Tagged - You are it

I was tagged by The Empty Envelope
Here are the rules:

1. Go to the 4th picture folder on your computer.
2. Post the 4th picture in that folder.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag 4 more people.



Amazing I love this. My husband made this highchair for our grandchildren. He loves to do woodworking in his spare time...which he doesn't have enough of these days. He had a hard time with the inlay of the bear since it was his first attempt. I think he did a great job!

If you are reading this consider yourself tagged. Please let me know what you post I will enjoy checking it out.

Update on 3 Ring Circus

I am feeling more hopeful after my visit with the Cardio-etectrophyiologist yesterday about my heart rythum. They discussed my PVC's and how they happen and how to get rid of them. Depending on all the factors regarding the heart, usually a diffribulator is the answer. In my case they aren't sure so they will perform an EP study to make that determination.

The really good news is that I don't have blockage, which I already new and I don't have congestive heart failure as I thought, but I do have a damaged heart. In my case, which seems to be the least common, they don't know if my heart was damaged from a virus or even the common cold or if I have had PVC's all my life and they caused the damage to the heart. So a study is scheduled for Feb 9th.

This study is the most frightening part, but I will trust that God's hand will lead this proceedure. If you are interested in the study here is a link that explains it better than I. http://www.hrspatients.org/patients/heart_tests/electrophysiology_study.asp

If I need a diffribrulator they will put it in that day too, so hopefully I will leave the hospital with a heart pumping perfectly.

My Personal 3-Ring Circus

If I didn't believe in God and His infinite mercy I might be crying right now, but I am not. Perhaps I am still in shock over my multiple health problems or maybe I am learning that I don't have any control over these things anyway, so why should I cry.

In Ring one I have the issue of hyperparathyroidism. Last fall while trying to loose weight a doctor noticed my calcium levels were too high and so this saga began...long story short...the way to fix a bad parathyroid is to remove it. You have 4 tiny little parathyroid glands behind the thyroid and after some tests they figure out which is bad and out it goes. I also had a nodule on my thyroid for many years so they were removing that too. In November I had that surgery but I had a heart attack during it, and I ended up in intensive care for a couple days and so now we move to...

Ring #2 is the issues of my heart. Just having surgery the cardiologist didn't want to rush into an angiogram until I had a little time to heal and to make sure my calcium and parathyroid levels were ok. So in December, even thought my hormone levels were still too high, they did the angiogram with raving results!!! No significant blockage...Praise the Lord...I am so happy. They still don't know why I had they heart attack or what caused it, but I am thinking all is well now.

I had complained of heart palpitations so the Dr had me wear a heart monitor for 24 hours. I didn't feel many palpitations while wearing the monitor, so I figured that was a waste of time...why does that happen...symtoms leave when your in the Dr's office? Anyway...I will get back to this story in a minute...lets go over to...

Ring #3 is an old story of my osteoarthritis. I have some pretty bad joints in this 60 year old body and about 2 years ago had one knee replaced and since then, although that when pretty good...I have had some issues to deal with. I woke up from that surgery with a pinched nerve in my back that nothing has relieved much. I also developed a pea size very sore spot on my ankle. One of those that if you touch it or bump it a sharp shooting pain strikes. This little pea has grown into a cherry size lump now.

With all the heart and hormone stuff going on these issues were definitely on the back burner, but since I thought things were settling down I had the MRI and Nerve test done on the ankle. I just saw my Rheumitologist yesterday and he said it looks like a tumor on the nerve and wants me to see a Orthopedic-oncologist, at the City of Hope! Oh my gosh...what are you saying? He assures me that he doesn't think it is cancer...just that these Drs are specialists and they know how to handle this the best.

Jumping back to ring #2 and the heart monitor story...apparently the monitor did record some significant readings of PVC's. And the cardiologist wants me to see another specialist that deals with the electrical part of the heart. From what I have read the PVCs, Premature Ventricle Contractions, are a big problem if you have a damaged heart, which the heart attack caused. As I glazed over listening to the Dr. I recall hearing "sudden death" and defibrillator come out of his mouth...oh my...what does this all mean? Today I have an appointment with the specialist and then I will know more about this adventure!

For those of you who pray....please pray for me. I look forward to the healing that will take place in this body. I do know that God's word says that he knows all about me and even knows the number of hairs on my head...He is Omnipotent and knows the very day my body will be done here on earth...I personally want to be here for years to come...I want to see all the grandchildren grow up. I also want to do it with a healthy body.

TO sumerize: Ring one still holds hyperparathyroidism...the doctors are waiting until mid Feb to recheck them again. Ring #2 Heart PVC's and Ring #3 Arthritis and tumor.

A little about Valentine's Day Beginnings

Apparently Valentine's Day was observed to some degree in the 4th Century BC and later the Roman Christians tried to abolish it because it was really a lottery for young men's entertainment. In Rome 270Ad they abolished marriage because it made bad soldiers, but then Valentine, bishop of Interamna, a Christian, would invite young lovers to come to meet in secret and he would marry them. Valentine tried to convert the emperor to Christianity, but ended up being clubbed or stoned to death.

As I have read, while Valentine was in jail awaiting execution he fell in love with the jailers blind daughter, his faith and prayers healed her blindness and he signed a farewell message to her "From your Valentine".

I guess Valentine cards began to exist in 1415 when Charles, Duke of Orleans sent a card to his wife while in prisoned in the Tower of London. In the 1600's it was attempted to ban this practice, but card giving grew. It was around this time that Cupid..the naked angel with arrows became popular.

During the 1800's with the onset of the industrial period...cards began to be printed. Mechanical cards emerged and racy verses grew in popularity when sending them anonymously became popular...or maybe that should be the other way around....sending them anonymously allowed for less prudishness!

The fist American publisher printer was Esther Howland...she made fancy lace cards and they supposedly cost $5-$10. Wow! I wonder what one of those cards today might cost! Let me know if you have one.

Button Button Who' s Got The Button?

I have been listing some buttons in my Allbutton shop on Etsy the last couple days and it reminded me of my memories with buttons.

When I was a child my mother played a game with me. She use to hide buttons for me to find. She seemed to have the best buttons because I remember wanting to find certain ones more. They were big and bright and I am sure it kept me occupied for quite a while so she could get other things done! This has remained a warm memory for me.

Years later I worked in an antique mall and met my first button collector. She told me a lot about buttons...much of which I don't recall, but I remember thinking it so odd that people actually save those things. I loved glass and that seemed more practical and useful.

Over the years as I bought and sold antiques and collectibles I would run accross buttons and knowing there were collectors for them I would buy them if they were reasonable...they had to be really reasonable because I still didn't think they were all that special. I didn't try selling any for many years....just kept putting them aside.

When I was in Ohio one year taking care of my ailing parents, my mother asked me if I wanted anything from her sewing cabinet, since she wasn't sewing any more and I was the only daughter that actually did any sewing. As I looked through the drawers I ran across a tin of old buttons and those fond memories filled my heart. I know some of them were the ones I played with as a child and some were just ones she always had.
I have these buttons still in the old bandaid tin she kept them in. I must be a collector of buttons now!

It was some time after that that I decided to sort through my button stash and see if there were any worth selling. I must say these little round closures are really very addicting! I haven't become a collector of any more than my mothers, but I can see why people do like them. I have spent hours and hours going through these buttons, sorting, resorting, and organizing them. I have several books that have helped my understand the ages, the material content, the sizes, the styles and all the tidbits of information that make them so desirable.

I won't go through all the statistics of them since you can find everything you need to know somewhere on the internet! Just start searching and you will find what you want I am sure.

Thanks for reading...if you read to this point of my ramblings! Happy Button Collecting to you!!