Check This Out!

I was just catching up on some of my blog reading and I ran across this use for paper bags from knitsteel. Check it out. It's just brilliant and so very cool!

Oh, my bleeding heart....

Bleeding Hearts, originally uploaded by msbellee.

Yes, I'm still alive. And I apologize for having not written an entry here in so long. But like the picture and the title of this entry, that's how I feel.

Kevin and I returned safely from the mountains two weeks ago, saying goodbye to Granny for a while. Kevin started crying as we were pulling away from mom's and so did I. I haven't stopped crying inside my heart yet. I miss the place and her. Part of me goes numb when I leave there and I get all empty inside. It's like I have since run out of steam and energy to do much of anything. So I concentrate on Kevin and getting him to his summer class. It lasts for two more weeks and perhaps then we can go back to the mountains if just for another few weeks before school starts. Oh, my bleeding heart....

***

The picture above is of my mother's bleeding hearts. They got bitten by frost when they first came out and then they came back with a vengeance at the beginning of June. I've never heard of a bleeding heart blooming so late in zone 6 before, but this year was unusual in its temperature fluctations. Regardless, it bloomed and was gorgeous, and it was bigger and better than ever. I guess the cold did not hurt it at all, but probably helped.

I took so many pictures while at mom's. I haven't even begun to put the last of the good ones on Flickr yet but I will get to it sometime. I did put a few more flowers up on there for you to go see. Just click on the link for the Flickr pictures at the top left and you'll see them. There was this awesome flame azalea at my sister's house as well as a knockout rhododendron. I swear it was that color pink!

Kevin also lost his second tooth while we were in the mountains. It was very exciting! This time the tooth fairy left him $2.00 instead of $5.00. The first amount was special since it was his first tooth. Now things have calmed down to a more manageable sum!

***

Something strange and disturbing has been happening with Kevin. He has been waking up crying, saying "it hurts, it hurts!" Very disturbing and scary. He did it for the first time about 2 nights ago at 3:00 in the morning. He looked scared and looked at me like "do something, mommy!" He could not tell us where it hurt or what hurt but just kept saying, "it hurts, it hurts." Then he said his mouth hurt. He never did vomit although I thought he was going to.

Then the next morning he woke up the same way and said the same thing again over and over again, crying, again giving me that pleading look. I did not know what to do but hold him. I asked him where it hurt. He said he didn't know. I asked him if it was his ear. He said no. Tummy? No. Head? No. Mouth? No. His answer was 'no' to everything. This time he said he felt 'sideways'. Aha! I thought 'ear'. An ear infection disturbing his balance maybe? Then he was fine again. But his appetite was gone. He did not eat supper the night before, breakfast or lunch that day, and didn't hardly touch his supper last night. (He always eats.)

Again it happened yesterday evening (Friday). I decided that we were going to the emergency clinic since it was after 5:00. When the doctor checked his ears they were fine. His nose was fine. Throat was fine. Everything was fine. He had a low grade fever of 99.1 degrees. Other than that he checked out normal. The doctor said that if it was behind the ear drum he could not see it. He gave us Zyrtec to try. Zyrtec? For this mysterious sideways hurting illness? He said he did it for seasonal allergies that I do know Kevin has and he had been sneezing and coughing just a bit lately. He said that his nose was a tad bit irritated and that if this was something ear related it could not be seen. He also asked Kevin to perform a series of movements like hopping up and down on one foot to test his balance. He passed with flying colors. It's still a mystery.

He took the Zyrtec last night and tonight and he slept through the night without a hitch. He also did not complain today of being sideways or of anything hurting. He ate his breakfast and most of his lunch. Then he ate all his supper. It's 2:47 a.m. Sunday and he hasn't cried out in his sleep yet. I hope it's gone whatever it is/was. I am now thinking it was growing pains. Who knows?

If anyone has any suggestions or experiences similar to this I would love to hear your comments. I don't want Kevin to ever suffer needlessly if I can help it at all as I'm sure any mother doesn't. Has anyone else's child ever had anything like this?

***

Now for the jewelry portion of this entry....

I have been making a few new things lately for my shop (and a lot of custom orders for my family), and I actually sold the first necklace of a new series I'm planning using some cool laser cut wooden filigree pieces. I was very excited about that sale as it was my first one to someone other than family in over a month. Here is another pair of earrings and a necklace I made with some of the wooden shapes. And there will be more coming soon!

There have been several treasury lists I've appeared in the past few weeks and I actually created my second treasury list the other day. I featured a lot of you in it! I hope you all had fun. I did.

Between Kevin's class and driving back and forth to it, I'm not getting as much done as I'd like. But I gave myself a goal to reach by buying an Etsy showcase spot for July 12th. This is only the third one I have ever had. The first time I did it for two days back in February. Zero sales. I said I'd never do it again. But for $7.00 I thought I might as well try it again and see what happens. It gets my butt in gear to make new stuff if nothing else! I want to fill up my shop as much as I can with new and different things. I learned to handknot, so I have a new handknotted necklace that I just listed Saturday night. Go see it! It may not be a Stephanie's, Katie's or Kathy's, but I'll try! I want to be among the handful on Etsy who handknots. I really liked doing it too. It was a lot of fun.

Well, I suppose I'd better go for now. I promise to come visit you all soon and catch up on your blogs. I promise! Expect to see me there very soon!

Until next time....

Untitled

iris with critter, originally uploaded by msbellee.

Just wanted to post thjs picture of one of mom's beautiful irises.

Please feel free to visit me on Flickr where you can see all sorts of interesting stuff!!

Fortunate and Thankful

Blog Pals treasury list, originally uploaded by msbellee.

This week and last week I have been very fortunate to be in several treasury lists on Etsy. I feel I'm not worthy of all these list inclusions, but I am certainly thankful to be in such wonderful and talented company as is evidenced by these lists!

The above list was created by my dear friend Stephanie Gibson. (You all know and love her, too!). She is one of my first Etsy friends and I am proud to call her such. She is also mom to 'Thing 1' and 'Thing 2', and from what I hear she is a terrific babysitter! Wish she lived close to me!! (Thank you Stephanie!)

I was also in another list created by 'appalachia' featuring members of the 'Etsy Gardening 101' Flickr group. Thank you appalachia!

And last but not least is a list that I was in last week that I forgot to add to my blog. It's an EtsyMoms Street Team list created by LP Jewelry (Lisa's Pieces) of Etsy. Thanks Lisa!

I'm so flattered to be inlcuded in each and every one of these lists. All I can say to everyone who created these is thank you. I feel I'm not worthy, but thank you! I very much appreciate it.

Second Treasury List Today!

Today was my lucky day! I was in yet another treasury list!

This cool picnic list was created by my good Etsy/Flickr/North Carolina friend, Carol. She is silverbeadsandclay on Etsy and luvmypups on Flickr. She's very talented and makes beautiful jewelry (and treasury lists!).

Thank you Carol. I appreciate the inclusion in this fun list! :)

(I never can grab a list in the treasury. I've only ever had one before. If I ever got another one I would want to include so many people I would never be able to decide who to put in it!)

Tangerine 'N Green

Tangerine N Green treasury list, originally uploaded by msbellee.

Isn't this a beautiful treasury list? I just discovered it today. This lovely, colorful list included my apple green turquoise necklace and was created by budanart of Etsy.

Thank you very much, budanart, for including me in this wonderful list. I appreciate it very much and am honored you chose my necklace to grace this lovely treasury. You made my day. :)