MissyGirl

Here is yet ANOTHER message from Missy. *sigh* I know. I spend way too much time posting to y'all. Oh well. :D

I am going to spend the better part of today designing another watercolor quilt. This one is going to be on the small side about maybe 26" square. I am going to applique some lilacs in the shape of a wreath to the quilt. It should turn out good. I am still in awe of how simple and easy it is to make one of these quilts. Amazing really.

Me and my mom are going to do all the cutting for a quilt for Mike today too. There are only 80 blocks but the good thing is all the blocks are 10" so it makes the piecing so much more forgiving. He loves the color blue so blue it will be. I found a book that uses the layer cakes (10" squares)it is called Big Blocks for Big Quilts (I think). I do not often buy layer cakes but I have TONS of yardage so I will finally bust some stash. If I am really ambitious maybe I will get some of the piecing done today for Mike. We will see though because I am going to his place this evening. We need a bit of romance time. So excited! I am going to ask him when he calls this morning if he wants to come over tomorrow while I do some quilting. We will see if he wants to do that.

I hope everyone is doing well.

Missy

missgigglewings

MissyGirl, I have been a part of this thread for 2 months now and have manged to lose 9 lbs. Most of my inspiration comes from reading the posts of your journey. My neice had weight loss surgery over a year ago and in that year she has given birth to a beuatiful little boy and I believe she has lost 140 lbs. I have invited her to join our board and this thread. I believe she has a lot to offer all of us. She is a quilter too!

Anyway, I wanted to say God bless you and thank you for sharing your life with us!

trupeach1

I made the egg muffins for lunch but used the whole egg not just egg white. I filled the muffin cups with cauliflower and onions. I packed the veggies in and then poured the beaten eggs into the cups. I made 4 1 egg in each cup I had 1 with 2 mini corn muffins for lunch. YYYYYYYYUUUUUUUUUMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOO. total as about 170 calories. this afternoon i will have 1 as a snack with tea.

MissyGirl

WOW! Way to go!!!!

Missy

MissyGirl

Aww. Thank you so much!! It has certainly been a journey for me and it makes me feel good knowing you have gotten help and support through reading my numerous, and sometimes silly, posts. I hope your niece does join. That would be wonderful!

Missy

MissyGirl

Tru,

That does sound yummy!!!

Missy

MissyGirl

I was asked to write about why I think the drop-in area at my local mental health center is important. They are considering removing it from their program.

So, this is what I wrote. Please tell me what you think.

*********************

Based on the information I learned from the teleconference last week, Drop-in is identified as an important tool towards recovery.

Drop-in can provide an opportunity for the clients to increase their socialization and life skills. For example, drop-in is a place where clients can meet and socialize with other clients and staff in a stigma-free zone. It is also a place to learn some skills that have the potential to improve job skills and/or life skills. Those might be defined as learning to use a telephone book to find what the client needs instead of asking staff for help, learning to work cooperatively in the preparation and clean-up after the lunch meal, learning to operate within the boundaries set by the staff for the drop-in area (no panhandling, smoking only in designated areas, no food on the carpeted area, no TV during meal time, and clients must be sober in drop-in).

To persons with mental illness, recovery has always implied having hope for the future. That may present itself as living a self-determined life, maintaining self-efficacy, and achieving meaningful roles in society. In the drop-in area those roles may include being a food server, a dishwasher, or a table cleaner. Some clients have no other place to spend the majority of their time. Coming to drop-in would, therefore, provide a safe place to spend their time.

As mentioned in a previous email, in the early 1970s, large numbers of psychiatric patients were discharged from psychiatric hospitals to find themselves adrift in uncaring communities. Drop-in is a place for mutual support and that may also motivate some to advocate for social justice for the clients. In communities where there are drop-in areas, there may be a smaller population of those with mental illnesses wandering the streets.

Drop-in areas are a major part of a Consumer-Operated Service Program (COSP). This is basically an umbrella term for programs that are administratively controlled and operated by persons with mental illness and that emphasize self help as their operational approach.

Today, the drop-in area is one of the COSP primary service delivery models. While many of the details of these COSP service delivery models appear to be different, at the heart of the program is a common set of peer structures, beliefs, and practices that are intended to recognize and nourish personal strengths and personhood and support a quality of life for participating peers.

As I mentioned in the previous email, the COSP common ingredients are structure, beliefs, and practices. The structure of COSPs are consumer operated, participant responsive, they operate in informal settings, and maintain member safety from harm and coercion. The beliefs of COSPs embrace the principles of choice, hope, empowerment, recovery, diversity, spiritual growth, and self-help. The practices of COSPs encourage participants to “tell their stories” of illness and recovery; engage in formal and informal peer support; mentor and become mentors; learn self-management and problem solving strategies; express themselves creatively; and advocate for themselves and other peers.

After a decade of research on eight COSPs located across the United States (1998-2008), investigators for the COSP Multi-site Research Initiative report that, as an adjunct to traditional mental health services (TMHS), participation in COSPs by adults with serious mental illness had positive effects on participants’ subjective well-being.

Analysis of more than 1,800 participants in the above referenced trial revealed that those offering consumer-operated services as an adjunct to their TMHS showed significant gains in well-being---hope, self-efficacy, empowerment, goal attainment, and meaning of life----in comparison to those who were offered TMHS only.

The greatest gains in well-being were found for the participants who used the peer support services the most, as in the drop-in program. Most important, analyses of COSP common ingredients and outcome results established evidence of a strong relationship between key peer practices that support inclusion, peer beliefs, self-expression, and an increase in well-being outcomes.

The flip side of the coin is what could happen if there was a loss of the drop-in area. This could be disastrous for some clients. For example, a client with a dual diagnosis who has a history of self-medicating with alcohol may return to drinking if they have no one to be accountable to whereby they currently are accountable to the staff of BMS based on the current rules of the drop-in area. This client may also wander the streets to pass the time if there were no drop-in area. This, too, could have several consequences. One would be that this client may inappropriately spend his/her money for alcohol instead of on groceries, and another might be that clients may begin to miss appointments with the staff. That could lead to medication noncompliance which may result in relapse and possible hospitalization.

As I have shown, there are multiple reasons why the drop-in area is a beneficial part of the services offered by BMS. There are also multiple consequences of not having this program.

If there is anything else I can share that I have learned from the teleconference, please feel free to let me know. I would be glad to expound on anything written in this email.

********

Okay. So there. *sigh* I have worked on this most of the afternoon instead of quilting. Ugh.

Missy

Gwyn

Melodie: Be careful. The fastest way to get pregnant is to give away the maternity clothes and baby supplies. It always happens that when I give away my fat clothes - as I did 3 years ago - it all comes back. This time I am keeping my biggest piece of clothing like a security blanket. The rest can go, but not given away. Cut up into pieces to make doll clothing and quilts! Dead...they have to be dead or they will sabatage me again!!!

thelondonzoo

lol, Gwyn. Maybe I should buy some maternity clothes and then give them away and hope I get pregnant. ;) We've been trying for a while now and I hope it happens soon.

MissyGirl

I hope it happens for you too!!

:D :D :D