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presby2
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Name: Cindy
Birthday: 6/26/1959
Gender: Female
Interests: Family. Chocolate. Friends. Chocolate. Theology. Chocolate. Reading. Chocolate. Crafting, specifically with polymer clay these days. Chocolate....... Oh, really, that makes it sound as though CHOCOLATE is the most important thing in my life. It's really not. That would be.......... My family. All of 'em. You know who you are!And first and foremost, my Lord Jesus Christ.
Expertise: My expertise - well, let's see. I can type like a madwoman, most of the time with very few errors. I can cook. I can sew. I can make small children laugh hysterically. Princess Rachel says that everything I do is a craft, and lately, most of that has been with polymer clay. I'm pretty good at computers and spend a lot of time on my laptop.
Occupation: The World's Very Best Auntie.
Industry: Family
Message: message me
Member Since:
8/23/2004
 True  Lifetime
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| I've opened an Etsy shop! |
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| What's an Etsy shop?
It's a place where, for a small amount of money, crafters, artists and artisans can offer things they've produced for sale. If you haven't checked it out yet, you really should. Great handmade items of all types and quality and prices. Truly amazing.
And I've entered the fray.
I'm selling one of a kind polymer clay purses and jewelry - and who knows what else? on Etsy. The items above are the kinds of things I have for sale.
PLEASE feel free to add a link to my Etsy store on your site. Thanks! I need all the publicity I can get. It's hard breaking into this gig. ;-) |
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| I've been claying up a storm these past weeks, and this morning I put a few new items up on my Etsy page. I have several more to post, but I got bored with it quickly. I'd rather create than try to sell the stuff! :)
Check out my new profile photo - isn't it gorgeous? Such beautiful boys! Amy snapped that pic the other day and emailed it to me. I haven't it as my desktop wallpaper and when I open my laptop it's nearly a life-sized photo of my sweet boys, peekin' through at Grandma.
I'm doing pretty well - a bit of swollen glands this morning. Will watch to make sure it doesn't develop into anything, but other than that I feel ok. Faron, on the other hand, has new problems cropping up daily, it seems. I think I mentioned here that he had to have a CT scan of his kidneys because of some symptoms he's had. A few days after the test, on Monday, the doc's office called, insistent on speaking with Faron only. He hasn't put me on his HIPAA form, the stinker. They said they'd call after hours that night (I've never had them do that for me.) and so I started to worry, and just to be fair, I called Jason to share so he could worry too.
It seems that when they did the CT on his kidneys, the scan picked up some nodules on his lungs. So now he's to have another CT scan, so they can take a closer look at the lungs. Dr Wallace says he thinks it's likely nothing, but we must check it out. So he goes back to Dr Wallace next week to be sure the Swine flu hasn't hung around, sees a plastic surgeon for the cyst above his eye in early December, and on December 24, he sees a urologist about the possible kidney problem, aaaaaand, he's having this other CT scan, but we haven't a date yet for that. Hopefully Dr Wallace hasn't missed anything. 
Finally, I snapped this photo from my bed early one morning as the sun was lightening the sky over the hills behind our house.
Thanksgiving plans: just the four of us, cooking together and stuffing ourselves like fools. :)
me<><
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| Like this one:
Derek walks himself up the wall like that. Jared just loves being where Brother is. You can see the rest of them here, at Amy's xanga blog.
As she explains, The Amazing Jared is now a mobile baby, crawling - no more wounded soldier stuff for him! And Derek is forming complete sentences. He's beginning to grasp simple concepts. Same and different, for instance. Wow - how's it happen so fast?
Faron's doing well after his bout of Swine flu - he went back to work on Monday and today was the first day he didn't crash as soon as he finished eating. He had a CT scan today to see if there is a problem with his kidneys, something they've looked at before but over the years (the first time he had a kidney dye test both my parents were still living - Dad died in 1981, so it's been a while!) the symptoms keep recurring, so hopefully this time they'll decide to look elsewhere or find whatever it is.
He also has an appointment with a plastic surgeon (Stryker, for locals) to have the growth over his left eye removed. That's in December.
We're gonna get this man healthy again! If we could just get him to consent to having his knee surgery...
I've been claying up a storm and have more than a dozen new pieces to list on Etsy when I get myself around to it - I have to edit the photos and for some reason, I keep avoiding that step. I have another half dozen larger pieces ready for the oven, so I have truly been busy. I'm very thankful that I haven't gotten the h1n1 virus so far - probably I was exposed to it years ago and have some immunity - imagine, me immune to something!
Tiana's ready to go back to work on Tuesday - she got the all-clear the other day. And they went out for Mexican food last night so she's well along the road to recovery!
And, not health related, thankfully, unless perhaps her mental health - Hazel's got her kitchen torn apart as she got a new range after having had a counter top unit for several years, and got a dishwasher, too. The new microwave is yet to be installed. Chaos reigns just now, and it's not over - she's decided she doesn't like the dishwasher where it is! :) Please pray for her and her son Duke as they work this all out. :)
me<><
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| He'll probably be walking by the time most of you see this, but when I got around to editing the video of the Voices of Hope, I finally edited this one, too.
You can see he just uses his right arm and leg to motor around. His left arm and leg are almost motionless - its creepy if you haven't seen him jumping and banging and doing all the stuff he should be with both arms and legs! :)
At then end, he plays with poker chips left from Jason & Tiana's wedding. We have lots - and so does he. They took a bunch home.
:)
me<><
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| But a gang of us got out on Friday night to attend Hope Enterprises Annual Dinner, where staff, clients and volunteers are recognized for their contribution to the success of this wonderful organization. Hope Enterprises consists of group homes, a sheltered workshop, training programs, and a host of other things I can't remember, all for those with varying degrees of mental retardation and brain injuries and disorders. Our Ron is a client, and this year, Hazel was recognized as Caregiver of the Year - of course we'd be there "en masse," to cheer her on!
First, we found our table:
It was a round table, meant for 8 people, but we squeezed 9 in, including me with my wheelchair. This year the event was held at Lycoming College, in one of their gyms. It's been held for several years at the Scottish Rite Auditorium's dining room, and let me tell you, there was no comparison! :) This was a huge improvement over their lack of a sound system and cramped quarters, not to mention, a warren of tiny hallways leading to the elevator, which was a pain with my wheelchair, I can tell you. But at the college - easy peasy! Straight in, all the way. And we parked about 100 ft from the door, opposed to downtown at the Scottish Rite - we always got dropped off and the poor driver (usually Haz) had to go and find a parking places, sometimes a couple of blocks away, and then walk back. Not so bad at the start, but not fun in full dark on an October evening.
So, we found our table and got some appetizers - a wonderful array of stuff that put us all in hog heaven. Duke, Darla, Kim, Hazel, Robin, Stacy, Ron, Cathy and I were all around the table, sharing and pilfering from one another's plates, having a great time. This part of the evening was probably longer than it needed to be - some of us ate a LOT - more than necessary before a full dinner to come!
Then there were introductions and grace and three songs by the choir and finally, the food. Except our table got skipped somehow so we were the last served. It was ok. We bring our own fun and were having a great time among ourselves. We had steak and chicken, with steamed veggies and broasted potatoes, which was all preceded by fruit cup - I guess I should have taken a photo of the plates before we attacked them, but sorry. Didn't happen! :)
Here are a few shots of the gang around the table:
Not sure why they look so solemn. Darla's sampling the fruit cup. Duke & Kim look to be getting bad news. I don't recall any, so I guess it's just a rare un-giggling moment!
Haz & Stace.
Ron & Darla - note his flower, which signifies he's part of the Voices of Hope - Hope Enterprises own choir. More on that later!
Ron had his photo taken with a variety of females - that's kind of his thing!
I don't recall this lady's name, but she was ever so sweet.
And this is our Kelly:
These next photos are kind of cute, Duke & Haz both had occasion to talk on the phone during the dinner!
I think they were both talking with sons - Duke with Erik & Hazel with Tim. I may be wrong about Hazel's...
Robin and Stacy were on the ball and brought Hazel some flowers:
Stacy got the big splashy bunch of flowers, while Robin got a tasteful, foil-wrapped single bloom.
After dinner came the awards, which seem to go on forever. There are a lot of people involved, and various partnerships with businesses, and such - many recognitions to be made. Finally, it was time for Hazel's award. The presenter made a lot of how Ron's life changed when he came to live with Hazel - Helen's house was much quieter, with only Ron & Helen and Merle. And he didn't get involved with Hope until after Helen's death. So he went from a semi-recluse to a guy who goes to work every day, is very involved with Special Olympics and travels and goes out to eat - favorite of all is going out to eat! :) She talked about how talkative and lively he is, and as if to prove it, Ron went up with Hazel to get her award, charging up the ramp and jumping - literally! - up to the podium to say into the mic, "Hazel Kriner...this award...and HERE SHE IS!" It was so cute!
Hazel was gracious and humble and gave God the glory, of course.
Sorry the photos are less than great quality - not sure why that is. I checked all the settings and they should have been good, but maybe my hand shook. Everyone at our table had insane giggles at one time or another or several times...poor Stacy had one of THOSE times - cabin fever let loose, I guess, after a week in with a sick little girl. She started giggling early on in the award presentations and never stopped. Well, she TRIED to stop, but then someone would make a noise or a cough and it would set her off again. :)
The evening concluded with the Voices of Hope:
Again, the quality is a bit off - I think I was just too far away. But you can see how much they're enjoying themselves. And we all enjoyed them!
Great evening - one of the best we've had in a long, long time. And for a family who enjoys themselves together as much as we do, that's saying a lot! The Kriner siblings had such a great time, they all went out and had a drink together afterward. I hear they had a lot of fun then, too.
On a more serious note, when I got home that evening, Jason called from the emergency room to tell us that he was there with Tiana, who was being scheduled for gall bladder surgery, which ended up being yesterday morning. She came through well, but it was a rough week for her, leading up to it, poor sweetie. I just spoke with her on the phone and she's happy with the morphine pump. She says we did a great job raising Jason to be a supportive husband - he's wonderful! But we knew that.
Faron's laid flat today with what I'm afraid is the flu - hacking cough, awful headache and just wants to be left alone. Normally, when he's got a complaint, he likes to involve me, if you wives know what I mean. But today, he's just on the sofa, hiding out from the world. He was in bed until 8 am - unheard of for him. Then he moved to the recliner for an hour or so, and then he lay on the floor for some reason, and finally the sofa - like Goldilocks, he found his "just right" spot and I've only heard a cough now and again to prove he's still alive. Not sure what will happen about work tomorrow, but your prayers for both of our sickies would be great appreciated!
me<><
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| Derek, visiting Grandpa Faron (you should just hear him say that! So clearly and sweetly - I just melt.) & Grandma. (He's stopped calling me Silly 'Ma. I'm just "Grandma.")
We had such a good weekend, and I think they all did, too. Here are a few photos of the various ways we kept a 2 year old happy on a rainy, cold weekend.
Both boys were a bit tired on Friday night after a day of travel and visiting with Grammy & Pappy Regel. Even happy, love-everyone, Jared, didn't much care for time with Grandma. So we got them off to sleep (my part was to go to my own bed so they could settle the babies, Faron having gone to bed before they arrived.) And I was wise enough to not bother them with photos then, either. So my first quality time with either boy was Saturday morning. Jared came in to snuggle and I got a couple of cute pics. Here's my favorite:
He was pulling himself up to stand on the bed, using my bed jacket for hand holds. :) That happy, excited look is pretty much standard for him these days. He's so thrilled to be standing (sometimes for a few seconds without holding on to anything - not bad for nearly 7 months!) and getting around with his "wounded soldier" crawl. I have a bit of video I'll upload tomorrow.
And Derek came in to share his Apple Jacks with me. Here he is eating his cereal like a puppy dog:
These next few are just fun pics of the kids interacting with their dad, mostly. He's such a good daddy and they adore him.
Jared's really starting to enjoy being tossed up in the air and such.
Oops - shoulda fixed that red-eye. Oh well. He's still gorgeous!
And here's daddy with both boys - I can't remember if they were looking at a book or playing with the ever-frustrating-to-Derek "Bop-it game," that's been around since Jason was still in high school.
Around mid-morning, Amy & Derek made marshmallow Krispie treats, but for some reason, that photo didn't load. I'll have to re-try that one.
Bud & Shirley (Grammy & Pappy) came up for lunch and to watch Derek (and Pappy helped) do his first Jack o lantern. Amy bought a couple of carving sets, which included safety knives and goop-scoopers. Derek was great at giving both pumpkins pockmarks, and with Pappy's help, did quite well at cutting the rest.
Jared doesn't look too sure about things, does he?
Derek didn't MIND the goopy stuff, but he doesn't look exactly sure about it, either, does he? Love those eyes!
And here's Derek's Pirate Pumpkin Head. This is a real pumpkin, but Amy's planing to pick up one of those foam carving pumpkins they have at the craft stores now, to put these pieces in. Very cute.
The first pumpkin carved, and standing with his garden-mate, the Pirate.
Back when we were planning to do some kind of a hay ride for the kids, before the weather messed us up, I'd ordered a Fisher Price Pumpkin Hayride toy - a tractor with two farmers (both female, but despite Amy's best efforts, I refused to bite, except to say these two were sisters. Came with a wagon with a pumpkin at the back where the top comes up and a black cat peeks out, and a spinning thing for the farmer/driver of the wagon. Well, the silly thing hadn't come as of Friday, so I was left hoping that it'd arrive while Derek was here on Saturday, and, it did! Derek was asleep when our "Femailman" came, but woke up to enjoy a snack and a surprise. Pappy and Mommy settled in on the floor to play with it.
I love this photo, though, of Jared standing at the coffee table, just itching to get down there with them!
The left-over poker chips from Jason's & Tiana's wedding are great toys for both kids. Derek built towers, and Jared tried to see how many he could stuff in his mouth at once. Actually, in the above photo, I think that Amy was spinning chips for Derek. Jared kept banging chips on the table, and even got one to spin himself. He looked so fascinated and happy. It's a shame he couldn't manage to do it again.
Jason & Tiana stopped in before everyone but Jared and I went down to the Korean church for one of their bi-annual dinners. Tiana & Derek had great fun with the plastic box from the Pumpkin Head pieces. Here's Derek with the bottom smooshed down over his face:
Tiana made do with the flat lid for on top of her head. Wasn't quite the same.
When everyone else left for the dinner, Jared snuggled up on my chest as I lay in the recliner and we two had a lovely nap. After they came back it was dark, and Grandpa found candles for the pumpkins and they lit them and put them out on the porch, but facing the house, so Derek could enjoy them.
The two little tea lights they used lasted for at least 2 hours. Derek kept stopping his play and running over to the French doors to look at his pumpkins again. It was a fun thing to do.
We were all in bed and the boys were sound asleep before 9:30 - a rarity for the night-owl Derek! I was even able to sleep a solid 5 hours that night. I have a few more photos and a couple of short videos to share from Sunday - hopefully I'll do that tomorrow. :)
me<><
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