LAST WEEK OF WINTER, BOO-HOO!

You guys are too sweet to me! Seriously, I couldn't get lost if I wanted to. Not that I ever really WANT to get lost, I just seem to fade away for awhile. Not sure why I do that really. It just seems that I get so overwhelmed with LIFE sometimes that being on the computer any more than I absolutely have to becomes more of a task than a pleasure. That's certainly not directed at any of you. You all are so kind and caring, and I appreciate, more than you'll ever know, your emails and well wishes.

So . . . a lot has happened in my life since I visited with you last. Most of the time, while I've been MIA, I was lurking in the shadows and following your blogs. Occasionally, I stayed away from the computer for a few days and had to play catch-up on my reading. Your beautiful projects, funny stories, and yummy recipes always kept me coming back for more! Every time I would think about signing on and writing a little post, I would talk myself out of it, knowing that my "little" post wouldn't be so "little"!

Well, winter here in Oklahoma seems to be dwindling away much sooner than I'd like. It's not that I'm a hater of spring, although tornado season here can be really exciting, not always in a good way. It's just that when spring arrives, I know it's only a matter of weeks before the scorching heat and humidity are upon us, and that is SO DEPRESSING!  Eww, that makes me nauseous just thinking about it.

My daughter, Hunter "The Bean", has been practicing very hard with her school's Archery team. A couple of weeks ago, she was notified that not only had she secured a place on the team, but she also qualified to go with the team to the State competition. Her dad and I are thinking that the bow set she got for Christmas was a pretty good investment. We're very proud of her for all the hard work she's putting into this. KEEP IT UP, HUNTER BEAN!!

Another highlight in my life recently involves my favorite (and only) sister, Tammy. She is a 20+ year veteran of the Oklahoma City Police Department. Back in the fall, she came to the conclusion that although she was actually eligible to retire at 20 years, she didn't feel like she had done enough in her career for her satisfaction. So, she decided she would prepare herself to take the Lieutenant's exam and try to move her career forward into a management role. There were 62 candidates who took the written test over a month ago. Tammy ranked 7th after the scores were tallied. The top 30 from that group moved on to the very demanding part of the test, which consisted of three days of face-to-face interviews and critiques from a panel of law enforcement experts. The top 20 candidates were then selected from this phase. These officers are eligible for promotion to Lieutenant as positions become available over the next two years. I would like to say CONGRATULATIONS to my sister for passing all phases of the test and becoming Lieutenant-eligible!

My next bit of news involves my health. Some of you probably remember the little scare I had back in November with some chest pains and a resulting overnight stay at the hospital. Well, the cardiologist ordered some cardiac-specific lab tests, an adenosine stress test, and 24-hour Holter monitoring. This was all done the week of Christmas. Due to rescheduling issues on my part and the doctor's, I finally got in for my follow-up visit this past week. I was not happy with the news I received. The stress test showed that my heart muscle is extremely weak and that my left ventricle is enlarged. The Holter monitor tracked 1607 "extra" beats in a 24-hour period. These are called premature ventricular contractions or PVC's. This condition can be very dangerous, especially if there are a string of seven or more PVC's together. Surprisingly, the doctor said that my weight issues were not actually the culprit, although losing weight would certainly be helpful. He attributes most of this to heredity, knowing that my mother and two grandfathers passed away at relatively young ages from heart disease.

So, what do I do now? Well, I immediately asked the doctor if I could strengthen my heart with some low-impact, aerobic exercising? He instructed me NOT to undertake anything more than a gentle walk around the block until we get the PVC's under control. He started me on two new medications and wants to see me back in a week to do another EKG. In the meantime, I'm trying to keep my heavy-duty crocheting in check so as not to get too winded. I am keeping a close eye on my diet and focusing on putting healthy things in my mouth. I'm getting lots of sleep, trust me, and I'm doing my best to get a short walk in every day. And, I guess I'm just waiting for my next doctor's appointment. I'll keep you all posted.

Okay, so I mentioned heavy-duty crocheting. You guys won't believe what happened to me this weekend. Do any of you remember the blue and white baby granny afghan I started making last year while I was sitting at Wal-Mart, waiting for my oil to be changed? Well, I was watching my sister bowl one afternoon and working on the afghan. One of her teammates saw it, loved it, and said she would buy it from me. She also wanted me to make a second afghan because she had two brand new babies in her family who needed blankets. So, I finished one, started the second, finished it, and was going to take them to the bowling alley for delivery. My sister then informed me that the lady was no longer bowling with them, and she was not sure how to contact her. So, I have had both of the blankets, sealed in plastic bags, for over three months, waiting for the right moment to give them away. Well, this past Saturday, I attended a friend's baby shower and was so happy and excited to finally be able to give my blankets away. On Sunday, my sister was bowling in the women's state tournament, and I decided to go watch. Lo and behold, guess who was there! Yep, her former teammate who had wanted the baby blankets!!!  I was so shocked when I saw her, and the first words out of her mouth were "Oh, did you by chance bring my baby blankets?"  I think my mouth dropped open, and in my peripheral vision I could see my sister smirking!

Well, at that moment, why I didn't just 'fess up and tell her the truth, I don't know. I mean, SHE was the one who quit bowling and didn't leave any contact information. SHE was the one who requested blankets, then never got back with me to claim them. But, at that very moment, she caught me totally off guard, and I found myself blubbering out some excuse like, "Oh, geez, I sure didn't expect to see YOU here!", and "Gosh, I wish Tammy would have told me you were going to be here, and I would have brought your blankets." Little did she know that I had just given "her" blankets away the day before to a very deserving mother-to-be.

Seriously, can you believe the luck??? I know there are some of you out there who are mentally chastising me right now for not telling her the truth. But, I just didn't know how to tell her that I didn't have her blankets. Throughout the time I was sitting there, watching the ladies bowl and stewing over how I was going to have to be crocheting 24/7 for the next week, my sister kept whispering in my ear, "Are you sure you don't need to leave so you can get busy crocheting?"  Oh, the nerve!!

Well, my first thought was to put out a plea for help from you guys. I thought surely some of you probably have a baby blanket or two lying around, just waiting to sell to a desperate friend. Then, after much angst and despair, I came to the conclusion that I just need to get in touch with this lady and tell her the truth. I can explain to her that I had kept "her" blankets for almost 4 months before deciding to give them away. And, I will offer to make her two new blankets. VOILA! The truth! I know it's the right thing, but it's going to be so hard to go to this lady and eat humble pie! :)

I hope you all have a terrific week! It's the last week of winter (UGH!) so enjoy it before the heat sets in!  Believe it or not, I have been crocheting during my time away. I'm finding that I really enjoy making little projects that bring instant gratification and don't take too long, like dishcloths, tawashis, cell phone covers, and seasonal things like hearts, shamrocks, Easter bunnies, etc. Looks like I'd better get my hook flying on some baby blankets, huh? :)