Hello, Again, My Friends!

Taking a break this morning to send along a 'Hello!' and an update on the goings on around here.

First, Kim. She accidentally pulled out the feeding tube at the beginning of last week and the ER doctor who attended to her almost took her life! He put in a catheter tube and inflated the little balloon in her intestines! Intestinal strangulation is what happened. He didn't know what he was doing or what he was dealing with and didn't ask for input from any other doctors. After this was taken care of, 3 days later after she had been suffering excruciating pain and any number of other symptoms, her gastroenterologist told her she needed to begin treatment in a specialty pain clinic to try and relieve some of her constant pain. True to form, Kimberli misunderstood what he was saying and thought he was sending her to a pain clinic for pain pill abuse so . . . she stopped taking all of them! It took me over an hour to convince her she wasn't dependent nor was she abusing the pills and needed to take them for her well being. Friday morning she received a call from her primary physician telling her that her kidneys had been in distress since early February and it was now time to address the problem. The doctors felt that they couldn't treat her kidney problems last February because of the heart problems and nutrition problems she was having. You would think they could have given her some warning of what was on the horizon. Things are even worse on the home front (can you believe it?) and she needs all the relationship prayers you can offer. Kim is quite literally at the end of her rope and is making talk about not wanting to 'go on.' After all she has been through, this isn't at all surprising to me; why in the world does she have nothing but bad results in everything?

As I told you in my last post, I am now a designer for a publishing firm. The online site was active for a few months back a ways and it didn't pan out because there seemed to much of the left hand not knowing what the right hand was doing. The new management definitely seems to know what to do and we are looking forward to a very successful custom album site! It is slated to go public on June 15! The Designer's Corner might take a couple more weeks after that to be ready. I really hope I get some support from my followers and I promise to do everything I can to make the online album experience fun and rewarding.

Well, I need to get back to Photoshop and put in some time designing. Take care everyone!

Hugs,
Liv

PS: I almost forgot to leave you the link for some shape template Freebies!
4shared: Here (I fixed the download link-yes I did! but . . . . 4shared added my account password!)
I BELIEVE IT IS NOW AVAILABLE

I'm Still Around!

Hey Y'all!
I know you must think I've flown the coop but really I haven't. I have just been designing my butt off! I now have a designer position for a publishing firm! I will link you up as soon as the division goes online! There will be coupons and specials available for you to use on printed and bound scrapbooks! That's right! I'm designing covers and layout pages for you to use your photos on when you make a scrapbook online! It really is going to be an awesome site; there is going to be a special 'Designer's Edition' area that you will be able to choose from my designs as well as several other designers. I'm really excited about this and hope you will give us a try. If you have any special request themes, please let me know! All ideas and request will be honored and appreciated! I had no idea that the position would be so involved so I guess it's a good thing I didn't participate in that designer's contest! Please check back soon and often as I don't know the exact date my designs will be available.

In other news, Kim has been doing so much better for the last week! She is still passing out several times a day but says that she is more prepared than before. Her fluids seem to be good and the doctor says she only needs to gain about 3 more pounds! All the prayers have been so appreciated!

Joshua's EOG's haven't been too good for him. He definitely has a learning disability that is holding him back, but I know that he will persevere and excel soon!

Today is my oldest grandchild's nineteenth birthday! Timothy is definitely grownup! I wish my parents could have lived to see him today. He was such a tiny little boy and we worried he wouldn't be of average height but he out distanced our greatest expectations He is now taller than his parents and large in structure. Amazing what a few years past puberty can do for a boy!

I need to go but I just want to send out hugs for all my friends and family. I love you guys and will get back with you soon.

Hugs,
Liv

PS: I will still be giving away freebies, so don't think I have forgotten you collectors!

I know!

I know! I'm remiss at keeping up with this blog. I promised to do better soon! I am working on a commercial adventure that I will share with you soon.

Kimberli has had some problems but is holding her own. Thanks for asking!

I will get back here soon!

Hugs,
Liv

Remember when you ...

Remember when you were applying for your first job and every business wanted someone who had experience? It just didn't seem fair then and now at 62 I'm feeling that way again! Well I applied to a design challenge to get a 90 day spot at a digital scrapbooking store-no, not a permanent spot, just 90 stupid days. When I went to check about the first round . . . right . . . I didn't make it. Most every name on the list already has their products at stores and have been designing for profit for at least a year some for many more. My feelings are hurt, and I'm really bummed that I couldn't make the cut. You know, I have never used the commercial use products in my designing . . . I design my own. Ever notice the kits you buy have the same tired familiar flowers or butterflies and such? Well, that's because they are purchased from a designer for commercial use and anyone can buy them and use them in their kits. I guess it doesn't pay to be original anymore. Yes, I'm bitter. Sorry. But it just stinks. If my designs aren't any good why have thousands of my kits been downloaded? If my designs aren't good enough why has a publishing company been after me for two months to sign up with them? Phooey!!!!!!!!!!! (now I feel better)

Here Some Layouts

Hey Y'all,
Here are some layouts that I've done recently for the challenges at Sunshine Studio Scraps. Most were using the WonderGirls Island Splash kit, one is from a kit I created and one is a quickpage I made from Madame Wing's kit.

Photo Masks Freebie

Hey Y'all. Here is a passel of photo and mat masks; they can be used by any program that accepts png files and will 'clip' two layers together. The preview is clickable for a better view. Hope you like them.

The 4Shared link is HERE.
The Media Fire link is http://www.mediafire.com/?wtnyannqzwk.

Kim went back for the 5 week surgery checkup yesterday. She has never been out of pain since the tube was put in. Can you guess why? She is allergic to the stitches! Do you still believe that some people are not doomed from birth? Not me.

Tootles.

Starting Old?

Well, y'all, it's like this: I just saw the most amazing YouTube flick I have ever seen. It really gives me hope. Hope for all of us. Hope that our nation will get out of the financial pit we have found ourselves in. Hope that all the unemployed will discover a hidden or buried talent that will bring them good fortune. Hope that the lonely will find love and friendship. Hope that the ill will not only get well but blossom in God's light. Hope that the path I am taking is the right one and that it's not too late for me either! Please go HERE and get a little hope for yourselves!

Kim is feeling better the last few days. I am feeling better the last few days. I so want to make all my friends and family happy by doing something they will like and/or appreciate. I don't know what that is. I am me. I cannot seem to think beyond myself today. That hope is blooming in my heart for me. Selfish. Self-centered. Wanting. Waiting. Praying.

I have family I need to call. I have friends I need to visit. I'm in limbo for the present. Perhaps I will find out tomorrow, or the next day. If I do, I will share it with you. If it is bad news, I'll still share it. But I'm quite tired of bad news and think it high time for some good news. Be sure and watch the flick!

A Challenge

Hey Y'all,
Well, I did apply to DigiScrapAddicts for the contest but I haven't been confirmed yet. In the mean time I made a kit for a design challenge at Sunshine Studio Scraps (Check them out!). The password at 4Shared is sunshine.

Download Here

This is a layout I made with the kit; everything is mine except for Patslash's Fairy Brushes (stars).



Kim had an allergic reaction to the meds the hospital doctors prescribed; pain and a rash. Poor kid, never gets a break. Her father, step-sister, 2 nieces, a nephew, and two aunts came down from Richmond to see her today. I think she really enjoyed seeing all of them.

It's 2:55am and my rump is sore from sitting here so long working on this kit! I'm going to bed!
Hugs,
Liv

Updates

Hey Y'all!

Well Kim has been in the hospital for a few days and got out yesterday afternoon. She is having blackouts that I think are seizures, and fell several times and hurt herself. The doctors have now put her on steroids that are suppose to help her retain fluid and keep her blood pressure up. Evidently the extra liter of fluid a day that the doctors in Winston Salem told her to consume just wasn't enough. Poor thing fell when she was in the bathroom and hit her jaw, chin, and ribs; xrays and ultrasounds showed no broken bones. She gets so beat up but nothing ever shows because her circulation is so bad that she doesn't bruise!

Well, I have to tell you about something that I want to do so that maybe I'll do it if I post about it. KWIM? DigiScrapAddicts is having a designer contest called 'So You Think You Can Design?' It seems that there are hundreds of entries and this is their second year of hosting the contest. The grand prize is a 3 month guest designer spot at Scrap Orchard Designs! Whoo! I'd really like to sell some of my 'stuff' since everyone around here have lost their jobs and some income would certainly help out! A few of you have suggested that I am good enough, but AM I? I have to include some previews of items I have designed with the application so I thought of the Christmas Around The World Kit and the last one I did, Spring Forward. Wish me luck, please! Designing is truly what I love to do, much more than digi scrapping. When Kim is really bad I find that if I just start designing something that I can get my mind calmed down enough to focus on something else!

I have to get started on tonight's dinner.

Hugs,
Liv

EASTER KIT

Hey Y'all,

Hope you are having a wonderful Easter Holiday with your friends and family.

I forgot to post the link to Media Fire for the Easter Freebie Kit. It is now in the previous post!

Hugs,
Liv

PS: Kim was not doing too well week before last. She spent a few days with me for some 'mommy love.' Went back home and once again isn't doing too well. She has had a few good days but has begun vomiting again. When she went to Wake Forest University on the 8th for a post surgery checkup, she had gained a few ounces which is a very good thing!

Challenge Kit: Spring Forward

Here is an Easter Kit that I made for the Stone Accent Studio's March Color Challenge. There are 5 alphas/12 papers/45 elements. Hope you like them. The password for the folder on 4shared is bunny. Sorry guys, I forgot to add the file to MediaFire! Here is the link: MEDIAFIRE

Get the kit 4SHARED

I did two layouts with the kit. I like the first one the best! I believe you can click on them for a closer look.

Hugs,
Liv
PS: I spent the day with Kim; update later.

Kim is home

Hey Y'all,
Just a quick update: Kim came home late yesterday afternoon from Winston-Salem. The car ride made her very uncomfortable but she didn't complain. Joshua sat with her and they read two books together before she had to go to bed. The home health nurse came to hook her up to the nutrition feed and Kim was in bed asleep by 7:30pm!

I'm really confused about this feeding tube thing. I thought she would have a port that opened and closed when necessary for the feedings. Kim's tube is not a port, in fact it is a very tiny tube that has about 12 inches exposed outside her body; there is no cap or closing! How can this be safe? Can germs or foreign objects just get to the intestines unimpeded? If anyone else out there is familiar with this, could you please share your knowledge with me?

I'm working on a twenty year x 4 digital scrapbook for a friend. She is going to actually pay me to sort, scan, log in, and make 4 digital scrapbooks for her family and 3 children. I'm also going to be transferring all her printed photos to digital and file them on DVDs for her. Personally, I think this project will take over a year!

I'm also working on an Easter digital kit that I will post soon.

Hugs,
Liv

On the Mend

Hey Y'all,
Well, Kim is finally on the mend from her surgery. Wednesday and Thursday were very tough days for her but she seems more herself today. Things are done so differently at this hospital. If you want to be fed you must find out what type of diet they have you on (they do not tell you), where to call to order your meal, then place your order! There aren't any 'meal wagons' like we are use to where everyone gets basically the same meal with diet allowances. Kim didn't have anything to eat for two days because no one told her to order food and she just thought that's what her doctor wanted! Her husband said that when they brought her up to her room from recovery that they explained the system but Kim was not even coherent at that time.
They started the 'tube' feedings yesterday afternoon. Each 'feeding' takes twelve hours and is usually done from 7pm to 7am. Kim will also have to be hooked up for fluids daily and they take an additional 2 hours. This seems excessive but Kim desperately needs this nutrition-she must gain at least 10 pounds before she will be strong enough to start 'living' again. She can supplement the feeding with small amounts of real food that is basically for taste and chewing sensations, she can no longer eat for sustenance.
She was scheduled to come home today or tomorrow but it doesn't look like that's going to happen now. She has had a very bad allergic reaction to the pain meds, she is still catheterized, and her blood pressure is still low.
Did I tell you that the doctor scared the poop out of her by telling her on the day of the surgery that she was in renal failure? She didn't know that you sometimes have problems urinating when you have surgery and she couldn't pass the liquids. For some reason, the doctor on the floor told her he was afraid that she was 'probably going into renal failure!' She was somewhat hysterical for several hours until both her husband and I assured her that this was probably surgery related and not diabetes related. They have since retracted that stupid statement!
Both Kim and I have been having nightmare ever since she had the surgery. Crazy wild dreams that leave you shaken when you wake up. I'll be so glad when she's back home; I need to see her.
Thanks to all of you for the well wishes and prayers. We truly appreciate you!
Hugs,
Liv

Kim's out of surgery

Hey Y'all!
Kim has just come upstairs to her room from recovery. She is still really dopey and is in a lot of pain but the surgeon says the tube was implanted without a problem. Her sugar levels are jumping up but the staff is keeping an eye on them. They said they will start trials on the feeding tube tonight. Please keep Kim and her family in your prayers.
Thanks!
Liv
PS: She is in room 1107 North Tower, Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital and will be there for a few days if any of you want to send her a card.

A Quickie

Hey Y'all,
Things have been going pretty briskly around here and I haven't had time to chat. Kim will be having the 'J' tube surgically inserted on the 25th of the month at Wake Forest University Hospital; she will have to remain hospitalized for 3 days. She has been making periodic trips up there to have things checked out and to get ready for the surgery.
Here is a freebie I made. There are twelve painted Easter eggs in png format, the password is bunny.


Have a great week.
Hugs,
Liv