"Staying Alive" by David Barshinger, written about our father, John Degnan

LINK HERE to READ this AMAZING article: http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0002088.cfm

UPDATE: Please be in continued prayer for my dad as he is currently waiting on the 1st MRI on Aug. 18th following his surgery. He is currently under nutritional methods of care; advice & acting on the wisdom in the healing & hopeful shrinkage of this brain tumor which is not surgically going to be removed. He continues to struggle with double vision & cannot get any relief for it, since his last appointment revealed there to be no movement passed mid point. He is walking on his own, Praise God for the physical therapy as he does not need to go anymore, but with very careful guidance, slowly but surely every day he is regaining this strength.

We are facing this together as a family & it's a rough road in understanding & putting our full faith, fears & understanding in why & how God uses this situation & pains we experience for his Glory. We all LOVE this man so much & we also know how much God Loves him & we have no other choice but to trust HIM.

Thought you would enjoy reading this article that my brother in law David Barshinger wrote for a Focus on the Family magazine written for boys, called Boundless. He is truly an amazing writer, also a student at Trinity University in Chicago. He and my sister, Allison have two young boys & are just a wonderful couple. I always enjoy reading Dave's articles that really capture the truth & reveal critical points that God teaches in His Word!

Thanks for your continued prayers for my dad!
Love, Bon & Family
http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0002088.cfm

Continued Prayer NEEDS: Dad's Pathology Update

*** MORE PRAYERS Needed *** ... for dad's health & MRI in 2 approximately months to see rate of growth & possible further treatment plans. D&M got the very involved final Pathology report they asked to have in hand.

Diagnosis is: Astrocytoma Grade 2. What is known to be a Lesion on the floor of the 4th Ventrical. A Brain Tumor in his brain stem with Internuclear Ophthalmoplegia (eyes) ... in the way of 6 nerves on the right side, Scattered a-typical cells around the very small center of biopsy location.

It's hard to fathom & take all of this in, however... WE DO KNOW & are trying to keep the faith of God's Strength & ability to work through the Dr's, modern medicine & even miracles to make this tumor disappear! Thanks for those of you who have been asking & have been so faithful in your prayers & help for my family.

Hugs, Bon

Pre Surgery & After with Mom, May 09

A Walk through the neighborhood prior to surgery, the week before. My sister was also here from Chicago with her two little boys. How I wish dad could walk on his own again & have only the tracking problem he once had. Since surgery... The tracking problem is hardly even there. It seems to have been traded for this double vision.

I have several photos to share... This one is Dad & Mom about 2 days after dad's brain surgery.

Update on Dad's Surgery, June 5th, 09

This photo is me with 2 of my sisters with our dad about 2 days after surgery. He worked really hard to stand & smile for this photo. It breaks my heart to see him like this, but he is the best example of courage, faith & strength. He said he must have repeated to himself Isaiah 26:3 about 150 times prior to this surgery. ... What an amazing man he is! Sorry I have not been here much to report the latest, I have updated my ebay store to be on vacation settings through the 10th of June as of right now... Please read on for the latest update on my dad's condition. In Short, He is in Physical Therapy as he cannot walk & he is seeing double vision now approx. 15 days after his surgery... THANKS for continuing to pray!

To all of my faithful & devoted customers:

Thanks for all of your business & support with encouragement at this difficult time as my dad was dignosed with a brain tumor in his brain stem, following surgery at John's Hopkins on May 22nd, I am still here in PA where I have been since the middle of May so I must keep my store here on vacation settings until I return. Please feel free to see my me page for details or my website BLOG for further updates & prayer requests throughout this time. I will be working on updating my website STORE to ecommerce while I am away as well. Please be in prayer, he just turned 59 & has 5 children & 8 grandchildren, he still works full time & has a lot of faith & support, an amazing man! My dad's surgery went well, however, he is left with double vision & he cannot walk. Both of which he did not have as a problem when he entered into surgery, we are praying these will both return. They only took a very small biopsy from the center of the tumor & not any more as intial pathology during surgery revealed that it was benign & slow growing. It was quite critical & risky as everything is so very tiny where they were working. Functions such as vision, hearing, taste, breathing, heartbeat, swallowing & expressions in the face were all very likely affected as we see now. He could have been paralized or on breathing & feeding tubes, etc. So we are thankful & hopeful that during this time of healing, these issues will subside, I will keep you updated... as I can. Plan is to be home after the 10th of June.
I will appreciate your prayers & understanding & business when I return, it's very difficult taking the month off, but I know God is in control & my parents need me here. It has been a very good visit at home with my family.

Blessings, Bonnie
703-946-4200 is my cell number if you need to call me.

Dad's Surgery is scheduled: May 22nd.

Dad's Surgery is scheduled for May 22nd. Please pray... Right now, for him to get rest, his eyes are very tired from working them so hard with the tracking problems. He's still working & keeping very busy, he says, "It's good therapy" It's taking it's toll. I'm leaving next Tuesday for a month at home in PA.

Thanks for your prayers~
Bonnie

UPDATE: I will be taking off the month of MAY to go home to PA & be with my family. ~

This photo was taken when we were altogether at Christmas! THANKS for your continued prayers & support; my parents have a beautiful family & cabin in which we all LOVE to go & be together. They are in their late 50's with 5 children & 8 grandchildren, 3 grandparents were there with us as well, in their late 80's! What a blessing!!! We will all be there on Mother's Day weekend, the 8th-10th. Dad is planning surgery for after this weekend, he is currently getting off of his blood thinners to prepare. I will keep you updated here when I am home & away from ebay & my business in Mississippi.

PLEASE PRAY for my Dad & Mom: (& the Degnan Family)

I WILL BE TAKING OFF THE MONTH OF MAY... PLEASE READ THIS BELOW: Feel free to check my website Blog for updates as I will away from ebay, with the exception of trying to keep up with a few sales on my weekly READY TO SHIP listings to keep up with a little income. I will be putting my store on Vacation... as my parents live in PA, 18 hours from our home here in Mississippi & I will not be working on custom outfits or shipping fabric until I return. Thanks for your prayers & support during this hard time.

I Love this picture taken Dec. 2008. We are facing a scary trial & storm as a family. In Short, A spot showed up on an MRI on Dad's brain stem, in late March. In the past few weeks many tests at further study through the best Dr's & Neurosurgeons at John's Hopkins revealed this being a tumor about 1/2" that will need to operated on to biopsy & find out if this lesion is benign or the other. This is the cause of some tracking/ focus problems most recently that he had come up with his left eye & some shaking in his mouth & jaw area in the previous 5 weeks or so since the 1st cat scan. God knows all of these details & exactly what is to come. We all need His strength right now & support of dear friends. This is very hard & came on so fast. Mom most especially needs prayer & supportive friends now. We want her to be strong for dad & the coming tests & treatment plans. Please PRAY for the wisdom of the Dr's & neurosurgeon/s... For Healing & Peace throughout this process & surgery. Yes, we are actually praying the symptoms will disappear & for the spot to disappear in the MRI they will do the day of his surgery. This is a very risky surgery that could easily cause paralysis and even worse.

This incredible & most amazing man I've ever known. Dad is strong & will fight this, he has gotten 2nd & 3rd opinions. We are working with whatever treatment plan is recommended at John's Hopkins. Most importantly we need to Trust God. He is in control & this is the first thing Dad said. This lesion has clearly effected these very sensitive places & we do not know what it is & need this surgery to be proactive. Medical technology has come a long way & we do have time. Time is most definitely a gift in itself, we seem to take that for granted when everything is going well. It's been a VERY emotional week here for my entire family, it's hard being away & hard being there amidst. WE LOVE THIS MAN God has blessed us with for so many years! We do not want suffering, we do understand that none of us are promised tomorrow. It's all hard to grasp... very hard, only in his strength, we are not alone & will fight this fight. Updates will be on my website BLOG.Thanks for your prayers, support & LOVE for my family.

GOD BE WITH US TODAY & ALWAYS...

Bon

PLEASE: Continued Prayers for my Dad & Family

For all of you who have been praying & asking faithfully about my dad, John,In short, the results are 1/2" tumor in the center of Dad's brain stem & the best surgeon on the East Coast is the Dr who will be performing this very risky surgery at John's Hopkins. This will most likely take place in 4-6 weeks or so??? Blood thinner meds need to be stopped prior as he's been taking for his heart for many years. Please place John on your prayer chains in the coming weeks. I will keep updated here as I can.

We all appreciate your continued prayers!
Bon & Family

Dad's Health & URGENT Prayer Update...

This message below is directly from dad; April 18th, 09... Please especially be in prayer for this very amazing man regarding exactly what he has stated, the temptation of the very real worries & fears represented & for this appoint. on Tuesday at 10 AM. Thanks so much for your sincere prayers at this time. This picture was taken at the end of March when my parents came to visit us here in MS. Bon

Hello fellow prayer partners, I want to thank each one who is lifting Dianne & I before the Lord regarding wisdom & His peace to get us beyond the fear & worry we are tempted with in this brain stem problem. We know God allows these things for His loving purpose and look forward to His plan!.. Please pray as we go on Tuesday @ 10AM to consult with Dr Olivi, Director of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins. We will keep you posted as to treatment plans via prayer chain... God Bless & Thanks, John & Dianne

URGENT PRAYER NEEDED for my Dad, John Degnan

PLEASE PRAY for my Dad & Mom:
(John & Dianne & the Degnan Family)

In short~ A spot showed up on an MRI on Dad's brain stem, on Wednesday. This is the cause of some tracking/ focus problems most recently that he had come up with his left eye & some shaking in his mouth & jaw area in the previous 3 weeks or so. God knows all of these details & exactly what is to come. We all need His strength right now & support of dear friends. This is very hard & came on so fast. Mom needs prayer & strength from supportive friends. We want her to be strong for dad & the coming tests & treatment plans.

Please PRAY for the wisdom of the Dr's & neurosurgeon/s & most definitely for the strength of my mom & family to help... For Healing & Peace. This incredible & most amazing man I've ever known. Dad is strong & will fight this, he will get 2nd & 3rd opinions & work with whatever treatment plan. Most importantly we need to Trust God. He is in control & this is the first thing Dad said. We still do not know what the "spot" is, but it is in a hard part of the brain stem to operate & has clearly effected these very sensitive places. Medical technology has come a long way & we do have time. Time is most definitely a gift in itself, we seem to take that for granted when everything is going well. It's been a VERY emotional week here for my entire family, it's hard being away & hard being there amidst. WE LOVE THIS MAN God has blessed us with for so many years! We do not want suffering, we do understand that none of us are promised tomorrow. It's all hard to grasp... very hard, only in his strength, we are not alone & will fight this fight.

Thanks for your prayers, support & LOVE for my family.
GOD BE WITH US TODAY & ALWAYS...

Bon

BD Boutique SPRING Launch on Ebay! Starts~ 3-15-09... .99-9.99 Start Bids~

SPRING FLING LAUNCH for BD Boutique on ebay~ Starts Sunday March 15th. Just search BD Boutique on ebay!

I've HAD SO MUCH FUN with Photography & using my NEW Lighting, I finally figured out how to make it work...

I Started and HOST a Boutique Group of 60 designers like myself on ebay about 3 years ago... Just Search BD Boutique anytime to see many of the designers listings. It's been a little over 3 years now since the group started & we've come a long way, we're pretty silent, but all there & listing weekly, I only invited Professional Top designers into this group & since all of the changes on ebay, quite a few of them have left selling on ebay completely. Please check it out this coming week if you have any interested friends, please let them know as well. I will be listing MANY MANY Customs & Ready to ship dresses in 3/4 & 5/6 sizes for Spring!!!

Life has been super busy here & all last week I suffered through with the flu & miserable cold which antibiotics are thankfully helping now. I'm looking forward to the healthier weeks ahead, it's forced me into the start of losing a few pounds & now I feel I'm on a trend for that. I had high cholesterol since I had my end of the year blood work done. This is hereditary & the first I've known about it. So it's worried me into doing right & taking care of what we should all be aware of all the time. Eating Cherioes & Oatmeal every other morning & watching my diet has lowered my total from 202 to 171 in 2 months. Also being watched for Thyroid disease, which has been a battle for quite a few years, so I will be following through with that in the next few weeks.

Thanks for all of your sincere cares & prayers about my life here... My husband & I are working on our relationship constantly. He is hardly ever home, so this makes it quite difficult... He will be going to Instructor Training School in April & then hurricane season will quickly start which means traveling most all of the summer months. He's also volunteered to go to Iraq for 4 months & is now looking into going back to Active Duty for a call up specialty field in a few select locations in the US. This would require us to move at the end of this year. I'm blessed to have a business that is mobile & a husband with a great job to allow me to be able to do what I LOVE. I miss him & it's quite lonely. I enjoy talking with my dedicated customers every day on the phone. It's a JOY serving all of you!

Many Blessings & THANKS for your business & support along this tough road in our economy. I'm STILL paying off my debts, machines etc. I still pray & hope for adoption some day in the next few years.

Take Care Hugs!

Bonnie

Getting Ready to WELCOME SPRING!!!

Some NEW Designs for Easter & Disney Vacations, etc...

I know too much time has passed by since I have written on my blog. I've been working very hard filling orders & recovering from the Christmas & Valentine Rush orders. Amazingly enough, the economy has shown minimal shortage on my regular business stats. I feel VERY BLESSED to have such faithful customers. Although my ebay sales go for quite minimal, it is refreshing to juts have work that actually does keep me hopping, much busier than I used to be for a little more money. I do not find this shocking... just THANKFUL for the work. I've sold one of my industrial sewing machines to help make the difference as I did not use it very much & enjoyed seeing it go to a good home of a local Korean lady who was inspired by my work & wanting to start her own little business. This did my heart good...

I have yet to take the time I need to really make my site attractive & workable with easy buys for my customers. I am going to make this a goal this coming 2 weeks. This does take quite a bit of time, but it's going to be well worth it, most especially when shared with friends of friends of friends... My goal is to keep my prices reasonable & fair.

Thanks for taking the time to send me ideas & pictures to post on my happy customer section on my website. I have to update this section as well as I am so grateful for your work & sharing me with your friends!

Blessings & Joys!
Bonnie

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!!

Photo Above is of my parents in the NEW finished basement of our family cabin in Airville PA. They loved their gift this year~ All of us got them a photo of our individual families for Christmas, they are now framed & hung above this sofa with lights. They had this sofa since they were married!!! Our Sweet Misty was a HIT over Christmas at the cabin, she LOVED this sofa! :)

Happy NEW YEAR! Finally back in the swing of things~ For getting back to work after a lovely trip home to PA for two weeks has not been easy... I hope all of my bloggers have enjoyed a Happy Holiday Season as well!

Now, to update you! I'm being very careful in my listings with ebay as the fees have been just outrageous, etsy is still quite slow & I have built up a great clientele base of which keeps me busy through just ordering personally from me. So, I am listing many of the same designs on ebay for the next Holiday which is Valentines Day~ RIGHT around the corner now, folks!!! :)

I've been busy keeping up with myspace & facebook. It's been SO MUCH fun picking up & catching up with old friends where I've left off years & years ago... Ross leaves for a week of Skiing with his friends from Philly, he deserves a good break away. When he gets back he will be headed to Alaska to fly winter storms there. Yes, this leaves me with a lot of alone time & to focus on trying to figure out my taxes & work orders to help pay off my debts accumulated... This is my goal!

Thanks for your continued interest & your support... Sharing me with your friends & neighbors!

Blessings, Bonnie

A December 8th~ Monday Morning in MS

I ALWAYS LOVED Curious George~ I'm also working on Strawberry Shortcake, Disney Princess & Mermaid in very similiar sets! It's hard to get them all modeled & photographed & listed, just let me know of any theme you would like anytime if you have a special event, etc... I can certainly come up with something amazing for your sweetie; Girl or Boy!

I'm enjoying this cool Monday morning here in Mississippi~ Catching up with e-mails & replies & placing a post of one of my new special Valentine FUN outfits! I LOVE personalization!!! It's hard to think this far ahead, but with custom orders, this is right around the corner after Christmas! I'm already thinking about Easter & Spring! I may have a local show this weekend to keep me busy the remainder of the week, so I am posting this now while my memory is fresh & I have a moment. :) I'm trying to relax in the mornings with teatime.

I hope you find just what you need to relax you during the hustle & bustle of this Holiday Season & our countries uncertainties with the economy. I know I've been stressed about that & notice a HUGE difference in my business & customer base most recently.

Hugs~ Bon

Happy Holidays! December 2008

I'm feeling so overwhelmed & Christmas is coming OH SO FAST! :) I wanted to take a moment to write here as I have found some time. Ross is doing his Reserve weekend duty this weekend & will be traveling all this coming week to close the hurricane hunters work station down on the Island St Croix where they have done a lot of their flying from all summer long. I'm sure it will be a fun week for him as he has a very dear friend (a former room mate) who lives & works there with his wife. They do like to catch up & go golfing and such.

I have been working very hard on getting my Christmas & Holiday orders out in time & have neglected to spend time on my website or here. I have recently updated my website with less confusing attributes & hopefully better understanding for most customers. Please let me know if you have any ideas as I am far from this process being completed.

I will post a few photos here for now in hopes that I will have more time to update this coming week. I still have groceries in my car to unload from yesterday as we had the Air Force Christmas party last night & I did bring in all of the stuff that needed refrigerated. :) This was on my list of TO DO's & I feel like those of you who check in regularly will hopefully understand & probably can have some of the same busy stories in your own lives.

Hope you had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving! I started Nanny*ing p/t for a lovely family here & it's approx. 1-3 days a week, which is sich a blessing and outlet doing just what I LOVE!!!

Happy Halloween! Adding Gift Certificates on my website!!!

Finally it is cooling down here in the South! :) This makes me very happy... most of all, no more major hurricane threats, we're on the downward spiral of the season. I have listed quite a few darling Halloween designs this year, but as usual... I'm later in listing. I will be listing a Darling Thanksgiving set today after my model comes over for photos! We are also doing some General Sports Twirl Dresses, she is a darling little sweetie, it's always a fun time seeing these sets come to life!

I will post a few photos here, I'm trying my best to stay up to date with you here. Feel free to contact me anytime on any ideas you have! I LOVE to hear from my customers, most especially when they pass me on to their friends.

Thanks for all of your support & business!

Fall Blessings~

Bonnie

New Capri/Pants Style in time for Thanksgiving & Christmas!!!

I promised I would post a photo of my new Capri/Pants Style!!! So here is my very first model debut for this style! The Wide Ruffle is very much in I can easily add an additional ribbon, rick rack or bias above the ruffle as well! The Tops are optional & you can easily add initial applique or monogramming to coordinate the bottoms & have great use for Mix & Matching... More photos to come in the next week or so. I'm working on some darling Thanksgiving Sets with Turkey's on the top! Very CUTE!!! Keep checking back & contact me anytime with your custom idea or special needs!

Bon

Sunday Morning~ A Fresh New October! Feeling the Fall?

Here in Mississippi, it is hardly feeling like Fall, although there is some cool breezes & the humidity has pretty much subsided which is a very good thing! Ross is working this weekend, so I am too! I'm working on some ideas to help shoppers save money on darling boutique sets for siblings... I will be posting photos ASAP of these sweet new Ruffled Capri or Pants Styles with the matching headband. I can do matching tops or mom's can simply purchase the tops to match the pants to help save & be able to wear with other sets, too!

WEBSITE UPDATE: Roxy has been amazing in getting my website back up in a super timely manner! THANKS A MILLION, Roxy... after all you're dealing with... no doubt you are just spent! After the downtime with the changes the service provider had made when we went to upload everything again I felt bad that this happened at such a time while she is trying to study & has her own family. What a headache for her, poor thing! She has done an incredible job in learning & building my website for me. She is absolutely the best artisitc gal & has created a site that I thought would be impossible to accomplish!~ I'm SO GRATEFUL for all of the help & her patience in trying to teach & work with me along the way & across the states, all the way from California! She has been incredible!!! There are still some minor issues & kinks, we're working on & I appreciate your e-mails & help to make this site run smoothly for buyers. Please let me know if you have any ideas for better set or navigation, etc. I am always happy to help any customer over the phone as well.

Thanks again for checking up here with my Blog... I'm trying to keep it updated as things unfold & news happens here.

Sunday Blessings!
Bonnie

Website FUNK~ & ... Ross is FINALLY Home from 8 weeks of Flying!!!

Firstly, I've been having some website troubles... PLEASE, please bear with me here as my web designer works on this for me, for us! I'm sorry as it's confusing to upload the updates & then have everything new & in different formats, etc... We hope to have this accomplished by weekend's end.

Today was a BIG day here in our lives! We are very happy to have Ross home safe & sound. He was in Guam doing research with the Navy on Typhoons & his crew also went to Japan as they flew into a Super Typhoon. It was the first time it's been done in 30 years. He said it was a bit nerve wrecking going through the eye wall! No doubt! I'm glad I only know about this now, although he did tell me he was going to be flying into a Typhoon, they are pretty much like Hurricanes, except a SUPER Typhoon is beyond a Cat 5!!! I'll have to share the link to the video once he locates it! This photo is what I've been working on... with my down time here while Ross was away, I've been doing a home improvement on our backyard as I hope to start doing more outdoor portraits with my designs. I've sold my photography lighting in hopes to someday get better lighting for indoor. This is part of my husband's coming home surprise & for his 36th B-day which is on the 9th of October~ I'm pretty pleased, but BOY is it a lot of money, time & effort... It was WELL worth it though. LOVE the Hammock & Pathway, just peaceful!

So, we are trying to settle back into a routine & hoping there will not be much more traveling for the rest of this hurricane season~ It's been a VERY Busy Season! Quite nerve wrecking for me here, too! Most especially with the economy & looking for something part time to help suppliment & pay off my business debts, so scary with the financial crisis in our country! I'm going everything I can to keep this business going & learning to document & do everything correctly. I'll try to check back in here & post next week as things calm down a bit.

Thanks for your sincere cares & prayers with support of my success & dreams!

Blessings, Bonnie

READY for FALL here in MS!!!

It's TIME for FALL & I'm very excited for the weather to be transitioning here. It's still humid & HOT during the day, but mornings & evenings are quite cool. I MISS HOME in the North, SO Much! Would love to move back into our house in Phila, PA one day... Although it's a row house in the city & would be quite small to try to manage with my business... :)

Ross left for Guam 2 weeks ago & we have another 2 weeks to go. He actually flew into a Typhoon over Japan & spent quite a few days there b/c their plane broke. They brake a lot as they have really been used heavily in the hurricane's this year. They are very careful not to fly when this happens. He is so far away & cannot call home, we skyped for the first time last night. His flight days are approx. 11-12 hours at a time. They are doing a Navy mission on Typhoons with the scientists & even had a visit from National Geographic! So, he does not get enough sleep it sounds, but it's really a great experience.

Business is very much slowing b/c of the economy. I am going to look for a P/T job over on the AF Base this morning. It's been a while since I've updated here & wanted to take a moment to write in & keep in touch. I'm advertising in my first Family & Children's Gulf Coast Magazine, I hope it will be worth it. I signed up for an entire year!

Thanks for continuing to keep up with me; shop & share my site, PLEASE

Smiles & Miles of HUGS!
Bon

Back from Gustav, Watching Hurricane IKE!

THANKS for keeping up here~ I'm doing my best to keep my blog updated, although coming back home there was A LOT to take care of. ... It never ends, huh? We are both home safe & sound, just for the weekend, then Ross leaves for Guam for 3 weeks on Monday.

As for how we weathered Gustav... We had a tree down in the back yard & a little moisture issue where the baseboard pulled away from the wall in our dining room. Very minor & we felt very good about this being IT. I'm headed now to make dinner & go to have it on the base with Ross as he is working until Midnight for all of the storms out there, the guys are working additional hours & planes are coming in later tonight. Someone has to be there for taking the calls, etc.

I will update after the first of next week... I've been busy trying to complete current orders & try to be in the clear & ahead! :) Seems impossible~ Although I am SO GRATEFUL for every order! :) Thanks for your business & support along the way here! I may be looking for a part time job as the economy is making it very difficult to make this work for the hours I put in are hardly worth the profit & outcome. SAD, but true!~ I do hope that things will pick up & I will not have to do that, but I'm getting ready for that reality too.

Blessings to you all~
Bonnie