Thankful and Overwhelmed

One month plus since my hip replacement. Thirty eight days since I fell and shattered my hip. I am home. Still learning the new skills I need to walk, sit, and get on with life. I am walking with the aid of a walker. Rehab was an incredible experience. All of the nurses, aides, therapists, even the sweet woman who cleaned my room were wonderful. They were all full of encouragement, answered my endless questions, and dealt with my fears an uncertainties.

Rehab is a scary place. So many hurt people each with their own story. Many of the people were there because of hip, knee, or shoulder replacements. Some were there recovering from strokes, heart failure, or head injuries. This is a place to make you thankful for all that life has given you. A place I definitely do not want to be a patient in again.

When finally able to use a computer - I was overwhelmed by all of your emails, get well wishes, and words of friendship, love, and encouragement. I sat in the rehab library with tears running down my face. My nurse thought I had over done and was in pain. When I explained I was reading your emails she was as amazed as I was by your kindness and thoughtfulness. It will take me awhile to answer them all, but I will try.

I can not even begin to say how important to my recovery were the words of encouragement I received from all of you, the phone calls from family and friends, the visits, flowers, etc. I want to publicly thank two of my friends who stepped up to the plate and took care of me - Miranda and Catherine. You two have been wonderful, so generous of your time. Thank you for your friendship. I also want to thank my Dad for the phone calls every day. They mean so much.

Now that I am home I can't wait to get back to my blog, catch up with all of you, and get into my studio. It might be awhile getting into my studio as I am still trying to conquer the stairs. I am seeing it happening in the near future though. I hope all of you are well and have been having a great summer with your families and those you love. Thank you again for all of your thoughts, prayers, an encouragement. Words can't do justice for the thanks I feel for having you all enrich my life .

August Magazine Cover Freebies - Finally

Thought I would start out with my favorite for this month. Ah, where did this month go? I love the whimsy of this one. I think summer and vacations should be full of wonder.

Look closely at this one. She has this long sleeve coat? dress? [I am sure the judges from Project Runway would have something to say about this... ] in the middle of August and she is renting a swimsuit. Ugh! Go buy your own, get out of that outfit and enjoy a good read at the beach! Summer is almost over.

This looks like August in California to me. Unfortunately, it also means the start of the wildfire season. I love the simplicity of this one.

I can not imagine going to the beach so covered up. Here at the beach I do see many people I wish would cover up more... but the long dress and the long sleeves seem so uncomfortable. I would have heat stroke in no time.


I thought I would post these as my first freebies since getting out of the hospital and rehab. It feels so good to be home! I still am not able to go up the stairs to my studio, sewing room, and computer. However, a friend moved my external hard drive with some of my images on it downstairs for me this weekend. I now have a laptop downstairs so that I can catch up on my email, groups, and can finally post on my blog. I miss you all! and I hope you enjoy these freebies.