December Theme Challenge - CHRISTMAS

[Julie Magerka]

6 hours ago, Susan Ewart said:

Surgery is for sure the last option.  Let's hope yours is soft tissue related.  I am still doing recovery for a partial hamstring tear.  I didn't know I tore it and left it for over a year before I got it checked out.  I was told surgery is not an option since I'm not an athlete (hmph! we are all athletes is our own mind aren't we?).  Anyway, I turned to massage as that helped when I twisted a QL (back muscle).  It helped but I still couldn't do certain things, then my massage person suggested Dry Needling.  It's one needle that inserts into the knot in a muscle and relaxes it.  Without this I'd not be able to do much, just swinging my leg to get out of the car was agony.  The dry needling worked, but it does/can take many sessions.  And you need a good practitioner who uses the smaller gauge needles.  I just go in for touch ups now and have 90% mobility.    I will tell you, it can hurt (I'm a baby when it comes to any needle), but it's worth it for me.  I hope you find a good resolution because any injury really sidelines you and chronic pain really messes with your mind.

As far as I know, it's an extruded (not herniated) disc at L2-L3 that has been bothering me for almost 3 years. It got a whole lot worse recently, and I'm just worn down with pain, so any solution (other than long-term painkillers) will be my choice. I've had spinal injections of steroids several times which work...some of the time. This latest did not help much so there's one source of relief off the table. Not many choices left, but the surgery. I know it will be worth it, but it sounds scary right now. (Corrie's words gave me courage too.)

[Julie Magerka]

Still trying to get jolly. Decided on a layout that is NOT made of traditional red/green colours. The image is AI-generated by a designer on Etsy (AI WearGallery), and I thought it was something different to work with since I don't take a lot of pix in everyday life. Concentrating on a layout and all the details keeps my mind off other things.

[Julie Magerka]

3 hours ago, Anne Lamp said:

The doors etc in the center are from a photo I took yesterday with my new camera,  standing in the the foyer of my church.  The other elements are some I have saved over the years probable from C F as that is where a lot of them are from.

 

A new and fun toy! That's a lovely thing. Expect to see lots of your pix here.

[Susan Ewart]

1 hour ago, Julie Magerka said:

As far as I know, it's an extruded (not herniated) disc at L2-L3 that has been bothering me for almost 3 years. It got a whole lot worse recently, and I'm just worn down with pain, so any solution (other than long-term painkillers) will be my choice. I've had spinal injections of steroids several times which work...some of the time. This latest did not help much so there's one source of relief off the table. Not many choices left, but the surgery. I know it will be worth it, but it sounds scary right now. (Corrie's words gave me courage too.)

At my worst (with my back) I could walk and stand for about 3 minutes before the pain made my break out into a sweat and felt like I was going to throw up.  Weirdly I could still work out with weights and ride a bike, but not walk or stand for any distance or time.  When I was humming and hawing about surgery a guy I knew (who also had a major surgery on his back) said "get the surgery and get on with your life, you aren't 'living' the way you are now".  My 4hr surgery turned out to be 5.5 hours long and the surgeon told my husband it was much worse than the MRI showed.  So I am extremely thankful to him and that I got it done.  Surgery is a very serious consideration and I did not take it lightly.  I was and still am a very active person, I couldn't live with what I figured was coming (wheelchair) so I took the leap.  I was lucky and had a fabulous surgeon and am pretty much pain free.  The surgery took the compressed disc pain away.  I did deal with soft tissue issues for some years after, nothing major just annoying (piriformis issue's) that didn't even need any pain meds (I cant take pain meds more than two days in a row , so I tend toward icing pain, then heat).  If you ever want any specifics of what my pain was like before and after and what I went through I am always open to chatting via email or phone.  You can private message me if you like for my email addy.  

[Susan Ewart]

1 hour ago, Julie Magerka said:

Still trying to get jolly. Decided on a layout that is NOT made of traditional red/green colours. The image is AI-generated by a designer on Etsy (AI WearGallery), and I thought it was something different to work with since I don't take a lot of pix in everyday life. Concentrating on a layout and all the details keeps my mind off other things.

OMG! this is so cute!  I love it.  I'm glad you can create to keep your mind busy with more pleasant things.

[Julie Magerka]

29 minutes ago, Susan Ewart said:

At my worst (with my back) I could walk and stand for about 3 minutes before the pain made my break out into a sweat and felt like I was going to throw up.  Weirdly I could still work out with weights and ride a bike, but not walk or stand for any distance or time.  When I was humming and hawing about surgery a guy I knew (who also had a major surgery on his back) said "get the surgery and get on with your life, you aren't 'living' the way you are now".  My 4hr surgery turned out to be 5.5 hours long and the surgeon told my husband it was much worse than the MRI showed.  So I am extremely thankful to him and that I got it done.  Surgery is a very serious consideration and I did not take it lightly.  I was and still am a very active person, I couldn't live with what I figured was coming (wheelchair) so I took the leap.  I was lucky and had a fabulous surgeon and am pretty much pain free.  The surgery took the compressed disc pain away.  I did deal with soft tissue issues for some years after, nothing major just annoying (piriformis issue's) that didn't even need any pain meds (I cant take pain meds more than two days in a row , so I tend toward icing pain, then heat).  If you ever want any specifics of what my pain was like before and after and what I went through I am always open to chatting via email or phone.  You can private message me if you like for my email addy.  

Wow! such a lot of great info. Thanks so much Susan. I do need to hear of the successes folks have had with surgeries for this type of issue. I will get in touch so we don't drive everyone else on here a bit batty with the pain talks.

[Mary Solaas]

On 12/6/2023 at 4:25 PM, Ann Seeber said:

My Dad, born in 1892, called it a Bumbershoot! 😉 I know that "brolly" is used in Great Britain, Canada and Australia but not here in the States, usually.

I remember the word "Bumbershoot" but I'm not sure where I heard it - maybe when I was living in the UP?  Is it a "Yankee" word? 

[Susan Ewart]

2 hours ago, Mary Solaas said:

I remember the word "Bumbershoot" but I'm not sure where I heard it - maybe when I was living in the UP?  Is it a "Yankee" word? 

I have never heard the word before (either brolly or bumbershoot).  They are super cool words if you ask me.  Wish I knew all the cool words like the old people do...hahaha, I know I'm one of the old people when I "think" I'm not "one of the old people".  

Question for Ann:  when you have words in "quotations" and it's the end of the sentence, where does the period go, outside the quotes or inside?

 

[Ann Seeber]

1 hour ago, Mary Solaas said:

I remember the word "Bumbershoot" but I'm not sure where I heard it - maybe when I was living in the UP?  Is it a "Yankee" word? 

I got the impression he thought it was a comical name. He probably heard it used in NYC when he worked as a runner on Wall Street or on the railroad where he worked for 40 years, ending up as a chief night dispatcher for the Erie out of Hoboken, NJ

[Mary Solaas]

54 minutes ago, Ann Seeber said:

I got the impression he thought it was a comical name. He probably heard it used in NYC when he worked as a runner on Wall Street or on the railroad where he worked for 40 years, ending up as a chief night dispatcher for the Erie out of Hoboken, NJ

Since I was born in NJ and lived the first 8 years there, maybe I heard my mother use it.  At any rate, I do remember that word being used in my hearing.

[Ann Seeber]

1 hour ago, Susan Ewart said:

I have never heard the word before (either brolly or bumbershoot).  They are super cool words if you ask me.  Wish I knew all the cool words like the old people do...hahaha, I know I'm one of the old people when I "think" I'm not "one of the old people".  

Question for Ann:  when you have words in "quotations" and it's the end of the sentence, where does the period go, outside the quotes or inside?

 

I was taught on the inside; like "bumbershoot." But those rules vary by country and change over time so don't "quote" me! 😁

[Ann Seeber]

23 minutes ago, Mary Solaas said:

I was born in NJ and lived the first 8 years there

Where in NJ, Mary? I was born in St. Mary's Hospital in Hoboken, though my parents lived in Weehauken. Then we moved to Rutherford, which was on the rail line and convenient for my Dad to get to work. 

[Susan Ewart]

1 hour ago, Ann Seeber said:

I was taught on the inside; like "bumbershoot." But those rules vary by country and change over time so don't "quote" me! 😁

Thank you. I thought that too, but wasn't sure.  Grammar was not my strong suit.  ( You probably have that figured out by now)

[Mary Solaas]

20 minutes ago, Ann Seeber said:

Where in NJ, Mary? I was born in St. Mary's Hospital in Hoboken, though my parents lived in Weehauken. Then we moved to Rutherford, which was on the rail line and convenient for my Dad to get to work. 

I was born in a hospital in Newark NJ, though we lived in Union City at the time.  We then moved to Hillside, NJ and my brother was born when we lived there.  We then moved to Elizabeth NJ where I went to Blessed Sacrament Grade School for the 1st 3 years.  We moved to St Louis MO in the spring of 1942, but I had only completed the 1st 2 months of 3rd grade as I had contracted a kidney disease and my mother kept me home until we moved.

[Sue Thomas]

2 hours ago, Susan Ewart said:

Thank you. I thought that too, but wasn't sure.  Grammar was not my strong suit.  ( You probably have that figured out by now)

I was  taught  it would depend on the quotation. If the quotation  ended the sentence,  in a complete grammarly sentence, then the full  stop would be inside. Otherwise it goes outside. For example " I  love your creative style."     "Effects, 3D effects, drop shadow was used in this project".  The word the was taken away making the sentence incomplete.

Edited December 9, 2023 by Sue Thomas

[Susan Ewart]

Christmas Card #1.  The top square portion is the outside of the card, the bottom is what went inside the card.  I printed them as 4x6 then cut off the bottom and put it inside.  This went on a warm white textured cardstock with a deckled edge (Strathmore).  This is also Lab 13-1 I believe, and was my fall back card if I got too busy to make cards.  I ended up making two more.  I found the inner sentiment color is too strong.  If I did it again, I'd make it lighter, and change that one darker blue circle as it seems quite out of place.  

Edited December 9, 2023 by Susan Ewart

[Susan Ewart]

Christmas Card #3, not another fall back, but a card I made in one of the Challenges I think last January.  I'm guess because the pictures are from that time.  I added the snowflakes and "WINTER" to the front.  Again, printed as 4x6, cut off the bottom and put the sentiment on the inside.  The sentiment is thanks to the Vector Workshop where I learned how to use "text on a path." (notice the correct use of the period here, I'm on a grammar roll). Also, attached to warm white cardstock (Strathmore) with a deckled edge. 

[Susan Ewart]

This is Christmas card #2, the one that took me quite some time.  Again, I used the techniques from the Lab 13-1(and the Vector Workshop) and made a grid with Vectors.  Boy, that was hard to get all the squares even.  If you think grammar isn't my forte, well, math just makes my head spin.  At first I forgot to account for the thickness of the edges to know where to put the inner grids, and of course having to centre the thickness of those inner grids came into the equation too.  Whew! It's exhausting to think about it.  I'm sure I went about it the hard way, would love to know a faster easier way to make grids and get them even.  Next time I'd make the outer frame thicker than the inner grid part.  Same as the last two cards, I cut off the bottom sentiment and put it on ivory cardstock with a deckle edge.  Cards are all out except a few to yet to hand deliver.  

The other main concern was making sure I got the inner photo spots centred within the squares.  I used the magic want to make a selection and then contracted, add new raster layer, flood filled with black then turned them into mask groups so I could position my photos how I wanted.  

If you wondering what that cheeky cat is saying (with that look on her face):  "Move along human, nothing to see here."

Edited December 9, 2023 by Susan Ewart

[Julie Magerka]

34 minutes ago, Susan Ewart said:

This is Christmas card #2, the one that took me quite some time.  Again, I used the techniques from the Lab 13-1(and the Vector Workshop) and made a grid with Vectors.  Boy, that was hard to get all the squares even.  If you think grammar isn't my forte, well, math just makes my head spin.  At first I forgot to account for the thickness of the edges to know where to put the inner grids, and of course having to centre the thickness of those inner grids came into the equation too.  Whew! It's exhausting to think about it.  I'm sure I went about it the hard way, would love to know a faster easier way to make grids and get them even.  Next time I'd make the outer frame thicker than the inner grid part.  Same as the last two cards, I cut off the bottom sentiment and put it on ivory cardstock with a deckle edge.  Cards are all out except a few to yet to hand deliver.  

The other main concern was making sure I got the inner photo spots centred within the squares.  I used the magic want to make a selection and then contracted, add new raster layer, flood filled with black then turned them into mask groups so I could position my photos how I wanted.  

If you wondering what that cheeky cat is saying (with that look on her face):  "Move along human, nothing to see here."

Well done Susan. Balanced and intricate and worth the time you spent on it. Love kitty's attitude! Are these your pix?

[Julie Magerka]

4 hours ago, Ann Seeber said:

I was taught on the inside; like "bumbershoot." But those rules vary by country and change over time so don't "quote" me! 😁

I was also taught that way many years ago. It makes sense to me that the punctuation (period) is the actual end of the sentence, so the quotation marks would be outside after that.

[Julie Magerka]

5 hours ago, Susan Ewart said:

I have never heard the word before (either brolly or bumbershoot).  They are super cool words if you ask me.  Wish I knew all the cool words like the old people do...hahaha, I know I'm one of the old people when I "think" I'm not "one of the old people".  

Question for Ann:  when you have words in "quotations" and it's the end of the sentence, where does the period go, outside the quotes or inside?

 

Oh man! Because I know brolly and bumbershoot I'm an old girl? I'm heartbroken Susan. 😇 (But the truth hurts sometimes, right?)

[Ann Seeber]

7 minutes ago, Julie Magerka said:

Oh man! Because I know brolly and bumbershoot I'm an old girl? I'm heartbroken Susan. 😇 (But the truth hurts sometimes, right?)

Don't forget, ladies, I started with "bumbershoot," explaining it was from my dad who was born in 1892! He would be the oldster here. 😉

[Susan Ewart]

6 hours ago, Julie Magerka said:

Well done Susan. Balanced and intricate and worth the time you spent on it. Love kitty's attitude! Are these your pix?

Thank you Julie.  They are my pictures from over several years.  I went all out this time for decorating inside.  Mostly to purge some decorations (which wasnt much at all) and to have some photo opportunities for future Christmas cards.  It's a lot of work and I find it harder and harder to find the energy to do it.  This is coming from someone who loves Christmas.  actually I love Dec 20-24th.  The 25th I am indifferent to, but grateful it's an extra day off.  So I guess I love the "lead up" to Christmas, not so much Christmas itself, I think because it's over on that day.  I do listen to Christmas music throughout the year though.     

[Susan Ewart]

6 hours ago, Ann Seeber said:

Don't forget, ladies, I started with "bumbershoot," explaining it was from my dad who was born in 1892! He would be the oldster here. 😉

That date blows me away.  What changes he must've lived through.

 

6 hours ago, Julie Magerka said:

Oh man! Because I know brolly and bumbershoot I'm an old girl? I'm heartbroken Susan. 😇 (But the truth hurts sometimes, right?)

Sorry, I'm kind of a youngster here in this group....feel free to reprimand me, I'll toe-the-line.  Kidding of course.  I cant really tell how old people are here, they just seem my age or younger.  Funny how the written word only reveal age when certain words are used that aren't used anymore.  Like the word: Rumpus Room (we'd call in a Family Room now), that dates me to the 70's (presuming I knew the word when I was 4-5 yrs old). 

[Dorothy Donn]

Everything created by me.  Daydream or nightmare?