Pictures Finally

I FINALLY got this diaper bag done that I talked about - oh I don't 3 or 4 posts ago! It was supposed be done by Christmas!

It is a McCalls pattern made with corduroy and regular cotton.

Front View: with 2 side pockets

Front View w/ flap open and a matching card holder key-chain:

Back View - you can see where there is a large pocket:

Inside View: you can see the large pocket on the backside. That same pocket is on the front as well, however I sewed down the middle to turn it into 2 pockets - I know how clever :)

I'm glad to have this done and hopefully it will be off to it's new owner soon.

Other Updates:

School: Had 2 of my Middle School Musical Performances of Disney's "Aladdin Jr." this past week, and I must say that my kids did a pretty darn good job, considering the amount of time we had to get ready for it! I am very proud of them. :)

Now I have an Elementary Concert to get my younger kids ready for in less than a month - it never ends!

Health: It will be 3 weeks this Tuesday that I fell, and the tail-bone and "dairy-air" are still extremely sore. I am so tired of having a "pain in the a**". Literally!

I also came home early Thurs. afternoon and stayed home on Friday. I was just simply wiped out. I think the stress of my fall, the musical, the job situation for next year, etc. all caught up with me and I felt like crap and just could not function. I'm still not quite up to snuff, but am better than I was.

Other than that, I'm just pluggin' away. Now that the musical is over, I will hopefully have a little more energy in the evenings to get back to my crafts!

Take Care, and Thanks For Stopping By! - Elizabeth

I hate gravity!

I have been so very careful since my surgery! I've been feeling good, getting stronger every day, been walking on ice, driving in horrible, icy, snowy, foggy conditions, and I get taken down by a wet step! I was even going slow....I just don't get it!

This past Tuesday, I fell flat on my rear and proceeded to bump my way down to the bottom (6-7 stairs in all). Instant and severe pain! I immediately thought I had screwed up where I had surgery! Had to have my school Principal drive me to the emergency room, as my neurosurgeon was in the O.R. all day and his co-workers were fully scheduled.

I had a CT scan and it looks like the surgical site is okay. I have bone and soft tissue bruising of my tailbone and "dairy-air" and they found another fracture on my L1 vertebrae! However....they think the fracture is actually an old one that was not caused by this fall - when I go back for a check up they will look at it again.

In other words, I HURT! I am so very tired of pain that I can not escape. Yes, pain pills, ice packs, heating pads, etc. all help - but it never truly goes away. It makes me physically, emotionally tired, and I'm not really "living", but surviving. Add that to the stresses of my job situation, and well, to put it nicely, it stinks!

To make matters even worse, my Middle Schooler's musical is a week away and I have to be at school to get them ready! We have already missed 4 rehearsals due to poor weather and we can not afford to miss anymore. So there's no staying home and recouping for me. I have no assistant, just me.......and to ask for an extension is pretty futile - even given the circumstances.

So - I try and plaster a smile on my face and away I go - praying the entire day to have the strength to put "one toe in front of the other".

I know things could be much, much worse. I am still able to walk, I have a roof over my head, food in the pantry and clothes in the closet - that is more than millions of other people in the world have. So, I should get over my pity party, and be thankful for the things I do have (which I am), but sometimes a girl just needs to vent.

Well, as always, thanks for stopping and putting up with me :)

Please take care! Elizabeth