Did you think I was gone forever??

 I know it may seem that way since it's now been just over 5 months since my last post but yes, I am still here!  I must admit that although I have done a little bit of mini-ing during those months, not much has been accomplished.  As spring is nearing though, I seem to have found my mojo again and plan on getting back in the mini saddle.  

I had planned on starting back up weeks ago but, unfortunately, I was unlucky enough to have had a visit from Covid.  It certainly came uninvited and then refused to leave!  I know that my age and the fact that I have asthma does put me in what they call a  "compromised" category, but I was still very surprised at just how bad it was - and that I am still recovering from the fallout.  For those of you who have not experienced it yet, I am here to tell you it is nothing to trifle with. Despite having had all 5 recommended vaccinations and starting on Paxlovid the day after I first tested positive,  things went downhill for me very quickly.  Part way through I did end up spending an afternoon at our local hospital's  emergency room as they got me stabilized with an IV for hydration and courses of IV antibiotics for my throat and cortisone to help my lung function.  I was then back home and continued the Paxlovid, cortisone and antibiotics until they were done but it continued to be a serious struggle.  I really do think that if it had not been for my vaccinations over the last year and the medications I received during the course of the infection, I do not think I would have made it - and I mean that quite seriously.  Please, please take the warnings seriously!!  Your life, or the life of someone you love, may depend on it.

Okay - with that lecture done, I move on to something I did do this week.  While sorting laundry downstairs on the weekend, my eye was caught by a small, framed, mixed-media picture leaning on  shelf in our family room.  It has a small ceramic black cat leaning over a glass of Guinness ale with a caption above that says "Guinness - Feline Good!"  It brought a smile to my face, followed quickly by the realization that it was now March and I hadn't decorated at all for St. Patrick's Day.  I quickly dragged out my outdoor St. Patrick's wreath and our Irish flag and Bruce hung them up outside our front door.

Back inside I starting looking for something I could use for the centre of my dining room table when my eyes fell onto a set of 4 nesting shadow boxes on my craft shelf.  I bought them years ago thinking I could make small mini vignettes in them and hang them on a wall.  However, by taking the three largest ones and two small wooden candlesticks I had also purchased a long time ago just "in case", and gluing them all together, I now had a three-tiered tray to work with. Then I went looking for things to place in them. Combining everything together and setting it on a lovely shamrock table runner my sister had made for me several years ago, this is what I ended up with:

All in all, I am happy with how it turned out just by using stuff I found in various places in my home. Now I'm thinking of how I will change it out for Easter!!

Although I am still recovering from the aftermath of my Covid infection, I am going to try to do some minis this week and will hopefully get back into a regular work routine moving forward.  Until the next time - Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!!  TTFN!!! - Marilyn