Ain't Nobody.....

Hello crafty friends. I'm back from my sorta sabbatical. Let me 'splain. I've mentioned this before, but my Dad has Dementia. It is really starting to get bad, so in the beginning of March, I flew back to Illinois (where my parents live) to spend a week with them, helping out in any way I could. I am grateful that my sisters and my younger brother still live in Illinois, as they have gone above and beyond to help my parents out. That week went by quick and I returned back to Maryland to my hubby and fur baby. A couple days before Easter, my Mom decided to go outside and right the big garbage container (which I swear is bigger than her) that had tipped over after the garbage truck emptied it, Well, when she did that, she did something to her back, She was in excruciating pain. And she didn't tell anyone until the next morning, when my brother stopped by and saw how much pain she was in. He called my sister Laura. and she came over, took one look at my Mom and said she was going to the hospital asap. Turns out she suffered two bulging discs and a slipped disc, which as a result was pinching her sciatic nerve, thus causing the excruciating pain, oh and she has arthritis in her lower back. She was in the hospital for a week, then transferred to a physical rehab center and was there for another three weeks. All this time, my sisters and brother were taking turns living at my parents house, as there is no way my Dad can be left alone anymore. So, to help out and give them some breaks (because they all work and have families of their own too) I flew in twice more, the beginning of April, and just recently the end of April. Although my Mom is getting better every day, she still can't do many things, like bending over/down, picking up heavy pots/pans. She gets in home occupational and physical therapy twice a week, plus she does other exercises every day to build up her strength and help with her balance. She cannot walk without a walker, but her goal is to get back to walking with a cane, which she's well on her way to. The thing is, since she currently can't do things for herself, (like put clothes in the washing machine, then transferring them to the dryer when the wash cycle ended, because she can't bend over to do that yet.) there's no way she can take care of my Dad. Thus the reason we are taking turns staying there.  My Dad is essentially a little kid. We have to dress him, undress him, help him when he needs to go to the bathroom, cut up his food for him, etc. He thinks I'm my sister Sandy, and Sandy me. More often than not, he can't remember our names. It's a painful disease, not for the one who has it, but for the family members who have to watch a loved one slowly lose their mind. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

So, about the sorta sabbatical, when I was back home, I would participate on the three design teams I'm on. (And I thank you all again for refusing to let me quit the teams and just take some time off instead. You are all the best! Muah!) Now here's the part where I explain my blog title. Even though I wasn't making cards, I did make a cross stitch project, which I took with me to work on, the last time I flew to Illinois. I started it before I left for Illinois and finished it the night before I flew back to Maryland. My Dad has a couple dozen dvd's, Clint Eastwood, Steven Segal, John Wayne, Keven Costner. His favorite by far is Dances With Wolves, and I'm not exaggerating when I say I've seen that movie at least 12 times within a week's time. So while I sat with him to watch it,(over and over and over again) I worked on my cross stitch project:

Here's the back story: When my Mom was still in the hospital, the doctor made mention that she was doing much better and that in no time, would be able to leave the hospital. Now at the time, we didn't know if that meant she could go home or to a rehab center. It didn't matter to my Mom. All she was focused on was that she could leave. And would talk of nothing else. Now, my Mom was still bed ridden, and on some major pain killers at this time. At one point, my sister Laura, in frustration, texted Sandy and I, "All she's focused on is getting out of the hospital. Ain't nobody got time for that shit!" Welllllll, with our sarcastic sense of humor, (yep that's right, we all have that!) we took that and rolled with it! LOL! Now, I know that may not sound so nice, but if you've ever had to care for someone that's in constant pain - can't lay down, can't sit up, can't stand up - because of the shooting pain and complains about it all the time, sometimes we caregivers need to let off some steam and get it off our chest. So every time we could use that phrase privately, we did, regardless of the reason we used it. So, when I got back home the second time, I started making that catch phrase into a cross stitch project... and gave it to my sister Laura as part of her birthday present! She. Loves. It!!! LOL!

I think she's going to hang it up at work in her cubicle! LOL! (Sorry for the crappy pictures. I took them with my cell phone. Didn't have my camera with me.) 

So that's my update. Sorry it's long winded, and I appreciate you reading until the end. I hope to get going on making more cards, not just for my design teams, but also to play along in other challenges. I miss that! 

Thanks for visiting and I hope that you have a great day!