Okay so where did that week go!

All quiet here in a busy sort of way! I decided to finally face up to facts last week and cleaned out all my paper scrapping stuff and arty stuff as well, all packed up and put away until such time i get the use of 2 hands. But it does mean I now have better access to stuff I do use and DH bought me a 2nd screen, so now I have 2 sitting on my desk running off the 1 PC love it!!!!

Elmo has been good all week and we haven't had to use the bitter apple spray so far LOL.

Hand is behaving, gets sore if I do too much but there is definitely more than just a twitch of movement in index finger.

I'm working on several projects that  can't share yet as they are prezzie's. Also working on wedding stuff as all of a sudden it seems really close. Saturday daughter Vikki is having her hen party, so we're all looking forward to that. Finally have my outfit for the wedding sorted.


A quick digi LO here of son and daughter, can't say I didn't warm them! LOL.

Oops!

Just been told my me Muuver that my blog hasn't been updated LOL. Sorry Mum.

No problems ..... just been busy doing domestic stuff that I want done before I'm out of action again ie cleaning and filling freezer, all boring stuff.

I'm pleased to say Alfie has started to play again, he's still not quite his normal self but loads better than last week. Gangley's eye is looking a little better thank goodness. Mojo is being very tolerant of his new best friend who is his constant shadow LOL. Talking of his best friend Elmo  has been really good! garden is trashed but no damage indoors AND Saturday we had to both go out separately and Elmo had 45 minutes at home alone, well he did have the other dogs and he was just fine.

Sadly no photo's, camera is really messing around and chewing up batteries so until MR T sorts it out no photo's.

I've also been busy making all the cards I need for April and May and prepared 4 digi layouts that will become hybrid.

My son is finally getting is operation on Friday an ACL and cartilage repair, going to take 9 months before full fitness is restored but at least his knee should be good enough to do the nest coast to coast walk for Greyhound gap's kennel fund in September, this time it's the Scottish one. His wife Rachael became a newly qualified social worker this week and we're very proud of her for sticking at it through some tough times and even better she starts her new job next  month.

So here's my newly prepped LO's ready for scrapping Friday and crop on Saturday.

Love this photo of Ben that his other Grandma took

and Harvey taking part in his first Tag Rugby Festival

A photo of Ben from last years sports day

and finally my son Marc and Harvey at the Emirates to watch the footie.

Sue x

Life one week on!

So in the last week my brain has been mush!, I've cried a lot! eaten a lot! slept a lot! cooked a lot and eaten more. I'm ashamed I haven't been to all the lovely people who left such kind messages about Lucky but as I said brain AWOL. But I do thank you all xxxx

After Alfie's collision with Gangley she had to go back to the vets as her face just didn't look right even after the swelling had gone down. Seems she has suffered a trauma to the nasal passage and tear duct, not as serious as we feared just some eye drops and paws crossed.

I've been to hospital and had my pre admission tests done ready for the 22nd. Have to stop all meds on Tuesday and don't get to start them until two after op. So looking forward to all of that Not!

Alfie has been very quiet indoors but outside has become very dominant when the boys are playing, as he is now senior by the length of time here, maybe he feels he has to be top dog, Jim used to tell him off when he got to dominant before but neither Mojo or poopie can do that. Mojo was very unsettled but seems to be more less okay as does Gangley. Poopie well what can I say, he was super for a few days, very quiet sensing we our sadness etc but the last few days he back to his normal mad self. If anything is missing I can guarantee you will find it under the willow tree where he is gathering his stolen bounty LOL. He has also decided having thought about it for a few weeks that yes he will go into the fish pond as and when he wants to despite my pleas of NO, DON'T YOU DARE etc etc... poor little mite has hurt himself today, he was out playing on his own (so glad Alfie wasn't out otherwise he may have got the blame) I guess he's taken a corner to tight and has a nasty gash in his side. I cleaned it up but when Eric saw he said he needs to go the vets. Great so embarrassing when you break a foster dog! He has also learnt, SIT, DOWN and PAW but not get your **** out of the fish pond! He has also had two visits away from the pack, one with our son whilst I went to hospital and 1 with my parents whilst we went to the dentist, he cries  little when we go apparently but soon settles down. I think it does him good to be away and then come back but poor Mojo is now the one who gets all his kisses when he returns. It did used to be Lucky, Mojo's face is a picture and in his best Eeyore look he says "Oh no you brought him back home" LOL. We had worried how little man would settle at night as he always snuggled up to Lucky and tried to persuade him to sleep in our room with all the other dogs but it seems he still prefers to sleep in the lounge.

I've been doing a little crafting, two layouts of Lucky, here in a digital form but they will become hybrid layouts when I scrap Friday and go to crop Saturday. All that really means is some of it is printed direct and other bits printed separately then layered up

 

Oh well that was a long waffle! I did say brain was MUSH to be fair LOL

Sue x

So I was just about to hit publish post when Eric and poopie come back from vets, Yes his wound needs a few stitches ans they would have done it there and then except Eric mentioned one side of his face has always looked different to the other ever since he arrived, we assumed a wonky tooth but oh no he has a suspicious growth that has been there so long it has become calcified and needs to removed immediately and sent off for biopsy. I am shaking like a leaf and cannot believe this is happening.

.

Oh dear naughty blogger

Good excuse as usual though been a poorly poppet! anyway after two weeks I'm finally feeling better.

Ruby had a very bad few days and we thought it was time to let her go but then remembered a friend and told us to try steroids so we did AND boy have they made a difference, she can breath much easier and is full of beans. Of course the vets can't say how long it will last and we have now exhausted all options so when she begins to go down again sadly we will have no choice but to let her pass. Each day is becoming a wonderful bonus and we catch glimpses of the dog she should be if not suffering from so many tumours in her chest. Far from being a sad time we are all making the most of each day she has.

Jim also had a few off days where he could barely walk but has slowly recovered and the two spend lots of time together. It's a great comfort to us knowing Ruby has a special friend in Jim.

So having finished all the birthday cards and Christmas cards, I've pressed on and made all the wedding invites etc for DD wedding in May, so when I finally get a date for the op next month i won't be worrying about not having done stuff.

Busy

Been a busy old week making up birthday cards for the rest of the year and also making Christmas cards, yup I did say Christmas cards! No choice really as next op in September will put a stop to all things creative for quite a while, so being the organised little thing that I am I've designed, written and adressed all of the cards. All the cards are very simple digi ones and not what I would have preferred to do but hey better than nothing LOl. 

Alfie Bear's blind has been a worry all week with white gunky stuff coming out, we have to be extra careful with the eye as the socket is so sunken, suspect a grass seed got in but seems better now!

Ruby has had a good week, we seem to have stopped the weight loss for now and she's a happy girl, even chased a cat this week.

No scrapping on Friday as Dawn is away, so I've made a start on a few Christmas presents and now have to start designing and making Vikki's wedding invites.

Looking forward to Otley crop next week, as I don't have a date for the op in September yet every crop is becoming precious as I doubt I'll be able to go to any after it for a while.

Mum's 70th Birthday BBQ

Today Mum is 70 and to celebrate there was a family BBQ yesterday. We all had a great time and it was super catching up with extended family that we don't see so often. I expect there will be lots of photo's to scrap! This one is of me the birthday girl and my cousin Sandra, nice hat Sandra LOL...

Mum asked for donations for the walk rather than presents and that has brought the final total for coast to coast walk in aid of greyhound gaps kennel fund to £2,545!!!!!!!!! next year's adventure is already being planned.

I made Mum a little digi album, which she loved!

Ruby is still and off to vets tomorrow for 2 week check up.

Busy weekend

Well that shocked my surgeon when he suggested we wait and give the wrist some more healing time LOL don't think he could quite believe I agreed to it so readily LOL. So back in 6 weeks for x-ray and all being well book next op which will be to take out 1 pin and replace knuckles! of course the op I really want is to repair ruptured tendons but that has to be done last, ho hum guess I had better get used to poking myself and dogs in the eye with my sticky out finger.

Been a busy old weekend, well actually it started Friday what with having to be at hospital for 8.30am, then Marc and Rachael's big move and a few problems from Mother (How can me muuver create havoc when she's on holiday in America) !

Eric had a few hours off from doing lots of bits for Marc and went for a nice bike ride Sunday, whilst I got on and finally finished pots and baskets.

Looking forward to Friday when Dawn and I go off for our yearly weekend away to Norfolk. Lots of scrapping and chilling out time and maybe the odd malteser LOL.

Lucky is still looking really well, paws crossed.

Round Up

Good grief where do the days go!

Mojo has had his stitches out, bit tricky as he shook so bad LOL.

Lucky also visited the vets and he was totally astounded at how well she is since starting the steroids. So the plan is to continue on same dose for two weeks then reduce for two weeks then back to the vets. Lucky is back to being her normal happy bouncy self, still has the horrible fur loss but we think there may be a tiny bit of regrowth coming.Just wish we knew what's behind all the problems!

Ruby has snapped another nail, blow me if not 5 minutes before Eric said her nails are starting to improve just one dodgy one left. Well the one dodgy one snapped, loads of blood and her foot is really sore.

Having spent all of Saturday and Sunday working on the dog mobile, the old Volvo is back in service phew! we are totally lost without it  lord knows how long Eric can keep resurrecting it LOl.

I'm off to the hospital tomorrow and am hoping the surgeon will agree to giving me another month to carry on healing before we start the next lot of operations. The darn pin has moved again and now the knuckle and finger are dislocated but other than that it's starting to feel a bit better.

No scrapping last Friday or tomorrow BUT loads the following weekend as Dawn and I are off on our yearly chill out weekend. A caravan in Caistor where we scrap, chat, eat loads of maltesers and drink earl grey. BLISS!

Not much to share but don't think this has been blogged, Vikki's birthday card. Another hybrid project.

Going to be a busy few days a Marc is moving tomorrow!

Mr T's birthday bash

Well the weather held and Eric had a super birthday with all the family coming round. And yes he loved his album and also got some kit he was very pleased with (tools LOL)....

Eric getting some help to unwrap prezzie's

Ben and Harvey amused themselves for ages playing golf

and then we had a treasure hunt

followed by a game of fottie with Eric and great Grandad

Marc and Rach

Vikki and Mathew

Me and Eric

Me Mum and Vikki

 Hounds getting in on the act LOL

A good time had by all! and lots of scrapping potential LOL.....

And then in the evening I collapsed and watched the high lights of the wedding.....

Oh dear!

What a bad blogger I am, sometimes life just gets in the way LOL....

I've been busy doing loads of stuff for the charity coast to coast walk, sponsorship forms are doing very well as is the response to 150 plus letters I sent out to local companies. Lots of lovely prizes have been donated for the raffle which will be held on the quiz night. I have been asked to do a blog so people can keep up to date as it unfolds, the boys had a nice piece in the local paper last week with a follow up interview planned! so watch this space (well it's on my to do list).

Lucky has started medication for Cushings, all very scary and needs very careful monitoring but after several weeks of being very flat she has perked up a bit this week.

Mr T continues to improve but still tires quickly and has more hospital appts than me, now that's saying something LOl. I'm still in plaster and off to the hospital next Tuesday so fingers crossed.

I wanted to make the lovely lady who brought her greyhounds over for the photo shoot a little thank you present, so going back to Carol's class I made this frame. A lot more basic than I would have liked but one handed and all that LOL...

Sue x

At last

Eric finally came home last Tuesday and just in time as I was totally exhausted from the worry, lousy cold, chest infection etc etc etc LOL and far from me looking after him I all but collapsed and poor Eric ended up looking after me, totally embarrassing and not the home coming I had planned LOl.

The hounds were ecstatic to have Dad home and have quickly settled back into their routine, Eric is taking it easy and is still getting very tired, so I think it will take him longer to come back up to full strength than either of us realised BUT we are just grateful he's home.

Nothing on the crafting front LOL but the cold finally seems to be releasing me from it's grip and today I actually feel a bit better.

Got a nice new clean plaster cast yesterday and the follow up appt for the ulcer was okay, nothing sinister from biopsy's, still not allowed to take the anti inflammatories nor will I ever be allowed by the looks of it but at least it's all calmed down and for that I am very grateful.....

Might have some photo's to share tomorrow as we have 5 greyhounds coming tonight so we can take the photo's to start the publicity and fundraising of Marc's coast to coast walk in June to raise some money for Greyhoundgap.....more of that later as they say.....

Many many thanks for all the messages and support we've received, to say this year has been challenging is an understatement but hopefully it's onwards and upwards from here on in....

Little Ben had Kenny Bear popped over Sunday 

(Kenny is the class bear who gets to go home with whoever has been the best behaved child)

So many lovely photo's to scrap!!!

Did I say normal service

What a stupid thing to say talk about tempting fate!

When I got home from crop last Saturday I found Mr T really poorly in bed with chest pains, things got worse and worse until finally I had to call an ambulance and after ecg tests etc they thought he was having a heart attack and rushed him off to the Norfolk and Norwich hospital our hospital no longer deals with hearts.

Anyway to cut a long week short it wasn't a heart attack but the heart itself is inflamed and he also has pneumonia! the first few days were very scary as he was so poorly and I was told if he wasn't so fit then he would have been in serious danger!

Thankfully eric has turned the corner and although still on intravenous antibiotics etc is much better and the Dr's will review the situation tomorrow. Sadly the ward sis now in quarantine due to S & D bug so no visitors.

I went to hospital Friday fully convinced my plaster cast would come off but no after xrays etc it was decided to leave on for another 5 weeks. I was not and am not HP!

It's been a long difficult scary week not made an easier by having the filthiest cold possible but I have been very lucky with all the help I've had. So many people have driven me to the hospital which including visiting is at least a 4 hour round trip and the dogs have been walked etc etc etc.

Would really really lie Mr T to come home and life to return to some kind of normailty. PLEASE ............

Scrapping

Yesterday Dawn and I managed to snatch a few hours to scrap. Life has been and is so hectic for us both at the moment and our normal routine seems to have disappeared LOl so it was lovely to spend a couple of hours catching up and there was loads to catch up on and squeeze in a bit of scrapping.

I finished this layout off that i had started the previous week at crop.

Photo is of Vikki, me and Rachael. Paper are some leftovers from last year and I think they were Bo Bunny. As I had forgotten my book that I draw my sketches in I was a bit stumped and ended up using a previous Papermaze class kit layout as the starting point.



Mojo is very settled and a complete joy to have in our pack.

Jim is still very well and happy.

Gangley has yet another new bed but this time she seems to approve and has actually spent the night in it. Such a relief as she usually ends up sleeping with us and it's too hot LOL.

Alfie has decided Mojo is okay and they spend hours chasing and playing with each other.

Lucky seems to be quietly becoming pack leader just a few incidents this week that I have noticed her stepping in and sorting out.

I finally feel better !!!!! and Mr T is okay too...

I have my posh frock for the wedding! Vikki came over Tuesday and we went shopping, just need to sort shoes and a bag and its done hooray! Marc wants Eric to wear tails the same as him and the best man that's him sorted as well and even better news looks like we have a dog sitter. Our dear friends who visited in May have to come half way over from Hereford on the Saturday for a charity do and have decided to come to us Thursday dog sit Friday and then go to their do Saturday. How wonderfully kind is that.

Sometimes life is good !!!

Visitors

On Monday after months of anticipation my friend Shellie and her husband Kit arrived.

Shellie and I met through greyhound gap but when I say met, I mean we met and became cyber friends over 5 years ago. We email each other most days and have shared so many highs and lows over our precious hounds. IN November Shellie's beautiful Miss Flo passed away and so Shellie decided it was time whilst she didn't have her own dog (but OMG she's a favourite Auntie to loads of hounds who come to stay) to come and visit.

We have had such a wonderful 5 days, eating, talking, laughing and hugging. On Thursday we left the men at home and went for a stroll round Stowmarket it was totally surreal to be walking around town with my best cyber pal.

But Shellie and Kit aren't the only guests we've had this week.

Monday afternoon Eric came home with that sheepish look which means one thing, he's rescued something, a Mummy duck had hatched two of her ducklings then upped sticks and left the others. One died as soon as it hatched from cold and so Eric came home with 3 eggs. (Mummy duck wasn't coming back Eric and watched and waited for hours) so .......Tuesday early am this happened. The other 2 eggs didn't make it.



I think maybe because we had guests it just didn't occur to me to ring a rescue place and instead I just got on with looking after him. 5 minutes googling ducklings and I was an expert LOL.

Day 2




so day two sees Ed (yup I named him) looking weak and I didn't hold out much hope. However I decided to feed him every 20 minutes throughout the day and evening and by

Day 3

He looked like this.



Day 4 today

he looks like this



and is now thriving!!!

So after our guests left and much soul searching I decided it would be best for Ed to go to a sanctuary and be looked after by someone who knew what they were doing. Finally I found somewhere and arrangements were made. So why did I burst into tears, the upshot after ringing this lovely man back (who incidentally knows of us via the vets) has said Ed stands as much chance with me as him and has talked me through what I should do and expect. He's even said I can ring him daily for advice etc, so for now Ed is staying (who would have guessed that LOL) However should he decided to wake me up again at 4am demanding food this may change LOL...

Alfie is back to normal and has been thoroughly spoilt all week by Shellie and Kit (as have the others) but Jim has had a few off days, we think his pad with the corn is sore again so off to see Mr Vet next week.

So tomorrow I'm off to a workshop on alchol inks at Papermaze run by Carol and really really looking forward to it.

Sewing and stuff

Yes I know this comes as a shock to anyone who knows me but I dusted off the sewing machine. Now me and the sewing machine don't get on at all and true to form not only did the bobbin jam but the needle also broke !!!!! I did not give up although I was seriously tempted to ring my Mum who is an expert with the sewing machine but instead GRITTED MY TEETH AND PUSHED THROUGH THE TEARS AND TANTRUMS.

Aaah I hear you ask what master piece was I creating, well just a small table cloth (made from a £2.99 single sheet) and some little frills for the kitchen windows (all 3) because Eric painted the kitchen and my lovely roman blinds then clashed. Why did Eric paint the kitchen..... because it was yellow and the new porch and conservatory are green and as an Ipswich born and bred girl there is no way I could have them colours together (Norwich city FC for those who don't get it).

So here is my window frill (bad photo due to poor light).



and my little table cloth, mines the green one, Mum made the red checked bit.



So now you can see the other end of the conservatory and did you notice these



I have been playing/making them for weeks having seen them in various forms on various blogs. I think they're probably inspired by Tim Holtz LOL. So the vase started off life as a baked bean tin and I made some paper to match the coasters and hey presto I finally finished them.

There's nothing like a visit from a friend (my cyber buddy Shellie is coming with her hubby for 5 days on Monday) to make you focus on all those little jobs you've been meaning to do LOL...

PS Jim is still very well and happy.

Sometimes

life just gets to much !!!! I'm still really struggling with my chest and rib pains and now to add insult to injury I have to go to the dentist as the front of a tooth just fell off. So not funny!!!

Poor Eric has a chest infection and pleurisy but the good news is Jim's stitch came out and he's doing really well.

Went to Bramford crop on Saturday and had a fab day, Janina laid on lots of games and food to celebrate NSD. Dawn and I left normal time as I'm pooped by then but it was set to run to 8pm for those with more stamina LOL.

Finished this last night, love this photo of Vikki and Ben.



Most of the papers are Prima with a few bits from unknowns LOL, bling swirl is Prima, and the a few bits from Basic Grey.

Sue x