The Sweet and the Sour

Long time no type. Well some of that is dial-up access related. I live in a rather rural area and until today had been hoping that the phone company would finally get broadband out this way. But no, so now we have Hughes Net. The Mister does not know this yet, but I feel certain he will be quite happy when he gets home Friday evening.

The SWEET:

This past weekend I had the pleasure of being the cake/cupcake provider for a pretty nice sized wedding. One hundred twenty cupcakes and a ten inch tier. I am including a photo. The Mister took my idea for the cake stands and made them reality. I baked and decorated all by my lonesome, since the Mister had to work last weekend and did not make it home. From ingredients to consumption, literlly 24 hours! I enlisted my mother's help in making the delivery.

The mother of the bride, (translation, signer of the check) was thrilled. The bride was estatic and the guests were impressed. Send me some business!!!!

The SOUR:

Like so many others out there, I am losing my job. My company has chosen to close the facility in which I and forty-four others toil, and move the work to other facilities by early next year. So I have some time. While I am mourning the upcoming lack of employment, I am more bitter about the lies and deception used to sell this decision to the company CEO. He signed off on this 'project' without the facts. Assumptions were made and the total cost this project was supposed to incur is going to be well over twice its original estimate and ROR basis. Our plant manager was transplanted from overseas for the express purpose of shutting us down - he is inexperienced, never held this type of position before, and is a complete yes man. He has no vested interest in American jobs or the personnel for who he is supposed to be responsible.

We are angry and getting more so every day. How do you stop a train when the conductor is mad? We wish to derail this fiasco, not only for selfish reasons, but because it is the right thing to do. On the day of the closure announcement, our Director (who has not stepped foot in our facility sing that day) stated that there is no expectation that the level of quality will be anywhere near where we are today. Our facility is a best in class for quality and safety. Yet those who do not measure up to a point anywhere near us are being rewarded. What does that mean about the priorities of our corporations?

I am trying to not let the sourness and bitterness invade every aspect of my life. There is much sweetness to enjoy......

Grief and heartache

The Mister's sister passed away on March 22, 2009 at 12:35am with her family by her side. Funeral planning and the business of death is simply unbearable. If you have not yet experienced the necessary work and costs associated with the death of a family member, I beg of you to call your perferred funeral home and discuss making your arrangements ahead of time. Or at least make sure that you have at least a small life insurance policy to enable your family to satisfy the funeral home that payment will be made. Believe me when I say the past several months have been almost too much to bear.

The Mister is meeting with a grief counselor every week. If your employer has an EAP (Employee Assistance Program), these are the times to use it. The Mister was simply unable to sleep, his ability to go to work was hindered. Sometimes the ear of someone not emotionally invested in your problem is the best route. I am supposed to be support and positive, but a stranger would not be so biased. After just a couple of visits he seems to be dealing much better.

A little bit of relief has come in the way of the Flirty Apron Swap - Vintage Re-mix. This was my first swap, and while I was delayed in shipping due to the family death, I felt more than a little refuge while cutting out patterns pieces, pressing, pinning, sewing, pressing, etc. I was so proud of my creation that I spent about three days taking it to work and other places to show it off. I added some items from my hometown and state (VA IS FOR LOVERS!) - a cookbook by the Roanoke Valley Junior League and a can of peanuts from the Virginia Diner. I hope Kristi in CA enjoys her package.

BTW----I signed up for another apron swap. :)

Ah the curveballs o'life!

Well, keeping with the commitment I made for this year, I have completed a whole messa stuff. The one thing I forgot to include in my commitment was posted the proof of my adventures. So, the butler (me) has placed on the shopping list the appropriate size and quantity of batteries required in order to photograph such evidence and/or enable access to those items already photographed and waiting to be retreived.

The Mister's sister fell ill about two months ago. Very long story made shorter: Her general physician was treating her for sinus infections and more or less writing her scripts for antibiotics for the better part of a year. Her condition worsened until about six weeks ago she went to the ER and an abdominal xray later, she was admitted due to the lemon sized tumor located on her adrenal glands. She experienced cardiac arrest on the day of the scheduled biopsy and spent two weeks in ICU to get her stable enough to even schedule surgery to remove said tumor. That surgery was two weeks ago today, and she remains in ICU in critical condition. I would say it has been a roller coaster, but I love roller coasters, and no one has loved this situation. The Mister is having a very hard time with this, as you would expect, but I have been just so amazed and proud of how well he takes care of her during his visits. Right now she is battling many problems: staph, cancer, a surgical incision that is not healing, blood pressure that is being medically manipulated to keep from falling, a difficuly airway (making everyone more cautious about taking the ventilator out, decreased kidney function, and the fear and depression associated will being stuck in bed for this long. The odds are a little better than 50/50, which is pretty miserable for someone at the ripe ole age of 43. We just take the daily victories we can get at this point.

On a more happy note, I recently got a Wii and a Wii Fit. Let me first say.....Where have you been all my life??????? I love this thing. Okay so, when my Mii suddenly got fat ( I uh mean fluffy) once my BMI and weight were complete I was a little shocked. But I laughed about it. Much like the actual me, she is still cute. I've had it just about a week and my balance is already improving. Isometric exercises are good for you, and there are some actual aerobics too, but they are fun. Seriously the Hula Hoop was a blast and I was "feeling the burn". 30 minutes of Mii time every evening is doing me a world of good.

Photos will be posted soon! Toodles......Karen

First swap

I am really looking forward to participating in my first swap. I am so excited and have some great ideas.