is realistic at this point, but we will See gotta get to working out again at fitness center more regularly like I was doing in past! Just have not been as motivated before allergies started driving me crazy in our wonderful Texas spring wind and pollen season amongst other things....Well time to get into the studio and finish prepping some cards, Hope you get time to create something wonderful too!

Denise

PS...... down 5 pants sizes since starting! 30 to 20!

Hoping for a newer better me to emerge in the coming months!?

Not ever wanting to get my pics taken this one is a grandchild's idea of new hairstyle for me with my extra chin, wide middle and flabby arms!

this one is a little less weight but still big and hippo hips cant get into that shirt right now either!

Family reunion pic after the kids took me on a torture walk in the woods, sweat and all!
HENCE THE REASON BEHIND THIS AWFUL PICS IS THIS:

I am venturing back to a doctor supervised diet I had been on once before and lost 110 lbs on.

HarrisFast is a program that many don't know about because it is by word of mouth and two time kick off at the hospital a year drive for members. It is very regimented and precise, If you do not follow all given to you to do then you can be kicked out of it.blood TESTS ARE RUN REGULARLY AND BLOOD PRESSURE AND OF COURSE WEIGHT! UGH HATE THOSE BIG SCALES!

Last time I did so good because most of my eating time was at work and I was in a small room to drown out the outside world! This time I will be amongst scrappy friends who will be eating many other things outside of my box which will give me a challenge. but I know I can do it over bariatric surgery! That is just not in the cards for me!

I will also know I want to feel like I did skinnier now that I am back to where I started several years ago. I cant even walk right now with out pain and to those of you who know I fell the other day , not those pains they are on top of the pains of exercise..."NO PAIN NO GAIN" is what keeps going thru my head. But I do know it can get better than this and I hit it awhile back on Harris Fast, but then Life hit hard with mom and all the things that happen with Alzheimer's and I let lose of the better me and fell back into my avalanche world comforted by food.

NO MORE as This Monday will start me on my road of recovery and HOPE! I pray for God to talk to me and help me each step of the way so that I may live long enough to have other grand kids and hopefully some Daughter in laws along the way! God willing since He is the only one to know my path and where I am headed at this point, Just don't think it is the road I have been taking as of late!

enough Rambling on....

Have Great Day and Week !

Denise

I know I have only a few that watch my blog and I am gonna probably chase some of those away as I use this as one of my confidential parts of the things I have to write down daily...God is gonna be beside me and my husband is the sweet person to help me back into this money , heart and mind.

Tomorrow at 4:30 is my orientation to get into the restart program! Classes probably starting the 6Th of October! Please pray for him HUBBY as for I will try and cook under supervision some batch food for him as I take this year or more journey. Last time that is what it took to get just 110 lb off this large body off mass...We will see this time ..Jami hopefully will keep on me to walk with her more.

Man Want the headache to go Away ...FAR FAR AWAY!

old well and Windmill!

2 of the 3 dogs....these two are for wrangling the cattle!

Terri's miniature donkey note to self get a better pic!

one of the twin cats!

Past two day have had a bad BAD sinus headache and now it is messing with my thinking mode and gotta get stuff thought out to take to Lil Sisters house to house sit!

Wesley is still doing bad and she is trying to get their end worked out with appointments Air fare and lodgings so please continue to pray that it is God's will and all will fall into place like it did last time they went to Baltimore to John Hopkins Hospital with him!

T!m signing backs of our projects!

Never did get pics from T!mster and Cheryl class posted so here are some of the pics!

before we really got started on the curio!

before one of the classes with our goody bags on table!

In Cheryl's half of class showing how to emboss the metal for the frame that is me in the green shirt!

The Saga of the Rain continues!

Correction from yesterday Wes will be 17 on the 25th of June!

Tuesday......11AM...Jeff cough of 5months gets him to cough up blood today. Calls Doc and tells him to get his-self over to the ER. So we sat ( the boys were with me for awhile till their Dad made them leave) while they ran 2 tests xray of chest, which we know has not shown anything in past, and more promising a Cat Scan, one test have not had yet. Then waiting game to find out they don't know anything so sending us home with antibiotic and calling it Bronchitis. and then he will still see the Lung specialist on July 8th. we are all praying we do not cough up anymore blood and that he just busted a vessel in his throat this morning. Got home around 5pm and fed him and off to bed he went. All the coughing gives him a terrible headache.

okay I am praying that God decides to let up on the rain for awhile and we can have some normal activity here at the Cook household for a couple of days. This is wearing me out....

Toshe and I are fixing to water Jami and my plants then hopefully crawling into bed with Jeff and crashing for the night. I miss the kids being gone to Destin Florida but glad they are having fun. Toby is calling me every day to tell me what they have done, and really enjoying his calls.
They are supposed to go see Dolphins tomorrow. They kayaked today and para sailed yesterday.
well gonna go and get the watering done so her plants don't die under my care.......
Have a great day tomorrow till next time....
Denise

What a week! Whew glad it is over....

I feel like we have been under a bad storm cloud following us that is just now lifting and I am tired! here is what has sorta been going on in our lives this week. Moma always said when it rains it pours and that it comes in threes think it feels like mor than three this time!
Thursday.....AM
First part of week Jeff goes majorly high in his blood sugar and can't get it down....Call Doctor on call and with all the insulin already taken he has us do a separate shot other than what we are doing through pump........I am thinking not good at time he takes it......It stars coming down but not fast so he goes on to bed cuz he feels really sickly because of ketosis from sugars above 500.
Around 2:30 AM notice him sitting up several times and ask if he is okay and no response, touch him and he is sweaty and cold and clammy , so jump up turn lights on and see he is going under from sugar dropping too low, run to get peanut butter and crackers and he is too gone to eat them so head back to get juice, get back to bedroom and somehow he has managed to get into our very very small bathroom and just as I ask him how he is doing he crashes into the floor in convulsions, did I say how small our bathroom is, not big enough for him to lay in the floor without his head being against the door jamb...By the way if you have never seen someone in convulsions or seizure than you probably don't know how horrifically they jerk around. Jeff's head was against the door and wood floor pounding his head and not able to get him up as he was slicker than snot from the sweats. 911 time and thank goodness they are only around the corner.
Holding his head to try and keep him from getting concussion too in comes 5 t0 6 EMT's and firemen into our bedroom. they get him on the bed and he is talking to him now that I remembered to suspend the pump and he hates me to call for help in past. His blood sugar is 25.
After an IV, peanut butter sandwich, crackers he now knows who he is and what vital statistics they ask him, and then refuses to go to hospital....needless to say not much sleep for me from 4:30 am till time to go to a class on Thursday morning at TSS for Hot Metal MOMMAS! He still wanted me to go! PRAISE GOD for waking me and for me being there to keep him from leaving me!

Thursday afternoon.......10am to noon class longest class I ever felt like I had been in but glad had friends around me! but when I finish my birdhouse it will be cute! Jeff gets call from his DR. seeing if he is okay and says Doc on call told him tooo big of shot....DUH think we figured that out!

Friday.......Get a call from Terri late they are headed to Cooks Children's with Wesley headaches, pressure and lethargic actions getting worse, Dr. Honeycutt not there till Monday, but they admit him for the week-end. he is sickly and gets sick at stomach .

Saturday ......have class with Tracy and Create Joy team scrapbook in a day! All going good and getting to last part of the day, and get phone call from daughter that it is 89 degrees at the house and they can't get the air to work at my house. Get friend to come see if it is something little or if need to call repair guys. It is bad and Brown's who our warranty is with is gone for the day. GREAT and it is 94 when I get to the house. Toshe does not do good with heat at 16 and heart problems. Jami and Jason and kids are off to go to Florida and don't want Toshe in their house cuz Scrappy their male dog will mark everything when they get back where she has been, So although it cost us when go to a Holiday Inn express that takes small pets. Boys could not take us in either because of their lease agreement. Oh and by the way it is gonna be Fathers Day and Jeff is not happy. Stay-Cation it is not when there is a dog with you in a hotel. house is 99 degrees when we go back to get some things.

Sunday...... By the way Jeff sees his Mom every week-end 1:30 to 3 and she was not responding to anyone this week-end another bummer for Jeff as well as problems at work so phone calls Saturday evening through all day Sunday, less sleep again but we are all cool at hotel!

Monday...Air guy calls me at 9am and says he is headed to my house so grab stuff and head home after checking out. It is still 99 degrees inside....Air is fixed by 11:30 and warranty was still in effect PRAISE GOD! otherwise it would have been 14oo.00 smacker roos...Get a call from Terri they have released Wesley Dr. says not bad enough yet to do anything so they head back to Comanche to wait it out again....poor guy! by the way Terri spent her birthday and Fathers Day away from her family, the 21st is Terri ,Sherri and Jami's birthdays and every couple of years also Father's day! We are all waiting for the fun to stop....LOL....NOT! Last night at 9:30 PM we finally got to 78 degrees after it running constantly to get there and it is great to have slept in my own bed last night. Kids are having great time in Florida and hopefully no more surprises!

Tuesday .......So glad to be home cool and rested again !

I am counting the days till my class with Tim Holtz and Cheryl Darrow this coming Sunday afternoon! the 28th is coming Yipee! WooooHooo! Metal meets grunge or so I hope although anything from these two has gotta be cool.
As I finish some projects will try to post pics especially from my SBIAD and Hot Metal MOMMAS birdhouse!
Keep crafting and take care till next time!
Denise
PS ....Please pray for Wesley to not get the pain he has had before and for this to be healed or for God to show us what he wants us to do for this wonderful young guy. On the 25th Wes will be 16.

Fun stuff and more stuff hitting fan so to speak!

Well went to monthly Scrapstashers class today and did part of a project. but it was fun and will put pics when I actually finish it. Had a problem with my glue discoloring on front and trying to figure out a remedy without having to tear it apart.
Tracy always does a great job and she did it again and it is always fun to be around everyone!

Took Matt to lunch this afternoon and while he was away from his apartment their main bathroom decided to bust and flooded the whole apartment. Needless to say Matt and Casey are surrounded by dry out fans tonight and carpet without padding that is a bit soggy. Hopefully they can get all back to running and dry in next two days.

then this afternoon.......got a call from baby sis and an adjuster came to see them today and all their roofs are in shambles and not just screens and one broken window it also tore up some of the wood exterior. They should know in two days how much money they will have to repair.
My other sis still is waiting for house and trailer adjusters to come there.
My baby sis Terri also told me my nephew Wesley is also getting worse again, he is lethargic again and getting headaches again, she will wait to come into town to Children's until he can't hold his own. I would rather things to get better though so I am praying hard for this to pass and for Gods healing grace to come upon Wesley.......He has so been through tooo much in his life already.

If you would please pray for this young man! And for God s will , which hopefully will be some answers to our prayers....
thanks
Denise

A Ruff Week! Good news and bad news....

This is an eerie pic of my late adopted cat Samantha who passed on to kitty heaven on Thursday morning at 4:30 AM.

My niece Lisa couldn't keep her when they moved about two years ago and so I took her in. I was her third family. she was a good cat, verbal when she wanted something but quiet and reserved all other times, didn't really know how to play but she fit into the family pretty quickly.

You never seeked her out or she ran and hid but if she wanted your attention she found you . she jumped into Casey's lap a while back when he came over for the day. she liked grown ups but hid from the grand kids at all costs. I will miss her and her Diva attitude.

Went to GASC with some friends in Arlington last Thursday the 4th and had a blast till started hurting from purchases, and that was even after I paid 5 bucks for check ins of my bag. I am better and enjoying my T!mster and Ranger pics from one both , lots of bling and technique Tuesday stuff and other misc. along with mini books from Maya Road.

Well hope to start posting again more regular but lots of classes coming up in next couple of weeks and must get some things done for our Family reunion.

Last night my little sisters got hit pretty hard out in Comanche, Terri and John's Ranch got hit with straight line winds and hail, and said they have major cleanup to get done . also Johns new mail truck for his routes was messed up.

Sherri and Alvin have been moving into their new home and the 3 month old roof got egg sized hail and also their 5th wheel trailer had the skylights and dinged up everything.

Just thankful no one was hurt since it was really a bad storm that went through their area yesterday.

Till next time

Denise