Hi . . . My name is Leanne . . .

. . . and I used to blog.

A lot.

Then I caught a cold.

And I had to go to the doctor.

They took an x-ray.

Turns out, I had pneumonia.

Bad pneumonia. (As if there is a "good" pneumonia.)

I had to cancel a visitor who I had invited to my home months ago.

This made me sad. :(

Extremely sad.

But, still, I had that pneumonia.

So I had to take antibiotics, breathing treatments, cough medicine, and an inhaler .  . .

for a long time.

I was told to rest.

So, I did just that.

Then . . .

my back went out on me.

I went to the doctor. Again.

He said it was because of the type/strength/length of antibiotics I was on for the pneumonia.

My pneumonia went away.

But my back was messed up.

So, I stopped the antibiotics.

And a couple days later, my back felt better.

But then, like clock work, my allergies kicked in.

Tree pollen is bad.

For me.

I went to the doctor.

Yes . . . again.

He said I was a mess.

I told him I was a hot mess.

They think they are so clever . . . those doctors.

If you are going to call me a mess . . . you better get it right.

So, we talked a great deal about this and that.

He gave me eye drops and nose spray. I started drinking green tea with local honey. I closed the windows, and turned the air conditioner on.

And I felt better. A lot.

Then . . .

I turned 42.

Yikes.

42.

I refuse to be a mess at 42.

My dear friend Peggy reminded me that I am most at peace when I blog.

And . . . she is right.

I had forgotten all.about.my.blog.

So today . . . I introduce myself to you, my faithful friend and blog reader.

My name is Leanne. I don't have pneumonia any longer. My back is much better. My allergies are improving day by day. And I am 42.

Oh, and I am an artist. And a wife. And a mom. (In no particular order.)

But we'll talk more about that at another time.

I have much to share. Many stories to tell of the past few weeks. Lots of beautiful photos to show you. And I can't wait to do just that.

But for now . . . I'll leave you with a short story.

While watching the girls play outside yesterday afternoon, I noticed that one single rose had started to open from my rose bushes.

One little rose bud. All by itself.

I have three rose bushes in front of my house that truly are the envy of many who see them. I can't even take credit for them, as we hired a landscaper to bring them and put them in. They are probably the plant that brings me the most joy . . . and I'll remember to take a photo of them and share it with you later this summer.

I could have looked at that single rose for hours . . . and I think I did.

Lately, I've been feeling very much like this rose. Alone. Surrounded by a few thorns who, while trying to protect it, may prick it and cause it the most harm. This little rose . . . desperately trying to open up, to heal, but uncertain what will happen to it when it does. Bright and beautiful. But cautiously optimistic.

I love this rose.

And I can't wait to see what happens to it in the next few months.

I am starting a new journey this summer, too. Oh, yes . . .  number of adventures are ahead of me. Traveling. Making and teaching art. Standing up for myself when people say hurtful things to me. Yes, I am cautiously optimistic.

Because even when faced with pneumonia or thorns . . . this life is good.

Wishing you peace, my dear friends.

And a great deal of thanks for the well wishes this month.

Oh, and hugs. Great big hugs.

xo

Recovering with my Peeps

One breath at a time.

I caught pneumonia last week. Ella was fighting a cold, which she (in her most lovingly ways of kisses and hugs) shared with me. But I knew by Thursday evening it was something a little more serious than just a normal cold for me. And when Friday evening arrived, I feared the pneumonia bug had settled its nasty self in my lungs.

A quick visit to the urgent care on Saturday morning (after a breathing treatment and an x-ray) confirmed it.

That right lung . . . was full of ick. Antibiotics, steroids, and breathing treatments would do the trick. And I have found myself in and out of a medicated stooper since that day.

It's kind of crazy what your body goes through when fighting off an illness like this. This is my second bout of pneumonia . . . I think I first suffered through it three or four years ago. It certainly isn't any easier this time - other than the fact that I kind of know what to expect. It definitely takes so much energy from you, that it is almost impossible to think of anything else in the world while battling it. Keeping focused on your breaths coming in and out, and trying to get enough oxygen into your body . . . yes, it takes quite a lot of energy. Those lungs . . . you kind of need them to live, I'm guessing.

I have found myself in various stages of delusion the past few days.

Friday evening, I lay in bed imagining my lungs were a balloon filling with air in each breath that I took - although my balloon would not inflate completely. With eyes closed, I prayed for that last little bit of air to go into my lungs, but it just couldn't find it's way. That tiny section of balloon crushed at the bottom would not inflate . . . and it was frustrating. That's when I knew this was more than just a cold.

Saturday evening, I found myself focusing on the strength of those in my life. As I lay in bed in a heavily medicated state, my eyes drifted in and out of sleep with the image of loved ones gathered around me. It was the most haunting yet comforting feeling I think I have ever felt before, and as I close my eyes right now, I can picture their faces looking over at me. I am lying in bed, with Katie and Ella laying at my sides. Phil is at the right side of my head, with his face close to mine. To my left, my mother and sister and brother-in-law, followed by my sister-in-law June, and brother Joe.  To my right, next to Phil, my sister-in-law Maria, my oldest and dearest friend Kathleen, my soul friend Peggy, my mother-in-laws Lill and Rita, and my father-in-law Rich.

What a mix of people. I am surprised myself by much of it.

It's funny . . . as I lay there Saturday night, I would move people in out of the mix, but none gave me the feeling of peace as the grouping I described above. In and out I came from sleep, and in and out I moved the image of people from this group . . . but none made me feel as comforted as these.

My peeps.

So I lay there Saturday, and pulled from their strength.

I know it sounds utterly ridiculous . . . but it was some sort of experience . . . that evening . . . that pulled me through. Their faces were encouraging, as if cheering me on . . . smiling . . . sharing their strength. And I felt it.

I should add that there were many more people around us . . . in layers. Mary, Rose, Pam, Jorie, Nicole, so many friends who I gain strength from. They were definitely in the room. But those first faces . . . they were clear. And I felt so strong in their presence.

I want badly to remember that moment, so I am writing about it today. I am still feeling very weak, and still short of breath this morning, but the wheezing has improved so much - I am confident I am on the mend.

I may be gone for a week or so - but I promise to be back as soon as I can. Until then, I wish you good health, and a life surrounded by your strongest peeps. Pull from them when you need them, my friend . . . I am fairly certain they don't mind.

Wishing you Peace.

Crafty Schmafty Fridays 10

Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!

Oh, I'm so glad to be back . . . creating . . . sharing ideas . . . having fun!

This weeks "Crafty Schmafty Fridays" idea is in honor of Earth Day, and something I am so very excited to be sharing with you.

 Before we begin . . . a little background for you . . .

For those of you who know my Ella, you probably know that she is rarely seen without some sort of pad of paper and pencil in her hands. This child has, since she first learned how to hold a crayon, been obsessed with doodling. We can't make it through a quick trip to Michaels or Target without stopping at the $1 section and picking up a little notebook for Miss Ella to use. And as the $1 section at Michaels is really now the $1.50 section . . . I wanted to come up with a little handmade goodie to substitute all those little $1's that have flown out of my wallet the past few years. I also wanted to try and use some materials in my home . . . with spending as little money as possible. So . . . I came up with the simplest, fastest, and cutest little project. Let's begin, shall we?  

Last week, I picked up one of those mini-cereal box sets at Costco. I don't usually buy these, as I do try to fill the girls with as little sugar as possible (including their cereal choices). But I must have had a weak moment and decided to pick it up. After the girls enjoyed a few boxes this week, I couldn't bring myself to throwing the little cereal boxes away . . . they are SO CUTE! That's were my "Earth Day" project came to be. I looked at these little boxes and thought, "What in the world can I make with these boxes?" and it immediately came to me! So, I grabbed just a few things we had on hand in the house (duct tape, white printer paper, a stapler, scissors and my paper cutter) and I got to work.

I was careful when opening the boxes that I didn't use the perforations indicated for opening. I just opened at the top and bottoms and slide the bag of cereal out. Next, I cut (from top to bottom) one side of the box, like so . . . .

 



Next, I went to my paper trimmer and I trimmed off the excess pieces from the top and bottom (and one side) of the box . . .  

Once it was trimmed nice and smooth, I folded the rectangle in half to make a book . . .

Here is another look at the box folded . . .

Next, I measured to determine the paper size, and cut the printer paper accordingly . . .

I used about 6-8 pieces of paper, which (when folded in half) makes each notebook 12 or 16 pages. This seems to be big enough for Ella . . . as she loses interest in her little notebooks and moves on to the next one rather quickly (which is why I seem to always be buying them!) The paper needs to be cut in the entire width of the rectangle cover, so that you can fold it in half and then staple in the center of the notebook, which is the next step . . .

 Finally, I used duct tape on the for the binding on the outside of the notebook . . .

 

Here is a look from the top . . .

And here are a few of the finished notebooks . . . I LOVE THEM!!!

Look at how cute they would look tied up with some twine with a few mechanical pencils! What a cute gift, don't you think? It would be so sweet for kids birthday party favors, or even for class room holiday parties.

I found this little chalkboard bin (another Target $1 section pick-up) and have a bunch of these little notebooks in them sitting on our counter. Whenever Katie, Ella, or one of their friends are looking for a little pad of paper, I'm going to grab one of these. HOW CUTE!

Now I find myself looking at EVERY SINGLE BOXED FOOD ITEM in my pantry, thinking, "Oooooo . . . that would make a LOVELY notebook!" I think I'm a little obsessed. Think about it . . . macaroni and cheese notebooks, cake box notebooks, granola bar notebooks, fruit snack notebooks, cracker notebooks . . . I could go on . . . but I'm pretty sure you get the idea . . .  

And the best part of all? I'm pretty sure Miss Ella LOVES them!!!

So there you have it, friends. A wonderful Earth Day friendly project YOU could do today!

Please pass it along with your friends . . . pin it . . . share it . . . tell me what you think. I'd love to hear from you!

Peace, my friend, and Happy Crafty Schmaftying to you!