Thank you Mary!

(A note about my blog header and background....I went out in search of a nice Fall-ish background today but this one followed me home. It is so cute I just can't replace it for a little while.  I'll do Fall-ish another day. Love the fat birds AquaPoppy!)
I have often written about the circle of friends I have embraced through blogging...women I have come to care a great deal for but most of whom I have never met.
Mary is one of those friends. Several years ago we were in the same swap group and traded Spring themed handmade items. Since that swap, Mary has written to me from time to time. She is a kind-hearted woman and always sends caring messages. I have never met Mary or have even seen a picture of her. I have encouraged her to blog and she does finally have a blog address but will take her time figuring out how it all works. We've all been there.
When I wrote about my recent health situation, Mary once again contacted me and sent words of encouragement. She also asked for my home address because she had something to send to me. In writing back and forth, we also decided to do a one-on-one swap. When our swap is completed I will, of course, share the photos with you because that's what bloggers do, right? For now, I want you to see what Mary made and sent to me.

A stationary kit including personalized note cards, little post-it note holder, postage stamp envelope, 2 binder clips trimmed with ribbon and a pen. Now, what is really cool is that Mary made the box that everything came in! It is a beautiful gift and a lovely presentation. Oh yes, she also included a family of muslin bears for crafting...I have to think of something clever to do with those.

I was so touched to receive this gift of friendship and her beautiful note.

Thank you Mary.

 Keep working on your blog and when you're ready I will share your address with my other blogging friends....the friends I've never met. You'll like them, too.

I wrote about meeting up with 2 blogging friends for the first time when my sister and I were in Mesa, Arizona in February. What a thrill it was to meet sweet Sandy of 521 Lake Street and my other dear friend who prefers to remain private. We had a wonderful afternoon together and I think back on that day often.

Well, on Wednesday night, I spoke on the phone with another long time blogging friend,

 Marie of Spun By Me. Marie and I have been blogging friends for almost 3 years I think and while we've never met in person...we plan to do that in the future! It was great to talk on the phone...we chatted and laughed just like good friends do.

 If you do not already know Sandy and Marie...take a moment to visit their blogs..you will  giggle at Marie's post today about her Father-In-Law and Sandy has a sweet post about her special Birthday boy!

Blogging friends...I love you all!

xoxo

Joyce

What's new? I won! I won!

Several weeks ago I entered to win Karen's (Some Days Are Diamonds) giveaway. Karen is the Head sister of the Bloggerette Society. Information about the Society can be found here. It's not too late to sign up! Karen is loads of fun and this is the first giveaway of hers that I've entered.  Even though she showed some peeks of the prizes, I was not prepared for the abundance of treasures that came to my door yesterday!

Everything was beautifully wrapped in tissue and tied with seam binding..

in a nifty wooden box...

I took my time opening all of the packets and bags...

(click to enlarge)

so many treasures for crafting!

(lots of paper ephemera)

I love the flowers...silk ones and paper ones! Velvet trims and laces..

all on this sweet saucer...

A beautiful bottle all trimmed out and buttons inside...

and lastly...some vintage doilies, bingo card and two old bobbins..

Thank you Karen! It was like Christmas here yesterday...I had so much fun pouring over every little thing!

Please take the time to visit Karen and consider membership in the Bloggerette Society!
xoxo
Joyce
PS...scroll down to my second post for today...I'm on a roll

Since my last post...

We went here

to the new Consol Energy Center

 (where our Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team will play)

with 18,000 of our closest friends

to see the opening concert...

I know it's hard to see from up here...

that's a little better...

That's right...Paul McCartney in concert!

 It was one of the thrills of my life to be at the opening of the new arena and see Sir Paul, who I have listened to since I was 14. (I love his music...not his politics. I try to keep them seperate) Of course, I must say that I am a bigger Beatles fan than a Wings fan but they played a lot of Beatles music and the crowd, which was mostly our age by the way,

sang every song and loved every minute of it.

The arena itself is beautiful and I can't wait for hockey season to start!

xoxo

Joyce

Is it too early to be thinking about this?

While cruising through Sam's Club last week, my eye spotted this...

I stopped short.....looked at the cover...threw it in my cart without even a second thought...

When I had a chance to sit and browse the pages....my heart started to beat fast and my palms became damp.....who wouldn't love these projects...really!

So the answer to the question in the title of this post is NO! When you participate in Craft Fairs, you should already be making things so you're not a crazy woman at the last minute. (Don't ask me how I know this....I just do!)

So here's a sneak peek at the start of my holiday crafting....

Back in November, I was lucky enough to win a $75 gift certificate for Amazon.com. I used my winnings toward the purchase of a Cricut Create die-cutting machine. It sat in the box from November to August without being used. At the urging of friends, I finally took it out of the box and started to play with it. The snowmen are my first creations. I am in love with them. These guys will be used for a banner. (I will post pictures of the completed project...for now I'm just having fun cutting and gluing!)

You know my love of paper dolls...do you see why I'm fulfilled with this project? So much fun to make!

Are you starting any early holiday.....Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas...crafting?

It does help keep you cool when the temps are in the 90's!

xoxo

Joyce

On the right road....I hope!

I can hardly believe it is the 9th of August already. It's almost a month since my last blog post and many things have changed. Before I get to that, however, I want to tell you all how much I have appreciated your comments and personal emails over the past month. Your words of comfort and support were overwhelming to me at a time when I was in so much discomfort and despair. Many have shared your own health histories....some have been very similar to mine and others, much more serious. Reading those notes assured me that I was not losing my mind and that my pain was real....I just needed to keep asking questions and seeking help to find answers. My family has been loving and supportive, of course, and I never would have been able to get through those days of pain and fear without David, who was a constant reminder of the steadfastness of God's love and mercy. But it is you, dear blogging friends, who reached out and offered words of kindness to me, someone you've never met personally. I was so humbled by those gestures. Random Acts of Kindness took on many forms in cards, gifts and notes. Most importantly, thank you for praying for me and keeping me in your thoughts. Words could never adequately express my appreciation for all you have done.
So what has changed? I was finally able to schedule an appointment to see a Rheumatologist in July. She went over all of my lab results and determined, by process of elimination, that what I have is a condition called Polymyalgia Rheumatica. I am not a textbook case for this illness. It is inflammation of the soft tissues surrounding the joints and normally starts in the shoulders and hips. My pain was primarily in my chest, shoulders and neck. The key to the diagnosis was found in my blood work. (Those who are familiar with such things...my sed rate was 95 and my CRP was 49.5) The treatment for Polymyalgia is steroids (Prednisone). Three weeks ago I started my steroid regimen. Within just a few days, the pain in my chest started to subside and within a week I was able to sleep lying down for the first time in weeks and weeks. I was so grateful for the relief that the medication brought but, if you've ever been on Prednisone for any length of time, you know that there are lots of side-effects. Initially, I couldn't sleep for more than 4 or 5 hours. Over the course of a week or so, that sleep deprivation makes functioning on a productive level nearly impossible. I am starting to adjust to the drugs  and for the first time can say that I feel more like myself than I have since May. It is not clear how long I will be on the steroids.....probably 9 months-2 years, it will depend on how my blood work looks in the next months.
Now that I have been feeling better, my desire to work in my studio is returning. I have been puttering with some new projects and finally finshed up the Vintage Vacation Swap that was hosted by Jenny Heid. I was late in sending out my package to my swap partner, Karen, but she has been very understanding of my situation. We were to send along some vintage or thrifted vacation themed items, something handmade and some interesting summer food treats.  Karen and her family live in Delaware and often take day trips to Rehoboth Beach (my favorite beach location) so I made a little accordian travel album to put favorite pictures in....

I  mapped out some additional points of interest and included small maps with the routes to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Ocean City, Maryland, in addition to Rehoboth Beach..

a travel Bingo game for the journey...

and some old time candies for snacking...

Karen also likes to sew and do paper crafting so I wrapped up some "Staycation" goodies....

Cupcakes are a favorite  for Karen so I included some supplies with that theme and also a little journal decorated with an image designed by our swap hostess, Jenny.

Hopefully, I am on the right road and it is back to life as usual for me.

 Now, I have to catch up on your blogs and see what you've been up to over the summer.

Here's to happier times!

xoxo

Joyce

This is the post I hesitated writing...

Dear Friends~
Last Friday, David & I returned from a week-long trip to Santa Rosa, Sonoma and Petaluma California. We traveled there for a wedding and then added some extra days for vacation. Before we left, I prepared some posts to go up automatically while we were gone. David is wary about posting about being away.
Since the beginning of June, I have been wrestling with some serious health issues which involved lots of tests...waiting...more tests...more waiting. Right before we left, I met with a cardiologist who ordered some specialized bloodwork to determine whether there was some kind of heart problem. My symptoms have been severe pains in my chest, radiating to my shoulders, back, neck and sometimes my jaw. After evaluating all of the x-rays, CT scans and bloodwork, the cardiologist is satisfied that my problem isn't with my heart. In reviewing my bloodwork, the factors indicating inflammation are high and so he has referred me to a rheumatologist. It has been weeks now waiting to get an appointment but I am seeing someone tomorrow. I hope we can quickly find the answer to this problem and a fix. I have had to sleep sitting upright in a chair most nights because it's too painful to lie down and I am constantly fatigued. I have no appetite (I should be a size 6 by now but when you're not doing much the weight doesn't necessarily deop away!) and no interest in doing much. Anyone who knows me personally knows this is NOT the normal Joyce! While we were away, there were so many things I wanted to see and do but just couldn't because of the discomfort. Since we are home, I haven't even had the energy to post here and I have so much I want to share with you. I just have to work on this health problem and get some things resolved so that I can carry on in my own normal, goofy way!
I am not one who would ordinarily talk about health issues in this forum but I wanted you to know why I haven't been writing or even visiting much. As soon as we have some answers and solutions and I am feeling like myself I will be back to my little blog.
In the meantime, know that I am not afraid. I am in the care and grace of  Jesus Christ, who walks with me every day. I have the support of dear family, especially David, who has been my rock, friends and healthcare professionals. We will solve this mystery and I will be returned to health. If you can squeeze me on to your prayer list, I will be grateful.

Thank you for being my friend!

xoxo

Joyce

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!

20 years ago today,

on a day when the temperature was 92-degrees

(and we didn't have air conditioning in the church yet)

we stood before God

 our children

 our family

and our friends

and  pledged our love and committment to each other.

I hope you will always know

that no matter what life brings our way,

I would do it all again...in a New York minute!

Thank you for

 loving me,

being a wonderful example of a Christ filled life,

making me laugh every day of our marriage,

being supportive of all of my endeavors,

loving my children as your own,

being an interested and loving sounding board as I ramble on...

I am so Blessed!

I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for (all of) you.   ~Philippians 1:3-4

Happy 20th Anniversary David~

with all of my love,

Joyce 

~Then....
 

and Now~

Happy 4th of July!

(Photo courtesy of ronijj on Flickr)

Whatever your plans for today....take a moment to remember the blessings of Freedom.

xoxo

Joyce

Some Random things....

Just some things I've been working on lately...

Remember the invitation of the wedding shower for my young friend?

Queen of the Kitchen was the theme...

We had lots of fun at the shower and Rebekah wore her crown and apron regally...

(I don't have a picture of her yet...waiting for someone to send me one)

(Thanks Burger King for the template I used for the crown!)

(The medallion on the front was made using a page from a 1932 cookbook)

The gift bag for the gifts...a repurposed shopping tote from Christopher & Banks with some scapbook paper (Graphic 45)  to hide the logo and the Queen image for the front...

Who wouldn't love a little pail filled with Godiva chocolate bars in summery ice cream flavors?

 

This was a little thank you gift for Cora, our Christian Ed director, after a successful and fun week of Vacation Bible School...Camp Downtown....yup, we are downtown!

 

The tag was made using circle punches and Nestabilities dies.

I love ice cream...it's my favorite dessert at any time of the year.

I've just discovered Gelato....coconut Gelato...serious yumminess!

XOXO

Joyce