A wonderful day . . .

 1. The maker . . . 

I got to thinking about some quilts that I have made in the past couple years but there has never been time to get them quilted.  Here is one I loved and I hope I can get it finished in this year of cancer treatment.  It has a few items to be added - some organza steam before I quilt it and then some thread sketching to finish it.  It is "Hot Coffee, Good Friends".  It is time to get it done.

2. The love . . . 

I love my home.  Bob built it.  I love this big old fireplace that he built.  Tonight it brings extra love and comfort with the news that Joe Biden will be our next president.  The world seems softer and more caring.

3. The fight . . .

Four years ago, right before the 2016 election, I was diagnosed with rectal cancer.  I had the surgery just before the election and my cancer had not spread beyond the section of the colon removed and was stage one.  I did not have to have chemo.  It was a time to exhale.  And then the election a few days later and the Trump presidency began.  It has been 4 years of bullying, hatred, divisiveness, cheating, lying and more.  Here I am 4 years later, after a breast cancer diagnosis, getting ready to start chemo on Tuesday.  But there is hope for our country, for my grandchildren, and for recovery.  

Busy week . . .

1. The maker . . . 

I made some granola.  I love my own granola with frozen blueberries and almond milk for a breakfast choice.  It is a real treat for me to have a 1/4 cup of it here ant here.  

2. The love . . . 

Bob is admiring his work on the new deck.  It is an amazing upgrade from the original entry deck to the front door.  It will last for 25 years - or so we are told.  Who cares at our age?  We sure hope the people living here in 25 years enjoy it.  

3. The fight . . . 

It was a long week in and out of the hospital.  The port was installed, met with my radiation oncology doctor, had an echocardiogram, met with the cancer center counselor who guides us through the journey, had a CT scan, and a bone scan.  The good news is that the scans showed no evidence of disease anywhere else in my body beyond the lump in my left breast and the lymph under my left arm.  While waiting from one scan to the other yesterday, I visited the new hospital entry just completed.  It is not open to the public during this covid crisis where they have controlled entry through only a few entries.  It was a beautiful, peaceful time to relax.

 It has been a busy week of tests, scans, and preparation for chemo that will begin next week.

Healing the cancer - 1 - 2 - 3

I have decided to implement 3 steps in this healing process.  I do my best to will share a few words and a picture with each entry about each of my 3 areas steps   I will try to enter something a couple times a week.  

I want to focus on being a maker surrounded by love with excellent medical support around me.  

    1.  Something to share as a "maker". 

    2.  Something to share about the love around me.

    3.  Something to share about the medical processes for this cancer fight.  

1.  The maker . . . 

I am working on a piece about "The Headwaters".  It is made from 5x5 inch cotton sateen fabric squares that are colored with Inktense blocks.  This is the background.  

2.  The love . . . 

And here is my Bob - my friend - my love - my partner.  He is always here for me and this will be quite a journey for us both.  I am so glad we are on it together.

3. The fight . . .

I was diagnosed with breast cancer  a couples week ago.  I have HR negative, HER2 positive breast cancer originating from a lump in my left breast.  The treatment plan said to be "highly effective" for this type of breast cancer is for 6 sessions of 2 chemo drugs plus 2 immunotherapy drugs over the next 4 months. Following that will be surgery and then radiation if needed. That will be followed by an additional 8 months of immunotherapy drugs.  Here is where I will spend a day every three weeks for the next year plus.  I am confident in the medical community here and it is part of the Seattle Cancer Center Alliance.  

Mother's Day and Continued Organizing . . .

Today is Mother's Day.  I miss my mom each day but I am so glad I am a "mom".  My sons, Stan and Roy have brought great love and joy to my life.  Stan and his sons, Weston and Walker, came over yesterday afternoon and got all my planters ready for new plants.  And they brought me a beautiful hanging plant. 

My Portland son, Roy, called visited on the phone.  I will see him in a week or so when I go out that way.  I

I did get more organizing done today.  It has been a process of getting some kind of shelving or cupboards in the right place and then deciding what goes where.  In addition to that, I am setting things aside for a coming garage sale my son and daughter-in-law are having in a few weeks.  I am also setting stuff aside that is best donated now such as quilt practice tops going to the animal shelter.

But to make it kind of fun - I am doing the "10 minute routine".  I am taking a before picture of each little area and then an after picture. 

Here is the corner of the "fabric study" room - I just made up that name as it is the area you enter when you come up the stairs.  The first picture is the before followed by the after - it took 2 - 10's.

I hung one of my early quilts and you can see into the new little bathroom on the right.  The rest went to the garbage, the donation pile, the "garage sale"pile, the "find a way to store it better" pile and the "return to owner" pile.

It is nice to see each section become a cozy, organized, functional area.  More later. . .

And now where to put it all . . .

Everything from my studio was stored in my office while the construction was going on.  I am a great "packer" so there was a ton of stuff in this room.

 And now it all has to be put back into the finished studio.  What?  Where do I put it now?

The studio work continues -

We have spent the day hanging window coverings. I want vertical blinds near my longarm so I can adjust and direct the light - not have the shades up or down.  We have mini-blinds on the other end over a window and on a door window.

We have laughed at ourselves silly - two old farts - trying to figure out the best way to do it and then up and down off ladders.  Then we had to shorten a couple of the blinds - cutting the slats on those verticals and shortening one of the mini-blinds.  We wouldn't want to hire someone to come and measure, make the blinds and then come put them up.  LOL  That Bob continues to amaze me!  Love that man!

One good thing at our age - we don't worry about how long they will last.  They will last longer than we do for sure!

We also cleaned the bugs out of all the light covers - yucky job but someone has to do it.  We finished some touch-up painting yesterday and today.  So now it is just a matter of trying to get it all back in the right place.  More pictures to follow.

How many times can a woman start over . . .

Well - as many as it takes to get it done! 

Here I am again.  I am wanting to blog - to share my work, my creating processes, my words, my thoughts, my actions, my travels, my world . . .  I want to be short and sweet with a picture or two.  I want to do it when I feel it and not when I think I "should". That is my plan.  So here goes.

This is what I am working on now.  It is an erratic story connected to being out of my studio while it was getting some changes. It is appropriately titled: "Change Without Grace".  That is how I traveled through the construction - without any grace. Working on it helped me find my humorous and calming place when needed. Now to finish sewing it together and quilted.