Pictures of...

Bliss is sometimes hard to come by. But...

Hello everyone.

I know I haven't posted anything new in too long. It wasn't for lack of want but it wasn't possible.

Life has been a jarring roller coaster ride since my last post.

In January 2012, my husband became seriously ill. Despite their efforts, his personal doctors failed to correctly diagnose him. In March 2012, after countless visits to his primary care physicians and three visits to the emergency room (two different hospitals), it was revealed that my beloved had an aggressive and fast-moving lymphoma. By the time it was discovered, it had already spread to his brain and spine.

Thirteen days after the diagnosis, he died.

In between, he had time to receive many calls and visits from friends and family, some of whom traveled hundreds (and thousands) of miles to see him. His last lucid days were spent reminiscing happily with us all.

As difficult as it was to accept that my husband would be leaving me, I loved him enough to accept that he accepted it and to be there for him as I promised: for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, til death.

The remainder of 2012 was hard for my daughter and I. Healing is a continuing process but I am thankful I am no longer the woman I was in those first dark days/weeks/months following my husband's death.

I am thankful for wonderful memories of the years my daughter and I shared with a kind and loving husband and father. He was my best friend. And now he is literally the man of my dreams as he visits me in my dreams quite often. 

Although I still cry when I think about how much I miss my sweetie, I don't cry every time and I no longer cry every day. Life moves forward...

It took a lot of love and prayer to help us move through to where we are now. My daughter and I remain thankful to everyone who helped and who continue to help in ways big and small. Despite what I believed before, I have now seen first hand that we do not know who will be there for us when we need until the need occurs.

It was impossible to crochet while my husband was sick. After he died, I wanted to but couldn't. My spirit was at a low ebb and so much more was important and urgent.

Almost nine months later, my creativity reawakened. Slowly but definitely. I know my husband watches with a smile. He was my biggest fan; my loudest cheerleader. In everything I did, he encouraged me to do better and more because he knew I could.

So in gratitude, I return to crochet, write, update, carry on.

Amen.

A change will do you good.

The year 2011 has been a year of Change for me.

Lots of old energy cleared out and great new things have come to fill the voids.

Amen!

I think it's time for a new name and a new design for this blog.  :)

Stay tuned...

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Craft Hope's Friendship Bracelet Project : days 22-27

I now have a total of 328 friendship bracelets and there are seven more crochet days on my calendar.

Here are the most recently completed bracelets.

 

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Craft Hope's Friendship Bracelet Project : days 15-21

I crocheted 48 bracelets in a 7-day period. Not my minimum hoped-for output but I'm getting it done. Part of the problem is feeling like I want them all to look different.

Wellllllllllllllll, I do realize that's not gonna happen but it's still flitting around in the shadows of my mind.

Any whoooo, the latest bracelets bring my total to 236.

Approximately.

And here they are:

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Craft Hope's Friendship Bracelet Project : days 11-14

Bracelets x 30 = lots of friendship!

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Hyperbolic Bliss

I took a break from crocheting the Friendship Bracelets for a few days.

During the break, I organized the bracelets. It took a few hours to measure, sort according to length, then bag according to length. I hope that helps make the distribution process easier for those who give them to the children in Russia.

While I was sorting, I decided to crochet my second hyperbolic ball of bliss.

Here it is:

The pattern can be found here: The Rambling Rose. Thank you Julee!

I love this pattern so much that I might be crocheting hyperbolic balls of bliss all summer.

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