Stemware Storage

FIVE of the pieces of stemware were ideal for holding brightly coloured buttons in a drawer!

THREE of the others were such a decorative way to hold my little supply of fabric flowers on the top of the 1st set of plastic drawers!

I've post OODLES of pix of my updated craft room on my other blog ... 

A Really Good Deal

Because I had the car today, I was able to attend one of the free 2 hour open house sessions at our local scrapbooking and card making supply store.

Not owning one of those fancy cutting and embossing machines [ie: Cuttlebug, Big Shot, Sizzix, etc], I took along some paper and experimented with some dies they had and embossed some card stock.  I also created a couple of beautiful flowers, each with a totally different look but both with the identical big flower punch.

Afterward, I popped into our very small local thrift shop and browsed a bit for some interesting, clear glass containers to hold buttons and such on my card making desk . . .

As you can see in the photo, I found MORE than a few :o)

The whole box of 23 pieces of gorgeous stemware cost me $2.50 and I only wanted the 5 small ones at the front!!!  That's what I call a very good deal :o)

Back to School Time

found via Google Images

It's that time of year once again when little ones are starting back to school ... either public school or earlier if they are homeschooled.

Today was the 1st day in our area for children to return to classes and one of the things I love about the end of summer is finding Crayola crayons on sale!

Guess what I did!! I bought 6 of the 24 packs to give out to little children that we know and 1 of the 64 packs to have on hand here at home anytime visitors come over who have little children.  We already have lots of paper for them to colour on and it gives them something fun to do when their Mommy and Daddy are busy chatting with us :o)

When I'm out THRIFTING, I always keep my eyes open for really neat childrens books that would be great to have here for little ones to look through or read while they are over visiting ...

As you can tell, I'm one that likes to be prepared :o)

Blessings,

All is Well

First of all, I want to THANK everyone who left such caring comments regarding my echo for Friday and my biopsy for yesterday! It's always such a blessing to me that you care enough to take the time out of your busy lives to encourage and strengthen me.

The echo/ultrasound results showed very little change from this past March and the biopsy yesterday morning showed that everything is GREAT!!

I guess I was getting a little winded when doing things because I need to EXERCISE MORE :o)

This past March at my annual check-up, they were NOT able to get a biopsy reading because the samples they took from my heart were fibrous and because of that, I didn't want to push myself when I began feeling winded just in case my body was trying to tell me something ~ now, I have no excuse and know why it's happening :o)

I spent the early part of Friday treasure hunting at my favourite thrift store and came away with 5 childrens' books ~ 4 of them were 69 CENTS each, then you get a 5th one FREE!!

I also spent some time browsing one of our Michaels' craft stores and bought some beautifully coloured cotton yarn that was on sale!

While waiting for my husband to get off work Friday, I managed to almost finish this dish cloth :o)

Yesterday, we had to wake up at 5 AM and I arrived at the hospital catheterization lab about 7:30 AM but they always ask you to be there by that time when you're an outpatient = you walked in on your own steam rather than being brought in by stretcher :o)

Once you're called in, there is prepping with sheets and dyes and such while the nurses and doctor get organized.  The area to be catheterized is frozen and I had a choice this time ~ groin area or jugular vein in my neck ~ with the latter, you are able to leave as soon as the cath tub is removed and your vitals are taken afterwards in the recovery area and you are dressed. 

With the in-groin cath, you have to lay on your back for 1.5 hours afterwards and they check on you a few times once they've removed the cath tube. 

I chose the in-groin method because time was not an issue for me yesterday.  Besides, I've got enough scars on my neck in that exact area from multiple biopsies taken during the 1st year post-transplant as well as others during the 2nd through 4th years!  Not using the neck area also meant no oppressive draping of sheets and multiple covers over my head which is so much more comfortable!

Before the procedure, I had prayed for the Lord's strength and grace ~ that NO MATTER what the news, He would carry me in His everlasting arms because I knew I was not  sufficient --- after I received the phone call telling me the good news [while I was wandering around Michaels' craft store yesterday in the late afternoon], I paused to thank Him for His grace and for the marvellous news!

In treasure-hunting at another thrift store yesterday, I found 2 sets of lovely pillowcases ~ one an ivory with a lacy edge and the other white with a multi-coloured applique edge

During my wait in the clinic earlier in the afternoon, I only had enough time to begin another dishcloth using one of the skeins I purchased on Friday ~ it's not that I did LESS waiting yesterday, but less of it was useable for something like this :o)

Blessings,

A Perfect Day for Baking

Photo courtesy of Kraft

The weather was mild today and gray and cloudy ~ a perfect afternoon for baking, especially since I'm having a few friends over tomorrow evening!  I baked 7 layer squares as well as a mince pie from my freezer and made pineapple refrigerator dessert.

I don't even think I've had the fans on much today ~ not sure if that means fall is in the air or it's just an unusual day?!

Tomorrow morning a friend is giving me a ride to the hospital for blood tests and then Friday I go into the city for an echo-cardiogram ~ an ultrasound of the heart.

Being in the city, I'm anticipating doing some shopping at my favourite thrift store and perhaps popping into Michaels' craft store to see what's new or on sale :o)

Anne of Green Gables Heart Collage

Anne of Green Gables Square Collage

Anne of Green Gables - The Mini Series by Kevin Sullivan was and is one of my very favourite programs to watch and re-watch!!

Lucy Maud Montgomery created such a delightful character when she wrote all those ANNE books, even though she herself was a very tragic and lost soul.

I found a book when I went thrifting last week and needless to say, I decided to use it to create a very unique and special collage so that anyone who loves those movies and that character, can literally see their delightful and memorable faces in each heart :o)

Finding Treasures

I had a wonderful visit with my elderly friend who was a hospital room-mate of mine over 5 years ago at the time I received my mechanical heart pump.

When I went thrifting at my favourite *new-to-me* store, I found some delightful treasures!

The books were all 69 CENTS -- buy 4 and get 1 FREE ~ isn't that fantastic!!?

If You Take a Mouse to School and If You Give a Moose a Muffin are thin and therefore excellent for mailing to my grandson.

Something from Nothing is adapted from a Jewish folk tale and I plan on using the richly coloured pages for some of my Butterfly and Baby Elephant Wimsy collages. I'll be doing the same with the 2 vintage Beatrix Potter books.

Joan Walsh Anglund's book is in mint condition so I'll keep it on hand for a gift and the bottom Teddy Bear book is to have on hand when little ones come along for dinner with their parents ~ this will give them something to look at that is fun :o)

This is the interior mat of an 8 X 10 frame that cost $3.99 - it's in mint condition and I know from having seen the work of others, that quilling takes a LOT OF TIME and PATIENCE so I appreciated the beauty of these flowers and leaves that accent the top left and bottom right hand corners of the oval mat :o)

I hope your week is going well and that you are enjoying the magic of ordinary days!

The Rest of My *New* Treasures

Here's the pile of fabulous books I found while treasure hunting on Saturday at my favourite Thrift Store!

I was thrilled to find another copy of one of my favourite books *First We Have Coffee* which is virtually brand new except for the price tag on the back!

It's a good thing that I was wearing this zazzy apron while eating supper tonight because I had made a stir fry and ended up wearing some of it :o)

I love the fact that the apron is REVERSIBLE and stains and marks certainly won't show on the busy, Christmas bulb decorated side as it's too loud and busy :o)

Grand total for the apron was $2.99 and it's beautifully made and appears NEVER to have been worn or used before me!!

Blessings,

A Trio of Treasures

I had a great day in the city on Saturday at 2 huge thrift stores where I found all sorts of treasures! All this fun while my husband had to work ...

• the *tea-for-me* mug was $1.99
• the Ideals *home* book was $.99
• the hardcover TEA book was a whopping $2.99

Because both these stores have an unwritten policy that any children's book that is UNpriced costs only $.69 EACH, I was able to purchase several older, vintage books that will come in handy for my butterfly and baby elephant collages :o)

I'll post a photo of a very colourful, reversible apron that I found as well as a few more things tomorrow!

Blessings,

Tea is More Fun Now

Thrifting is delightful
when you find treasures such as this
. . . especially for 69 CENTS!

It's my new favourite :o)

Those Little Touches

Every bathroom needs those little touches

that make it feel extra special :o)

In my case, it's a crocheted dishcloth
used as a doily
under this beautiful blue pitcher
I found at my favourite Thrift shop!

Blessings,

3 Thrifted Books

I went into a small local thrift shop the other day
and found 3 wonderful books
that were in mint condition ~

TOTAL COST - $2.50

Delightful Used Books

I found this delightful book at my favourite thrift store
when I drove to the city earlier this week.

Anne of Green Gables and the books following it
are some of my favourites so this book is a real treasure :o)

MOM'S ALMANAC is filled with wonderful drawings and paintings
and all sorts of excellent advice and practical ideas for new mothers!

MOTHERHOOD: An Anthology of Verse and Prose
is filled with old paintings of mothers and children
and touching poems and thoughts about
how dear children are to the hearts of their mothers!

I will share some of these from time to time as they are lovely :o)

Thrift Shop Treasures

As I mentioned last week, I drove back to the city the day after I returned home from my annual post-transplant check-up, to visit my favourite thrift shop and found several treasures.

Many of them were clothing items including a couple of scarves and a couple of blazer-suit jackets as well as an almost new spring jacket at very cheap prices!

Although I'm not showing those, the following were delightful discoveries as well --

This lovely dish was only 49 CENTS --
I fell in love with the beautiful colours and the floral pattern!
I found the white doily on a previous trip for only $1.99

I read this delightful book to all 3 of my children
when they were little so discovering this copy
for only 69 CENTS was great!

It will accompany me to visit my grandsons in a few weeks
and I hope the older one will be just as delighted
when we cuddle and I read it to him
and we both laugh at the silly rhymes :o)

For only $2.99, this book is filled
with everything made from potatoes,
including all sorts of desserts!

For 99 CENTS each,
I found 2 beautiful handled wicker baskets
very similar to the one on the kitchen table in this photo!

They are perfect to have on hand in case I need them
to make up something to take to a friend in need,
filling it with some home-baked goodies, assorted fruit,
a hand-made card and a crocheted dishcloth :o)

Blessings,

Treasures Galore

Friday's celebration was very special, with moments and people to treasure always!

There were about 200 people ~ heart transplant recipients and their guests as well as various staff members who are very closely involved with the program and we were all given tiny, delicate green ribbon pins to wear and promote questions about organ donation.

The luncheon was more than we had anticipated and because all the recipients have to be careful about sodium intake, all of it was catered and cooked from scratch!

We had a choice of beef lasagna or broccoli-cheddar quiche as our main course, garden salad filled with every imaginable veggie, whole wheat rolls, fresh sliced fruits and various kinds of jumbo whole grain cookies!!

My husband took photos of me with the 2 surgeons who performed my LVAD surgery as well as my heart transplant surgery. He also took one with the nurse who co-ordinates the post transplant clinic as well as the nurse who was in charge of me for the 4 months that I had the LVAD and lived in her ward.

The medical staff requested that all recipients gather at the front for a group photo to celebrate the 20th Anniversary and we are all to receive a copy of this photo sometime soon which will be really special and a unique souvenir of a special day.

We left the hospital area and drove to my favourite Thrift store ... my husband wandered off to a computer store to browse while I began treasure hunting!

I found some really nice tops for myself that normally cost $22.00 each at my favourite store here in our town and I only paid $3.99 each and found 4 of them, same style, various colours!

I bought a beautiful black blazer jacket that fits perfectly ~ even to being the right length for a shortie like me :o)

A few other items of clothing were discovered for others and I also bought 2 really wonderful cook books ~ 1 devoted to various types of pizza for meals, desserts, etc. and 1 that's filled with recipes from yesteryear.

I found this lovely apron in new condition for only $1.99 ~ it's got a navy background with salmon peach flowers and the trim on the one pocket.

This reversible table runner was only $1.99 too!
It has a navy background with tiny floral print on one side
~ the 3 lovely doilies that I found for 99 cents EACH
show up well on it:

Here's the pattern on the other side of the table runner:

This set of 2 quilted pillow shams also cost $1.99 and are really beautiful:

Anne of Green Gables

The *Anne* series of books written by Lucy Maud Montgomery

are some of my favourites so you can imagine my delight
when I found this storybook version for $3.99 at my favourite thrift shop!

This small historical building depicting *Green Gables*
is by Canadian artist, Catherine Karnes Munn.
It usually sits on a white 3 shelf hutch
that I found at the same thrift store.

Both the old-fashioned white hutch and the building
are treasured gifts from my husband.

This quote is not only from the book
but also describes how I felt when I first began *blogging* :o)

"Kindred spirits are not so scarce
as I used to think.

It's splendid to find out
there are so many of them in the world."

~ Anne Shirley of *Green Gables*

A Checkup and Treasure Hunting

Yesterday was a very busy day! I had to drive to the city in the morning to have an *echo* done, which is an ultrasound of the heart. It took about 30 minutes and it was fascinating to watch my heart on the screen while the technician did her thing!

Simple amazing to actually see the little valves opening and closing while my heart was beating powerfully!

In a couple of weeks I return for an early morning heart biopsy which is done to ensure that my body is dealing well with the donor heart :o)

Truly, we are fearfully and wonderfully made :o)

After the test, I met with the post-transplant nurse and a cardiologist for a physical exam which showed that all is working wonderfully well. I then made a trip upstairs to the ward that I *lived in* for 4 full months and met 3 nurses that I had before and who remembered me after all this time :o)

While there, I visited a man who recently received the newer, much smaller 'Heart Mate' LVAD [mechanical heart pump] which is literally implanted completely in his body ~ wires, hoses and all.

The only thing on the outside is the machine holding the battery and the dials and switches! He can virtually do ANYTHING he wants except leave the hospital because his home is too far away! If he lived closer, he could go there to await word of his transplant ~ ** ~ When I had my version of the heart pump, I had to push a boat-size battery on wheels everywhere I went; my hoses and wires were outside and I could NOT sleep on my left side which is the ONLY way I can sleep at night ~ even now!

Considering mine was one of the early ones, it's incredible how things change in just a few years!

Next on my agenda was a trip to my favourite thrift store to do some *treasure hunting* ~

This small hand-made quilt cost $.99
and here's a closer look at the detail ~
This hand towel cost $.69 and I bought it especially for the
detail of the crocheting along the edge to give me ideas :o)

Grand Total = $1.68 :o)