Surprise!

For the very first time ever, I think that Mike was truly surprised by his gift for Valentine's Day. while he was at a doctor's appointment, Andrew and I sneaked a very large sheet of steel

and a bunch of metal into the farm shop. After much welding and painting, it transformed into a big black shop bench for Mike's new farm shop. Andrew did an amazing job of the welding and after a few coats of black paint and the attachment of the vise that Mike had bought years ago, we were able to take pictures of the table. Mike couldn't come out to see it in person, so I went and took photos and then printed off the pictures. We actually surprised him - which is a very hard feat! It also was a good idea to take the photos while the fumes were still thick in the air, as just minutes after we left the shop, our three pesky cats crawled all over the table and left little foot prints in the wet paint! I don't know who was more pleased with the gift - Andrew or Mike.

The new farm shop has been on Mike's wish list for a very long time, but it was not until December, just before his surgery, that he needed a "make work" project to keep himself busy and his mind off of the upcoming surgery. We started by pouring the cement floor and then a company came and sprayed insulation on the walls and ceilings. A few thousand dollars later, the electricians got it wired for Mike's welder and now all it is waiting for are lights and plug ins. I have been told that it is going to be much nicer to fix broken down balers and farm implements in and that Mike is going to build all kinds of stuff there. Now, if it came with a "helper" (not me) I could get excited about it!

I Told You So

This is what I was looking at when a scrapbook store got dropped in my workshop, just two weeks before shipping!!! It was crazy! The cupboards that you can sort of see in the background house all of the supplies for Monday Night Class, so you can tell just how difficult it was to access anything!

Can you even see the tables that are under all of this crap? No wonder it took so many people to reorganize and sort all of this stuff. Where did it all go? Out in fifth wheel trailers, of course. Andrew was very cautious when he borrowed his to me. When he asked how long I would need it and I answered "For a while", he promptly asked how long a while was. I think that he has visions of going camping this summer with boxes of cardstock still being stored in his trailer. he might not be far from wrong!

I'm BacK!!!!

Can it be two months since I had the time to sit down for a few minutes and collect my thoughts? Whew!!! When you are right in the thick of it, you just keep on going, no matter how tired you are or how bad you hurt. Then when it is over, you can not imagine that you survived the whole thing!
My month from hell started with the last weekend that I worked at the Bloomin' Inn. It was stressful and sad and happy and a whole big ball of mixed emotions. Moving the store came the very next day. May I take this time to thank God for my daughter and a bunch of die hard, best friends who met at the Inn in minus 35 degree weather to pack up my store. I know it was exactly minus 35 degrees, because Caren took a picture of the thermometer in her SUV just to prove it to me!! The plan was to pack the store and leave it overnight sitting in boxes, the boys were going to go the next day with a host of fifth wheels and stock trailers and bring it all home for me. The plan changed in the morning, when Megan got a bee in her bonnet and started sending things home. Before I knew what was happening, my previously clean and organized workshop was piled to the roof with boxes, paper racks, computers, display units, cases of paper - nine years of accumulated junk!!!! I mean...good scrapbooking supplies! My plan to unpack the store over a period of about a month, in a very orderly fashion, went right out the window. Again, thank God for Megan!!! What a trouper.
Before we really had time to deal with the mess and disorganization, it was time for Mike's surgery. I kept him working right up until midnight the night before surgery. I figured he needed to have something to keep his mind off of the upcoming amputation. So we worked and worked and worked. Somehow we managed to clear a spot, about the size of a couch, in the workshop. That gave me hope for the future. I needed to get this all under control before shipping started again after the holidays and I had no idea how long Mike was going to be out of commission.
The surgery was awful, the hospital was noisy and crowded and so as soon as they would release Mike, we left the hospital to heal at home. Things didn't exactly go as planned. With only two days post surgery, Mike was still on a heck of a lot of pain killers when we came home. He did pretty good for the first couple of days and then all hell broke loose. I should have just called the ambulance and had him returned to sender, but he was adamant that he did not want to be in the hospital for Christmas, so I listened to him instead of my head. Had I known that he would not remember four whole days in a row I would have called , so we cancelled our traditional Christmas Eve seafood feast, but the turkey was already thawed and so some of us ate turkey dinner on Christmas day and then everyone went home. Mike does not remember anything about this time. He was right out of it!!! Around New Year's he started to come around and I expected him to live. Honestly, he scared the crap out of me - he had lost over 25 pounds and was gaunt and haggard looking - even more than usual after an amputation.
Then the company arrived - Mike's niece and husband and their family, my brother in law and sisiter in law and their son and his girlfriend. They came to HELP!!!! What an amazing gift to receive, although I don't think that Mathew and his girlfriend knew that they were going to be put to work, they were a real blessing!!!!!!! We turned that workshop on its ear - paper racks got dusted, paper got put out, cardboard boxes got broken down, stock got put out. What a lot of crap got thrown away!!!! We worked night and day until everything was in its rightful place. After New Years, everyone had to go home, but all was right in my world. I never could have done it with out Mike's family and my Mom and Dad. We were ready for shipping, even made it on time, but not without a lot of hard work.
This week, I really feel like I have won the battle. My house is in order, the workshop is clean, the kits are just waiting for instruction sheets, Mike has gained back a few pounds. All is well in my world - and I'm back!!!!!!!!