Updates on a Few Posts

It’s the end of an old year, the beginning of a new one. It’s a good time to look back and see how things have changed.

T​his picture is from my first post, Swimming with Dolphins, 11/16/16.

I had 25 visits back then. Last week I had over 600. My best day was over 300, and my best week was over 800.
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Wow! Thank you, readers! You are so appreciated!

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​This picture is from my post, My Achy Breaky Ankle or A Tale of Two Machines, 6/3/16. It was all about what happened when my ankle swelled, and I had trouble walking. After using 2 machines, I would up with no diagnosis, but we’d eliminated DVT (deep vein thrombosis) and broken bones.

It flared up again in July. My husband got me to check for Lyme disease. I did, no Lyme. Only a suggestion to see a Rheumatologist. Two x-rays later, I had the answer…osteoarthritis…arthritis in my knees. There’s nothing tp do about it, but, it’s nice to know what it is. Now I avoid stairs as much as  possible. In December, I got a tip from my family doctor—use shoes with arch support.
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That I can do that! Here’s to living with osteoarthritis! With today’s medicine, maybe they’ll come up with something tomorrow to make my knees ache less. Here’s to hope!

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This post is from 7/10/17, Tracing Rinda’s Roots. I wrote about never seeing a picture of my grandmother and namesake, Rinda, till middle school. Last July a cousin sent me this picture. I had to guess who’s in it. From left to right, Grandma Rinda, Leo, Mary, Grandpa Richard, Opal Lee, and Grant. My mother and her next-older brother aren’t there…they haven’t been born yet. The only one who’s still alive is my Uncle Leo. Seeing my grandparents so young, and my uncles/aunts as children, it’s priceless!

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But…it gets better!
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​After posting this on the website, the most amazing thing happened, and it’s been happening ever since. Can you guess? The picture is your clue.

If you guessed this picture shows up every time I turn on my computer, you’re right! I think it’s amazing, after spending so much of my life never seeing my grandmother, now I see her every day. It feels like a miracle, from Rinda 1.0 to her granddaughter 2.0. It’s lovely!​

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This is the most recent post, 12/4/17, DIY Your Own Crafts. It was a show-tell-and-teach you how to DIY some of my favorite crafts. My favorite crafts were in Christmas boxes, and I knew I wouldn’t get them out for a couple weeks…So, yes, I planned to do this update!

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These crafts mean the most to me because they were either done for my kids, or made by them. My son Alex made the Christmas tree in 1st grade (it’s on the back). It was a simple school project, plastic frame, paper tree colored by my son, and his picture. Simple, timeless, precious! My kind of craft!

​I made the red-and-green stocking for my 2nd class of 2nd graders. I didn’t do it for my 1st class. I was pregnant and didn’t know if it was a boy or girl, so it HAD to be my 2nd class. My colleagues talked me into painting. I…HATE…PAINTING! They said it’d be easy-peasy. I was so scared, but I did it! I got the wooden sock from a craft fair. I did all the painting and lettering. I practiced on Alex’s. So if you got a stocking from me, it was Christmas, 1987, and you were my 2nd set of 2nd graders. It was the only year I dared to paint, no LOL! (Obviously this isn’t my kind of craft, LOL, this time!)

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​These  are 3 class projects. The top one is my favorite. Ashley made it at school. I love how they recycled the puzzle pieces, but I was never willing to paint with 2nd graders. YUCK!

I made the other 2 with my class. These were my samples. They came from Oriental Trading. Their projects are individually packaged, easy to make, and look great. Even the messiest kid can make a neat one. That’s why I made the switched. Easy, simple, and always neat. My kind of project!

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​These are my favorite ornaments. My mother made them with my kids when they were little, and she was their babysitter. I loved it so much I made it with my classes. It was easy! My kind of project!
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I used a basic bell pattern. The kids traced the pattern onto cardboard and covered it with foil. We took pictures and glued them down. We added glitter, punched holes, and added a string. The only drawback was is the mess. Glitter + Kids = A Mess…but you wind up with projects the kids are proud of. That’s priceless too!

PS- Do all glitter in a cardboard lid, and there’s only a teeny-tiny mess. This trick also works if you let kids decorate cookies with sprinkles. Kids loved it too!

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