Intermission...

I've had a fairly disjointed intermission in my blogging lately.

Other things have been going on.

About the only thing I've been blogging regularly, is my weekly 'A thought for you...'. This was a commitment I'd made to myself when I did the 'Blogging Your Way' course, to make sure I posted once a week. I suppose because I'd made a conscious decision to do a weekly thought, at least for the moment, this was going to be my 'once a week' connection to blogland.

Life has gotten a bit disjointed also. I didn't have a lot to talk about and I was in so much pain. Work is busy, home isn't so much, so I've been taking it pretty easy. My grandson arrives in less than 2 months, so I wanted to feel stronger for when he arrives. It would kill me if I couldn't pick him up, or play with him, or even bend over to change a nappy...hmmm, maybe I'll leave that one for my son. After all, as a grandmother, I have the privilege of being able to play and hand back!!!

For the past 8 years I've had an extremely bad back. In recent times, as in the last 2 years, I've been seeing a physio most weeks and it's only been in the last 6 weeks that I truly feel close to normal. It gets you down, having pain every day and night.

About 6 weeks ago, I couldn't stand the pain, but I had to keep plugging away. Panadol became my right hand (wo)man. It's not very strong compared to what I've used before, and I think some psychological factor takes over in your brain when it comes to masking pain, but it got me through. I had to ween myself off stronger tablets as they were making me sick, with the possibility of an ulcer forming.

Then all of a sudden, almost as if 6 weeks ago was like the peak of a tempest, the pain started to go. My back feels better with less (sometime no) pain, my left knee is getting better (still not very strong in the quads though) and my left hip is finally starting to hurt less and less. The pain in my knee and hip are a result of not being able to walk normally from the back pain, so other parts of your body take over.

I have a slight curve of the spine (scoliosis) and soft tissue injuries (muscle tears, weakened muscles). It's hard to remember what year it started, all I can see looking back, is a day in Big W with the boys, when they were much younger. I went to walk around the end of a fixture and 'BANG', something went in the left hand side of my back.

And I mean 'BANG'. It actually made that noise, probably amplified in my mind. I couldn't stand up straight for about 3 weeks. I was in agony. My boss booked me in to an Osteopath, didn't work. I went to a physio, which got me back on track, but didn't really fix the problem or help me arrest any more damage.

As the years went on, it happened time and time again. I was losing strength in my legs, my stomach muscles, my upper body, more and more, because I was too scared to do anything. Sport stopped, exercise stopped, I put on weight...so on and so on. It made me tired, being in pain, not sleeping, all the usual stuff, including tiredness from now living such a sedentary life. Doing nothing or not much at all makes you tired.

I wish I knew why all of a sudden my back feels so good, because I'd make sure I kept doing it!

I'm ready to get back into walking. Spring is coming, so maybe a bit of swimming. I might even change my physio sessions to a Personal Trainer session every now and then.

Being in pain has made me lazy. I know that...I see it all the time. I can hear my mind saying, 'You really should dust/vacuum/wash/cook, you know...Yeah I know, but I'm not going to, I'd rather read my book!'

I have been doing things, just not household things. Well...I do them, but not as much as I should.

My extra curricular activities have been sewing, making handmade gifts, some fabric designs, some typography designs...I found Pinterest! Great because it has beautiful images, not so great because you can spend hours on it, but it's given me some inspiration, especially for the arrival of Baby Grove.

Let me show you what I've been doing in the meantime...

 Home Made Rice Pudding...Yummm

A fabric block for my grandson...now has the letters 'B' 'A' 'B' 'Y' on four sides.

'A whale of a time' 3D artwork... to go on my 'Made It' store.

'Don't wish to be anything except what you are!' posters
...still testing colours. They will go on 'Made It' when I'm happy with them. 

Using these clipboards is a great idea to showcase your kid's artworks. 

From Officeworks for a few dollars!!

I participated in a Mail Swap with Sheree from Seaweed and Raine.

These are what I made and sent to Greta from On Top of a Lily Pad.

 

 

 

Burlap/Hessian Bunting ready for my 'Made It' store.

Reversible Bunting, also ready for my 'Made It' store.

I have a few others in the process of completion, just need to trim the tips, turn them out, iron them and attach the trim and ties. Oh...and I decided to make one for my room too.

My fabric designs are coming along, and I've found a Melbourne printer, to be launched in a few weeks time, who just might be a good substitute for what I've been having done by Spoonflower in the US. Frankie and Swiss is the name of the company. Their website is still under construction, but they have a Facebook page, so check them out. 

Love the name for their printer, Florence (the machine). Hmmm...wondering if it's any coincidence the name is similar to Florence AND The Machine. Great band, fabulous voice!!

Thank you so much for letting me get that off my chest. I don't talk a lot about myself here, maybe I should. Treat it as my therapy...haha! I have always wanted 'designed to a T' blog to be a positive space for me, so the little intermission has given me some space to find something to talk about. Something positive. I didn't want to be sounding defeated, or a whinger, which I know I do, whinge that is, or have done, because quite frankly, I haven't been well. Not 'sick' in the sense of the word, but generally not well.

Anyway, onward and upward as they say. October here I come, welcoming a new life into the world with the arrival of Baby Grove!