Dime Store Chic

Wake Up Call

Hello, My Friends~~~

Thank you all so much for your wonderful words of encouragement and support. They mean so very much to me! Love you bunches!

I am MUCH better today after a rocky weekend of not breathing and a pointed wake up call at the doctor's office yesterday morning and a visit to the ER last night. At the doctor's office, she tested my lungs and they were working at half capacity. Yikes! But my blood pressure was sky high. She blamed the rescue inhaler, which apparently I took a lot over the weekend, but I also apparently have borderline high blood pressure. She put me on Prednisone, the "big guns" as my friend Laurin told me, for getting my lungs back up to speed. I felt my breathing return quickly but I was jittery yesterday afternoon and had tingling in my left arm. The doctor on call said I should visit the ER for evaluation of a possible stroke. Double yikes! I high-tailed it to the hospital which is five minutes away. After lots of evaluations which included a head catscan which revealed nothing :), they released me saying I should talk to my doc about getting my BP managed, but I was not having a stroke. So this AM my doc called me and prescribed a low dose BP med.~~~This is TMI, isn't it? But what I want to impart is don't be stupid like me and avoid the doctor. Seriously. I have had a BIG wake up call and I'm doing something about it, starting with my diet. Here is my haul from the grocery store today...

I need to lose 20-30 pounds and stop flying on borrowed wings and eating what ever I feel like with minimal exercise (the exercise has been minimal because I couldn't breathe well). Starting yesterday I am eating better, smarter, low salt, low sugar, low fat. Cooking things from scratch, avoiding processed food where possible. I can cook and I love vegetables. I can do this. I will educate myself too. I love magazines so here are a few I bought today. I especially like the Prevention article entitled "Stay Calm Through Anything!....

I'm not going to bore you anymore with my lifestyle change. You have been very kind to me so far and I wouldn't want to wear out my welcome. Now, that I feel better I will return to my craft table and find my zen there.~~~Love and good health to all!~~~XXOO, Beth

Venture Ye Not Further Than The Deck!

Hello, My Friends~~~

I used to be one of those blithe folks who pranced through fall and spring without a sneeze or watery eye. I used to cock my head in wonder at those friends who had to breathe though a little plastic tube while pushing down on a silver vial expelling miraculous mist into their lungs. I used to...

This weekend has confirmed to me, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I am one of the legions of folks who have asthma. I don't usually use my blog to speak about medical issues, because I want this to be a whimsical fun crafty place to visit. This weekend I felt anything but whimsical, crafty, or fun. This is unusual for me. I usually bound around with the energy of a child hyped up on Pixie Stix and Kool-Aid. Not so this weekend. A cough at the tail end of a rigorous cold brought me to my knees. Were it not for a rescue inhaler prescribed to me last fall by my doctor (and I thought, hey, I don't need that!), I can't imagine what would have transpired. I had never had a reason to use one before and was a little intimidated. Intimidation leaves quite rapidly when you are gasping for air like a beached barracuda, and you puff away. I am much better right now, thank you, but I need to get to my doctor and see what I can get to prevent the use of a rescue medication.

Oh, and I didn't tell you the delightful side effect. At the tail end of this cold, I have coughed so much that I thought I cracked a rib. Intense pain that flared up for the past two afternoons and into the night. It was nothing more than a badly pulled muscle which kept me sleeping upright for two nights in a row. Sunday is another day, and I feel more human. Tonight I think I may be able to lay sideways--a girl can dream can't she?

So I have bored you beyond belief with my tale of woe. I am bored being stuck in my home. My hubby has forbidden me from doing anything more rigorous than sitting at my desk typing this. He even strongly suggested I not go to the first Arlington flea market of the season which happened this past Saturday. That was the worst, OK well, maybe not the worst, but it stung like a hornet.

So I have ventured not further than my deck which holds awakening spring with whisical vintage bits tossed in for fun. I snapped three pictures for you so I could end this post with something more familiar to my usual content...

Chipmunk peeking from behind Hens n' Chicks.

Teeny sedums in a vintage bait can with a pretty chartreuse Geisha guarding them.

Pink poodle, aqua pot, and mini geraniums.

OK, well, time to go back inside and relax. Personally, I've had relaxation up to my ears. Lets hope good ol' doc gives me something to bring me back to my old hyper self. Living like a slug ain't for me.~~~Love you all and stay well!~~~XXOO, Beth

Thrifty April Fool's Day

I visited my local post office yesterday and decided to stop into the thrift shop next door. I normally don't visit this shop because the prices are way too high. Sometimes I find a treasure or two but yesterday I was so lucky! Here's my loot and all for $7.50!

 Isn't this a fun crazy assortment of goodies? The mouse will eventually be on a pin cushion, and the pink milk glass bunny with velvety forget-me-nots will join a similar green bunny in our Easter decor. Of course I had to snatch up the Bobby Sherman 45 at only 25 cents. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it, but the 10-year-old in me screamed, "Get Bobby!"

I adore the graphics on this Tiddley Winks box! And the wee birds and chickens in pots are so sweet!

Again, the vintage graphics on this Pixie Stix caught my eye! And the Peter Rabbit book is part of our Easter display. It was a great day at a thrift shop that I know was having an April Fools Day sale as they are usually in the stratosphere with their prices! Now what to do with that Tiddley Winks box...~~~XXOO, Beth