Home Again..

We arrived home yesterday afternoon.    As I drove to the driveway I noticed the swans had returned this week while we were gone.  It was so peaceful to see them gliding across the pond.

On early Tuesday morning, DH was taken into surgery again to have the fluid removed from his chest cavity.  A four inch incision was made between two ribs to insert a scope into the cavity. The surgeon removed 2200 cc ( 2.2 liters or 9.2 cups) of fluid / blood / gunk.  Two chest drainage tubes were inserted between the next set of ribs.  The tubes were removed on Friday.      Hopefully he will be on the long road to recovery.  

Thank you my friends for your prayers.  It is only through prayers we have made it this far. 

I started a Friendship flower garden last year with plants I received from friends at retirement.    I purchased more plants with money I received from the staff at school.

I was excited to see the mums were still blooming when we arrived home.

Hopefully this week I will be able to finish Caleb's baby quilt!!  

Love and Prayers, 

Linda

Next Step:

During the four days when DH was unconscious and on the respirator he did not look like himself.  Several  IV's,  four drainage tubes, respirator, monitors and computers were filling  the ICU where DH was being cared for by the amazing staff.   Every twelve hours the staff would change.  The second day I started showing the nurse on duty this photo of DH and Tatum (Herbal Essence.) It had been taken the day before surgery.

I wanted them to know the man and papa they were caring for so intensely.  I also told each one I was praying for them as they cared for him.   I left them in the unit to do their job.  I told them I would be in the ICU lounge if they needed me.  I would stop in briefly every 15 to 30 minutes just to check.

Tuesday DH will be back in surgery at Allina Abbott Northwestern Heart Hospital.  He will have a Plueathoracoscopy with decortication.  His chest cavity has fluid / blood building up which is causing him to be extremely short of breath and difficulty trying to breathe.  The doctor said this is nothing compared to what he has already been through.  A 3-4 inch incision will be made between ribs.  A scope will be placed into the cavity to remove fluid.  Then a chest tube will be placed to continue to drain for a few days.  I asked how long he will be hospitalized.  She said perhaps 4-6 days.

I am writing this to request your prayers for the medical team, DH (who is becoming very frustrated), and for me as once again I am away from home and trying to keep DH encouraged.

Love and Prayers,

Linda

Challenging Days...

My first request of my blogging friends, please make a phone call to someone you love to tell them how important they are to you.

The past month has been a challenge.  On August 28th my DH went into surgery for replacing the tissue valve he received seven and a half years ago.   What was supposed to be a routine 4 1/2 hour surgery became 8 1/2 hours of surgery on the heart lung bypass machine

.  

When the surgery was complete he had received a mechanical mitral valve, a repaired tricuspid valve, and  the aortic valve was replaced with a tissue valve.  We were told the surgery was complicated and complex. His heart is extremely compromised.  We were told the first 24-48 hours were critical.  Afterwards doctors and nurses told me they didn't know if DH would survive the first night.

Following the surgery he experienced a collapse lung, a chest tube to drain blood/ fluid from the chest cavity. The next day I was told the doctor was "pleased" DH had pneumonia. It meant there was not infection at the site of one valves.  After four days on the respirator and being sedated he was brought out and the respirator was removed.  He recognized me and we began the long road to recovery.

I will try to shorten the story to finish by saying he was released from the hospital after 12 days. 

Life is still full of challenges,  medical difficulties are happening.  I am putting one foot in front of the other and depending on strength from our Lord and Savior. I know without a shadow of a doubt it is only through the power of prayer, and bold prayer requests that I didn't come home alone.

I am so very thankful for the amazing care of the doctors, nurses and staff at the Allina Abbott Northwestern Heart Hospital in Minneapolis, MN. 

No sewing is happening.  My time is filled with being a nurse..

Love and Prayers,
Linda

A Busy Summer

Like everyone else, our summer has been busy.

For today I will hit the highlights!

I finished the Christmas Tree Skirt for the bridal shower. The bride was thrilled.



A former neighbor girl was home for the county fair and a family reunion.  Her family had a quick baby shower for family and close friends.  I went to an old faithful baby quilt pattern and with a few changes I completed it in time.


                 Our newest grandson arrived on July 14.  We are so very very blessed with nine grandchildren.  Each one is unique.   Love just grows. Two of his sisters stayed with us several days just before and after he arrived.

Kasey heard it announced in church that bags were needed for a medical mission team heading to Nicaragua.  She asked if she could make some.  I did the cutting and pressing.  She did all the sewing.  She has two complete. 

Due to a difficult situation with the nanny Marie had hired for the summer, I have had Kasey, Cole and Colby since the last week of July..Makes for busy grandma time!!


One daily grandma and Cole activity with  includes gopher hunting along the fence lines.




 Yesterday was a skipping rocks in the pond time.

There have been several grandma days this summer.  The kids have a great time together.  First I wanted everyone to stand still for a photo.  One said, "Can we be silly?"  I thought,,"Why not?"  The result!


I am blessed!!

I will be spending a week in Minneapolis while my DH has another heart surgery.  I am packing a cutting mat and supplies to cut pieces at night!!

Hugs and Prayers,


Linda

A Little Bit Of Quilting..

I have not completed nearly the amount of quilting I thought I would do in the past year..
These are a few of my projects.








A baby quilt for a tiny baby who was delivered very early because her mom's life was in danger.  What do you make for a tiny baby...a small quilt with "Guess How Much I Love you Fabric."






Christmas was coming.  I was short one gift.  Kylie, 3 years old, loves her baby dolls.  I quickly made her a diaper bag and filled it with things for her babies.

Kasey, third grader, received a sewing machine for Christmas.  When it was time to make a project for third grade Social Studies she knew what she wanted to do.

After sewing it together, she did all the sewing herself, she saw one square was turned.  She thought before she decided to leave it.  Her comment, "If it was for someone else I would change. "  

Snow pants in Wisconsin take a real hit with active kids.  When one knee had a hole it was Grandma to the rescue.  Since the second knee was getting warn I sewed matching patches.  She loved them.  The only kindergartener with purple polka dots on her snow pants.













Grandchildren of friends take a high priority on my quilting list.  Since I had made one for her older sister and brother,  Genevieve needed one also.

Our assistant pastor and his wife are raising their grandson.  Due to a difficult situation the quilt I made for him a year ago was lost.  His Grandma asked if I would make him a tractor blanket large enough to be a naptime blanket.















A friend asked if I didn't get tired of making John Deere quilts.  I said not when I know that a tractor quilt will be loved!  With that in mind I made another John Deere quilt for the new baby of a neighbor who grew up with our sons.  Another case where his older sister and brother each received quilts.  I couldn't just give the baby a gift.  Big sister received a sleeping bag for her Teddy and Big brother a John Deere pillowcase and tote bag.

Two die hard Packer fans are expecting their first baby.  I wanted to make them a quilt that would be used!! Not hung on a wall or put on a shelf because they think it is too nice to use. I wrote a note to take it on a picnic, put it on the floor!  The Father-to-Be isn't sure if the baby will have a chance to use it.











Right now I am working on a Christmas Tree Skirt for a bridal shower on Sunday...I will share when it is finished...

One of the most successful changes in retirement has been ME!  I had to make some changes for my health and to be the person I wanted and needed to be! Nothing drastic, Healthy eating with limiting portions, walking and exercising.  I am down 5 sizes.

 

June 6, 2016

April 14, 2017

Love and Prayers,
                                                                                    Linda

I'm Still Here!!

Hello Friends in the Blogging World!!

Yes, I am still here.  This thing called "Retirement," is an interesting challenge.
This will be a quick pictorial post of life the past few months!!

Retirement began on June 9.  It was an extremely emotional time and wondering if we made the correct decision.

June:

*Annual family reunion. My mom was able to attend this year.  At 90 years old, she was the oldest family member in attendance and my granddaughter, Tara, at 6 weeks old was the youngest!

* A new experience...friends of ours raise strawberries and sell them in several area communities.  They were short a seller a few days...So I spent several days selling strawberries in a tourist city about 35 miles from home. I met many interesting people.  A very delicious job!!  Of course, I received lots of teasing about my new job!

July:

We went on our second vacation in 42 years of marriage.  We started by attending a wedding on Sunday in Duluth, MN overlooking beautiful Lake Superior.

From there we traveled to Iowa to visit friends and family.  On to Missouri to stop at the Missouri Star Quilt Company. 

Traveled east near Jefferson City, MO where we reconnected with friends we hadn't spent time with  in 35 years. Of  course, we stopped at every John Deere dealership we could find!

 Near Eugene, Mo with Herb as my copilot holding the map we were on BACK backroads. Speed limit 60 mph, no shoulders, narrow when suddenly this sign would appear!! At one point Herb commented, "Do you realize you just went down hill, made a curve, and uphill all in the same motion!." I think I could be a race car driver in my next career. 

. Moving on to Indiana to attend the wedding of the son of friends.   Returning home after seven days!  We still have to learn on to relax and take our time.

August:
My friends headed back to school.  It was strange.  I really miss my school family of teachers and other staff.

 

September:

I headed to Minnesota to meet my college roommate, forever friend, and sister in every way except biological to attend the Junk Bonanza.  A great couple of days connecting and seeing lots of valuable junk.

October:
I spent my days and hours as a go-for and "Mom could you please.....?"  Taking lunches and suppers to the fields, following equipment from one area to another, transporting guys from one field to another,  running for parts and any other thing needed.

To Be Continued!!

A New Granddaughter has arrived!

Tara Marie has finally made her arrival!

  The ultrasound indicated a due date of April 20.

The doctor had set the date as April 30. 

Tara decided to make her arrival on May 7.

 She weighed 8 lbs. 8.5 oz and 20 inches long.  The largest of Katie's five babies. 

The oldest two have been with us since Friday night with the younger two at their other grandma's. 

I am going to take my saved up personal leave days to help Katie.

 Her quilt was ready.  Katie loved the pattern and the colors. 

Friday night Papa was in the field.  A storm had moved through east of us.  He called to say, "Rainbow." 

 To the east we found the rainbow.

Tatum saw this awesome cloud formation to the south. 

Tragically, we will have beautiful sunsets the next several days or maybe weeks due to the 

tragic forest fires burning in Canada.  It produces a haze  and amazing sunsets. 

Thirty calendar days and twenty  school days!

Discovery Day...

 Sunday DIL-1 and kids asked me to ride along in the gator for a Discovery Day.  Usually you see the view from my kitchen window.  Now you will also discover what is to be found on the other side.

On the first stop Kasey was determined she saw a sea shell in the water.  Walking through the edge of the pond in knee high mud puddle boots and holding her discovery net she was able to scoop out a snail.  It was alive and she was right!  After the picture it went back into the pond. 

 Floating on the edge they saw an egg.
Kasey used her trusty discovery net to snag it out of the water.

Mom was the brave one to pick it out of the net.  They found it had a soft shell and slightly
"squishy."

Kasey decided to take charge and tried to candle the egg with the sunlight.  After investigating it was also returned to the pond. 

We watched Canadian geese and Mallard Ducks.  Saw a muskrat swimming across the water and a turtle sunning himself on the top of a muskrat house.

 We headed into the woods to cross the stream.  There Cole spied the fresh raccoon tracks.

Kasey was the first to see the wildflowers.

No deer or bear were spotted on this trip through the woods. However, Kasey did find deer tracks.
 But it was still a great time of discovering.

25 school days...37 calendar days!!

Warning--school days story.
Sometimes it is fun to sit and laugh with students.  Friday we were coloring states using directions.
First, we labeled the compass rose..N..E..S..W..(Never Eat Soggy Waffles). After coloring states different colors in each direction following instructions.  I asked the question,"What direction would we travel to reach Mount Rushmore?" One eight year old girl jumped up excitedly bursting out with, "Waffles!" She instantly broke into giggles.  As did the rest of us!!