Karen

Not Another Freakin Rash!!!!

rosacea, lupus, facial rash — This time it is on my face!

I finally got rid of that terribly itchy rash that was in the nether regions, and then I wake up to this! I lave googled “facial rash” and have come up with several not so pleasant possibilities, such as rosacea and lupus. It looks like a trip to the doctor is in store for me next week. Gahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

This rash is red, and while it is not so much itchy, it does feel all “burny” and sore if I touch it, almost like a sunburn except that I haven’t been out in the sun or wind. Anyone got any ideas? Now I know for sure I’m gonna be the kid with cooties!

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Thank You Sally For Your Donation!

Karen · 1 Comment

I just received a $20 donation for The Oral Cancer Foundation from Sally! Thank you so much! I really appreciate the support for my fundraiser. Yippe! that brings my total to $190! Who wants to be next? It’s easy, just click on that donate button over there——->>>>>

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Why Oh Why Do I Have Such A Hard Time Buying A Bra?

Karen · 8 Comments

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Now that we have FabGrandpa all set for the wedding, I have turned my attention to getting MY outfit ready. With less than six weeks to go before the big day, as of this morning I still needed to get my undergarments and get my dress altered.

I spent loads of time searching for just the right dress. Because I am a big, fluffy girl, I do NOT do sleeveless or even cap sleeves. I wanted a dress with sleeves. I know other big women who have not problem displaying their bare arms, but I am not that girl. I just don’t feel comfortable going sleeveless in public. Hell, I hardly ever go sleeveless at home. So, after searching in stores and online for over a year, I found this dress back in the summer and ordered it (mine is amethyst):

mother of the bride, formal plus size dress, plus size fashions — My Mother of the Bride Dress

Before I placed my order, I went down to Kanab, Utah to the fabric store that lives in the Ace Hardware Store there, and had the lady who worked there measure me to determine what size to get. She did a fabulous job, and when my dress came, it fit perfectly, EXCEPT that the sleeves were too tight. And it is a little too long.

formal wedding attire for plus size women — My mother of the bride dress

So, because I thought whoever altered the dress would have to take the sleeves off and put on some new ones, I ordered a yard of the fabric from the manufacturer. Yes. A yard. Because that is the minimum purchase of matching fabric that they will sell you. And you do not want to know how much that yard of fabric cost me!

I found a pair of shoes to wear when we were in Atlanta on Monday: They are Anne Klein flats, like this, but not exactly this:

I have no desire to wear heels. Well, I’d like to wear heels, but the last time I wore a pair of heels was in 1991. I was late for work and running through the lobby of BellSouth Center in downtown Atlanta. I slipped and fell and slid like a football field length through rush hour traffic on that polished marble floor, with my feet in the air and my dress over my head. I was praying to myself that no one saw it happen, when two young men leaned over and asked me “Mam, are you ok?” I never wore another pair of high heeled shoes since then, and I never wore that dress to work again because I was so afraid someone would remember it. Ahem, so…Where was I? Oh yeah, the bra…And you KNOW how much I hate to shop for bras!

Today all I had to do was go to David’s Bridal in Tuscaloosa, buy a Longline Strapless Bra and then go to the alteration shop for a fitting. Except that David’s didn’t have one of those contraptions that fit me. They DO carry them in my size, but they didn’t have one in the store. And they said it would take eight weeks to order one. 8 WEEKS! I need it today. So, off we went, looking for something like this:

We went to three different stores looking. No stores in Tuscaloosa had anything like this in stock. I did eventually find a regular strapless bra, that fit better than any of the others I had tried on all day, and bought it, just so I could get to the alteration shop and be fitted today. Notice I did not say it fit. I was able to fasten it around my body, but the cups were a bit too big. I got no support, I tell ya, no support. I am hoping to order that one pictured here, and have it arrive in time to wear it the day of the wedding. My girls need all the help they can get.

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10 For 10 Photo Box Auction Has Closed!

Karen · Leave a Comment

And thank you so much to Beverly for her $5.00 bid. All the proceeds from this auction will be donated to The Oral Cancer Foundation at the end of January, in celebration of FabGrandpa’s 10 years of survival of oral cancer, and to honor the life of Michael Yeaw, who did not make it through his battle. Thanks to every one who has bid so far, we just have three more weeks to go. If you like to make a donation to help me reach my goal, you can click that donate button up there at the top right corner. It’s easy to do. Beverly’s bid brings the total raised to $170!

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10 For 10 Auction: Stainless Steel Grand Canyon Water Bottle

Karen · 2 Comments

07 gluten free jim and karen at point sublime — Me and Jim at Point Sublime

There we are at Point Sublime. To get there, you have to take a four wheel drive vehicle about 20 miles out on one of the roughest roads I have ever been on. The view at the end is stunning! That drive was nothing compared to the months of treatments and recuperation Jim went through after being diagnosed with oral cancer in January, 2001. I am so thankful and grateful for every day we have together, because not everyone makes it to the end of that road.

I am doing this auction to bring awareness of oral cancer to as many people as I can reach. The screening for oral cancer is a simple “in the doctor’s or dentist’s office”, non-invasive proceedure. It only takes about 5 minutes. So, this year when you have your annual physical or the next time you go to have your teeth cleaned, ask your doctor or dentist to screen you for it.

The item up for bids this week is a genuine Grand Canyon National Park stainless steel water bottle:

water bottle 02 — Grand Canyon Water Bottle

This is a nice bottle, with a plastic screw in stopper that has a hole in the top for attaching to a lanyard or belt clip. It is lightweight and easy to hold on to.

water bottle 03 — Grand Canyon water bottle

Oh, and I have signed the bottom of it:

water bottle 04 — FabGrandma's signature on the bottom

I am starting the bid for this item at $5. All proceeds from this auction are being donated to The Oral Cancer Foundation, a national public service, non-profit entity designed to reduce suffering and save lives through prevention, education, research, advocacy, and patient support activities. To make a bid, just leave a comment here with a dollar amount that you wish to bid. The auction winner is responsible for paying shipping from Alabama zip code 36744.

See the auction rules here.

More information here.

This auction will close on Sunday, January 16, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time. The highest bidder will win. The winner will be responsible for paying postage to ship the item. If you have any questions about this item, email me at fabgrandma @ gmail.com

If you’d like to spread the word about this auction to benefit The Oral Cancer Foundation, and to help educate people about oral cancer, please tweet about it, post about it on Facebook, or write about it on your blog. I’d really appreciate it! and you could be saving someone’s life!

There were no bids on the last three auctions,so i am leavingthose items up for bids until someone bids on them. Please place a bid of $5.00 to make one of these items yours:

Decorative Photo Box The Decorative Photo Box auction has closed with a bid of $5.00! thanks, Beverly!

3 Gluten Free Cookbooks The Gluten Free Cookbooks auction has closed with a bid of $20.00! Thanks, Ali!

4 Art Cards The 4 Art Cards auction has closed with a bid of $5.00. Thanks, Cindy!

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Another Quick Trip To Georgia

Karen · 3 Comments

Over the weekend we went to Georgia. We were supposed to leave early Saturday morning, but it was raining, thundering, lightening, and the wind blowing so bad, we waited until almost noon to pull out of the yard. I missed my lunch date with my daughter, Emily and grandson, Spencer because of it, but we also missed driving more than 200 miles in pouring rain. We’ll catch up with them next time.

quilt, hand made — The quilt I made for Becky

We stopped in to visit my mother for about half an hour, then headed out to Becky and Rafe’s house to spend the night. Rafe is our son-in-law to be–the wedding is in February. I should have taken some pictures of their house, but the only one I got was of the bed in the guest bedroom. I was so tickled that Becky is using the quilt I made for her on the bed in there. It is gorgeous, even on the back!

Rafe cooked dinner for us, which was spaghetti. His home made spaghetti sauce was so yum! and he cooked some gluten free noodles just for me. Gotta love a boy who thinks of his soon to be mother-in-law that way!

On Sunday morning, we got up and drove another 100 miles to go to visit Nana and Poppa for their Christmas party. There were lots of family members there and lots of good food. My sister-in-law Jody fell and broke her arm the night before so she and her husband didn’t make it up there. Poor Jody! I hope she is feeling better by now.

That’s only about half of the people that were there. I really enjoyed seeing them all, especially the babies!The party was over way too soon, and we headed back down to Becky and Rafe’s to spend the night again.

P1020144 — Alicia, baby Katherin, and FabGrandpa

Monday morning, we got up and went shopping for FabGrandpa’s suit to wear to Becky’s wedding. Now, the story is, he has never owned a suit in his adult life. The salesman at the store measured him in “his most rotund” area, and brought out a suit that corresponded to those measurements. The jacket fit perfectly, but the pants were waaaayyyy too big. FabGrandpa came out into the store with that suit on for me and Becky to see. He had to hold on to his pants with his hand so they wouldn’t fall down. At one point, he reached out for his bottle of water, and the pants fell to the floor. He was standing there in his plaid boxers and that suit jacket, and Becky and I laughed until we peed our pants!

The tailor came out and measured him up, we went to breakfast (well, by that time it was lunch), and when we got back the suit was ready to go. FabGrandpa tried it on, and as I was trying to get a good picture, I fell over that platform you see in the picture above. Becky and I were laughing again! It was all “The Clampett’s Go To Town” all day, but we accomplished what we set out to do. He looks so good, don’t you think? Now I just have to get my dress altered and we’ll be ready to dance all night.

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Sewing Again

Karen · 7 Comments

handbag, purse, pocketbook, hand made, sewing, quilting — A handfull of hand bags.

The last time we went to Georgia, Becky saw the little quilted purse I made for myself back in April, and asked me to make one for her. I figured since we are going tomorrow, I needed to get busy on it. And then I thought I needed to make one for Emily too. And then when I got the fabric out, I decided to make one for me, too. Yes another one.

This one is for Becky:

handmade bag — I still love that fabric!

This one is for Emily:

handbag, purse, pocketbook, totebag, batik, handmade — Love those batiks!

And this one is for me:

Three bags in all today, and it only took me about three hours to finish them all up!

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Happy New Year, Armadillo

Karen · 17 Comments

armadillo, wildlife, wild animals, payne lake — What the heck is that thing?

You can believe it or not, but this is the first time I have ever seen an armadillo. Well, except for the squashed ones on the side of the road. But this thing was was in my yard yesterday, just poking around.

It was amazingly not afraid of me much, so I could get pretty close to it. But, thank goodness for the zoom on my camera, because I really didn’t want to get too close.

Happy New Year, Armadillo!

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