This Year Is Fast Disappearing

Hewoo all
well where has this year gone to???
Colin and I are doing his dialysis at home now, I find it tiring and at times very emotional, I cant help but blame myself for  not taking better care of my body and therefore a kidney would have been his for the taking but for now we wait his turn for a second kidney hopefully he will receive another one.

So apart from that life goes on I have not been embroidering very much BUT I have completed a few of those 6 inch Meaning of Flowers that I have been making- they can be bought from  Miss Valerie Bothell  such a lovely experience shopping at the Pink Bunny I also have bought some gorjus laces there as well as threads. I have a couple of PINK do u believe it - PINK blocks I dont know what came over me but hey there U have it PINK anyone would think I am joining the girls brigard at this rate, I will take some pics of them one day soon LOL that means months no doubt at this rate am so looking forward to next year its got to be a better year then this one has been!

                                          the pink one above is Camellia

                                         
                                       
                                              This lovely little one is of Water Lillies

  This is Queens Annes' Lace and has not been completed as yet loads of beading to follow this block

                                                andThis lovely cheery block is a Christmas one
                                                 
                                                 (NO ur kidding arent u bear???LOL)

 So finally I have been to my poor neglected blog I am so sad that I haven't been here much this year. All I can say is maybe next year will be such a better year for the family of bears - and I will be able to get my mind working to do some more embroidery. It does help my jagged nerves to sit and use my needle and thread to create something pretty.
I will be back much quicker then I have been this time - I am working on the PINK block at night so I may even finish a PINK block sooner rather then later. I really wanna share these pink ones gggg

love n hugs Bear xoxoxoxooxo

Hewoo I am about again

Hewoo one and all
sorry to have been missing in blogland, but Col finally gave in and began dialysis again. -24 years, 2 weeks and some days after transplant it (the transplanted kidney that is) had officially failed and he was recommenced on dialysis. spent some weeks in acute and maintenance dialysis, which settled him back into dialysis and we waited for our turn to join the Home Dialysis training which was a shock to the system but finally we got it together and came home to begin dialysis at home 2 weeks ago my where does time go. Its just flying by, how are we going well it gets easier each session the training prepared us for many things and most have happened in the past 2 weeks but hey we have managed to survive and we are both here so we are doing fine I guess. Col is looking so much better and says he feels a whole heap better and its so good to see him regaining weight no more throwing up at the mere thought of food for him LOL.

So what have I been doing - well I have been doing some embroidery as you can imagine I haven't had a whole  heap of time but when I did have some spare time I embroidered some more of the wee squares for the language of Flowers series - all I have to do is get some photos and scan them for you all to see what I have been playing at I will try and do that in he next couple of days. I also have added some more flowers to the Boho bag well the first one that is - I couldn't help myself something just didn't seem right so I had to add on, I haven't even looked at the pink Boho bag for an age so that will no doubt have much to tell me when I do look at it no doubt hey??

So dear friends just a short note tonight-- I wanted to let those who have hung  about here that I am alive and I am surviving and will get back into the groove of embroidery and blogging now that we are not constantly in the car going somewhere to do something. Thank heavens for that it is really very tiring driving here there and everywhere. LOL

I promised to get those pics done soon as and I will post them quicker then I do normally - promise!!!

love n hugs always Bear xoxo

hewoo again Who feels like a GOOD News story????

Well finally the prayers have worked and yes Virginia there is a Santa as well - I not  ashamed to say I asked everyone..

Okay yesterday was the stress Test with another drug apparently the Cardiac surgeon is doing a study on renal patients using this method and is happy with the results then the other way etc.So off we trot to the hospital again- I am there more then when I worked there I am sure at present.- no not true- I worked full time nights so I was there heaps more ggggg but I guess you all can understand what I meant cant you?? Col was nervous I was stressed to the back teeth and then some remember last time he wound up having a lousy time and then all the fun and games later on etc so neither of us was feeling like a happy camper etc.

I delivered him to the MRI unit and the lass toook him straight in- come back in about 45 mins- so I added another 1/4 hr to that and went back in an hour- back round the corner the same lass looks out ans says hes still on the table- EEK! U can imagine my very overwrought overactive over to many years ago registered Nurses brain went well into overdrive and was imagining the terrible things going on in the Unit- the only thing I was sure wasnt happening was he was vomiting cos they would have had to pull him out of the contraption  in that instance..

So I walked back around the corner and sat - found a Womans mag to read and lo and behold it had a Xword to play with- well I had left my book down in the car with Kieron (he came down with us in case Colin was anywhere like he was the last stress test!) It took another 3/4 of an hour before my darling finally came around the corner and I got a weak smile out of him.

So tonight we finally made it to the cardiac surgeon's office (after a crawl from Gepps coss Junction all the way up to the turn off for North Adelaide- why well there had been a car prang - 4 cars and an articulated Bus- one of the Biggie Busses had all run into each other- took us 45 mins to cover the distance thatnormally we would do in 15 mins. oh well anad I was so good I didnt even freak at the site of the car prang- but it did remind me of the day when 3 cars ran into mine and wrecked my kife. enough of that !

So we are called into the mans office and theres no smiling- had he heard what a cow I had been  re the test and why Col had to do it - whatever he read his notes looked at his computer turned to us both and finally smiledd anad says these are totally normal results of a Dobutamine Stress Test - there's no sign of Ischaemia adn I am quite happy to say you dont need to have the Angioplasty and also I will write to the renal Fellow and tell him I am happy for you to go onto the Transplant list. YEAHHHHHHHHHHH!  RELIEF finally that dread feeling is lifting I may not be any good but someones got an organ for him someone has I hope

We Col and I floated out of that office Colin was beaming  and so was I --- finally finally all the testing is OVER???? Well I hopes so----- I hope this is the end of the testing for him until THAT call comes to say there's a kidney organ waiting for him.

So thank you all ---Kerry,Leslie, Maria, Bluebell, Faye, Viv --please forgive me if I have forgotten an name you are alI  n my heart and I thank you all for your support -- everyone who prayed for us or thought good thoughts , who sent us good vibes---- something finally has gone our way. I say OUR way as I cannot imagine a time without this crusty old man of mine, hes one of the good guys (even when I am so cranky that I yell at him ggggg)

Now to wait our turn (our means Him and I cos it does affect the other halves )-  after transplantation life is so damn good I do remember that from all those years back its been a real let down for me and our kids watching him slide back to having failing transplant). All we have to do now is wait and hope and Keep Colin kinda healthy enough to have the darn operation when its comes up! So please keep him in your hearts and thoughts and prayers or whatever. Not just Col but other who are waiting also especially a dear friend in the UK> whose hubby is also having the same sort of run!

That's it for now though nighty night - and again THANK  YOU ALL for being there!

love n hugs Bear xoxoxoxoxo

I am so pleased that I did say something...............

Hewoo one and all

I thought long and very hard about saying anything re Cols renal failure and my ""failure"" to be his donor. The fact that 2 of my friends have decided to talk about organ donation  to their families has made that  difficult post of mine worth the agony.

 To Kerry and Bluebell thank you both and Bluebell if you think the talking re organ donation is hard now think of how hard it is on families of someone who is dying in hospital but would be suitable to donate their organs. I worked in an Intensive Care Unit many long years ago and absolutely adored the work it was interesting, never 2 days the same,I learnt so many things, it could be hard mentally and physically but I always always wanted to be at work and I can reassure you that the Transplant Coordinators and Doctors and senior nursing staff talking to the relatives of someone who is so very  loved and who is dying  is so much harder on the Family. I know that these discussions are done as gently and always with the family wishes adheared to but its not easy on family and sadly in Australia the relatives can veto the organ donation even if they know their family member wanted to donate organs.I hope that this is changed and soon!

Bluebell in answer to your query as to how I am getting over this well I have cried Buckets (No Colleen I am ok truly!!) And I am so cross with myself but I will get over it eventually and lets face it I can help my man in many other ways during this period in our lives.

I can only hope that many more will think of this subject and maybe slowly our attitudes will change - Donation is not scary and it does give the person receiving the donated organ a new lease on life Cols last 22 years have been fabulous for us.

 Again thanks to you both -Kerry and Bluebell and also to any of my other  followers --who take the time to chat to their family re this subject. but haven't said so on a comment. Thank you all!

Much love and hugs Bear xoxoxoxoxxo


Ps I didn't do anymore to the Boho bags but I promise really I do that I will add to it tonight and will scan it tomorrow --- I think I have all my trims for the purple one- goodness what a hard colour to accessorise that has been oh well     -   " Life was not  meant to be easy""    -- (Malcolm Frazier - Prime Minister of Australia back in the 1970' and 1980's I think gggg crazy statement hey??)

mmm some sad news for us

Hewoo one and all,

As I hinted in my last post I have been going through quite a few tests- for what ---well so I might be able to give my darling Colin a kidney of mine. It had been looking promising till I had to have an echo (its just an ultrasound of the heart nothing invasive) and it was found that I have been suffering from high blood pressure for some time longer then had been realised and I have some mild damage to my heart (hey yup I REALLY do have one gggg). and along with that I had to have yet another 'wee" test and this one found microscopic albumin. So what does this all mean well it rules me out as a donor for Colin -I have been feeling very angry with myself for not taking more care of me but I guess its just one of those things.

Sadly this means that Colin will ---if he is able to and hes still undergoing tests to see if he will cope with another transplant at this time- but if he passes the last couple of tests he will go onto the waiting list for a Cadaver transplant. Of course these are very long lists-- he waited 5 years last time and he may be waiting longer this time as the supply of donated kidneys isnt good (actually that goes for all organs and all waiting lists). This transplant he received in 1988 and has been so  very careful with it and looked after himself as best he could--- well its lasted 23yrs(and  to the family who were so courageous and said yes to donating their family members organs Col and I have been ever so grateful all these years. Every May long weekend Colin and I  would remember them even though we do not know them they were always thought of very lovingly in our family).

The donation of organs is such an emotive subject at the best of times, and to have hospital staff come to relatives of a dying family member must be really difficult especially if no one in the family has spoken of organ donation in the quiet family setting. When our kids were younger(they were teens by them, we had THE talk one night just after tea, we wanted them to know how we felt about donation of our organs and they were brave enough at that time to tell us they also wished to donate their organs should the worst scenario happen. Sadly they cannot donate a kidney to their Dad although they would be first in line --they have both developed diabetes, and have been ruled out ass well. Sometimes life STINKS!ggg

Anyway at the risk of turning everyone off my blog forever, please think of Organ donation should you be able to do so. its way better to let your families know of your wishes before they are faced with hospital staff asking them at a time when no one is thinking clearly - if they know before hand its a really easy decision to be made by them.Here in Australia you can have it noted on your Drivers Licence but if your family is faced with the decision they can refuse so please TALK it over with them before hand and let them know of your wishes -then the decision will be so much easier for them knowing what you WANTED to happen.

That endeth the lecture I am sorry I have been so serious this entry but there are so many people out there in the world who are waiting for organs to give them a chance of a great life and believe me these past 23 yrs have been fabulous and both of us are hoping against all hope that he is up to having another transplant and that the wait is not to long this time but that  is in the laps of the ................... whomever we all believe in.

much love and tons of hugs Belinda xoxoxoxoxoxo


PS--Just to let you know bears still here -Tomorrow I will put up a piccie of what I have done to that poor pink Boho bag - yup I dun changed it all again I am hopeless am I not???? VIRGOS I should have been born a Gemini.  much love Bear xoxoox

hewoo again

well its been really quiet around here and I am not going very far very fast. Still after saying I was goiong to go moderated with my comments etc I found the SPAM folder and it was full of them so i am going to go back to the old way of comments going on the blog soon as they are written and rely on the spam folder to grab those that are truely spam and not my lovely followers real comment mind I am not doing all that much stitchery at present I have hit a snag - one rose has thrown me out- stoopidhow I can get myself hung up like this - i am sure others dont and they have a plan n just fly ahead with that and next thing they have finished something totally beautiful I struggle sometimes I know what I dont like and then I am not sure whether or not I do like it after akkk- oh deary me Virgos can be such perfectionist and when it comes to this I am a true little old virgo eek.

I am in a Monthly trim and treasure club with www.flightsoffancyboutique.com and received another beautiful supply of trims and the like today all in lovely pinks and hey I think Virgo is screeching theres a couple of things just wanting to jump onto my pink Boho flap so I will try them out and of the look like I want will scan again soon.

So thats all there is tonight - life continues to be busy appoinments and such but soon it will all settle down and I may finally have some really exciting news - please those who do pray - say some for the man in my life and also for myself as well.

till later my love and biggest hugs bear xxoxoxoxoxoxo

hehehe sometimes I do do wot I say!!!

Hewoo one and all
 its been a good day in downtown Adelaide today- the Clipsal 500 was on - this is a car race that is peculier to Australia - at present there are only 2 Manufacturers running cars and they are big boys -  big V8's lots of grunt and lots of power and lots of noise and occasionally especially on turn 8 of the Adelaide track (which is actually in the heart of Adelaide and half is a pure road track and the other part is run through the parklands nearest to the road track - obviously Bear - obviously!! No really bad prangs in the race today- which is run over 2 days - and is 250 kms long each day. There was a baddish prang -during qualifying this am and those 2 cars didnt get out onto the track - not enough time to repair the damage  - bad crash yesterday but one guy wound up with a sore shoulder lucky!! like the bangs but hate to see anyone injured. Today a Ford ewon the day and the weekend - yesterday a Holden won the race and our winner today was 2nd then so well won Will Davison.
And kirk Patrick I SAW you there u do cut a cute figure even if I am ur Mum. Kirk is one of the Grid Marshalls, every year he lines up, mind u he also goes to the smaller race days held here at Mallala as well. Yesterday I had a great view of his left arm and his watch gggggg but also saw him later helping to push Wills Ford back to the Pits- Will was leading the race when on the last lap he ran out of fuel- he made it across the line though in 2nd so sad ggg. Hey Kirk how did it feel touching a Ford kiddo??- KP is a Holden FANATIC, maybe that should be TRAGIC ---whereas his Bro and Dad and I all follow the Fords.

Anyway so you dont think its been a waste of time visiting my blog I DID I really DID scan the piccie of where I am up to on the Pink Boho bag. I can tell you now IF I do another one (Boho Bag that is)-- I Am NOT repeat NOT doing spider web roses I am sick to death of them at this time- I bet a lot of you out there wonder if I can do any other ribbon flowers - well  I really can and its just that I became known for doing these spider web roses in this manner although many now do them also -- and its lovely to see that I have given an influence in some type of ribbon work.

Pink Boho Bag after first ribbon work has been completed

so here it is - now this is not finished- I am just trying to show How I do the ribbon embroidery and when and how I do each step I dont know if anyone is terribly interested in this but for now bear with me- (oh thats sic huh --bear with me -sorry bout that one gggg).

Anyway I do hope that some are enjoying watching the steps as i do them- this is not to say that the way someone else does them is wrong this is purely my way alone - I think I am going to play with some beading next - anyway will scan a piccie after the next effort.

Night for now
love n hugs Bear xoxoxoxoxo

hi there one and all- its now Sunday morning here in downtown Adelaide SA

Hewoo there

  I am just dropping by to say hewoo and to  have a wee grumble, its sad to say but I have put my blog comments onto moderation as I have had several spam like comments of late. I hate doing it this way as I like being able to seemy comment go straight up on others blogs and am not wrapt in having to wait for the blog owner to catch up and put my comment up- hopefully this wont have to go on for very long and again I am sorry to be doing it this way cos its always those lovely friends out there who will be moderated as well as the spammers but I can think of no other way of keeping the blog free of spammers- unless someone has another suggestion that I can follow up on.

love n hugs bearxoxoxox

ps I will be scanning the Newest Boho flap tomorrow hopefully please pop baack then if you want to see
xoxoxoxoxox

oopsa its MARCH where did February go??

hewoo all

its been a long long month- my man has been very ill and we have been doing many trips to and fro the Hospital etc, in an effort to get him on his way to gaining his health again. 'tis all to true.

    Anyway I have been doing a wee amount of stitching, and occasionally I managed to visit my favourite shops ie Spotlight and Lincraft why U all ask well I managed to walk myself into a wall with my Boho bag- the funny poirples I used and especially the lace around the edge that I really do love but believe me put the deep purple I had here to place on top of the lace Screeched at it and I MEAN SCREECHED!!!! So I have been tooing and froing between the 2 stores mentioned above hoping that sooner or later one of them would purchase in something that I could put over the lace and not have it screaming at me and eventually Lincraft did the deed and I have something that might just work - I have yet to play and put the bag together. I am hoping that life is going to settle down and I can also settle down and complete the bag. I want to show it off so much LOL-------- I use what I call Bearspeak - in short its a language a wee Aussie bear might say anad one thing I use a lot is gggggg -its just me having a giggle.


    Maybe I need to start a dictionary of bearspeak language but please those who do come and visit with me now you all now that I gggg giggle a lot and wont wonder what I am doing when I put in the gggg and the amount of the ggs is just how much I am giggling. so enough of that huh!

    I dont want this to be all talk n no piccies so I have a piccie or 2 to show yup have tried to do some stitching in between sitting and just catching our breath - what I hear you all ask - well I managed to get one block ready for TAST - BUT I havent even put a stitch on it - I added a couple of pretty trims for the heck of it- dont ask me why when it is supposed to be a stitching block n not a normal trims and piccies etc.- probably just needed to have something on the block and lets face it I can take that off in the future when I do have heaps od stitched seams on it - anyway not that Sharon is worried cos one little bear hasnt begun but hey Sharon I havent forgotten and I will get there to play soon I hope!


  This is the Pink Boho Flap the Left hand side, the butterfly on this side may be changed in time to come and this is the very basic beginning I just wanted to get something onto each seam, so I could remove the pins I had all over the place ggggg!

  Okay now this is the showing the right side of the flap another beaded butterfly is up on the top, I have had this little butterfly for such a long long time and finally have been able to use it somewhere.The colour looks like it might be way off but when I upload the next step piccies you will see that its no longer looking out of place- well I dont think it does anyway.

                
    Ok this is the pink block I have started to eventually go and play with Sharon's TAST

 

     What else have I played with well I said at the time when putting the first Boho bag that I wouldnt be able to stop at one well I havent been able to- the new one is in ooh heck  I dont believe it but I have put together a Boho Flap n PINKS and Creams. Pinks heavens I had to go buy some fabrics to do it whats more- Col came with me and we had some fun looking at Pinks fabrics anyway I have completed all the seams in one layer of embroidery - obviously there will be more added embroidery  to the seams that wont be covered  in some fashion. I have completed the spider web roses all around the gypsy girl. I will scan them  tomorrow and will attempt to blog them up tomorrow. Please forgive me if I dont, life at present is very up and down in our home ggggg..

      Just before I go when I began my blog and I had my first follower join me -- I was over the moon, and as each and every one has joined my followers list I have continued to be over the moon, tonight when I opened my blog to write this entry I saw I have now 100 Followers AMAZING!!!! Thank you every  one of you - you have no idea of how your being happy to come to my little blog and see what I am up to has made me feel. Thank you all ---everyone of you 100 lovely bear followers THANK YA!!!!!

 lottsa love and hugs
  Bear xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Happy New Year one and all

I hope that all had a wonderful New Year (and also Christmas and any other holidays that are not mentioned), ours was very quiet, there were some issues but heck I am not starting the year with that lot lets just say life is back to quiet and peaceful at present.

I was working on my Boho bag though wots that I hear you all say??? well Boho is short for Bohemian bag and if you do the numbers on my age you will work out I was around when I could and did wear flowers in my hair LOL. The pattern comes from the one and only Pat Winter. Pat has a  magazine that began last year - crazy quilting oriented but also has a magazine on making a Boho Bag. Very well written and easy to follow interested - head to the above link and ......... Anyway I have been stitching and pulling apart and stitching!!

Do you like how its coming along- I cheated a lot with this - yes I did do my spider-web roses - they are hidden in there. The Gypsy pic is also a gift from Pat- its in her book and also her magazine - Autumn 2011. Anyway I had a lot of the wee flowers but they are not all ones I picked up along the way _I also made stacks myself they are so easy and make up so quickly.

Anyway I will make the bag up and let you all see the finished  item.. I already have plans for another one. Pat Winter you have much to answer for LOL you are so right when you say try and stop at just one. Oh and BTW no I am not getting anything for this plug but Pats magazine is orientated for CQ and comes out 4 times a year (personally I want it bi-monthly but hey I am pushy! If interested please go to the link and look at the info there.

love n hugs
Bear xoxoxoxoxo