Where does time go?? 

It just seems to fly by, I know that is a sign of being busy but I also remember reading that the older you get the faster time seems to go.  Well, for me I guess it has been both of those, busy and older.  Mind you not old, just older.  LOL

So, what have I been doing with this time of mine?  Crocheting, raising money for our MSWalk team (ShiaWalkers), volunteering for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and just living life.  Oh, and doctor appointments!  Saw both my neurologist and primary care physician in the past week.  Depression and arthritis are my constant companions lately.  :)

I want to share with you some of my crocheting that I have done recently and some that I did before for decorating my "display" window.  I hope those that walk by enjoy the changes I make seasonal and for the holidays.  

This is my spring and summer display.  I love just about everything on there and plan to add more as time allows and more items catch my eye as I look through my many patterns or as I browse the web.  

Pinterest and  blogs give me a lot of ideas and lots of things to crochet.  Pinterest was where I found the stitch pattern for the basket I made below.  I started out just trying to cover one of my many Folger coffee empty containers.  The person that wrote the instructions warned that this stitch pattern makes a heavy, larger item.  I found that out but the rug yarn and the stitch make for a great stand alone basket.  I found the stitch on someone's Pinterest so I have to give credit to Crochet Me for the great directions for this stitch that could be used for so many things. 

 It is called the Spike Stitch, very versatile.

Another thing that takes up some of my time.  I have several bird feeders that I can see out the window just to the left of my computer desk and many times while I am on the computer I find my eyes drawn to the birds that feed there.  This morning it was a fat ole robin, she seemed to be watching me out of the corner of her eye.  I say her because she looks fat enough to have a few eggs in her belly ready to be laid.  Robins are my favorite to watch in the bird bath!  They seem to just enjoy their splashing and the coolness of the water.

I also did some volunteering to plan a  program filled with many great speakers about how MS is like anything else and is better managed when  you keep active.  We had interactive demonstrations of Yoga, how to do exercises for our inner ears that help us avoid falling, how to live your life with MS more  positively in spite of all that it brings and also a video and talk about  recent research and what great leaps and bounds are being done but still no cure and/or how repair the myelin that has been destroyed from the MS process. Destroying myelin  is what MS does to our bodies, it destroys myelin which is a protective  sheath around our nerves that is like the protective covering on an electrical cord that keeps us from getting an electrical shock from the exposed wires.  That destroyed area on our nerves causes the misfiring of those nerves and thus the symptoms we have off and on or on a permanent basis.  To learn more about all this I recommend the National MS Society website for an abundance of info that is researched by specialists on the disease of Multiple Sclerosis, which mean multiple scars.



 March was MS Awareness month and I made several crocheted MS Awareness ribbons for the occasions we were out and about raising awareness or raising money to be used for research to find a cure and/or meds to keep it at bay until they find the cure.  While sitting at a table with a friend raising some of those funds outside of a local WalMart even those of us that have lived with MS for many years are surprised to hear how many people are affected by this disease.  We met so many with MS, parents of people with MS, friends of people with MS, stories of those that died early from the complications of MS.  They tell us MS is not fatal but many die from the complications of MS.  For instance, the way a urinary tract infection can wreak havoc on people with MS.  For some reason a UTI causes so many things to go wrong.  Right now I have a 34 yr old friend that will most likely live in a nursing home with a very low quality of life.  Her terrible symptoms seemed to have all be brought on by a UTI which left her bed-ridden which led to pressure sores and on and on we watched more and more being robbed from her.  



And I am going up to visit another young female that ended up in the hospital yesterday because of a UTI that is causing her MS to flare and cause all kinds of problems.  So, when you see the orange ribbons or articles about MS please take a moment and pray for those afflicted and give whatever you can when you see someone raising money for research for a cure!




April 18th is World MS Day!  I will be going to our state's capital and talk with my senator and congressman to inform them of our needs and tell them as a constituent I ask that they keep funding for handicapped people and vulnerable adults  in our state.


Deborah Atkinson, her blog is Snowcatcher, raises money year-round but especially when it gets closer to the BikeMS fundraiser that her and her husband ride in every year.  Snowcatcher's fundraising page the allows you to easily donate towards a cure for MS

And I will be walking in WalkMS in May but I also fundraise all year with my walk team, ShiaWalkers.  To donate for that event you can go to  my personal fundraising page for the MSWalk.  Any amount is not too small!  


Have a great day!!  I have a busy day planned but the sun is shining so I can enjoy that on my journey today.