TMF Scraps

Day +92 Home!!!

2011-12-10T16:25:00.000-08:00

We arrived home on Wednesday! It is great to be back home, we left Tuesday after Frank's clinic visit, and spent the night in Muninsing. Once we crossed the Mackinac Bridge, we knew we were "home", what a difference from one side to the other. Frank held up very well over the trip, and we have been settling back in, getting our stuff unpacked, some Christmas decorations up, and just enjoying being home! Frank will see our oncologist up here in 2 weeks, and then it will be back to Detroit the second week of January for the first check-up, but so far so good. One feels so much better being just being here.

We have seen a few of our friends and neighbors so far, and wil get to everyone eventually. But the lights are back on in the Ryan household, shining again on Tamarack Street!

Day +86

2011-12-04T17:33:00.000-08:00

Time to go home is almost upon us! Tomorrow, it is a day of packing disassembling and getting ready, we have an 8:00 am clinic appointment on Tuesday, and afterwards, we are coming HOME! May not get all the way home Tuesday, but every mile north gets us closer to the sanity of the UP.
Frank is feeling very well, the port was removed last Tuesday, and healing has gone well. He is under strict orders to not help unless absolutely necessary with packing the Uhaul trailer for home, but we'll see how that goes.
The important thing is we are all well, we are all going home, and the acute GvsHD phase is over. Can there still be problems? Yes, many things could potentially pop-up. We will be making monthly trips back down to Karmanos for at least several months for monitoring, and checks, we can not stamp "OK" or "Cure" yet, that will be a few years to come, and some issues can potentially happen at any time. But we don't have to face the what if's today, and for now, all is very well. Soon we will be home!
Internet communication will be interrupted over the next few days, as we have canceled our service down here effective the 6th, but will resume Wednesday or Thursday back home in Laurium! Can't wait to see all our neighbors and friends again!

Day +75

2011-11-23T07:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's clinic went exceptionally well .. next Tuesday the port comes out, no more IV fluids, and best of all ..... last clinic visit will be Dec. 6th. That means, as long as everything continues as it is, we will be leaving for home on the 7th of December!!! The excitement right now is hard to contain, we are counting the days right now!
Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Day +73

2011-11-21T16:55:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are, just a bit over 2 weeks from the Dec. 8th day of reaching the first 90 days post transplant. It is hard to believe we have been living here for just about 3 months already, sometimes it seems like forever, but now, with no major complications having arisen in the acute stage, we are counting down the days until we are "released" from the mandatory 60 miles limit from the hospital and can go home. Tomorrow, we have a clinic visit with Frank's doctor, and we hope to push a little for a date range of at least getting the port removed, if not for a date we can shoot for for going home. We are all so ready, especially now that Frank's strength and stamina are coming back, as well as his appetite and the dread taste change issues have just about all subsided.
I will update more tomorrow after the clinic visit, but we all have our hopes up that we can soon return to our normal life back in the beautiful UP.

In the meantime, we wish a very Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and neighbors at home and in Chicago, enjoy the Turkey and leave plenty of room for dessert!

Day +63

2011-11-11T13:38:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, I hope all our Yooper friends are enjoying the snowstorm that hit. We watched the pasty.net webcams of 5th Street in Calumet with great longing, Miles was very upset that it wasn't snowing here, and we were missing it!
Things have been going along fairly uneventfully, with the exceptions that we were able to end the Gancyclovir IVs last Sunday, the CMV infection is under control now, and as of our clinic visit yesterday, we can now go to every other day Magnesium IV's, which is great news! Frank is grumbling a bit as he has to take 9 mag pills a day, on top of the other 20 or so pills, but it beats being hooked up for 4-5 hours daily to "the Schtick". These will reduce as his tacro intake is gradually reduced, but that won't be for a bit. The best news though is that, as long as nothing arises over the next 30 days or so, we have a very good chance of being home before Christmas! The down side to that was she initially said she'd like us to come for bi-weekly visits to Detroit. We are going to work and see if some of the stuff can be handled in Marquette, because we are not very keen on driving down to Detroit every other week. So we hope we can get it to a monthly visit if possible. All in all, whatever needs to be done we will find some way to do it. Best to all!

Day +51

2011-10-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

An early Happy Halloween to everyone, hope all your hauntings are spookily merry :)
So we are all doing alright, no big changes particularly to report. Frank is still battling extreme fatigue, and has been having low neutrophils from the gancyclivir IV. Thus, he had a shot of Neupogen of Friday, which, like the last shot he got a week or so ago, made him feel sickly and nauseous for most of the next day. But, he is feeling better today as far as the nausea, and it is back to pretty much as it was last week before the shot.
Miles is of course excited about Halloween, we held a small party yesterday for Miles, me, and his stuffed animals, which was quite fun. In the afternoon, we went for a "spooky" walk in the park, and by accident came across a "Trunk or Treat" and hayride at a nearby church. So we enjoyed the fun, and even though it was a little drizzly weather by the time the hay ride started, we enjoyed our little turn around the field. We rented a "Goosebumps" video and then watched the amazing "Halloween Wars" on Food network. Absolutely awesome artistry in pumpkin, candy, and cake!
Today is catch-up day for paperwork, email, etc... and tomorrow will be the big day for Trick or Treating. Miles is more than ready, with his Batman costume this year.
Good news is Frank's doctors feel they can cut the clinic visits to once a week now, so we will only go on Thursday next week, barring nothing out of the ordinary occurs. This is good news, although the steady stream of 3 iv's a day and the multitude of of meds continues. The CMV levels have come down tremendously, though, so hopefully it will only be a few days more and we can stop the gancyclvir IV's. And, they are starting Frank on Magnesium pills (the Tacro depletes it from the system, so it must be supplemented) and although we are still doing the 4 hour IV daily, hopefully this will start to decrease in the next few weeks as well. It will be nice not t have to hook Frank up to the IV pole, which has become affectionately known as "the Schtick". Goodbye for now!

Day +44

2011-10-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

Things have been a bit better this week, mainly because Frank's nausea finally started to improve on Tuesday, and was well controlled the rest of the week. It was a huge relief for him, as he has been suffering a constant nausea since the transplant, so it was the first time he hasn't felt it in 6 weeks. Friday was our second clinic visit this week, and although Frank's platelets were starting to drift south, topping out at 41 on Tuesday, they made a small rebound to 56. Platelets, , as I know all you ladies at the Aspirus Out Patient know, are Frank's biggest concern. So we were also relieved at the increase after a 10 day dramatic downward spiral. However, the neutrophils have now decided to drop, prompting a shot of Neupogen on Friday. The gancyclivir is a notorious counts dropper, though, so it is most likely from that. Also, the intense itching has subsided somewhat over the last couple days, and the chemo rash under Frank's arms, back, belly and legs, although still massive, is in the healing phase. He wanted me to post a pic of the rash, for others who might be experiencing the same thing, maybe it will help some other poor soul going through the same thing who happens upon this blog in there search for similar experiences.
Besides the health front, we are all in better spirits this week. Miles has been enjoying bike riding in the Heritage Park, just across from our apartment complex. This park is a Godsend, and Miles and I try and get to it for an hour each afternoon for some exercise. The trees around here are turning colors, but it is much warmer than home. We like to think we are at the half way point now, and hope to be home before Christmas, although this will be up to the Doctors.

Goodbye for now, friends and neighbors. We hope to be seeing you all again as soon as we can!

Day +37

2011-10-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

Well, we are still chugging along. Our appointment on Thursday at Karmanos went relatively quickly, getting in at 12:15, and we were out about 3:00. Frank has been experiencing terrible itching, and his back has been slightly reddened with small bumps. Dr. Al-Kadimi took a look, and said it could be the first signs of Graft vs. Host, so we have yet another prescription to add to the various pills, ointments, and IV infusions. The new stuff certainly took the red and bumps away, but does nothing for the ever persistent itching. The delightful chemo rashes are subsiding, though. They actually look more alarming then the back and leg areas, but merely bring a ho-hum response from the doctors, so we have not worried about them, only medicated as required. The ever present nausea still continues, but seems to be a bit better, according to Frank. The taste issues have not subsided, though, and the very things that are Frank's favorite to eat taste revolting right now. Soups seem to be the best, but 3 weeks of that and yogurt have gotten quite old. Every time I mix it up with something normal, I end up just throwing it away in the trash, as the taste is not right for Frank. However, his weight is maintaining, and considering the overwhelming fatigue keeps him from doing very much, he's not burning too many calories right now.
So one day pretty much runs into the next, an endless cycle of pills, infusions, appointments, and in between doing the basics of life. I am pretty sure by the time we are allowed to go home (is it still going to be 2 months away?) he'll be feeling better, but we are still waiting for any signs of a significant improvement. I know it will come, it just would be nice to have something improve enough to lift the quality of life right now.

Day +30

2011-10-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

So it has been one month since the transplant, and things are going along. Many of the chemo effects have caught up, and some may be side effects of the plethora of meds, but so far, nothing seems to be out of control. At Frank's last clinic visit on Thursday, the detected elevated CMV activity, so we went Saturday for an IV infusion of ganciclovir, and now we have added a home IV regiment twice daily to all the other goodies. It is OK, and can be run at the same time as the magnesium, which takes about 5 hours anyway. Eating is a chore, nothing tastes as it should, and Frank's appetite is greatly diminished as well. But overall, the doctors say he's doing really well. I constantly remind him that he has just had a major organ replaced, but he still feels he should feel better. He is tired of feeling so sick. However, it is a good day, one month is behind us!
A big hello From me, Frank, and Miles to all our Keeweenaw friends and neighbors, and our Chicago neighbors. We greatly miss the quiet, clean air, and warm hospitality and friendliness of our UP. I know everyone is enjoying the Fall color at home, please take an extra long look for us!

Day +23 ... discharged from hospital

2011-10-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

Frank was discharged on Friday afternoon from Karmanos, and after picking up literally a ton of meds, and yesterday having instructions from home nursing about his IV (magnesium - tachro depletes it, so he needs an IV of it daily), and blood sugar testing, we are on our first day of peace at our rental here. Frank has insurmountable exhaustion, and a general feeling of malaise and illness. But overall, it could be worse. The discharge nurse said we had a surprisingly short meds list, so my heart really goes out to those who have more, as his alone are plenty to cope with managing. However, we are all just happy to be together again, especially Miles, and will go from here.
This whole process is even more taxing and demanding than one can possibly be prepared for, mentally and physically for all parties. I told Frank yesterday that as difficult as all the chemotherapy was, and believe me, it was horrible, that looks like a cakewalk compared to everything now. But, things are still going as expected, and that is encouraging. We just keep plugging along as best we can. The first out-patient check up is Monday, so we'll see how this next stage goes from here on out. One month is down, hopefully only 2 or 3 to go. We ALL want to go home!

Day +15

2011-09-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

Everything is going along OK so far. It has been a tough 2 weeks, but nothing unexpected. Frank's doctor says he is doing very well He has some issues with mouth sores still from the initial chemo which provide there own challenges at the moment, but the donor's stem cells seem to be engrafting well, and surprisingly, he only needed platelets on 2 days. Amazing, especially since we are used to dealing with them for 2 weeks or more! So all his bloodwork is looking well.
We know there is a long road to come to recovery, but are encouraged so far.

I took Miles to see the Comerica Park yesterday, and although it wasn't open, he enjoyed the giant tiger sculptures all around the park. Downtown Detroit is a strange place, beautiful architecture, vacant buildings. The only people around were either tourists for the stadium, or homeless people.
Quite the contrast.

Missing the clean air, cool temps, and non-traffic of the UP!!!!

Day +8 ...

2011-09-17T11:49:00.001-07:00

Well, so far, so good. Frank has suffered from severe nausea for the week since the transplant, but other than that, has been feeling OK. They have been trying ALL the drugs available, as the good old standby of Zofran, Compazine and Ativan just aren't cutting it. The counts are all dipping, and we are in that lovely period of platelet issues. Miles and I visited with dinner yesterday, and while there, he needed an injection for something. Afterwards, you could literally watch the hematoma growing on his arm, luckily it was on the backside, and Frank couldn't see it. Platelets this morning were 2, so more platelets today. He received his first Neupogen shot on the 15th, so this should help boost neutrophils. We keep our fingers crossed that things continue to progress in a normal and expected fashion.
Other than that, Miles and I make our daily treks up I-75 to the DMC complex for visits. I have gotten accustomed to driving in the Detroit traffic, and we have even developed our own parking pet peeves for the hospital parking garage. I took Miles up to Ann Arbor for his birthday to see mummies and dinosaurs at the Exhibit and Kelsey Museums. Quite a nice town, but atrocious parking around the university. However, we enjoyed the day, and then took cake up to the hospital and celebrated the big 5 with Daddy.

Day +0 is here ...

2011-09-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

9 pm tonight, the transplant will take place. It has been an arduous week of chemo, and a ton of other meds. The stem cells from the donor were flown in today from some part of the world, and we'll keep our fingers crossed from here on out.

In the Motor City ...

2011-09-03T19:00:00.001-07:00

We are now down in Detroit, and it has been one hectic week. Monday we left Laurium, U-Haul trailer in tow, and arrived Tuesday afternoon in Detroit. We settled in to our little apartment, and Wednesday had a full days worth of doctor's meetings, consultations, and testing at Karmanos. Thursday, Frank had surgery at the Harper Hospital with a central line put in. Also, we finally got internet installed at the apartment, too. Friday was admission day, and we went to Karmanos and got Frank admitted, then up to the 10th floor to the BMT unit. After settling in, we met with Dr. Voravit and Dr. Anthony, and went through the general "check in" process. The BMT Unit, like all of Karmanos, is incredibly impressive. The rooms and floors are modern and well designed, and so far, everyone we have talked with have been very nice, VERY knowledgeable, and leave one feeling that they will do the very best they can. Today, Frank has started chemo, a different regiment than he received on his first two inductions, and will continue chemo through next Wednesday. After a day of recovery, the transplant will take place
on next Friday, and then we will go from there.

So far, everything has been alright, Detroit certainly is a far cry from home. Miles and I get to drive by the giant Marathon Oil refinery/industrial area everyday going to the hospital from our temporary home, but it is cool seeing the Ambassador Bridge, Ford Field, and the downtown skyscrapers along the way. It has been extremely hot and sweltering every day we have been here, and the air is very smog filled and hazy. We all miss home, but are thankful for this chance to hopefully defeat Frank's leukemia once and for all.

Preliminary tests are (mostly) done

2011-08-18T14:11:00.000-07:00

Well, we are still home, but we went to Marquette yesterday and Frank completed preliminary tests from 8:30 to 1 pm for what seemed just about everything lung/heart/blood there could be, including his 7th bone marrow biopsy. They took 7 vials of blood for an arm's length of tests, but would you believe there was one more still that was overlooked in all the hub-bub yesterday, and we will be going up to Aspirus Keweenaw tomorrow to do another lab? So all test results/samples are going down to Karmanos. As far as we know, the date of the 30th is still on, but we haven't had anything confirmed yet. We figure we'll hear from them next week, after all the tests have been analyzed, and hopefully will have a concrete date set then. However, we are mostly set except for packing now. Leaf and snow removal has been organized, raspberries have been picked and made into jam, the yard has been mowed one last time, the yard has been winterized, hoses drained and put away, snow scoops and shovels brought out and stored in the garage, just about everything done that would normally be done in November. Lists have been made of what to take, and Miles has a special list of things to take he's afraid we might forget. Soooo... life goes on in limbo right now....

PICC Line out

2011-08-07T11:19:00.000-07:00

Things are progressing. We confirmed with Karmanos that they will not be using Frank's PICC, instead they will be doing a central line port, so the PICC came out Friday. Makes it much easier to shower, and Frank doesn't have the dangling caps to attend to at least for a couple more weeks. The donor will be ready for donation at the end of this month, so we have a tentative date of the 30th before everything to begin. We had thought it was going to be the week of the 14th, but the donor had a conflict, so the date was pushed back. But, we have housing arranged now for our 4 month (hopefully only4 month!) stay. We all hope we can be back UP before Christmas, but I may pack a few of our normal Christmas items just to be on the safe side. Miles will not have his regular scheduled birthday party, but we will try and do something extra special (or at least I will, as Frank will be in the hospital over his birthday) that will be unique and something we could only see in a big city. He is still so excited about visiting the Dinosaurs Alive! exhibit at the Detroit Science Center in June when we went for the consultation. Being it is only about 3 blocks up from Karmanos, we will probably take another trip to see it again, as he keeps asking to do so.
So right now, it is about preparation, final testing and bone marrow biopsy to be done in Marquette, preparing the house for the 4 month interim, arranging mail forwarding, yard care, packing, and the last few days of enjoying our beloved Keweenaw. I have worked frantically since May making extra bead set upon bead set, and have managed to stock up on over 80 extra sets, so it will carry us over for awhile. My creativity is at an end right now, though, and I am taking a break this weekend from working. I have transformed 10 pounds of glass into beautiful little jewels, but the work has been non-stop for months, and a break is in order.
It is time now to pick raspberrys from our big patch and enjoy the beach a little bit while we can.

10/10 match

2011-07-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

Need I say more? Awesomest news yet!

Counts are rising

2011-07-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

Well, the long long wait for my husbands blood counts to start rising from near zero levels has begun. He went through the weekend without needing platelets , and has had the counts rising since Saturday .. yay! For those who don't know, platelets are the little parts of the blood that make your blood clot. Too many, you get blockage and can have a heart attack, stroke, or other problem, too few, and you risk bleeding to death, even without being cut. So it is a stressful few weeks when platelets are needed, because they are so low. And, they have to be ordered by special courier by a certain time each day, as the local blood bank is not equipped to collect them. However, everything went relatively smoothly, at least considering the circumstances, and I have to especially thank Aspirus Keweenaw Home Health for their great nurses Sharen, Becky, and Maureen (and thanks to Cindy, to!), the Outpatient Dept. at Aspirus Keweenaw with Donna, Gail, and Theresa, Dr. DeWald and Dr. Shebuski who made pain management an easy task (thank you, thank you!!!) and to the new oncologist at Aspirus Keweenaw, Dr. Ghanem, who was very helpful and incredible at maintaining patient contact. I hope he stays with the hospital here, we certainly need a good oncologist in the area.
So hopefully, all counts will be rising back to at least low normal levels in the next few days, and it seems we are on that path. In the meantime, we are still waiting to hear a date for transplant, but all donors have been contacted and sent samples for testing to get the best possible match, and these tests should be completed this week. Hopefully, there is at least an 8/10 match, a 10/10 would be best, but we're not going to get our hopes up yet.

Things are moving slowly

2011-07-06T22:11:00.000-07:00

Well, we thought we wold be starting the transplant process by now, but instead, my husband is back at MGH undergoing the first round of consolidation chemo, as the whole insurance/donor contact process is taking longer than anticipated. However, Karmanos called today, and things are progressing with the donor contacts, we may even have an actual date for the transplant very soon. My husband is feeling pretty bad right now with the chemo, but hopefully, we can go down and get him the beginning of next week. Then the "fun" can start with platelet and blood transfusions, and extra care for neutropenia, but it is still better having him home, than in the hospital. Miles and I are more than ready for him to be back. Miles fancies himself somewhat of a blood expert at 4 years old, and likes to advise when Daddy gets a "pokey", even when it is a draw from the PICC line. So when he comes home, Miles will be ready with his professional opinion for the nurses I am sure!

A Word of Thanks .....

2011-06-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to express a big "THANK YOU" to all our friends and community members who read the article in the Daily Mining Gazette about us. Thank you so much for the words of hope and goodwill, and a special thank you to all of you who have been able to make donations towards my husband's medical expenses. We are deeply touched by the generosity of our local community, and words can not express fully our gratitude for your help. The donations we have received definitely relieve some of our immediate concerns, giving us more time to focus on the upcoming journey ahead.

A few people have expressed interest in how to become a marrow donor. For those of you under 60 and over 18, you can easily sign up and receive a testing kit from bethematch.org. I encourage everyone to do so, as it is a gift one can give that can make a huge difference in someone's life by giving them a second chance.

Additionally, we have a benefit fund set up with the Range Bank, and a donation can be made at any Range Bank location to the Frank Ryan Benefit Fund , as well as here online by clicking the donate button above.

Thank you all again so much, we are so very, very, very grateful!

Back from Karmanos

2011-06-18T10:27:00.001-07:00

We are back from meeting the transplant team at Karmanos, and are left with some new hopes, new worries, and much information. They are contacting the possible donors now, and in the best case, will have the requirements completed with the donors in about 3 weeks, so the tranplant can take place, worst case, my husband will need to go back to the hospital for a round of consolidation chemo to keep him in remission while the logistics with the donor are worked out. We will be taking the weekend to let everything sink in from the trip, then Monday morning, it will be full-scale work to get our own logistics together, as there isn't much time to literally pick-up life and move it 600 miles away. We are just glad to be back up in the UP again though, for now, Detroit is a whole different world from our rural neighborhood! It is going to be a long summer/fall on so many levels.

In remission again and update...

2011-06-12T07:57:00.000-07:00

My husband is back from being hospitalized for a month of chemotherapy, and happily, he is again in remission. The next step is taking the big trip down to Detroit to meet with the Transplant Team at Karmanos for tests and consults, then we'll see what they say while we are there. Life is in full-scale upheaval right now.

Update ...

2011-05-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

Hi, I know it has been a long time since my last update, but I received a donation today (thank you!) and it brought to mind I hadn't done so in quite awhile. Sadly, my husband has relapsed, and is back undergoing another round of of induction chemo. He will be needing a bone marrow transplant, and there are so many things up in the air, it is hard to get a hold on everything, it is very overwhelming. Thanks for visiting, I hope you still are enjoying the freebies, and please, all donations are most appreciated.

Fun Girl MiniKit freebie

2010-06-21T12:52:00.001-07:00

First, I want to say thank you to the 5 wonderful people who donated since my last post .. thanks you so much! Every bit is so appreciated by me and my family, and it really helps :)
Today, I have a little minikit called "Fun Girl" for you. It has some nice island colors, and you can get it here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be most appreciated, I use all the donations to help pay my husband's medical bills.

Summer's End Kit

2010-06-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

First, thank you to the 3 people who donated since my last post .. thanks so much!
I am so happy to report that my husband's latest bloodtest shows he is still in remission ... great news! We are all relieved.
I have a new kit freebie for you all today, you can get it here. If you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be most appreciated, I use all the donations to help pay my husband's medical bills.

Sorbet Papers Freebie

2010-06-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

First, I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day Weekend! And I want to say thank you to the 3 kind people who donated since my last post ... thank you so much! It is so appreciated by me and my family.
Today, I have another paper freebie for you, these are 10 worn cardstocks in spring/summer colors. You can get them here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be most welcome, I use all the donations to help pay my husband's leukemia related medical expenses.

Daddy and Me MiniKit Freebie

2010-05-24T05:08:00.001-07:00

First, let me say thank you to the 3 people who donated since my last post .. it is so appreciated, thank you so much!
Today, I have a minikit freebie called Daddy & Me. You can download it here. If you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be most appreciated, I use all the donations to help pay my husband's medical bills.

Natural Papers Freebie

2010-05-14T05:03:00.001-07:00

First, I want to say thank you to the one person who donated since my last post .. thank you for your generosity! It is greatly appreciated :)
Today, I have a selection of natural toned card stock plain papers for you, you can get them here. If you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be great, I use all the funds to help pay my husband's medical bills.

Minikit freebie

2010-05-11T09:05:00.001-07:00

I would like to say thank you to the 2 people who donated since my last post .. thanks so much!
Today, I have another little minikit for you. I really like the playfulness of this one, I hope you do too! You can get it here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be most appreciated, I use all the funds to help pay my husband's leukemia medical bills.

Also, I just had to share, my son is 3 and drew his first self-portrait the other day, I thought you might enjoy:

Mother's Day MiniKit

2010-05-07T06:56:00.001-07:00

First, I'd like to say thank you to the 6 people who donated since my last post .. thanks so much!
Today, I have a fun little minikit for Mother's Day I hope you will enjoy it. You can get it here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be great, I use all the funds to help pay my husband's medical bills.

Lonestar redux Kit Freebie

2010-04-30T06:38:00.001-07:00

First, I want to say thank you to the 2 people who donated since my last post .. thank you very much! Please keep coming back for more of the freebies I still have to post!
Health wise, my husband is still feeling good. We will go in June for his next bloodwork. A year ago, things were very different, my husband had been feeling vaguely "off" and had a painful lump in his leg, which we went to the doctor's about, and they said it was a superficial thrombosis. Little did we know then, that a month later he'd be rushed by ambulance to the hospital with the diagnosis of leukemia. Thankfully, we are past that very frightening, uncertain time now, and every day he stays in remission is a true gift.
Anyway, today I have my Lonestar Redux kit for you. You can get the papers here, elements here, and add-on here. If you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated, I use all the funds to help pay my husband's leukemia related medical bills.

Memorial Day Word Art

2010-04-25T08:43:00.001-07:00

First, I want to thank the 4 people who donated since my last post .. thank you so much!
Today, I have a little word art freebie since Memorial Day is just around the corner. You can get it here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated, I use all donations to help pay my husband's medical bills for his leukemia treatment .. thanks!

6 Lonestar Quick Pages

2010-04-21T08:17:00.001-07:00

First, I'd like to say thank you to the 3 people who donated since my last post .. thank you so very much!
Today, I have six 12x12 quickpages from my Lonestar Redux kit. I'll post the kit in the next few days, but you can get the quickpages here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated, I use all the funds to help pay for my husband's leukemia related medical bills .. thanks!

Grunge Frames

2010-04-16T13:36:00.001-07:00

First, I want to say thank you to the 7 people who donated since my last post .. thanks so much! It means a lot to me and my family. I am pleased to say that our last blood test shows my husband is still in remission, and we are just so happy for that! And his lung embolism he developed while in the hospital is also completely gone, too. We are all breathing easier right now!
Today, I have 5 round/oval grunge frames for everyone. You can get them here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be most appreciated, I use all the funds to help pay my husband's leukemia related medical bills. Thanks!

Recycle, recycle!

2010-04-10T06:32:00.002-07:00

First, thank you to the 2 people who donated since my last posting .. thank you! Please keep coming back for all the other freebie I still have to post!
Today, I have a little minikit and a quickpage for you for Earth Day, good for any environmental or recycling theme you might need. You can get the kit here and the qp here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be most appreciated, I use all the funds to help pay my husband's leukemia related medical bills. Thanks!

Surf Dude Kit

2010-04-05T11:01:00.001-07:00

First, I want to say thank you to all the people who donated since my last post ... I appreciate it so much! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend!
Today, I have Surf Dude, a small kit that is good for Boy's and beaches, and you can get it from here. And if you like my stuff, please consider donating any amount, I use all the funds to help pay the medical bills for my husband's leukemia treatment.

Boho CoffeeHouse Papers & Elements Freebie

2010-03-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

First, thank you to the 2 people who donated since my last post .. it is so very much appreciated! I have over a thousand downloads on most of my freebies, and it is so nice when a couple people will take the time to donate. Every little bit helps, thanks so much!
Today, I have 10 art papers and the elements from Boho Coffeehouse. I have pics up showing you all the stuff together and seperate, because these papers are really neat, and I want poeple to see them just as much as the elements. You can get them here. And if you like my stuff, please consider donating any amount, I use all the funds to help pay the medical bills for my husband's leukemia treatment.

Quickpages

2010-03-19T06:40:00.001-07:00

First, thank you to the 2 people who donated since my last post .. thanks so much!!
Today, I have 6 quickpages for you made with my La Fiesta kit. You can get them here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated, I use them all to help cover the costs from my husband's leukemia treatment.

Easter Doodles

2010-03-16T06:33:00.001-07:00

First I would like to say thank you to the 1 person who donated since my last post ... my family and I greatly appreciate your kindness, thanks so much! I hope you keep coming back for more freebies!
Today, I have another doodle pack freebie for you all, these are Easter doodles, all are hand drawn and add whimsy to any layout. You can get them here. And, if you like my stuff and feel inclined, a donation of any amount would be wonderful, I use all the donations to help pay the costs of my husbands leukemia bills.

La Fiesta Papers

2010-03-11T10:35:00.001-08:00

First, I would like to say thank you to the 2 people who donated since my last post .. thanks so much!!!!
Next, I am so happy to report that my husband's blood test yesterday was good! He is still in remission, and the worry from the last test can be put to rest! We are so relieved, and can breath easy until the next test in April. What a relief!
So, today's freebie is the La Fiesta Papers, these go with all the elements and are nice and fun, and you can get them here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated, the funds are used to pay my husband's leukemia medical expenses.

La Fiesta Elements

2010-03-06T05:40:00.001-08:00

First, I would like to say thank you to the 3 people who donated since my last post ... thanks so much, it means a great deal to me and my family! I hope you all can keep coming back and get all the freebies I still have to post!
Today, I have the elements from my La Fiesta kit. I will post the papers and an add-on over the next few days, but you can get the elements here. If you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be very much appreciated, I use all the funds to help pay my husband's leukemia related medical bills.

Doodlerama 1

2010-03-02T06:46:00.000-08:00

Today's freebie is one I made last year, but never got around to packaging it, so here is Doodlerama 1, 7 girl-type handdrawn doodles. You can get them here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be very much appreciated, I use all the funds to help pay my husband's leukemia related medical bills.

Starshine Minikit Freebie

2010-02-26T13:07:00.000-08:00

First, I would like to say a big thank you to the 12 wonderful people who donated since my last post .. thank you each and every one of you! Your generosity is so appreciated by my family and I!
As a couple people asked, we don't have any new updated on my husband yet. He will go on March 10 for his next bloodwork, and hopefully, it will show more normal readings. We are just having to wait till then. But he is feeling well, and we are on the constant watch for any of the early signs that happened last time (the doctors said if it comes back, it generally does the same thing as it did the first time), so far, so good. We are just taking one day at time right now, since the most critical period is the 10-18 months after first remission when he is at highest risk of relapse. I will update more after the next bloodwork, and thank you all so much for asking!
Now, on to the freebie for today: this is Starshine minikit, and you can get it here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be sooo appreciated, I use all the funds to help pay my husband's leukemia related medical bills.

Grunge Frames 2

2010-02-23T06:19:00.001-08:00

I would like to say thank you to the 3 people who donated since my last post .. my family and I appreciate it so much! Thanks! Also, remember to go through and get all the freebies on my blog, everything here is a freebie!
Today, I have another scrapbook freebie for everyone, Grunge Frames 2. You can get it here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be sooo appreciated, I use all the funds to help pay my husband's leukemia related medical bills.

In the Now Kit

2010-02-19T06:27:00.000-08:00

First, I wouild like to thank the 2 generous people who donated since m,y last post .. Thanks so much! I just wanted to take a quick moment and let everyone know how much I am touched by your generosity and moved by the stories of those who have also had adversity touch their lives. Thank you so much for sharing your stories, and thank you for helping my family.
Today, I have another kit called In the Now, it is a bit on the grunge side, and it is great for teenagers, tomboys, and boys in general, you can get it here. If you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated, I use all the funds to help pay my husband's leukemia related medical bills.

Birthday Bash

2010-02-16T05:46:00.001-08:00

First, thank you to the one person who donated since my last post ... thanks so much!! Please keep coming back to gt all the scrapbook stuff I still have to post!
I hope everyone had a nice Valentine/President's day weekend. We had a good amount of snow, and coming from a place that gets annually about 28 feet, you know it was a good amount! Anyway, I am posting my scrapbook kit Birthday Bash for you all today. You can get it here. If you like my stuff and feel inclined, a donation of any amount would be most welcome, I use all the funds to pay my husband's leukemia medical expenses.

Abnormal

2010-02-12T07:23:00.000-08:00

First, thank you to the 3 people who donated since my last post, it is so greatly appreciated!
I have concerning news, my husbands bloodwork came back abnormal. He will be retested in a couple weeks, and we will know more from there. It doesn't necessarily mean he has relapsed, but it is a possibility. We are feeling pretty down about it, but trying to keep our spirits up and not assume the worst. I am not ready for all of this again, nor is he.
I have another freebie for you all today, 7 brush masks. They are good to use as masks, as well as playing with your settings to use as neat backgrounds behind your photos. You can get the here. And, if you like my stuff and feel like it, a donation of any amount would be most welcome, I use all the funds to pay my husband's leukemia medical expenses.

Aurora Tides Papers

2010-02-09T06:20:00.001-08:00

First, thank you to the 4 people who donated since my last post, your heartfelt comments and actions are so appreciated, thanks so much for touching our lives! Tomorrow we are going for my husband's second bloodwork checkup, so any good thoughts anyone would like to send our way are most appreciated. I think it will be fine, but there are always those thoughts in the back of your mind.
Today, I have the rest of the Aurora Tides Redux kit with the papers for everyone. This is great for Sprng, Easter,girls, weddings, and such. You can get them here. And, if you like my stuff and feel like it, a donation of any amount would be most welcome, I use all the funds to pay my husband's leukemia medical expenses.

Aurora Tides Elements

2010-02-05T08:34:00.001-08:00

First, thank you to the 2 people who donated since my last post ... I appreciate it so much, and it means so much to my family .. thank you! Please keep coming back for all the freebies I have left to post :)
Today, I have the elements from my Aurora Tides Redux kit, it is nice and spring-ish, and I will post the papers in a few days. You can get them here. I hope you enjoy them, and if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated, I use all the funds to help pay my husband's medical expenses for leukemia.

Grunge Overlays 2 freebie

2010-02-02T07:44:00.001-08:00

First, let me thank the 6 wonderful people who donated since my last post, and thanks for all the comments and notes of inspiration, it all means so much to me and my family! My husband is especially touched by such support, it really helps the household morale ... thanks everyone! And, I am happy to report that my little boy is finally recovered, he was close to it, but this cold we have all had is a stubborn one, and it took forever for those last sniffles to go away. My poor husband is still fighting it, but getting much better, too.
So today I thought I should post another Grunge overlay pack I made, the first one was a huge hit with over 1200 people downloading it, so I can see many of you enjoy using these as much as I do. So you can get them here. And, if you like my stuff and feel like it, a donation of any amount would be most welcome, I use all the funds to pay my husband's leukemia medical expenses.

6 Quickpages

2010-01-29T07:45:00.001-08:00

First, I want to thank the 2 people who donated since my last post ... thank you so much!
Today, I have 6 QuickPages for you all made with my Aurora Tides Redux kit which I will be posting the papers and elements for in a few days. You can get them here. And, if you like my stuff and feel so inclined, a donation of any amount would be most welcome, I use all the funds to pay my husband's leukemia medical expenses.

A bunch of little freebies ..

2010-01-27T06:48:00.000-08:00

First, I would like to thank the 11 fantastic people who donated since my last post, your support and comments are so appreciated, I thank each and every one of you for your generosity and kindness! And for those keeping track, my son is 90% recovered from his cold, my poor husband with his weakened immune system was hit pretty hard, and is still pretty sick, but he finally started feeling a little better yesterday, which is a good sign. Anyway, I have a medley of small freebies I did in the past for you all today, just some fun elements to have on hand, and you can get the metal essentials here, fat stitches here, color tags here, and the bubblegum corners here. I hope you can use them, and if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated, I use all the funds to help pay my husband's medical expenses for leukemia.

A Little Love Elements

2010-01-22T06:35:00.001-08:00

First, thank you to the 3 people who donated since my last post ... I so appreciate the support! Your generosity helps my family so much, please keep coming back to get all the stuff I still have to post! Also, my little guy is still sniffily, but on the upwards swing. His little upper lip and nose are so chapped, though, I feel so sorry for him! I have been putting his "owie" cream on, but this awful cold he has had was pretty tough. I know, because my husband and I have it now ... sigh....
Anyway, I have the elements from my A Little Love kt for you today, and you can get them here. I hope you enjoy them, and if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated, I use all the funds to help pay my husband's medical expenses for leukemia.

A Little Love Papers

2010-01-18T08:33:00.001-08:00

Thank you to the person who donated since my last posting, I appreciate it so much! Please come back and get all of my scrap stuff as I add more! Today, my poor little boy has some big, bad sniffles, and convincing a 3 year old to blow his nose is the challenge for the day. Poor guy! Anyway, I have the papers from my "A Little Love" kit I made last year as a freebie today. Of course, it is great for Valentines, but also for any time or person you love. I'll post the elements later in the week, but you can get the papers here. And, if you like my stuff and feel so inclined, a donation of any amount would be most welcome, I use all the funds to pay my husband's leukemia medical expenses.

Fun Flowers Freebie

2010-01-14T07:03:00.000-08:00

First, a big thank you to the 2 people who sent donations since my last post ... all the lovely donors have really made a huge difference for my family! I will be forever grateful! Please keep coming back so you can get all of the scrapping stuff I have to offer!
Today, I have a cute freebie of 3 cut paper flowers I made a year or so ago. You can get them here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated, I use all the funds to help pay my husband's medical expenses for leukemia.

Love Doodles

2010-01-11T06:44:00.001-08:00

I would like to say a big thank you to the 2 people who donated since my last post .. thank you so much ! Today,
I have another little love inspired freebie I made last year, it is 20+ hand drawn doodles for Valentines and love in general. You can get them here. And, if you like my stuff, and feel so inclined, a donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated. The funds are all used to pay my husband's leukemia medical bills.

Bye bye to Christmas ...

2010-01-07T09:06:00.000-08:00

I want to say a big thank you to the 3 generous people who donated since my last post ... thank you so much, and thank you also for your comments! It means a lot to me and my family! Last night, my son and I finished packing our Christmas decorations up. I thought it was about time to start putting up some Valentine and Spring stuff here as freebies, so today, I have 7 love word arts for you! You can get them here. And, if you like my stuff and feel so inclined, a donation of any amount would be most welcome, I use all the funds to pay my husband's leukemia medical expenses. And don't forget to go through the rest of my blog and get all of my freebies!

A sampler of QuickPages

2010-01-02T17:16:00.000-08:00

First, I want to say a big thank you to the 5 lovely people who donated over the holidays since my last freebie ... I appreciate each and every one of your donations so much, you have all made such a difference! Also, thanks for the thoughts and prayers for my husband, and all of your comments, thanks so much!
I hope everyone had a joyous holiday season, and I hope 2010 is is good year for everyone in health and happiness. I have a sampler of kind of spring/valentines quickpages that I have made over the last year, so I thought they would make a nice freebie for everyone to enjoy. The kits these are all made from will be posted over the next couple months or are already posted. You can get the pages here. And, if you like my stuff, and feel so inclined, a donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated. The funds are all used to pay my husband's leukemia medical bills.

Don't forget to go through my blog and download all the freebies, I am putting everything I have made up here for free :)

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T20:25:00.000-08:00

Well, no freebies with this post, but just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful New Year! I wish the best in health, love, and happiness to all of you!

And as a very good side note, my husband's doctor visit was very good .. the bloodwork shows he is still in remission, and he is looking healthy. We'll do it all again in 6 weeks, but it is a wonderful way to start the new year for us!

Happy New Year to all!

Bloodwork today ...

2009-12-29T08:16:00.001-08:00

First, thank you so much to the 2 people who made a donation since my last post, I appreciate it so much, you have no idea! Today, my husband goes for the bloodwork part of his first post-chemo checkup, and tomorrow, we will make the 3 hour drive down to see his oncologist. He is very nervous. I am trying to be reassuring, but inside, I am nervous too. Any thoughts and prayers for a good result are most welcome! I have my fingers crossed that all is well, and he is still in remission. For the most part, though, he is feeling alright, but he is so easily fatigued, it really gets him down. They say the cancer fatigue can last for 6 months to up to a year. It is tough stuff.
Anyway, with the New Year around the corner, I thought I'd put up these 10 date stamps. you can get them here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated, it all goes towards paying my husband's medical bills for his struggle with leukemia.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T07:05:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and are looking forward to the New Year! I want to thank the one person who donated since my last posting, thank you so much! It means so much to me and my family!
I am putting up the rest of the Midnight Glitz kit, with the elements and papers. You can get the elements part from here.

This is the preview of the 8 art and grunge papers, and you can get them here. A donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated if you like my stuff, it all goes towards my husband's leukemia related medical bills. Have a Happy New Year!

Midnight Glitz Alpha

2009-12-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

Note: I hope the mediafire issues have been solved, if anyone missed the link below, I added a download link through Rapidshare as well, but Mediafire was working today for me, so I hope for all of you too!

First, I want to say thank you very much to the 2 people who donated towards our medical expenses since my last post!!! I appreciate it so much! I am adding Midnight Glitz Alpha today, it is a really pretty hand drawn glitter alphabet I made that goes with my Midnight Glitz kit I made last year that I will be adding the elements and papers here in the next few days. It is a great thing for New Years or any party celebration! Anyway, you can get the alpha here, and if you like my stuff, a donation would be greatly appreciated, it all goes towards paying my husband's leukemia medical expenses. Thanks!

Grungy Word Art

2009-12-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

First, I want to express a big THANK YOU! to the 4 wonderful people who donated since my last post. My family and I are so appreciative, you guys rock, and I hope you keep coming back and get all the freebies I still have to post! Thank you so much for your caring!
I am pleased to report, and so is my husband, that he has finally been able to have his PICC line removed!! Yay! This little contraption has been hanging out of his arm for months, and they were able to remove it now that he is finished with the daily blood draws. His white blood count is still low, but everything else has bounced back. He starts the first checkup on Dec 30, so it will be back to the old needle blood draw, but he is so happy to have the line out, it doesn't bother him a bit. So, I would like to bring you another freebie to celebrate with us, this is 5 grungy word arts, and they can be gotten here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation in any amount towards our leukemia medical expenses would be appreciated so much!
Enjoy everyone, and if you are in the Midwest like us, happy snow shoveling!
If the mediafire link isn't working, you can get them here from rapidshare.

Grunge Overlays

2009-12-07T07:13:00.001-08:00

First, THANK YOU to the 3 wonderful people who donated since my last post ... my family and I appreciate it so much! All the funds are going towards paying off our next smallest bill right now, and your donations make a huge difference. Thank you again! Today, my husband had his last chemo blood draw, and we are waiting for the numbers. They should be all in the normal range, hopefully! We will be starting our check-ups on December 30th, the first CBC/Platelet count to watch to make sure the leukemia hasn't returned. We will have to make the 3 hour trip down to his oncologist for this, so it is a little bit daunting, but he will only need to do it about every 6 weeks for the first 2 years. Every visit will be fingernail biting, and hoping and praying he stay in remission.
Anyway, I have a little freebie today, 4 grungy 12x12 overlays. These are lots of fun, change the colors, play with your saturation settings, whatever, they add a nice touch to layouts. You can get them here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation of any amount is most appreciated, it all goes towards my husbands leukemia related medical expenses.

Christmas Doodles

2009-12-03T07:23:00.000-08:00

Here is a set of handdrawn Christmas and winter themed doodles I made. You can get them here. PLease, don't forget to go through my blog, everything is a freebie, and if you like my stuff, a donation towards our medical expenses would be greatly appreciated!

Finally!

2009-12-01T06:10:00.000-08:00

First, thank you so much to the 2 wonderful people who donated since my last post, I am so grateful for your help! Today we had good news, my husband's blood levels are up almost to normal on all counts! Yay! His hemoglobin is still low, but climbing, and he is feeling a whole lot better. Still tired, and easily fatigued, but it is a far cry from last week. We will be arranging to have his PICC line out soon, and he is so looking forward to that. And Winter has officially started here on the Keweenaw, a little later than normal, but it is snowing nicely now, and we are on our way to our normal 28 feet a year. So I thought I should put up this little minikit I made last year for you, and you can get it here. And if you like my stuff and would like to make a donation towards our medical expenses, you can go here to donate through PayPal.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-27T06:44:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had lots to be thankful for, my husband's blood levels are starting to rise, and that is wonderful news! Hopefully, he will even be able to go out of the house next week, with his white blood counts rising. He is still neutropenic, but the levels are going up each day, which is great news!

I want to say thanks to the hundreds of people who visited my blog, but a special thank you to the 3 very special people who donated since my last posting ... I thank each and every one of you for being such angels! Because of the 13 wonderful people who have donated since I started my blog, I am so happy to say I have been able to pay off our smallest medical bill! We had $150- left on a doctor's consultaion at the Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit, I have pooled the donations together and come up with the remaining money, and am sending the check out today. Yee haw! It was the smallest bill, but at least it feels good to have one payment a month taken care of. We still have thousands in other bills, but one less, no matter how small, makes a difference. Wondering how much AML Leukemia costs? Think upwards of $200,000. Yep, that is right, a 6 figure number. But one bill is down, thanks to you wonderful people!

Anyway, I have another little freebie for everyone for the holiday weekend, it is some fun journal cards:

If you like my stuff and would like to help, you can go here if you would like to donate towards our medical expenses, and you can go here for the cards. Thank you!

Waiting

2009-11-23T05:47:00.000-08:00

We are waiting for the CBC results this morning. Yesterday, they started going up a little, but that could have been from the platelet transfusion my husband had the day before. Today's results will confirm if it was a fluke, or if they are coming up finally on there own .. fingers are crossed! Anyway, I have another freebie posted for you, I am trying Media Fire for storage with this, so hope it works a little better than rapidshare for you all. You can get the grunge frames from here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation to help with our medical expenses would be greatly appreciated! All donations are through PayPal. Thanks everyone!

Journal Blocks

2009-11-22T06:15:00.000-08:00

First, a big THANK YOU to the 2 wonderful people who donated this week ... I am ever so grateful for the assistance for our medical bills, I cannot thank you all enough! I hope everyone keeps coming back and filling up on the freebies! I have a little freebie today, 5 grungy journal stamp blocks. You can get the blocks here.
Remember, if you like my stuff, a donation towards our leukemia medical expenses would be most appreciated. Thank you!

Numbers ...

2009-11-18T10:55:00.001-08:00

Today, my husband is still struggling with his blood levels .. they were rising for a couple days, and we thought that we might be over with everything, but they took a nose dive today, and he is back in the hospital for blood and platelet transfusions. It is so frustrating for him, he feels like it is never going to end. I try and keep optimistic, because I KNOW they will start coming back up soon, but you just don't know when it will be. The pain he has from the marrow regrowth is excruciating, and makes everything 1000x worse. I just hope that his levels start coming up and the pain goes away by next week, it would be nice to have a Thanksgiving dinner NOT on a bedside table. All the stress of the recovery and uncertainty is getting to me, though. My son and I walked up to the gas station around the corner yesterday to get milk, and we found 8 pennies o the ground. I am not a suspicious person, but I had the fleeting thought if this was the universe saying we had 8 months before the leukemia comes back? I am trying to dismiss the thought, but it still bothers me like a bad dream. I guess only time will tell...
Anyway, this is a little holiday kit I made last year, it is bright and cheery, so I thought it would be good for the spirit to put it up, even if it is a little early for Christmas. You can get it from here. And, if you like my stuff and feel inclined, a donation towards our medical expenses would be most appreciated.
Oh yes, here is also a quickpage made from this kit, you can get the qp here .

RagTag and Treefull ...

2009-11-15T12:55:00.000-08:00

First, I want to thank the very kind person that made a donation since the last post ... thank you so much, and thank you for the kindness! Every bit is appreciated by myself, husband and son, and I have been so touched by all of you wonderful people out there. I have 2 little mini kits I did last year, and I figured I had better get them up soon before Fall was gone and winter was here, so first I have Treefull, which you can get here Remember, if RapidShare tells you there are no download slots, just try again in a few minutes, they can get bogged down, but I am afraid to use 4shared, because I might forget to log-in every 30 days and loose all the files!
Next, here is another MiniKit, RagTag. I reallly like this one, and it can be used for all year round, but I think it fits this time of year particularly. I think it would be good for vintage photos, too.

You can get the RagTag kit from here. And please, if you like my stuff, and would like to make a donation towards our medical expenses in treating my husband's leukemia, your donation would be appreciated more than you will ever know.

Don't forget to get the rest of the freebies on my blog, and visit again, as I am slowly putting all of my stuff up for free here. Thank you!

A few doodles for you ...

2009-11-13T05:53:00.000-08:00

Hope you are all having a good Friday! First, a big THANK YOU to the 3 wonderful people who donated since the last post .. I appreciate it so much, and thank you so much for the wonderful words you wrote. They mean so much to me and my family right now .. bless you all! I have another freebie for everyone, this is a collection of handdrawn Thanksgiving doodles from last year. Also, don't forget to go through the rest of the blog, everything here is free, so please download them! If you have any problem with RapidShare, just wait a few minutes and try again, sometimes they seem to get overloaded. Anyway, the doodles can be gotten here. And, if you like my stuff, a donation towards our medical expenses would be most appreciated :) On today's menu: We are waiting for the results back from my husband's daily CBC draws, and then we see if he will need platelets today. He probably will, as he is showing petechiae this morning, meaning the platelets are critically low and not doing there job. Recovery after chemo is hard!

Thankful ...

2009-11-10T15:49:00.001-08:00

First, let me thank the wonderful lady who sent a donation in last week, it is appreciated more than you know, thank you so much! I am feeling thankful today, because despite an aggravating day of phone call after phone call over a bungled prescription for my husband, which resulted in not getting the prescription, period, I am grateful he is home. Miles and I drove the 3 hour trip to pick him up Sunday, and he is back with us. He feels awful, and we have a few weeks of intense recovery, but he is home. So I have another freebie for everyone, this is a little Thanksgiving kit I made last year, and you can get it here. If you like my stuff, it would be wonderful if you could send a donation to help with our medical expenses, it would be appreciated greatly !

QuickPage Freebie

2009-11-08T07:20:00.000-08:00

Here is the quickpage pack from my Boho Teatime bundle. There are 6 .png quickpages here, plenty of spots for journaling and for multi-pics, and some single pics. I hope you enjoy them! You can get them here.

Another freebie ... Boho Teatime Papers & Elements

2009-11-05T20:49:00.001-08:00

Well, first, let me thank everyone for their lovely comments (Hi Kathy!) and I have a special thank you to the 3 lovely ladies who donated towards my husband medical expenses .. you are angels, and I thank each of you! I hope you come back and get more kits as I put them up. He is going through the last consolidation chemo as I write this, and is having a real hard time with it. The body can only take being poisoned so long, as that basically is what chemo is, and each time has been more difficult than the last. Hopefully, I will be able to go and get him this weekend or the beginning of next week, and with a lot of luck, that will hopefully be the last time we will have to face treatment again! In a way it is very scary for me, though, because while undergoing chemo, he has gone into remission, but now that he will be coming home, and treatment will be over, there isn't that "protection" of treatment (if you can even call it that, as chemo itself is serious stuff). I just want to get through the first year with his CBC's showing no blasts.

Anyway, on to the freebie ... this is the element pack for my Boho teatime kit I made last winter, and it has a great paper pack, too, below. Also, I have some very pretty QP's I had made, and they'll be coming along in a couple days.

If you like my kits, and feel inclined to do so, you can also make a donation above towards my husband's medical bills. It would be appreciated greatly by me, my son, and my husband. You can download the elements here ....

And here are the Boho Teatime Papers ....

Halloween Doodles ...

2009-11-03T16:39:00.000-08:00

Here are the Halloween doodles I made last year, they go nicely with the kit below, so hopefully you will enjoy them, too. They are all hand drawn and add a little whimsical ooky-spooky.
On a side note, if you feel so inclined, please visit the Be the Match website. Before all this happened, I never gave a thought about donating blood, never heard of platelets, and wouldn't have thought about being on a bone marrow donor registry, but now I have done all of that. These are life saving things ANYONE can do, and the payoff is knowing you have helped someone like my husband stay alive and get better. We aren't to a bone marrow transplant yet, and hopefully won't have to go that far, but plenty of children and adults suffering from all forms of blood cancers are in need of a matched donor, and if you decided to join the registry, you could help save a life, and let someone else continue to live their life with their family. So please check out becoming a bone marrow donor, and consider giving blood and/or platelets at your local hospital or blood center!
Oh yes, you can download the doodles here...

First Freebie !

2009-11-03T10:26:00.000-08:00

Hi, here is a kit I did last year for Halloween when I still ran my store at desertscraps.com.
I know, I know, it is a little late, but if you're like me, you haven't gotten around yet to scrapping any pictures anyway. It has several papers, lots of elements, and I hand drew 7 spooky halloween characters. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD

I have some Halloween Doodles, and I'll see about getting them up soon, as well.

2009-11-03T08:17:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my little piece of the web! I used to design digi scrap kits, but since my husband got sick, I had to take over all the household finances, so it hasn't left me with any time to work on them, plus, I just have had bigger things on my mind. But, I am going to be gathering them all together here, and I hope you enjoy using them. If you like them, maybe you could make a donation towards medical expenses. If you don't feel so inclined, that is fine, too, but please take a quick jump over to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and consider donating there, they have been the most helpful in providing info and support in dealing with this devastating disease, and I am grateful that they are out there. Thanks for visiting!