Update on the Thyroid Cancer

Well, I've met with the surgeon's assistant on Monday. I left there with more questions than answers. The short story is that they tested 4 lymph nodes. One came back positive for cancer. I'm not sure where I go from here. There is an appointment scheduled on Sept. 16th. Then I'll be sent to someone else for the radioactive iodine pill.

The phrase that they keep telling me is "This is the best kind of cancer to have." I'd like to hear them say that when they are on this side of the table. It just seems like the "medical feet" are dragging.

Everything is healing the way it should. I'm pretty much just waiting on answers.

Full Speed Ahead

I've been on my thyroid medication for a week now. I'm about ready to jump out of my skin. The question is: "Is this feeling from the medication or the ideas rolling around in my head trying to get out?" Not sure. From the time I wake up until I go to bed, my mind is running at full speed. It almost feels like how I imagine someone labeled with ADHD feels.

There is an appointment scheduled this morning with the surgeon's assistant. Maybe she will have an answer for me. I'm hoping that I get the ok to return to the gym. That should help release some of this energy.

I finished the blue train hat and posted it in my store, www.BPDesign.etsy.com. It turned out sooooo cute.

Hope everyone has a great day. I may just go for a run around the block a few times. :)

Fall is coming!

Fall is my favorite time of year. The leaves turn and the weather cools. The air is crisp like a fresh picked apple. Piles of leaves waiting for some child/adult to jump into it. There is a smell for fall that is hard to describe. If you've ever experienced it, you won't soon forget it.

Many people have told me that they still pray for me during this recovery time. I just wanted to say THANK YOU! There have been many times where I've felt the presence and peace that only comes with being surrounded by the prayers of faithful people.

I did get to make a midnight run to the ER. This was for myself. The surgeon told me to call if I ever felt a tingling in the lips. Well, I did last night. So I went down, only to find out that I needed more calcium. :{ I got caught up on my sleep this afternoon. I was a zombie in church though. Very tired.

I've gotten the Boots-inspired hat and tail from Dora the Explorer done. I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I also finished a Thomas the Train inspired hat. My children knew exactly who it was. Now they are bringing me every toy they own asking for a hat made to represent that toy. Some of the requests are just silly. Others have some merit. The excitement of children is contagious!

Day by Day

Here we are 1 week and 1 day after the surgery. Things are going better than I expected. Of course, you really never know what to expect. People can tell you what happened with them or someone they knew, but each person is an individual. That is the way that God made us.

The doctor told me after 3 days that I'd be up and about. The nurse, who had the same prognosis/surgery, told me it would be a good week or more. Well, I think I fell somewhere in between. I just wish that I had the OK to get back to working out. I really do miss it.

Things seem to be moving. I slept for the first 3 days. The nurse told me not to be a hero and take the pain meds when I needed to. So I have. I've only had to take 2. Yes, 2! On the bottle it says "take for incisional pain." There is no "incisional pain".

When I swallow, I do have to bring my chin down. For some reason the job of swallowing pulls at the stitches. Other than that, no pain.

As far as my creations are coming along, it is a fun and exciting time. I've had someone ask for me to make a monkey hat that looks like "Boots" from Dora the Explorer. So I've done my best. I like how it has turned out. Who knows maybe one of my children will end up being Boots also.

That's all for now. Have a great day and wonderful weekend!

One Day at a Time

I'm taking it one day at a time. That is really all we can do right.

Monday was a good day. There wasn't a single migraine to be found. Tuesday was busy and tiring. I fell into bed exhausted. Today is a take it easy and complete some orders.

I have been looking for the elusive remote. Not sure where it went to, but it will be found. We have no desire to pay dish $100 to come out and give us a new one.

The Clifford hat got finished, posted and paid for. It will ship out this morning. Then I finished and posted a monkey hat for another lady. By this morning I had orders for another 2 hats. 1 is the exact same as another that I posted. The other is for a monkey hat only it needs to be the colors of Boots (Dora's friend). Everyone is getting their costumes together early it seems. That is fine with me because I won't have such a large last minute rush. I hope! I hate to rush.

That is about all for now. I need to go find the remote and get to work. Hope you all have a great day!

I'm home!

That's right I'm home from the hospital. It has been a fast, yet relaxing weekend. I never knew that was possible, but I guess it is.

We dropped the kids off early Thursday morning and made the dreaded drive to the hospital. The nurse took me in the back and had me changed into the beautiful hospital gown. She then effortlessly inserted the IV on THE FIRST TRY! I was so excited. I got to visit with my hubby for a few minutes before they wheeled me to the surgery waiting room.

Many people (nurses, doctors, etc.) came to meet me. I'll never remember any of there names. The only one that I remember is the main surgeon that I met with a few weeks ago. I was given a "calming" drug, then wheeled into the back. I remember getting on the table. The next thing I knew was that I was waking up in the recovery room. The nightmare that many have about waking up on the operating table was not mine to have.

Might I also add that I wasn't nervous going in. Looking back I could tell that many people were praying for me. Thank you to those who did. I felt a sense of peace that you only get from being shrouded in prayer.

The nurse that I had in recovery was the kind of nurse that I wish there were more of. He was understanding and compassionate. Actually, all the nurses that I met in recovery had this same attitude. It was very refreshing.

Approximately 6 hours later (yes, 6), I was taken to my room. My roommate was interesting. The day staff were awesome. The night staff left a lot lacking. I'm not going to go into detail on here. I'll contact the hospital directly. I was kept on clear fluids all day.

Friday morning I was allowed to eat solid food, so I ordered up a meal. I could have done without the pancakes, but the food has improved a lot. One point I should make is that all day Wednesday I was drinking water and had my "last meal" at about 5 PM. So I had gone approximately 32 hours "without" food. Of course, I had my IV, but my stomach did not think that was food. :) The meal was enjoyed that morning.

Then Matt came to get me and we went home. I've been trying to take it easy. It seems like Friday and Saturday that I slept almost all day. I was able to go to the morning and evening services at church on Sunday. It was so nice not to be bed-bound. It gave me a new compassion for my clients who are bed-bound.

Matt goes back to work tomorrow and my dad will be here. He'll help with the first week of school. I still can't believe how fast the summer went.

I guess I'd better close. There are 2 special orders to get finished and posted. Have a great day everyone!

Have you ever . . .

Have you ever felt so loved you wanted to cry? That is the thought that has hit so close to home in the recent days.

When I was first diagnosed, my Dad and Mom made phone calls to family members without computer access. My grandfather, Mom's Dad, told her to pass on a message to me. "Don't fear it. Fight it." He said this in reference to the cancer. He was also diagnosed with cancer although a different kind. That saying keeps rolling around in my head.

There are many Bible verses about fear that go along with that statement. One of them is: Psalms 27:1 "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

Today along with cleaning and organizing, I'm drinking my weight in water. After midnight, I must fast until after the surgery. When I mentioned to the nurse about the hour and 5 people it took to try to get an IV in, she told me to drink water until I could float away. So that is what I'm doing. :)

On another note, I realized I have not updated the information about my trip to a healthy life. I'm holding steady at 213 lbs. and I've lost 9.5". This has been 5 months of hardwork, but I know it can be done.

Still So Much To Do

It seems that housework is never-ending especially when you are trying to prepare ahead of time. I had to take my wedding ring off. No jewelry allowed in surgery. My middle son has now misplaced it and he doesn't remember where. That is more incentive for me to get busy cleaning.

I pulled out the paper the nurse gave me. On it are a list of numbers and when to call each. So I went to call for my time to report and where, but it was not time yet. I have to call between 2 and 4 PM. That is a pretty small window. Especially when my oldest 2 have swim lessons at 3 and 3:30PM. I leave the house at 2:30PM. There will be approximately 30 min. for me to make a call and get 3 children ready to go. I truly hope and pray that they answer on the first call as I don't know how many I will be able to make in that 30 min.

One positive that I can get from this is that I will be getting a lot of time to sit. Many hats will be accomplished/finished. We'll see how crazy they look while I'm taking pain medicine. :) I don't take a lot of medicine, so this should be easy. I don't want my body to become immune to medications, so that when I do need them, they work.

A small project I'm working on for my store is a Clifford hat. In my etsy store is a knit/crochet dog ear hat. A lady contacted me about making it in red for her unborn son. I'm having so much fun. Then I also need to make a monkey hat to fill another order.

Just my personal opinion, knitting seems so much smoother than crochet. Crochet can get chunky at times. Knitting also has more give, so it stretches further. My crochet is right where the "sample" measurements say it should be.

Anyway, enough for now. I need to get more things organized/cleaned. Have a great day!

Two Days Left

I have 2 days before my surgery. Tomorrow I call and find out what time to report to the hospital. The nurse said they were trying to get the first surgery slot for me. I'm praying that they can. I won't be able to eat or drink until it is done. Not sure how I'll handle a day without coffee.

I'm working on getting the house in order and straightened for Matt and the boys. It seems that cleaning is a never-ending job. I get dishes done and move to cleaning another room. By the time I'm done with that room, my sink is full of dishes that were scattered around. The funny thing is we eat at the table, so I'm not sure what is going on there.

My dad will be here the week after the surgery. This will be great because I have to get re-checked by the surgeon and my oldest starts back to school. My dad has a better camera than I do, so I'm hoping for some great pictures.

I'm so thankful that I'm saved and on my way to heaven. I don't know how people who don't have the hope of heaven face surgeries. There are still the verse cards to finish and packing for my overnight stay.

Time to get busy. Have a wonderful and blessed day!

New Update

Well, so much has happened since I last wrote. My oldest had "summer" vacation. I use the term summer very loosely, because for the first 2 months it rained non-stop.

About 2 months ago, I went to my doctor for an issue. When I left, I walked out knowing that I had a lump on my thyroid. I knew there was a problem, but couldn't put my finger on it. The doctor visit was not to check my thyroid. It was another issue that could be linked to the thyroid.

Anyway, less than 2 weeks later, I went to an endocrinologist. She confirmed that there is a lump (over 1 cm). A biopsy was scheduled. I also had some bloodwork done to see if it was autobody. That test came back negative. So the biopsy date came. Let me tell you, that was worse than labor and I delivered my first 2 children without pain meds. I would know the results of the biopsy in a week.

I wasn't too concerned about it. After all, thyroid lumps run in my mom's family. All of theirs came back benign. I figured mine would too.

Then the call came. I have thyroid cancer. Everything went foggy. I caught snatches of what the doctor was telling. Words like surgery, total thyroidectomy, medicine, the rest of my life. The endocrinologist did finish with "This is the best kind of cancer to have, because it is cureable." My personal preference would be the non-existent kind.

I called clients and told them that I would not be accepting any new projects for a while. I also called close family and told them the news. Then I sent out an email letting others know. I just could not get through another phone call. When I finally got a hold of my husband, he was floored. His supervisor sent him home early.

For the next 2 days, my inbox was full of emails letting me know that people were praying for me. My answering machine also got many messages of love. People were coming out of the woodwork letting me know how much they cared. It has been overwhelming. One lady from an online group sent me a list of Bible verses. I have been writing them on 3x5 cards and putting them in a flip book. I'm taking this to the hospital with me.

Right now, I'm hoping and praying for the best, but planning for the worst. I love that God has given us HOPE.

I'm trying to stay positive as that is what people need me to be right now. I have many people looking at me with looks of apology like they wished this on me. I feel like people are watching and waiting for me to breakdown. Everytime I leave the house, the brave face goes on. One of the most common questions that gets asked is, "How are you doing?" In my mind I'm screaming, "I have cancer what do you expect.", but my answer is always, "I'm doing great. Just keeping positive." There are a few that I feel are following me. Waiting for me to start bawling, so that they can be there to be the shoulder to cry on.

I'll write more later. I need to get my children out of the house. It feels as if it is closing in on me. The surgery is looming closer. This Thursday to be exact. Maybe if I keep busy enough it will go away.

What a Weekend!

This has been one long weekend. First, my oldest didn't have school Thursday and Friday because of kindergarten testing. The teachers were testing the incoming children. So he had a 4 day weekend.

My hubby only worked a half day on Friday because it was considered a holiday. It worked out though because we ran some errands when he got home. We stopped in Freeport and checked out the Children's Place. I found a couple cute dresses for our niece's birthday. They were marked down and on sale.

On Saturday, I met up with some ladies from the playgroup and we made chocolates for our children's Easter baskets. There was a lot of chocolate made and fingers being licked. We had so much fun. That evening we had the 5th birthday party for our niece.

On a sadder note, my Great-Grandmother passed away. She was either 94 or 99. We have to find out her birthyear. There seem to be some discrepencies on that note. We found out from the ER that she passed away from neglect. She was in a nursing home. She had a couple major sores that spiked her fever. She slipped in a coma. I worked in many nursing homes here in Maine. I took a CNA course and worked hard to care for my residents and clients. My certificate could not be transferred to California because they require so many more hours and are "stricter". She would have most likely lived until we got there at Christmas. My oldest is the only great-grandchild she ever met. At Christmas she would have spent time with 5 great-grandchildren. I just remember when she met my son. All she wanted to do was stare at him and hold him. We have a picture with 5 generations. She had a look of pure joy on her face. Just so you know, I'm crying as I type this.

My grandfather, her son, went in to see her Saturday morning. He spoke to her and told her to stop fighting and let go. She was a fighter. He went to visit his wife and made a quick stop. There was a butterfly that flew into his open window. It was red with yellow markings. The butterfly rode in the back of his car for part of the way. When he stopped at his next stop, the butterfly flew up and landed on his finger. It flapped its wings a couple times, then flew out the window. That was at 2:35 PM. A few minutes later he got a call from the hospital that his mother had passed. The time she passed was 2:35 PM.

Sunday was Easter. The day we celebrate our Lord raising from the dead. I'm so glad He did.

This morning was also eventful. I was awakened at 4 AM to the smoke alarms going off. We are all ok. We know that the smoke alarms work. It all had to do with the fireplace glass breaking. I went in and ordered a new one. It is a good thing it is warming up here. So no fires until it comes in.

I'd better go. Lots to do.

Today

Well today promises to be busy day. I'm meeting the mom's group today to make candy for Easter. The group has been up and running for about a month. I've had 1-2 ladies and their children show up. I was starting to get down about the number. Well for this scheduled event there are 10 ladies coming. We did have to get people to RSVP cause we had to plan for snacks.
Then afterwards, I will be going to the gym to work off the little "nibbles" that I take. Of course, they will only be nibbles. This evening we have a birthday party for my niece. At some point today, I need to work in alterations and creating.

I'm working on a cute teddy bear blanket. I'll post a picture when the parts are done.

Yesterday, we went to my parent's house and started doing some outside, "prepping" for planting. I undercovered the stepping stones from the grass growing over them. I had the boys help me look for "surprises" aka worms. They thought that was great. It was nice to get out and moving.

Since I've started working out, I've had a lot more energy. The boys and I do so much more together. I had a hard time after this last baby with the post-partum depression. My children didn't need to see me like that and I didn't enjoy it either. I guess that is what scares me most about if we have another. Post-Partum. Drugs would have been a last resort. I had no desire to be dependant on medication. Just getting out and playing in the snow (when we had it) or walking helped improve my spirits so much. My midwife encouraged me to join a PPD support group. The number was sitting in my pocket for weeks. It was nice to know that I had it, but I never used it. I probably should have.

Well, I've had my 2 cups of coffee. I'll probably splurge and get a 3rd. Dishes are calling.

An overview of yesterday

Yesterday was a busy and exciting day in the life of this mom. I got up and took my boys to my mother-in-laws house. The oldest didn't not have school because the teachers were needed for kindergarten testing of the incoming children. My mother-in-law usually has the 2 younger ones on Thursday anyway. This enables me to volunteer at the school. I asked if she would mind taking all 3 boys so that I can go to the gym. She agreed which surprised me as she is busy in the greenhouse.

I got to spend a whole hour at the gym and I didn't have to wait for machines. I went Tuesday night. It was crowded. I joined a gym closer, but it doesn't open until May 17th. So we are allowed to use the "sister" gym until it opens. I was able to do 10 min. on the treadmill (I had to stop cause my shins HURT). Then I did 10 min. on the eliptical and another 10 on the bike. I got about 20-25 min. of weights in. So here is my weight: 219 lbs. I'm working to get it down. I do have to say that I have a LOT more energy since working out.

When the boys and I got home, I fed them lunch. Then we went outside and started putting together the trampoline. My arms were burning from putting the springs on. That is a definite workout. I'm still a little sore this morning from it. So if you have a friend putting together a trampoline or tearing one down, volunteer to help.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Can we have a limit please?

I'm not talking about credit cards, weight or toys (though there should be a limit on those too!). I would like one on the amount of questions a 4-year old can ask in one day. They should get a dial to tell how many they've asked. Once they reach it, no more questions allowed. "Mommy, where are we going? Why are we stopping here? What are you doing?" Some of the questions they come up with are pretty funny too.

Here is one conversation I had with said 4-year old a few months ago.

child: "Mommy, where are you going?"
mom: "Crazy."
child: "Where is crazy?"

He is starting to get the concept of the city/town, state and country. I'm just waiting for him to ask if Crazy is in the USA.

I can just see this city. There will need to be one in every state and some states get two. These would be full of moms. You could stay anywhere from 1 hr. to a few days depending on how "crazy" you have become.

One day I was speaking to my uncle on my mom's side and he asked me how it was going being a stay-at-home mom of 3. My reply was, "It is a good thing I don't drink. There are some days I'd never be sober." He thought that was funny. It is just hard work to take care of children. The moms who work outside of the home are some strong women. I used to work outside the home, but that was only when I had 2. My home is not perfectly cleaned. It probably won't be until all the children have moved out. The dishes will still be there later, but your children are only this age once. I'm just trying to enjoy them at the age they are.

With that being said, it is time for the baby to have an afternoon nap and wearing out the other 2 outside. I hope everyone has a great day. Get out and enjoy the sunshine!

Super Mommy!

Here we are another day in the life of me. I watched an Oprah show yesterday. Before you get the wrong idea, I don't just sit around and watch TV all day. I was folding clothes while watching. Anyway, the show was about the things they don't tell you about before you become a mom. I was laughing. My boys would laugh when I did, but had no idea why. I thought that I was the only one to take shortcuts and would get so frustrated when I didn't get everything done.

So right now, I have a couple loads of laundry to fold, floors to sweep, a birthday gift to finish, alterations to do and at some point today, I need to get to the gym. I'll get as much cleaning done as I can, but I won't stress over it. I will get the floors swept just cause I have OCD and I don't like to step on dirt inside my house.

I have also started taking my boys for walks almost daily. (1) It wears them out and (2) It is good exercise for me and them. You can only imagine how frustrating it was when I GAINED weight after 3 weeks of walking. We would walk 1.5 to 2 miles daily. We have started bringing along bags to collect cans and bottles in. My children know what alcohol bottles are, but they also know that we don't have them in our house. People have asked us about cashing in the alcohol cans/bottles. My hubby and I reply with the same response, "If the drunks don't want the money, we'll take it." It just amazes us that 80% of what we find are alcohol containers. Makes me nervous to go on walks with the boys. Also, in 1 week of walking, my boys made approximately $30 from the collections. I told my hubby that we have a bit of a fiend on our hands. Now we will be driving down the road and hear from the back seat, "There is a bottle!" The boys get the money. We are teaching them about saving and spending.

There are too many people in this world who have not grasped the concept. We were speaking to one person about finances and they made a comment. I thought my hubby was going to have a coronary. We asked this person about why they don't just pay something off or why they bought something. I don't remember. (We are close to this person. We would in no way ask this of a stranger.) The comment we got was, "All our bills are paid for the month, so we can afford it." This is unfortunately the thinking of most people when it comes to money. The problem with the economy is not because of the President or the stock market. People just need to step up and take responsibility for the choices they make. Now I'll get off my soapbox. There is so much more that I could say on this subject, but I'll save that for another day.

I joined a gym on Sunday. They were having a $1 registration fee. I loved the gym when I was part of it before my 3rd son was born. I just felt comfortable and accepted there. I stopped my membership when I stopped working, because I figured we couldn't afford the monthly cost. Just within the last couple months, I have started taking better care of myself. I heard somewhere that it doesn't do any good for the family if the mom doesn't take care of herself. I thought how true that is!

I just fed an entire loaf of bread to the birds. Last night I was trying to stay up while I let it rise. Then I just went to bed. I was tired and it was late. I left a note on it for my hubby to bake it in the morning. It was half-baked. So this morning my son went to school with a lunchable-inspired lunch. So now I need to make a new loaf.

Guess I'd better get back to work. I'm done preaching for the day.

Been busy!

So here it is the last day of March. I have been busy to say the least. I had my 31st birthday. Not really feeling old. I've been trying to do better at keeping my house clean. That seems to be a non-stop chore. I'm working out (walks, jog when hubby keeps kids, etc). Still haven't lost weight. In fact it seems like I've been gaining. Arrrgh!

My mom and I are still being creative and trying to find our niche. I have posted new things in my store, but haven't been able to chat with my etsy friends as often as I'd like. I've started making cup quilts. They are coasters that I have taken the time to piece and quilt like full-size quilts. I'm also making quilted bookmarks and checkbook covers. There is a green twin-size quilt I'm about done with. I'm still trying to decide if I should sell it or give it to my hubby's niece for her birthday. My mom has done some gorgeous work on her embroidery machine. She made these Easter egg holders that have a lacy look to them. I love them.


That is about it for now. Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Very Active Children

I have a 4 yr old who is VERY active. For those who have ever met him, they understand. So I've spoken with some SAHM who have also had active children. They all said the same thing, "Keep them busy." Somedays, I feel like all I ever do is chase him from room to room. Well, last week I got the idea to let him knead the bread dough. He loves it! He can hit, punch and squeeze the dough. An added bonus for him is that he gets his hands "dirty". The recipe that I found does NOT have you knead the dough on a floured surface like others do. You use a lightly oiled surface.

For about a year now, I've been making homemade bread from scratch. I have been solely making bread since the fall of '08. I haven't bought a loaf since then. I make about 1 loaf a day. I found an awesome whole wheat bread recipe that isn't hard as a rock. It is soft and delicious. Instead of using sugar, you use honey, molasses or maple syrup. I'm going to start using honey from a local beekeeper since it will be pure and local. It is also about $1 cheaper than the store brand. The recipe is found at www.kingarthurflour.com. There are so many recipes. I'm planning on trying the pretzel recipe after I'm done blogging. Here is the link directly to the bread recipe: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/RecipeDisplay?RID=R428. I also buy the yeast by the brick. I can get 2 bricks for $4 at our local BJ's. You could probably find it at Costco or Sam's Club in the baking aisle. It is more cost effective to buy it by the brick than in the little packets which are about 3 packets for $1. I go through that in a week. A brick of yeast will last about a month. Don't forget to put it in an airtight container in the fridge after opening.

Nothing New.

Unfortunately, I did not get to work on the new bottle cover today. I have a 9 mos old who is teething. He is not a happy camper. I'm crossing my fingers that I can work on it tonight after the kids are in bed or tomorrow morning. I'll be happy when the 2nd tooth pokes through. We were both up all night.

Happy Late New Year!

Needless to say, I've been busy for the last month. I made about 75% of the Christmas gifts this year for family. I also made 11 pairs of mittens plus I have an order of 2 more pairs) and one chullo hat with the Harvard name in it. There was some alterations to do and a request for a remake of an old wine bottle cover. So much has happened. There are lots of pictures.

We also celebrated our 2nd child's birthday. Lucky for me he wanted a giant cookie instead of a cake.=) I bought a can of cream cheese frosting to color for the decoration. I had it made up the night before and it looked great! He was so excited about his giant baseball cookie with big chocolate chunks. Then I checked on it before I went to bed as the now 4 yr. old likes to run his finger through things. I noticed half the frosting was missing. I knew that Saturday was going to be non-stop running, but that I'd have to find time to make and redecorate a new cookie. The problem was that it baffled me who would have the audacity to do that. I knew it wasn't finger marks in the remaining frosting. We also new the dog couldn't get up on the counter to do it. (She would if she could.) Then it dawned on us who the culprit could have been, but she has never shown any interest in frosting before. My husband grabbed the cat and I opened her mouth to look at her tongue. Sure enough, it was the bright red color of the frosting. Then we realized, cats love cream cheese, so why not cream cheese frosting. Guess they need to put that as a warning on the label.

Now for the newest creations for my store. Hopefully you have remained in your seat after the little anecdote. I made a monk style bottle cover for someone at my son's school. She wanted her's in brown. It turned out REALLY cute. Even my husband thought so, which surprised me. I was afraid he would be not really pleased about a wine bottle cover, because we don't drink. So I made one in black and have it posted in my store. http://www.bpdesign.etsy.com/. I have it pictured over a bottle of sparkling cider, but it will fit a standard bottle of wine. (Not the monster bottles that I've seen. LOL) I also have fabric and ideas for a couple more different ones.

Also, I will start having embroidered pieces in my shop as well. Those will be made and shipped by my mom in California. Below is a link to the slide show of the newest in my shop or just go to the store www.BPDesign.etsy.com.

http://www.slide.com/r/ZIhJ8-Ah3j-knSqFTUttxDtxCq92VvuE?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

Lots going on here. At least I'm not bored. =) I'd better get back to creating.