Sharing a Memory~and where to go from here in 2019?

Hi friends! There are times I don't know whether to keep my blog updated as I know many have skipped blogging for the speedier Instagram feed. But this is my space to share memorable moments and milestones. And honestly, just a time of reflection for me as I look back and also ahead.
So before I go further into my story, I need to say how grateful I am for God’s provision and care. He has given me a very caring and capable and strong husband. Our Beulah is a constant source of joy and laughter and love. Our daughters are close by and it is a real comfort to know I can hop in a car on a weekend for a visit!
To be honest, though, I began 2019 a little discouraged.  The health issues that began in 2017 are still no closer to being resolved...and surprising to me...new ones have developed. I know aging is inevitable but mine began with a tooth that broke in December 2017 right before Christmas. Following that was a root canal, crown, and after that so much pain ensued over about 6 months I was ready to have my tooth extracted. The plan at the time was to prepare my gums for a dental implant. I saw several oral surgeons and confirmed that this was the right course of action. Unfortunately, the pain was never resolved. I had electric like pain in my face which was diagnosed as Trigeminal Neuralgia. Over the course of a year or more I saw two neurologists and had MRI's to rule out a brain tumor and M.S. I began the treatment course of pharmaceutical regimen for T.N. During my research I realized that my T.N. was atypical. I began seeing Pain Specialists as well as Orthodontists to determine if it was related to my dental work and if so if there was any way to reverse the damage or minimize it.
 That is the short of it. The time has been long and lots of waiting, searching, and trying to trust and rest. What I have learned in this journey is that you will get a different answer to an illness depending on the type of doctor you see. None of my doctors agreed to the best course of treatment and none of them had much encouragement to share. Dental treatment is not insured and thus very expensive. And ultimately the decision as to what treatment to pursue and how to move forward feels a bit lonely and unsure.
So here I am again...a year later and looking at more surgeries. I am entering a new year with a birthday tomorrow and the need for foot surgery looming ahead. So, my husband asked me what I wanted to do...and I thought to myself...I really just want to be free of pain. Because of having Rheumatoid Arthritis I have been taking a drug that has slowed the progress of that immune disease for about 25 years. Having that drug treatment has been a lifesaver and enabled me to do all the normal activities and reduce pain and disease progression. I have been very grateful for it. But, in the past year  I have been told now by my oral surgeon and also the foot doctor...that the drug will slow my ability to heal. That information precipitated a talk with my rheumatologist who did not believe the medication had that large an effect on healing. But my plan is to go back and double check this information...because I definitely want to give my body the advantage of healing as much as possible if I elect to proceed with the foot surgery. And my oral surgeon had suggested to do exploratory surgery where my tooth was extracted to remove the bone graft, clean the area, and do bone biopsies. The hope there was to facilitate healing in the jaw and to allow me to have the implant. Because right now I don't have any way to proceed with an implant because no one will do it until the nerve pain is resolved. So I am stuck. And boy...do I feel it. I am afraid of having another surgery because the neurologist thinks that could worsen the nerve pain...and that is the last thing I want. So the question is...what started the nerve pain? Is it related to the extraction site being infected or never properly healing? Is it because of the bone graft? Is it due to nerve damage when I was given an injection of anesthetic? Was it caused by a faulty root canal? At this point...I want to know only to know if having surgery will help or make things worse.
I didn't start this post expecting to write this...and I doubt if anyone else sees and that is alright. Because this is my beginning of 2019 and as of tomorrow I am another year older. After the past year I am honestly not looking forward to aging. But I do believe that typical aging is not as difficult as having a major illness and surgeries that abruptly disrupt your life.
My plan is to "forge ahead." I need a big dose of courage and trust to round this next bend. If you read this I would be so appreciative of your prayer.
Which brings me to a photo I wanted to share. Last year my family took me on a trip for my 60th birthday. It was a surprise as to where we were going and I wasn't convinced I would be up for much travel so our daughter planned a short plane trip to the California coast. It was just a weekend...but so special!! I found a photo of the last night we were there and we had taken a small boat off the coast with a Captain in charge. The sun was just beginning to set when this was taken.

When I was looking back over the year and something memorable...I shared with my husband that this was it. Just as we were heading back to shore, a group of dolphins playfully swam along our little boat. It was magical.
Well...thank you for reading along. I will be back to stamping soon.

Steamboat Spring's 104th Winter Carnival

Erin and I (she's beautiful, isn't she?)
As I was driving to our mountain condo over this past weekend...I couldn't help notice there was hardly any snow and the Winter Carnival was set to take place the following morning. We were there for our daughter's birthday weekend and for my husband, an avid skier, to catch a few runs. The winding road leading up to the condo was bare in many spots, revealing lots of bleak gray foliage and mud where there should be sparkling snow. Such is winter at times.
But overnight, the snow came...and by morning and all through the entire day, it came down in downy wet crystals...sticking to everything.
It was magical...and I am glad for all the kiddos that participated in the festivities. The Main Street is closed off and the events begin...kids of all ages being pulled by horses with real life cowboys who grew up riding horses on local ranches. So fun to watch!

Kids getting ready for the three legged race!

Locals and visitors line both sides of the street to watch the events which lasted until noon. In the background you can barely make out a dark strip halfway up...that is Howelson Hill ski jump where some past Olympian Gold medalists have practiced.

Cowboys and horses...oh my! What else can I say?

Walter -our daughter's dog

He's such a sweet natured and gentle creature. Everyone stopped, especially tiny toddlers...to reach out and stroke his fur. They must instinctively know what a sweet dog he is. And he loved all the attention!

Thanks for stopping in...I hope you're enjoying the winter weather wherever you are!

Lovely Day Card and Parrot Tulips in my Garden~

I've mentioned several times that I purchased the loveliest bag of tulip bulbs last October and my husband and I actually planted them! We have a deck outside of our kitchen that overlooks a sloped hill covered in river rock, small rock, Aspens and shrubs. I have wanted some color there for awhile...but always forgot about spring flowers until it was spring and then it was too late to plant.
So here are a couple of  photographs of our daffodils and tulips.

They are good and strong and bright yellow...and look dramatic against the rock and mulch. Bringing me much happiness as I look out my kitchen window.

These tulips started out white, and their color has deepened to a very dark pink striation as they have matured. This is from the top of the stairs and at the bottom of our little slope you can see the Aspens and the bird bath and feeders. We have three clusters of these and I hope to plant more in the Fall.

And another spring inspired card using designer paper and matching the tulips from Papertrey Ink with inks...a bit of washi tape on the side, copic colored pearls and a scalloped border. I was pretty pleased with incorporating stamps using designer paper as I usually find it to be challenging.
Thanks for taking a meander and wishing you a lovely day!!

Beulah at Six Months!

Hi there, puppy loving friends! Our daughter got this cute camera shot over the Christmas holidays at our condo in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. You can see our newly renovated kitchen in the background, and this is one of my favorite expressions of our Beulah-girl...curious and playful. I also love this photo of Tom holding her. She is almost getting too big to sit in our laps now...as my husband likes to tell me, "Our little girl is growing up..." And right now she is recovering from her surgery to spay her...oh, I feel so badly for her...she keeps looking at me with those wounded or is it sleepy? puppy eyes...and I just tell her she will feel better soon and give her lots of soothing puppy pats. Poor thing. I know she'll be back to her playful self in a few days...thanks so much for visiting and have a relaxing weekend~! *Oh, and when we picked her up last night at the vet's and we gave the receptionist her name, she says, "Oh, that was the really Pretty golden,"...as if giving her special recognition. That was sweet, but I told her, "They are all really pretty..." And she laughed and agreed with me. Don't want to hurt any one's feelings...but truthfully, I think most dogs are "pretty," or "handsome..." but of course, Beulah is beautiful in our eyes. Awww....

Flourishes Textures of Nature Challenge FLLCJUNE13

This week summer hit my home state of Colorado with nary a Popsicle in sight...hot and windy with two days of record setting temperatures. Being outdoors right now is not something I want to do until around 9 o'clock in the evenings. Sun and dry temperatures have started another string of wild fires, none of which are near us, thankfully!
So it is good weather to stay indoors and play along with this month's new release Challenge at Flourishes: Textures of Nature.

My card used designer paper for the flowers in the corner and the library card...it is all one piece. The stamp of the little girl watering the flowers was added to the paper.  The sentiment and stamp are Flourishes, the touch of nature is the wood grain designer paper and the wood butterfly which I accented with three tiny rhinestones. The gorgeous ribbon is hand dyed and a gift from my dear friend, Diane Noble.
I have been doing a lot of watering our flowering pots this week...and I have one pot of basil that I hope to see flourish a lot soon!
Speaking of nature,right out the back door of my parent's home in Grand Junction (the western slope of Colorado) is the Colorado National Monument. You can see some of these rock formations as you look from their yard. My girls went hiking there the weekend of my Mom's memorial service at the house.

Sister solidarity!! I love this picture. Our daughter, Caitlyn, on the right...just moved to Saratoga Springs, New York two days ago. I miss her already. Our youngest, Erin and I plan to visit her in two short weeks.
Thanks for popping in...always appreciate hearing from you and what is new in your corner of the world.

My Daughters on Graduation!

My youngest daughter, Erin, right on top, center on bottom...graduated this May from Colorado State University.  I realize she is missing her graduation cap...these were taken afterwards, and she took her cap off. I am so proud of Erin...she graduated with "high honors" with a degree in Business and an emphasis in International Business and Marketing. She also accomplished this in four years, including a semester abroad in Barcelona, Spain last Spring. Her older sister, Caitlyn, came from Denver and we spent the day together. Our daughters have always been close, and the first photo is one of them being slightly silly doing what they call the "prom pose."
I love these pictures, it reminds me how blessed I am and how very proud I am to be the Mom of my two girls...well, I guess young women would be a better term!! And of course, my sweet husband was the one taking the pictures. He does not like to be in them, though, so I will spare him that.
This is our back deck with the neighborhood pond in the back...this Spring has been so lovely with all the green buds and some fresh rain.
So just wanted to share this happy moment...and praising God for it!! Thanks for stopping by!

Splendor in Steamboat

 

Just wanted to share one of my photographs taken around Steamboat Springs...caught a close-up of one of the last of the Autumn leaves clinging to the branch on a crisp cool day!

Double Rainbow

 

Can you see it?? This picture was taken at Steamboat Lake this past summer when so typical of Colorado, we were caught unaware by a brief thundercloud and ensuing rain. We were huddled in the boat under the cover for about 20 minutes, teeth chattering and whipped by the rain while my husband calmly kept throwing his fishing line in off the back of the boat waiting out the storm.
But after the rain, the rainbow. Not only one, but two...which made the storm and the wait so worth it. Don't you just love rainbows?

Last of the Lazy Days of Summer

Good afternoon, sweet blogging friends!
I have been taking a break from here due to travel, but some have made inquiries as to my whereabouts...so thought maybe I should check in!
Late July, my husband, youngest daughter, and myself took a vacation to Portland and Seattle. Since I am away from my home computer, I can't show you any of those photographs, although I did upload them to Facebook about a week ago. We had such a nice time, driving around West Linn and Lake Oswego, Oregon, and driving by our first two homes we had while living there. The very first one is up this wriggly road that passes a creek and some strange looking homes. Our daughter, after seeing it and hearing of some of the things we did there called us hillbillies!! The nerve...I had to laugh. Well, we would take our canoe to the creek and row down it with our dog, we had a donkey friend that came to visit us in the backyard and would feed it apples and carrots, and I did some canning and made berry pie fillings. I guess that makes us hillbillies!!
Anyway, we got back and then turned around and drove up to Steamboat Springs, Colorado where we own a pretty condo tucked into a little patch of heaven with a creek running below it. When we get here, it is always tough to leave...so even though it is just me and the dog, I stayed. I am so enjoying it, don't know when I will come home!! There is so much to do here in the summer, even though it is known as a ski destination resort! There is hiking, a hot springs pool, fun shopping, furniture consignment stores, fishing, boating, gondola riding, lunch on the Yampa river, Fish Creek Falls, and a really nice botanical park where this photograph was taken. And a lot of amazing art galleries in the historical downtown area. Anyway, I have lots to do, including a quiet read on the deck and just plain ole relaxation!!
All except not being able to stamp, but I figure I can do that soon enough. Hope you are enjoying these last lazy days of summer!
Are there any things you have planned to do before the next season begins? I'd love to hear all about it!!

Want to see my dirt and rock collection?

Just want to give you some dirt on what's going on in my little corner of the world...hee...I don't like to gossip but this kind of dirt, I am happy to share!

We are doing a major overhaul (another bad pun) here at the Major household...a lot of dirt being hauled around. It all started with a few junipers that needed to be replaced. Once we had landscapers out, of course, it turned into the drainage was wrong and needed improvement, the sidewalk and front porch had cracking due to settling and so that meant more changes...

so what started as a small project is turning into a big one.

The first picture frames are following day one of pulling up plants and delivering boulders. The boulders scared me..they are BIG!! I mean, a little much...but they assured me that it would look good when it was all in place. The last frames show day 3 and what an improvement. We still have 2 weeks left...and I intend to show progress along the way.

All I can say is those men worked really hard...and I am glad I didn't have to try to move one of those rocks!!

Ok, if you get to the end of this, do me a favor and scroll down to my next post where I have something prettier than dirt for you. Thanks for sharing in my excitement!!

It's a "Major" Find!!

Most of you who read my blog (all 3 of you :) ) have actually seen my stamp room. But not many know that one of my favorite past times is bargain hunting on Craig's List...I usually drop in at least once a day and do my usual search. I have been looking for bookcases for over a year now, and two days ago, these are what I found!! I can't tell you how excited I was to see these, so much so that I ran to get my cash out of the bank faster than you can say, well what can you say in 15 minutes?? I even managed to stuff one of them in my car and drive home before the lady could change her mind!!

I have had a really nice two days just putting up pretty things on my shelves. I emptied out bags of primas and arranged them in clear glass vases...put up several of my own favorite creations (of course they match the decor) and a few from friends that I keep forever. If you don't see your card, please know I rotate these all the time, so there are usually at least a dozen...although today I'm just showing a very few. Remember you can click on the picture for a closer view...it is a little difficult to catch the detail and still frame the entire piece.

I have this framed sentiment that I love which is shown in one of the pictures...it reminds me that making cards is not the final end, it's remembering people and sending out cards that is the reason for my passion. I really don't want to lose sight of that...and this sentiment, "Write it on your heart that those you love are life's most precious gifts..." reminds me to write write write those cards.

See those framed roses in the center on both shelf units....that was a garage sale find years ago that I went and had framed. I love them. And the small dainty pedestal dishes with the roses on them is from a set of dishes that my Nana had that I decided to use to store things in. I do love to display beautiful things, and this set of dishes is so special to me.

Oh, and in the right corner, that tall thing with ribbons hanging from it is an antique coat rack, another find from about a year ago from a very old house in Loveland, Colorado. I decided I would hang ribbon that I bought just snippets of and didn't have an entire roll...it is pretty~

See that blue settee in the corner? That's a bit of a story, too. I have had that piece of furniture for over almost 16 years. I did give it away to a dear friend who needed it when I had a full place with no room. About 2 years ago, I talked with her and found out she was moving, and asked her if I could have it back. In the time that had elapsed, I had two daughters move out and a lot of empty space. It fit perfectly in my stamp room, I couldn't have been more pleased. It really does put an entirely true spin to the old adage, "What goes around, comes around." Who knew??

I will share more pictures of my room another day, but for today, just wanted to share with you my latest bargain that has me thrilled. I don't think these shelves could have been a better fit, color, or design for my space.

Thanks for looking...and sharing my happiness over my new find!!

Stampin' Friends in Steamboat!!

Okay, so we had all weekend, and got a lot of pictures sitting around my little dining room table staring at glitter..it was mesmerizing in all it's varied color hues...but not that exciting for a picture to post! So this was taken as a last shot on the way out of town! We did not find one single bear to take our picture, can you believe it? So a kind unsuspecting man in the parking lot had to suffice...

Left to right are Peggysue (Jeanne), Lois, (Minister's Wife), Traci (tracim), Cindy (Mothermark,

and Joanne (JoJot.)

Most of our time was spent stamping and each of these talented ladies brought a make n take type project (or 2 or 3) all ready to go. I hope to post those tomorrow or very soon, but let's just say each project was so fun and I learned some really cool techniques!

When we weren't stamping, we were gathered around the back deck enjoying the sounds of the rushing creek, or going out to eat! We all had a lot of fun, made new friends, and great memories.

Thanks for coming and sharing my special place with me!!