Beautiful Day

Don't you love when you wake up to someone standing over you and they are so close to your face, you can feel them breathing on you?  I woke up to Spencer, Kobe and Rusty in my room this morning.  Evidently, 8:30 is late enough to sleep!  I was sleeping so soundly that I didn't even hear Brad and Cole leave for school.  Glad Cole is responsible enough to get himself up and ready!

Spencer felt well enough to go to physical therapy at ACH today.  He is getting stronger every day and I love the pep he had in his step too.  In fact, he felt so good that he and I ended up going to the 8th grade boys basketball game at Episcopal tonight.  It was so great to see everyone and Spencer loved being able to catch up with his friends. 

Cool Razorback shirt from Uncle Dwayne.

Poor Cole, I know I haven't talked much about him lately so let me get you up to date on what's going on with the little actor.  Rehearsal begins next week for The Rep's production of "Review the Revue".  It is the main stage production of the play that SMTI performed in the summer.  I know he has the part of MC Hammer again but I'm not what other parts he will have, if any.  Rehearsal will not be as often or as long as what we experienced with "A Christmas Story".  The show runs from March 1st through March 12th and I know it will be good.

School is going well for Cole and has always come very easy to him so it amuses me a little to see him having to study this year.  Science and History are the culprits at the moment...he has B's in both classes but he is determined to get straight A's by end of semester (he must have gotten that drive from Uncle Dwayne because I don't recall feeling the need to make straight A's!)  I bet he can pull it out.  He is using me for his science experiment that is due in March.  His experiment is to see what effect, if any, different types of music have on a runner's (I use that term very loosely) speed.  I should have read his theory before he turned it in because I missed the part that said each run would last for 60 MINUTES!!!!  What?  An hour?  As in, my legs need to be moving constantly for 3,600 seconds?  Today was country music day and was my first day to run.  I was amazed I made it.  Saturday is either Hip Hop or Symphony.  If you see me on the side of the road taking a nap you know it must be Symphony day!  Ha!  It will be interesting to see the results.

 Brad is feeling great and trying to keep busy.  It is supposed to be a beautiful weekend so I hope we get to get outside and do something fun.

This weekend, I will post some pictures of more necklaces that I have made and a new picture I am working on.  I am just having so much fun!

I began a new daily Bible reading at the beginning of the year and it is fabulous!  "Inspirations for Girlfriends" is written by Ellen Miller.  I picked this particular one because it said this book was for "Girlfriends who are juggling Not-So-Perfect, often crazy, but gloriously real lives".  I figured if she was going to describe my life I better get it!  It's amazing how God gives me just the right verse each day.  Here's today's....

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

   do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek His will in all you do,

   and He will show you which path to take."

Proverbs 3:5-6

Perfect.  Hope you have a great Friday.

Home Sweet Home

There is NOTHING like being in your own home!  I love it.  I didn't get to sleep late (IV dose at 5:00 a.m.) but I did get to take a nap this afternoon.  Yeah!

Spencer is feeling pretty good.  He stayed in his pjs all day which means he was really tired.  Feedings, breathing treatments and IV meds all did fine.  We each did our own thing but this afternoon, when we were watching tv together and he switched it over to the military channel, I knew it was a good time for me to take a nap!



None of the "babies" have been too far from Spencer's side the whole day.  Kobe obviously wanted to get his picture made!

Cole had a great day at school and then went to The Rep to film an education video for SMTI.  I think he and Brad were very glad to have us at home...they both came home with big smiles on their faces.  Guess it's better to come home to us than to come home to an empty house.

We have a 10:00 appointment tomorrow with Dr. Warren.  I will keep you posted.

Love to you all.

Sunday Games and Arts & Crafts

I know football playoffs and arts & crafts don't usually go together but in the Ewing house, they do.  I knew Spencer would be watching football all day today so I was prepared with lots of fun things to do to keep me occupied.  It worked!  I had a great time, I got some cute things made AND the boys enjoyed their games.  Perfect.

Noah came up & he and Spencer played 3D tic-tac-toe during the games...now that's multi-tasking.

Cole and Brad were here for the first playoff game but headed home after that to get ready for school tomorrow.  (Thank you Aimee, our nurse, for letting Cole come into Spencer's room!!!!)

Crazy boy was anxious for the games to start (notice the "Terrible Towel" hanging on his bed!).

I made this one for our nurse Aimee.

My favorite colors...I may have to keep this one. ;)

I painted this one to donate to an auction.  I love this verse...

"But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God; I continually trust in God's loyal love."  Psalm 52:8

Friends & Fun

What a fun day we had!  Spencer was W-I-L-D this morning!  He woke up feeling so good...it was amazing.  I love when he feels good.

To make him feel even better, his friends Seth, Dillon, Hannah, Ashlan and Laney came to see him.  His smile was a mile wide.  A few more friends (thanks Natalie & Shelley and Alex & Lauren), some family members and before we knew it, three hours had passed and we were still hanging out in the lobby!  Thankfully they didn't page Spencer over the hospital intercom before we made it back to the room (it's happened before).

We are hopeful that we will get to go home Tuesday or Wednesday.  We can't wait.

So....in order to keep what little sanity I have left, I have been crafting, crafting, crafting.

A fun plate.

I love funky trees.

Another fun necklace.

Special order necklace.

That's what's been going on today.  Tomorrow will be filled with football for Spencer and more crafts for me. 

Love to you all.

Emotional Rollercoaster of a Day

Oh my, what a day.  First, let me say that only by the Grace of God did I make it through this day totally sane.  I had my doubts first thing this morning.

Our day started out great.  We slept until 7:30 and by 8:00, I was talking with Mindy and Lisa who came up to join me for coffee.  Then, Dr. Com came in and said that the culture from Spencer's bronchoscopy showed pseudomonas growing.  It is a very nasty bacterial infection that he had in 2008 when we almost lost him.  The good news is that we caught it very early.  The mediocre news is that he needed a PIC (peripherally inserted central venous) line placed and three to four weeks of very strong IV antibiotics.  The bad news is that we still don't know what caused this or how his lungs will recover from it.

God knew that I was going to need some extra support this morning because Mindy and Lisa talked me through it over my morning shot (of coffee!).  The plan was for the PIC line to be placed Monday and for us to tentatively go home on Tuesday.

Fast forward to lunch.  Spencer heads out with Jenny & Noah (physical therapists) for his daily workout and I head down to get some lunch.  Before Spencer even makes it to the therapy room, Noah notices that Spencer's arm is very swollen.  Jenny realizes his IV has infiltrated and they have to return to the floor for our nurse Aimee to remove the IV (of course, that didn't stop Spencer and he still worked for an hour on strengthening).  Aimee was going to have to place another IV in his left hand, which he was really dreading because he is left handed.  Here comes the really cool part...just as Aimee is getting the supplies to place the IV, radiology calls and says they can place Spencer's PIC line today!  If that isn't God working in the here and now, I don't know what is!!!  I got chill bumps! 

Brad was able to get here before they took Spencer down and Cole even got to come back to radiology and visit with Spencer before they took him back.  Since we couldn't go in with him, our bestest Child Life princess Esther was with him.  He did fabulous and even though he was SOOOOO concerned about them strapping him to the table, he came through with flying colors and said it didn't even hurt.  He's my hero.

So, Brad hung out with Spencer and Cole took me out to dinner.  We went to Hobby Lobby and to Macaroni Grill.  It was just what we both needed.

Spencer and I are settled in for the night and Brad and Cole are back home.  We are glad this day is over and looking forward to a nice, quiet weekend with lots of visitors and football (or, in my case, arts & crafts!).

Thank you so much for all your prayers.  We saw God's hand at work today and it was AWESOME!

Surgery Update

Spencer is out of surgery and back in his room resting.  Dr. Com and Dr. Awad came out after the procedure and said that both of Spencer's lungs were full of puss.  They were very surprised.  The x-rays showed a small infiltration in his lower left lobe but there was no indication whatsoever that his lungs were distressed that much.  They suctioned both lungs out and took a tissue sample to be sent to the lab to see what kind of fungus is growing down there.

Dr. Com will be talking options with Dr. Warren.  We will be praying for wisdom and guidance as they make a plan and decide what is best for Spencer.

My Bible study this morning was titled "A blessing delayed is not a blessing denied."  The story was about Joseph and how it was 13 years from the time he was sold into slavery until he got out of prison.  Did Joseph quit?  Leave God?  Bitterly blame God?  We don't know but we do know that God blessed Joseph beyond his wildest hopes.  I am prayerful that it won't take 13 years to find answers to our questions regarding Spencer's health but we KNOW that God is in control and He has a plan and we know we will know His plan in His time.

"Let the name of the Loard be praised, both now and forevermore...He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap."  Psalm 113:2.7

Birthday Boy

Even though Spencer was at the hospital for his birthday, he had an AWESOME day, thanks to all his fabulous friends.

He started the day with a serenade from his wonderful mother (ha).  Now who wouldn't want to start their day like that?!

Looks excited, doesn't he?!

I got everyone to sing to him...if they came in the room, they had to sing.  It was so much fun.  Of course, no one helps you celebrate your birthday in the hospital better than the Child Life Department.  Jana took out all the stops and showed up with balloons, a "happy birthday" poster for his door and lots of presents.

Doesn't he look good?  Jana is cute too!

His bud Noah...do you like the clown nose?  One of his birthday gifts from Jana.

His favorite part of the whole day was when his friends Seth, Bradley and Collin came to the hospital and he got to go down to the lobby and visit with them for over an hour!  Of course, I didn't get a picture of that because I was too busy visiting with the mom's!

Brad and Cole made it to the hospital around 7:30 p.m. so we visited with them for about 20 minutes and by then Spencer was pooped.  He did perk up quite a bit when he opened his birthday present from us and found out we got tickets to a Chicago Cubs home game in May.  Love that smile.

Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes by facebook, text message, e-mail or in person.  You made his day.

Spencer Update

As some of you may know, Spencer was admitted to Arkansas Children's Hospital today with what we think is pneumonia.  The chest x-ray shows some infiltration in his left lung behind his heart.  Rather than take a chance, Dr. Warren decided to admit him so that the issues could be addressed swiftly and limit any more damage to his lungs than he already has.  Although Spencer was not pleased with the idea of spending his 15th birthday in the hospital (birthday tomorrow), he of course has a fantastic attitude.  We are all settled in to our room, his IV is running and we are hopeful that we will get some sleep tonight.

When I went home to pack today, Max followed me from room to room looking for Spencer.  There is a special bond between those two that I can't explain.  Finally, Max jumped on Spencer's bed and just watched me pack.

Poor baby.

Unfortunately, ACH's policy at this time of year is that no one under the age of 16 is allowed above the 2nd floor because of the flu.  Bummer.  That means no Xbox games with Cole or any of Spencer's friends.  But, Spencer can go down to the lobby and visit.  I am hopeful he will have some friends visit tomorrow to cheer him up.

Brad and Cole are home and studying for a science and spelling test.  I'm getting ready to put on my pjs (I know you're shocked because I don't have them on already!) and Spencer has already had his shower and is watching basketball!  Surprise, surprise.

I will keep you posted for any new updates.  Thank you so much for all the prayers.

Love you.

Fun Necklaces

When Spencer gets sick, I automatically revert to "Nurse Nancy" mode.  I guess after 11 years of playing that role, I don't even realize it.  Nurse Nancy does not leave the house until her patient is well, she ignores all household responsibilities except those associated directly with her patient and she does LOTS of crafts when her presence is not needed with her patient.  I haven't left the house since Saturday morning, I haven't done laundry, BUT I made some really cute necklaces!

I've had these washers in my "fun" box for a year now and finally decided to do something with them.

Just an ordinary washer from Home Depot, although I love to find them at the local hardware store because they have a lot more sizes to choose from.  This one is 2" in diameter.

You will also need decorative paper.  I chose two different patterns, one for each side.  I use the scrapbook paper since it is a heavier weight.

Mod Podge...I can honestly say it is one of my favorite things.  The wire form runs a close second. ;)

Oh, and beads.  Love beads.

Now, I should have taken pictures as I was decorating the washers but I was distracted by my patient.  So, here are the final pictures.

I put it on a leather rope for sort of a choker look.

I am going to get a long silver chain for this one.  Green and blue, my favorite colors.  I will have plenty to wear with this one.

Do you want me to make you one?  I'm selling them for $10 without the chain.  I can customize with any color.

I also painted a clear square plate for my Gigi.  You know my love for plates and I found this plate for $4 in the clearance section at Kroger! 



Brad has been trying to talk me into creating a website to showcase my creations to sell.  I'm considering it, since I have had quite a few requests, but just not sure. What do you think?

I'm taking Spencer to see Dr. Warren tomorrow, our pulmonologist at ACH.  I have a feeling he is cooking some kind of bacteria in those lungs of his and I need a real doctor (not Nurse Nancy) to take a look and come up with a plan. 

Hope you all have a great day.

Sick Boy

Every year around January, Spencer seems to come down with something...a virus, pneumonia, the flu.  Because, also in January, is his birthday (the 19th).  It usually happens that we plan a celebration for his birthday then cancel and reschedule for February because he is sick.  This year is no exception.  I worked in the office at the high school yesterday and sure enough, Spencer woke up not feeling well.  Brad took him to the doctor yesterday afternoon and after being there for two hours, they determined he does NOT have the flu, strep or mono.  Yeah!  But, he has something because he is running a low-grade fever and on 1 1/2 liters of oxygen.  So, Nurse Nancy has put on her nursing cap and is administering lots of Gatorade and Pedialyte, Ibuprofen and breathing treatments every four hours.  He is resting comfortably with his buddy...

Max is never far from his side.  Two cuties.

Cole spent the night with a friend last night so it is pretty quiet around here this morning.  I think I will work on some craft projects in between my nursing duties.  Maybe I'll have some pictures I can post soon.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Whew! What a Week!

For any of you who were raised in the south, you know how we get when it snows.  We are in awe of its beauty and the quiet stillness that tags along the morning after the snowfall but put us behind the wheel of a car and ask us to drive on it and we totally F-R-E-A-K!  As some of you know, the Ewing's are blessed to live 750 feet up on top of a mountain in beautiful Ferndale, AR.  We consider ourselves so lucky to have found this five acre tract eight years ago and built our dream home five a half years ago.  To say our road is steep is the understatement of the year.  I have friends who have driven to my house and once they made the ascent into our driveway, they fell out of their car, kissed the ground and now demand that I pick them up in town and bring them out here.  You get the picture.

This is the beauty we woke up to Monday morning.  School was closed, we had plenty of food and I had a great book to read. 

Allie, Cole and Will playing when the snowfall first began.  Fortunately, they made it off the mountain before it got bad.

According to the boys, there is nothing better than snow, the hot tub and hot chocolate!

Spencer, B and Cole bundled and ready for a snow fight.

This is my FAVORITE picture.  My neighbor, Mary, took this.  I love the sun on the snow. 

Our hill is a complete sheet of ice so I have left my car at the bottom of the hill by the pond and hike down if I need to leave.  This morning I slid down on my stadium seat cushion because it was too slippery to walk it...insane ride!  Oh my, I am definitely too old to be doing the moves I did this morning.  I'm sure if there were any deer watching me, they got their laugh for the year.

Last weekend, my sweet friend Carol invited me to join her and five of her friends for a girls weekend at Big Cedar Lodge.  There are not enough adjectives to describe how much I love Big Cedar.  Brad and I visited for the first time eleven years ago and we just can't get enough...even the boys love it.

I was hesitant to go since Spencer's feedings take a lot of work but being married to the most awesome husband in the world has its perks and he sent me on my way.  Carol and I headed out at noon on Friday and by Friday evening, everyone met up at the Buzzard Bar for some great food and our favorite singing cowboy, Clay.

On Saturday, the schedule was like this:

Sleep late

Eat

Watch movies

Nap

Eat

Watch movies

Nap

Laugh until you cry

Eat

Watch movies

You get the picture!  Just what we all needed.

We did get dressed and visit the gift shop.  What a great group of ladies.

Carol got me home Sunday afternoon an hour before it started snowing.  Great trip to recharge my batteries.

Last Saturday was Gigi's 87th birthday and Sunday was my brother's 40th birthday so we were going to have a party at my house.  Well, it started snowing about the time everyone began arriving on Sunday.  I was a nervous wreck that they were going to get stuck on the mountain!  Everyone had time to gobble down some lunch before heading home.  Fun but too quick.  Think we will reschedule when the forecast is calling for 100 degree weather.

So cute.

I'm looking forward to the temps getting above freezing, our hill thawing and resuming our normal activities.  I hope you have all had a happy and safe week.

Razorbacks & Makeovers

Razorback fans across the globe are trying to recover after a tough loss last night in the Sugar Bowl.  Being a non-sportsy person, I attend the Sugar Bowl parties for reasons other than watching the game...the food, the fellowship and did I mention the food?!  We were invited over to my friend Karen's house to watch the game and we had so much fun!!!

Brad, Steve & Karen all smiles BEFORE the game!

Constance & Anne...love that my friends are all sports fanatics but they let me hang out with them anyway!

The "cool" zone.  Notice the kids have their own room to watch the game!

My friend, Max, who hung out with me in the kitchen while I tried to find the DIY Network on tv!

We had a blast but Spencer was not too happy, especially since we left at halftime (hello, school night!).  I think our next get-together should not include any sports game so everyone will be happy.

Now, on to more important things like redoing our bedroom!  I have been dreaming of fixing up our bedroom for some time.  We moved into our house 5 1/2 years ago and I think it's high time I did something special to this room.

This is how it looks now.  I bought the quilt at Target & it has worked fine but I've got spring fever (in January?!) and I'm really ready for a change.  I LOVE the color of our walls...Olive Branch.  That won't change but the bed, bedding, window treatments and maybe even some of the furniture are in for a complete transformation.  Here's what I'm dreaming of......

Oh my...divine!  Love the bed, L-O-V-E the blue & green paisley duvet, love everything.  I need to reign myself in and do this one step at a time.  Unfortunately, my budget does not give me carte blanche so I will keep you posted on my progress.

Anyone else have spring fever?



Fun Sunday & Nature Craft

What a fabulous weekend it has been and what a great Christmas vacation we have had...I can't believe reality will visit us tomorrow when the boys head back to school and I have to tackle my office...it's a wreck!

The first sunset of the New Year was beautiful.  I think it is a good sign of everything the Lord has in store for us this year.

Brad and I took the dogs for a hike in the woods this afternoon.  It was chilly but gorgeous.  I've had this idea of taking pictures of nature in the shape of letters and using the pictures to spell a word.  So we were on a quest to find the letters to spell "love".  Here's what we found:

"L" is for loving the fact that everyone in our home will start the new year healthy.

 

"O" is for opportunities...may we not let them pass us by.

"V" is for very happy and excited about what God has in store for us.

And "E" is for extraordinarily blessed.

I already had the frame and I just used a piece of burlap for the background and put it on the table in my foyer.

"Fear thou not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."  ~  Isaiah 41:10

Welcome 2011

I hope you all had a safe and happy New Year's Eve last night and are enjoying the first day of the new year.  I have lots of hopes and dreams for this year as I'm sure you do as well.  I think our family is in for some big changes this year and although I can't explain it, I think it will be an exciting year.  "The Ewing Adventures" may be very appropriate!

We got all the Christmas decorations packed and put away.



I love the look of the house during the Christmas season but I'm always ready to have everything back in its place.

The tree is always the hardest decoration to put up and to put away.  Kobe thought we laid it out like this on the floor so he could play jungle kitty!

Ahhh, nice and clean.  Now I'm ready for spring!!

We have no plans for this weekend (just the way I like it).  The boys go back to school Monday so we're taking advantage of this last weekend to chill.

I hope you all have a great weekend as well.