Playing Catch Up

Hello everyone! Seems it's been a while since my last post. Sorry 'bout that. Life has been a bit hectic lately, so I've been swamped with an even more exhausting "to do" list. But that stuff doesn't really matter right now. What does matter is that I need to get back into the groove of making fun stuff! Actually, before my little absence, I did make a batch of invitations, but we'll get to those a little later. First, an update on this little one:

Her congestion has cleared up considerably, and she appears to be feeling a whole lot better. However, she has started to throw up on an almost daily basis and has been having bouts of diarrhea and soft stool (yes, I have no problem talking about pooh). She has a progress exam this Friday, but I'm going to call the vet about her new developments tomorrow. Perhaps the mass in her belly is causing these new symptoms. Hopefully he can clear her soon for surgery. Wish us luck!

Now, for the fun stuff! My friend just bought his first house, and as a gift, I told him I would make the invitations for his house warming party. Originally, the party was set for this weekend, but a few key people were not able to attend. I ended up making all 30 invitations in just one sitting since I thought the party was fast approaching. At least they're (almost) all done! (I say "almost" because the insides of the invites are not complete.)

And finally, here's a little funny for you. Last night while we were watching SNL, we caught Sedona staring at something on the floor. She was in deep, deep concentration. When I went to look at what she was staring out, it turned out to be a little seed that she must have dragged in from outside. I'm talking teeny-tiny-how-could-she-even-see-this-thing little. At first, we thought it was a bug, hence the title of the video (I even say it's a bug in the video). Anyway, we could not stop laughing at her! The absolute concentration on her face and the stiffness of her body as she stared at this seed were hilarious! A 175 lb. Dane vs. a seed. Too funny! Enjoy :)

Izzy Update + Card

Thank you all SO MUCH for the sweet comments and positive thoughts you sent our way. Yesterday was one of the longest days I've had in recent memory and one of the most stressful. I dropped Isabel off at the vet office at 8 am. I was able to leave her basket for her so that she could feel a little more comfortable in the cage. Then I came home and cleaned like a mad woman. I needed to occupy my mind.

By 3:00 pm, I hadn't heard from the vet office. They all know me there and know that I like to receive updates about my little ones, so I decided to call to see what was going on. The gal I spoke with said that Isabel was resting comfortably in her basket. I was happy to hear that.

An hour later, I received a call from one of the techs, and here's where the story takes a most peculiar turn. She said that the vet had not been able to see Isabel just yet. I can say for certain that I was not a happy mama at that point. My girl had been at their office for eight hours just sitting in a cage. She hadn't eaten in about 20 hours because I had to take the food away from her the previous night to prepare her for surgery. I asked if the dental would be done by the time I picked her up, and she said that they wanted to keep Isabel overnight at no charge so that the dental could be done the following morning. "But wait," I said. "The reason she's having everything done today is so that she only needs to go under anesthesia once to do both the ultrasound + biopsy and the dental surgery." The girl then informed me that she didn't need to go under for the ultrasound although that's not what I was told this past weekend. Confused yet? Yeah, so was I.

I'm going to spare you all a long and convoluted story by cutting to the chase. Isabel had her ultrasound without being put under. I expressed my complete disappointment to the staff about their lack of communication to me throughout the day and the incorrect information I received this past weekend from several of their techs. I also told them that I was not happy that my poor kitty had to endure a day without food due to misinformation. Furthermore, I asked what was the point in making an appointment at all if that appointment was not going to be kept? I truly understand that emergencies arise in a vet hospital. I should know - I used to work as a vet tech, but not keeping me informed as to what was going on and keeping my kitty at the office for 11 hours (yes, it wasn't until 7:00 pm that I was able to take her home) with no food was unacceptable in my book. That's all I'm going to say about that.

Now, onto her results. Her senior blood panel is all within normal range except for a high white cell count which is indicative of infection. We know she has an infection in her two front teeth, and she also has some sort of infection in her chest. The x-rays revealed a lot of congestion in her lung area, and before any type of surgery can be done her lungs need to be clear. As for the mass, the vet believes it may be her spleen, but he can't tell for sure. He can account for all the other organs except for the spleen, so either the mass is the spleen or it's sitting on top of the spleen.

This first picture shows the mass on the very top. That little black circle right under the mass is a major artery.

This next snapshot shows the mass in relation to her left kidney.

The good news here is that the mass appears to be all by itself and likely easy to remove. If it turns out to be the spleen, it can be removed without any negative effects since the kidneys and liver take over the functions of the spleen when it is no longer present (this is true in humans as well). Her teeth will be able to be extracted at the same time the mass is removed, so she'll only need to go under once. We just need to clear her chest, and she'll be good to go for surgery.

She has a progress exam this Saturday morning. They'll take more x-rays to see if the antibiotic injection she received last Saturday is helping. She'll also get one more antibiotic injection at that time. I'm so grateful that they finally came out with an antibiotic shot! Isabel is such a sweetie until you approach her with oral meds. She turns into the devil!

The pictures that you've seen scattered on this post were taken this morning. She was being a very good little model. She also insisted on making a video to show everyone her new shaved belly. Turn your speakers on if you want to hear her talk!



Okay, I know that was a lot of information to digest, and if you've made it this far, thanks! Here's your reward - a birthday card I whipped together yesterday for a friend.

Thanks again for all your warm wishes for Isabel. She's not out of the woods yet, but at least she's home with me.

In need of some positive thoughts

It's pretty unusual for me to blog on a Sunday night, but I have a special request. If you believe in prayer and the power of positive thinking, then please send some to my little Isabel. We had to take her to the vet office yesterday because she was having labored breathing and coughing, and what we thought might be just a simple respiratory infection turned to be a bit worse.

See those absolutely adorable front teeth she has that stick out like fangs?

It turns out they are infected and lose. I was in shock to learn this because she lets me rub her gums all the time, and she never showed any discomfort toward her front teeth. The infection she has in those teeth may be causing her congestion, but at this time we don't fully know if that's the case. We'll have to wait and see.

The vet continued to give her a full exam, and she was so, so good. She sat on her blanket like a princess, and as long as I was there, she was fine. I'm sure she was also happy that her daddy was home and able to come with her to her doctor's appointment. That hardly ever happens. It's usually just me and the critters.

As the vet continued his examination, he noticed a rather odd lump in her abdomen area. I had noticed this area, too, not very long ago, but I didn't think much of it. I figured I must have felt wrong or that I was feeling an organ inside her belly. Turns out that lump isn't suppose to be there. Turns out it's rather large. Turns out we need to get it biopsied.

Tomorrow morning I take her back to the vet hospital for surgery. She needs to be put under in order to have her ultrasound done and the biopsy taken. At that time, she will also have a complete dental with the extraction of her two front teeth. I'm going to miss that quirky fanged little look of hers.

I think what I'm most worried about are the results of the biopsy. It can take up to seven business days to get those results back, and until then, I'm going to be a basket case. I can only hope the mass is something that can be removed. Of course, that means another surgery for her in the not-so-distant future. My poor little Izzy-busy-belly-jelly-bean.

If you've been following my blog for a while, then you know that I lost my Zoe in November and my Beowulf in February, only three months apart. Now, three months after Bay's passing, I'm back at the vet hospital with Isabel. I can't possibly even contemplate losing her. Not so soon. Not so young.

I am just one stressed-out mama.

Hello There

Thanks for all the encouraging words about my running! I really pushed it yesterday and for all my hard work, I got a sore hiney. LOL! I put the heating pad on it last night, and today I'm as good as new.

I have a fun card to share with you all. I was inspired by Chat over at Me, My Stamps, and I. I just can't get enough of Stampin' Up's "Cheap Talk" stamp set. I love it!

Supples: Cheap Talk stamp set; Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss cardstock; Good Morning Sunshine Designer Series Paper; Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango stampin' pads; Chocolate Chip 1/4" grosgrain ribbon; Scallop border punch; dimensionals

I hope you're all having a wonderful day!

Pounding Pavement - My new Passion

I've been keeping a little secret. Well, it's not really a secret, but I thought it was time to share with you my new passion. Here's a hint:

If you guessed running, then you're right! I've been running Monday through Friday for the past five weeks. I used to run on a treadmill when I lived in Vegas, and I got pretty darn proficient at it. I thought running indoors was the way to go because of my work schedule and the fact that it got so darn hot there. This time around, however, I decided to try the whole running outdoors thing, and guess what? I LOVE it! When the sun goes down and that soft breeze rolls through, I get this urge to put my tennies on and go running. I'm proud to say that I run a little over 2 miles a day. I'm in great shape, and I'm starting to notice some pounds come off. It's a great feeling!

Along with running, I'm implementing healthier food choices into my everyday life. I'm not necessarily changing what I eat, but rather I'm eating less of it. Portion control is key. I'm also drinking quite a bit more water lately. I think we tend to under estimate the power of a hydrated body. Before I started to run, I was drinking maybe 40-50 oz of water a day. Now, I'm chugging AT LEAST 70 oz of water, and yes, that means I'm constantly running to the bathroom, but it is a good trade off. When I'm hydrated, I run better. I feel better. Heck, my skin looks better. And when I run, I feel good about myself. I have more energy. I sleep better. It does this body good!

So now that you all know my new passion, you'll understand the excitement when I post an entry that says, "I just ran a marathon!" That's a ways off, but I think it's definitely doable. Now, onto a card!

This afternoon before heading out to the post office, I made a card for one of my friends who just had twin girls! She's busy, busy, busy settling into motherhood.

This card was quick and easy to make. I didn't want to overdo it, so I kept it simple. Sometimes simplicity is the way to go.

Well, it's almost time for me to eat dinner. Have a great night, and I'll see you all later :)

Shaving Cream and Ink

Huh? If you're new to stamping, you might be wondering what the heck I'm talking about. Well, I just learned a new technique from Gina K over at Stamp TV, and it involves using regular old shaving cream and dye ink refills. Sounds crazy, I know, but the results are totally worth the effort! Check out Gina's video tutorial HERE and then go try it out for yourself!

Here's a piece of paper I did using Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, and Pacific Point reinkers. I think it might be good for a 4th of July card.

I decorated another piece of paper with Tangerine Tango and Pink Pirouette reinkers and then used it on this card.

I really like the marbled effect of this technique. I also stamped the inside of the card.

Supplies: Tangerine Tango, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Glossy White (decorated with shaving cream technique) cardstock; Tangerine Tango, Pink Pirouette, Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip stampin' pads; Cheap Talk stamp set; Tangerine Tango ribbon; dimensionals.

That's all I have for you today! See you next time :)

A Day for Mothers

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there! Whether your children are grown, in diapers, or have a massive amount of fur all over their bodies (he, he), take the time to enjoy the day and relax. This year for Mother's Day, I made my mom a card and picked some roses from the garden and arranged them in the vase that I gave her last year for Mother's Day. We'll start with the card, first.

When you pull up on the flowers, a message is revealed:

And here's the arrangement I made for her:

I also added in some other flowers from the garden like there red-tips:

I'm off to enjoy the rest of my day. Have a wonderful Sunday!

PS - Aunt B, I'm still working on that picture of the Grosbeak for you. He's come back to the yard today, but I haven't gotten a good photo just yet :)

Birds and Butterflies

Greetings, bloggers! Today I have some whimsical cards to share with you that feature birds and butterflies. Shocking, I know! What can I say? LOL. Both cards were inspired by THIS post by Dawn Easton. She's a wonderful card maker, and I find myself turning to her blog often for design ideas.

For this first card, I pulled out my new Inkadinkado stamp set, Gem Stone Birds. I used my favorite fluid chalk ink by Colorbox to ink up the image in several different colors. I raided my patterned paper scrap stash and found these great coordinating pink papers to use for the background. The solid color cardstock is SU's kraft, regal rose, and pink pirouette. The sentiment is from Hero Arts.

I even added some gemstones for the berries and a pearl for the eye.

This next card uses the same overall card design but with different paper and stamps. I think it's so cool how you can take one sketch and make it look so different! My mom actually made this card. She used SU's hostess level 1 stamp set, God's Beauty, and paired it with a stamp from the Inkadinkado Gem Stone Birds set. The sentiment is also by Hero Arts. I think she did a great job!

I ended up adding some gemstones for her as well. I think they make the card pop.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Flowes and Butterflies

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Mine was filled with flowers, roller skating, and a bit of shopping. Can't really go wrong with that, right?!

Let's start off with a few pictures from the flower show. I helped my friend make the poster board for her educational booth, and the display ended up winning first prize. How cool is that?

Here's a close up view of one of the elements I helped to create. I made the "Pick Me! I'm Free!" sign as well as the blanket flower on the front of the pot. Inside the pot are little mini envelopes filled with blanket flower seeds that people could take home and plant themselves.

Since I had never been to a flower show before I didn't quite know what to expect. Of course I knew there would be flowers, but I didn't know there would be competitive displays like the one below. This breakfast tray with a vase full of blanket flowers was my favorite. It won second place.

Out of all the flowers at the show, this stalk was my favorite. I love the vibrant purple color and deep venation on the petals.

Since we're talking about flowers, I thought I would share this fun butterfly card that I made last week inspired by THIS post. I love the simplicity of the design and then the added interest of the pop-up butterflies. It makes me very happy!

Supplies: Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White Cardstock; Kiwi Kiss Classic Stampin' Pad & Craft Whisper White Stampin' Pad; Doodle Jumbo Wheel; Inspired by Nature stamp set; Martha Stewart butterfly punch

Have a wonderful Monday!

A Disney Thank You

My uncle used to work for Disney as a photographer. He has a ton of great Disney paraphernalia and just this past weekend, he passed along some of his original movie prints to me. I was very excited! To let him know how much I appreciated him thinking of me, I made him this Disney-themed thank you card. I used my Cricut to cut out Mickey, and then I outlined him with my white Signo pen. I wrote out the sentiment and put some of those punched out Mickey heads on the inside of the card. He loved it!

Believe it or not, I have more cards to share with you this week, so stay tuned!