Giveaway card I won :)

I don't often participate in giveaways, because I always end up not winning... lol... However, when I read about the card giveaway on Curious Gravy, I just had to check it out! I've never heard of linocut cards before... I fell in love with this sunny, bright card so I entered the giveaway - and for the first time ever, I finished winning a bit of Sunshine! I am simply delighted :)

Jenn creates her cards from linoleum blocks which she designs and carves by hand in her own studio - and what a fantastic job she does! Check out her Etsy shop, Curious Gravy - hand printed note cards for a awesome variety of designs and colors!

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Masculine card

I will admit: I am not very good at creating cards geared toward the male gender, although I do like the fact that I have to work without lots of frou-frou (bows, bright colors, embellishments, etc). I've used layers in three different colors, a soft yellow silk ribbon and three bling crystals in a smoky brown (though they looked more like metal when the camera flash hit them...)

I've made this card to send to my physical therapist and his office staff; their help didn't solve my back problems, but they cared enough to suggest that they might not be able to assist me at this point in time.

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Spring Scrapbook Giveaway!

Check out this awesome "Spring Scrapbook Giveaway" on Gen's Scrapbook Kitchen blog! I'm so ready for spring crafting, aren't you...?

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Doctor's visit...

Yesterday I went to see a doctor in regards to my back pain - finally! Well, the initial visit was with a nurse practitioner, who took down the details of my fall two months ago, level of pain I am in, what I've been doing to correct the problem, and so forth... I had an Xray done and she showed me what she called bone spurs on three of my vertebrae - resulting from a degenerative disc disease. I have been taught to do some new stretching exercises, this time with moist heat applied on my back. Also, I've got a prescription for two meds, Flexeril & Mobic, to take instead of Tylenol and Ibuprofen. Flexeril is a muscle relaxant (take three times a day) and Mobic is an anti-inflammatory, usually used for arthritic pain (take one pill daily). I took the Flexeril when I got home, and I was still groggy by the time I had to get ready for work... I have not been able to stay awake and aware for more than two hours since 10pm last night.

I'll see how I do the rest of the weekend, before calling the doctor's office for advice...

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Halfway through the week...

It snowed here this morning; there were big, wet , fluffy snowflakes coming down tirelessly when I got off work. Then, I get to my car and the magic stops: doors were both frozen shut! I was lucky one fellow from Maintenance was passing by and being the ever helpful Southerner man, he got the driver's door open so I can get in and go home :)

Sadly, the weather - and my bad, hurting back - keeps interfering with my accomplishing things. I have quite a few cards, cross-stitch and paper crafted, that are finished and in need of photos so they can be posted in my shop. I have also been considering deleting all my linkware web sets and developing my website into a card shop. It does not take a long time to do so (maybe a weekend), but I cannot sit on my office chair for long stretches - nor do I seem to have the energy. I should be looking into taking some B12 supplements, at least until winter is over with...

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Raining...

It's been raining on and off the whole day and it doesn't look as if it will stop anytime soon. It has been so overcast that it looks leke early evening rather than just past 4pm. I love the rain, but this is a bit much - I would love to see the sun for an hour or two :(

I went to therapy this morning; it was my 6th session and my back pain doesn't show any improvement. Last night at work, the simple act of coughing made my back muscles spasm so badly, I could hardly walk for the next 30min. After talking with Danny and updating him on this, he told me he'll discuss with the plant nurse to have a doctor appointment set up for me...

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Weight Watchers meeting :)

Just got back from our weekly Weight Watchers meeting - I've lost 3.5lb this week! Seems that 3lb was what most people lost, with one gal losing 6.2lb and another only 1lb. Following the Points system takes a bit of getting used to, and so does learning what a portion REALLY is. I've bought some aditional booklets, so now I have reading material for lunch time.

Dinner tonight will be grilled chicken breast with couscous and grilled vegetables, plus cantaloupe. Been told I've got to eat ALL the points I have, every day - or might gain (rather than lose) weight... Hmmmmm...

I need to get some more sleep; the two hours I got after work are NOT enough :(

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Blessings

I have found the sentiment on the die cut I've used on this card simply delightful - and so befitting my best friend! So, I've decided to take it out of my shop and send it to her, a "just because" occasion :)

Last night I've worked on a few new cards and tonight will be most likely spent in a similar fashion. I might work on my cross-stitch cards rather than the paper craft cards, but I will keep busy.

It got pretty cold outside, after the rain stopped late last night. We have a day to attempt drying out, then we'll get more rain. All would be great, if only the variations in temperatures wouldn't drive my whole body batty. I feel a cold coming and I'm not happy about it - it saps all my energy!

My physical therapist has changed my exercise regimen, in an attempt to alleviate this persistent back pain. He now thinks that added to the muscle strain after the fall 6 weeks ago, I could have a pinched nerve somewhere. Trouble is the pain is going down the back of my right tight and my toes are numb 75% of the time...

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Taking care of myself :)

My plant decided to sponsor us in enrolling in WeightWatchers and I've decided to enroll. We are having weekly meetings and they will - of course - weigh us in every week... They provide us with items we can - or not - purchase to assist us in our learning better & healthier eating habits, and ultimately, our weight loss. Now, I'm not hoping that I will get to my high school graduation (before getting married and having two children...) weight. But for my well being, I can stand to lose a few pounds...

So, I'm off to read again my booklets and learn about all the foods and the points. It might be bit boring in the beginning, but from skimming through the booklet, the food follows common sense principles: you reduce the amount of sugar, salt and fat, increase the amount of fiber and water, and you will lose weight. So, I'll let you know next Monday how things are going :)

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