Hmmmmm

Hello my friends.  I'm sorry I've been away for an entire week.  Not a lot to say I guess.

I have been knitting baby hats. I got six out of one skein of yarn.  One had to be made preemie size to be able to finish it.

Two hats made from Teresa's crochet pattern and another one "on the hook".

I had a baby blanket half done but decided I didn't like it so I ripped it out completely.  I have another one started now.


I've had a bit of a trying week.  Lots of pain and lots of tears.  I don't know why I keep crying all the time.  I'm NOT normally like his.  I have started taking Bach Flowers, Rescue Remedy and it seems to be helping.  Nita swears by it.  I don't know if Dennis would think it's helping though.  He's so frustrated.  Men fix things.  He wants to fix me.

I talked to the nurse this morning at the cardiologists office.  She said my recovery will take a bit longer than normal for a couple of reasons.  I don't have much fat where the pacemaker is.  (That's the only place on my body without much fat!)  So it will apparently take longer to "settle in".  Also, my surgery was pretty traumatic.  Almost 4 hours instead of 1 1/2 that was planned.  I still have lots of swelling and bruising, especially under my left arm.  Try shaving there ladies!  Ha!  Too much information?


I have gone to the lake a couple of times with Nita and last weekend with Dennis and Chloe and although I love it there, I'm still in pain and frustrated at not doing anything.  I made potato salad this morning and it wore me out.  It's supposed to be 101F for the next 3 days, so I think I'll be hibernating either at home in the air conditioning or in the trailer in the air conditioning!


Now, before I bring you all down to my level of blah with all of my "ick", I'm going to stop writing.  I have been reading your blogs and I'm enjoying your summer and travels immensely.

"Search me oh God, and know my heart: test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."  Psalm 139:23-24


Blessings,
Betsy

Good News

Hello again!

I've been enjoying reading blogs today.  I have joined Teresa on her journey across the country on her way to meet what seems to be her entire family.  She has posted some amazing historical photos.  If you don't currently read her blog, I encourage you to look her up on my sidebar and join in her trip.

Then, my bloggy friend Pammy Sue has moved across the country and lives within spitting distance of me.  Well, a few hours anyway, which in this blogging world is pretty close.  I'm so looking forward to meeting her in real life and her new home is in a gorgeous part of this country.  She's "Scotty's Place" on my sidebar.

And Hubby took me to the doctor this morning and the cardiologist has given me the all clear to drive again.  I still can't lift anything heavier than 5 lbs with my left arm and 10 lbs with my right and no swimming, etc. But I'm not trapped at home anymore.  I must admit that driving scares me a bit.  The seatbelt will go directly over the incision site and so the doctor had suggestions as to different padding options  for the seatbelt.

He seemed very surprised to see how much better I am than I was last Thursday.  He also said he really expected that he would be re-admitting me to the hospital for a lead revision, but everything has steadily improved over the last week.  I think it was because I got to go to the lake-the best medicine.  :-)  I have also been doing exactly as I was told and not overdoing it.  AND most important, many, many people have been praying for me.  I appreciate it.  So even though I can't raise my arm very high, I am on the mend finally.

Nita and I went to the lake for the night Monday night.  Just us girls.  She had Tuesday off work and Dennis had a late meeting so off we went.  It was so quiet and beautiful there without the weekend crowds.  Sophie helped me knit on my sock yarn blanket.  Tiny needles and tiny yarn=slow progress but I'm enjoying it.  I take it out and put a few rows on every so often.

I picked about 2 quarts of green beans yesterday and blanched and froze them for winter eating.  It takes me forever to get anything done these days, but that's okay.

Yesterday I made two baby hats and started another one.

My sister and brother in law are coming to visit for a week on August 3.  They live in Iowa and I don't get to see them often at all.  This trip has been planned since before my surgery.  I'm so looking forward to sitting and visiting with them.  When my sister and I get together the laughter and talking NEVER stops.  Gosh I love her.

Then, as if that wasn't enough excitement our son Jamie texted this morning and asked if he could come over with our two oldest grandbabies that weekend!  Oh my goodness, yes!  We haven't seen them since Thanksgiving and I just can't wait.  He's looking forward to seeing his aunt and uncle too.

Life is good.  Thank you for the sweet comments on my last post.  I was feeling pretty low and the difference this week has made is unbelievable.  I'm still nowhere near 100%, but I am so much better. I think a lot of it was the well wishes from all of you.  Thank you so much for being here for me.

Tonight we're having a potluck for about 15 people here at our house.  Dennis vacuumed and dusted last night.  He has been so wonderful.  He always is, but the past few weeks have made me realize just how much he loves me and takes good care of me.

Have a lovely weekend my friends.

"Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.  Nothing is too hard for you."  Jeremiah 32:17

Blessings,

Betsy

Still hanging around.

Happy Monday my friends!  Yes.  I'm still here, alive and kicking.  Well...not really kicking.  This was the extent of our weekend.  Excitement huh?  These other people with me, including Paul and Lori also went out on the boat skiing a few times, but I had to stay behind.  No water sports for me right now. 

Larry, Nita and Sophie relaxing.  Can you see Hubby's cowboy booted feet on the table?

Then there is Hubby and Chloe behind him, with MY feet at the bottom of this picture.  That's my summer home.  My happy place.  Our trailer.  Hubby built those stairs for us.  He's built them for several people at the lake now.  Much nicer than the metal trailer steps.

One of the older men that works at the resort brought me this beautiful bouquet of flowers from his wife's garden.  They have a "real" house down on the lakeshore.

Yesterday Dennis mowed in our lovely 95F heat.  Chloe likes to help him.  She lays right in his way and he has to stop the mower while she moves to another spot...that he hasn't mowed yet.  So it goes, over and over until the grass is cut.

You can see my rhubarb there in the bed on the right, still growing and I'm still harvesting.  On the left are the green beans that I've been picking every  other day for about a week,  Ssshhh.  Don't tell the doctor!  I snap, blanch and freeze them for mid-winter goodness.  So far I have 6 quart size bags.

Our happy girl.

We had a shed built last summer while Mandy and Piper were staying with us before the big move to D.C.  Piper kept calling it Papa's House.  One of the teenage girls at the lake makes signs so we had her make a sign that she gave us this weekend.  Dennis put it up last night.  What do you think?

And here he is by his "house".  Nope.  It's not a doghouse and I would NEVER make him sleep in it.  This man is a saint among men.  He has taken such good care of me since my surgery.  Well...he always takes good care of me.  He spoils me rotten!

I got the baby blanket done but not much more.  It hurts to move my arm much so I'm reading more than I'm knitting and crocheting.

An update on the saga of Betsy and the pacemaker...

Nita took me to the doctor last Wednesday and they did a chest xray and made an appointment for Thursday to see the actual Electrophysician that put in the pacemaker.  That is a cardiologist that specializes in these machines!  To make a long story a bit shorter, the nurse who took me back to the room on Thurs. told me that they had an operating room reserved for Friday morning to redo the leads from my heart to the pacemaker and to plan on at least two nights in the hospital.   I was shocked and burst into tears right then and there.  She had no idea I didn't already know and she felt terrible for telling me that way.  The doctor came in and decided that since I was so upset he would do a few more tests and wait until this Thursday to see if the problem resolves on it's own.  Meanwhile, he sent me to the lake with strict orders to do nothing.  No lifting anything heavier than 5 lbs.  No walking more than 1/2 a block and on and on it goes.  So I sat at the lake and crocheted and knitted some.  Read a lot and visited with all of our friends who stopped by from resort.  It IS good to know that we have lots of friends.  But I'm really very tired of all of this and just want to feel better.  May I ask for your prayers that when I go to my Thursday appointment that all will be well and I can drive, and walk and get on with my life?

I have had the absolute best care and I have complete faith in my doctors and that helps a lot.  Poor Dennis is worried sick and that worries me.  He has a very high stress job on top of all of this and I don't want to be the cause of him getting sick.

Well....this was a bummer of a post wasn't it?  Sorry about that my friends.  Life has good times.  Life has not so good times.  This too shall pass and soon I'll be up and doing my usual "thing" so I just have to be patient don't I? 

I'll be back soon and update you all.  I think I've caught up on most of your blogs.  If I haven't, please forgive me, I tried.  :-)

"Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Blessings,
Betsy

I'm Home!

It's so good to be home.  I had the absolute BEST care at The Heart Institute at Sacred Heart Hospital.  People come from several western states to receive care there...but there is place like home.

The owner of Dennis' company sent me this exotic orchid.  It's amazing and huge.

Look at all of the flowers.

Jenny brought me this beautiful tea rose.

I wasn't able to crochet at all in the hospital.  Too many wires and tubes.  But I've made great progress since I got home on the blanket Sarah chose for her new baby.   The colors are different than any I've ever used for a baby blanket before but I'm getting used to them and I like them now.  Perfect for a baby boy don't you think?

I'm feeling much better l.  I've been home for three days now and although I've developed an infection, they have me on antibiotics and I have high hopes things will be better soon.  Still no driving. No lifting.  No...almost anything.  I'm tired all the time and tired of being tired.

I hope to catch up on all of your blogs soon.  Please be patient with me.

Blessings,

Betsy

Still Here

A short post. I'm still in the hospital. Posting from my iPhone. The ran into a few complications but hopefully I will go home in the next day or two.

Don't I look great? They've got me on lots of really good drugs.I don't make a lot of sense all the time so I'll make this short and sweet. Jenny came up last night and braided my hair for me to get it out of the way of all the wires. What a good best friend. Please keep up the prayers. I appreciate them more than you know.

Blessings,

 Betsy

Ever closer...

My English Roses are finally blooming.  It's always around the 4th of July each year when I get the first bloom and then they bloom until the first frost.  This bloom opened on Saturday, right on schedule!   I think they are gorgeous.

I finished another baby sweater, hat and sock set.  There was enough yarn left for another hat and...

hopefully another pair of socks.  I made this start in church yesterday.  It's my take along in my purse project right now since it's small.  I can usually make a sock in about an hour or so.  I'll take this to the hospital with me to work on since I have to stay overnight.  These are all headed off to a hospital on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota when I get a few more things made.

I started a baby blanket on Saturday from a new pattern I saw on facebook.  I only got this far though,  because at church yesterday I saw the announcement of a baby shower later this month.  Since I have already made this particular Mom and her two previous little boys the rainbow blankets and sweater sets I asked if she had seen a pattern she would rather have.  

She just chose this from pinterest.

I wasn't sure of the colors, but as I work on it I'm actually liking it more.  It's an easy, peasy pattern that shouldn't take much concentration which I need over the next few days.

I am admittedly beginning to get a bit nervous about getting my pacemaker on Wednesday.  I do wish they had just done it last week when my heart stopped so I wouldn't have had a chance to think about it.  I got some news today that hasn't helped at all.  As I mentioned before, my oldest brother got a pacemaker almost 2 months ago.  He's back in the hospital right now and apparently the pacemaker isn't working at all and he has congestive heart failure.  Now I know he is 15 years older than me and he has lived a life 180 degrees different than mine.  He smoked non-stop until last year-I've never had a cigarette.  He still drinks...a lot.  I don't drink at all.  He has abused his body much more than I have, but still, we share genetics and there are many, many heart issues in our family.

So, with all of that I am getting stressed about the entire process.  Added to that, I don't know anything about what is exactly wrong with me.  Dennis wants me to call the cardiologist's office tomorrow and see if anyone can answer my questions before the surgery on Wednesday.

I'm sure you didn't want to read all of that.  I've been alone all day, Dennis was at work and had an evening meeting too and I've been sitting here with my brain going round and round.  :-)

I know that everything is in God's hands.  I am His child and whatever He chooses to do with me is just fine and dandy.  I just don't want to think about it!  Ha!

I'll check back in as soon as I can.  Meanwhile, if you would care to send up a prayer for me, I would love it and be very appreciative.

"But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love."  Psalm 22:18

and my very favorite verse,

"Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."  Isaiah 40:31

Blessings,

Betsy