Shaker Boxes

 my family has been in love with 

Shaker Boxes for as long as I can remember

my mother collected

my sister and her husband collect

I collect

most of mine are a wood stain finish

maybe 8 or so are painted

hmmm...my stash is a few dozen or so

I've even given a few away

to said sister and husband

LeHay's Shaker Boxes

it's wonderful to see them being used with needlework

all the above images are LeHay's

 

my BIL has always planned on making Shaker Boxes

he's finishing up a cedar lined closet now

fingers crossed...

vintage boxes found on Pinterest

 

 *****

so it's Day 4 of my low carb-no sugar eating

feeling better

but know there is far more to my eating 

than just lack of willpower

it's called Binge Eating Disorder

I am working on

 finding professional help locally

time to kick this once and for all!

 

Keeping Busy

Link To Karen's esty shop

small rug on the frame

while I think about the Americana one

I have a lot of Karen's patterns 

keep putting off hooking them

because I want to dye some wool in her colors 

we all know how that's worked out over the past few years

so I started this one last night

changing the words/letters

thinking of a blue house

maybe

*****

going through closets again

very few things left of the parents

except sheets

wonderful Lands End flannel and cotton sheets

the worm ones are now rags

decent ones going to animal shelter

good ones to save and use

*****

Mom is not doing good

extreme pain in her neck and upper back

has been increasing over the past few weeks

making her anxiety worse

which makes her breathing worse

 

she was switched to using the Hoyer lift for transfers 

a few weeks ago

on Friday she started using her new wheelchair

it has a high back and head rest

she looks much better in it

feels about the same

though I do catch her using the headrest

she's always been stubbon

"Johnny Bull" English she says

now she is resistant to any change 

thanks so much for all your support

I know many of you have gone through this

heartbreaking scenario

your words have given me strength 

Slow Progress is Still Progress

in case you're not on Facebook

here's my rug progress

still working out which colors to use

which to leave out

I'm used to hooking much faster than this

especially with such a stash of wool strips

right now I'm splitting my time between hooking and cleaning

my NC sister will be here in a month

she and her DH will be doing some work for me

they know I have no time

but still...

Mom went to the hair salon for a trim today

she's been refusing for about a month

( we had a good day

she was looking serious here

after dropping a puzzle piece on the floor)

it's a roller coaster ride for her

always happy for good days

they started her on a new medicine

an anti-anxiety cream 

praying it helps

so we can keep the Haldol to a minimum

some day I get all boo hoo about my life

then  I talk to a lady at the facility who is my age

has MS, broke her leg last year, hasn't walked since

she has been doing rehab for months

as her leg heals while she works to lose some weight

 

a little giveaway for my blog readers

please don't share

I'd like this to be for my regular readers...

a very nice book

but once through was enough for me

a little worn around the edges

from bouncing around in my totebag

leave a comment on this post

letting me know of a story you'd like to hook

I'll draw a name Saturday morning

March 11th

it's already in an envelope with a piece of wool

planning on getting to the post office Monday morning

Yesterday

NC sister has been sharing some photos

that she must have snagged years ago...

Mom and Grandma 

I never knew Mom was a candy striper

late 30's or early 40's

 

 Deb had a lot of foot problems when she was born

her little legs are in casts...

1952/3

a better day yesterday

not so medicated

working on our new garden puzzle

maybe today she'll let me do her hair!

nice Mary is to her right

she always cries in the afternoon

she has been so worried about Mom

they hold hands

 planning on heading home any day now

at the end of the table is Dorothy

she's 100 and 5 months

she was on a tear yesterday

cracking up at everything

asking for a new Cadillac, any color would do

thank you so much for your kind words, support and prayers

it all means more than you can ever know

 

 

I Can Explain

not exactly the rug you thought I'd be hooking...

when looking through my pile of "scrap" linen

this long narrow piece spoke to me

so here I am

hooking another piece for a beach room

I've been wanting to hook an angel or hearts for Debbie

it's fun to work with these colors

after the dark ones of late

the cat will be hooked sometime

it's a favorite

  

she is so over having her picture taken

she is ready to be brushed

or fed

Took the day off from visiting Mom

she was very angry with me yesterday for not taking her home

she was fine until after bingo

some days I can handle it

lately it's become so much harder

I nearly burst into tears yesterday

which only makes her madder

so today is a mental health day

it's not really working

anxiety and guilt eat away at me...

what my mind knows

is so different from what my heart feels

 

This,That and My Mother

image from Pinterest

this is totally calling my name

under the photo it said Thanks Yankee Peddler Rug Hooking

I can see myself hooking a few of these for myself

with cats in the middle

what else

there are so many worms in my stash

I'm on to the second chair pad for Debbie

should I share or keep them a secret?

this one has blue, red and gold

with a black background

very scrappy 

 

Pinterest image

I love everything thing about this sampler

makes me almost believe my eyes

can handle the stitching on linen  

as for my Mother...

why yes, I do need a big hug

 she does too

her meds are still not right

she's been agitated, angry and depressed since

coming back from the hospital

she would love to go back in a minutes

(guessing because one of us was with her all the time)

it seems that finally, this afternoon her meds are back on track

something with the govt

sticking their nose in about Xanax use

honestly, regulate it for me

for most everyone

but when you're 92 years old

it shouldn't matter if you take 0.25 or 0.5 4 times a day

if it keeps you from shaking

trying to break a window with a vase

kicking the door

and so it goes...

I just hate to see her suffering

she has never been overmedicated

she has always had anxiety, just like me

mostly it was controlled through lots of physical activity

since she has been wheelchair bound

it's been slowly increasing

a cyber hug and a prayer would be most welcome...

 

More Samplers

sometimes when we're not busy

(at work)

I have time to browse the internet

do I spend my time checking out interventional radiology?

study how to better image a fractured and dislocated shoulder?

um...sometimes

(after I've looked at everything else)

normally it's straight to Pinterest

these are my recent bits of eye candy

I promise when I'm back to work

after a few more vacation days

I'll study more about radiation protection

really, I will!

maybe even study stress reduction

(which is sort of the same thing as looking on Pinterest)

can you guess what drew me to this sampler

yep

it's those two tiny animals at the bottom

it's nearly time for my yearly evaluation at work 

I'm taking a copy of this in to share with my boss...

Pinterest is almost as good as Xanax 

when you're prone to anxiety

Happy Sunday!

my sister brother in law are here from NC

so I'm get a little break from Mom

(and she from me)

just this afternoon and all day tomorrow

you have no idea how grateful I am...

Meanwhile...

when it comes to exercise

that's how I feel

I'm doing it

just without enthusiasm

it's Week 2 of Commit to Fit

at work

and while I've been

80% on track with the healthy

eating portion

(lost 7 # the first week)

the exercise part has been

more of a challenge...

if you have one

please send

a velociraptor to chase me around

for about 1/2 hour per day

or even a large dog

that needs walking

Many Thanks

for all you kind posts

and many emails

regarding my depression/anxiety issues

especially for not telling me to

"snap out of it"