So I started out making a pair of earrings for J to wear with her pink prom dress and just kept playing and ended up with a coordinating necklace. Only now I want to keep the necklace and just let her borrow it. LOL
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Another bead project
So I started out making a pair of earrings for J to wear with her pink prom dress and just kept playing and ended up with a coordinating necklace. Only now I want to keep the necklace and just let her borrow it. LOL
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Updates
Things aren't going too well for little Max. He started his first chemo treatment yesterday and they are keeping him in the hospital where they can keep an eye on things through the end of the week. Continued prayers appreciated.
So I kinda chickened out on asking J. questions over the weekend because I was uncomfortable asking but I took her to see her caseworker at Dept. of Human Services this morning and found out that she does qualify for state disability benefits. She does have a caseworker through Michigan Rehabilitation Services and I will be meeting him and having him bring me up to speed on Thursday. And she is seeing a psycologist. so good to know that she is getting help. Now the latest crisis is that I just found out that her senior prom is Friday night! Fortunately, she does have a dress and shoes that someone gave her but she needs the proper bra and most of her clothes are in rough shape so we are headed out for an afternoon of shopping.
So I kinda chickened out on asking J. questions over the weekend because I was uncomfortable asking but I took her to see her caseworker at Dept. of Human Services this morning and found out that she does qualify for state disability benefits. She does have a caseworker through Michigan Rehabilitation Services and I will be meeting him and having him bring me up to speed on Thursday. And she is seeing a psycologist. so good to know that she is getting help. Now the latest crisis is that I just found out that her senior prom is Friday night! Fortunately, she does have a dress and shoes that someone gave her but she needs the proper bra and most of her clothes are in rough shape so we are headed out for an afternoon of shopping.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Zibellini Embellishment: Take Two
I'm making progress but I'm still not quite there yet. I molded the clay on the plaster form and left the form in place during baking this time. I also used a thicker layer of clay. The thicker clay held it's shape better but I didn't bake it long enough and it cracked when I took it off the plaster form. I put it back in the oven to finish baking then attempted to glue the broken piece back on but that didn't really work. I am happier with how this one looks, though. I'll try to build up the forehead/brow area a bit and make the snout narrower on the next try. Also, I think I'll need to include the gold ring through the snout before baking because it looks like it would be a PITA to get it in there after. So I'll buy more clay and give it another go sometime in the next week or two. And FYI- If it still doesn't turn out as planned on the next try Mr. Zibby will just stick to the jeweled collar cuz three strikes and I'm out! LOL
Friday, April 25, 2008
Life
If you've been following my blog for any length of time you know that I usually just stick to the crafty stuff and don't really post about my family life. It's time to fill you in and ask for prayers.
A little boy very dear to my heart who I consider to be my grandson (My oldest daughter's best friend's baby)and his family are going through a very difficult time. During the first week of March Max's mom noticed that his eye was twitching and wouldn't stop. She took him to the ER where they did some tests and sent them home. The next day she got a call to return the the hospital as soon as possible where she was told that further review of the CAT scan showed something. Further testing revealed that he had two tumors: a 3cm tumor putting pressure on the optic nerve and causing the eye twitching as well as a smaller tumor near his pituitary. Mid March Max underwent surgery to remove the larger tumor. They were only able to remove about 85% of the tumor, he has permanent damage that has left him blind in his right eye, and the stroke he suffered during surgery has left him unable to open his left eye. The damage to his pituitary gland has left him with a form of diabetes that was causing his kidneys to go into overdrive and making him dehydrated. They finally got the dehydration under control and he was released from the hospital on April 6th, his sister's 3rd birthday. They doctors had decided not to put him through radiation or chemo and to just watch the small tumor. Max has not been doing well since his return home but the doctors had attributed it to adjusting his meds. When he started vomiting like crazy they finally did another MRI to try to figure out what I going on. We found out yesterday that the "smaller" tumor has grown much faster than they had anticipated and the remaining portion of the other tumer is growing as well. His parents are supposed to be meeting with his doctores today to figure out what to do next. Please pray for 7 month old Max to feel better and for his family to have strength to get through this.
The other thing going on around here is that a friend of Kacie's has moved into our home. I honestly don't know much about this young lady having only met her last fall but what I do know is that her aunt (who has had custody of her since she was removed at age 12 from her mother's home for severe abuse and neglect) kicked her out a couple of months ago when she found out that she was cutting. She was staying with friends but, from what I gather, that was kind of a flop house situation that fell apart this week. When her aunt refused to let her back into her house she came here not knowing what else to do. This young lady is 18 so I guess the aunt feels no obligation to provide for her anymore even though she is still in high school and clearly isn't equipped to fend for herself. Since she is in special education classes with Kacie, I need to sort out whether she is legally responsible for herself or if the aunt is still her legal guardian, I need to find out if she ever received any counseling for the abuse in her mother's home (or what I perceive as neglect in the aunt's home), if she has been classified as cognitively impaired, and what resourses are available to her as far as transitioning from school to the real world. So please pray that I have done the right thing by welcoming her into my home and that I can help her get her life together.
A little boy very dear to my heart who I consider to be my grandson (My oldest daughter's best friend's baby)and his family are going through a very difficult time. During the first week of March Max's mom noticed that his eye was twitching and wouldn't stop. She took him to the ER where they did some tests and sent them home. The next day she got a call to return the the hospital as soon as possible where she was told that further review of the CAT scan showed something. Further testing revealed that he had two tumors: a 3cm tumor putting pressure on the optic nerve and causing the eye twitching as well as a smaller tumor near his pituitary. Mid March Max underwent surgery to remove the larger tumor. They were only able to remove about 85% of the tumor, he has permanent damage that has left him blind in his right eye, and the stroke he suffered during surgery has left him unable to open his left eye. The damage to his pituitary gland has left him with a form of diabetes that was causing his kidneys to go into overdrive and making him dehydrated. They finally got the dehydration under control and he was released from the hospital on April 6th, his sister's 3rd birthday. They doctors had decided not to put him through radiation or chemo and to just watch the small tumor. Max has not been doing well since his return home but the doctors had attributed it to adjusting his meds. When he started vomiting like crazy they finally did another MRI to try to figure out what I going on. We found out yesterday that the "smaller" tumor has grown much faster than they had anticipated and the remaining portion of the other tumer is growing as well. His parents are supposed to be meeting with his doctores today to figure out what to do next. Please pray for 7 month old Max to feel better and for his family to have strength to get through this.
The other thing going on around here is that a friend of Kacie's has moved into our home. I honestly don't know much about this young lady having only met her last fall but what I do know is that her aunt (who has had custody of her since she was removed at age 12 from her mother's home for severe abuse and neglect) kicked her out a couple of months ago when she found out that she was cutting. She was staying with friends but, from what I gather, that was kind of a flop house situation that fell apart this week. When her aunt refused to let her back into her house she came here not knowing what else to do. This young lady is 18 so I guess the aunt feels no obligation to provide for her anymore even though she is still in high school and clearly isn't equipped to fend for herself. Since she is in special education classes with Kacie, I need to sort out whether she is legally responsible for herself or if the aunt is still her legal guardian, I need to find out if she ever received any counseling for the abuse in her mother's home (or what I perceive as neglect in the aunt's home), if she has been classified as cognitively impaired, and what resourses are available to her as far as transitioning from school to the real world. So please pray that I have done the right thing by welcoming her into my home and that I can help her get her life together.
Going Green: April 24 Photos
Dorothy's photo challenge for the week was to find something that represents your efforts to go green. My household has been recycling for years but a news report this week about the number of plastic shopping bags used in the country really got my attention. I decided that, instead of recycling them, it would be better not to use them at all and finally purchased the reusable grocery bags.
Something I feel very strongly about is that I refuse to use pesticides in my home or herbicides on my lawn because I don't want my family exposed to the chemicals. This means that I occasionally have ants in my kitchen and dandelions in my lawn.
Something I feel very strongly about is that I refuse to use pesticides in my home or herbicides on my lawn because I don't want my family exposed to the chemicals. This means that I occasionally have ants in my kitchen and dandelions in my lawn.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Photos for April 21
Oh man! I am dead tired and feeling weak as a newborn kitten this morning but I am proud of myself for finally reorganizing my shelves thanks to the kick in the butt from the organization challenges at ScrapFreak.
Shelves over the table before:
Wire cube shelves before:
After:
After:
Shelves over the table before:
Wire cube shelves before:
After:
After:
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Zibellini Embellishment- Take One
For those of you who were wondering what I was doing with the polymer clay I mentioned the other day- I was attempting to create a "gold" "jeweled" head for my mink flea fur. Attempting being the operative word here. :rolleyes: I took the idea from the Sable Greyhound (in the links list to the right) and molded foil around the mink's head last Thursday then poured plaster of paris into the form and let it dry overnight. Friday I covered the plaster with plastic wrap and formed the clay over it. First off I had some trouble with the plastic wanting to lift away from the plaster but kept working until I had the clay head looking the way I wanted it. The Sable Greyhound site then instructs you to remove the clay from the plastic wrapped plaster form and use foil to support it while baking. That's where everything went o hell. The thing got totally deformed in the transfer from the plastic wrapped plaster to the baking sheet. I tried to remold it and went ahead and baked it but it looked like crap and I threw it away!
I have enough clay to try again but I will attempt to mold the clay on the plaster form with foil in between then atempt to pull out the plaster form after baking. Cross your fingers that it will work.
Photo-a-Day April 19
So this beading thing is kinda fun! I ordered some carnelian beads off ebay then got some components, instructions, and proper tools from Hobby Lobby. The necklace is my interpretation of a necklace in a Florentine portrait. Even though there are no earring in the portrait, I made a pair anyway. The leverbacks on the left are what I use for everyday wear but I use the gold hoops with my gowns to look a bit more like the portraits that do show earrings. But I sometimes ask myslef why I bother when I don't ever remove the diamond studs from my second and third piercings. LOL
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
April 12 Photos
The American Girl Store, Hard Rock Cafe, ESPN Zone, riding the train, & all tuckered out.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Another Florentine
This dress is actually the first one that I made for myself last spring but it was rather plain and generic in style so I made a few changes to give it more of an early 16th century Florentine look. I squared the front neckline from the original scoop, added black velvet ribbon trim, made a poste by adding some drapery tassels to a black sash from the bottom of the garb bin (eventually I will replace this with a silk one), and today made a pair of very full sleeves using the pattern provided in Jennifer Thompson's dress diary at Festive Attyre. Please forgive the hastily arranged head wrap and the fact that I forgot to remove my modern jewelry.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Photo-a-Day April 7
These blue beads caught my eye this weekend so I brought them home and combined them with some citrine colored beads and pearls from my stash to create a bracelet and earrings to coordinate with my citrine and sapphire rings.
Photo-a-Day April 6
My sweetie bought me this citrine ring to wear with my gold gown while we were in Frankenmuth. Yeah, I know, I need more practice using the super macro.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
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