To blog or not to blog

I have been debating on whether or not I should blog about this. So here goes nothing. I had surgery yesterday. Received my second cochlear implant! Today as I sit on the couch with my constant companion, Dakota, just resting as directed by the surgeon, (which is totally not the norm for me!), I keep thinking about all the things I need to do for my shows in December. Oh well, what gets done will get done. I know, at the moment, that it's important for me to rest. But, I sure can take advantage of some online time! :)

Last November, I received my first cochlear implant on my right ear. I have been deaf all my life. Even though I have always worn hearing aids, my hearing loss was slowly getting worse, from a severe hearing loss to a profound hearing loss. My tinnitus had gotten so bad, the roar was so loud in my head, that I had no alternative but to get the cochlear implant with the hope of ridding the ringing, and to hopefully maximize my hearing.

Oh my! What a difference it made!! This past year has been an AMAZING journey!!! With my first implant, I can hear things that I never heard before!!! I can now hear the birds chirping, the wind chimes, my dog sniffing!!!, the phone ringing, and oh, so much more! I even heard my dog, Dakota, chewing on a pin!! Thank God I heard that! I was able to retrieve it from her. Who knows what could have happened ?!

The new sounds I get through the cochlear implant is very different than the sounds I used to get through my hearing aid. The new sounds are more mechanical and a lot louder. It was quite an adjustment as it is not 'sound' as I know it. It took time, hard work and patience as my brain slowly opened up to the new sounds around me. But, it was the best thing I ever did for my hearing. I wish I had done this 20 years ago! The younger you are when you have it done, the better it is. But, that's OK. Better now than later.

I so look forward to hearing out of my new CI ear, which won't take place for 6 weeks. It has to go through the healing process first. I look forward to the day that my new CI ear is hooked up, as they call it, and to begin my new journey as a Bilateral Cochlear Implant recipient. I should feel more balanced as the incoming sounds would be the same in both ears. I do wonder what other new sounds I will hear and how my hearing in general will change. Although, I have been told that I would never hear like a hearing person, but it would be a lot better than what I have ever had before. I am happy enough with that. Isn't technology wonderful??!!!

First Impression

I have been wanting to do my first post on my blog for quite some time, but it seems so intimidating! What do I talk about? OK, I gotta grab the horns and just go for it! So, uhm, maybe a little bit about me. My name is Jan, and I LOVE to create. It is my passion! There is rarely a moment that I do not have an undergoing project going on. Come to think of it, I don't think there has EVER been a moment that I did not have some project going on. I have been so inspired by all the blogs that I read here on the Internet. How amazing is that? It makes the world seem smaller after all.

As a child, growing up, I was always surrounded by arts and crafts. I spent hours with my childhood friends designing barbie doll clothes, making doll houses and furniture out of cardboard and old wallpaper books, creating quilts, crocheting and knitting just to name a few. I still have a pair of mittens knitted by my friend, Theresa, that she made about 30 some years ago! It is the best handmade pair of mittens I have EVER had! My daughters even love it, and they wear it too! In fact, she is the one that help me to focus on what I need to do. Prior to that eureka moment, I had made my oldest daughter a laptop cover for her MacBook, and she had gotten so many compliments on it. Theresa encouraged me, along with my family and friends, to begin a business creating laptop covers. So, this is how this all began.

I also feel so blessed that I have made so many wonderful friends through Twitter and Etsy. This creative journey this past year has been amazing with a lot of ups and downs. I have never spent so many hours working before! I don't even know how to have 'down time' anymore! lol!

I love the designer fabrics that are on the market today. I really have a weakness when it comes to fabric shopping. I literally have had to discipline myself not to buy any more until I use most of what I have. But, oh that's so hard!

As I become familiar with posting on my blog, I plan on featuring some of my favorite artists and crafters! I thank you for taking the time to read this post and invite you to become one of my followers.