Well, I have been working hard around here. Or hardly working, depending on your definition. Last week I went for another follow up with the neurosurgeon. I should definitely be better by now. He gave me orders for another MRI, this one with contrast as the scar tissue from the previous surgery would show up on a regular MRI. The deal is this: The residual issues I am having are on the left side. While his original plan (due to the huge size of the herniation) was to do both sides at the time of the original surgery; when he went in on the right, he found bone spurs and the 45 min surgery became nearly 3 hours. At that point, he decided just doing the one side may have solved my problems. The residual issues could still possibly be nerve damage (or nerve memory) from the herniation. He said most people are already better by now if there isn’t still a problem. But (his words) “the size of your herniation puts you in a class all by yourself.” So although I need an MRI, there is still a chance I may not need surgery. Depends on the findings. If there is still herniation, then I will have to have surgery again. If not, it just may take time. Who knows. First things first. I have to figure out how to pay for the MRI.

I am trying to get an earlier start this year on some aprons for the upcoming holiday season. Hoping to make enough money to buy the kids some gifts (or pay for an MRI). In the meanwhile, you all need to go over to ApronFrenzy during the Fall/Autumn 20% off sale and buy all those aprons so I can get more material for the December holidays! The sale only lasts until the 23rd, so hurry. I have also started making some little decorative towels (the four below I did yesterday as a special request for someone who had bought a custom apron out of the same material).

The need to bake has come upon me. And I feel the need to bake with pumpkin. No idea why. Yesterday I made this tasty pumpkin cheesecake and let me tell you….it was so good, I would consider replacing the pie at Thanksgiving with this. And I don’t even like cheesecake.

It’s been getting much cooler at night here and Bear found some cute dog shirts on sale at Targ3t. Pumpkin (in the Bite Me shirt) seemed to enjoy hers the best. Chewbacca tolerated hers, but I didn’t realize how much weight she had put on until the shirt was on her. I think she looks like the Jolly Green Giant. There was also a little princess in pink running around (Bear’s dog), but Princesses sometimes choose not to pose for pictures and us little people must learn to live with it.