Dance Driven Ballroom Team at The Crystal Ball

Ethan, Evyn, and their new teammate Nikolai Scheel.  They carpooled up together with Teah and Scott Scheel.  It was a pricey event, so I didn't go (and Amber had Grinch rehearsals anyway).

The boys look sharp, don't they?

They reported back that they had a good time and they did well.  I was sorry I missed it, but hope someone else has more photos.  If some come in, I'll add them here.

Update on Amber

I took Amber to her 9:15 a.m. appointment with Dr. Lance Bear today.  As I had already deduced, the bone scan showed nothing significant.

He feels she had a capsule tear, that is to say, the gushy padded part in her joint got a tear and the liquid came out, or bled, and filled the joint area and left scarring.

He wants her to use her toe now, but gently, massaging it and doing some specific exercises he's instructed her to perform either with her hand to get the joint loosened up or by using the tendon to move her toe itself.  He has also prescribed an anti-inflammatory gel (like ibuprofen) to be applied to the area 4 times a day to help reduce swelling.  This is so she doesn't have to take it orally (and to protect her stomach).

He wants to see her again in 3 weeks.  He says this does heel and get better, and takes about 6 weeks. So, she's about halfway there.

Amber went to ballet class today and is walking in regular sneakers and not the hard shoe.  Her pain level seems greatly reduced.  I think when he manipulated the toe joint he did it some good.  Now she just has to take it easy and work her way back into dance.

We are on the mend!  Yay!

Amber and her bone scan adventures

Today Amber went to Nuclear Medicine at Saint Anthony's in Gig Harbor for a bone scan of her right foot.  She had pain starting Tuesday, Sept. 16 and saw Dr. Mandrell on Thursday, Sept. 18, including an X-ray.  On Friday we were told there was an old fracture on her big toe, just below the growth plate, but above the joint.

The arrow is located below the joint.  You can see a bright white line, and continuing above that another dark line.  That dark line is the growth plate.  The dip in the center of the white line is the old fracture. We have NO idea when it happened or how.

The second photo is from a side angle, so that's why it looks like there is another break just below the tip of her toe.  This is the "pulled" back version of the first photo.

Because of these images she was sent to Nuclear Medicine for a 3 phase bone scan.

Today we arrived about 9:20 a.m. at the Emergency entrance to St. Anthony's where we were checked in and told our portion of the bill would be $153.  We made the request to be billed.  Daryn and I are hoping we've met our cap before we have to pay this bill.  We are also estimating the X-ray to be about $143 (because that's what Ethan's X-ray cost us about 2 months ago).

Amber has received the IV port into her right arm, a small plastic catheter tube.

She was given this "beautiful" lace cuff to protect the port while she was ambulatory before heading into the room for the rest of the procedure.

Amber's feet have been sandbagged into a non-moving position and the machine is being put into place.

The technician is getting ready to add the radioactive materials into her blood stream.  

 The syringe is encased in lead (see the silver?). This is to protect the technician who is around this stuff all day every day.  Amber can feel it going it because it's cold.

 

 Now she is getting her tubing flushed out.

 This is the face one is allowed to make when the tubing is being removed from one's vein.  She was a very good sport.  She hates needles (a LOT) and when she got her flu shot a week ago she tensed up and cried.  Today she was a very brave soul and made a few faces like this one as the needle and tubing were inserted, and removed.

 

This isn't going to tell you much other than the fact that it is taking pictures of her feet (top two photos) and it is the soft tissue pictures.  There was also a blood flow set of pictures and then a bone set.

She looks so little and reminded me of Sleeping Beauty laying there.  

This was the end of the morning photos and adventures.

Going back in for the 2 p.m. photos this is now what we see (below).  The technician instructed her to drink LOTS of water before our return so she could go (to the bathroom) at least 2 times before we saw her again.  By the time we returned Amber had made 7 trips to go potty - I think she drank enough water!  She has to flush all this stuff out of her system.

And we are back.  Taking pictures the same as the last time.

The top three photos are the shots from this morning.  The middle (top and bottom) are the soft tissue, and the two on the right (top and bottom) are the bones.  The bright white at the ankle is normal - it's the end of her leg bone going into her foot, and is more defined on the screen (not my photo) and the technician wasn't sure if it was a growth plate or not.   The white spots just above her toes are the mysteries, as they are not highlighting at the sight of her pain.  In particular, the left one is brighter than the right!  We won't know any answers until next week (Wednesday).

The technician also did a side view of her foot.  The injured one is the right - so the one behind (or in the back) of the other in the pictures.

This is the room we were in.  The little table just to the right has a lead tube sitting on it and inside that is a syringe with the radioactive material.  This was taken out twice while we were there to mark the images by being placed in the picture area.  That tube is about 3/4 to 1 inch thick around.  It held the lead encased syringe from earlier this morning.

Each of this afternoon's pictures took 10 minutes each.  The multiple images will be compiled together to make one image.  She was tired and took a wee nap.

This is the screen from her side pictures.  The foot behind (in back) is the one they are going to be looking at the closest.

And that was today's adventures.  We go back to see the orthopedist on Wednesday, Oct. 1, in Gig Harbor.

Creating a Crocheted Shawl

There is SO much that goes into creating something.  Generally one is inspired, and then the creative juices begin to flow.  But when asked out of the blue to come up with something, and there is no other inspiration, that is very difficult.

A couple months ago I was asked to create a crocheted shawl that would be used as a Crochet-a-Long during the Alaskan cruise with the yarn shop in May 2015.  No other guidelines other than the fact that it would require the use of a specific yarn from Cascade Yarns - their new line of Ultra Pima Fine.  It is a cotton yarn.  And the color of the yarn will be mixed and will match the theme of the cruise, which is something put out by Debbie Macomber's office.

So, there you have it.  Design a shawl, using this yarn which, incidentally, is not available yet.

Ugh.

I have no idea what theme to go with whether it be going along the lines of Alaska, so thinking water, ice, cold, or something along the lines of one of Debbie's books like the new Rose Harbor series, or Love Letters, or going older with Blossom Street, or even Cedar Cove.

My original thought was to go with flowers and make flower medallions and attach them.  But, after MANY attempts at this concept, I have scrapped the idea.

Today was a trip to Barnes and Noble to purchase some crocheting books in order to garner some ideas and get the thoughts flowing again.  I came home with six books, which Daryn has informed me can be written off the taxes at the end of the year - YAY!

I have seen a couple things while flipping through the books while in the store, so now that I'm home I will sit down and look at them a little more closely.  I really want to use beads in this shawl at some point.  I think I have found a border that might work for that.  However, before I can implement a border, I must find something to put the border around!  I'm still toying with the idea of medallions.  We shall see.

I wish I knew construction better.  If I did I could use a set of stitches and make a triangular shawl and then attach the border.  But, I am not accomplished at construction.  May need to look that one up, too.

Another Tea Cozy

And here is the July KAL Tea Cozy - the Bee Hive - complete with a little bee.  Thought about making more than one bee, but I sort of like just the one.  It's not sewn on yet because I'm not 100% sure where I want to place it.

Tea Pot Cozies

 This year I joined a group on Ravelry that is making one tea cozy a month and we are alternating between knitting and crocheting.  So far all the crochet ones appear to be too small for my tea pots.  The ladybug, although cute, doesn't fit anything I have.  It was also not a well written pattern.

I just received the July pattern - a beehive.  Will add the rest of the year in a separate post.

January - Aran Sweater Tea Cozy - KAL

February - Rosebud Tea Cozy - CAL

March - Cupcake Tea Cozy - KAL

April - Flower Tea Cozy - CAL

May - Flower Garden Tea Cozy - KAL

June - Ladybug Tea Cozy- CAL

Outlander swap - Scottish Tam Tea Cozy

Aladdin - Opening Night

The boys were asked to dance at Vashon Dance Academy again this year.  They started going on Saturdays in January, making for very busy weeks with no down time.  But, it has all paid off.  They were marvelous last night!  Here are a few photos I was able to take of their opening night performance.

Ian was Aladdin, Evyn was Genie, and Ethan was the Spanish Prince.