Been Working

Wow! It's been a busy week. Gregg returned from 12 days in Spain and Italy on Saturday evening. I was very glad to see him again!

Yes, that IS the Vatican behind him. He travelled to Seville (Spain), and then on to Italy: Rome, Foggia, Naples, then back to Rome and home. He brought me a beautiful rosary from Rome, for which I'm thankful.

On Monday, I went to Seattle to pick up our friend, Charlotte, and deliver quilts to the hospital with her help. We were able to find her husband Fred's name on the wall plaque which honors memorial donations. You may recall that Fred passed away in June, and his family requested that memorial gifts be made to Katie's Endowment at Seattle Children's Hospital. Many generous gifts have been made in Fred's memory.

It was a pleasure to introduce Charlotte to some of the staff, and then to take her to lunch at a nice Italian restaurant nearby. Charlotte is excellent company, has a great sense of humor, is up-to-the minute on current issues and always a stimulating conversationalist. She gets up at 5:30 A.M. every day to work out at the gym - and she is a contemporary of my parents'!

While we were at the hospital, we had a chat with Jane Humphries, a board member of the Guild Association who is also known as "the Blanket Lady." Jane hands out blankets to the hospital's patients, so she is very much "hands-on" with our guild's work. She told us that the hospital is going to need about 100 blankets for the holiday season, for children who have to stay in the hospital during the holidays. That was a challenge to our guild! So I am putting the word out to all who might like to donate funds, time, talent or materials so that we can help to raise 100 holiday-themed blankets for patients at Seattle Children's Hospital! And this week, I have pinned five blankets that are now ready to sew.

A plumber was here for over two hours today ($200+ !) to do various repairs that we have been waiting to combine into one visit. You know how it costs so much for the first hour? That made us want to get several things done at once, so we don't pay for the entire hour and only have 15 minutes worth of work for him to do. Well, he was busy today.

While the plumber plumbed, I made brochures for a very kind new friend of our guild to share with her professional association. She has put information at her place of business (Kenneth L. Salon in Poulsbo), but now she is going to spread the word farther. Thank you, Paige!

I have been watching hours of our family-centered care video, and making notes to suggest edits for it. Paul has done a wonderful job of cutting it so far. It was not that difficult to get used to it, though I want to re-shoot the very beginning - nervousness was clearly showing.

I'm getting very tired of looking at that face, and that blouse - 3+ hours of video!

But I am quite excited about what we have captured. It has a message, and it has meaning, beyond just our family's story. It gives a voice to doctors and other staff who typically are NOT interviewed. I could listen to them all day, and ask more questions. In fact, that was one of the best parts: inviting them to open up and tell their stories, and listening. Their stories are enlightening, and I think they will bless others.

So Paul will take my suggestions and work with them, and then we will submit it to a seasoned professional in the business, who is going to give us her opinions. We are very fortunate to have that offer.

I have been working and working on the book's cover design - it's still a work in progress. The interior design is basically complete. I am awaiting a full, digital proof on which to make FINAL changes. Then another short wait, and it will be ready to post on www.amazon.com! I'll be sure to let you know when that happens.