1. Crochet Doll I crocheted this doll for my granddaughter's Christmas present in 2012. It's about the same size as a cabbage patch doll. I just winged it as I went. I have no pattern and I didn't write it down afterward either. I had a lot of problems with the eyes, but in the end I think the doll turned out nicely.	2. Shirt and Dress I made the shirt and dress to fit the doll mentioned in image (1). I also made an identical outfit for my 2 year old granddaughter.	3. Crocheted Baby Blanket & Knitted Bag I've made so many granny crocheted baby blankets for family and friends over the years. Each one is different in color. This was made for my niece's newborn. More recently, I made a bag to hold the blanket or whatever. I used a knitting loom to make it.	4. Crocheted Baby Bear Blanket & Bag The crochet blanket is similar to image (3), but I tried something different. I made this for someone who decorated her baby's room with bears. I used her colors as my theme. So, I crocheted a bear and attached it to the blanket and crocheted a bear bag. I winged it as I went while looking at pictures. It worked out better than I thought and the mother was happy.	5. Ghost Earrings End of 2014, I attempted to do some beading. Beading is a break from other crafts. I wanted specialty earrings and that's why I made this and the following earrings and a couple of necklaces. (Captions 5-11) Beading is frustrating for me but every once in awhile I can't help myself and have to do it. Frustration may be because I'm learning and I don't have a proper place to do it or have the best beads and tools. These beading items came from and inspired by looking into Pinterest. I'm beginning to appreciate what Pinterest is about.	6. Scarecrow Earrings & Necklace	7. Fall Earrings
8. Angel Earings & Necklace	9. Hummingbird Earrings	10. Snowman Earrings	11. Alaska/Canada Collage wood burned & painted See # 62. Alaska/Canada Collage in Photo Link. I finished this in June 2015.

The Story

In the year 2005, I sliced (actually filleted) my left hand just below my pinky finger to nearly my wrist. It was late and I was very tired, but I wanted to finish sewing my placemats. A voice (which I now believe was from God) inside me, told me to "STOP"! I didn't listen and went ahead using the roller blade incorrectly; and after 15 years using this roller blade, I caused a serious accident to myself. The strange thing about the whole incident, the pain wasn't ever as great as it should have been. Even right after it was stitched up. However, after it healed and to this day, whenever that scar gets slammed or I bump that scar against something hard, that's when I feel the worst pain. Strange.

Overall, I felt really blessed about the whole ordeal, I didn't want to complain too much about the after affects. I felt numbness, some stiffness, and I couldn't make a fist to speak of. All in all I was okay with it. It could have been a whole lot worse and I was very grateful to everyone involved, especially God.

I did exercise it and for the most part I got used to it, but the scar and my finger remained numb and my hand was a little stiff. Then I remembered what a physical therapist told me to do when I had carpal tunnel surgery. The woman told me to hit my scar with a rough cotton cloth as much as possible (it does hurt at first). This would release the numbness that comes along with bad cuts or slices. I did that and the numbness slowly disappeared. About a year later, I wanted to start crocheting or do knitting again. I really missed doing these crafts. I decided I was ready but to hold the thread for the first time was very difficult - impossible. I couldn't do it. However, I'm not a quitter and handwork is part of my life. It took every effort and concentration on my part, but soon I learned a different way to control the thread as I crochet. Now, I can crochet and knit nearly as good as before. In fact, I realized crocheting mended my hand! I couldn't make a fist at all before I started crocheting again. Now I can - maybe not as tight as I should, but it continually gets better.

Whenever I hear about or see a person who has missing limbs or missing a sense such as seeing or hearing and what they can do, it's amazing! They are such an inspiration to me! I wasn't about to let go of something I love to do, because of a little inconvenience that I had to overcome.

A few years after my accident, I met a women who could do intricate detailed lacing that I would have thought needed both hands. She was missing the whole limb from the elbow down. This woman did beautiful work! I watched her do it. I also noticed she accomplished a lot of other things as well. Nothing stopped her from doing what she wanted to do. And from what I learned, she had other health issues to contend with. Something else I just remembered as I wrote this down. When we first met and talked, I don't think I was aware she was missing a limb for quite a while. She never presented herself as having a problem - she didn't. Because of our mutual interests, we connected immediately. We were talking about photography while she was setting up her camcorder and other stuff. Her wonderful attitude, her smile, and generous nature - Amazing!! 

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