Don't Forget to VOTE!

It seems like every presidential election time, we hear the same thing:  "This will be a historical election. A lot rides on the outcome of this election...."  Yada Yada.  However, for the first time ever, I think this year it's really true.  So don't forget...if you are an American today, exercise your right to vote!

My dad always told me, "If you don't vote, you don't have the right to complain." Well, I want the right to complain! lol  Don't you? :)

How I will vote:
(Borrowed from a friend's post): "I will vote for the most pro-life candidate, because God hates the shedding of innocent blood (Prov.6:17). I will vote for the most pro-Israel candidate, because God blesses those who bless Israel and curses those who don’t (Gen.12:3). I will vote for the most pro-debt reduction candidate, because the borrower is servant to the lender (Prov.22:7).I will vote for the most pro-work candidate because God says if a man does not work, let him not eat (2 Thes. 3:10). I will vote for the most pro-marriage candidate, because God is for marriage as defined in Genesis 2:24. I will vote for the candidate who most closely believes government’s purpose is to reward the good and punish the evil (Romans 13). I will vote based as close as I can on God’s Word (2 Tim.3:16), knowing that whoever gets elected, God is the one who puts all men in authority (Dan. 2:21)."

My First Time Featured!

I want to send a shout-out of thanks to Ann of Stylish Once Again for being the very first blog to feature me!  She featured me on her Restyled Sundays Linky Party yesterday. Wow, thank you, Ann!  Go and check out her terrific blog (and not just because she featured me and my crocheted Mickey Mouse hat either) :)

No More Physical Therapy & Prayer Request

Today was my last day of physical therapy for my back (spinal stenosis). The bad news is that my insurance company paid for so much and wouldn't pay for any more (my physical therapist had already gotten an extension), and my therapist and I both thought I was at a point where PT had helped me probably as much as it was going to.

Last summer when my doctor told me he wanted me to have physical therapy, what he said was that he wanted me to have some physical therapy and there was a chance it might work and if it didn't, the next step would be surgery.  Well it DID help though I do still have a lot of back pain if I do much of anything, but if I can manage the pain with pain meds and a new TENS unit I just got today, I'd really like to hold off on going under the knife.  I've had so many surgeries already...ugh.

So pray the TENS unit does its job and that I can stave off any surgery.  I'm also dealing with advanced arthritis in both knees.  I go to the sports medicine doctor tomorrow (er...today...) for injections of synvisc (medication made from rooster combs) in both knees.  It will be the first of three weekly shots.

Also, my I took my husband to the ophthalmologist the other day.  He has something that's called a retinal vein occlusion that's basically a block of blood flow through the eye that was originally caused by untreated high blood pressure (let that be a lesson to you all to take your meds if your doctor prescribes them!).  His doctor said his eye is worse than the last time he was seen and would probably get worse and then just stop worsening at some point, but not get better.  He has an appointment with a retina specialist pretty soon to verify that.

For those new to my blog, there is a series of medical issues with my family.  My husband had a kidney transplant last year after having been on dialysis for about five years.  The complication he has as a result is serious problems with diabetes as the anti-rejection medication shoots the blood glucose level really high and it also leaves his immune system very compromised.  We also have one child, a son who is 9 and autistic.

I'd appreciate any prayer you can offer up :)

Thanks!!

Still in His grip,
Helen

Snowman Heads and a Gingerbread Man

Today's project was to work on my snowman heads some more, but I also crocheted a gingerbread man while watching TV with my family.

Here's what I have done so far with the snowmen:
I was inspired by the post over at The Idea Room HERE  After doing the four I have cut out already, I realize I need to make the faces longer so the mouth is up higher.  But here's what I have for now:

This one is pretty much done. The hat is a little small because I used my son's sweater sleeve from when he was littler instead of an adult sweater sleeve. I think it gives him personality though :)

This one just needs a hat yet. (I'll make that out of the fabric laying on the right folded up).

And last but not least, here's my little crocheted gingerbread man I made earlier.  He's about 9 inches tall or so and I got the pattern from HERE, but I made him with regular worsted yarn and not the No. 10 thread the pattern called for.

I probably won't be posting tomorrow (later today) as it's pay day and we have a lot to do, but who knows :)  I'm pretty much posting to myself it seems anyway :) (Getting followers is like pulling teeth it seems!!!)

Prayer Request -Friend with Guillain Barre Syndrome :(

Please pray for my friend from Bible study, Mary Ann, the mother of my other friend of mine, Deb Dickinson...Mary Ann's doctor's are focusing on Guillain Barre Syndrome as a possible cause of her hospitalization so time is of the essence to treat this disease. This is the same disease Andy Griffith had for a while.  Please pray for her symptoms to respond to the treatments and that they will subside and not become any more serious in the coming days. Please pray for Deb too because she is keeping a vigil at her mom's bedside at the Hospital.

Thanks much and God bless!

Still in His grip,
Helen

Snowman heads (so far) and Crocheted Snowman Pillow Finished

I got to spend some quality time in my craft room today...yay! :) I do my crocheting in the family room when my son is home (I feel guilty being in the craft room very long after he gets home from school).  Today I started a new project.  Snowman heads :)  First I'll share the pic of what I have done so far and then the link of what I'm aiming for the finished result to resemble :)

Here's what I have so far.  The small one is for a different project, so it's four heads I have sewn back to front and the faces put on so far :)

HERE is the link for what I'm aiming towards my result to be similar to.

I don't have any beans, so the whole thing won't be done till the early part of next week probably. I'm happy with what I have done so far though :)

Once I came upstairs and was with my crochet work, I finished the pillow I talked about a while back HERE.  I'd started crocheting a potholder and it took on a life of its own and got too big for a pot holder, so I decided to turn it into a pillow.  I finished the rest of it to make a pillow tonight. I put a fleece back on it and crocheted the two edges together and stuffed it with polyfill and added the tassles.  Here is what the result was: