Little Ladybug's Creations

I'm Reviving my blog...

2017-03-26T17:08:00.000-05:00

Its been 4 years since I have written a post on here. Life sorta stopped in many ways when Andrew died. In other ways it changed. Some things were related to his passing. Others not so much. We've had quite a few ups and downs during that time, and my creative endeavors have evolved significantly. I've been thinking about it for awhile and decided I need to bring back my blog. So. I'll start with some housekeeping. I have some updates needed on the overall appearance and I'll get to those little by little. If you have a blog and would like to be included on my sidebar please send me the info.

What has been going on here? Well. In 4 years I am still battling with the IRS to close out Andrew's final tax return. It has been one delay after another, one request for information they already have after another. Last year I got my senator's staff involved and they are now fighting the IRS on my behalf. They were finally able to clear out his student loans but it took a phone call from my senator himself to accomplish that.

Ashley, my oldest child and only daughter, has turned 18. She finished high school a full 2 years ahead of schedule (we homeschool) and is completing her first year of college. She is thriving at school, has a circle of friends, good grades, works part time for Kohls, and is working to be selected for an appointment to the Air Force Academy. She wants to go into politics/public relations. She and I are planning to work for a campaign this summer and she will likely be interning for one of our senators. She was also selected by her government professors for student of the year. Pretty impressive for a kid that shouldnt even be in college yet.

My boys are growing up. I have 2 teenagers and my youngest is now 8. He's reading up a storm, getting more and more into these extravagant lego creations, and my boys are becoming little men. I am pretty proud of who they are becoming.

My husband is no longer in the Air Force. His unit was shut down at the end of FY2015, and he landed a civilian job with the Army, and is in the Tx Army National Guard now. Its still weird to see him in army uniforms, but I'll take the Army dress uniform any day over the Air Force. Its been an interesting transition. The Army is not as family friendly as his previous unit was so there's been an adjustment period. He likes his job though.

As for me, I've been on a roller coaster ride of health issues. Not long after my last post, I finally connected the dots to my various health issues as probably being related to having Essure. I went to doctor after doctor with my research and suggested this as the possible culprit, only to be told over and over again that it wasnt, and all the things I was experienced were simply in my head. Nevermind that I had found a group more than 20,000 strong where many of these women were experiencing much of the same problems as me, many more severe. In late 2014 my Ob/Gyn agreed that it could potentially be the cause, and my insurance forced me to undergo an ablation before they would approve of a hysterectomy. So in Feb 2015, I did that. It did nothing to help. In June 2015 I was finally approved for a radical hysterectomy and Bilateral Salpingectomy to remove the essure device.

Now, to back up a bit and explain some of the things I was experiencing, I got Essure in 2009, about 15 months after my youngest was born. Due to my history of high blood pressure I was unable to use traditional birth control, and my medical history made the possibility of another pregnancy a significant risk to my life. So, while my husband was deployed I got the device. For the first 3 or so years I had no issues. I thought it was fantastic. Slowly over time, I began to become more and more lethargic, with my hair falling out, teeth breaking, joint pain, significant weight gain, insomnia, acid reflux, chronic fatigue, extreme sensitivity to smells, frequent nausea, etc. Numerous things that are seemingly all unrelated. It was very easy to dismiss as just the price of getting older. However, I began working with trainers, nutritionists, endocrinologists, etc for more than 2 years and no matter what I did, nothing helped any of these problems. I was also diagnosed with severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea. I was burning far more calories than I ate and yet I continued to gain weight. For anyone who has ever tried to lose weight, you know how frustrating it is to work and work and do everything right and see negative results.

So back to my surgery in June 2015. I came out of the recovery and I could instantly tell a difference. Aside from the pain from surgery, I felt amazing. The nurses suggested slowly getting up to walk around the floor, much like they do after a c-section. I was able to walk several laps at normal pace without any pain just 3 hours after my surgery. I felt AMAZING. I washed my hair and for the first time in years I didnt have clumps of hair in my hands. My doctor came back around and was pretty surprised at the level of energy I had. Turned out one of my essure devices was stretched out, and there were several small cysts around them in my fallopian tubes, among the extensive scar tissue. By the time I was discharged I had no joint pain, had slept well, had high energy, etc. The only discomfort I had was the normal healing from incisions. By 30 days out I had dropped 15 lbs without trying at all, and virtually every single issue I had prior to my surgery was gone. at 6 weeks post op I travelled to Orlando, FL for a Zumba instructor convention and had no problem dancing for 8+ hours a day for a solid week, where prior to that I struggled to make it through a week of teaching just 3 classes for an hour at a time. My next checkup with my sleep doctor revealed my Apnea was virtually non existent as well. by 5 months I was completely medication free from all my prior issues.

I do still use my CPAP, but mainly because it keeps me from snoring and thus lets my husband sleep in peace lol.

Now. On to my creative side. Up until 2013 I had been primarily doing quilting and smaller sewing projects. I got my embroidery machine in late 2012 so it took me a while to get the hang of that, but when I did I took off like a rocket! It now is about 90% of the projects I do, and has allowed me to pay off my machine, my software, a serger, and add significant number of machines to my antique collection. I'll post about that later.

I've also ventured into garment sewing, which I had never done before. I'm getting into digitizing and pattern design as well, but those are further down the road. In the meantime, here's a small sampling of some of the things Ive been making.

Andrew Clinton Jones 1984-2013

2013-02-27T11:03:00.001-06:00

http://www.baileykentfuneralhome.com/obits/obituary.php?id=266892

On February 12, my youngest brother, mom's "baby", passed away. He was just 28. He had some health issues in the recent months, and had a seizure that he never woke up from. Andrew was the charmer of the family. Always ready with a witty comeback, and always laid back. Rarely did anything get him angry. He loved living in the mountains, and was where he wanted to be, living in the snow, able to ride everyday if he wanted to. It hasn't sunk in just yet that I can't pick up the phone and text him to tease him when the Avalanche get beat, or that he won't send me random pics anymore of his latest snowboarding trick. He was crazy on that board. Seriously.

He would have been 29 on March 2. We are planning to scatter his ashes this summer on the mountains that he so loved.

Happy 2013! Plans for this year.

2013-01-17T06:50:00.001-06:00

Happy 2013 everyone! I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and New Year's holiday! Ours was busy but fun. We had a fabulous concert at our church. We found a new church home at the end of the
summer after searching for a new church home closer to where we moved. We couldn't find anything out here in our area so we had made the decision to return to our old church, only to find out that the very same weekend we made that decision, there was a huge split within the church, and most of the members, as well as the pastor we adored, were gone. At his recommendation we came to where we are now and we love it. I joined the choir and hubby is working in the Audio/visual booth. The kids are in Awana, and my daughter has found herself a good group of girls in the youth group. It's an hour drive each way, but worth it.

At long last it appears that we will FINALLY be able to convert from just a blog to a fully functioning website within the next couple of months. We may have some talents with a needle and thread, but I know NOTHING about building a website. I have tried unsuccessfully to to do it myself, and I've tried hiring several people over the last 2 years, never to get any results. Fortunately a very good friend of mine has stepped in and offered to help me, and he figures it will be ready to launch around the end of next month. We will have the blog, a gallery, store, and other features. If you have any suggestions of things you would like to see, please feel free to let us know. I may add some forums as well, so we can discuss patterns, techniques, and whatever else.

We have one new pattern in the works right now. It is done but the pattern writing (i.e. MY PART) needs some tweaking. I am planning on writing up patterns for some of the bags I have designed as well, and we will be working on selling some kits and various other items in the store. My intention is to be able to carry everything that you need to make one of our projects.

I've been playing with my embroidery machine alot more lately. I still have alot to learn about how to properly stitch out designs on it, and I mess up alot but I'm getting much better. I love watching it create beautiful designs. At one point over the holidays I had it going all day long on my kitchen table while I had another machine set up at the other end working on projects for a customer.

I've added a few more antique machines to my collection, but not too many. I lost count of all of them. I was able to get a Singer 24 chain stitch treadle, and a Wheeler Wilson #9 treadle. I have quite a few restoration projects now, so I'm hoping we get an early Spring so I can get to work on restoring more of the cabinets.

Mom is coming to visit next month as well, and I'm anxious for her to teach me a new (to us) method. She's been doing fabric coloring using crayons. I've seen the technique before with some beautiful results. She's an artist anyway, and the stuff she's been creating are amazing. She's going to teach me her secrets, so maybe we will incorporate that into a future design.

Just a few photos of some of the latest additions to my collection. A Jones Hand Crank that is currently pending a transformation into a treadle. A friend of mine is trying to buy a treadle version and we are planning to trade the cabinet for the HC if he's able to buy it. Jones is my maiden name, and aside from being fabulous machines, who wouldn't want a gorgeous antique with your name on it?!

This is a little toy machine I found in a local antique shop. It is in working condition, and I'm hoping to do a full restoration and paint job on it. Isn't it cute?!

This is a machine I found on Craigslist. It's a Singer 27 with the Pheasant decals. The cabinet is in kind of sad shape but easily restored.

A Davis treadle. This is a New Vertical Feed. My second Davis treadle. These do not use traditional feed dogs to move fabric under the needle. It's a pretty innovative machine for its time, and one of my favorites. This was a gift to me from a friend.

Please post some comments or feel free to email us and let us know what you would like to see on the website. I would love some feedback!

Crosses of Ryan and Tarah Block 12 FINAL BLOCK!

2012-10-09T11:08:00.001-05:00

At long last we are at the final block for our Crosses of Ryan and Tarah series. Thank you for all your patience and kind words. I hope you all have enjoyed this series as much as we have. Please please share your photos on our FACEBOOK page.

The final block is (appropriately) named "JOY"!

The pattern for block 12 can be found HERE

Crosses of Ryan and Tarah Block 11

2012-10-09T10:58:00.001-05:00

Block 11 is done! This block celebrates love :)

You can find the pattern for Block 11 HERE

Crosses of Ryan and Tarah Block 10

2012-10-09T10:50:00.002-05:00

At long last! Today you will get the final three blocks in our series. I know we've been a bit slow, and hopefully life will cooperate with us a little more in the future when we are offering our designs!

Block 10 is a bit of an art deco design. This one is one of my favorites so far:

The pattern for block 10 can be found HERE

An Update to Block 9 Crosses of Ryan and Tarah

2012-10-09T10:34:00.000-05:00

Mom kept looking at her last cross we published and felt like it needed "something". So, after much thought, she decided to add some flair to it. Here is the addition she made if you care to add it to yours as well:

I have updated the download for this block with both the original as well as the added design so you can choose which one you prefer. You can find the pattern HERE

Quick update and some sewing eye candy...

2012-09-13T18:38:00.000-05:00

I didn't realize how long it had been since I updated. Man...my bad. Quick update on things:
Mom- She is doing better, and coping with my sister's treatments. She's had to play musical medications and it has had her on a roller coaster with some really good days and some really bad days. She's hoping to have the next cross design ready to post in a few days. I appreciate all the emails I've gotten and rest assured we will publish 3 final designs to this series.

Lara-is breezing through Chemo like its no big deal. She goes about her days as usual and it doesn't seem to be affecting her at all. I guess this is proof positive that side effects from Chemo may be somewhat controllable with a different mental state. She's unaware of all that is going on around her once she's away from it and isn't really feeling many of the common side effects once she leaves treatment. This is a HUGE relief for us, because we were really unsure how she would take this but she's probably doing better with it than all the rest of us. So far, so good!

Me- well...I have been working here and there on some small projects, but the best news for me is that just a couple of weeks after my last post, my hubby bought me a brand new sewing machine! I got a Viking Designer Ruby, and I love love love her! I've been practicing with the embroidery unit and hopefully before too long I will be a pro. I've made a few things so far, and I'm working on a custom baby bedding set for a friend. Here's a couple of pics of the dust ruffle and coordinating pillow I've done so far:

When I haven't been sewing and starting school, I've been pushing my husband around in a wheelchair (well, for the last 3 weeks, with another 3 or so to go). He's ok. He had surgery to correct a problem he's had since childhood, and had both of his achilles tendons lengthened. This should take care of the pain he's had recently and it greatly increased his range of motion. The doctor said he gained about 20% more movement. He's all excited because he can actually touch his toes without bending his knees for the first time in his life. It's the little things!

Well, aside from that, I've sort of been inundated with something I've wanted for YEARS. I've been wanting to find treadle machines and learn how to use them. Well, the first one I stumbled across by chance for 20.00 in June from a lady who had started to restore it but didn't have the time, so I picked up my first treadle machine, a 1917 Davis New Vertical Feed. The machine itself is in great shape, and I've already finished restoring the irons and I'm now working on the cabinet. Here's a picture of her:

I have to say that I have literally been looking for YEARS for a treadle machine that I could afford. Now, it seems as if they just keep finding me and I can't say no! I've added about 30 machines to my collection since finding this one. (Yeah, I lost count.) All antiques. I'll post a few of them for y'all to drool over :D I found some on Craigslist, 1 from Ebay, some from Goodwill, and the rest came from a collection that was formerly the Arlington Sewing Machine Museum. The entire collection had been in storage for over a decade and the owner passed away last year. The whole unit fell into the hands of a neat lady, and when I answered her CL ad for a machine, the more we talked the more we became friends. I ended up helping her move the entire unit from the storage unit to her home, and we went over many of the machines, cleaning them, figuring out what they were, etc. She gave me a few machines, and then let me purchase several more for about 5.00 per machine. I now have 20 from that collection. These first few machines are from that collection.

Then there's the unbelievable find I had at a garage sale recently...a 1954 WHITE singer Featherweight 221 in IMMACULATE condition...picked that one up for 90.00. That is by far the most I've paid for any of my machines but I know how envious some of you will be to hear that I got it that cheap. :)

There's many more where these came from, but that should hold y'all for a bit. :) Hopefully I should be back in a couple of days with a new cross design for you!

What's been going on in 2012...

2012-05-06T11:28:00.000-05:00

As many of you noticed, we have had a pretty big lapse in posting this year. Thank you all for all the emails and comments, checking in with us. We appreciate the kind words and prayers that have been offered for us and our families.

As most of you know, I moved at the end of 2011. While we moved, we had a total renovation of the house we purchased going on. The house had been abandoned for a couple of years and had extensive repairs needed just to make it liveable. Pretty much the only thing we still have are the kitchen cabinets and the walls. Everything else has been replaced. Subfloors, sinks, toilets, flooring, plumbing, electrical, you name it..Well, the major work was supposed to be completed prior to moving in. Halfway through the process our original contractor decided he wasn't going to complete the work, so we had to stop everything, and deal with the legal issues surrounding that. As anyone can attest, moving in itself is stressful. Couple that with moving into an incomplete house, with 4 kids, and being unable to do anything to complete the work ourselves until the legal mess was straightened out was literally a nightmare. We had to wait 3 months, through the holidays, before we could finally get a new contractor to start fixing the mess left behind. After 4 weeks of intense long days, the rest of the work was completed and 6 months after moving in, I was finally able to hang a picture on the walls. We've lived with most of our stuff in storage (including my entire sewing studio) for months and months, so now we are in the midst of finally getting settled into the house, and making it "home". Throw in that we homeschool, and you can only imagine the chaos. Needless to say, we'll be doing school through the summer to help make up lost days due to all the upheaval.

Well, that takes care of me, but mom has had her own chaos of her own. Both her and my step-dad have had a few medical issues in the last few months, but those appear to be winding down. The biggest issue now, is with my older sister. For those who do not know, in May 1991, my then, 22 yr old sister was involved in a major car accident. The car she was riding in was hit by a drunk driver, and my sister sustained a traumatic brain injury. At the time we had no idea what the outcome would be. After about a year in the hospital and various therapy programs, Lara was able to speak and walk again, but she has massive damage that has never recovered. She has little to no short term memory. She cannot read and comprehend. She cannot carry on a conversation. She cannot care for herself at all. It's sort of like having a toddler in an adult body. She cannot do most things for herself without some form of assistance. She requires 24/7 care and monitoring. In January, Lara was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. February was spent meeting with a myriad of doctors. March brought a mastectomy. Since Lara is not a typical patient, there is more to weigh than just physical treatment. We had to consider how she might handle and react to treatments, and try to see things not only from our standpoint, but from that of someone who might not understand why she is being poked and prodded, and be unable to communicate properly to us if she is in pain, sick, or if something is wrong. We consulted with a handful of doctors, and we also reached out to people we know who have gone through the surgeries, chemo, etc. to try and figure out what the best plan of action might be for my sister. While her quality of life has certainly not been all that wonderful since her accident, we still hold out some hope that something might be discovered in her lifetime that might restore some of what she has lost. Lara has 2 children who were just toddlers at the time of her accident, and they've never really had the chance to know who their mom really was, because they were too young to really remember her. Anyway, mom is her legal guardian so all of this has really taken a toll on her in many ways. During this time we've been battling with the facility that cares for my sister, about inadequate care and several other issues. Finally, just a couple of weeks ago, the powers that be came in and "cleaned house", and the director, and staff that we were having issues with were all removed, and Lara was moved to a higher care level, where we are now confident that she will be properly monitored and cared for through this ordeal. Chemo is scheduled to begin in a couple of weeks, so we will keep everyone informed of the progress.

Aside from all of that, we have taken in a childhood friend of my husband to live with us, and will have his 2 children with us soon. He is disabled, and we are his "representatives" for Social Security, Medicaid, etc....a nightmare all its own to deal with. I now fully see why these government programs are so rampantly wasting money. They are all bureaucratic nightmares. It took 3 months and 4 visits in person, and countless phone calls-just to change a mailing address for him.

So...all that said...its chaos as usual around here! Yesterday I finally decided that I wasn't going to do anything...so I sat down with one of my cross stitch projects and thats the only thing that I accomplished. (Ok that and dinner...) It was wonderful!

Crosses of Ryan and Tarah BOM Block 9

2012-05-03T11:50:00.002-05:00

Well, finally I have a few moments to try and get the latest cross block published! I have one more to get published and the last 2 are close behind. If you have any trouble downloading the pattern please send us an email and we will send it to you. Thank you again for all your kind words and patience as we have dealt with various issues between ourselves and our families. I will update more on that later! This month's block is angel wings, and simple backstitch. Enjoy! You can download the pattern HERE

Crosses of Ryan and Tarah block 8

2011-12-31T18:50:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year's Eve everyone! Well, here we are at the end of 2011, and I can't wait to show you all some of the exciting things we have in the works for 2012! To kick it off, here is the next block for our BOM Crosses of Ryan and Tarah. Enjoy!

You can download the pattern HERE

My Christmas present!

2011-12-26T20:40:00.001-06:00

Well, since the only thing I truly wanted for Christmas couldn't be bought in stores, or given to me, I settled for the next best thing, which is a crafty project just for me, compliments of my mom! With all the stress of moving and trying to remodel, firing our contractor, dealing with the legal issues surrounding all of that, and now living in a house that is halfway finished, and unable to unpack or settle in yet due to the work still needing to be done, I have no outlets for my frustration except for facebook and Pinterest. Addicting as that all is, mom gave me an awesome Christmas present and I have 1 block complete so far. It's a needlework project that will become the lid to a very cool basket, which will eventually house my current WIPs for needlework. Here's a photo of the finished product, American Patchwork by Debbie Stiehler

Isn't this just about the neatest thing you've ever seen?? This is my first project stitching on canvas, and first needlepoint project. Usually I'm a cross-stitcher so I'm learning quite a bit with this, which I love. It opens up all sorts of possibilities!

Crosses of Ryan and Tarah Block 7

2011-12-26T20:10:00.000-06:00

We hope everyone has had a very Merry Christmas. I apologize for the delay in getting the next block published. Sometimes life has other plans! Block 7 puts us over the halfway mark for this BOM project! Block 8 is ready as well and will be published in a few days, and 9 is almost ready too, so we will be back on track by the new year!

I have had a few people email me that they are having some difficulty in downloading the patterns. I promise I have not forgotten about you but with the chaos and madness of moving and such, I may have overlooked an email or two, so if you are needing the patterns to be emailed directly to you, either in Word or PDF form, please email me again and I can get back to you as quickly as possible. Littleladybugscreations@gmail.com.

You can download the pattern HERE

Join us for the Stitchin' Heaven New Year's Eve Twitter party!

2011-12-13T16:34:00.000-06:00

Last year I had the pleasure of hanging out with quilty friends from around the globe as we rang in the new year. I also picked up a few fabulous prizes from some of the sponsors. This year I am happy to announce that we will be participating in this year's twitter party as a sponsor! You'll have the opportunity to chat with other quilty friends from around the world, get to know some of your favorite designers, and have a grand time! Here are all the details below. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Reposted from the Stitchin' Heaven blog:

‘Tis that time once again, my fellow Tweeters and Quilters! Not a Tweeter? That is O.K. ! Create your FREE Twitter account here. Then check out the “how to” party instructions. (You can go ahead and try to sign into the party early to get a feel for what you are doing…You’ll see previous party conversations.)

Are you a returning party-er?? If so, WOO HOO – are you ready for this?! We’ve got some new and returning sponsors this year with some terrific prizes. Remember all the fun we had in different time zones wishing one another a Happy New Year, well, aside for our awesome International customers who were partying with us in the middle of the day. It was so much fun and you all are the best party guests!

Sponsor List:

Pat Sloan – Designer & Teacher
Aurifil – Thread
Valorie Wells – Designer
Michele Foster – Quilting Gallery
Keri Beyer Inc. – Designer
Ellen Medlock – Designer
Melissa Strammel – Lilac Lane
Me & My Sister Designs
Cozy Quilt
Shabby Fabrics
Little Lady Bug’s Creations
Blue Ribbon Quilt Shoppe
Cara Quilts

Leave us a comment and let us know if you plan on being there. Then RSVP on the Facebook Event here.

What you need:

Internet Access
Twitter Account
Facebook Account
Beverage of Choice
Favorite Munchies
Compfy Jammies – (if you’re joining us @ night)
Party Shoes (slippers)
Sass (Bring it!)

Am I forgetting anything?

So, will we see you there?

Updates

2011-12-04T12:26:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone :) No, we haven't disappeared, we have actually been moving. After what seems like an eternity, we are finally in the new house. Now, when I say that, I mean all of our stuff is here. It is by no means unpacked or organized yet! The house still isn't completed, and we had to fire our contractor the week before Thanksgiving. We are in the process of hiring a new contractor to come in and fix all the problems the original contractor created, and finish what they didn't do at all. I'm SO hoping that they can get in and get it completed before Christmas. In the meantime I have to live with all the kids and animals surrounded by boxes, as we cannot put furniture into place and such. Half of our floors have to be ripped out and redone (think Kitchen and bathrooms) and we have no baseboards in pretty much the entire house so every room has to have all the furniture away from walls. Several areas are not painted or painted so poorly they have to be redone as well, so as you can well imagine, my blood pressure has been put to the test! At least I am not spread between 2 houses though!

Last night mom was able to finish the final details of the latest pattern which will be available for purchase in 2012. It will be offered at High Country Quilt Shop in Colorado Springs, CO as a new BOM with her good friend Joyce Bean instructing. As it is an exclusive to their shop, they have it available for purchase beginning today during their open house. Since it is our first design "sale" to a shop, we have had to go through a bit of learning experiences, which have delayed our next cross, but rest assured it is on its way!

Big changes are in the works for Little Ladybug's Creations for 2012. We have been working on a new website and store, as well as some designs for the next year, so stay tuned for more info!

Crosses of Ryan & Tarah Block 6

2011-10-10T20:16:00.000-05:00

You can find the pattern HERE

Crosses of Ryan and Tarah Block 5

2011-09-27T16:08:00.001-05:00

You can download the pattern HERE

Block 5 will be up shortly

2011-09-27T14:10:00.000-05:00

I am so sorry.for the delay in this month. I want to insure everyone that no matter what happens on our side to delay things or what happens in your life, the crosses will always be available to you. I have missed out of some things of others (BOM's) I have been collecting and I hate when I miss something and can't get it later except by paying for it. This is not what we are about. One way or another you will be able to complete this quilt blocks, for free however we need to work it out for you. So never worry. We appreciate you stitching our designs and in turn we will work with you for whatever you need. Always for free. Thank you for your patience with us. We appreciate you.

I'm tweaking the pattern file and it will be uploaded momentarily.

Crosses of Ryan and Tarah BOM Block 4

2011-08-05T10:54:00.000-05:00

The design for this month is fairly simple, and understated, but beautiful at the same time.

To download the pattern, click HERE

What a fun way to start my month!

2011-08-05T10:50:00.000-05:00

My apologies (once again) for being a few days late here. It seems month end just always creeps up on me and always throws us some unexpected curve balls. I was actually all ready to post the new block for August by the first, but my 2 yr old son apparently had other plans. This past Saturday started like any other day. A friend from church came by at 7am to head over to the new house with my husband to do some electrical work so we can get utilities turned on. I was to follow later that morning when the kids got up and moving. I was all ready to go but my youngest still wasnt awake, which is highly unusual for him. We went to wake him up and he stirred but never really woke up. I carried him downstairs, changed his diaper and clothes, and he still wasn't waking up. He couldn't stand, wouldn't even hold his head up. I knew something was wrong, but not sure what. He was also very sweaty. I immediately put him in the car and headed to a nearby emergency room. My fear was heat exhaustion, even though he hadn't been outside in 3 days. His diaper from overnight had been dry so I also figured he might be dehydrated.

We arrived at the hospital and they got him into triage quickly. He was slightly feverish, but they were more concerned at his listlessness. The doctor guessed that he might have high blood sugar. They started him on a fluid IV and took some blood to run some tests. The doctor quickly came back and told me that his blood sugar was not high, but dangerously low, at 46. They gave him some juice, crackers, and literally within minutes he was perking back up. Not quite his normal ball of energy but vastly improved. The doctor advised he wanted to admit Jacob to the hospital for observation and further testing to try and find out what caused his blood sugar to plummet like it had. We gathered our diaper bag, and took a ride in an ambulance from this hospital over to Cook Children's in downtown. Now, in hindsight perhaps I should have went there first, but I have been in their emergency room once before, and it took us 16 hours to be seen, so I didn't go there this time in fear of having to sit with him in the waiting room for hours.

We were taken back into the ER quickly, and briefly looked at, questioned, etc. Then proceeded to sit in a room down there for the next 5 hours, waiting to be transferred to a room upstairs. Finally around 6pm Saturday we were given a room on the Endocrinology floor. They allowed Jacob to eat dinner, so we watched Cars and Bolt and Toy Story 3 while he ate and cried everytime they came in to stick him for one reason or another. He was given a second IV that evening so they could administer fluids and draw labs at the same time without re-sticking him.

I finally got him to sleep sometime around 11pm, and at midnight the nurses came back in to check his diaper, temperature, and whatever else they do. At that time I had dosed off and woke up not feeling right. My right side had gone numb. I asked one of the nurses to take my blood pressure and sure enough it was sky high. I laid back down for another 30 minutes hoping I could get it to go down some, but the numbness turned to dull pain, and it was still high, so they put me in a wheelchair and took me across the street to another hospital ER. When I got there my BP was so high that they took me straight to trauma, but on the way there, a multiple GSW victim came in and they had to work on him instead. The next 5 hours were spent having a battery of tests, IVs labs, and medication administered. Everytime someone came in to do something I reminded them that I had a sick child across the street and I needed to get back there ASAP.

I was finally released and headed back across the street to Jacob's room. When I arrived back the nurses told me he had not been back asleep since I left. He'd watched 2 movies, was on his third, taken a walk around the floor, visited the fish tanks, etc. and generally entertained the nursing staff. Needless to say we were both exhausted. We managed a few more hours of sleep before another round of lab work was needed. Since they were fasting Jacob he started getting hungry and asked the nurses for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a cupcake. (Emphasis on the cupcake). Finally around 3pm they let him eat, and his nurse found him exactly what he asked for. Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich and not one, but 2 cupcakes. I've never seen a cupcake disappear as quickly as I did then! As soon as he was finished eating we had our discharge papers and were headed home.

Luckily through his fasting he never dropped low like before, but they do not yet know what has caused it. We left with a blood sugar monitor and a list of symptoms to check for while we wait for further labs to come back and follow up with an endocrinologist. We haven't had another episode so I'm thankful. Now to adjust to new medications MY doctor put me on. Thats always fun! Of course, doctors tell you to eliminate stress...so much easier said than done!

JULY Freebie: Crosses of Ryan and Tarah Block 3

2011-07-05T11:57:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay (again!) We went out of town for the holiday and it turned out I had no internet access other than my phone...which also suffered a crushing blow over the course of the weekend. My brand new Iphone crash landed on a concrete porch and now has a completely shattered screen. Of course it isn't covered under warranty, so I will have so suffer with it for awhile.

Anyway, without further ado, here is the July block in Crosses of Ryan and Tarah. This month's cross is in reflection upon summers spent at Falls Creek . Every summer from 7th grade through high school we would spend a week here with our church youth groups. It was always hot and humid, and we sat in an open air chapel for services. Right outside the chapel stood this very rugged, aged, wooden cross. It was a symbolic place for people to turn over their sins to God, confess, and be forgiven. If you felt compelled to do so, you could write your sins on a scrap of paper and nail it to the cross. Many many lives have been forever changed from the experiences at Falls Creek. Next year my own daughter will be old enough to attend for the first time. Even after I was out of high school, both Mom and I served with our church youth group as cooks for our group for a few years. It is a special place and many friendships have been forged there.

You can download the pattern and instructions for Block 3 HERE

JUNE Freebie: Crosses of Ryan and Tarah Block 2

2011-06-03T15:57:00.000-05:00

Finally! My computer has not been agreeing with me!!! Anyway, without further delay, here is Block 2 in our "Crosses of Ryan and Tarah" Embroidered block quilt. I hope you enjoy it!

You can download the pattern and instructions HERE

May Freebie! Crosses of Ryan & Tarah BOM Block 1

2011-05-03T08:20:00.000-05:00

Our apologies for the delay. Mom had this all done on time and I just couldn't get the time in front of my computer to get it all loaded. Amazing what an out of town for 2 weeks hubby and sudden upheaval in your daily routines can do to you!

This month we are kicking off the first of 12 blocks in our first BOM. "Crosses of Ryan and Tarah" will be a series of 12 embroidered elegant cross designs, finished into a beautiful quilt top.

Our inspiration for this piece comes from my older brother, my mother's oldest son, Ryan, and his wife, Tarah, who have been married since 1989. They were junior high and high school sweethearts, marrying right after graduation. They have 5 children, my nieces Autumn, Summer, Winter, and Spring, and my nephew, Christian (aka "Goob"). (Yes, those really are their names!) This past fall, Autumn and her husband celebrated the birth of their first child, and my brother became a grandpa at age 40. (and yes, we love to tease him for that!) Through the years, Ryan and Tarah have been a living testament of a Godly marriage for all who know them. It seemed only fitting to celebrate that with this theme. Faith has certainly been a cornerstone of their family.

We hope you enjoy our latest project and continue to follow us in the coming months!

You can download Block 1 HERE

April is Here!

2011-04-01T20:22:00.001-05:00

Wow, we've been busy this month! I'll try to post more about what changes are coming soon for my blog. Needless to say several people have been working tirelessly to revamp and improve things around here so I hope everyone will be pleased with the results, which I'm hoping to unveil in the next couple of weeks.

So, Mom and I decided to change things up a bit here and cater to our love of needlework. Mom put her design skills to work and I got the pleasure of playing with my latest toy, PC Stitch Pro. This could get seriously addicting. SOOOOO much fun!

In honor of the arrival of Spring, both the season (and my awesome Niece who shares the name), may we present to you, "Spring's Grace"!

Our sample is stitched on 28 count linen, stitching 2 over, or the equivalent of using a 14 count fabric. Finished size is appx 7.5"x 7.5" or 115 x 115 stitches. We used some specialty threads in there, which are listed on the legend. Feel free to experiment. As always, we would really love to see your finished pieces, so please add them to our flickr group

The project is no longer available for free download but will be available soon for purchase.

March is available!

2011-03-06T21:27:00.001-06:00

Wow, what a week this has been! Our apologies for the delay in getting the pattern posted like we had planned. This was really one of those weeks where life just had other plans! I have updated the original post with more pictures and the download link. The project is no longer available for free download but will be available soon for purchase. Also, if you are making our patterns, we'd love to see your work! Please feel free to share it in flickr!