Yucky outside...great day to craft!

I know you are probably wondering where my volunteer update is for Friday. Well I did not have to go in. There were only 3 patients enrolled in the program and there were 2 volunteers going in earlier than me. So I went to some garage sales with my friend Cindy. I found a pair of leather loafers (never worn) for 50 cents. They are so comfy. And I got a butter dish for 5 cents. It was a fun day. I will be going to volunteer this Friday, so stay tuned for more great adventures.

It is a cold day here in Wisconsin. I think our high today is suppose to be 54! I thought I would try to make some Twisted Easel Cards that I saw on Mary's blog. (http://www.cardztv.blogspot.com/) She make them look so easy! This one is for my mom. She continues to struggle with health issues. The colors did not come out very well. The "bug" is lime green and matches the card base.

I think I have my creative mojo back!
I made this card for my niece who is having roommate issues. She only has a couple months left with this roommate. The inside says,"Hang in there!"

This card is for my sister-in-law who has a child who has gotten a couple bad grades. On the inside it says, "Thought you would like to see something without a D of F on it!" *I left those letters off the front of the card. I hope it puts a smile on her face and a chuckle in her heart.

This last card I made for my "crafting friend," Mary. I love her cards and projects and I so appreciate her sharing them with the rest of the crafting world. Her blog address is http://www.cardztv.blogspot.com/. Go look at the awesome things she makes.

It's Monday!

Had a busy morning. Bryan had some physical therapy at Wildwood with Sue. Really working hard to get that left arm and hand better. Stopped at Dollar General looking for some twine for my garden. The last 2 kinds I tried broke. Hopefully this will do the trick, and my vegetables will grow. Made a card for a challenge at Gina K designs. The theme was flowers. This is what I came up with to enter. Now I have to clean up the craft room.

Have a great week!

Hello!
I decided to start a blog about my life as a volunteer. And since I only volunteer once a week, I will also post my crafting projects and what is happening in our daily lives.
I volunteer at local Hospital. A hospital that I got to know very well 4 years ago. My husband, Bryan suffered a severe stroke on July 15, 2006. A day that changed our lives forever! Bryan also volunteers at the hospital helping current stroke survivors. My goal is to make someones day a little brighter. Some patients are crabby, happy, depressed, funny, grateful, angry, tired, hurting. But most of all, they are people. People who are in the hospital for anything from illness to injury. I wish I would have started this when I first started volunteering, as I have met some awesome people. But, I guess better late than never!
Yesterday was Friday the 13th. I only had 4 patients in my program today. First I went to see Mr K. He is an 88 year old man who has urinary retention. He was watching tv when I entered his room. The shades were pulled. It was a cloudy rainy day, but I asked if I could open his drapes. He said sure. We talked about what he could see and the great lakeside view he had. He asked me if he had to pay more for the view! I knew this was going to be a good visit. We talked about what to order for lunch. He really was not that hungry, but agreed to look over the menu with me. I would mention something..nope that did not sound good. Finally he agreed on a turkey sandwich, soup and milk. I placed his order. We got his tray cleaned and ready, he was looking forward to eating. Put the news on his tv and I told him I would be back when his lunch arrived. Off to visit Mr W. He is 82 and was taken to the hospital with confusion and weakness. Heck, he is 82 I think he is entitled to be a little weak! And confusion, I have that everyday! He was not having a good day. He was pretty grumpy, just wanted to go home. I tried to get him to talk about something positive, but this was not going to happen. He just wanted to rest. I got him a warm blanket and tucked him in. He touched my hand and said thanks. I was hoping when he got up from his nap, he would be feeling much better. Next on my list is Mr L. He got the news that he has lung cancer. His attitude was GREAT! He has a "lady friend" told me he was too old to have a girlfriend. He told me the story of his grandson (who is 13) was told by his parents that he is too young to have a girlfriend. He said to his Grandpa, "If you are too old to have a girlfriend and I am too young to have a girlfriend, what is the right age to have girlfriend?" Mr L had just gotten his lunch. I helped him set up his tray and open all the packets of goodies. Ok, hospital food really not that many goodies. But he ordered a vanilla shake, and was so excited to start with that! He said that you should start with the good stuff in case you get full and can't eat everything. Made perfect sense to me! Next was Mr F. He is 82 and had an pulmonary embolism. He was really tired and had a lot of company this morning. He did want some fresh water and ice, so after I filled those. I left him to rest. On my way back to the volunteer office, I met an elderly couple trying to find the cafeteria. This frail elderly man pushing his wife in a wheel chair. I walked with them to the cafeteria. It is pretty hard to find. I helped with their trays. They were so happy to have help. Those are the things that make volunteering such a great experience! Then back to see if Mr K had his lunch. It had just gotten there when I got back to his room. I helped him open up the sandwich, soup and milk. He said he wished he had ordered dessert...maybe there is something to the theory to eat the good stuff first. I went to the nutrition room on the floor and got him a little cup of orange sherbert! He was so excited, you would have thought he won the lottery! He opened that and began eating, with a big smile on his face. Tonight for supper we had taco pizza, but I started my meal with a cookie....just in case!