Bloggy giveaway Pet Portrait

Ok, I'm going to try to join the blogging frenzy. I'll start with a give-a-way for the Bloggy Give-a-way Carnival. I'll create a portrait of your pet - my choice of medium - either pencil sketch, water color, oil, acrylic or a combo. I'll let you do the framing. This is for U.S. only. Leave a comment about your pet. Make sure to leave a way to get in touch with you. The winner will need to email me a picture of their pet with information about it's habits and personality.

Giveaway will close on Saturday evening. Winner will be drawn by random number generator and announced on Sunday afternoon.

Here are a few of my sketches and paintings.

Update on sister

Yesterday I went to a cousin's funeral. All of the grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles have passed away - and the cousins are sure getting older. My cousin had been in a nursing home with Alzheimer's for awhile, and the pastor talked a lot about the disease - which surprised me. I liked his message about how she may have forgotten us, but we have not forgotten her - and most important of all - God did not forget her.

When my sister was not responding - I worried about her forgetting us - Praise the Lord - she knows us all. I am so glad that she knows Jesus.

She has been transferred from ICU at the hospital to the rehab next door - and is not happy. She gets confused, depressed, scared, alone and angry. I've been praying that she will feel God's loving arms around her giving her comfort and hope.

Thanks for all of your prayers.

Granddaughter's say the cutest things!

Saturday my youngest granddaughter was helping me play a puzzle game on the computer - she said she saw something that was obviously not on the screen - she said she "saw" it with her "back" eye. I'm not sure if she was referencing "eyes in the back of her head" or if she meant "in her mind, like behind her eye"?

Yesterday my eldest granddaughter - after hearing about her father's episode at the gas station - he started driving off with the hose still attached to his car - and broke the handle off the hose - she thought it was pretty funny, until her mom mentioned that the clerk in Coburn's laughed and said she was going to tell his mom - who comes in every morning for the paper. "Oh, did that happen in town? Am I going to have to move?"

Too funny.

Rebuttal to Senility

Thirteen Things about Pauline 1.... Start your list here! This is the List from my dd blog about me - can you believe it?- I think I need to clarify a few things. I can never get these font buttons to work right for me - go figure. Thirteen Things that point to my mom's (that would be me) senility My mom (over 50) moved in with us several months ago to get on her feet financially. I don't think she should ever move out, and here is why: 1. Mom couldn't find her phone anywhere, and she was starting to freak out at me because I had used her phone last. I told her I clipped the phone to her purse strap. Could not find it. She tore the purse apart, searched the car, her room, the computer desk. Finally I called the phone and found it clipped to her purse strap. Yes, the purse she had emptied looking for it. Well, come on - the phone is black, the phone case is black leather, the purse is black leather - the phone is small - it must have been dark in the kitchen 2. I got a call from my mom's cell phone one day, but there was a man on the other end, not my mom. She had left her entire purse, and cell phone, at the grocery store. Thank goodness she was with my mother in law so I could call and have her go back for it. That was entirely my granddaughter's fault - she was supposed to be watching me (and her other grandma) that day. That was why we let her come along. 3. One night I got a call from Pamida. They had found mom's cell phone in the parking lot. I probably wouldn't have dropped it i the parking lot if I wasn't busy taking (someone's children - because she was home with a "headache") my darling grand babies out of the cart - and besides, I was still stressed out from losing my phone earlier in the day at Cub Foods - dd called my phone for me and nice gentleman answered - and she didn't tell me it was there - I figured it out by myself - but he did tell me that she had called. (not the same guy from the day I left my purse.) 4. One day mom was really freaking out, she could NOT find her phone. (what's new, right?) She tore the place apart looking for it, and was just near spazzing. So I called it while she looked for it in her room. She had used it for a book mark the night before and put it on her book shelf. Now, you have to admit - that is a very creative use for a cell phone - the case has a really neat clippy thing on it. 5. Mom and I were visiting in her room and she wanted to show me something, so she went to her closet to get it. The closet is pretty big, it even has a window, but it isn't THAT big. I asked her "When did your curtain rod fall down?" She said "It didn't!" Then she looked and it had fallen, and she should have seen it when she walked straight toward it walking in, or when standing next to it digging in the dresser. You see, I am a very focused person - I was concentrating on finding some artwork that was buried on top of the dresser in the closet - I was not - I repeat NOT - looking for clothes. 6. Even after living with us for 2 months, my mom couldn't find her way around my house. She would head toward the bathroom when she wanted the dining room, and head to the dining room when she wanted the bathroom or stairs. She always got lost. She's stopped telling us now, but I don't know if she has it figured out or not. We were going to put up signs for her birthday, but decided to be nice. If they would quit moving the bathroom from one side of the house to the other, I wouldn't have that problem - geeezzz 7. We are afraid if she moves out that she will actually start on her plan to make a sequel to "27 Dresses" and make it 27 Wedding Dresses, always a Bride and Never a Bridesmaid. (she's been married 4 times, she is already on her way, we are going to start calling her a serial bride, lol, and she finds this funny, too, it's a joke) Who says it's a joke? I think Hollywood will love the story - did she tell you that every wedding was in a different state? 8. She lost her phone, again, and it was right next to her on the desk. This has happened so many times that I could do an entire TT on it alone, but it would get too repetitive, right? Again, tiny black phone, black case, and black desktop 9. In order to show the need to move her in the first place, we could ask her how many times she forgot her dog at work for the night and had to go back and get her. Don't ask me how many times - I don't remember. 10. Her driving is getting to the point that her dog won't get in the car with her. But if your head broke the windshield from slamming on the brakes, would you want to ride with that driver again? Her head didn't break the windshield - just cracked it - she just won't stay in the seatbelt. 11. Mom has breakfast at a cafe every morning with my mother in law. They both lived in the same area for many, many years and know a lot of the same people. In fact, they both owned the same house, at different times, of course. (that would mean that in our growing up years, both my husband and I spent time growing up in the same house at different times.) Well, they talk and talk and talk every day, and they never run out of things to say. Because they don't remember things so their repeat stories are always new. .How does she know if we repeat our stories? When we are at breakfast - her lazy behind is still in bed. 12. If she moved out, who would laugh at her comfort her when she comes home crying about seeing road kill after work? I will just pick up a couple of movies to drown my sorrows - like Bambi or Dumbo or Stepmom or Old Yeller 13. And if she didn't live here, I think the dog would get sick of being the only one to scare all the time. Oh believe me, they are very afraid of me down at the grocery store when they see me walking down the aisle pushing a cart with a very lost, scared look in my eyes - shaking my head and muttering "I know I had it when I came in here"

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Hip Hip Hooray!

I talked to my sister, Gwen last night.
She is coherent and able to converse.
Praise God,

Thanks for all the prayers!

She is still strapped to the bed with the tubes draining the blood, so we still don't know if there is any permanent damage to her right side - time will tell.

Oh, I am so grateful.

Pauline

Another update

Well,
We still need prayers - Gwen is not responding to voices yet. Her legs are moving - but not on command. They have had to put a tube down her throat because she is having trouble swallowing. I'm trying not to worry, and leave it all in God's very capable hands -but we are only human so we worry anyway. The nurses are still very optomistic, and it is still early.

Her children are there - her daughter just took a few hours off to go volunteer at a nearby soup kitchen. It helps to serve others when you feel anxious.

Pauline

Update

Thanks to everyone who kept us in your prayers!

My sister's surgery (bilateral craniotomy) went "textbook" according to her surgeon. That is an awesome thing. Her surgery was late yesterday afternoon - into the early evening.

Now we still have to wait and see how she progresses. I spoke with her nurse this morning (5am their time lol) and she is still groggy but her right side is moving and she is doing better than before the surgery. It will take at least 24 hrs before they will be able to tell much - there is still swelling in the brain.

Hopefully she will make a complete recovery - we'll just keep on praying.

Thanks,

Pauline

Subdural Hematoma

My eldest sister will be 70 in August. She's always been a creative inspiration to me. She did a little modeling when she was younger - then worked for many years as a hostess in a bar in Minneapolis. She moved to Phoenix and worked in a factory. She is always cheerful. She is a wonderful artist - at one point we bought a small windbell company together and painted windbells for the Cowboy Hall of Fame and for Lawrence Welk Village. She's been taking care of her grandchildren since then. She is active in her church and works part time running the thrift store for the American Legion.
Her husband passed away in February 2007.
For as far back as I can remember - she always drank. I wouldn't call her a drunk, but I would say that she is probably an alcoholic, as was her husband.
Right now she is in ICU in a hospital in Phoenix, AZ
She had been complaining that something wasn't right - she had headaches, had trouble forming sentences, was not steady on her feet. She had an MRI 3 weeks ago, but nothing unusual showed up on it. Yesterday morning her son, who lives with her, was making coffee when she got up - she was all bent over and her right hand was curled. She had trouble talking - He wanted to take her to ER, but she wanted a shower first - but needed help - she couldn't even get herself dressed.
She has subdural hematomas on both sides of her brain - they airlifted her from Payson to Phoenix yesterday. They have been monitoring her and she is getting worse - they were hoping that the body would absorb the excess blood, but it isn't. She will be having surgery tomorrow or Tuesday.
There are a lot of things that can cause bleeding on the brain - usually from a head injury - but in older people, it is usually caused from brain atrophy. The blood vessels stretch and start to ooze. The brain shrinks, but the rest of the skull doesn't. Heredity could be a factor, excessive drinking could be a factor, just getting older could be a factor. But, whatever the cause - in her case there is a probability that it will happen again.
Her right side is affected and her speech is affected. She is right handed - so now, she can't sign her name, do crossword puzzles, carry on a normal conversation. She is coherent, she knows what is going on and what she wants to say -but can't form a sentence. She is literally trapped in her dysfunctional body and my heart goes out to her.
My other sister, who is not the healthiest - nor is her husband, and I live in Minnesota. It seems light years away. We both wish we could be there - and will find a way if necessary - but what can we do for her but pray? Thankfully all of her children are with her to give her support and love.
I just needed to ramble, and cry, now I need to go pray some more.

Sketch of Cats

These are sketches I made from photographs of my Sister-In-Law's cats. I don't usually do sketches, I mostly paint - but this was a fun project.

Where is Home?

I've been feeling pretty depressed for a long time now - years actually. I haven't been able to put my finger on why.
I finally started going to counseling about 6 months ago - (about 4 or 5 times only) while still living in Maine. Of course - she wanted to start with my childhood.
I have taken anti-depressants off and on for years, but never consistently.
The overlying thought that I have is that I want to go "home", but I don't know where that is. I am always incredibly lonely no matter where I am. I honestly cannot remember the last time I actually felt like I was "home". I always felt like "this is not my house, my home, I don't belong here".
I'm always searching for that feeling of safety, unconditional love, comfort, acceptance. I always come up lacking - and usually blame myself for having too high of expectations.
I have finally decided that I have been looking in all the wrong places. I'm not going to find it in a man, my loving family, any structure. I will only find it in Jesus.
I need to start delving into His Word and to fully rely on Him. I know he loves me as I am and will continue to love me as I struggle to learn to rely on Him, serve Him, obey Him, trust Him, and love Him.

Wordless Wednesday