Monday, December 12, 2011

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day

Hi everyone! It's that time again. Giveaway time. Welcome all the readers of Sew, Mama, Sew! Well, let's get started. Here's my giveaway!



I'm giving away this set of amigurumis. And a little bag for them. I gave a set away, during my first giveaway. And it seemed to be a success! All you have to do, is leave me a link, to your favorite blog. If your e-mail is not on your profile, please leave it in your comment.

The giveaway is open from December 12 at 12AM-December 16 at 3PM MST. I will ship internationally. Good luck everyone! And don't forget about the other wonderful giveaways!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Healthcare and My Husband

I want to be honest with my readers. The last year has been so tough! If you recall, my husband was hospitalized last year. Right before the holidays. We spent Christmas in the hospital. Praying for his health. It's all that mattered!

We never knew, just how much our lives would change. I'm not just talking the day to day. My husband is still on the road to recovery. He still struggles with his energy. Takes 2 naps a day. Some days, his balance is really off. I can see my husband getting frustrated with himself. I try to be extra supportive every day. But there are days, when he has little patients with himself.

But with my husband slowing down, all of us need to pick up the slack. Unfortunately, most days, it feels like it's just my daughter and I. My daughter doesn't even live close by. But she manages much of our paperwork for us, and helps with the bills and taxes. Yes, owning a business is crazy! I'm so glad that we have her to depend on. And she has made it a point, to spend a few weeks at a time, with us.

We are also blessed to have great employees. Who support us. And help wherever they can. But it's still rough. My husband and I, we had each taken care of one part of the business. And when he got sick, there was a lot to learn. Almost immediately. Suddenly, I was learning about the 30 different taxes we pay. About all the bills that I never knew how to pay. Thank God for our daughter. Who knows about and takes care of much of this.

But on top of all of this, we've never had health insurance. My husband is nearly 80 years old. So he had the basic medicare coverage. It just happened, that my daughter was able to get a new plan going. While my husband was still in the hospital. Right before the deadline.

It helped. But honestly, even with the new insurance, it's really expensive. The first prescription cost, we had to cover, it was $950. We never got reimbursed for any of it! We still paid nearly $10,000, for my husband's almost week stay in the hospital.

We were lucky. The ambulance was paid for. About 80% of the hospital bill was covered. We were able to pay off the doctors and hospital bill late in the summer. The other day, we got a bill in the mail. For $4,000! I about died! It's for an oxygen machine, that my husband has never used! The company dropped it off. Never serviced it. Nothing. But my daughter got on the phone, and medicare paid for it. We're still waiting for service. Good thing it's not life threatening.

My husband has always gone to the doctor, twice a year. We paid $120 for 2 medications that he'd been taking for over 30 years. But we weren't' prepared for $400 a month. On prescriptions and supplies. And that's our co-pay. It makes me wonder how other people do it. My husband is now going to the doctor once a month as well.

In so many ways, we've had to figure things out for ourselves. Our daughter has been such a great help! She knows so much about the health care system. Just the other day, she was on the phone for over 3 hours! Why? To get us some answers. One prescription that we get, went from $140, to $14. Wow!

That's what most of that last year has been. Nursing my husband back to health, taking care of a business, and learning about health care. It's a hard task. Especially with a small business. That my husband and I own and run. Pretty much on our own. Then maneuvering around the health care system. Trying to bring family together. Dealing with my own parents, and their failing health.

I'm hoping to get back to blogging. Reading blogs. Doing more crafts. Getting back to me. Just a little bit. I miss doing things that I enjoy. Things that just make me happy. Even if it's sewing for a half an hour. I need some down time. My husband and I need some down time. Time to get back to us.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

A Bug's Life

Recently, I watched A Bug's Life. I'd never seen it before. It was one of those cute movies. My grandkids are always chatting about it. The other day, it came on TV. And I decided to watch.



I grabbed my crochet and watched. What a cute movie! If you have any little ones in your life, this is the movie to watch! I can admit it, it's one of my favorites now.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day

Welcome everyone from Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day! I'm so excited to be participating in this again!

This time around, I'm giving away this baby dress set. Some people have bought sets like this from me, to use from Christening. Others just like to put their baby in a cute dress. Either way, I hope you enjoy it!




The cute bonnet. With ribbon and roses.






The matching booties!






And the dress! It's a size 0-3 months. But I also have up to a size 18 months. And in a few different colors. I'll let the winner decide on their choice.



Now for all the important stuff. Please leave me a link to your favorite blog. That's it! I'm looking for fun, inspirational, and exciting new blogs to read. All you have to do is leave the link. You have until May 29th at 11:59 MST. Please leave a way for me to contact you. Good luck everyone! And don't forget to visit my daughter, she's giving away from goodies too!

Friday, May 20, 2011

I LOVE Pineapples!



I've been eyeing this book for a while now. I think I just need to buy it. Not think about it. Just buy it! I've been on a doily kick lately. And I think this would be a nice addition to my crochet books. Now I just need to come up with a few more. You know, to make an order to Annie's Attic worth while. :)

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Congratulations!



My granddaughter graduated last night. It was such an incredible experience! We've been close to her since she was small. And my husband and I had decided that we were going to try and do as much as we could for her. My daughter also helped. Between the 3 of us, we were able to buy her class ring, yearbook, clothes for graduation, announcements, cap and gown, and we're throwing her a party.

It's honestly the least we could do. She's had an uphill battle. Her entire life! And this was such a giant accomplishment for her. We are all so proud. Especially since she graduated with good grades. She was on the honor roll. And received an award for that.

The icing on the cake, was that the principle talked about her during his speech. It really made her feel special. My granddaughter has taught us all amazing things. Especially that, you can accomplish anything. It doesn't matter if you have disabilities, learning problems, or are in special education classes. The sky is the limit! We are all so proud!

Monday, May 16, 2011

Long Time...No Chat



It feels like forever. The last few months have been tough. And I haven't had much time for anything. First, I'd like to thank you for sticking with me. And praying for my husband. He's doing much better. Slowly making improvements. But getting better.

On the career side of things, well, we're taking lots of cuts. We work with education, and the budget crisis is just killing us. My husband seem to be buried at the moment. In work. In life. And all that stuff.

We're not letting it get us down though. We are still moving forward. Trying our best to get back to "normal." More than anything, live life. And be happy with the life we have. You'll be hearing more from me. On a more regular basis. Thank you again for sticking around, and praying for my family.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Amazing



I can't even begin to tell you the patients I've had to have. Gardening is not always easy. And does not always happen the way we plan it.

Almost 12 years ago, I bought some bulbs. In a small town. Of various irises. I already had white, purple, and yellow. But I wanted some more "exotic" colors. Immediately when I got home, I planted them. What I got was, a bunch of leaves. No flowers. Not for years.

Until a few days ago. I got my first flower from those bulbs. A beautiful pink iris. I was so excited. I'd honestly given up hope. And figured the bulbs had died. Or they were never going to flower. I hope others will bloom as well.

I've always enjoyed gardening. There is something so special about it. And unexpected. I'll never give up on my garden, yard, or flowers. But I'm realizing, patients is the #1 thing you need to have in gardening.