Franstuff

6-12-09

I believe I have one more swap I need to send, and 2 envelopes that came back that I had sent out earlier. I will take care of them as soon as I can. If I haven't rated you yet, I promise I will. I am not going to be doing any swaps until Donna has stabilized for significant period of time, and I have caught up on the rest of my life. Swaps are only the beginning of what I am behind on...My house is a disaster! I would appreciate any blessings, prayers, good thoughts from whatever spiritual belief you may have. Donna and I need all the help we can get.

My friend who I take care of has taken a turn for the worse again. She had emergency surgery a couple of weeks ago. to fix her bowel problem...maybe it was 3 weeks ago....it all blends together. Anyway, she was there for a week or so, then came home and was doing well for awhile. Then she had a GI bleed, and aspirated. Fortunately I had arranged my schedule from my other job to be off the entire week after she came home, so I was there when it happened. Off to the ER, and she has been in ICU ever since, and I haven't seen much of my home since then.

I am using a computer at the hospital right now. She just today has started to stabilize, and pulled her own breathing tube out. Amazingly, she is breathing well on her own. I thought we were going to have to start making end of life decisions today. She's still not out of the woods yet, but I think I can sleep in my own bed tonite. I am not going to be doing any swapping until she is stable, and I can count on being able to function in a normal fashion.

Thanks for thinking of me. Fran

5-19-09

I am really sorry. I really can't excuse how behind I am. I can only say my elderly roommate has been in the hospital AGAIN, and alost died AGAIN. She is home now, and we are trying to get her strong enough to have surgery to remove part of her colon, which is apparently causing these infections, I don't really understand how. They also think the masses are cancerous.

I am home today, and I am working on getting the swaps out right now.

All I can say is I am sorry, I fell apart. Too much happened at the same time. I am not going to be swapping again until I am sure I am stable, and my roommate is stable.

Thank you to those who have sent me encouraging mail. I have not been able to face my email yet, I don't really know what is wrong with me. I haven;'t even opened all of my snail mail. I am so upset with myself, and so embarrassed. I am going to try and send this message to all of the people I owe swaps too.

Thank you for understanding.

Fran

I apologize to anyone I haven't sent to yet. The elderly lady I take care of has been in ICU with pnemonia, and my daughter and I also have been sick. I have severe asthma, so any kind of illness really knocks me out.

My computer also crashed again, permanently, I think. I have been too sick too do anything about it until now, and I have resurrected an old PC.

Donna is finally back home, and my daughter and I are recovering. She is back to school today, and hopefully back home. I have been too sick to take care of myself, her and Donna, so she has been at her dad's house. I am also working at the pharmacy, probably sooner than I should have, since I don't have sick leave.

Well, enough whining. April has been a really rough month for me, and I am hoping March is better. I should be able to get my swaps out in the next couple of days, now that I am online.

Please forgive me. I am sure there is probably something I could have done better, and I am sorry I didn't. I will make sure everyone's packages make them smile, and I won't be signing up for any swaps until I am completely healed.

IMPORTANT!! Please keep Donna in your prayers or blessings, whatever your faith or practice. Her health is fragile on a good day, and she has several surgeries they want want to do when she's strong enough. She is a really good friend, and took care of me a couple of years ago when I almost died of pnemonia. She is very important to my daughter and I, and we don't want to lose her.

I am a 45 year old mother of three (2 boys, 1 girl) ages 9, 18 & 26. My nine year old daughter lives with me, while my 18 year old son lives with their father, and my 26 year old son finally lives on his own.

My daughter and I also have a roommate, who I am the caregiver for. The three of us girls are allowed to live here by our three cats, who also tolerate (barely) our Pomeranian. I think they like having the parakeet and 2 fish around for entertainment.

The only reason I will mention the divorce I am going through, is that perhaps it will give someone else a ray of hope.

When my husband of 22 years traded me in on a newer model I was DEVASTATED. I didn't know how I was going to live without him, and wasn't sure I wanted to even try. To make a long story short, I am happier now than I have been in many years, and I am succeeding! The best part is I have my creativity back!!

First of all, in anything I do, I like to recycle, upcycle, reuse, or at least try not to buy anything new, if it can be avoided. I have enough art supplies to last me several lifetimes, which is one of the things that brought me to swap-bot.

Here are the things I love to do now, or want to do soon:

Beadwork/Jewelry Making Collage/Assemblagen Pen & Ink Drawings with PERMANENT pens with different nib style...ie fine, super fine, brush markers...etc. I like the permanant ink, especially in the black, because it doesn't bleed when you color it in, if I so choose.

Mosaic - I use ANYTHING and everything to mosaic with. Broken jewelry, broken china, buttons, doohickeis, dumaphlagies. plus the normal assortment of tiles and stained glass scraps. If you have a piece of broken china or something else cool, I am probably foaming at the mouth for it...grin

Crochet = mostly scrap crochet. I would love to learn freeform crochet.

Quilting = mostly crazy quilting and scrap quilting. I hate planning my art, I don't think I have ever planned out anything I've quilted, except when I recoverd my couch in denim, rail fence pattern.

Rubber Stamping I like UM stamps, and have wooden blocks to use them with, but I don't have any acrylic blocks yet, of any size.

Card Making Scrapbooking Writing...I know I do more, but that is what I am doing now...

Vintage Paper Items

HORSES!!! I forgot to mention the HORSES originally! My daughter is also in love with them, so ANYTHING HORSEY is always good!!

I also LOVE ANYTHING HANDMADE. I will always give hearts for something you make yourself. I would always love something handmade! I love anything! Bookmarks, ATC's, drawings,knit, crochet,

Pens, Pens Pens! Any Kind of Pens!! I am especially fond of waterproof black ink pens. & Gel Pens.

Any kind of vintage papers: letters, cards,;book pages; foreign language pages. If it's olk, I will like it!

Asian papers Cool paper scraps ATC supplies Any kind of jewelry findings (that's the stuff you use toe put the jewelry together, like earwires, crimp beads and clasps.) BROKEN JEWELRY GLASS BEADS Old chains (for jewelry making)

Journals, blank books, things to write in or draw in. Colored Pencils

Did I mention Horses?

DIY Network Jewelry Making Shows Craft Shows History Channel Food Network BYU-TV

I ALWAYS send my packages, so please PM me before rating negatively if you don't get yours. I will do whatever is necessary to make it right.

IMPORTANT: I am behind because of illnesses, and I will get the swaps out. Thank you 4-29-09