One of the Hardest Things

I think that I should tell you all in advance...
This is not a fiber or knitting related post. It is a very serious and heartfelt post about one of the hardest things that I have had to do. I'm going to try to make it short and as sweet as possible. But I may begin to ramble. Bare with me.

As most of you already know this year has been one of the hardest that I have had to face. And for the most part I can not remember a time in my life that I have ever had such a hard time dealing with a situation. But this morning I had to do one of the most difficult things that I have ever done. Just when I though that I was finally getting a grip on things.

A little over 7 years ago my father began having problems with his kidneys and was told that he was at some point going to need dialysis. After hearing of my father's situation getting worse I moved home from Florida and settled in back in my home town. Slowly his condition worsened and he found a co-worker who had offered up a kidney for a transplant. My father was told several times that he needed to be put an dialysis and he refused. As a matter of fact he continued to work and never missed a beat.

He and his co-worker donor went through months and months of testing and classes. Only to be told one week prior to the scheduled surgery that there was a problem found with the donor and that the transplant would not be an option with this donor. We were all devastated and worried due tot the fact that Dad was still saying no dialysis. Dad was told by his doctor that if he did not do something now he only had a few months. At the time, I was several months pregnant and my mom and I used it a leverage to try to convince Dad to try to do something to stick around a little longer and see his grandson grow but he still refused. He was put on the donor list and that is where the situation was left.

My son was born and he received his Grandpa's name as his middle name. Then just two weeks later, Mom was diagnosed with cancer. It was a rare form of cancer that effects the eye called Ocular Melanoma. Four weeks later Dad received a call that they had a PERFECT MATCH.

All went well with the transplant and it took awhile for the medications to level out. And Mom underwent treatment for her cancer and it had seemed to gone away. Mom and Dad later came in contact with the father of his donor. His kidney was the result of a young girl losing her life. It was a hard pill to swallow for Dad. Knowing that a young college aged girl who had lots to offer the world had to lose her life to save his. Mom stayed in contact with the young girls father and sent regular emails.

A little over three years had passed Mom's cancer had reappeared during that time and with treatment it was gone again. This past March she was hospitalized for pneumonia and at that time she found out that her cancer had reappeared in her liver. Now anyone who knows anything about this type of cancer knows that the liver is not where you would want in to be. There is no known treatment for this cancer. And the numbers are horrifying. (I will be making another post about Mom's type of cancer later in the month. I plan on having a part of my sales donated to research for this type of cancer.) All I can remember saying to myself is "How many miracles can one person ask for?" My mother passed 3 months and 2 days later.

And that brings me to today...
My father came over and asked me if I would email the father of his donor and let him know what all had happened. Mom had last emailed him to tell him that she was ill and they were going to Houston but never gave the details of her entire situation.

How could I possibly sit here and tell Mom's story with my father over looking my shoulder as I type. I remembered the day that I had to begin making the calls to tell friends and family that Mom had passed. Many of whom knew nothing of the severity of her situation. But telling this man who I had never met was way worse than any of that. I have always been so grateful for his daughter's gift to my Dad. And one of the last things I would want to ever do is inflict more grief on him. There is a huge bond there. It's hard to describe. Somehow I managed to send out a rather short email with the details of what had happened. I even kept it together until Dad had left. But directly after there was a rather sizable emotional meltdown. It was the first for me since my Mother's passing.

As I got myself back together I saw a message in my inbox. It was from the donor's father. And within that email I found some of the most comforting words I have seen yet. It wasn't filled with worldly quotes or offers of advice. But it was a letter filled with a father's love for his daughter and the people who she had saved.

Mom had always been the one who had corresponded with him. And now I have the wonderful invitation to be the one who keeps him up to date on the family happenings. I may have lost a parent along the way but somewhere, somehow I feel like I have gained another.

I just want to say to everyone out there, thank you for being there and giving me the strength that I have needed so desperately these past few months. And if I have learned anything from all of this it would be that even with a tremendous loss we gain things that we could have never imagined.

Chocolate Toffee Cream ~ A New Blend!

Finally something NEW and VERY LUXURIOUS! Here's "Chocolate Toffee Cream". It is a blend of silk, alpaca, merino and bamboo. It almost melts in your hands. The new blend will be making it's debut in my Etsy Shop on Thursday the 24th of July. It is a somewhat "limited edition". I will not know exactly how much will be produced until I get my new supply shipment in on Monday. But I know there will be limited supply due to one of it's special ingredients.

If you are a Fiber Club Member your 4 ounces is on it's way to your mailbox. That's right! All of my Fiber Club Members received this blend as their shipment this month. Enjoy everyone! I hope you like it.

There are at least 13 more new blends on the horizon for next week. I will begin revealing the rest of them in my upcoming newsletter on the 24th of this month. If you haven't subscribed yet you can do so my sending an email with the words "add me" in the subject line to newsletter@cjkopec-creations.com and I'll get you put on the subscriber list.

Thanks Everyone! Take care and have a great weekend. I'm headed back to the dye pots.

Wow! Summer is here already.

Where has time gone???? I have been MIA in the blog world and so much has been going on.

It has been a rough start to the year with the loss of my Mom who fought a short lived battle with her ocular melanoma that reappeared in her liver in February. She gave it a good fight at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Tx but passed away last month. And since then there have been lots of little things poppin' up and taking me away from my normal routine. But I do believe that things here are once again on track and almost up to full steam.

I have a HUGE supply order coming in next week. Yay! And I have been dying wool up a storm. And I am excited that the Michigan Fiber Festival is right around the corner. (Yikes! it's almost Fall already)

But what I am looking forward to the most right now is my upcoming trip to the Cancun area for the 2nd Annual Trent Willmon Hide Away Beach Party. I had such a wonderful time last year and I can't wait to get back to the sandy beaches of Mexico and hang out with all of the wonderful people that I met there last year and maybe even make a few more new friends this year. I can't believe that the trip is almost here! I am definitely ready to go. There's nothing better than a country music concert on the beach!!!!! Oh...there's free drinks too! :O)

Well, I just wanted to pop in and make a quick post. I'll be back in a few days to make an actual full length post. I just wanted to stop in and say "Howdy" to everyone.

Talk with you all later!

Hand Dyed Sock Yarn In Stock!

I have started to list lots of my hand dyed sock yarns in my Etsy Store. I have almost 20 pounds dyed up and hope to list a few every couple of days. So stop by and check them out.








I have also listed several other goodies along with some 1/2 oz samples for 20 cents! It's a great way to try 'em before you buy 'em.

Take Care All!
~Coby

Stash Revealed

I moved the carder up to the house this winter so that I wouldn't have to pay the heat bill for the studio. During my absence, I would occasionally open the door and throw in a bag of fiber that I had purchased and over the months a rather huge mountain of wool had accumulated. So I geared up and went in this past Friday and did some serious "Spring Cleaning" and reorganizing. It was just like Christmas!! I was finding fiber that I had long forgot about purchasing...And with my having to cancel my booth at the DFW Fiber Fest due to family health issues....I am way overstocked. The good news ~ I wont have to place a supply order for awhile. The bad news ~ I just placed another supply order. LOL! I am so addicted to fiber. :O)

So here's a few pic's of the studio. It's only one end of the shop due to the fact that my other hobbies still need to have their day (or ten) of organization.











That's my son "The Blurr" in the bottom left corner there. He was so excited that Mommy had cleaned her studio so that he could ride his bike inside. (He's such a ham.)

Getting ready.....

I have started the HUGE task of getting everything ready for the DFW Fiber Fest.

I decided to post a few pictures here of the items that I will be bringing with me as I get them done. I have over 300 POUNDS of fiber waiting for me in the studio for the show.....

Last week I worked on dying up some Superwash Merino Alpaca. This roving is soooooo soft and fluffy. And the best part is that is almost spins itself (Wouldn't that be nice???). It's great for socks and other lace weight projects. I had a customer use some for a lace weight shawl pattern. It turned out so beautiful!!!! She doesn't have a digital camera so I'm trying to meet up with her so I can get a photo to post.






There you have some of the first fuzzy goodies that I have managed to get done for the show....
Don't forget to check back and see more as I get them done.

Take Care Everyone and I'll See You There!!!!!
Coby

Look out Dallas here I come!

I am so very pleased to announce that I will attending the Dallas Fort Worth Fiber Festival as a vendor this year! This year's event will be held April 4-6 at the Addison Conference Center. I am stettin' up TWO booths of woolly wonderfulness for you to stop by and see. So please come on in a introduce yourself! I would love to meet you and chat for awhile.

I'll keep you all posted about it when I find out more. I was just so excited I had to let you all know.

Feel free to drop me a line and let me know what all you would like to see me bring to the event. Special orders and requests are always welcome! :O)

Where does the time go?

I was going through my photos in my computer trying to organize them better. (See #22 on my New Year's Resolutions and Random Thoughts post) When I came across these. I took them just before my son, Cahl, had his first birthday. I just had to share them. WOW! He has grown up so much already.




















That's it...just a little shameless braggin'. :O)

New Years Resolutions & Random Thoughts

Here's a list of some New Year's resolutions and random thoughts about things I need to be doing. Maybe actually posting them will help me keep them in mind and accomplish them.

I would like to say that I did manage to keep the two resolutions I made last year. I did cut back on my caffeine intake and I switched to diet soda. I have actually almost quit drinking soda altogether. I maybe have one a week now. Yippee! It was hard at first but I am so proud of myself for sticking with it!


1. I must refrain from eating Klondike bars in the bathtub....
They melt to fast and it doesn't make them have any less calories

2. I need to drink more water and eat a little healthier. Although I totally believe that my love affair with Little Debbie's Oatmeal Cream Pies keeps Kenny Schrader in his race car. (You have to be supportive of the sponsors)

3. Exercise a little. (See my love for sweets in #1 and #2) I know, everyone says this. But I'm not talking about a huge exercise regiment. Just the basics...I already do at least one sit up a day (getting out of bed) and jog a little (keeping up with the three year old). I guess I could put those Pilates DVD's to use I purchased over 4 years ago. I don't believe that I'm over weight but I am a little soft in the center...kind of like the Twinkies Guy. Yeah, that's right. Soft in the center with cowboy like qualities. Mmmmmm, Twinkies.. Ooops.

4. This one is for my Customers....Remember to leave feedback. For some reason I have been awful about leaving feedback lately. I appreciate you all greatly and your business is very important to me. Don't be afraid to crack the whip here people. I will get to it as soon as I am done posting this. ;O)

5. Clean out my studio. YIKES! This is a big one. I have at least 10 of everything down there. And a couple more to spare. So I'm thinking about posting several eBay auctions until I have my surplus of crafty supplies under control.

6. Make something for myself. In all of my years making things by hand I have never made anything for myself....not even a scarf. I do have a plan to make myself a new belt. I'll keep you posted.

7. Have a little more fun. I have turned into a hermit since my son was born. I used to travel all the time prior to 2000. And until Oct of last year I hadn't really took a vacation. I loved my trip to Cancun. And I love the fact that I made so many wonderful friends there that I stay in contact with on almost a daily basis. So 2008 is the year of the trips. Look out world here I come....again!

8. Take my son to do something extra special and fun at least twice a month. We go to the park a lot during the summer but don't really have special trips. So I'm thinking the Chicago Zoo, the Aquarium, a children's museum or something along those lines about twice a month. (That's fun for me too. See #7)

9. I need to get a knitting related tattoo. For some reason I just feel the need to get inked up again.

10. Learn to say no. Yes, that's right. I am always way way way overbooked. But I'll try to work you in.

11. Keep up with the yard work this summer. I have always had a huge garden full of great veggies and flowers. Along with a very well kept yard. This last year it all went out the window and I had so many people asking me about what happened. I promise you will be able to see the house through all the weeds this year.

12. Go fishing. I love to fish. I don't remember the last time I went out on the lake to fish. Although I did go deep sea fishing while I was in Cancun. But that's not the same.

13. Re-learn how to play the guitar. I used to play by ear. But this year I'm going to take a few lessons. I have my eye on a very nice guitar I want to buy for myself but I wont do it until I can keep making progress with the lessons.

14. Learn a little more about computer graphics. I spend an insane amount of money on banners and auction templates for my listings. I love the work pixelcafe does for me and they are so wonderful to work with. But I really want to learn how to do my website graphics which are in dire need of a face lift!

15. Spin some yarn. I don't think I spun more that 10 hanks of yarn this past year. Hmmmm...what is it that I do for a living??? Card roving and what?? Oh, spin that's right!

16. Try to make more finished products for my shop(s). Like wraps and handbags. And yes, I said shops. (See #17)

17. Finally open my second Etsy shop for business. I'm going to keep you hanging on this one. Check back for a posting about my new non-fiber related Etsy shop that will open sometime the end or Feb or beginning of March.

18. Why must McDonald's french fries taste sooooo good? Enough said.

19. Plug in the kiln. I purchased it over 3 years ago and still need to plug it in. That's all just plug kiln into socket and start it up. It sound simple enough...but yet, I have not done it yet.

20. Walk the new puppy when the weather permits. She is huge (size wise not weight wise) and really needs to exercise more. I don't think that I have told you all about her yet. We call her "Puppy". I know not real original but my son wanted to name her "Pooh". I'm saving him a little adolescent embarrassment when his girlfriend comes over and he has to call for "Pooh" to come in the house. "Pup" is simple but less embarrassing for a teenage boy to call his dog. She is a Bernoodle...a Burmese Mountain Dog and Large Poodle cross. In short, a huge black rag mop.

21. Try to write more. I actually won a full ride scholarship to college for my writing ability. I know...you can't tell from my blogs. But I really did. I promise. I started writing stories about my adventures on the road as a traveling cowgirl several years ago and put it on the back burner. It's time to start working on them again. It's my "Memoirs of a Tumbleweed" project.

22. Get organized. This one is frightening. Really it is. If I put everything up I wont know where to find anything. My motto lately...organized people are just to lazy to look for things.

23. DO NOT GO BACK TO WORK AT THE RESTAURANT! For some reason I always go back. About every 6-8 months there is a huge rash of employees either getting fired or quitting at the restaurant where I used to work. I always go back to help out and get way behind in my duties here at home and for my Etsy shop. Don't get me wrong, I love cooking there. I have been working both days on the weekends sine I returned home form my vacation in Oct. I NEED ANOTHER VACATION! I am almost done with this tour of duty. Only two more weekends left. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. (See #10)

24. Get on a schedule. Simply said but not so easily done.

25. Redecorate....Paint, replace furniture and keep the immense mountain of toys in line. Ha! Sounds good though.

26. Cook more at home. I have always loved cooking. But lately if it doesn't come from a box or a bag it doesn't get made. I cook on the grill a lot during the summer especially with the garden but the winter really gets me lazy in the cooking department. Trent Willmon has a wonderful cookbook for sale on his site.....I know, yet another shameless plug for my favorite country music singer an songwriter. But he is such a deserving person!

27. Stop when I get overwhelmed and re-evaluate the situation. And not be afraid to cut back on my undertakings.

28. Fix the lawnmower...My son and I take the riding lawnmower out for a spin around the block every morning. It is one of my favorite parts of the day...Coffee and hearing my son giggle as we go down the road. But the lawn mower started running a little rough the last few time we took it out so we made short trips to the end of the road and back.

29. Start my own line of apparel for knitters and spinners...Any Suggestions? Cute T's and gear for the hip and sassy knitter.

30. Upload my stash on Ravelry. This will take forever but I swear I have one of the world's largest stashes of yarn and roving for personal use.

OK, the list could go on and on....But you all get the idea. Help keep me in line will ya? I'll keep you all posted on my progress. I'm sure I'll be making a few confessions later...well, maybe sooner.

Take care all and let's have a great 2008!
Coby