Can't believe it has been over 2 months...

since I last posted. Summer school has come and gone and we already have 9 student days in for the new school year.

In early July my husband and I had a bit of a mishap on the scooter. I had a sprained wrist, a bruised shoulder, and road rash. He had bruising, road rash, and 5 broken ribs. We did manage to go on vacation to Atlanta to see family there. My uncle had back surgery in July and was having difficulty recovering and ended up having more surgery. He is no longer on pain meds, but all the surgery has taken a toll and recovery has been an uphill climb for both my aunt and uncle. He is doing a bit better, but has a ways to go. On the way home we stopped at Natural Bridge in Virginia. We go past all of these landmarks/historic sites every year and I keep saying that we are going to stop but we never did. Since we left Atlanta earlier than I would have liked since my husband was still have trouble finding a comfortable position for sleeping, I suggested we find someplace to stop and that is the place we decided upon. It was worth the time. We got some, but not as many pictures as I would have liked because I forgot to take the charger and spare battery for the camera.

This Tuesday is the annual picnic for my weight loss support group. Part of the program is Drop Your Drawers. Those who have lost weight come in a before outfit over their new clothing and then reveal their transformation. In a weak moment, I agreed to do this. I had to submit before and after photos. Here are the ones I submitted. The first one was 2 weeks before my first visit with the dietician. I don't remember the date of the second one. The third one was at my daughter's wedding on 5/16/09. The last 2 were taken on 8/30/09. Unfortunately I can't get them in the positions I want them in. Oh well.

A lot has happened since I last wrote

The wedding went quite well. There were a few glitches, but that was to be expected. The weather was good. even though rain was predicted it held off until the reception was over. Our son-in-law learned that he needs to leave a set of car keys home. They had to come home a day early because we couldn't move his car for street sweeping. We are still waiting for the proofs from the photographer. I hope they are online by the end of next week.

We had company from British Columbia for the wedding. While she was here we did some tourist things including Boyd's Bear Country. We also went out to eat almost every evening.

School is over for the summer, at least until summer school begins. I was pleased that I had all my work done and could leave as soon as we were dismissed. I do need to go in to water my plants though.

Becky's was in an accident on June 3. A woman up the street ran a stop sign at the end of the alley. Her car was totalled. I must say that Progressive, in spite of commercials I personally find annoying, gives good service. Their adjuster was here the day after and waited for her to come home to sign the title and he cut her a check at that time. the car was picked up the next day. Becky ended up buying a new car, a Pontiac G3. She is now in debt for 6 years. She had some problems since she had changed her name some places and not others. Keith's car needed over $1300 worht of work and his car was worth only $100. He bought a used car, a Pontiac Grand Am.

This past Monday and Tuesday I attended a 2 day conference for school. They were 2 long days, but I'll be glad come August and there will be 2 days I don't have to work. On Wednesday, someone Ken knows from his message board and her husband came for the day. We took them to Gettysburg and Hershey, even though the weather did not cooperate.

Tonight was support group for gastric bypass. My friend Linda rode with me. It was nice to have company for the ride. They had the body analyzer scale there. I had mine done and was pleased. Kathy did not go because her knee was giving her trouble.

We have had so much rain lately. Even so, we have managed to get some time on the scooter.

The wedding is less than 2 weeks away!

As mother-of-the-bride, I am in stress mode. I have the bridesmaids' jewelry finished and all I need to do for my daughter's jewelry is attach earhooks to a pair of earings. I have started jewelry for me but need a sunny day to check to see if the colors go well before I finish.

Weight loss has slowed even more. Only 2 pounds this month.

Last Sunday was bittersweet. The church where I've been a member for 29 years closed. We voted to close in January and had several votes to confirm that decision, but last Sunday was the final service there and it was very hard not to completely break down, but I held it together pretty well until the end of the part of the service that was held in what is now our former church. for some reason I get very emothional when we sing the hymn "Borning Cry" and that is when I had trouble. We went to the new church (the one we merged with) today. We will be received a members ther on May 17. It is a little strange since this was the church I left 29 years ago when we moved, but in many ways it is not the same church. I guess time will tell. So far everyone seems very friendly.

Saturday one of my aunts and cousin came for a visit. I haven't seen this particular aunt in several years so I was very glad she was able to come. She is leaving for Spain this week so she won't be at the wedding.

Just to keep things interesting I broke out in a very bad case of hives that itched like crazy that required a late night trip to the pharmacy for Benadryl. Thank heaven it worked.

This week will be another busy one. I have several appointments plus some shopping to get done. At school we have a field trip, assuming it does not rain on Tuesday or Wednesday. There is also all of the end-of-the-year stuff that needs doing.

Need to get with the program

It seems like I have forgotton about my poor blog. I'll try to get here and post more frequently. My daughter's bridal shower was last Saturday at her future mother-in-law's home. I finished one bracelet and one necklace for the girls to try on before making all of them. It seems that I will need one more strand of small lavendar pearls and possible more ivory pearls to complete everything. I'm still working on my daughter's jewelry. I'd like to make mine as well and I still have a little to do to finish the veil. Her first fitting is next Thursday so I guess I need to get with the program in that department as well. My sister doesn' know it yet, but I am going to ask her to do the place cards when I get all the response cards back.

Weight loss has slowed down quite a bit, but I am getting there. In four more pounds, I will no longer be overweight!!!

With everything that has been going on I have really let my shop on etsy slip. Of course, with the general state of the economy, I'm not sure how well I'd be doing anyway.

Mother of the bride dresses.

Keep in mind the dresses are a bit tight because I bought 10's, figuring I'd be down at least 10 pounds by May 16. The first one is for the wedding. and cost $27.50. Ken is not the best picture taker, but there is some beading on the hem of the sleeve. The neckline is draped and the back drapes lower than the front. The second one is for the rehearsal dinner and was a real bargain at $15.00. The last one is because I thought I looked good in the dress. This was the expensive one at $60.00. I guess that was because it was an Evan Picone. BTW, that is my ankle bracelet part way up my leg. I guess I need to take it apart and shorten it. I must say that shopping for a dress to wear was depressing at first. There was nothing in the mall. I went to a local bridal shop and told her I didn't want anything extravagant and she showed me a black dress. A black dress for the mother of the bride??? She said he dress was simple, but elegant. It cost $630! I wasn't planning to spend over $200 and she said she had nothing. I went to a small bridal shop in town and they did have some samples. The one I like best was $215 (they said they'd "work" with me, bit it would need alterations. The only thing I might need to do is hem the underlayer of the top (it is a 2 piece dress) since it wants to peek out. I'm hoping that 10 pounds will take care of that. Even if it doesn't, I can do that myself.

Only 2 more days at home...

...then it will be back to work (school). I still tire fairly easily, but I do have a few more days to rest. My principal told me that if it is too much, I can do half days for a few days.

The grocery store manager wants a very specific note. I called the surgeon's office and the nurse will send another note and we'll see what happens. The nurse was not happy about having to do another note. My next appointment is 11/20/08.

The time went so fast. Being in the hospital the extra week really cut into time I had planned to do other things. I did some work on my daughter's wedding jewelry and I did get some things listed/relisted on etsy and I'm working on reviving a couple BNR's that I am on. I also wanted to get some items made for some holiday open houses and I did get a few made. If they don't sell after the open houses are over, I will list them on etsy. I have today and tomorrow to get as much done as I can.

On a happy note, I'll be able to get back on the scooter tomorrow!!

An Even Happier Day!

My computer is acting weird and I have no idea how to fix it. I trued to add photos to my last post, showing photos of all the stuff related to my TPN, which is nutrition through a PICC line, which is sort of like an IV on steroids. Let me say it was a lot and I had forgotton to take photos of some of the items because I only used them for the first 10 days. Anyway, I had 4 appointments yesterday, and I was able to have the PICC line removed! At this point, I am on liquids only, but will be able to try things like mashed potatoes and applesauce by the end of the week. I'll be going back to work on Monday.

I'm relisteing some things on etsy and trying to get some pieces made that I won't list yet because I want to have an open house mid-November. If theu sell at the open house, I will have saved the etsy fee. If they don't sell at the open house, I'll have some items ready to list afterwards. i'm still working on jewelry for my daughter's wedding and her veil. When I saw the price of a veil in the bridal shop I almost fainted! Same thing with the tiara. The bridal shop one was more elaborate and the jeweled area larger. I told her I will add some crystals and pearls to the Wilton one so it doesn't have the "just-out-of-the-box" look.

I have an item I want to relist today, some Christmas earrings to find, and since I had a sale, a package to mail. I also need to finish the protein fortified jello.

One step closer!

I had the group psychololgical session and my next appointment, a 30 minute appointment with a nutritionist is scheduled for next month. I'm really getting excited about that.

Wedding planning is moving on. I'm trying to get some things done before school starts. i meet with the coordinator at the reception site tomorrow and Next week we meet with the woman who is doing the floral arrangements. When school starts, I'll have some paperwork coming up right away, so I won't have time to devote to wedding planning. I hope we have most things decided so the wedding can be put on the back burner for a while.

Summer school ends a week from Thursday and then we leave for vacation!

Catching up, Day 2 plus wedding details

Busy day, but we put a deposit on a place for my daughter's wedding reception!!!! She is not getting married until May 2009, but we have a place and they will get the DJ, and will have their baker contact us about the cake. The photographer is booked so I can relax for the time being.

I did promise to do some catching up on my features so today I am going to feature knuckletoes. The name of the shop just made me so curioius I had to check it out. You should too http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5173363 This section made me laugh http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5173363&section_id=5150190 Hallmark is missing out on a good thing. Her blog can be found at http://knuckletoes.blogspot.com

Pricing Tuxedos

My daughter won't be getting married until May 2009, but the planning has started. She went to a wedding expo and purchased her dress and tonight we priced tuxedos. I want to scream and we've a long way to go.

Today I'll be featuring the founder of the 90 features in 90 day challenge, Giftbearer. Be sure to visit her shop. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=3855 The bio from her profile on etsy says it better than I ever could. " Pippit Carlington has been creating art ever since she was 2 years old. At age 5 she wascomposing songs on the piano; teaching herself to play by ear. She often found herself re-designing things she saw around her, in 6th grade she constructed the class mascot; a 4 foot-tall owl sculpted out of paper mache, and in junior high she began selling various art items she had made. Over the years Pippit went on to receive formal art training at Callenwolde Center for the Arts, The Atlanta College of Art, and Atlanta Jeweler's School and Studios.Pippit works in several mediums;including acrylics, watercolor, drawing, clay sculpture, and jewelry. A multicultural influence is evident in her work reflecting a diverse heritage of Iroquois Indian, Hawaiian, Russian Jewish, and French Canadian. She is strongly influenced by nature, political and social issues, and uses her art to educate the public. Two paintings from her September 11th Series appeared at a show on war at The Spruill Center Gallery. One of them titled, "It Makes You Realize What's Really Important", depicts a family comforting each other with an American flag in the background. The other shows the rescue effort at Ground Zero, "Amongst The Chaos". That series also included portraits of Osama Bin Laden and George W. Bush. This series was really an exercise in patience and tolerance. It was a difficult subject matter, but I felt it was important to document this event in history so that hopefully people would never let this happen again. The portrait of Osama Bin Laden evoked such an emotional reaction that the gallery exhibiting it in Sautee, GA. had to take it down. The gallery-owner reported to me that people told her it was incredibly realistic and that was why people were so deeply affected by it on a visceral level. One of the other paintings in the series, "Blessed Event" shows the resilient side of September 11th; the story of a woman who walked several miles after being separated from her car to the local emergency room to give birth to a healthy baby. Journalists had done an interview with the new mother and her husband for Time Magazine. Greeting cards and bookmarks are available of some of these paintings. Pippit has mentored artists with mental illness in a psychosocial rehabilitation program she developed called Artvision which she operated out of her home on a shoestring budget. The project was fully self-supporting, receiving no government funding. Artists in the program received help and guidance in learning all aspects of how to run an art-based business. This prepared them to earn money using a talent they already have. Pippit has become involved in a number of volunteer efforts; including providing online support and treatment information to people with autoimmune diseases, and has donated art items to benefit the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

The artist has sold and exhibited her art at the following stores/galleries; Star Sapphire
Oz Gallery
Dragonfly Gallery
The Spruill Center Gallery
The Millennium Art Co-op
Anna's Wardrobe
Topaz Gallery
Squash Blossom
The Work of Our Hands
Simpsonwood Gift Shop
Creative Spirit Gallery

She has participated in the following art shows;
The Sandy Springs Festival
Annual GA. Microenterprise Network Conference
For Sisters Only
The Spring Fling at Simpsonwood
Sweet Auburn Festival
Inman Park Festival
Arts In The Garden
Goodwill Christmas Bazaar
United Way Christmas Art Show
AutumnFest

*Other Online Sites*
SmashingDarlinghttp://www.smashingdarling.com/store/1882

Mindt (items available in this store soon)http://www.mintd.com/stores/show/148-Giftbearer
Dawandahttp://en.dawanda.com/shop/Giftbearer

Some of my work will be available starting November 17th at:VIX Emporium5009 Baltimore Ave.Philadelphia PA 19143215-471-7700

my blogs:
http://artlifenewsblog.blogspot.com/
http://giftbearer.zaadz.com/blog
http://blog.myspace.com/giftbearer
Flickr Profile and Photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/people/giftbearer/The Art Jewelry Collective Street Team Blogs:
http://artjewelrycollective.blogspot.com/
http://artjewelrycollective.wordpress.com/

***Pippit developed an innovative new marketing plan called the 90 Features in 90 Days Challenge*** If you are an Etsy seller who would like to increase your sales learn more about it and sign up here;
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5251490&page=1
Some sellers whose sales were previously stagnant have already reported sudden sales after 28 days with 54 participants!See some examples of features I've written on other Etsy artists in my blog here:
http://artlifenewsblog.blogspot.com/
If you are interested in supplies please check out my other Etsy store, GiftbearerSupply.etsy.com. You will find bead kits I mix myself and all kinds of other interesting things!