Cornucopia and hopefully new beginnings

This is a sweet little gift I made for a friend a while ago.

It was a lot of fun to make, in fact I have made a few of them now and have given them all as gifts.

One day I will have to make one for myself.

Hope you all have a great day and get a chance to make something.

Today I want to try out some new

Spellbinders Nestabilities

I recently bought on ebay and maybe just maybe I will get a card or two made....

very optimistic of me.

My back is no better.

I am still taking very strong pain killers and valium for the muscle spasms.

Why oh why was I such an idiot to be up on a stool and get off safely only to overbalance and fall completely backwards????

This occurred 10 weeks post-op and 6 weeks ago, when I was starting to feel quite a bit better and wanted to change something in my sewing room after I was inspired

by

Where Bloggers Create 2011

It makes me so cranky and sad to think I may have ruined my operation.

I'm sure you all know what it's like....all the time thinking of creating and making your home, garden, sewing room, whatever more appealing and just so.

I have not been for a decent walk since the fall and it's all very upsetting to me.

Just before I fell I was walking up to nearly 3 km in half an hour.

Now I am flat out walking around the house.

EWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

Oh well what's done is done.

I just have to hope that this is a temporary set back and things will right themselves eventually. 

All the thoughts I had lying in hospital for the 10 days post-op are now maybe just dreams.....

Thoughts of maybe I can be comfortable in a car as a passenger. maybe I will be able to go to the shops without pain, maybe just maybe I'll actually be able to drive a car again after 16 yrs. Maybe I'll be able to hold my soon to be born grandchild.....

Lots of maybes..... but also lots of hope.

Oh well in the end I know GOD has me in the palm of his hand and what will be will be.

Maybe my life will never be as I want it to be, but it's hard seeing other people just go about their business without restrictions due to immobility and pain.

And I did have a normal active life until 1994 and even for quite a few yrs could vaccum and clean etc then sewing became a problem and everything seemed to slip away until last October 2010 when I was rendered un-able to hardly much of anything.

My parents are like 20 yr olds compared to me, so I did not inherit this bad spine from them.

I know there are plenty of others in the world way worse than me but this disability takes it toll mentally and my husband, kids, parents and friends are all very supportive and helpful.

I would just like to take that worry away from them and get on with life.

I thank GOD that throughout all of this my sense of humour is always uppermost.

I love a good joke, crack plenty and love to hear them, so that is a major blessing especially in the face of the unknown outcome of my back operation and subsequent fall.

I'll leave you with this sentiment.....

Expect the dawn of a new beginning

in the

dark nights of life

Lloyd John Ogilvie

Happy 27th Birthday Dear Daughter and Father's Day in Australia

My daughter celebrating her 27th Birthday one day early.

No doubt she will be spoilt by her DH when she arrives home today.

He might even make her a cake as well.

My one and only DD has been staying with us for the last week.

She wanted to visit us and then travel to our home town for a few days and catch up with relatives and friends but the dreaded morning sickness really took hold and she spent the entire time with us, feeling sick.

Not a good way to enjoy a holiday but she did get a lot of rest which is great as she never lets any grass grow under her feet and a good self imposed rest is probably just what she needed.

Here in Australia, yesterday was Father's Day.

 My parents travelled one and half hours to my place on The Darling Downs, mainly to see my daughter as she was not able to get to see them so we spent a lovely day together.

They had not seen her pregnancy bump before either.

We have always lived no more than 30 mins apart and in the last two years my DD and SIL

moved to Gympie

and

DH and I moved to The Darling Downs so it is rare for all of us to get together anymore.

Anyhow DD set off for her home this morning bright and early because her morning sickness is really more like afternoon sickness.

Therefore feeling fresher and chirpier in the morning was the wisest time to set off for an approximately 3 hr trip to Gympie.

DF & I, Father's Day 2011

DH, DD and me.

Sadly our son lives 6 hrs away and was not with us for DD's birthday, I think for the 1st time ever.

Dear Daughter (& her 17 week old baby bump) with her Dad  

&

me with my Dad. 

My DM, DD & me

We spent quite a lot of time walking around the garden.

Mum and Dad love gardening and always enjoy looking around at our new plants,

 especially here on The Darling Downs

as the seasons are so pronounced 

that we have had to learn to adapt to the very different gardening conditions,

especially what plants will survive the successive harsh frosts we endure in winter.

Gazanias, salvias, petunias, sweet peas, diosma, coastal rosemary

and

 primulas are just starting to either bud up or flower.

Spring has sprung!!

The 1st of September is the first day of Spring in Australia.

Rusted garden ornaments are from my parents and some even from my grandparents.

My parents lived on a beef farm until 6 years ago

and

there was always plenty of garden art to be had.

DF calls it junk....how hilarious!

It's win win for me and him.

Bought this at the plant sale on Saturday....a faux tap plant stand.

The petunia and dianthus were free as we bought a lot of plants,

for every $50 spent we received 2 plants.

Ornaental garden wheelbarrow made by DH years ago

and rusted wheel courtesy of my cousin

who used to work at the local dump....how exciting for me!!!!

I got lots of treasures from him over the years.

Bought this beautiful little lavender on Saturday at a garden sale at Kingsthorpe.

It's so sweet I put the bird cage over it as I did not want to risk it being dug up by my dog or a stray cat that has been hanging around.....

SO

   anyhow....

Dear Daughter

Happy 27th Birthday

for

today

5th September 2011. 

Love you lots

xoxoxoxoxox

God Bless You Always!

6 weeks today

Today marks 6 weeks since my TLIF (single level L5/6). I am now walking twice a day again. Hopefully last week's 4 day glitch will not be repeated. I am less than impressed with the fact that I cannot sit for very long, it is worse than before the surgery in fact.
However I can definitely walk much further and without pain so that really is a breakthrough. The full name of my operation is Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion and it was performed by a Brisbane Neurosurgeon.
I am itching to get back into some sewing, gardening, and/or papercrafting. It's getting very frustrating.

I still cannot bend or pick much of anything up, like for instance my scotty Liza, who weights 8 kg and who needs to be brushed regularly. I still can't wash up or do housework but do cook the evening meal with some help lifting heavy things. It is very cold atm but that is to be expected here on the Darling Downs in the middle of winter.