The Secret Life of Bloggers #2

Posted on January 23, 2014 by kathy

I’m back for my second installment. If you are new to The Secret Life of Bloggers, here’s the scoop as described at World Turned Upside Down:

All you have to do is take a photo of something you did or experienced each day of the week and post your photos each Friday. You can include captions about what was happening when the photo was taken or a short statement about your day.

It’s been fun – something to focus on each day. Here’s my week in photographs.

Friday 1-17-2014

Daughter #2 leaves for college out of state. Tears in my eyes.

Just what the doctor ordered. More tears.

Saturday 1-18-2014

Rusted trees. No, wait…. that’s pollen. Achoo!

Sunday 1-19-2014

Squirrel!!!!

Monday 1-20-2014

We will sit and look cute for the picture because you have treats in your hand.

Tuesday 1-21-2014

Watching Gilmore Girls without my girl.

Wednesday 1-22-2014

In the absence of Daughter #2, Dreamboat and I take in the view from her bed. A comfortable spot for my morning quiet time.

Thursday 1-23-2014

My friend came over to teach me something simple that I can crochet in the coming days. As we began to work this potholder, I went to a drawer and pulled out one that my grandmother made. I am sure it is the same pattern.

The Secret Life of Bloggers Blog Party #1

Posted on January 17, 2014 by kathy

I’ve been letting things go around here…. chemo, daughter #1’s wedding, a cold, daughter #2 leaving for a new college experience out of state, preparations of mind and body for a stem cell transplant … just no time or energy for this little blog. So when I saw “The Secret Life of Bloggers Blog Party”, I thought I’d give it a try.

Here is info about the blogging party as described at World Turned Upside Down:

As bloggers, photographs are a huge component to telling a story. Being forced to take one photo everyday also helps you get better at telling stories through pictures. It really makes you think about if you are telling the story in the best way you can. Plus, it will be great fun getting to see the secret background lives of our blogging friends. 🙂

I like the idea of taking a picture every day – even if I don’t party every week. So here is my first attempt (even though it is actually week 2).

1-12-2014

We borrowed tons of glassware to use as candleholders at my daughter’s wedding on New Year’s Eve. This is the last of the glassware needing to be cleaned of wax and smoke. Whew! Glad that’s over!

1-13-2014

The Christmas decorations were finally put away and it was time to return knick knacks to their pre-Christmas locations. These adorable birds (pitcher, cream and sugar, and one remaining salt shaker) belonged to my grandmother Abbie Smith Brender nee Webber. I love them! This time I put down some different linens for them to perch on. I haven’t decided if I like them on these linens or not.

1-14-2014

Although I need to do this every day, I don’t. When I do, my life and my health and my attitude are better. This was a lovely warm day and I feel most like praying and meditating when I can be outside. On the table are the remains of a snack – popcorn and a chai latte. The books are One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voscamp, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, Illuminated Prayers by Marianne Williamson, Ten Thousand Ways to Listen by Mark Nepo, and the open book is The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo. The index cards are my brief notecard version of How to Have a Good Day Every Day by Norman Vincent Peale.

1-15-2014

I call this my Altar of Encouragement. The table holds cards and gifts I have received from family and friends during cancer treatment. I had to take it down so the Christmas tree could go in this spot. Today I took care of the plants and set up the altar again. It is right where I can see it from my favorite spot on the couch.

1-16-2014

Here I am holding the results of a bone marrow biopsy and a CT scan that indicate no evidence of cancer. We have kicked this lymphoma into remission. Now that I am in remission, I can go forward with a stem cell transplant.

Well, that’s my life this week. I like taking a picture every day, but some days I found it hard to take just one or at least to post just one. I’ll try to do this again next week.

Christmas Decorating – Mom’s Influence: The Tree Skirt

Posted on December 15, 2013 by kathy

I took pictures of some of our Christmas decorations thinking I would do several posts during Advent. But between medical appointments and the occasional bad days, Christmas in less than two weeks and my daughter’s wedding in less than three weeks – it looks like it isn’t going to happen. Maybe I can squeeze in one or two ….?

Christmas 1975

My husband and I married in the spring of 1975 and celebrated our first Christmas together that year. We got a little Charlie Brown Christmas tree that we decorated with a popcorn garland and some tinsel. One of the craft trends at the time was making things out of bread dough. You can see a few of our cookie cutter bread dough ornaments hanging on the tree. They lasted for several years, but they are all gone now.

But what I really intended to write about was the gift we received from my mother.

Mom crocheted a tree skirt for us that we have used every year now for 38 years and it is just as lovely today as it was the day we received it.

As I look closely at this picture I see that the skirt is wrong side up. There isn’t really much difference and I’m probably the only one who would notice. 🙂 Did I mention that some really special Christmas elves came to my house a week ago to set up my tree and help me decorate? What a gift that was!

The last time I was at my parents’ house and going through papers and magazines and pictures like I always do looking for family history gold, I found the instructions Mom used to make the tree skirt. The November 1975 issue of The Workbasket magazine had been folded open to reveal this picture. Otherwise I might have passed right over it.

The opposite page provided the instructions.

I can’t remember for sure if Mom gave us these knitted bells at the same time as the tree skirt or the following year. I love the little red bells and space them carefully throughout the other tree decorations.

It seems like I have stumbled upon the instructions for these bells at one time or another. If I find them again, I’ll add them here.

Another year Mom gave us some Christmas coasters made from the same yarn.

Christmas 2013

Every year, out come the decorations mom made for us with Christmas Green and Christmas Red yarn and the work of her hands. They set the stage for sticking with red and green as our seasonal colors of choice. And they set the stage for enjoying any and all DIY decorations. Ours may not be a tree (or a house) worthy of Southern Living Magazine, but it would do The Workbasket Magazine proud.

I started writing about more of the Christmas decorations that have Mom’s handprint all over them, but decided this would get too long, so I’m going to try to do a few shorter posts. Hope I get them done!

A little update about me if you are interested…
My 6th and last chemotherapy for this phase of treatment for lymphoma is tomorrow – Monday, December 16th. Then I’ll be having some tests to see how effective the treatment has been and to determine if I am ready for a stem cell transplant. The transplant should happen in mid-January. Can’t say that I am looking forward to it, but how can I not look forward to it? A transplant increases my chances for long-term survival from 5-10% without transplant to 50% with transplant. Much better odds! I appreciate the prayers and well-wishes I have received from my blogging friends! If you feel so inclined, you can email me at abbieandeveline at gmail dot com.