Crochet Me Crazy

My sister is giving me a break and I'm at home trying to get ready for Alison's birthday party on Saturday. I'm working on making a pinata today, baking her cake, etc. I'll be with my mom Monday through Wednesday next week and my sister is coming back to be with mama on Christmas Day. I'm grateful for that...my kids were starting to get worried when I told them I was probably going to need to be with my mom on Christmas Day even. I think it is really helping my mom not to be left there alone and my sister has raised quite a "ruccous" over the problems there have been since my mom has been there. My sister said that mama had a really good day yesterday. The therapist is trying to be creative in his approach with mama and he got her to scoot over on the bed (a big accomplishment) and she even stood up partially with help on the bars! Once she realized what she was doing, she freeked and got scared and tried to sit back down. She can do this if she can overcome the fear.

It is an awful place but the therapy is pretty good. Unfortunately, that's only an hour a day. My mother is absolutely terrified. My sister has been in town for the past week and mostly at my mom's side all week. I have been gone a good part of the week but its only going to get worse when my sister leaves. My mom is not being tended to properly so leaving her there alone could be dangerous. My sister left for a little while this afternoon and came back to find her in a very dangerous position with no one in site. It could have been very bad and it was very upsetting. My mom is completely dependent right now because of her injuries. She has to be fed, changed, since she can't stand up. We plan on getting her out of there as soon as humanly possible. We have found a place that seems close to wonderful for her once she gets through this rehab. It's a pricey place with a home/cottage type atmosphere with only 16 alzheimer residents. It is designed to be assisted living through end of life care. We looked at lots and lots of places and this the best we've seen so far.

The assisted living called me around midnight on Sunday night to tell me my mother had fallen in her room and they were calling an ambulance. I rushed down there and got there while they were trying to get her onto the back board. The news at the hospital was bad. She had broken her shoulder and her hip. She had a hip replacement surgery and a plate put in her shoulder today. She did great during surgery and was in her hospital room recovering when we left her tonight. Still trying to let the anesthesia wear off. What happens next depends on her and how she does during the rehabilitation/physical therapy. It's hard to say because of her Alzheimer. She was very confused in the hospital and doesn't really understand where she is or what is happening to her. It is absolutely heart breaking to see. Alzheimer is very cruel and I hate it.

Here's a picture of a purse I crocheted awhile back and just realized I hadn't taken a picture of it yet. I had started making these squares to make a baby blanket. After making a stack of squares I decided I didn't want to make that blanket because there were too many color changed and ends to weave in so I turned the squares into this bag instead. I may let Alison use this as her dance bag. I sewed the handles on wrong so it looks like a top! I think you could make a little halter out of squares like this!


I'm happy to say that I have almost completely finished my Christmas shopping and I didn't buy ONE present at Wal-Mart! Yea!!!! The majority of our presents came from Sears and Academy and Radio Shack. The few things I have left to buy will be bought on-line.

Well, it got chilly last night so we lit the fireplace for the first time this year and watched a Christmas movie on the Family Channel.

We decorated the Christmas tree Sunday night. It's getting harder and harder to keep the tradition of lifting the kids up to put the angel on the tree! LOL -- Michael is taller than me now so here's Daddy lifting Michael up to put the angel on the tree:






I'm making a Christmas tree skirt for my tree but I had to stop because I ran out of white yarn so I went back to working on a blanket I'm working on for Michael. I had a bunch of squares I am determined to use and get out of a basket in my foyer. A bunch of ugly squares! They don't look half bad once they are in the blanket!