Thanksgiving Week

I love Thanksgiving week. I always take this week as vacation and get to spend some quality time with my Granddaughter as her school closes for Parent/Teacher conferences. I always knew that Kylie was one smart cookie, but now she has the proof - Straight A's on her report card - it doesn't get any better than that. She reminds me so much of her father it's not even funny - I don't think that I ever got Straight A's - except maybe in art. Yes, I am one proud grandmother!

After spending the better part of the week with Kylie, I've come to the conclusion that I don't ever want to grow up - it's just too much fun being childlike. Don't they call this Peter Pan Syndrome?

I picked up Kylie on Saturday afternoon for a "Girls Day Out" and we started off at Joann Fabrics for a papercrafting demo. I always hoped to get into scrapbooking, but so far all I've ever done is some retail therapy and amass a lot of stuff that I planned to use one day and never have. Thankfully, I didn't purge it when I was in my "clean it out" mode. Joann's was demo-ing one of those fancy new Cricut machines and as they were setting the bait to reel us in, I thought twice about spending $400 for a machine that I may or may not use -- then there were the cartridges that go along with it. Whoa, this could be an expensive new hobby. Oh, did we ever get caught up in the possibilities of the things that we could make with this machine, but as we browsed the aisles of Joann's, they had a Sizzix Big Kick machine that was hand crank and 40% off both the machine and die-cuts. Now that was more like it. After we left Joann's, we went to lunch and Kylie's head was just swirling with ideas of what we were going to make.

Here's Kylie at work with cranking out all of the designs.

Let me tell you, this was the best money ever spent. I have never had so much fun playing with little pieces of paper and glue and seeing the happy smile on Kylie's face as she was creating her masterpieces. The time spent together laughing, talking and being creative was priceless.

Kylie did take time to dote on "the boys" and they loved every minute of it.

I have a few projects that I've been working on that are quilt related and I hope to get back to them once the papercrafting bug has let up.

This is an embroidered pillow top that just needs a backing.

This is the background for a Country Santa that needs to be appliqued.

and, finally a Christmas tree quilt that needs to be quilted and I'm still playing with the prairie points that will rim the edge.

I'm hoping that posting these half-finished photos of works-in-progress will shame me into finishing them. Do ya think???

Happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful that I had so much fun spending time with my granddaughter.

Early Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving came early for us this year. My granddaughter is going to be spending Thanksgiving with her mother's family, so we decided that we have so much to be thankful for that we would celebrate early.


I spent most of Saturday cleaning my house - and believe me it sure did need it. I should be charging those dust bunnies rent. The weather was dreadful, so it was a good day to stay inside. I had my "to-do" list and it felt oh so good to cross off all those tasks that I've been putting off. This was also my first attempt at cooking a turkey and I was a little nervous, but since it wasn't officially Thanksgiving we could just call and order from KFC if it didn't turn out. Thankfully, it was as easy as it looked!

The "boys", Toby & Bailey, knew that something was up and were excited that we were having company - or should I say they were planning who would spend the most time with Kylie.

Dinner was so relaxing and enjoyable - no pressure, just good food, good company and good wine. I was on my A-game today and everything was timed perfectly.

You know how people get really sleepy after eating turkey, we'll I have two tired and exhausted pups (yes that photo is really two dogs sleeping together) and now I have the rest of the evening to do whatever. It doesn't get any better than this.

Life Goes On

I'm sure that anyone still reading my blog would think that I would be gushing about the wedding, but that didn't happen. Another curveball in the game we call life. Once again our family has learned that no matter what .... life does go on. These things happen for a reason and you don't dwell on it - you just move on.


Enough doom and gloom and on to happier things.


How about those Phillies - 2008 World Champions!!! My son, granddaughter and I went up to Philadelphia to see the parade - 28 years in the making and it was worth every minute of it. Twice in my lifetime the Philies have won a world championship. I've never seen sooo many people in one place at one time. The closest thing that I can imagine is Times Square on New Year's Eve which I've watched on TV and wondered "are those people nuts to want to be in a crowd like that" -- YES! But, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I'm glad that I got to experience it.


I won't go into how the crowd roared when Chase Utley dropped the F-bomb on "live" TV! Way to go Chase.........


Another piece of good news - I got a new sewing machine - a little 12-pound Janome Gem 760. A great little machine to take to all of those classes that I plan to attend. I'm not having a lot of success with forcing myself to spend time in my sewing room, so maybe if I take a few classes, I'll get my MoJo back. It would probably help, if I took the machine out of the box.....maybe.





My friend, Deb, and I have been sewing Stockings for the Troops and that is easing me back into sewing a little. I'm not setting the world on fire sewing these things, but it is using up a lot of Christmas fabric from my stash.


I've been keeping busy with two houses, too. My mother's house is almost cleaned out and I need to do some rennovations before moving in. I've also been clearing out my own house to downsize before moving. Oh my, the stuff we keep. I do get into these binges of "Use it or lose it", but it is so hard to get rid of your own stuff. Now, I'm looking at stuff to "use it or move it."

I can't believe the Holiday season is almost here and for us it will be bittersweet without Mom, but once again life does go on.

It's Officially Unofficial

I received my invitation in the mail today. My son is getting married. I knew it was coming up fast and furious, but this makes it official. These Six weeks will go by so fast that my head is spinning.

I do have my dress and the alterations are going to be done this week. The rehearsal dinner is set. Now, it seems like all I have to do is show up and look good.

This time last year, I wanted the Fairy Tale and it will take place in 6 weeks. I guess Miracles really do happen --- if you believe.

Double The Pleasure - Double The Fun

No, this isn't an advertisement for Wrigley's Gum. When you have 2 Yorkies, what could be more fun?

The weather has been September-like the past few days and we enjoyed an evening in the Garden just Grillin and Chillin.

When I'm grilling, the dogs are usually sitting right in from of the grill praying to the altar of St. Weber that something on that grill will be for them -- they are never disappointed.

If you think it's easy to get two high-strung independent Yorkies to sit still long enough for a photo shoot - you're dreaming. I had to promise them that St. Weber would have a hamburger waiting for them when this was over.

Bailey wants to know how much longer until it's time to eat or do you think he is asking for his hamburger to be cooked medium-rare? I don't usually take requests.

Toby is the newest addition to the family. He was my Mom's dog and now he has been adopted by us. Toby is 18 months old and I'm hoping that one day he will grow into his ears.

He is just too cute and loaded with personality. Both Bailey and Toby were used to being an only-dog, however Bailey is trying to get into being a big-brother and is trying to teach Toby what nap time is.

As you can see Toby really likes to mug for the camera. Uh-oh, it's dinner time - so the photo shoot is over.

Quilting, Mexican Food and Baseball

I know that you're probably wondering just what these three things have in common? She's really lost her mind, but that was my day yesterday.

I started the day at the local quilt shop for the monthly Quilting Demo. They showed us this nifty new way to make Half-Square Triangles (HST's) by taking two pieces of fabric (right sides together) and placing the Star Singles paper on top, then pinning together and sewing along the dotted line following the arrows, cut along the solid lines, tear away the paper and viola - a perfect HST. It was like they cast the line and reeled us in hook, line and sinker. Not only did they demo the technique, they showed us samples of what you could do with them. Take a look at these cute placemats that incorporate a panel and piecing.

I was hooked as were my other two quilting buddies. Now the challenge will be to see who gets them done first.

These placemats are definitely on my wish list to get done for Christmas.

After spending the morning at the Quilt Shop, I met up with some friends for lunch at a local Mexican Restaurant for a Gab Fest. Good food and good friends is the perfect recipe for a good time. After lunch they were heading over to see Mama Mia.

Even though I really wanted to see the movie, I bidded them good-bye. I was heading home to let out the dogs and pack up the cooler for a little tail-gating before the Phillies Game. I just love a baseball game.

Why is it that hot dogs taste so darned good at a ball park? Do you think it's because you're washing it down with an ice cold beer?

My son had scored some great seats for the game and I couldn't pass that up. I can see the movie any time. I took this picture from my seat of Jason Werth on third base -- how often can you get up close and personal with a baseball player, without leaving your seat.

Trains, Phones & Emotional Baggage

I've been keeping busy this week while on vacation, or should I say "Staycation". I heard that "Staycation" is a new buzz word for staying home while on vacation. Man, I've been in vogue for years. I was never one to pack up all of my earthly belonging to trek to a remote location, only to find out that I've forgotten something. I'm one of those people that packs light -- only what you can carry with two hands.

Anyway, I'm digressing. I've been packing up my Mother's house. It seems weird going through her things when she's not there, but I know it has to be done. Hey, I have to make room for all of my stuff! I really thought that I could breeze through this chore like a freight train. I came armed with boxes and an organizational plan on how to pack things up to inventory. I sure wasn't prepared for the emotional baggage that went along with it. I must have this strange fascination with trains -- I'm always comparing things to a train ride......

Just as I would go into a melt-down, the telephone would ring and the person on the other end would cheer me up. Thanks, Bob and Judy -- you don't know how much it meant that you knew the precise time to make that phone call and ease that burden, which made the emotional baggage a little lighter.

What's In A Name?

I was doing a little blog-hopping early this morning and I stumbled across this on Mrs. Goodneedle's blog http://strawberrypatchquiltworks.blogspot.com/ and I had to give it a try. I'm such a sucker for these blog quizzes and such and I'm always so [dang, what's the word I want?] skeptical that these things can really have any authenticity. So lo and behold, imagine my shock to see how my name really fits me to a "T". Now, you know me better than I knew myself -- Go ahead and give it a try! I double-dog dare ya!!

What Kim means

People see you as a complete enigma, and only you truly understand who you are. You spend most of your time introspecting and seeking truth. You're a very interesting person... but not many people know you enough to realize it. You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way. And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life. You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy. Spread your luck around a little to people who need it. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are deeply philosophical and thoughtful. You tend to analyze every aspect of your life. You are intuitive, brilliant, and quite introverted. You value your time alone. Often times, you are grumpy with other people. You don't appreciate them trying to interfere in your affairs. You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them. You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way!

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

A New Beginning

Today was the one year anniversary of when I started chemo - and one year later I am embarking on a new jourey in my life. I truly believe that life is a journey -- not a destination.

I have always had a love/hate relationship with the number 7. My son was born in '77 and I love him more than life itself. However the single "7" is always a challenge. '07 was a difficult year for me, but I survived it and hopefully, became a stonger person in spite of it. The zodiac sign, Cancer, occurs in the 7th month and I lost my mother in the 7th month to cancer. I now see that I was the lucky one and overcame it, I only wish that she could have, too. She told me more than once that "Miracles Do Happen".

On the last day of July (yes, in the 7th month), I decided that I am going to move to my Mother's house. I now own two houses and I can only keep one. A new beginning. The house is located in a quaint, colonial town with a gorgeous view of the river and a beautiful garden. The larger fenced-in yard will allow the dogs more room to run around and it will give me more space to play in the garden. It's time for me to move away from the city. I will miss my garden the most.

The prospect of the move is giving me something to look forward to. I will have to do some renovations to the house to make it my own because I can't live in my Mother's shadow. Since I have both houses, I won't have to live with the renovations and the dogs won't torment the contractors. The thoughts of downsizing and getting rid of stuff is a bit overwhelming, but this is the opportunity of a lifetime and I'm going to grab it. I have to now look at things with a critical eye and ask myself - do I move it? Or lose it? This should make my son very happy -- he thinks I'm a pack-rat.

Now that I have returned to Blogging, this should give me lots to talk about. I've already mapped out where my sewing room will be..

A Sad Return

It is with a heavy heart and tears in my eyes that I am returning to the wonderful world of blogging. I don't even know why I picked tonight to start blogging again, but I received an email from a fellow-blogger, Ann "Ancient One's Place - so I thought that it was time for me to return. I have been away long enough.

The last time that I was here, I was ending chemo and I was Oh-So thankful for that and the way everyone spurred me to go on - even when I felt like giving up. Many things have happened in my life since I took that hiatus. My son got engaged right before Christmas and the wedding is coming up so fast - October 10, 2008. Lesley will make a wonderful wife to my son as well as a Dear Daughter-in-law. I was also happy that my son does not share his mother's fear of commitment.

I thought that 2008 would be a year for New Beginnings. I was so happy to see 2007 end as it was not a banner year for me. However, I did attain remission from NHL and I thought that I buried that box so deep, that I would never have to open it again.

In January, my mother was rushed to the hospital with pneumonia. In February, I had my three-month check up and everything was fine. In March, Mom went back to the hospital with Renal Failure. In April, she went back to the hospital again and this time they diagnosed her with lung cancer -- my heart sank. I spurred her along and told her that she would have to be a warrior because the wedding was coming up and I didn't want to sit in the front pew at the wedding by myself. In May, I went for my six-month check-up and remission continues. I have put this so far behind me, that I goes days and weeks without thinking about it. On June 24th, Mom went back to the hospital with pneumonia again and a Sepsis infection and she was admitted to ICU. I brought her home from the hospital on July 5th and she seemed to be doing rather well. She was spunky, cheerful and happy to be home.

On July 19th, my entire world changed -- My Mother passed away in her sleep. I know death is an inevitable part of life and the natural progression of life is to bury a parent. It closes the Circle of Life, but we are never really prepared for it to happen. It's one of those things that will happen someday, and we hope that someday never comes.

She passed from this life peacefully in her sleep with a smile on her face, in her own home without any monitors, IV tubes, or interference of medical science. It's the way that anyone would dream of going, but I wasn't ready to say good-bye to my mother. Deep down, I know that she is in a better place, forever young and hopefully, running free.

It seems hard to believe that it was only 5 days ago that we buried her. It seems like a lifetime ago. I have taken comfort in the heartfelt condolances and I hold onto my memories like a lifeline to help me get over the pain of losing her. Life as I knew it will never be the same again.

Last year, when I was battling my own demons, I vowed to end every phone call with "I Love You". I also take comfort in knowing that those were the last words I said to Mom before she died.

To fill the void, I hope to get back into quilting. My quilt shop offeres monthly demos the second Saturday of each month and I have attended a few this year with my quilt buddies, Susan and Deb. My DGD, Kylie, has also joined us and she has quite the eye for picking out fabric. The demos seem to really suck you in and I've performed a lot of "Retail Therapy", but not much else. I have worked on a few embroidery projects that I made into pillows -- you can never have enough pillows, in my humble opnion.

I also have another Yorkie, Toby. Toby was Mom's dog and he is now living with us. Bailey is now a big brother and he thinks that Toby is the itch you just can't scratch. I promise to have some pictures next time, too.

If you have made it this far into my blog posting, thank you for listening to me ramble on. I promise to have something for show-and-tell next time I'm here.

Getting Back in the Saddle

What could be a better way to celebrate than getting together with my Quilting Buddies and visiting the our local Quilt Shop.

The Quilter's Hive (http://www.quiltershive.com/) just moved to a bigger and brighter location and we had a great time checking out all of the new stuff. We were there for hours.

Did we buy anything? Is the Pope Catholic?????

We left the shop loaded with ideas, patterns and fabric. It felt so good to fondle fabric again.



On Halloween, "The Garden Buds" got together for our annual Halloween Party Luncheon in the cafeteria. It's hard to tell which Witch was which (if you think that's hard to say - it was really hard to type!!)


I'm in the final countdown to the end of chemo (3 days, 11 hours and 45 minutes). Did you think I was kidding about counting it down? I am so ready for this to be over and behind me.


I have been so extremely tired this time. I have gone from an insomniac on steroids to someone who just cannot stay awake. I'm OK as long as I keep moving, but as soon as I sit for any length of time, I'm sound asleep.

COMPLETE REMISSION!!

The words are finally starting to sink in. I'm almost afraid to say them out loud, but I wanted to share the good news!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I feel like dancing and crying (tears of joy) all at the same time. The PET scan came back clean. My doctor declared me in Complete Remission - No Evidence of Disease. The 5th cycle of chemo is a memory and only one more to go! The timing could not be better - this will be the most thankful Thanksgiving that I will ever have -- and my wonderful son is cooking dinner. I have a bottle of red wine chilling and I think tonight is the night to crack that sucker open and chill it and kill it!!

I also want to thank each and everyone of you that read my Blog, for your prayers, good wishes, support, and a good swift kick in the behind from time-to-time (you know who you are, LOL), and I appreciate that, too. I couldn't have done it without all of you, the support of my family, my circle of friends, and my good buddy, Bailey.

I just love Queen and I've been playing "We Are The Champions" over and over.....

I've taken my bows
And my curtain calls
You brought me fame and
fortune
and everything that goes with it
I thank you all

But it's been no bed of roses -No pleasure cruise
I consider it a challenge before the whole human race
And I aint gonna lose...

We are the champions my friends
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end
We are the champions -We are the champions
No time for losers
cause we are the champions of the world

Indian Summer

I thought that I would update my Blog today, when I'm not in that snarky "Predni-Zone".


The weather here has been just gorgeous - almost summer-like with temperatures in the high 70's during the day and cooler Autumn-like weather in the evenings. I felt like I was robbed of summer, but I'm just loving this weather. As a matter of fact, I have been enjoying sitting in the yard with a good book on the weekends and my bottle of Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen and working on my tan. I'm fortunate that I don't burn - and the chemo drugs make you very sun-sensitive, so hello good tan. I, also, love it when you can throw open the windows and air out the house.



Bailey and I went to the Pulaski Day parade on Sunday, 10/14, since the parade route starts about 4-blocks from our house. Bailey really seemed to enjoy the String Bands.







I did survive Hell-Week last week. Both the CAT and PET scans were relatively uneventful. Chugging barium is not my idea of a nutritious breakfast, although, I used to be pretty good at chugging when I was younger. This was not a skill that I ever thought that I would be calling on again! I won't know the results of the tests until Cocktail Time at the Chemo Bar on Wednesday.





I did a little bit of piecing on my "Some Angels wall-hanging. I think I muffed up the bottom wording -- so I'll be ripping that out and redoing it -- or maybe not. Perfectionism is so overrated. I'm anxious to start on the embroidery portion.

Four Down - Two to Go

WOW - As I was just checking my BLOG, I see that the last time I posted was right after Cycle 3. I received this beautiful bouquet of flowers from my friend, Connie and her husband, at my half-way point. Connie has gotten me over some rough hurdles through this whole ordeal, especially when I was being a brat (I know you find that hard to believe.)

Now Cycle 4 is a memory and I only have 2 more times to belly-up to the Chemo bar where all of the cocktails are infused. Once again, I was the first one there and the last to leave. I felt like the greeter at Wal-Mart. I lost count of how many people I said hello and good-bye to.

My doctor actually displayed a sense of humor this time when he delivered the Good News/Bad News - The good news was my blood counts had all jumped back up -- the bad news was that I had to stay for treatment (like he was really going to cut me loose!!) I know this isn't really ha-ha kind of funny, but it was an attempt at humor. I smiled to be nice.

I do have to go for a CAT scan and then the dreaded PET scan on October 17 and I was able to convince the doctor that there was no reason why my head had to go under the machine. I was real persuasive. Once he agreed, I asked if he would write that on the order, and then I would follow through every step of the way (he rolled his eyes as he said he had no doubt that I would follow through). The hospital called today to confirm my appointment and the scheduler wasn't sure if they could do that - so she went to check with the technicians. She came back to the phone laughing and said that the technicians remembered me from last time and YES, they WOULD do it. She also said that she wrote CLAUSTROPHOBIC across the top of the order, highlighted it in yellow and then drew stars around it - so there would be no mistake. I think I like this person. I may have to take her a box of candy.



This was a gift from my friend, Jenny, at The Stitchery. She must want me to get my quilting mojo back as bad as I do. I can't wait to make something with these cute patches and ultra-cute buttons. Any suggestions?


The weather here has been gorgeous. Summer-like during the days and a nice autumn nip in the air in the evenings. I'm still working on my tan. Thanks to chemo, sun-sensitive drugs, and my bottle of Hawaiian Tropic dark tanning lotion, I have the best tan that I've ever had. Hopefully, next summer, I'll only need the Hawaiian Tropic.

WHAT'S ON YOUR SEWING TABLE?

If you are one of my quilt buddies and have made it this far down in the posting, I do have something on my cutting table. The "Some Angels" wall hanging that I traced 3 weeks ago now has the first border sewn on. I have finally turned on my sewing machine and sewn a few seams. I know this doesn't sound like much but I have another little chemo curve ball, peripheral neuropathy, caused by the Vincristine and all of my fingertips are numb down to the first knuckle. This really sucks. I did treat myself to another manicure, so I can at least type with my nails rather than my fingers. Oh, I just can wait for this to be OVER!


I need to get my sewing machine warmed up to work on my granddaughter's Halloween costume. We went to Joann Fabrics last week and picked the pattern and fabric for her costume. She is going to make such a cute gypsy. Then, we went out for dinner. Her father (Sonny Boy) told us that we had a 10 PM curfew. I told sweet granddaughter that I never made a curfew in my life. She kept looking at her watch through dinner, wondering if we would make the curfew. Just to torture her, I said that if we were cutting it too close, that I would ride around the block a few times just so we would be late. She was horrified. Like, Sonny Boy could punish me (he-he). She was determined to make curfew. Her father laughed the next day when I told him the story. You gotta love a kid that respects her father that much!



Just in case you were wondering, Mr. Bailey is doing just fine. He's a little on the tired side here - too tired to even play with his tennis ball. He was probably waiting for me to fetch it.







Here he is waiting for dinner. He likes to watch the carousel in the microwave as it goes around.

Mid-September Already???

I can't believe that it's already the middle of September and over two weeks since my last posting. I must have really been into that Vacation spirit.

Before I get to how much fun I had on vacation, I want to give you an update. I just finished Cycle 3 of Chemo (on 9/12/07) and the doctor has declared me in a "Partial Remission". I'm on Cloud 9!! Please keep those prayers and/or good wishes coming for a "Durable Remission" with Cycle 6, followed by the dreaded CT and PET Scans.

I had a wonderful time vacationing - no set plans, no alarm clock, I enjoyed my garden, worked on my current embroidery project, treated myself to a French Manicure and soaked up lots of sunshine (hey, it's Vitamin C, right?) The weather was picture perfect everyday.

I think Bailey was glad to see me go back to work, since I interfered with his nap schedule. He did get a day at the spa -- a grooming appointment -- and he looks so cute with his new haircut, and just a little bit tired, too.

The "Garden Buds" got together for a birthday celebration at a local tea house and we had a wonderful time at lunch. I was the lucky one, I didn't have to go back to work afterward.

Black-eyed Susan vine

My garden is thriving with the cooler temperatures and a little bit of rain.

The Hyacinth Beans are taking over -- there is actually a chain link fence behind them.

I'm hoping that my "Quilting Mojo" comes back with these cooler temperatures, too. I have actually washed and pressed some FQ's in the hopes of embarking on a new project -- "Some Angels" by Cinderberry Stitches. I have the design all traced and I'm ready to start piecing the patchwork before I begin stitching. I ordered this pattern from my friend, Jenny at The Stitchery in New Zealand. Jenny offers great service with a personal touch. If you get a chance, check out her shop http://www.thestitchery.co.nz/?x=21&y=14.