Favorite Colors, Bedrooms, Bears and Friendship

I'm not sure if I have told you yet that Purple is my most favorite color in the world.  Since we have been in the house (4 months now), I have been dreaming of decorating my bedroom/craft space black and purple.  I found this amazing picture on Pinterest last year and have been holding onto it tightly and cannot wait to make my bedroom this calm relaxing atmosphere.  For the life of me I have been unable to source the origins of this photo.  If you know where this was originally posted please let me know so I can credit the creators properly.  I have spent a few hours trying to find it, as its in tons of round ups to no avail.

Well there is one item in my room now that has purple that will be incorporated into the design of this space.  It was given to me by an amazing kindred soul, by the name of Alonda.  This bear was actually given to her mother as a gift as she was dying.  It was extremely important to Alonda.  I mentioned one day that it was the most adorable bear I had seen and if she knew where I might be able to find one.

Well a few weeks later, Christmas came and a package was left on my doorstop. Opening the box, I began to cry, because a dear friend had given me a precious memory of hers.  I still to this day cannot believe she gave this present to me.  I have kept my bear in the best condition and he is probably as important to me now as he was to Alonda.  I will look after this gift till my dying days as it is a priceless item in my life.

It is a reminder of the depth of friendship you can have with another person.  The love that each person gives in our lives , either family, friends or even acquaintances. Friendships that endure are not easy, there is work to be done, and there are times when we don’t speak, or see each other often but we connect on other areas to insure that everyone knows how deeply we care about them.

Perhaps this valentines day is not only about lovers.  I think it’s a great opportunity to let everyone know they are loved.  Winter's are usually rough for people and depression is at a high.  Perhaps a small gesture, a card, a phone call, or a visit, with a hand written letter to tell the person why they are important to you.  We are not guaranteed any tomorrows.  Make sure your loved ones know today.


Do you give valentines or cards/calls to anyone other than your spouse?  Are you planning any special ideas for family and friends this year?  If so let us know your ideas, you just might inspire someone else to do something special.

Keeping it real and another I'm back post

I been gone, been gone so long…

Wow this month sure did throw me for a loop. 

Please note:  There are parts of this post about my health and recovery, please feel free to pass reading that and go to the sixth paragraph down that is bolded and red.

As I mentioned in an (earlier post-put in link), I had surgery in the middle of the month.  After I posted my last post on Friday Jan 3, I got even sicker.  I ended up with at least 3 hernia's that needed to be repaired.  I ended up on bed rest for a bit.  My surgery was actually scheduled for the 15th and not the 18th that I said before.  Everything went well.  He fixed the hernias, and some issues I was having with my bowel.  I did well recovering and didn't have to stay in hospital long.

It was nice to be home and recuperating.  On the following Wednesday, one week after the operation, I went to see my surgeon to have my stitch removed.  When my doctor does any type of abdominal surgery he tends to close it with one running stitch.  It was removed no problem and no pain so that is always a plus in my book! LOL

Went home and took it easy.  I was sitting straight up in bed, just watching tv, when without moving or leaning over I felt something funny at the bottom of my incision.  Well it split a bit so I was now on my bed other than to go potty, or eat, and we thought it would still be able to heal and close without having to take a trip to the emergency.  Slept ok that night but the next day around noon, I felt a bit funny again and realized that I was bleeding quite a bit so I called G and he was still in Toronto and would take 1.5 hours to get home.  So unfortunately I had to call 911 to come and get me.  They were all super nice, nice to see those hunk fire-fighters and EMT in my home.  Some were truly drool worthy LOL

They used a contraption called a "stair chair" and strapped me into it to get me down the front steps and to the stretcher in my driveway.  Note that we had a huge storm and the snow banks were high.  As they got to the driveway my female EMT behind me slipped and fell onto the ground and I flew backwards and fell on her leg on the driveway.  I felt so bad for the EMT I didn't realize that I had actually just split my incision even more, including muscles. 

It didn't take long to figure out that this was a big oops, as I was being quickly prepped for emergency surgery.  It was a new experience for me to be rushed to OR.  Mine are usually planned LOL.  I spent the night in hospital and begged Dr to send me home and I was home by 11 the day after my surgery.

I am still recovering and taking things slow but am well enough to spend a few hours online so I have been working on blog post ideas and still trying to get the new domain all fancied up before I bring you all over there.  I hope your year started off marginally  (I used the wrong word here), exceptionally different than mine did.  Talk about a month lost.  I got nothing on my to do list accomplished yet.  Except in the spirit of keeping it real… I showed you the small dust collection I amass every few days around here.  My house is so far from being the sparkling showcase houses we all drool over in magazines and decorating shows. 

Please subscribe to the blog so you can go along for the ride on my 'real' and not so pretty adventure to make this house a home… my home, including all the dust bunnies.  :)

"This is Homemaker Haven, reminding you to help control the pet population;"

Quote: "This is Bob Barker, reminding you to help control the pet population; have your pets spayed or neutered."

Today I was going to blog about my creative space in the new house.  But I am not prepared with photos and such.  It's never as simple as writing up a blog post.  There are so many other things involved in preparing a post for you guys.

So without further ado, let's talk about my babies.  We have 6 kids between G and I.  He has 2 girls and a boy, and I have 2 boys and a girl.  We are the Brady Bunch lol but mixed with a large amount of Roseanne and Dan.

But when I refer to my babies,  I mean my four legged friends.  Our 'furry' children.  We have had Phoenix for 6 years.  He is a really cool combo of breeds.  Whenever we get asked what he is , we laugh a little before revealing his hilarious DNA.  He is part Corgi (the Queen's dog) and part Husky.  Now just that mash up is hilarious to think of but the best part is the husky  was the mother.  She had to been taking a nap when the little short studly corgi gave it his best shot (no pun intended, really LOL).

We got him from a rescue agency that goes to Moosonee to rescue any of the 'loose' dogs.  Due to massive overpopulation, they have what they call "hunt days".  Any dog they find that is not tied up or contained gets shot.   They have to do something to keep the feral dog population down.  The organization we used, goes up and grabs pups all the time.  Anyway, when we got together with them they brought 4 pups with them out of the litter of 9.  One of them immediately went off exploring our house.  One cowered under a bed almost the whole time they were there, another one was just a bit indifferent, and lastly the one pup, went and snuggled and played with us the whole time they were there.  It was a very easy decision as to which one we would adopt.

Phoenix, is a very special dog.  He is extremely intelligent, and intuitive.  Due to my ailments, he is always super observant of me and stays really close to me on the days that I am very sick.  He truly is my best friend.  He is super gentle in nature.  Every vet we have ever taken him to , falls in love with him.  He is a huge bright light in my sometimes dark days.

Our other dog is a shih tzu that we got from my aunt, who rescued him from a young couple who supposedly was being evicted and not able to keep the dog.  If you noticed the way that sentence ix worded you will understand that that is not what happened.  A few months later, a friend of my aunts, who originally brought the story to my aunt, saw this couple out walking down the road with a brand new pup.  Well I heard they got quite an earful and lecture about their actions.

What I believe happened based on my work with the dog the first few weeks we got him is that he used growling all the time, but I am guessing they let him do or behave the same, due to not disciplining the dog to behave properly.  His growl never frightened us and we quickly turned that behaviour around.  Don't get me wrong, he still growls, but it’s a dog purr that he does when cuddling , he is a strange dog lol.

We have had Smudge now for 3-4 years and he is our comedian in the family.  He just is so wound up all the time and he does before thinking things through.  Like going for a massive leap onto furniture and misjudging the jump and slamming into the couch front with his chest.  He also whips his toys around so hard that he has actually knocked the wind out of himself.  He is a cute but wild dog.  He keeps us on our toes and laughing along the way.

Anyway the reason that I write this post is because today they got fixed.  It has been a long time in the making due to the costs associated with it.  When we lived in Barrie, Ontario, we were quoted $500 per dog to be neutered.  It is ridiculous.  Here we paid less than $500 for both dogs.

They came home all loopy, and with those darn cones on their heads.  They are bumping and getting caught on everything.  They have both been super quiet all night long.  It is so unlike them it's kind of unnerving.

Look how depressing they look LOL  Is it normal to feel a little guilty for putting them through this???

OMG its December?!?!?!?

December 2,

Wow where did the last week go?  Seems I have been sleeping for most of the week.

So with my short absence I thought I would post an about me post for you all so you can understand my sometimes abrupt absences here on the blog.

Where to start…

When I was 15 I was hospitalized for a few months while they tried to figure out why I was extremely skinny and having tummy issues.  After 2 months they finally diagnosed me with Crohn's disease and I was operated on the day after.  My surgeon removed 3 1/2 feet of my bowel.  It was pretty rough to go through at such an early age and I was at the time in foster homes and my hospital stay was so long that my 'spot' in my previous home was full and they had to find me another foster home for when I was discharged…so not only was I going through recovery, my life was also disrupted by learning my new place in a new home.

After my surgery I was still sick but not horribly.  It seems like I never went into remission like a lot of the other people with this disease seem to experience.  There were some years where I spent upwards of 3-4 months total in hospital each year.  It was extremely hard to have a 'stable' life.

Well the last few years things have been a bit more rocky with my disease and then last year around the new year, I got extremely ill with a blockage.  As the surgeon came in daily for updates on my condition, G and I discussed the opportunity of having an ileostomy to see if that would help me out.  We agreed to try a temporary loop ileostomy to see how my life changed and if it was for the worst or better.

The day after my surgery I went into renal failure.  I don't think I have ever been that sick and if I have I have forgotten it.  I was for sure it was the end of my journey.  But with the grace of a higher power, I made it through and while I am still struggling with my disease, I personally feel that the ileostomy has some cons, but they in no way come close to the pros of this operation to my daily life.

Not only do I suffer from Crohn's disease but I also suffer from Fibromyalgia.  This disease is very hard to understand and I often use the "Spoon Theory" , click HERE to read what that is, to explain to people how my life is played out.  Just to clarify, this theory was initially written about lupus which is in some way quite like Fibro.  It is actually misdiagnosed often.

A few weeks ago I started to get more pain in the site of my ostomy.  Also my tummy started to extend a bit which caused us some concern.  Well it appears that I might have what is called a parastomal hernia.  I have a CT scan scheduled for this week on the 5th.  If I do in fact have this hernia, it will probably require more surgery to fix the issue.

So during the last week I have been exhausted.  So exhausted that I have slept pretty much for the last 50 hours.  I am forcing myself to get up today and get a few things done before my PSW shows up today which should be in the next 1-2 hours.

I hoping to be able to complete my first set of 6 Christmas cards today.  I also would love to be able to finish R's Christmas wreath I have started. 

Well this was just a short peek into my life and I hope that it helps you to understand my absences.  It is by no means me forgetting about the blog but I need my spoons for other things.

I hope that everyone is enjoying this amazing month and spending time with family and loved ones.  Are you making homemade DIY gifts this year?  If so I would love to hear and see what your making for your loved ones this month.

I'm making my list, and checking it twice...

November 23,

Today I figured I would get my Christmas list done!  Such hard work really LOL .  Usually we have been unable to have the traditional holiday due to finances, and it's virtually impossible to get all the kids under one roof. 

But this year is a special year for me.  I am here to enjoy this year, and even though there may not be tons of presents, or tons of people, I want us to have a brilliant day in our own way.  I also want to start some holiday traditions that we will be able to teach the grandkids to do one day.

One of my favorite posts that I saw last year was about a Christmas Eve Tradition.  Now please remember that the 'kids' are between 14-26 so no little ones around but I think this year we will do this with G and then as kids get married and have little ones, we can just add them to the traditional festivities.  Here is the link to the article I found at MomFab Fun 

First thing I want is an embossing gun. I found it at Walmart .  Of course then I need embossing ink and powders to go with it lol.

Next thing I am hoping to get is an envelope punch board.  This device is used to create envelopes at home with any paper.  Another gift that can be found at Walmart.

While surfing around Walmart's craft section I also found a Pink Die Cutter Tool Kit and Case.  This will go perfectly to aid in my vinyl work. 

Another crafty Item that looks interesting is the Silhouette Sketch Pens 24 Pack.  So far you only  need to hit one store to get all my goodies lol.

Any Glitter packs as I have none at the moment. 

I want Pajamas this year!

As usual I hope I get one fairy.  G has got me at least one of these every year.  I love them and have a special glass case they are kept in.  I have no preference as to which one, as long as I don’t have it already.

I have a broken PC Monitor that needs to be fixed.

I need a new external drive since both of mine are no longer working.  Would love to get the information off them too as a gift.

Gift Cards at Lens Mill Store, Dollarama, and Walmart would be easy options too.

And last but not least, I would love to have a shelf built 1 1/2 foot from ceiling on 3 of my 4 bedroom walls for storage and magazines.

Well I am too tired to keep this list going lol so will stop for now.  Have you all thought about what you would like this year?  If you could get one thing (make it affordable lol) this year, what do you want most?  Have you made your list?

Christmas came early at 884 this year!!!!

Geez it seems like every time I want to delve back into this blog something comes up.  But I want you all to know that I am around and thinking about posts all the time. 

I am going to try and come around a few times a week, instead of trying the impossible (at this time), once a day.  I have a lot of projects that I have started around the new house and massive plans for the next year. 

I do have some awesome news.  I finally, after years of coveting this amazing techie toy, I was able to get one!  I am now the proud owner of a Silhouette Cameo and if you are not sure what this is… please click HERE to be taken to the product page so you can see what this machine is capable of.   On the right side of the page there is a blue box, that says "What can you make?".  Clicking on the links below it will give you an overview of this beast :)

I have had the product since last Thursday and have been playing around with it a bit and Friday I made my first Christmas card in years.  I am going to try and get a tut together for all of you who enjoy making home-made cards for family and friends.

Now as much fun as it is to make cards and the like, there is another project that I can do with the Cameo to help make some extra cash around here.  I am going to be making some custom vinyl sayings and monograms.  I am really looking forward to playing around with this Cameo as there are so many wonderful things to make.

We are still unpacking and trying to figure where to put everything.  G is making shelves in the garage to help keep my craft supplies all neat and organized.  I am going to be putting some ideas I have for my craft area together soon for a post, so be on the watch for that. 

After we get most of the boxes unpacked and stored, then comes the decorating.  I am really looking forward to that stage as I have never truly decorated before.  I always had hand me down furniture (which is not a bad thing, but I would take things as long as they were needed), without care for how it 'fit' with the rest of the room.  So with that big project I am quite excited and am hoping to focus on one room at a time till it is done how I envision.  It could honestly be a long time till things are done to my taste but that is ok.  The fun is in the process in my eyes.

The weather has definitely changed here in south western Ontario.  It is cold and windy, with snow here and there mixed with nasty rain.  I hate the 'dark' days of winter.  It can get so daunting and depressive.  How are you planning on bringing some sunshine into your life this winter?

The Christmas season is fast approaching and with it, my brain is in overdrive with many projects I want to make and give as gifts this year.  I have started on a few of them so far and hope to be able to finish and share them with you in the weeks ahead.

I will also be trying my hand at making 'home-made' beauty products to give to the young ladies, for H, N, and M this year.  I also have some goodies in mind for the guys this year also, R has just moved into an apartment with his friend M, so they are needing things for around the house, and I will probably be making C the same as R and M, and not real sure what to do for W this year. 

What can you make for a 14 year old boy?  If anyone has any ideas or suggestions please leave me a comment below.

I was nominated...

A few weeks ago (sorry it has taken me so long to participate) Mary over at Cherry Blossom Love awarded me a Liebster award.  She has a great blog and I love checking in on her and finding out what she is up to.  She is a new mom and loves to decorate, organize, craft, and more.  Please check her blog out!

I have been unable to find the origins of this award, but most speculations are that it began in Germany as Liebster means "dearest".  There are some speculations about the actual rules of this award, some saying it needs blogs under 3000 followers, but the one that I received is blogs with less than 200 followers.  Due to the fact that I received mine for under 200, that is what I will do for my choices.

Here are 11 things about myself.

1. I taught myself how to make websites many years ago.  I do love to play around with them but am not dedicated enough to make a business out of it especially with my health.
2. I grew up around my aunts dog kennel.  She bred American Cocker Spaniels for about 20 years and then she started breeding Shitzu's. 

3. I once moved to the US for 3 years.

4. I collect fairy sculptures and pictures.

5. My favorite animal in the world is wolves.

6. I love to make graphics and find it very relaxing if there are no deadlines to the project.  I got tired of the drama in the graphic world online and went a whole year without creating anything and have just started again since starting this blog.

7. I only have 2 real friends.  One of them lives 11 hours away and I miss her terribly.  The other friend I just met about 2 months ago.  She lives 3 houses away and due to my illness and being in bed most of the time, I just never got the opportunity to meet many people.  I am enjoying this time spent with K and her family.  It also motivates me to try and get up a bit more then I am used to.

8. I have had both big toes amputated due to excessive ingrown toe nails.  I got super sick with an infection called Cellulitis for 8 months and they finally agreed after trying all avenues of treatment that it was best.  It was the greatest decision I ever made.  G likes to kid and say that at least I am unique lol.

9. My mother is my closest friend.  It wasn't always this way but it has changed drastically in the last 10 years.  She is a snowbird and travels from Ontario Canada to Yuma Arizona each winter.  I find it extremely difficult because she is gone for 5 months a year and I miss her dearly.

10. I love to watch reality shows.

11. I suffer from depression and have since I was 7.  It has been relatively under control for the last few years but I still have times when I get into a deep slump and sleep a lot.

Well those are things about me.  I hope that you learned a bit and haven't scared you away.  I am totally an open book and I am online who I am in real life.  I am looking forward to making friends online from this blog.

Here are the answers to the 11 questions that Mary asked me.

1. What is one item you could never live without? Why?

I couldn't live without my computer.  It truly is my connection with the world.  Due to my illness I do not get out much but due to my computer I don't feel so isolated.

2. What is your favorite post you have written?  Why?

My favorite blog has to be Projects and Projects and more Projects.  This is my favorite post because it was a light bulb for me about trying to stick to my 'Today's'.  I also think it’s a lesson a lot of people can take and apply to their lives.

3. What is your favorite holiday?

My favorite holiday is Halloween.  Unfortunately I haven't been able to celebrate a Halloween the way I wish I could.  Last year both G and I had a horrible flu so we ended up unable to give out candy as we didn't want to risk getting the children ill.  One day I will totally decorate outside the house and have a huge Halloween party.

4. What has been the best gift you have ever received?

I think other than my children, the best gift I ever received is finding G and beginning our friendship from an online site.  I wasn't looking for him but found him none the less.  Best gift ever!

5. If you could go back in time and do one thing differently what would it be?

I hope you don't think this is a cop out but I believe that each road I have traveled I brought lessons with me into the future.  All those experiences , some good, and a lot of bad and tough ones, have made me who I am today.  If we go back and change even the littlest thing it would change who and where you are today in some way and I wouldn't risk it. 

6. How much time do you spend a day blogging?

While I am not posting the whole time, I do spend tons of hours each day focusing on blog and home things.  I would say that in some fashion I spend at least 6 hours a day on the blog.  This includes research, blog posts, reading blogs, and planning projects for the house. 

7. How many hours do you wish you could?

Wow, if I could I would spend about 10 hours a day.  The reason for that would be because I always feel there is never enough hours in the day for me to do all the things I wish I could do.

8. What is your favorite Pinterest Pin?

This is my favorite pin because it is in my favorite color, and its an organized fun craft room and I hope to have a room like this one day.

http://pinterest.com/pin/75927943687757257/ 

9. If you could team up with any company for a product review/giveaway who would it be?

I think it is a tie between a cricut and silhouette cameo.  Both of these would be used all the time in our house. 

10. Did you like high school or college better?  Why?

I enjoyed college better due to being so sick during high school.  I ended up leaving school in grade 10 and went back many years later and received my GED and went to college twice. 

11. Who is your male/female celebrity crush?

LOL everyone always looks at me funny, but my favorite alive crush is Sam Elliot but my biggest crush ever was Heath Ledger.  I loved him dearly and was so distraught to hear of his passing.