Come and check out the blog on Sunday July 1, 2012

This Sunday is the reveal for the 

Sun & Sea Challenge 

from the  

Creative Bead Chat 

facebook group.

All of us have created things with a wonderful collection of beads from fabulous bead artisans.  

We then photographed them and are posting to our blogs.

The blogs to check out (besides mine - of course) are:

http://www.yayjewelry.blogspot.com/

http://cswdesignsbyhehe.blogspot.com/

http://alice-dreaming.blogspot.com/

http://blog.aimeesjewelrytreasures.com/

Have fun!

Home again!

Terri came home (well... to our house) on Thursday.
She is getting plenty of rest & plenty of spoiling from all of the wonderful people that know & love her.
The pathology report is due tomorrow, and her follow-up with the surgeon is late Tuesday morning.  We will know more then, hopefully.
Yesterday she conserved her energy so she could go with us to our usual Saturday night restaurant, New York Pizza, in Anderson, SC.  The owner & staff are like family to us & she wanted to be able to show them she is doing well... (and, enjoy their awesome pizza!).
We sure have good luck, Karma, angels, God, good spirits or what-have-you on our side.  This has been such a whirlwind couple of weeks & our true friends have emerged once again to give us support, love & assistance.  We could not ask for more (well, that she never had the tumor might be one request, but we learn from adversity...and we cannot change what was).
(I guess it makes me feel a bit like a wimp with migraines... LOL)
Friends have offered to help at the store & refuse payment, one thought I should not have given her a discount when she bought her items at the end of the day, another said she would be insulted if we even offered to pay.  But their help is worth a lot to us all. To Terri so she can feel less stress about the coverage at the store, & Dad and I so we can at least take a few hours off each.
Dad is a real trooper, he has worked just about every day (except Sunday) for 2 weeks.  I am grateful to Phyllis for helping me watch the shop yesterday so he could have a break.  I was able to get a couple of hours off Friday morning thanks to Mary for being an extra set of eyes at the store & a real help for anyone looking at the stamping supplies.
I have tried to keep up with updating everyone about Terri's progress, but it is not always easy to find the time when I have the energy.  Please forgive me if I missed anyone, it was not intentional.
Yes, this post will be cross-posted to the store's blog...

If anyone wants to help out at the store, please email the store ( mercantinc@aol.com ) with days & times so we can have a written list.  A few of you have told me days, but I for some reason cannot remember when they are...

Is it Wednesday already?

Last night I went to visit Terri.
She looked wonderful.  I didn't even notice the 'clown hair' she kept talking about.
She had been moved to a regular hospital room - no more ICU!!!!  She sat and talked with us for a while and she sounded as normal as we Earls do... a little bit crazy, but that is our way!
Again, I want to thank everyone for their support.  This has been a very fast crazy ride, but the love & support from our family & friends has been phenomenal!

And, a little surprise:

Right from our super-woman patient's facebook page!

Terri Earl Brooks

Dr came. Taking me off of iv fluids. Pathology went to musc and results may not be in until monday. Keeping me one more day for pt and shower. Home tomorrow. Another MRI after pathology in. yipee

Unlike · · 9 minutes ago via mobile ·

Update on Terri

Good morning,
Dad, Ben & our neighbor Luke went to visit Terri last night.  I had to make the tough decision to stay home & sleep.  I was totally physically exhausted.  I was asleep between 8:30 & 9 PM... and never heard the phone ring when my brother Rick called after 10... but I needed to take care of myself too.
But, on to the more important news... Terri was doing very well & in good spirits.  The surgery went well.  She was still in ICU (normal protocol) but should be moved to a regular room today.
I plan to go visit her after work this evening.
The outpouring of love & caring for Terri & our family has been astounding!  I knew she was well loved, but I guess I never really knew the vast extent.  Yes, I experienced it with Mom, but this time, it really hit home harder than then.  Maybe because of how fast this all happened & how fast everyone has rallied.
Yesterday, after one person offered to do what she can to help, I graciously accepted the offer & told her we would let her know.  Then, I said that if every person who had offered help in the last several days were to walk into our store, there would not be room for them all.  See what I mean?  ASTOUNDING!
All I can say is a heartfelt THANK YOU!!!
I will be updating on our store's blog & on our store's facebook page, as well as my own.  When I know more, and have the time to post, I will be posting my heart out!

PS: Terri is feeling well enough to be posting on facebook herself!

Life's surprises

Just as life seemed to begin to find some element of normalcy, something happens to cause turmoil.

A wonderful Christmas with Mom & Terri

As I posted before, my Mom passed away last July.  I have been having troubles getting my creative muse motivated & I am missing her so much.

My sister Terri did a lot in the last 5 years of Mom's life in taking her to appointments as I had previously.  Terri had a better mind for comprehending and retaining the medical information.  I would understand as they told me, but then it wouldn't make sense later.

Now, Terri is facing her own diagnosis of a Cystic Tumor on the surface of her brain.  And, like Mom, she is facing it head on with a great attitude and complete trust in her Neurosurgeon (one of the best in his field).

Terri is the closet to me in age of all my siblings.  We shared a room growing up, and now we share the responsibilities at the store.  Although our teen years we rough (whose aren't? that surge of hormones & trying to determine boundaries with the world is not easy for anyone)  we are very close now (as we are with the rest of the family - we are blessed that way!).  I know this is difficult for the rest of the family, especially those who are not nearby.  I remember from the years I lived so far away from most of the family. 

I am trying my best to be strong & to keep an even keel at the store & home.  Terri's surgery is tomorrow morning at 11.  We are keeping the store open.  Terri's husband will be at the hospital with her.  The procedure should take nearly 3 hours.  Dad & I will keep ourselves busy & act as the information hub for all of our family & friends.

This is the time I really wish Mom were here to talk to & hug & cry with.  I know the tears don't help Terri, but they are cleansing for me.

If anyone reads this, thank you for reading it all as it rambled on.

A beautiful Spring Day

No, this is not a picture from our garden... it is a stock photo from my desktop...

Today is a gorgeous Spring day!

Did you remember to "spring forward" with your clocks & watches?

I have been absent as of late on here, I hope to be able to change that.

I am working on mugs and all for the Celebrate Clayton show the end of April, but today, I will take a break & go to Greenville for the FLW Fishing Expo for a few hours with friends.  I promise - I will NOT get a treble hook embedded in my leg!
We have been busy at the store.  Dad has been building new display fixtures to Terri's designs for the 'Garden Corner' and the toy department.  We have been having a lot of fun with the Osher Lifelong Learning classes in Wire & Metal Jewelry.  (We have some extremely talented students!)  And, we have been busy planning for a guest instructor to visit in April.  Nathalie Metivier from Magenta Rubber Stamps is going to be teaching a 3-hour class on April 22.  And in a week and a half, we have gotten 27 spaces filled!  (The limit is 30.)

I hope to be able to update things more often.  I have been sidelined by a number of things adding up.  And, on top of that, I got an Android phone, so the old desktop doesn't get fired up as often.  I plan to change that!

Meanwhile, I hope you all enjoy this Spring day.

Happy New Year 2012

This past year has been particularly rough. 
I have not posted in a while because I have just not felt like I had anything enough to say.
I still don't have a whole lot on my mind to share.  But I want to let you all know that I am still here and still plugging away.  I am not as creatively productive as I would like to be, but I am creating some.  I have lots of ideas, but not the complete motivation to make the ideas come to fruition.
My procrastination habit has become a real problem for me.  I hope in this new year that I can work to reverse that habit.  I have been trying for a while, and hope it continues to improve.
I finally got rid of the car I never liked or wanted.  I am now the proud owner of a, new to me, 2007 Chevy Equinox.  I LOVE IT!  The down side is having car payments again, but I have the comfort of knowing my car is newer and in better shape than the 1999 Mitsubishi Galant.  (And - it is a really pretty blue!)
Thank you to all of my family and friends for all you have done for & with me in 2011, I appreciate & love you all.
I look forward to making 2012 and on the best I can.  A lesson learned from my Mom - no matter what life hands you - do what you can to deal with it and keep your head up.  Focus on the positives in life, the negatives are still there, but they won't consume your time and rob you of enjoying what time you have.  Others have said basically the same things, but watching Mom practice those thoughts was an inspiration.  I only hope that if I am ever faced with half of what she went through that I can handle it with as much grace &  I dignity as she did.  I miss her every day.