I'm a lucky gal ... and it still hurts ...

The good stuff first!!!! I'm a REALLY lucky gal ... in the past few weeks I've received some truly wonderful gifts from some truly wonderful friends ... sorry about the quality of my pictures ... no matter how hard I try, I take the CRAPPIEST pictures ...

A swap that I'm doing with a sweet, sweet prim friend, Grace ... how awesome is this???? The hooked snowman ornie ... WOW!!!! Grace's hooking is PERFECT! That girl can pull the most EVEN loops ... incredible. The prim dolly with the little Bible in the stitched pocket is just toooooooo sweet. Love her to bits. And how about the pinkeep on the antique bobbin? I LOVE this!!!! Very different, very creative. And it's all mine, mine, MINE!!!! lol I hope Grace enjoys my gifts as much as I'm enjoying hers ...

Isn't she SWEEEEEEEEEEET????? My good friend, Terri, searched high and low to find this tin head dolly for me. Only she knows how much I've regretted setting one down at an antique show a couple of years ago and having someone else snatch her up. And she found this sweet little gal for my birthday ... and then stitched up her dress from beautiful cotton indigo. I absolutely LOVE her! Her name is Emma ...

Terri is sooooooooo creative with her soldered ornies! I just don't have her "eye" ... I wish I did ... I love this little gal to bits!!!!

Some sweet gifts from my dear friend, Linda ... antique children's shoe molds, a wee hurricane lamp ... a nutmeg grater with a few spices - nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. Linda is incredible ... she remembers every single little thing I EVER tell her ... and never misses the opportunity to make sure I'm ok and make me feel better ... a little gift in the mail ... a friendly e-mail timed just right ... I swear, she has a nose for when I need her most. Every woman should have a friend named Linda ...

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On the dark side ... it's 10-1/2 weeks post-op ... and CRAP!!!!! This friggin HURTS still!!!! I'm sad ... REALLY sad ... I am beginning to think that I'm not healing well even though my therapist says I'm doing fine. There are times when I think I can almost see a glimmer of a light at the end of the tunnel ... and then the pain sneaks up behind me and swallows me whole again. On top of the shoulder pain, my "wing" (upper back) has been incredibly sore for a few weeks and my therapist said tonight that she's wondering if I possibly have a displaced rib (oh wow, how GREAT is THAT??????) ... my bicep is so darned sore, you'd think I've been olympic weight training or something (NOT!!!!) ... my necks feels like I was in an auto accident and got whiplashed ... and the worst and scariest thing for me ... my elbow is shot. I had tendon release surgery two years ago on my elbow for acute epicondilitis (horrible tennis elbow -- and I don't even PLAY tennis!!!!!) ... and it feels like it's BACK (you have NO idea how much this makes me want to cry) ... along with some good, banging, jolting nerve zaps that about take my breath away when they zap. Tonight my therapist started a new laser treatment on my elbow, and e-stim'ing my wing instead of higher up my shoulder. I know I looked like Robo Chick hooked up to all the machines tonight ... wires everywhere, packed in ice, propped on my pillow ... yep, Robo Chick for sure ...

Proud mom ...

I just have to tell you ... my son was awarded his DOUBLE EXPERT MARKSMANSHIP ribbon ... complete with star!!!! He also was one of five men selected in his flight to throw live grenades. He said it was AWESOME and boy, are they LOUD! lol He has a little over a month to go in his advanced training in the Air Force security forces. Today he leaves for a three week "roughing it" field training jaunt. Love, love, LOVE my Airman ...

my buddy, my pal ...

here it is, the ol' torture device ... the dreaded immobilizer ... i hate it ... i love it ... we go round and round with this love/hate thing ... i think i'll miss it when it gets put away next week ... NOT!!!! ... well ... maybe just a little ... it's been my constant companion for the past seven weeks ... might be a little sad to finally kick it to the curb ...

working on the website ... finally ...

tomorrow begins week 7 post-op! yippee!!!! i'm out of the immobilizer up to 6 hours a day now ... and hoping to toss it to the side next week!!!! still no lifting, reaching, pushing, pulling ... no real USING the arm ... and still can't pull on my own jeans, dang it ... but getting better, a little better every day ... today's my first day working full-time with a 75 minute therapy session right after work ... the ol' tail feathers will be dragging tonight ...

i spent a good portion of this past week-end one hand dusting around the Attic and doing a little updating ... check it out if you have a moment ... www.auntpollysattic.com ... some new (and old) left hand productions, several vintage domino necklaces, and several soldered microscope slide necklaces too ... i've got so darned many things that need to be added to the website ... now that i feel good enough, i don't have enough time to just get 'er done ... murphy's law i guess ...

new left hand productions ... and still ouch ...

week 6 post op ... out of the immobilizer 4 hours a day ... not really very thrilling since all I can do is let my arm hang ... I did return to work part-time this week and actually did pretty good ... I'm impressed with my bad self - lol ... soooooooooooooo, to keep myself sane and off the street corners, I've been busy creating some new left hand productions ... sweet friendship cards ...

I'm captivated with the faeries this week ...

sweet, sweet, sweet ... love the "attitude" ...

I'll fly away ... and take a good nap!

and I'll fly away TOO!!!

Ms. Hoity Toity ... gotta love her ...

Each of us is the accumulation of our memories ...

dreams have wings ...

A day to remember ...

vintage friends ... gotta love that red party hat!

bittersweet vines ... I LOVE embellishing with this stamp!

A trip to nostaligia now and then is good for the spirit ...

As always, left hand productions are made using quality cardstocks ... purchased or handmade backgrounds, and fine inks. Drop me a line if any of the cards just happen to catch your fancy ... all cards measure approximately 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" and come with a coordinating envelope ...

left hand productions ...

created in a tiny messy corner of Aunt Polly's Attic ... using my left hand ...

handmade cards measuring approximately 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" ...

i especially love this sweet little card ... one of my first using my very own handmade background paper ...

another of my handmade backgrounds ...

sweet bittersweet berries up the side ...

friends are life's treasures ... ain't it the truth?

having fun altering purchased background paper ...

friendship ... such a sweet thing ...

friends like us ...

another handmade background ... follow your bliss ...

enjoy the journey ... kinda says it all ...

dream a little dream ... an early left hand production ...

best of friends we will always be ... original handmade background papers ...

a friend knows the song in your heart ... yummy handmade background papers ...

i've had fun experimenting and creating with paper these past weeks while recuperating from my shoulder surgery ... it's kept my mind and one hand busy ...

all left hand productions cards are made with both purchased and handmade papers and cardstocks ... all cards come with a coordinating envelope ...

I made it ...

whew! shoulder surgery is absolutely no fun ... none whatsoever. and my luck being what it is, there were five problems that needed to be corrected ... a small tear in the rotator cuff was repaired, the bone at the top of my shoulder was deformed and had to be shaved down and some nasty arthritis junk cut out, the bone at the end of the shoulder had grown down over the shoulder joint and had to be cut off, the main tendon in the front of the shoulder was frayed and had to be debrided (sanded?), and finally, my inflamed bursa sac was removed. yowsa, huh? soooooooooooo ... i'm immobilized ... and it's driving me nuts ... this contraption is so confining ... but then my arm feels like it's going to literally fall off without it ... very frustrating.

it's going to be a long road, much longer than originally thought, back to my hooks and needles ... so i've turned to paper ... i'll show you some cards and projects soon ...