#multiplesclerosis – Amy's Axons

March 2023

A Week In My Life

March 10, 2023March 10, 2023by amysaxons2 Comments

Hello! I bet you didn’t expect to hear from me again so soon, did you? It’s been a while since I did a “week in my life” sort of blog, so…I did. Let’s see, when I last wrote I believe I told you I had finally tested negative for Covid 🎉. I was still sick, though. I started some antibiotics for a bacterial sinus infection 5 days ago and am happy to report that I am doing much better. I still have a cough, but I’m hoping it will continue to dissipate with time (and another 5 days of antibiotics 😉).

Surprisingly, my MS hasn’t been too bad this week and I was able to putter around the house with reasonable rest breaks between activities. This has been a HUGE blessing to me ☺️!

Anywho, I’ve been sewing up a storm and enjoying myself thoroughly this week! As a matter of fact, in the pictures you’re about to see I think I’m wearing four different things I either finished up or made this week. (There’s more sewing stuff a bit further down too 🙂.)

Covid wore me out and I hadn’t cooked for over two weeks, we survived on freezer meals I had squirrelled away. I finally found the energy to get in the kitchen again on Tuesday. I made a huge pot of beef barley soup, enough to last us several days. I also decided to get out my Mom’s high school Home Ec. cookbook and made a couple loaves of our favorite bread. Mom’s book has seen better days, but it is very special to me and has some great recipes.

Oh, and I made some chocolate chip bars on Thursday from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Cookbook. 😋. I love lots of chocolate chips but Hubby only wants a few, and the itty-bitty ones. So, I compromised and put half the normal amount of my chips and some of his tiny chips into the batter and they actually managed to please both of us.

I hadn’t cleaned my sewing room for several weeks, it was really bad. I cleared the decks on Monday and gave it a good going over. I don’t know how I didn’t end up at urgent care with 23 pins stuck in my feet! YIKES 😬! I also gave both my sewing machine and my serger a good service and cleaning.

I spent a couple hours cutting patterns out last Saturday, here are a couple.

Today (Friday), I cut out the Moire Blouse by Wardrobe by Me from this lovely double gauze from Beyond the Pink Door. I’ve had this in my stash for a while trying to decide what to do with it. I ❤️ double gauze, it’s so comfy.

I wear special gloves when I use my rotary cutter so I don’t cut myself. Rotary cutters and MS don’t jive, precautions must be taken.

Every Sunday afternoon at 1:00 I always try to catch the Live Sewing Chat with Andrea at Beyond the Pink Door. She has some of the best fabrics I’ve ever sewn and, despite having to ship it from Ireland, it’s quite reasonably priced. And I really like Andrea ❤️

I’ve started keeping a bullet journal, mostly for sewing projects. I was having a hard time keeping straight what patterns I had made and the alterations, if any, for each. Oh, and I kinda like stickers. Yes, I’m seven years old.

The next few photos are random.

Every morning I enjoy solving a couple of cryptograms while having breakfast.

Laudy is my constant shadow. She sat on my shoulder Wednesday as I ate lunch.

This has been pretty typical of the last few weeks – a cup of hot tea, cough drops, Vaseline lip balm, and iced tea close at hand. I’ll save you the visual of snotty hankies.

I really enjoy watching Horse Plus Humane Society YouTube videos. They rescue horses from the slaughter pipeline as well as any and all animals surrendered to them as the Humane Society in Tennessee. I’ve learned a lot about horsemanship and horse care.

Of course I watched the birds this week!

Carolina Chickadees and a female House Finch

Lastly, I’ll share some of my favorite moments of the week with Pip and Laudy, my constant companions.

Laudy helped me solve a cryptogram on Wednesday…

Pip and I watched the birds on Thursday.

Monday night snuggles with Pip while watching TV.

Laudy helped me during my Bible study Monday morning.

Thursday morning parrot imitation practice.

Laudy snuggled with Hubby Tuesday evening.

Thursday night snuggles. Are you seeing a pattern yet?😉

I was trapped under cats after lunch today, it took 2 hours to get free. 😻😻

Thanks for joining me this week. May God be with you. ❤️, Amy

February 2023

Through the Picture Window

February 7, 2023February 7, 2023by amysaxonsLeave a Comment

Winter came to our backyard in January, she was exquisite ❄️.

One morning before breakfast, I looked out the window and straight into the eyes of this fine hawk. I’m lousy at identifying hawks. I think it’s a Red-tailed, but it might be Sharp-shinned. Please let me know if you know which it is.

The same lovely person who gifted us a 6-month subscription to International Yums as a Christmas gift decided to spoil us for Valentine’s (a little early) too! We’ve had such fun tasting our way through these goodies. Though I must confess, Chicken-Larb flavored fried seaweed was not a hit in our house 😝.

On the other hand, these easy home-made whole wheat english muffins are one of my favorites. I frequently make a double batch of these and stick them in the freezer for a toasted breakfast delight. If you’d like to try them, I’ve snapped pictures of the recipe and added them below 👇.

At the end of January I had a blood test to see if my immune system was rebuilding itself after stopping my MS treatments about a year ago (March 1st to be exact). The good news is yes, I have some nascent cells emerging. The bad news is I don’t have very many. I’m still immunocompromised, but the tide is slowly turning 🥳.

My MS has been all over the shop. Two weeks ago I had a string of good days and was able to cook and sew and putter around the house. Yesterday afternoon I couldn’t sit up or hold my head up and spent hour after hour in bed. Today, I’ve been able to sit up and ride around the house on my scooter, but my legs are like concrete and won’t work. Tomorrow? Your guess is as good as mine. The only predictable thing about MS is its unpredictability.

Laudy and Pip finishing my oatmeal a couple weeks ago 😆.

Thanks for staying tuned and stopping by. May God be with you! ❤️, Amy

January 2023

MS Haiku

January 18, 2023January 18, 2023by amysaxonsLeave a Comment

Energy all gone,
Feels like I’m in a coma –
A puddle of goo.

I think I’ve melted into and become one with my recliner these last four days.

Thankfully, once again, my feathered friends have come to the rescue and filled the long hours with the joy of their songs and avian antics.

Cardinal at takeoff. I love how you can see the individual features of his right wing.

Though the image isn’t great, I was able to document my first ever sighting of a gorgeous Pileated Woodpecker across the road in our neighbor’s tree on Saturday!! This sighting was absolutely thrilling for me and I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day ☺️.

Another source of happiness filling my idle time has been the company of our cats, Laudy and Pip. They have no idea what a blessing and source of company they are to me, but I count them as one of God’s treasures gifted to my keeping. And they are experts at the art of resting 😻.

A person very dear to me gifted Hubby and I a fun surprise, a 6-month subscription to Universal Yums. It’s a monthly box featuring snack food from different countries around the world. This month’s box arrived yesterday with treats from… Austria 🇦🇹 😋!

Hubby’s favorite was the Waffelz and mine was the Auer Baumstamme.

I hope you are well.

God be with you! ❤️, Amy

December 2022, November 2022

Christmassy Christmas Cheer To You and Your Kin!

November 28, 2022November 28, 2022by amysaxons6 Comments

Christmas tidings to you, my friend! Here’s a peek of Christmas at our house.

Putting ornaments on the tree brings back so many memories, like this one. My Mom went to France in 1986 and brought me this sweet, hand painted cat with a lace collar and velvet body. She was always thinking of us girls ❤️.

I think Mom got this ornament for me from our local craft fair one year.

This is one of my favorites from Mom – whimsical and preposterous kitty vibes!

I remember Mom getting this little chap at the Tower of London gift shop on one of the many vacations she took us girls on.

Mom loved hippos and, in her later years, this was one of her favorite ornaments. I cherish her memory and hang it with love on my own tree now. I always miss her, but especially at Christmas.

Hubby and I went to London for our honeymoon. We’ve been back several times since but see fewer and fewer of these classic fixtures on the streets each time.

This came from one of the *shoppes* on the Royal Mile heading up to the Edinburg Castle. My Grandma Lois’ side were Dunwoodies, hale and hearty Scots they were!

I chose this sweet little robin from my stepmom Beverly’s collection of ornaments after she passed.

This friendly gingerbread man used to hang on Hubby’s family tree when he was growing up but now waves “Hello” from ours.

I got this for Hubby a few years back, he’s an avid cyclist 🚲. It’s cute, just like he is 😉!

I found a pattern for gnome placemats a couple of weeks ago and decided to give it a go. I was going to make several as gifts but it was a LOT of work! What do you think, is it worth the effort to make more? 🤔

The 3-D tree was a sewing/quilting project from a couple years back when I was first learning to quilt on my machine and… you can tell I was a beginner. It almost caused me to lose my sanity so, despite it’s imperfections, I display it proudly as a tribute to my sheer determination and sewing grit 💪.🤭

So…I may have ordered some chocolates from Belgium as a “gift” to myself. 🤫

There are 27 delectable goodies packed into this box. My plan is to have one a day like an Advent Calendar, which means I can have THREE on the 24th 😋!

Of course, I can’t buy myself gifts without remembering to give something special to my feathered friends. They bring me incalculable year-round joy.

I wish YOU a wonderful, happy, healthy, festive Christmas season! Thanks for stopping by today. May God be with you! ❤️, Amy

April 2022

Recent Scenes

April 25, 2022by amysaxons2 Comments

It’s been a very good couple of weeks 😊. My MS has loosened the reins a bit some days and not ruled my life as such a tyrant every moment. I’ve seen a lot of family, especially this past week, and they have boosted my spirits immensely.

These little friends came to visit too 🐦🪶!

Downy woodpecker, male, wearing his bowtie.

American goldfinch sporting his full 💛 coat.

Tufted titmouse – you can see it’s thoughts written across it’s face.

This little chickadee posed so patiently as I walked around under the tree snapping away at it and it’s snack 😋. The chickadees seem to be really getting used to me.

My sister came up from Texas over the weekend (❤️) and we hung out at the lake in our neighborhood one afternoon. This turtle was out for a swim.

Eastern redbud petals were scattered around the edges of the lake making a beautiful contrast of color to the mossy water.

I think a starling has moved into the box at the lake 🙄

My Hubby makes the best thin mint concretes – such a treat!

I hope you are enjoying your little slice of time in whichever corner of the world you call home. God be with you! ❤️, Amy

March 2022

Cozy Days

March 19, 2022March 19, 2022by amysaxonsLeave a Comment

Hello again, Friend. Below you will find some random pictures of things I’ve been doing to fill my winter days.

I really enjoy following several YouTube vloggers in the sewing world and wondered how hard it would be to take pictures of each step of garment construction like they do. I gave it a go and learned they have a lot more patience than me! Most of the pictures I took are in my camera’s trash and there they will stay. I’m sharing a few just to make myself feel like I didn’t waste all the effort it took to complete the experiment.

I had enough fabric to make two tunics. I found the jersey knit on Etsy and loved the prints together.

It was my first time sewing a cowl neck.

The little pocket in the contrasting fabric turned out so cute 🥰.

I’ve learned to keep a stash of bandaids by my machine 🙄. Blood, sweat, and tears 😉!

My favorite Laudy pics of the past few weeks…

We had some really beautiful warmish days since my last post so, of course, I sat out in the backyard and watched the birds.

House finch pair with a goldfinch looking on.

But, my favorite winter activity? Snuggling with Hubby!

Lord willing, I’ll write again soon. God be with you! ❤️, Amy

February 2022

Hello, Again

February 16, 2022February 16, 2022by amysaxons1 Comment

Hello, again.

The last time I posted I told you I had a relapse of my MS and was getting ready for a few days of steroid infusions to try and hasten recovery. Sure enough, it happened and my symptoms have improved. My left eye stopped twitching and feeling numb, I can move my legs again and walk with less of a shuffle-stumble sort of thing. My energy level has improved to allow me to be up for more than 3-5 minutes at a time. Things are still not back to where they were before, but I’m hoping the trajectory continues to move up.

The IV was placed right where my wrist bends, not ideal. It was a long three days.

Hubby made me a “splint” to remind me not to bend my wrist. It worked a treat other than the fact I had a piece of wood there day and night. I cut a sock and used it to keep my splint in place.

Huge doses of steroids given in a short time creates numerous icky side effects – one of the worst for me is flushing of the skin. That being said, the side effects during the infusion are nothing compared to the slam your body takes when your last dose is done. Agonizing, insipid, catatonic-like fatigue reigns for about three days while your skin hurts to the touch and your muscles ache down to the bone. Slowly, the goo seeps out through every pore of your being and, around day four, you sense you are morphing back into feeling like a human.

I’m so thankful it’s all behind me now. It’s been four years since I had a relapse necessitating steroids. Yesterday marked four years since I completely retired due to MS and April will mark 32 years since my diagnosis. I’ve never felt bitter about this disease nor thrown my fist in the air screaming, “Why me?”. I think a better question is “Why not me?”. Everyone has some struggle to deal with in life. There’s no such thing as luck, good or bad. There is such a thing as attitude, though. As Philippians 1:27 says, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Though “whatever happens” here is in reference to whether Paul can come to visit the Philippians or not, he goes on, in the same verse, to tell them, “Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel.” No matter what diseases, frustrations, difficulties, or unexpected troubles come our way, we are to respond with a Christlike attitude that brings honor and praise to the glory of God.

Nothing makes me think of God more than His creation.

Hubby threw some eggs in the yard and some American Crows enjoyed them. I love all birds.

I hope you are doing well. May God be with you. ❤️, Amy

October 2021

Mallards and Monarchs

October 17, 2021October 17, 2021by amysaxonsLeave a Comment

This beauty came right up beside me and let me take his picture. I think he knew he was a looker.

Although she was a bit more cautious than her male companion, she flashed several poses.

This little guy kept telling his Mom, “I’m playing with the ducks!”. I’m not sure the ducks saw it that way 😉.

It was a windy day and this cutie pie held her bangs back so she could watch her brother “play” with the ducks.

As I sat by the lake, I noticed this butterfly land on the side of my leg. It had a couple of injuries to it’s wings and seemed unafraid of me. Over the span of the next hour it made it’s way onto my fingers and then into the palm of my hand. It was incredible to watch it taste my skin with it’s long, bendy tongue. It had some visible pollen on it’s wings so I knew it had been out foraging. It seemed as if it needed a rest and I felt honored it chose me as a safe harbor. It’s been a little over a week since my encounter with this tiny creature, nevertheless, its memory has flitted across my mind numerous times.

The sun through the just changing autumnal leaves was glorious.

Sun on a single strand of a spider’s web.

I can’t get over how big a fiery skipper’s eyes are compared to it’s head. I could almost feel it watching me as it crawled over the flowers of our butterfly bush.

Joy of joys, the monarchs have found our butterfly bushes! We’ve had as many as eight at a time 🦋❤️!! The way the sun shines through their wings reminds me of stained glass.

AND, I think this is a spicebush swallowtail. What a neat little fella!

I hope you are doing well. God be with you. ❤️, Amy

September 2021

Summer’s Lasting Vibrance

September 2, 2021September 2, 2021by amysaxons2 Comments

Hello, Friend! I hope you are well.

It’s been too hot around here to get out of the house much these last few weeks. However, I did ride my scooter early one morning down to the lake in our neighborhood to enjoy the dragonflies and flowers for a spell.

Blue dasher perfectly aligned on a blade of grass

Amber wing, easily my favorite dragonfly.

I braved the heat for a few minutes one day to get a pic of this lovely female cardinal hanging out in one of the birch trees behind our house.

Since I can’t get outside much I’ve been filling my time sewing. I got a new serger and have been absolutely floored by the steep learning curve. For the first couple of weeks I was convinced that not even NASA’s best could get the crazy thing to work consistently! I have read everything I could get my hands on and watched hours of YouTube vids in a determined effort to conquer and master the beast of a machine. Perseverance, about 15-20 hours of practicing on scraps, rethreading the booger, and adjusting knobs a million times AND…

I FINALLY figured out how to consistently get good seams on my serger! I made a cute nightgown that I love. I ordered this knit jersey on super clearance from Joann’s. The snails are very appropriate 😉.

I had my Ocrevus infusion yesterday so I’m fuzzy-headed with a bit of a headache. Around 4:00 this morning I started flushing from the steroids they served up to go along with it. I should start feeling better by tomorrow. For the first time ever I got to have the drug infused at home – so much easier for me! My newest bestie Bill, the infusion nurse, and I spent five quality hours chatting and sharing the ways God has worked in our lives. God is so good!

Thanks for stopping by. God be with you! ❤️, Amy

August 2021

Breath In, Breath Out

August 16, 2021August 16, 2021by amysaxons2 Comments

Sometimes I’m really proud of myself for being able to keep the rhythm of breathing going, such is the joy of MS fatigue.

In my last post I said I would try to write something about my MS, so here it is. Whew, this summer has been a challenge! I have had a smattering of a few good days here and there and even a few strung together in sequence, but more often than not I’ve been under the thumb of pervasive, domineering MS lethargy. Nope, it’s not the kind of tired that needs a nap and sitting to rest for a spell doesn’t shift it at all. Like having a bone dry fuel tank, no matter how hard you try to go, you end up getting absolutely nowhere. The engine won’t start, the wheels won’t go anywhere, the brakes won’t compress, the electric windows won’t budge… technically it’s a car, but it’s good for nothing. I still look like Amy on the outside but there’s no juice to animate me. The electrical wires of my nerves are stripped and the signals my brain tries to send to make my body move either can’t or only partially get through. As a result, I don’t walk right, my hands don’t work the way they’re supposed to, my bladder doesn’t know if it’s holding or letting go, my thoughts struggle to be strung into words, and my balance is all over the place making me stagger around like I’m drunk. Normal things like showering, getting dressed, eating, and even sitting up use inordinate amounts of energy because my nervous system is having to work 1,000 times harder than yours just to get the signals through. Some days, for some inexplicable reason, I spontaneously recharge fairly quickly and I get to do things other than basic human functions – these are my good days. Other days, most days if I’m honest, time passes from my favorite chair or lying in bed. I read, listen to audiobooks, put puzzles together on an app, watch TV, and snuggle with our cats.

MS and heat don’t mix, it makes all symptoms worsen, so I haven’t been on the patio taking pictures much the past few weeks. However, the past couple of days have been milder allowing me to snap a few pics of my feathered friends.