Life With Jules, and other stuff

So many storms! I am sending good thoughts out to all of you who have had to deal with the wicked weather to the north of us (the Midwest and the Southern states that is). I hope you all come out unscathed. Easter is behind us, praise Jesus, and Mother’s Day is fast approaching. This means another extremely busy week for us in the floral industry! So if I disappear again, for only a short time, you know why. Dad is doing well and begins chemo on Monday morning. Since he’s only on Medicare, he will be admitted to the local hospital for treatments every other week for at least the next 6 months. This way, he has no out of pocket for that portion. Whew! I have been keeping busy in my stitching over the past several days. Here is what I have been working on: more of Married This Day         I am hoping to have the stitching finished before the end of May so I can send it to my mom to get framed and then give to my friend on or before her birthday. a...

Yea, it’s a bit late in the day here in not-so-sunny Central Florida, but it’s been a nice day all the same. Spent the afternoon with my family, helped hide Easter eggs for the kiddos to hunt, and then watched: Easter 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL Hope yours was just as joyous!! I promised an update on my stitching projects, so here goes! I managed to get a bit done on Week-end a Paris: I picked up the But...

Although I feel like I want to at times. I have been working on some pieces over the past week. However, I don’t have pics to share with you yet. I will get them posted as soon as I can catch my breath. Between dad’s doctor appointments this week, taking care of household chores I normally don’t do (like cook meals, clean kitchen, and dad’s laundry) and working everyday for the Easter holiday, I am pretty tired. Now, I am not saying that I am a terrible cook or housekeeper. I just choose not to do those things if I don’t have to, lol! Dad enjoys cooking, and he’s a fantastic cook on top of it, so I gladly let him. He asks me or I choose to from time to time, but for now I have been told that I am wearing the cooks hat. Fair enough! As for the housework, you can’t tell it’s even been done for more than a day, so I kinda gave up on it a long time ago (like 6 months after moving in here). The carpet is disgusting and so old it needs replacing. The kitchen floor never stays clean enough. L...

Sorry folks! I am finding myself at a loss for words at the moment. I promise to get caught up in the next day or so on the prompts. I think my brain is on a wee bit of overload between my dad’s doctor appointments and this busy Easter week. I am working everyday this week and most of the next two weeks (for prom and Mother’s Day) at the flower shop. For now, I will leave you with an older poem of mine:   Roll around   As we roll around In the fields below Our love becomes As intense as the storm   As we roll around In the bedroom at night Our passions turn into White hot ice   As we roll around In our lovemaking play Our desires expand And I want him to stay   February 18, 1991

I should be caught up tomorrow. But it’s also a holiday week at the flower shop, so I may lag a bit still. ~~~~ Gossip   Spppp, spppp, spppp Or so the whispering goes There is nothing worse In this world Than a gossip Spppp, spppp, spppp That’s the story of the day A big ‘ole gossip Just whispered it in my ear. Spppp, spppp, spppp As it’s whispered in my ear. Please don’t tell me ‘Cause it ain’t none of my business.   16 April 2011 ~ PAD Day 14 ~ “Ain’t none of my business”   ***** About Me   Oh, please read this little bit It may just be a hit But that’s what they always want Just a little about me. I like to use the Facebook, But more to play the games. So what do I write in that space? You know, the one that says “About Me”. Well, I like to read and write. I take some photos too. But cross stitch is a big hobby That I thoroughly enjoy. So there you go, What can I say? Just a little tiny b...

She recently had a small party to design a floral centerpiece and a few other pieces for. Here is the centerpiece: Lisa’s Creation VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL And one of the other pieces: I love watching her and the others create with flowers. It’s amazing what some minds can create!!

I think I am catching up finally! Last couple of evenings I worked on Washington Monument . Here is a picture: I think I have about half of the blue sky completed on this one. It’s kinda dragging because of the sky, but I am enjoying how it’s coming out. And, I am thinking of adding backstitch to accent the monument. I am not sure if I will use iridescent or silver Kreinik, but one of them will pull it out a bit. I am leaning toward the first option. Tonight I will work on Halloween for a bit and over the weekend I plan to catch up on Married this Day . *** Isn’t this cute? I just love Winnie the Pooh and especially Tigger and Eeyore, and Piglet too! I found this kit and purchased it thinking it would make a great New Baby gift. After some contemplating, I decided to use it over and over and over again as a Newborn sampler-type and give one to each of my grandnieces and nephews, as well as one for my niece. I plan to stitch their names above the cloud and the date of birt...

There are some wonderful giveaways going on right now. Do be sure to check them out through the links on my left sidebar! I decided to switch it up a little bit and worked only on a couple of my Crazy pieces over the past few days. Last night I worked on Washington Monument and will post about that later. For now, here is what I worked on during days 8-12: My dad was finally discharged late Tuesday morning and is happy to be home. I think his cat is happy too as she is spending a lot of time with him right now, LOL! We go to his first oncology appointment on Monday morning. Hopefully we will know more about what is going on and what to expect. I would like to take a moment to first thank everyone for their prayers during this difficult time and second welcome all of my newest followers. I have finally broke through 100 and am so happy to have you visiting from time to time. I hope we can learn from one another through posts to come! Until next time…

The object for Day 12’s prompt was to write a poem using some form or anti-form. After much reading on the different forms, and contemplating trying to write a courtly love poem based on the Arab tradition, I chose to write a freestyle…for lack of better words! Where are the words?   I don’t know what to write Today The words don’t seem to come. So this will just be short and Sweet To write a few words for you.   13 April 2011 ~ PAD Day 12 ~ Poem Form   ***** Lingering Embrace   Your eyes embraced me The moment we met And held a special friendship That only I could see. Your smile lit up the room As we held hands Your grip was firm yet loving That only I could know. Though we’ve been apart For many years, The memory of your embrace Lingers in my mind.

I got a little behind on my poeming this weekend, but with good reason (see previous post about father). Here are my three poems for those days, respectively: 8:01 p.m.   “How I Met Your Mother” is now starting Not one of my favorite shows, But something to have on in the background. I much prefer “Mike & Molly” and “Two and a Half Men” ~ speaking of, can you believe they have been moved to 9:30 p.m. ? And on that note, it is now 8:02 p.m. and I must go…   PAD Day 9   *****   Never Again   Never again will I find myself So involved in family squabbles That I find myself sick over it. Then again, maybe I will.   PAD Day 10   *****   Maybe Tomorrow   Yeah, that’s something we hear a lot “Maybe tomorrow he’ll come home.” Or “Maybe tomorrow I’ll get those shoes.” How about “Maybe tomorrow we’ll find some peace.” “Maybe tomorrow…” is a phrase that is so overused in this worl...

My cousin thought it would be a good idea to get me out of the house for a bit over the weekend, so off we went in search of a sunset on the Gulf coast. We wound up at Robert K Rees Memorial Park in New Port Richey, FL. For those of you who may not follow my other blogs, click here to find out what’s been going on. Anyway, while there, I got CRABS: CRABS! VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL Do you see them little guys? Well...

I took my dad to the emergency room almost two weeks ago. I am hoping he comes home tomorrow. Me and the cat sure miss him around here. Yeah, I said it. I miss him when he's gone too long. Anyway, he went in with fever and body aches. The ER doc thought it was pneumonia. Later in the morning, the floor doctor came by and said it wasn't and ordered a CAT scan. That didn't reveal anything so a colonoscopy was performed on Wednesday (the 30th). That doctor found a mass where dad had been having inflammation issues (he was diagnosed with Crohn's earlier this year after his first ever colonoscopy). Well, surgery was scheduled for last Sat morning to remove the mass. The surgeon also biopsied some spots on his liver. He has Stage IV Colon Cancer and it has spread to the liver (only reason it's classified as Stage IV). The spots are cancer but not tumors from what I am told. Chemo will begin in a couple weeks after he has time to heal and build strength. The oncologist see...

First an update on my dad. He has been officially diagnosed with Stage IV Colon Cancer, mainly because it has spread to the liver. There was only 1 tumor removed from the colon and some spots on his liver. It is not curable, as I believe almost all cancers are not, but the doctors are optimistic that it is treatable. We will begin the chemotherapy in a few weeks. They want him to heal from the surgery and build his strength up a bit through eating before the next phase. The oncologist did tell me that there is a possibility it could go into remission. We’ll know more in the coming days. For now, dad is still in the hospital trying to fart – yes, I said fart – so he can come home. I told him to just let it rip when he feels it and make sure the nurses hear it at the nurses station! Hey, I gotta keep his spirits up somehow. His abdominal area is still somewhat swollen and paralyzed from the surgery last Saturday. I may not post that often, as you can see, and may not comment on yours for...

the Sun   I eagerly search for you And await your arrival You always bring a smile To my face And warm my soul   The time draws closer And my patience grows thin As I begin to see a glimmer Of you from afar   You peek out at me From behind the clouds And my heart skips a beat As I feel your smile shine down On me   I celebrate you, the Sun Each and every day that you Share your radiance With me and embrace My face with your warmth

What if? What if he had gone to the doctor When all of the stomach problems began Would they have caught the disease Early enough? What if they caught the disease early enough And he began treatment sooner, Would he have cancer Today? What if he takes the chemo Giving him a chance to live longer Will he be around two or three Years from now? What if my dad died tomorrow, Would I survive?

Don’t Die, Live   The results came back today They are not that good, nor are they dire They say you can fight this And may not die, but live   They say there’s no cure But there never seems to be a cure And people live for years with this A full life, a happy life   The results came back today And we were told it is cancer It is in the liver too – there is hope So, don’t die, live

My Hero   The trolley went by For all of the visitors to see The characters each in place Waving as they passed by Then she saw him, The one with the toothy grin And she knew she had to have A picture of him So she turned to her man And gave him the camera Telling him to run and capture That Goofy on the back of the trolley!

The Florist   The stems are carefully selected Each with a purpose to share As if delicate pieces of silk They are placed into the vase.   The colors on each stem are vibrant And tell of the season ahead As if they share a secret while Snuggling next to each other.   As the vase begins to fill With the colorful stems chosen The florist begins to smile At the creation she has made.

I am a bit early, but with good reason. I may be spending much of the day between grandma’s and visiting dad in the hospital tomorrow and I really wanted to get this post up ASAP! That said… What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “gators”? Is it this: Or maybe this: Could be these: But I think of this: We had one of these as a pet in the 1980s, when I was a kid. It lived in our bathtub for the summer we stayed with our dad in central Florida. But this is definitely NOT something that comes to mind when you hear that word: LOL!!! It’s the Easter Gator! Happy, or dare I say “Hoppy”, Tuesday!!

Well, I spent the past couple days working on Abraham Lincoln. Here is where I left off on Friday evening:         I spent much of yesterday and today working on it while at the hospital. Here is where it stands today: You can see the roof is starting to take form. After this I still have the trees to stitch, finish the bottoms of the house and bushes, the lawn and the lettering. I would say it’s about halfway finished. With any luck, I will complete it next month or June.   Next up is Cream for Kitty. I will work on that piece for a bit this evening and tomorrow.

…this crazy weather we’re having?!?! Something tells me the thermometer at this local Walgreens is not working properly, LOL!!! Just thought you could use a laugh for today!

The Decision   The news is not good, dire in fact And a decision has to be made Is she really ready to become a mother At such a young age? The child was an accident, afterall And the reason she had to get married. Is this truly God’s will or do I get to choose?   The decision has to be made very soon Whether to save this unborn child or not. The young mother is at a crossroads And can’t seem to make this decision easily. The doctor explains that this new drug Will stop her from losing this child. The question is, does she really want it.   The decision is made to take the injection And pray that God will see her through. But what if that decision was not made? My life would not exist as it does today. Did the young mother make the right decision That fateful day all those years ago? I’d like to think so, because she is my mother.