Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Still here!

I promise I am still alive and kicking.  Things have just been super busy and I have been making a sad attempt to stay off of the computer during certain times of the day....pretty much once my kids are home from school, until they go to bed (I am a constant failure at that).    Anyways, until I can get on here and really do a post, I want to share this article that I saw posted on facebook by a friend.  It is very touching, heartbreaking and totally eye opening. 
 Just click right HERE!

Hope you are having a great week as I am rounding out a very crazy past two weeks!!!

Friday, October 14, 2011

They call it the Kestenbaum Sugery b/c it is the BOMB!!!

Ha....that title could mean so many things.  The surgery that Sweet T recently had is called the Kestenbaum Surgery.  As most of you know, it is a double eye turn surgery.  In one way it was not the bomb but like a darn boom.  Poor little fellow really struggled for a few days after having that surgery.  But in so many other ways I would say the surgery is THE BOMB!

On Thursday we headed out to Atlanta to see Teg's doctor.  Even though I was a little anxious (just b/c that is what I do whenever I am leaving my house:), I was very at peace b/c I knew that there was going to be nothing but great feedback from her. 

Tegan's eyes are still bloodshot and probably will be for a good while.  She said that hopefully they will be cleared all the way up by February....WOW!  When she measured his head tilt before surgery, he was turning his head 35 degrees to the left side.  That is a very huge head tilt and one that would lead to a very painful neck problem in his future.  As of yesterday he is measuring at a 10 to 15 degree head tilt.  That is a significant difference.  It will make a world of difference for him pain wise and socially!  To be honest, I don't notice him tilting it a lot so either a 10 degree head tilt isn't that much or he doesn't do it all the time.  She said that for right now, that is as good as it gets because of his age and how short the eyes muscles are at this point in his life.  She said that she couldn't have asked for better results.  When placing his muscles back to his eyes, she went as extreme as she could and so far so good.  Although I was terrified, Dr. Amy Hutchinson at Emory has been such a blessing.  It is hard to trust the judgement of others when it comes to your child...especially his eyes.  When researching her and getting a second opinion before surgery, we were pretty much told that if we were going to let our son have this surgery, she is the one to do it.  I have been so thankful that in the beginning of this whole process, 4 years ago, the hand above placed us in the perfect place for our son to get all the help he could. 

I'm not sure I ever want to watch Tegan go through something like that again but so far I am glad we did it.  His eyes will continue to heal and hopefully continue to improve for a very long time.  In the words of Dr. Hutchinson, "this surgery is a really big surgery and a really big deal".  Since there is so much more healing to do, I really do believe that Tegan's nystagmus and head tilt can completely go away but if not, I am just praising God that he can see, walk, run & play!!! 

Much love to all of you and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the prayers for my little man!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Forever Changed....

On this day, five years ago, I said hello and good bye to my precious baby boy. Today I feel peaceful, sad, blessed, and raw. In the past five years I have been up and down. I have been in and out of every emotion you can imagine. Time may have helped me learn to deal with things but time sure hasn’t made me forget!

Today I am experiencing some sort of writers block.  My flow for words, especially on this subject, seems to be totally blocked.  I have prayed hard for the past few days for a peaceful and numb day today...I think the good Lord gave me exactly what I asked for.  Yes, I have cried, hurt and been sad but I have also laughed, worked and went on with my normal everyday stuff.  My God has blessed me with exactly what I needed today! 

Dear Cohen,

Today I am closer to seeing you again than I have ever been before. Today is my day to cry. This is the time that I let myself go back and remember every detail of the worst week of my life. I still ache and long for you every day. When I close my eyes I can see you, smell you and feel you! Most importantly today I want to tell you that you are one of my biggest blessings ever. All of my kids have taught me things but the wisdom I have gained from your tiny little life….that wisdom overflows all other.  You forever changed me and I continue to learn from you daily!  I have found peace with your passing but that hasn’t taken away my hurt for you.  Today I am fine with the fact that you are celebrating on the knee of Jesus instead of my own.  Today I love you as much as I ever have.
Love, Your Mommy



Cohen Minish, Oct .04 2006
 
Wait
by Russell Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . .
And the Master so gently said, "Wait."

"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

"My future and all to which I relate
Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait?
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

"You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply."

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied again, "Wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . .
and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint.
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence are all you can see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love
When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.
You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of my comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.
And though often My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."
 
 I wouldn't change a thing and couldn't imagine my life going any other way! 
 He knew exactly what I needed in this life....all three of my children!!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Paper Pretty!

As I have said before, I am venturing in to a totally different type of business these days and so far I am LOVING it!  It gives me the chance to still be creative but not have to run all over town (30 minutes from my house) collecting supplies like sewing did.  I didn't think I would ever say this but I have gotten burnt out with sewing.  I still love it and still plan to do little stuff here and there but that will mostly be stuff for myself, family or friends, not for business purposes.  With being back to work there just isn't enough time to run around buying supplies every other day & then making the item.  I have actually been posting lots of my sewing stuff on ebay.  Most of what I am posting is fabric that I bought a long time ago and have never gotten around to using or all the embroidery blanks that I have but will also probably never use. 

So I started learning as much as I could about different design softwares.  Digital backgrounds and graphics are like fabric for me...addictive!  It really gets my creative juices flowing and I love it.  I opened up a shop on etsy, Paper Pretty Designs, and started creating.  I have been so blessed that in the past two months I have had 83 sales.  Those sales don't include the sales I have had from friends and facebook!  You can like my facebook fanpage HERE!  Then suggest my page to others.  With all the facebook changes I think the easiest way to do this is just to suggest it one time as your status.  You can say something about it and then just put @Paper Pretty Designs and it should highlight it blue and link to my page.  Very simple! 

I have been working hard to create lots of Christmas cards.  I am very anxious to start listing them but I keep watching etsy to see if other Christmas cards are selling yet and they aren't so I am trying to time it just right.  I am doing everything from very simple and traditional to stepping outside of the box with very funky original cards:)
Below is just a taste of the Christmas cards I am working on!  You won't find these cards on the Walmart photo site:)

Get super cute and modern baby shower invitations!
Birthday invites to go with any theme plus you can get matching printable cupcake toppers, party favor tags, thank you cards, birthday banners, water bottle wraps, etc..

  LOVE my little business and very blessed to be doing something I love so much!!!