Satin Ribbon Roses

I finished my satin roses and posted them today on ebay. It's been a labor of love for sure.

The roses are hand stitched and are 2 to 2-1/4 inches wide.

These beauties are wonderful for appliques. Pillows, shoes, scarves, hairbows, bedspreads, hats, brooches. Anything your mind can imagine.

They are $8.50 plus 2.20 shipping.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, New Year is next, Judy

Learning To Make Satin Ribbon Roses

I'm learning to make ribbon roses. I just love to work with ribbon. Anything ribbon will work. These are about 2-1/2 inches wide. Perfect for appliques, hairbows, scarves, pillowcases,shoes, brooch pins.
There are so many styles of roses to learn. I found the most amazing book written by Candace Kling , The Artful Ribbon. I have never seen so many beautiful ribbon flowers. Something very special in making flowers. Keeping beautiful things alive. I will be offering roses made of satin, organza and grosgrain ribbons. They will be posted on ebay within a few days and on my website www.angelbowboutique.com
I will still make my hairbows just plan to expand. No way is there enough time to do everything you want to. I would love to sew and make handbags and totes. I just can't fit everything in. I choose the roses because I can sit in the living room at night with my husband and make the roses while we watch a little TV. He is very sick and I don't like to stay in my bow room all the time and leave him alone so much. This is a perfect solution for that problem.

This is Christmas Eve and I'm missing my family so much. My Brother, Sister and my Mom. Missing the old days when we all lived near each other and spent holidays together when our children were small.

I received a boutique of beautiful flowers yesterday from someone I'm not really sure who it was but they brightened my Christmas more than they know. One the card there was a bible verse. I pulled out my bible and looked it up.

Psalms 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

I had no idea that this would be so sad and depressing this Christmas. The first Christmas that my husband and I spent together since he went on dialysis. Everything is different now. The medical company brought equipment yesterday for him. Wheelchair and a hospital bed. A cold reality check for me. Some things you just have no control over. Have to make the best of it, don't want to become depressed.

Everyone please be thankful and have a wonderful Christmas, Judy

HOME PD DIALYSIS: BETTER WATCH FOR:

While the reason for this blog is discussing ribbon, hair bows and showing pictures of my work other things go on in our lives that take all of our attention and I want to share problems as well as solutions that we have discovered. We are fairly new to PD at home dialysis so we have had more problems than solutions.

I enjoy the emails that I receive from others that are interested in kidney failure and from those who are on dialysis. I learn from every email that I receive from others.

I think we made a bad mistake yesterday by going to a family Christmas party. Although its one that we go to every year and its the highlight of our lives. This is the fun part of being with our Children and Grandchildren, (notice that I capped those words without even thinking about it) but that's how we feel about getting together with the kids.

Our youngest daughter live 75 miles south of us, they picked us up and we went to Glenpool, Oklahoma about another 85 miles so a pretty long trip for them. All the kids were there. One Son and all his family, wife and 6 children and a boyfriend of their oldest. Four Daughters and their family's, husbands and between them 8 Grandchildren, one Granddaughter and her 2 children, my Great-Grand-Children. The house was busting full with little ones running around. Lots of good food and fun. Santa Clause came in the front door with a bag of gifts, the kids were so excited. Even some of the grown-ups sat on Santa's lap for their presents. Of course we made fun of them.

My husband is on home dialysis the PD type so he does dialysis every night. He has been very ill with a recent heart attack and his lungs filling with fluid. He is on the mend but still weak. He didn't want to miss all this so we went. He is a diabetic and although he is not eating much anymore because of nausea he felt like eating some things that he really liked. In the car on the way up there he also had a pop and that really was not a good idea.

A problem with PD dialysis for some is that the solution they have to use is dextrose witch can make a patients sugar count go up and he has been having that problem. Our routine is to check his sugar at night and if its high witch it always is I give him 10 units of lantus. His sugar when we went to bed last was 316 so I gave him a shot. When I got up this morning he was still hooked up to dialysis and had one more fill and a drain left. He was so thirsty that he had been setting here drinking water. At some point dialysis patients stop being able to urinate and he has. So all that fluid is staying in his body. The dialysis machine takes that fulid off. Since he was at the end of the dialysis treatment it didn't have time to do that. When it came time to unhook his weight was up so high that is scares me to death. The more the weight is the more fluid is on him. This is what causes the lungs to fill up and is life threatening. I will put him on dialysis early tonight to get it off as fast as I can. I will need to call the on call PD nurse today and hope they don't send him to the hospital. He was so thirsty so I checked his sugar and its over 500, another reason we should go straight to the hospital. He won't he is so tired of being in the hospital.

A PD home dialysis can have more fluids than a Hemo dialysis patient can but still need to be careful.
A PD home dialyses still has to watch their diet also.
Albumin witch is protein, you must eat protein, his is low.
Potassium
Phosphorus, a bad one, so many things he can't have.
Calcium,. we don't want that one
Other things that he takes meds for also.

Just about the time I think I'm getting this, one bad day can mess it up. Every time the lungs fill with fluid the heart becomes larger and weakens.

While he is sleeping today with a sugar count of over 500 I'll need to watch him and make sure he does not go into a coma. In the meantime I need to make sure a couple of bags are packed and I have all the information on his meds because if he begins to have trouble breathing we are on our way to the Hospital again no matter what he says.

So its worth it to pay more attention to fluids and diets. A person needs to be so careful.
Home dialysis is easy and we like it but take things for granted and get lax sometimes, now I'm so sorry we were not more careful.

We will be more careful in the future, you just can't get lax with home dialysis. In other words I'll have to nag at him more. Sometimes I feel like a drill Sargent.

PD is easier than Hemo because you are taking fluids and poison off every night. But you still have to do your part, one bad day can cause a real problem. Judy

Please See My Rose

My beautiful Rose faded away in my rose garden. A picture of it is in another post here on my blog. I hated to see it go away, I love to look at it in the mornings. It takes away some of the sadness here. Its a very sad life with someone you love is so ill and you know they will not get any better. The roses lifted my spirits but they are gone now. I make and sell girls hairbows, I love ribbon, any kind of ribbon but so far hairbows are the only thing I've made of my ribbons until now. I've been learning how to make ribbon roses. This picture is a rose I made last night while sitting in the living room tending to his dialysis machine. It lifts my spirits so much. I have an idea of a dozen roses all made of ribbons with long stems to give to my Sister and my Sister-n-Law. They are my only Sisters and and it would make me feel so good to give my roses away. This reminds me of a beautiful poem that my far away Friend posted here on my blog. Reaching across the deep waters from another Country she touched on my passion.

Here it is:

I love roses, they are one of my favourite flowers. The rose in your photo is beautiful - I wanted to reach over and smell it ... lol, reminds me of a poem about roses that I once knew ..thought I had lost it but rummaged around and found it in a book in my cupboard - it goes like this:

A Dozen Roses

I Got A Dozen Roses
From A Friend The Other Day
But I Only Have 1 Left
For I Gave Them All Away

I Gave One To My Sister
Who To Me Is Very Dear
In Hopes That It Will Bring To Her
A Little Floral Cheer

I Took One To A Friend
Who's Not Feeling Very Well
The Flower Or The Visit
Which Helped More I Could Not Tell

One Went To A Friend
I Haven't Known For Long -
She Struggles, So In Some Small Way
I Hope This Helps Her Carry On

The Rest Went To The Ones
Who've Helped Me In So Many Ways
They Have Been A Cheerful Presence
On My Very Dreary Days

The Roses Were So Pretty
I Just Could Not Keep Them All
Except One Single Bud Standing
Beautiful And Tall.

My Friend Gave Me The Flowers
To Help Brighten Up My Day
But The Biggest Joy I Received
Was Giving Them Away

~~~~~~~~~
Have a wonderful day, Judy

Does Anyone Else Have A Problem With White House Parties

I do have a problem with the "Party" the President hosted for the Prime Minister of India.

I know its important for the leader of our Country to entertain foreign governments but don't throw it in my face.

Beautiful isn't it, who paid for this I wonder. Who paid for the special chef and was that necessary. The white house has a full kitchen staff and did it have to be such a "party". Do they not remember that the whole country is watching and a great number of this country are out of work, out of food and don't know how they are going to pay the electric bill much less keep their home. Give me a break, the special chef was seen picking items from the garden that Mrs Obama planted with the help of some young children. I thought it was a move to show that a family could grow their own food to help in hard times. My gosh I had to cook my garden goodies myself.

It was a party with who's who attending along with uninvited guest crashing the "Party". Did tax payers money pay for all of this. I really want to know or did Obama's pay out of their pocket. I wonder who OKs a requisition for money's to be spent? Is it a free for all up there. They already spent a fortune on things we would never approve if we were ever consulted. I thought they were at work, wow maybe some of us could go up there and get a better job with benefits.

Let the people that we elected cut some spending in their very privileged little world and remember what they are up there for. Maybe they could learn a lesson from us on how to do without for the sake of the future.

Just tone it down and don't use our money to party all night. Try a quiet dignified dinner in the white house with the appropriate people attending and stop spending our money please.

Forgive the typo's, hmmm maybe that's why I'm not up there.

I'm not a hateful person at all and I think Oboma's are a adorable couple. I love to admire her dresses as much as anyone but this dinner seemed like a show of money. Gosh I thought we didn't have any.

My Day With Kidney Dialysis

This is how I'm coping with my day. I found a rose in full bloom this morning and had to take a picture. I'll swear I'm getting more like my Mother all the time.

I'm not the one on dialysis my husband is. So anything I say is from my point of view.

My moods go up and down depending on how his moods are and how he is feeling.

He sure has had some rough patches the last 3 weeks. A heart attack and one week later his lungs filled with fluid one week later high fevers and stopped eating. He is now falling so I got a walker out for him that was stored in the garage, I can't get him to use it.

He's only 55 and way to young to be this sick.

He told me this morning that he didn't think he would make it.

So I watch him sleep and my heart is broken watching this sweet man waste away.

Today is our 18th anniversary but he's too weak to talk much. So to keep my mind busy I've been in contact with my daughter today and we are on a mission.

Although my husband and I are not destitute we are struggling like lots of people right now.

I can only do so much in the way of repairs to our home, things are scotch taped up pretty good around here.

The large repairs I can't afford and pray for a answer for the burden on my shoulders.

We are in desperate need of a new roof for our house to satisfy our home owners policy. So now were talking impossible. When out of the blue God worked through a stranger from another country to start us on our way. This special person willl never know what they did for me and my husband. The kids are probably tried of hearing me talk and worry about how I'm going to ever replace this roof in time. My daughters and I are so overwhelmed and humbled by the actions of this special person that we decided to put this gift to the best use we could. The new roof is in the works. We have a base to work off now and we will see it through.

So I'm thinking now that maybe I'm wrong about my husband maybe he will get better. Unforseen things do happen and I have hope that his condition will turn around.

This blog is not meant for a diary I make and sell hairbows for little girls. I have had so many emails from people that are suffering from kidney failure and I know that anyone that clicks into this has kidney failure somewhere in there life.

Please remember my husband has type 2 diabetes and uncontroled sugar for years that took his kidneys. Not all kidney failure is permanent.

Forgive the typo's I know they are here, just can't find them.

Lets have a wonderful day, Judy

The Home Dialysis Ups and Downs

I'm looking for all the good that I can find here. The home dialysis is going well its the kidney failure that's the problem. Along with the dialysis comes with other problems. My husbands kidneys failed because he is a diabetic. This is a permanent thing here. Didn't take long to learn the dialysis machine and we just plan our mornings and evenings around hooking up to the machine. It's the other things that a diabetic suffers from. Within the last 3 weeks he has had a heart attack, one week later his lungs filled with fluid then something else never did find out what it was. Fever of 104 stopped eating and drinking not able to walk and very weak. This past weekend I thought I would lose him. The body endures so much he started eating today, walking without falling. He is on the mend and things are looking up.

The home dialysis really is easy to do now. I am so careful about washing my hands before I touch anything. They say wash with a antibacterial soap and sing happy birthday three times. I really feel like a dunce sometimes so I started making up my own lyrics to the song. After washing use antibacterial gel then glove oh and don't forget to mask before you do any of this. The machine does not take up much room but the supplies do. I have 2 walls lined with boxes 10 high of dextrose solution for his dialysis. Home dialysis is so much easier on a person then going to the center to have your blood cleaned.

I really do like it and would advise anyone to try it.
Better health for the patient and gives me a chance to care for him myself.
I have found that in the hospital you can't expect the nurses to know about dialysis. They usually have a PD nurse that will set you up. Even the EMTs did not know and what suprised me was the life flight. The most knowledgable of all really don't know either. You have to be an advocate for you loved one.

Dialysis under these conditions is no bed of roses but not all dialysis is permanet. There are many things that can cause kidney failure. My husband s was caused by many years of high uncontroled sugar. Its very hard to get them to watch thier diet and they pay later. It's a real shame but thats the way it is.

God bless anyone reading this, you would not have clicked on it if you did not have a loved one that was ill. Judy

DISCOUNT ON MY WEBSITE WHEN YOU VISIT MY BLOG

Good morning, its going to be a great day.

While I'm working on my website I want to keep it active.

Although I sell on ebay, the high fees take so much of my profit.

I want to offer a 10% discount on anything on my website.

Just email me and tell me you saw it on my blog and you will receive a 10% discount.

This applies to anything on my website. angelbowboutique.com

My website is a work in progress since my husband went on home dialysis.

It takes time to care for him.

During this time while I am confined to home I find that I put more thought and work into

my crafts.

I thank God that I have this outlet.

Email me at:

judy@angelbowboutique.com

and tell me you saw it on my blog.

custom orders welcome, same discount.

Have a great day, Judy

I Love Customer Pictures

What a model, she is beautiful

I'm always proud to receive pictures from my customers showing me their little angels wearing the hairbows I've made. I had to share this one. These are 4 inch big fluffy hairbows made of 1-1/2 inch growgrain ribbons. Placed on a matching ribbon covered alligator pinch clip that is 1-3/4 inchs long. These are on my website for only $1.80 each when you buy a lot of 10. Look in the best buy section.

angelbowboutique.com

Learning Home Dialysis

Oh boy, we started training today for home dialysis for my husband. I know we will like it but so much to learn. For one thing its very hard to stay in a small room with a nurse from 8:30 in the morning till afternoon. Lucky for us the PD Nurse is a doll. I wonder how she feels about staying in the room with my husband all day. Oh course there can't be anything wrong with me, but he must irritate her, he does me.

Well will be so happy when we don't have to get up at 4:00 AM for him to catch his ride to the dialysis center and set in a chair for 3 hours while his blood is being cleaned.
This way we will get more rest. I'm still not sure why I had to get up that early with him, somehow it makes his coffee taste better. Sound familiar? Thats ok we love to do it.

I'm taking a break from ebay and my website for this week but next week I'll be back. I really look forward to it. I have lots of plans.

I'm still woking on my ribbon roses. I don't think I've seen anything so pretty before.

So life goes on and the dinner dishes are waiting on me I guess because they are still there.


Have a great day, Judy

I'm working on my Website WOW

Well I started a website with mircosoft live free website. At first I thought I did not like it but after working with it awhile its looking great. No fancy but the idea is to sell my bows and other things without going through ebay. Typo's and some pages not ready yet, but I'm getting proud of it. The price is right its free. Take a look and give feedback. Judy

angelbowboutique.com

email me at judy@angelbowboutique.com

FREE HAIRBOW INSTRUCTIONS

There is so much interest in the hair bow instructions I posted several months ago.

I have posted some new ones on a new website I'm trying to build. I say trying because it seams really hard to me. Maybe I'm computer challenged and I'm just finding out. Anyway these are instructions for my Pony Bows that I sell on Ebay. They are adorable and easy to make. They don't take so much ribbon as the others do. They are good ones for someone to learn with.

I have lots of ribbon and clips so I added a page to the website for someone to buy a small kit. Just enough to make a few hairbows and get the feel of it without spending so much money. I will be available for questions at any time. I'm not really making anything on them its just for convenience for someone that does not have shopping near them. Here is the website. I also have alligator clips and no slip clips starting at .99 on ebay for the next 7 days.

angelbowboutique.com and my ebay auctions under judiths_closet.

Everyone have a great day, Judy

My Mothers Wartime Cookbook

As money gets tighter and food is getting harder to buy I thought of Mothers old cookbook. It was printed in 1942 during world war 2. The same year that I was born. A shortage of some foods and many people out of work. At the front of the book is a WATRIME POSTSCRIPT:

As this edition goes to press our country is still at war. Rationing is in force and shortages of many foods have developed. In a fine spirit of patriotism American homemakers have adapted themslves to the changes. Their minds are open to new ideas: foods they have never served before are now appearing on their tables. So, though you may have to wait until the war is over to try some of the recipes in this book, there are literally hundreds which will add interest and novelty to your wartime menus. If, for example, you haven't enough sugar to make Fruit Torte, there's a delicious Cabinet Pudding using only two tablespoons of that precious ingredient; if you can't obtain a sirloin steak, ther's an appetite-teasing T-bone steak, Family Style; if your busy schedule doesn't allow time to make yeast-raised orange bread, ther's a quick one that uses baking powder.

Refer to the chapter on nutrition often. It will tell you how to plan meals that will keep your family in top health. A healthy nation is the best contribution our homes can make to our war effort.

My 25 year old Daughter has ask that this book be handed down to her as soon as she owns her own home. So its in a plastic ziplock bag just waiting. Getting very old and crumbly just like me.

We have had to make alot of changes, can we adapt as well as our Mothers and Grandmothers did?

Have a great day, Judy