Looking Forward

Good Evening to all ...Christmas came and went in a hurry, seems as if it was all a blur  !  I hope each of you had a wonderful holiday, the Princess and I sure did  . I have been a horrible blogger and friend ... I had the best of intentions , however I faced many challenges in 2016 and  just personally  disconnected falling ...short on many aspirations.  I am looking forward to a new year and hope to make a greater effort to post here . Wishing each of you a Very Happy, Safe,Healthy , Prosperous New Year and until we meet again Ill always be just a lil raggedy angie ...hugs !

Tests, The Teacher and Treats !!!

 Good Evening FRIENDS ! Where on earth did the week go ? I had BIG plans of blogging /reading EVERY day however , for whatever reason , LIFE HAPPENED  and I just didn't make it to blog land :( ! I'm so sorry , hopefully the bitter cold predicted for the weekend will give me a lil extra time to get caught up !
  So, as for the week ...Monday and Tuesday were HORRIBLE pain days , so I spent as much time in bed as possible . Wednesday I had an afternoon appointment with the new neurosurgeon for my MRI results . Upon reviewing the test and seeing me unable to sit in the exam room  ,instead  leaning on the counter bawling like a baby  , he feels my pain is intense and real but ... the test did not show what he thought it would ! Apparently he originally felt like I most likely had an infection in the soft tissue between the vertebrae or a narrowing of the nerve canal . So...since MRI did NOT show anything alarming he has now ordered additional tests , one of which will be a CT scan of the bone in the lumbar, and sacral regions of my lower spine . He feels that I quite possibly have a "structural issue" with the bone? My hardware has loosened ?  My fusion may not be solid? Who knows ...I just hope they find an answer quick , the pain I've been dealing with recently is worse than any I've EVER had to deal with and my patience is running very thin  !

A NORMAL SPINE( I HAVE A NEW DISC, SCREWS, PLATES, RODS  AT L5S1)

MY SPINE ...CAN YOU SPOT THE TRIANGLE? THATS MY NEW DISC/CAGE THAT BRIGHT WHITE LAYER ALONG THE BACK RIGHT  IS MY WINTER BEAR FAT ...ROFLMBO

PRETTY SURE THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED :)

OR MAYBE IT WAS LAUGHING AT THIS ...BLOG KITTY "BURIES" HIS FUZZBALLS UNDER THE TRASH CAN , THEN CRIES FOR DADDY TO GET THE FLASHLIGHT AND DIG THEM OUT SO THEY CAN PLAY ....I LOVE HOW HE HUNKERS DOWN TO SUPERVISE ...HE ONLY HAD 7 UNDER THERE :)





 

 Thursday was spent alternating my time between lying in bed and creating goodies for Princess and her third grade classmates for their Valentines party !

 Do you remember that " creepy" doll head I shared last week ?

Well....she's now quite the "CONVERSATION PIECE" , a OOAK  creepy creation for Princesses teacher ...a connoisseur of the strange but fun!  That ole doll head is now  so "creepy cool" the teacher even let out a SQUEAL of delight when she unwrapped her ! Or was it a CACKLE??? LOL Either way ... I'm pretty sure , I got an A in the 3rd grade today !!
 The kids finished off personalized necklaces, made cootie catchers, picked out a book to keep at home , I read them a few Valentine books , they  handed out cards and treats , then enjoyed a healthy snack ! Though the school considers " cookies, cakes, sweets, treats etc.... contraband" and  not acceptable on school property ... the kids can receive some of those  items but they must be taken home and consumed there  ! Their sweet talented teacher made each child a GORGEOUS sparkly , Personalized ,YUMMY cookie to take home to enjoy ! I always enjoy my time with the kids  at school, but boy does it ever wear me out !!

OOAK CONVERSATION PIECE DOLL

COOTIE CATCHER ..DO YOU REMEMBER MAKING THESE AS A CHILD ?

THE HANDPAINTED PERSONALIZED NECKLACES I PAINTED FOR THE CLASS , THEY WERE STRUNG ON YARN AND THE KIDS ADDED BEADS OF THEIR CHOICE

PRINCESSES PRETTY COOKIE FROM HER TEACHER (  sorry its sideways Im not sure how that happened)

ONE OF THE HEALTHY SNACKS THE KIDS ENJOYED ...CONVERSATION CUTIES ;)
 

Leaving you with a glimpse of Valentines Décor in the kitchen ! The kitchen is the only room in the house completely "non prim " ...decorated more "VINTAGE"  with my red/white enamelware, Coke and Jack Daniels signage and collectibles ! I hope to return tomorrow to finish sharing the rest of the "LOVE" décor in our home as well as a few Valentine gifts I am making !Sweet dreams to all ..and until we meet again ... I'll always be ...just a lil raggedy ! hugs

 

A LIL SNOWLADY SCATTERING LOVE

 



CONVERSATION HEARTS AND JACK ~N~COKE  ONE OR THE OTHER BOUND TO GET THE CONVO STARTED :)

MY DIRTY LIL VALENTINE SECRET ! TRUTH!

A MANTLE FINISH

HELLO FRIENDS ...just a quick post to share the finally finished mantle ! I'm quite pleased with how it turned out ! If you are on my Facebook sorry to duplicate ! Hope each of you are enjoying your weekend thus far . We are , took Princess to ToysRUS to spend Birthday money that was burning holes in her pockets , also had a nice lunch out, now just lounging around enjoying being together  ! Enjoy yourselves and hope to visit again soon and until we meet again ...Ill always be...just a lil raggedy! hugs

 

You can't take this silly kid anywhere ! 

HOLD EM , FOLD EM, OR MAYBE HANG EM ?

Good Evening friends , so glad you came by , come on in , can I  get you a nice cup of coffee? tea?  cocoa (maybe with a splash of RumChatta ) or lots of marshmallows ? We can sit at the dining room table and visit as long as you like , it's nice and toasty inside but... warm wishes and  great friends are  always welcome !

Today has been a very stressful but enlightening day , Princess and I had a few issues with one of our neighbors over something quite menial , and though it wasn't handled  quite as lovely as I would have liked , it has been handled none the less ! Around here we play the hand we are dealt very  carefully , because you are only dealt that one hand , but on occasion an outside "source" ups the ante , and all we can do is stumble through it and do the best we can to turn it into a learning experience  in hopes that it never happens again !

 

MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE :)

 This evening after homework was complete, dinner eaten , and showers taken, the Princess went to play in her room and I went to work on spreading around a lil more LOVE in the dining room , because as Princess tells me " ONE CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH LOVE " and we have very lil , at least the decorating kind :)  !!!

I don't have many Valentines decorations , so we are trying to make some worthy of reusing , out of things we have around the house , as Princess LOVES to decorate for holidays and the more "BLING & SPARKLE" the BETTER!!! Which makes it hard to stick to my Prim-ness ...however they are only lil once and Someday she will be grown and I can be as Prim as I want... but am sure I  will wish I had all that Glitter back instead !
So tonight , I made a Valentine  playing card/ rag garland for our mantle . I had seen the idea on Pinterest ( imagine that ! lol ) and there was no link back to the directions nor the  original creator ...so if this was your brain child please let me know so I can give you proper credit !

 Anyhoooo ... it was so simple to make and I really LOVE how it turned out , I used 2 decks of playing cards ( from my moms goodwill pile ...THANKS MOM) , I used some more of that red/white thin bakers twine from my Aunt( THANKS AUNTIE ) , and I used fabric scraps left from our heart table runner project from last week , a hole punch and it was as Princess says ..."EASY PEASY LEMON SQUEEZEY"... took maybe 45 mins to make both . Don't pay no mind to the top of the mantle as it's my decorating "PROBLEM CHILD " , I always seem to struggle to decorate it  and feel that I am content with how I did it , do you have one of those areas in your home ?   I have hopes of finishing it and the rest of the homestead by the end of the weekend  and sharing it all with you here soon  !

If I am feeling good enough to get out of bed for a short time , I hope to make the "Valentine branches " below to tuck inside some of my crocks ! I also would like to apologize for not visiting everyone as consistent as I would like , but I do try but can't blog on my phone or kindle for some reason and it's hard to blog via laptop  lying down and I can't sit or stand too long either . I do read all your blogs , I just do not always comment ...for that I am sorry , but I have hopes of trying to catch up this weekend ! Well I guess that's all the excitement I have to share for now , y'all are welcome to stay as long as you wish , I enjoy your company , Sweet dreams my friends and until we meet again ..Ill always be ...just a lil raggedy  ! hugs

ALL OVER THE PLACE

Good Evening Friends... Sorry it has taken me a few days to return and make a post , it has been quite the entertaining week already ! Monday  was wasted... as most should be! I spent it in bed with my head under the covers waiting for it to pass ! lol  I wasted a LOT of time on Pinterest...I was trying to find Valentines Inspiration for the Princess for her class at  school and hairstyles for myself ! As, I mentioned before I'm not a trendy , styling kinda gal , so though I love and appreciate many things ...picking things like clothes or hairdo's out for myself is NEVER an easy task ! However ...a few weeks ago...after much nagging by Princess and her "daddy",  I made an appointment with my friend and stylist Nicole  to get myself a haircut !( a late Christmas gift from the before mentioned ear benders)  For most it's not a big deal ...for me it's a HUGE DEAL  , as I haven't had even a trim in over 15 months !!!

These are my before pics ...look how long my hair has grown ...sheesh ! Because of all the meds I take, procedures I've had done and my diseases my hair was getting so thin and falling out everywhere !!! I could wash laundry and find it wrapped up in all the clean laundry , or wake in the morning sweaty with it wrapped around my neck choking me ! So, after hours on Pinterest I had lots of ideas ...which were all over the place and no definite clue as to what to do ! :(

Tuesday Morning I woke up , doubled up my pain meds so I could make the trip to the salon , and be able to sit for a short while to get my hair done !I arrived at the salon and sat in the chair, looked at my AMAZING stylist and after many questions , all I could figure out was that I DESPERATELY needed a CHANGE and because of lack of funds and the ability to visit frequently I needed low to no maintenance ... finally I  said " I have NO CLUE , what to do , I TRUST YOU , SURPRISE ME !" Well and hour and half later , I left the salon feeling like I had lost 20 pounds , and was feeling SASSY and my new mahogany color with plum highlights gave my "sparkle " new life ! The Princess kept telling me all night ..."you don't even look like my Mommy anymore ", "you look like a HIPSTER !" ...I don't know what that really means but I'm going to take it as 9 year old FLATTERY!

That brings us to this morning ...GOOD OL' HUMP DAY !  Today was beautiful , high 50's and SUNSHINE ! This morning I got the pleasure of a 9 am psych evaluation , ordered by the Department of Disability ...apparently just a stepping stone in  road to approval or denial! Anyone that has followed me for quite awhile, met me in person or knows me ...ALREADY KNEW I WAS CRAZY !  It was an interesting appointment to say the least and though I FAILED MISERABLY at counting backwards from 100 by 7's , he did say that at this time he was uncertain if I required meds or additional treatment as he felt some of my trouble is caused not by "problems" but by pain and my health issues ...and that I do have PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and am mildy depressed and have mild anxiety disorder issues ...and something else that I can't remember , that  I couldn't pronounce if I tried ...basically certain sounds IRRITATE ME ! Not too shabby , or at least what I think he said didn't seem too bad....I mean not many could live through and with all that I do and have and remain perfectly sane...however it really doesn't matter to me at this point , but I am highly amused by the fact that my level of CRAZY is now CERTIFIABLE and on paper ! lol Just in case you needed to know ! lol



THE BEAUTIFUL VIEW FROM MY FRONT DOOR TODAY



MADE THESE CHEERIO TREATS FOR SNACKS THIS WEEK



This evening while Princess was out on her weekly date night with Granny and Papaw , I took a few minutes and drug out a few tag sale treasures I got over the summer . Great vintage "creepy " vinyl dolls ...I paid $0.15 each for them !!!They needed a bath , and are on the counter drying , so that when I have a decent day I can create something new with them ! I can't wait !!! The smaller of the two is quite strange and really calls to me, however I'm uncertain as to whether I will keep her whole as is or "part her out" and play with a lil mixed media!  She has a tiny head , pink hair, a normal body and muscular man looking arms , and is NEKKED!!! The larger head came on nicely jointed body with a missing leg , so I "decapitated " her ...she seems to have been a doll of better quality her hair is sewn on not glued, her eyes are bright and gorgeous , she's very detailed ... I have SWEET plans for her ! What would you do if you had dollies like these?

Well I hope my mismatched , scatter brained post , hasn't bored or confused anyone to death! Wishing each of you a wonderful evening ...and until we meet again ...Ill always be ...just a lil raggedy ! hugs

PS ...PRINCESS AND I MADE THESE HAIRFLOWERS FOR HER AND HER FRIENDS AS OUR CRAFT MONDAY EVENING ...I HAVE POSTED A TUTORIAL ON A SEPERATE PAGE THAT CAN BE ACCESSED AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE BY CLICKING ON THE TUTORIAL TAB ...HOPE YOU ENJOY !

HOUSEWORK, BASSETT HOUNDS AND AN OLD LOG

 Good Sunday Evening to all ! Stopping by to update you on my weekend ! Saturday was spent on  a lil light housework , being stalked throughout the house by one cantankerous blog kitty , a lot of laying around playing on Pinterest and a quick sewing project .

About that project... My youngest sister , Kim ...known round here as "Farmer Kim " had a birthday on Friday , but she had to work, since she works second shift . So today( Sunday)  my Dad, Sister and rest of the family were having a lil bite to eat and a gathering for her Birthday at a local restaurant, I knew I wasn't going to be able to go , as I still cannot sit in the car, or sit down to eat , let alone socialize , however the Princess was going to go without me ! Princess informed me that she could NOT attend a party without a "PROPER " gift , and she was right , but as always I had not a dollar to my name ! So , we decided to do what we always do , and make something !
 Princess suggested a Valentines table mat or runner or something with dogs , as Farmer Kim has two bassett hound furkids named Chester and Phyllis and they are like an old married couple and  her "pride and joy" .

 So , as I stood at the kitchen counter, trying to find ideas on Pinterest with no luck , I decided to create my own design , so I drew up a Bassett silhouette pattern , cut it out  , traced it twice onto black felt and cut 2 out  ,I then measured and  cut  out and stitched a simple table runner from a checked cotton, appliqued a basset hound on each end and gave each hound an appliqued red wool heart . :) I hear tell that she liked it ! Yay! I think the next day I feel half decent I might try making a few with different types of dogs and cats on them to see what they look like , as this was a fairly fast easy project.

I shared in a prior post that my Dad usually makes each of us girls a handcrafted gift from his woodshop for Christmas , and that this year I asked him to make Princess her loft bed in lieu of me getting a gift ! Well today my Dad shows up to pick up Princess for the party , and tells me to get my slippers and jacket and come to the truck , he had to show me something !!! Out the door I went, bed head, pink betty boop fuzzy jamma pants, slippers and all !

 In the bed of his truck ...A SURPRISE CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR LIL OL' ME!!!!  He made each of us girls a "log bench " for our gardens/porches , but it was so muddy at Christmas he couldn't back his truck  up to his woodshop to load them !!! They are AWESOME!!! Mine is sitting on the screened in front porch for now , which is where it most likely will stay , just maybe not in the same spot! I spent a lil time wandering around on the porch admiring my new bench this afternoon , as it has been in the mid 50's most of the weekend, which is rare for late January  in Ohio! But Ill take it !!!

That's the weekend in a nutshell , will be back soon to share some more of our days with you ...until we meet again ...Ill always be ...just a lil raggedy ! hugs

CAN YOU FIND THE BLOG KITTY ??? HE'S STALKIN ME AS I CLEAN !!! SUCH A CREEPY CAT!

THIS IS IM ABOUT TO SMACK YOU IN THE HEAD I WANNA WRESTLE POSE LOL

MY SISTER'S BIRTHDAY  GIFT !

THIS IS MY SISTERS FURBABY CHESTER

THIS IS MY SISTERS FURBABY PHYLLIS

MY GORGEOUS NEW BENCH !

IT'S THE LIL THINGS...

Good Evening , sorry I'm so late getting here to post! It's been one of those days ...you know the kind ...when you wake up thinking " SURE I CAN TAKE ON THE WORLD TODAY " , and before you know it you realize that in actuality what you should have done is just crawled right back  into that nice warm bed, and thrown the covers over your head !!! Yep ,not a darn thing has gone as planned today . It's ok because that's the "norm" around my household , we just take it one day at a time , and make the most of it , even if the "most" we can do most days...is just "BREATHE"!

Since my original post for this evening, has gone to the wayside for a bit , I thought I would share a few of our favorite "hearts" throughout the homestead instead.

 Now these hearts may not be really flashy, catchy or in high demand , but each one of them is SPECIAL in it's own way!

I find that as I grow older , I admire more , and acquire far less ! I have learned through so much time spent aimlessly in bed , that "too much " sitting around , is stressful and distracting , I would much rather have a few "lil " items with great meaning , then a grand collection with great value that I waste precious time and energy dusting ! And what matters to me , may not mean diddly to you , but your opinion though valued isn't my sole deciding factor.

Life is short, live in the moment, and take nothing for granted !

Because those "lil" things truly are the GREATEST treasures!

Wishing you a wonderful evening ...and until we meet again ...I 'll always be ...just a lil raggedy ! hugs

THESE LIL HEART SALTDOUGHS ARE EXTRA SPECIAL BECAUSE THEY WERE THE LAST THING MADE AS A FAMILY CRAFT WITH BOTH MY CHILDREN HELPING

THESE CUTE LIL BUTTONS A GIFT FROM MY PRINCESS ...COLORFUL, FUN,SWEET,THOUGHTFUL JUST LIKE SHE IS

MY CHRISTMAS GIFT THIS YEAR FROM THE PRINCESS ...SHE PURCHASED THIS FROM HER SCHOOLS SECRET SANTA SHOP ALL BY HERSELF

THIS DARLING SNOW FAMILY A GIFT FROM PRINCESSES BIOLOGICAL FATHER RIGHT BEFORE SHE WAS BORN ...FOREVER SPECIAL AS HE IS NOW GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN

A GIFT FROM MY SISTER...STITCHED BY SOMEONE UNKNOWN YEARS AGO WITH GREAT CARE ...THE QUOTE IT STATES ....IS EXACTLY HOW I FEEL ...EVERYTHING I COULD EVER WANT AND NEED IS AT HOME  

THIS BEAUTY A TAG SALE FIND ...FRAMED IN ONE OF MY GRANDMOTHERS FRAMES....HANGS IN THE BATHROOM TO REMIND US DAILY TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER

THIS WAS MY PROJECT FOR TODAY ...NO ITS NOT PERFECT , NOR IS IT PRIM , BUT IT IS EXACTLY WHAT MY PRINCESS HAD IN MIND FOR OUR DINING TABLE SO VOILA!