Surgery...The Day After

First things first....the procedure was successful! The surgeon was pleased that the Hubby's rotator cuff (and everything around it), while not 100%, was not damaged enough to warrant surgical intervention. Hubby's right bicep was detached, lowered and re-attached successfully as well. We're hoping that with intensive physical therapy after he heals, there will be less pain.

It was a long day. We got up around 4 a.m. and were on the road for the 2 1/2 hour drive by 5 a.m. My dad, thank goodness, was able to take a day off from work and watch the boys for us. It was a classic "hurry up and wait" scenario after we got to the hospital. Paperwork hadn't been done and there was a bit of a wait, but the nursing/support staff were friendly and efficient. In fact, they wanted to know if I'd gone to nursing school because of some of the questions I asked (I'm guessing). I had to laugh and tell them that I'd had waaaay too much experience with hospitals and that I'd grown up around nurses.

Anyway, we didn't get home until around 9 yesterday evening, but the Hubs had a nerve block done on his arm so it, and his shoulder, were still completely numb. He slept in a recliner last night and is, as I'm typing this, conked out on the sofa. Sleep is good at this point...it's better than being concious and in all that pain.

In a few months, we may be going through surgery on his left shoulder but that's another day and another post! Thanks for all your kind comments and prayers. They mean a lot!

Wednesday Randomness

Well, we just took the Hub's mom to the airport for her flight home. She cried and my heart broke a little. She wanted to be here for the Hub's surgery this Friday, but there was a mix-up with the dates and she couldn't change her flight. I'm sure I'll be in near-constant contact with her Friday to keep her in the loop with the procedure(s). The boys are already missin' their Gammy!

***

I'm totally putting off dealing with the endless abyss of our bedroom. It's the one room in the house that gets the least attention these days and, Honey, you can tell! However, I want the Hubs to feel relaxed in there as he recovers so I'm going to at least try and make a dent in it before Friday.

Is it wrong to ask for prayers for bedroom cleaning?

*sigh*

***

I know I haven't been showing y'all many of my art creations lately and there's a reason for that...

I haven't been able to create very many things, lately.

I did manage to work on a couple of canvas ornaments yesterday (I'm so excited about them!) and I'm lovin' how they look and how versatile they can be. I will be posting more about them later....

***

I hope that your Wednesday is (or has been) lovely...

Whether it's been a bit on the random side or orderly and full of purpose!

Mono Monday: Motherly Love

Motherly Love.

Grandmotherly Love.
Gammy Love.

Gammy's Visit

Gammy is down for a visit! Riotous laughter, frollicking outside and shopping trips abound when she's here.

She's been an awesome help when we just plain needed an extra pair of hands (and eyes) to help with the boys. This is a big deal since we're getting a few things in order before the Hub's surgery at the end of the week.

She and I have worked hard to make this Mother/Daughter-In-Law thing work...although we haven't perfected it! Sometimes we step on one another's toes or bump into one another's feelings but we've learned how to better explain our point of view...or just apologize, if there's a need.

She's here through Wednesday and we're going to enjoy every moment that we can with her!

Sweet Shot Tuesday

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic after my post yesterday. I participated in a photo link-up (Mono Monday) and the subject was Motherhood. I found a b&w photo of our youngest son, E-man, that I took in the hospital right before we brought him home for the first time. *sigh* He was so little!

So I started browsing though past photo folders on my computer and came across the above photo...a gem, if you will. It's very special to me because this was one of the photos that inspired me to start blogging which, in turn, played a part in inspiring me to pick up my brush and paint again. I loved it so much that this and another photo in this series is in my header (designed by the ever talented Darcy!).

We had just dropped off my Mom for one of her treatments for cancer and, with Mom's encouragement, were taking a waterfront stroll. It was peaceful and the Bubs was relaxed and allowing me to snap away. I hold the memory of that walk with him very close to my heart.

Photos are just captured colors and light?

No.

They're memories.

Mono Monday: Motherhood

I remember the day I took this a little over a year ago.

Paperwork had all been signed, the nurses and (slightly pushy) feeding

consultants had stopped traipsing through our hospital room and the Hubs

was busy gathering up our stuff.

It was almost time to take little E-man home.

My hand was shaking a bit from sheer giddiness at the prospect of getting him home to our family...and partly from trying not to startle him.

The prospect of how I was going to manage to be a mother to two boys was very much on my mind and heart. Inadequacies and possible shortcomings loomed over me. They loomed and encroached until those few tiny seeds were beginning to take root...

Until.

Until I looked down and saw this precious little bundle.

Perfection doesn't fit into the equation of being a good Mom.

Love does.

It's feelin' like Christmas...in May.

Okay, I know I'm a little out of sync. I am, in fact, very much aware of the season -what with the rainy days, mellow sunshine and abundant blooms around our yard. Trust me, they haven't escaped my notice!

I'm just feelin' a little Christmassy.

Christmas like.

All warm and fuzzy as I mosey about in my flippy-flops.

The reason for all this seasonal mix up is the fact that I'm thinking up ideas for my holiday show. It's a one-woman operation around here (as far as my creations go) and I want to get a head start on ideas so I'm not struggling so much right before the show. However, it is an interesting feat to research holiday trends, colors, etc. in the merry month of May!

Having said that, what colors, etc. bring Christmas to life for you? Feel free to share...it's for research, after all!

Exciting News! Sort of...

The Hubs has been going through a lot of medical difficulties the last year or so. Doctor after doctor, diagnosis after diagnosis, treatment after treatment and....nothing. No improvement and very few answers. Bring on the frustration!

For those of you who don't know (I have some new followers -Hello and welcome to you all!) the Hubs has been having severe pain in his arms and shoulders along with weakness and loss of dexterity/muscle tone.

Yesterday, after a few more diagnostic tests with an orthopedic surgeon, the conclusion was reached that Hubs needs surgery on his right shoulder...the left will come later. The surgery will involve both his shoulder and his bicep which will have to moved and reattached. Um, the bicep not the shoulder.

Anyway, we're happy to have some sort of action towards his recovery but we're tense because, well, it's surgery. We know it may not completely solve everything that's bothering him with his arms but it's certainly a step in the right direction!

Sweet Shot Tuesday

We were hanging out in the yard a few afternoons ago when I saw this...

I never get tired of that sight.

Why?

Because I know that all too soon he won't be as interested in having a Mommy cuddle

as he is right now.

So bring it on, little guy.

Bring it on.

Craft Show Photo~

As promised, I did get my hands (laptop?) on a photo of my tent display. Well, part of it, anyway!

I'd already sold a few things when this was taken so some things are missing, but you get the idea.

Big props to the Hubs who was a whiz at getting the tent, etc. in working order and to Dad who was a huge help in so very many ways...including coming up with the wonderful idea of using my folding display easels and "s"-hooks to hang my art from my shutter screen. Brilliant!

This wasn't the whole tent display, but I did want to give y'all an idea of what it was like.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made...The Remix

This piece was a commissioned work for a lady I met at my recent arts and crafts show. She told me that she's known for giving "great, unique gifts" to her family and friends and that I was her new gift-giving muse (well paint me flattered!). She wanted my original, "Fearfully and Wonderfully" but was unsure about it because the skin tone is quite light and the friend that she was purchasing it for isn't. She expressed her desire to have a similar work made but with a skin tone closer to her friend's.

Thankfully, I'd been wanting to paint some ladies of different ethnicities and this was the perfect chance! I'd already been experimenting with different looks....

She sent me a photo of her friend so that I could get an idea of face shape, skin tone, etc. Her friend was lovely with this cute, short haircut. I got busy creating and what you see above is the finished product...or different views of it, anyway.

This was my first commissioned piece for a client -I've done things for family before- and I was nervous about how she'd react. She loved it! Then started making plans for more...I was sooo relieved!


I'm not sure how long I'll keep doing commissions but, for now, it's doable. And fun!

Bittersweet Mother's Day

Have you ever tried to put off thinking about something only to have it push its way to the center of your mind at every oppurtunity?

Yeah. I thought so.

This past week made it a year since Mom passed away. This has been especially difficult since it falls right around Mother's Day. I haven't really looked forward to the holiday like I did in the past...

-Insert big, heartfelt sigh here.-

I tried to keep busy this week. To keep my mind filled with the both the mundane tasks and important neccessities of being a mommy, a wife, daughter and artist. This tactic held fast for a while...and then it all went kaplooey.

I was overcome. Flashes of what she looked like in the hospital as she struggled to breathe that last night....memories of her laugh and the sound of her voice (how I miss that!).....

I was in so much pain that I couldn't blog about it, but I was so overwhelmed with it that I simply blanked out when I'd try to come up with something.

I miss her. She was a wonderful Mom...and my very best friend.

Happy Mother's Day, Momma!

P.S. Happy Mother's Day, Y'all!

Sweet Shot Tuesday

"Brush in my hand

Faith in my heart."

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." ~Hebrews 11:1

Many thanks for stopping by! I've so enjoyed meeting you all and seeing your photography talents so beautifully displayed in your Sweet Shots. Looking forward to more!

My first Arts and Crafts Show

Forgive me for the bloggy silence this past week. We had house things to get done, a short visit from the In-Laws and, oh yeah, my first arts/crafts show to get ready for!

It was a doozy of a week, but it was a memorable one. We had some fun afternoons out in the front yard setting up the tent and figuring out the display...the boys ran around laughing and playing and my Dad hung out with us and kept them out of trouble.

As for the show itself, it was a great experience! We (the Hubs was there with me) chatted with some helpful and fun vendors and met some wonderful customers. Everyone, except for the odd duck here and there, was positive and had very nice things to say about our display and the art. -I had some original pieces, prints and notecards for people to buy. - I loved hearing how they connected with the pieces and the stories about the person they were buying them for. I was both humbled and energized by their comments.

I even had a few people that offered ideas that I'd never thought of! One young man wanted to know if I sold digital downloads of my pieces because he wanted them for his iPhone/computer wallpaper (Hubs isn't too sure about this idea). Another young lady, who was shopping for a quick gift for the wedding she was going to that afternoon, mentioned that she would like to see some pieces that included women with different skin tones. I'd already been trying my hand (brush?) at that but the pieces weren't ready for this show.

Almost everyone wanted to know if I had an online shop. I'm going to look into doing that. Details, details, details.....

Anyway, it was a good show and I actually made some money. Woohoo!

No, there are no pictures...I left my big Canon at home to keep it safe, but I might be able to get my hands on one from someone who snapped a few. We'll see!