The Award "Encouraged"

I have been awarded the "Encouraged" award from a fellow angel. Bridgett has so graciously awarded this to me. Thanks Bridgett. You can view her blog here.

The rules for the Encouraged Blogger Award are:

1. The winner may put the logo on their blog. (I will.)
2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award. (I did.)
3. Nominate 5 blogs. (See below.)
4. Put links to their blogs. (Just click on their name.)

5. Leave a message for your nominees. (I will.)

Here are the people that I have nominated:

1. Char Char is always an ispiration to me. She is such a good friend and can always make me laugh when I need it. She is also a fellow angel who shares her ideas with me. I so much cherish our friendship and always wish her the best.

2. Avis Avis is a very dear friend and also a fellow angel. She loves to share ideas and we have such a good time together. I wish we lived closer.

3. Rita Rita is my upline and also an ispiration to me. She has encouraged me when I have needed it and shared her ideas with me.

4. Heather Heather is an encouragement to me just by looking at her blog. She is a fellow angel who is just blessed with talent.

5. Nicole Nicole is an encouragement through her blog also. She is also a fellow angel that shares good ideas on her blog.

Remember ME!

I can't believe it has been two months since I have updated my blog! What is wrong with me? I can answer that.....I have been really busy and not taking the time to do the things I should.

Let me just update you on me first. I am feeling much better. All of my chemo treatments are behind me. As you can see from the picture I am finally getting hair again. I have already had a mammogram since my treatments and everything was fine. I just went Friday for my blood work to make sure things are fine there. As far as the dr. visit...I am doing well. I am down 25 lbs. from when all of this mess started. Yeah for me! I could stand to lose another 60 or so but that is a dream. These pictures were taken at the Longaberger Homestead. We had such a great time that day! What a big basket I was standing in front of. It had apples in it. Wonder how they made all of that? Amazing!

One of the awesome things that has happened through all of this is my oncologist, who is the best doctor in the whole world, asked me to consider being on the Butler County (the county I live in) American Cancer Society Board. He thinks I have done an amazing job with all I have been through and keeping the attitude I did and thought it would be beneficial to the board. I jumped on it and am now the Breast Cancer Mission Chair Person for our Board. I am excited. If I can help improve people's lives doing this then it was meant for me. Thanks to Dr. Crane for thinking of me for this. Did I say he was wonderful?

Since October 28th Avis Anderson, another TAC demonstrator, has been visiting. We have done a lot of stamping. I wish I could put everything we have done on here but I can't for now. Some of them are projects I am using for some other things right now. We went through a bunch of swap cards I have received and did some stamp lifting. Not to mention we visited some blogs and did the same thing. I want to thank all of the TAC demonstrators we got ideas from. I should have written them down but forgot! View the slide show I have added. It has some of those cards plus some cards from some classes I have done lately.

I promise to try and update a lot more now that I have gotten this done. I so need to be better at these things. I hope you all enjoy my post and I am happy to be here and hope you enjoy your day!

WOW...Our Fall Supplement is Up

The new Fall Supplement is out with Fall, Christmas and Everyday stamps. And YES....we now have a Spanish greetings set. You can visit my website and click on products then Fall Supplement and see the new stamps.

We have another promotion also. There will be a Double Rewards Program starting Monday. All customers will get 2 GWP stamps for every $30 instead of 1. All Hostess benefits will double also. If you would like to become an Angel (whish is awesome) you will get an extra $50 of stamps (your choice) along with your kit. Please email me if you would like to place an order or have more Demonstrator information.

I will say that I would love to get some recruits. I am working very hard on becoming an Executive with TAC. I wanted to do this last year but I just couldn't accomplish that with my medical problems. Please email if you would like to do this or know someone that would.

I can't believe September is here!

I am almost four weeks out of chemo treatment and it sure feels good. I am doing more and more. In fact I am leaving Friday for a much needed vacation to Myrtle Beach. I know Tropical Storm Hanna is suppose to hit the Carolina's Friday sometime but we are still heading in that direction. I can't wait to go and get away. I am taking some stamping with me. I figure we will have some rain so I might as well stamp. There are 7 other women going. This is our 14th year to do this. It is so much fun!

I am posting pictures of a baby gift I made for one of my downline who is also a very good friend. The book is a "Watch Me Grow" book. I have heard of them but never did see one so I did my own take on it. I made the book and with it is a plain white Onesie in size 12 months for the baby to have it's picture taken in at the same time every month so you can see the progress of it's growth. I made up the poem I put in the front of the book as well as the one on the onesie. There are several pictures so enjoy!

Where has the time gone?

I can't believe the last time I added anything to my blog is July 29th. I had my last chemo treatment August 8th. I will happily say I am glad to put them behind me. I have had a rough week with bone pain and feeling so drained. I do feel better today but still tired. I know it will take some time to feel really good but hey....no more treatments...hopefully forever.
I have also been busy trying to get things done for my classes and of course I am in some swaps which I love to do. I will try really hard to start sharing more samples here now that I won't have every other week of my life put on hold with chemo.
I just wanted to check in with everyone and give you an update. I will be sure to be back soon!

Happy Birthday

Today is my daughter's birthday. I can't believe she is 34 years old. Where does the time go? She is catching up to me for sure...LOL

This is the birthday card I made her:


The stamps on the front of the card are from The Angel Company. It is called Linear Sentiments. I am loving this set. I also used Apple Green #2 Cardstock from TAC. The inks I used were Palette inks Chartreuse and Boudoir Blush. The sentiment on the inside is from Verses and says "Surely a star danced in Heaven on the day you were born" I love that sentiment and really like to use it on my birthday cards. I bought the little flower rhinestones at a local stamp store for the center of the flowers.

As for my last chemo treatment it has left me with a lot of bone and joint pain again. It is better this morning. Yesterday was bad but I took it easy and rested. All I can say is I will be glad when August 8th gets here and we can do the last treatment. We will think about today and enjoy it. Tonight we are going out to dinner to celebrate Alison's birthday. It will be fun to have all the family together.
Who could ask for more?

Another Chemo Treatment Down and ONE to Go!!!

I know it has been awhile since I posted to my blog. I have been pretty busy. You know I wanted to get my business back up and running. I had my Open House on July 17th, A benefit for Breast Cancer on the 20th and then I started my classes back up on the 21st and 22nd. Let's just say it was fun to be back in the swing of things but I did get tired. It was a good tired though.
Now for my Chemo Treatment. All went well with it as usual. I did have some questions for my Dr. since it is getting close to the end of treatment. I wanted to know what the course of action would be for me after treatment is over. I will be going to his office every six weeks to have my port flushed so it doesn't clog in case we should need it again. Let's hope not! I will see him every twelve weeks for an exam and blood tests. Depending on what the blood tests show on if I would have to have any kind of scans. I also need to make an appointment to have a mammogram in September. Life will be good.
Since I am nearing the end of treatment and looked back on what all has evolved; the biggest advice I can give to anyone is to LISTEN to your Oncologist. He is your best friend through this. That wasn't hard in my case because my Oncologist is fantastic. The word "CANCER" was enough to scare me into listening and doing everything I could to stay healthy through this process. Another thing is to keep positive and have a good attitude. It is not to say you won't have bad days...Lord knows I did but you go on.
August 8th is my last treatment so I am going to be one happy person that day. My white blood count was low yesterday but not low enough to cancel my treatment but I am going to go and get a Neulasta shot on Monday. This is a shot to boost your white blood cells which is what fights off infections and sickness. This will bring my white count up so we hopefully won't have to postpone my last treatment. That hasn't happened to me through this whole ordeal and I sure don't want it on my last treatment.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
God Bless!!!!!

Another card to share

I have really been busy trying to make cards for my Open House and also for my first class since early March. My class which is on July 22nd is Different Folds. I will share those as I get them done. The card I am sharing tonight is my other Make & Take for my Open House. I used the Linear Sentiments on it. I also used the Super Jumbo Circle Punch and the Mega Scalloped Circle Punch. I just love using these punches. The printed paper and the lavender paper I used is from our new Angelee Paper Line. The cardstock is our Matchmakers Cardstock Plum #1and also our Ivory cardstock. I used the Palette Ink Pad Violete.
I hope you enjoy the card. I know I have enjoyed being creative again.
I also went and had my chemo today. They cut the Benadryl in half and I wasn't as sleepy which has been good. Now to see if the bone and joint pain comes back. I am ready this time...LOL
Have a good weekend everyone!!!

Update on my Chemo and a Card Share

It has been brought to my attention that I haven't updated anything on my chemo treatments. As most of you know that come here often, I started a new chemo drug this last treatment. I have to say it is a lot better in the fact that you don't feel the fatigue and nausea as with the other drug. The down side is I had bone and joint pain for about three days. That wasn't fun but I could stay awake and function. I get my next treatment Friday so I know what to expect. After this treatment I will only have two more to go. Can you belive it when I say I am very happy about that? LOL I think I have come through all of this very well and boy do I have a new outlook on life. I can't stress enough for all of you to take care of yourself and get your yearly checkups. They sure pay off. I have been very adament about that and it sure paid off for me that my cancer was caught so early.


Now to share a card. I finally played some. Actually I have been doing some swap cards but the card I am sharing today is one for my Open House next week. This is done with the All Occasion Circles and Celebration Time. They are both new stamp sets in our new Fall and Winter 2008 catalog. I hope you enjoy the card and get some inspiration from it. It is great to showcase the Mega Circle Punch and the Giga Scalloped Circle Punch. The little strip with the brads I did with a corner rounder punch.


Have a great day EVERYONE!!!!!!!!

Blog Award Nomination

Bridgett from my Angelhood Sisters nominated me for this award. Thanks Bridgett. This award is to go to someone that inspires you from their blog. I have many people that have inspired me through their blog. Below will be my nominations.

Sonja http://sonjascene.blogspot.com/

Diana http://www.memorycrafter.blogspot.com/

Vicki http://angelstamper2.blogspot.com/

Thanks again Bridgett for the nomination and I'm glad that you have been inspired by my blog.

Thank You to HilmaRose....My SBS_16 Secret Sister

We have had a Secret Sister Swap on our Sisterhood_16 group. I just want to say that Hilmarose really out did herself with what she sent to me. First of all she made me a set of handmade items....all matching. It is a stationary set in a box, journal, notepad, address book and post it note keychain. WOW! She also did it in my favorite colors. Besides all the handmade stuff I got she also sent several types of tins to alter, Bind it All O Wires in black, 2 picture frames, scrapbook, ribbon, buttons, eyelets, snaps, brads, glue, glitter, Maya Road notebooks, and a clear stamp set for the cure. I just want to give a BIG thanks to Hilma...she really made my day and gave me a lot to play with. Below are the pictures of the items she sent.

SEMINAR was WONDERFUL

I had such a great time at the TAC Seminar. I got to see friends I have made in past years and met plenty of new friends. It was so good to put faces with names from the past year.

I had to share this picture. A few of us were sitting outside looking at the river and enjoying the weather one evening and I just happened to look up into the sky. This is what I saw. Isn't it awesome? There were Angel Wings right above us. Of course I had to run into the lobby of the hotel and tell everyone to come look. It was just like it was meant to be for us.

The Make & Takes and Classes were great. They were all put on by the TAC staff. I just have to give kudo's to them. They did a fantastic job.

Our new catalog is now in effect. It is wonderful. If you click on the catalog it will take you to my website where you can order at your convenience. If you happen to do that...thanks in advance. If you don't want to order but ponder through the catalog please feel free to do that also.

I do have to toot my own horn here. I won The Angel Award at the banquet on Saturday night. I would post a picture of me in my crown but I don't have a good one so if anyone was there and got a good picture please send it to me. The Angel Award is an award that is done by your peers nominating you. I think it is one of the best awards as it shows how much you have thouched the hearts of your fellow demonstrators. I am so blessed and to be able to win this award. I want to take the time to Thank everyone that sent in a letter about me. You are truly awesome angels.

I will post a picture when I get one.

I also had a wonderful friend send me flowers and fruit to share with my roommates for the weekend. Aren't they beautiful? I carried them back home with me on the airplane and they survived.

I also have to say that I am feeling really good right now. It has been 2 1/2 weeks since my last chemo appt. I start the new chemo this Friday. They say it is not as bad as what I just finished. Let's all hope and pray they are right.

I plan on trying to be more creative and sharing if this is the case. I am also wanting to start some classes back up if I can. I am so ready to get things rolling again.

Thanks for stopping by my blog and checking in. It means so much to me to have all of you stop in and see what is going on. Have a great moment, day, week or whatever.

Seminar Is Coming Fast

And I am happy to say that two of my downline and very good friends came over yesterday and helped me with my Club Med Trades. They are all done. That sure made me feel better since I have been battling fatigue with this last round of Chemo. Debbie and Kathy came over around 11:00 a.m. and we worked until close to 4:00 p.m. and got them done. It was such a huge help and I was so glad to have them here. We had a very nice time chatting while we were gluing...LOL I will share the trades when I get back from Seminar.
On a happier note I did feel better today. The fatigue is still with me some but I did a lot more today than I did in a whole week. I am working on building my strength by Wednesday so I will be ready for my trip. I can't wait to see all of my Angel friends. We are going to have a great time.
Now I can work on a few other things I wanted to do. You know the fun things and little gifty stuff to take with me. I have the ideas and they of course are all easy. That's my way of life right now.
I hope everyone has had a good weekend so far. Have a wonderful Father's Day tomorrow celebrating with the Father's in your lives. I know we are going to breakfast with my daughter and her family. My son will be sleeping as he is working third shift right now. We will see him later. We are going to breakfast early enough that I am hopefully going to make it to church. I didn't get there last week because I slept through the morning. After that it will be a relaxing day with my DH.

I finally made a CARD!

I actually made a quick card for my DH's Birthday today. The chemo has given me much fatigue again this time. I am hoping it is coming to an end. I have slept for two days again. I am hoping to have more energy since today is Birthday Day. This card is quite simple. I found a poem on the net and then stamped the TAC Tiger Face onto the poem. Matted with some masculine paper I had here and called it a day. The striped paper is actually mounted on the cream cardstock which is also for the poem.

I have been trying to work on my Club Med trades for Seminar. They are coming along slow but sure. Pray for energy so I can get them done. I am too far on them to stop and say NO.

I again want to thank everyone for reading my blog and sending me such nice and comforting messages. You guys just keep me going.

Until next time.....Have a great day!

HOORAY!!! for Today

I had my last round of the BAD chemo today. I saw the Dr. first. My oncologist is on vacation so I saw one of the others. I want my Dr. Crane back...LOL Anyway he told me I was anemic but not bad enough to give a blood transfusion so he said the fatigue would probably be bad again this time. They gave me 100% of the dosage and didn't cut it down. That means I took 100% each time so those lingering bad cells should be DEAD. Dr. Lang said to go home and just take it easy. He sure doesn't know my personality. I can only stay down so long and then I have to do somthing. I guess I will shuffle my time around but know that sleep will be approaching in the next couple of days.
I do get a break as I don't start the next kind of chemo until June 27 because of the TAC Seminar. I hopefully will be some strength up for that. They say the Taxol is like taking an 80 proof shot of alcohol straight into the artery. They told me not to drive myself. This should be very interesting since I don't drink. My DH said he wondered if they paid for rehab after the chemo....LOL
I have been stamping for Seminar but don't want to share the stuff since it is for there. I have also been doing some things for Paper Wings which is for Angels Only also. I need to play with just fun stuff so I can share. Maybe if the fatigue isn't so bad that I can play in my little corner of the basement. After all it is in the 90's here and I am staying in...the heat zaps me fast.
I hope everyone has a great weekend! Thanks for coming back and reading my updates.

What a Week

Saying that fatigue hit me would be putting it mildy. Sunday and Monday I literally slept most of the days away. We figured I probably slept 20 out of 24 hours each day. There was just nothing else I could do. What a weird feeling for the fact there is nothing you can do about it. Tuesday and Wednesday were a little better and today was much better. At least I have been up and doing things.
One thing my dr. told me is he can cut back my last doasge of the Adriamycin/Cytoxin mix I am taking right now. That will help a lot with the fatigue. I get the last dose of that June 6th. I will then start on the Taxol after getting back from Seminar. There will be a little break because of Seminar which will help build some strength up.
I still consider myself lucky and know that things could be much worse. I can't believe I am actually going into my fourth treatment already. I can't say time flies when you're having fun because it is in no way fun but the time has flown. I guess losing a week every other week to be sick kind of does that.
I will say I am so looking forward to Seminar and am working on trades and stuff as I can. It keeps me going. I do think I need to step it up a notch...LOL
My little dog, Myrtle, is doing great. She is a stinker though. She has some issues we need to work on but frankly some days it is just easier to let them go. I hope it all works out in the long run with her. She sure is a lot of company.
I want to thank everyone for the nice comments on my blog and the emails. It means so much to me to know people are reading and thinking of me right now. I wish I could take the time to answer everyone individually but I just don't have that much energy right now. You guys are all so great.
I am hoping to get to feeling better and maybe even play a little bit besides stuff for Seminar. It has been so hard to be creative right now and I miss it so much. I hope that part comes back soon.
I wanted to keep this short and sweet so I will sign off now. Everyone have a good weekend if I'm not back before then.

Much Needed Update

I know a lot of people check my blog for updates on my health issues and I haven't done that lately. I just had my third chemo treatment Friday. It has really left me with a lot of fatigue this time. I slept most of today away. I usually push myself more to stay up but today was not one of those days. The last chemo treatment also left me with a lot of fatigue and mouth sores. That was not fun either. At least the mouth sores are gone and that feels so much better. I did have a good week despite the fact of mouth sores and fatigue. My Tuesday night class ladies came over Tuesday night with snacks in tow along with stuff to work on themselves. We had a great time and it was so much fun to see them all together. We all miss our times together. Wednesday my friend Pam and I went and got a pedicure and out to lunch. It was nice...she drove me around and we got some pampering done to us and we also did some bead shopping for our Troll bracelets. Thursday I had a dr. appt. with my liver dr. My friend Ginger and I go to the same liver dr. so we make our appts. at the same time and go together. We went out to lunch after the dr. appt. and then walked through the new Ikea store they have built close to us. I had a long nap after that excursion. Friday was chemo which my sister took me to and then we went out to lunch. As you can see...I do eat. Sometimes not too much but I do tend to get out with friends and not to mention my family too. Tomorrow being Memorial Day.....we don't have plans as we didn't know how I will feel. If the fatigue is like today I will be laying around and I'm sure my DH won't mind a bit.
In between all of this I am trying to work on things for Seminar. I can't believe how close it is approaching us. I can't wait to see all of my TAC Angel friends and meet some new ones also.
I hope to post more this week but if not....I will be around when I can. I am in great spirits and this Cancer Crap won't get me down.

My Nomination

I finally came down to check my email and found out I was nominated for the Kreativ Award by my really good friend Char. Thanks Char...I needed this today since I am having a very "tired" day.

Now I have to nominate THREE people.

They are:

Percy

Angela

Stacey

AngelHood 2 & Update

I wanted to let everyone know that we now have AngelHood Blogging Sisters which is created at Paper Wings. There is a total of 10 Angels in each AngelHood. Check it out and join if you are a TAC Angel. Also be sure to check Paper Wings out. It is a place for all Angels to gather and talk about their business, life in general and also to share ideas. There is a lot of stuff there and you won't be disappointed.

The links to my AngelHood Sisters are to the side of my post. Go and check them out! Everyone is so awesome.

Now for my update. I haven't talked a lot about me in the last couple of posts. I am holding my own. The chemo is going okay. I have had some extreme fatigue but that is to be expected. At least I didn't have the nausea this time around. I think it is because we changed the meds around a little bit. Hopefully I am on the upswing and will have a good week before I go back for my next treatment next Friday.

I am going to go with my sister tonight to her church. They have a scrapbooking night once a month. Sounds like fun and I really want to get out amongst people that love to do what I do. I may not get a thing done but I sure can socialize and visit....LOL

I thought I needed to share something so I went and found this cute little tote I made with the Scor-Pal. Actually my very good friend, Avis Anderson, had made me one when she came to visit about 1 1/2 years ago. I finally made one when I got the Scor-Pal. How cute is it? It holds 3" x 3" cards.

Here are the directions for the tote and cards: Hope you try them out!

Avis’s 3” x 3” Card Tote:

Tote Directions:
1 piece of cardstock 5 ½” x 7 ½”
2 pieces of cardstock ½” x 6 ½”
Scor-Pal

Lay your cardstock on the scor pal with the 5 ½” going across the top. Score at 1 ¼” and 4 ¼”. To score at the 1 ¼” move your paper to the ¼” mark and use the score line at 1 ½”. Move back even with the side to do the 4 ¼” mark.
Turn paper so the 7 ½” is across the top. Score and 3” and 4 ½”. Cut the tabs in the small section to the scored lines and tape inside the sides of the box. Stamp the handles and bottom of the tote. Fasten handles to the tote with mini brads.
Make 3” x 3” cards by cutting cardstock 3” x 6” and folding in half for card and decorate to your desire.

An OLD Idea

Here is a card that I used to teach a long time ago. It is done using a quilt ruler and black permanent marker. I call them Marker Grid Cards. Below are the instructions on how these cards are done. They are fast and easy and you can change the looks of them by where you put your grid lines.

The first thing you will want to do is decide what size cardstock you want to work with. I usually work with 5 1/4" x 4" or 5" x 3 3/4". That way I can mat the design when I'm done. Use the ruler and set it on your cardstock so you can mark in 1/4" from the edge of the cardstock. Do that on two oppposite corners and then connect with a line. Finish doing that around the piece of cardstock until you have a blocked outline.


Decide on what images you would like to put in your grid area and stamp one of the images in the outlined area. At this time you can also stamp another image if you have an idea where you want it or you can continue to the next step and then come back and stamp another area.


Using the ruler again; you will draw lines around the stamped images and place them in "grid" boxes. Outline the boxes with stitched marks to make them pop a little. Color your images and decorate as desired. Good luck and I hope some of you get a chance to try this!

Bye Bye Hair

Yeap!!! I got up this morning and my hair was falling out. Just like that! I was able to run my hands through my hair and it would come out and I felt like a dog shedding. I don't have to worry about that now. I have NO HAIR! My DH and grandkids took care of that. We did manage to get a lot of pictures. I let my two oldest grandkids do the honors of shaving my head. My grandson was really getting into it. At one point he had my hair really lopsided and he said I looked like the Mayor of Whoville in The Grinch. LOL After we got done with the hair bit and my darling daughter took the vacuum cleaner to my head we had cupcakes and ice cream. I think it was good for the kids to be part of it. I will admit that I cried today as I was rubbing my head and making a mountain of hair on the arm of the couch. Life is no fun when realization hits you square in the face! I got over it and didn't shed a tear while they buzzed away on my head. I am fine now and don't care much about what anyone thinks of my bald head. That's life and we are going on! Here are our before and after pictures. I'm sure you don't need captions to guess which is which....LOL

My grandson has that silly 8 year old look on his face in the later picture....why do kids do that? I guess I will break out the hats now.

Tomorrow is my second Chemo treatment. I am sure it will go well. I'm not looking forward to not feeling well a couple of days but hey it will be one more treatment down.

I hope everyone has had a good day and hopefully I will feel good enough to be back this weekend sometime for a few minutes anyway.

MAY Special at TAC

Here is the current May Special from TAC. What a great special!!! Please email me or go to my website to order.

Your Memories Have Met their "Match"...The Angel Company™ Matchbook Kits really measure up to the quality of your memories. Constructed of premium-quality cardstock complete with double-sided printing, the TAC™ Matchbook kits are generously-sized, have easy-to-punch-out pieces, coordinating tags and tabs, and are easily “do-able” in an evening.In celebration of special photographs waiting to be showcased, we’ve paired our exquisite Pemberley Bay™ Matchbook Kit with the specially-created “True Wealth” Limited Edition stamp set (shown below).

Available only for a limited time and as part of this special memory-keeping promotion, this unique stamp set features heartfelt quotes and phrases that will perfectly fit a variety of photographs.PLUS, completing an entire album in an evening is so rewarding.

WE ARE GOING TO INCLUDE OUR ROCKIN’ ROXIE MATCHBOOK KIT FOR FREE!!!TAC™

Time-Saving Kits and Your Special Memories…A Perfect Match!

PB-08 Pemberley Bay™ Matchbook Kit $28.90 Limited Edition True Wealth Stamp Set

Free Rockin’ Roxie™ Matchbook Kit True Wealth • set of 91 1/2" x 4", 2" x 2", 3" x 3"

*No other special offers or discounts apply.*

Available only May 9 – June 16, 2008.*

The Matchbook Kit promotion is commissionable and counts toward FUNshop™ Totals.*

Price does not reflect shipping/handling and applicable taxes.*

Retail price of True Wealth stamp set is $19.95.*

The True Wealth stamp set will not be available after June 16, 2008.*

The True Wealth stamp set is not available for individual purchase.

Meet Myrtle and her friend Jack

MY NEW LOVE!!!!!

That's right! You can look at the picture and tell what I'm talkin' about!!!!! I know it has been three weeks since Tanner passed away but I needed a furry friend to cuddle. I thought I would wait until Chemo was over but I have never lived without a dog and I'm too old to start now. My DH and I talked and we decided on a Chihuahua. We have had a few in our lifetime and we absolutely love them. I found this little one on the internet last night and just happens she was only about 25 minutes from me. I went to see her this morning and the rest is history. Now let me tell you the story.



First of all let me introduce you to MYRTLE!!!! She might be a very tiny girl but she is named after the Big City.....Myrtle Beach! Last night I decided to look on the internet at Chihuahua's and looked at our local paper's classifieds and found a website for some little puppies. I found two Chihuahua's on there so I called this morning. I could tell by the phone number it should be pretty local. It was so I called my really wonderful Ginger and asked her if she could skip out of work and go look at a puppy with me. Ginger by the way is one of my closest friends....she is technically a sister to me without being blood related. Anyway....lukily ginger works for her brother and he had already told her if I needed anything not to worry about taking off work to help me out....SO Ginger told him that I called and wanted her to take me somewhere. She neglected to say it was to look at puppies. Anyway we had a wonderful country ride and a nice talk on the way out. There were three Chihuahua's to look at. How was I going to decide? It was hard and at one point I told them they may have to put them all three in a big brown paper bag and let me pick out of it. Ginger and I played with them and I then decided on the black one. I loved the white one but I have had two white Chihuahua's and the other one was beautiful. She as called a Blue and Tan but looked like she was going to get a little bigger than I wanted. I asked the lady if she would take a check and Ginger jumped up and said "No...I got it!" I was like "No way Ginger....You are not buying me a dog!!!!!". She said she wasn't that "All the Myrtle Beach Gang was". I cried right then and there. The lady must have thought what a bunch of loons. She did ask me not to cry because she gets emotional...LOL Anyway that is why my puppy is named Myrtle....it is after the Myrtle Beach Gang.

Now I guess I need to explain that. They are 10 of us (All women from different walks of life) that get together once a year and rent a beach house for a week. This will be our FOURTEENTH year. It is those ladies that had already planned on buying me a dog right after Tanner died but hadn't said anything. They waited until I was ready. Ginger was just lucky I felt the need to call her...LOL and she got to go. No wonder she was so darned excited.

Was it enough that they bought the dog......NO!!!

After we left the ladies house getting the dog Ginger wanted to know if I wanted to go shopping at the pet store since I needed some puppy food and all. Off we Go!!!!!!! I called another good friend Joyce...who is also part of the MBG and she left her work and showed up at the pet store within 5 minutes. Let's just say that Myrtle came out of that store wearing the dress that she is in in her picture. Aunt Joyce had to buy that. She also got a pink sweater, toys and treats from Aunt Joyce. The MBG bought the rest........a pink bed, pink crate, pink harness, pink bling bling collar, pink bling bling leash, pink retractable leash, pink water and food bowl, more toys, pet shampoo, dog food and poop bags to clip on the leash. OMG can we say spoiled or what?

Oh...did I say I have wonderful friends? Not only are these guys my wonderful friends for what they have done but for the friendships we have made over the years and how suppportive we have all been for each other. I only wish everyone could endure the friendships I have. I am so blessed.

Before I go I do want to thank all of you that read my blog and also send me comments. I cherish it all more than you know. I tell you what I don't know what I have done in this dull life of mine to be so blessed with friends near, far, old, new and anything in between but I hope I can keep up the pace and continue what it is.

I FEEL like a PERSON!

That's right! The last couple of days I have felt like a person. I am 9 days out of my first chemo treatment and I am feeling good. I still have some nausea and some fatigue but hey......I feel good! My DH and I cleaned out (he is such a sweetie), did some shopping, went to see my granddaughter play softball, took a walk, grilled hamburgers and I even sat down and made a card. Right now life couldn't be better!!!!

I also went to Hobby Lobby and JoAnn's Friday before I went to my dr. appt. It sure helped inspire me some. Not to mention I spent way too much money. I did buy a packege of 3D stickers (which I never do) and made the card that is showing here. It was fun to mix my stamps with some sticker stuff. I so enjoyed doing it. I hope you enjoy seeing it. I did ink the 3D flower with my VersaMagic Ink pad to give it some color to match the cardstock. I also used my white gel pen to do some doodling. For the saying I curved my stamp a little bit to make it fit to the scalloped circle a little better. I got out my old Clickit and did the holes in the scallop.


I am hoping for a good week this week as I don't have any dr. appts. until Friday when I get my chemo again. I think I will start on my Seminar trades and see what I can get done.


I hope everyone has a great week! I am really going to try to post again soon!

How Angels Lives Cross

I have been wanting to tell a story about how small this world can be. I have not shared this story with you about another angel that I have come to love so dearly and how our lives have crossed. I'll start from the beginning and tell the story. I hope you stay with me.

I went to my first Seminar in June 2004 and so did this other sweet angel. Of course you know how people are at Seminar if you have ever been. They talk to everyone. Two Angels that I was rooming with (Jess Hansen and Kathy Harrison) and I decided to go to the Casino in KS and we asked this Angel to go with us. We had the most fun. Kathy drives like Mario Andretti...LOL and she had me and this person colliding in the back seat when she almost missed the exit for the Casino. We went in and had the best time. New friendships were born.

This sweet angel that was with us has the appearance to be a very outgoing person but is also very reasonably shy. It was this year that she won "The Angel of the Year Award" for starting the New Angel Packet Program. I remember watching her and she cried and couldn't look at anyone. She was so shy and didn't know what to do to be in the spotlight. She is one to help others and try not to be noticed. I'm sure a lot of you know who I am talking about now if you have been a TAC Demonstrator for anytime. It is our one and only Denise Collier. What a hoot this girl can be. You would love!!!!!

Denise and I didn't correspond much until she sent out a note about seeing the time to give up the Angel Packet Program. I wrote her about this and told her I would take it over. Very reluctantly she gave it up and has since said she would take it back anytime. We both love it. It is in our blood. In one of the emails Denise sent; she had told me of some tough times she is going through. I wrote her back and said "What a coincidince" I am too. We found out we were both battling breast cancer. As you can see we have connected three times in some way. We joke that this last one really takes the cake.

We have kept in such close contact sharing our experiences and our lives and how differently we have dealt with this. We have helped each other out tremendously. Even though our cancers were different and mine was invasive and could have ended up much worse; Denise's was a little more concentrated. She had her lumpectomy a week before I did. She has since had to go through a mastectomy and then I found out I needed the aggressive chemo. It seems like things are never ending right now. We tell each other we will get through it and be stronger than before.

What I guess I am saying here is that you never know who is going through something the same as you or even similar. The thing is please tell someone what you are going through. There are so many wonderful people out there that care and that caring can just get you through. I have received so much from my fellow demonstrators, friends and family.

I know that many of the Angels that come to my blog may want to email Denise and I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Here is her email addy.

Now on to my update. This is my third day out in Chemo and I guess has been my worst day. I have gotten a sore mouth, nausea, fatigue and constipation. What fun! I look at the whole scheme of things and I still don't feel as bad as I thought I would. I can function but not so fast.

I have babbled enough on here so I will go and hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Updates with Pictures

I thought I would first show the picture of me with my hair and then with my "chemo" cut. The picture with the yellow shirt was taken the day before my Breast Surgery which was March 17th. The other picture was taken at 4:30 in the morning the day I went to have my Port A Cath put in and start my chemo which was April 25th. I called my hair style the chemo cut because I had all of my hair cut off so when it started falling out it wouldn't be so messy. I actually like it and it is so easy to take care of. Maybe when it grows back after the chemo I will have a hairstyle like this.

My ordeal yesterday went like this. I got up at 4:00 am to shower and go to the hospital to get the Port A Cath put in. My DH and I left the house at 4:35 and was at the hospital about 5:10. We got there a little early and they took me on back to prep me. I was prepped and ready about 6:15. My surgery was to start at 7:30. My doctor came in about 7:20 and did the markings on my left side to do the cath and I was on my way to surgery at 7:25. They surgery was to take about 40 minutes and ended up being 2 1/2 hours. They couldn't get the cath to go in the left side so they had to switch to the right side and still had some problems. Here is a picture of what it looks like. The bruises don't look as bad in the pictures as it does in real life but you can see how it bruised. They had to cut the throat area too as you can see the line of the bruise how it goes in the artery and down to the catheter. You can also see on the left side where they couldn't get it in. It is not as painful as it looks...thank goodness.

Needless to say I didn't make my 9:15 dr. appt. to start the chemo. They called looking for me and said to come as soon as I was done. I woke up in recovery at 10:30. I looked at the clock and asked the nurse if it was right and she said yes. I told her my DH had an appt. at a different hospital for a test at 11:00. She called him in the waiting room to make sure he canceled it and he had. I ended up at my Oncologist for my dr. visit and my chemo at 1:00. it was a long day but we got it all done.

I haven't felt real bad. I went to bed with a headache and woke up every hour. When the nurse called today I explained that to her and she said it is the Steroid injection they gave me yesterday and also the ones I took today. I have two more days of those so I know what I am facing with that. I felt pretty good otherwise until about 4:30 and then I go really nauseated. I took my nausea medication and laid down. I finally got up and ate some crackers and drank som diet Dr. Pepper. They both helped as the crackers settled down the nausea and the Dr. Pepper made my burp. I guess we will see what tomorrow brings. Everyone have a great weekend...what is left of it.

Chemo Day is HERE

Actually it is tomorrow but it is 10:05 p.m. right now and I wanted to post. I will have a full day tomorrow. I have to be at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. and it is a 45 minute drive. I will be getting up at 4:00 a.m. so I can shower first. I will need something to wake me up at that hour. I will be getting my Porta-Cath put in. It is a catheter put under the skin and into the main artery so they can administer my chemo that way. The Adriamycin (the wicked chemo drug) can not be given in the vein and has to go through an artery and that's why I get to have the cath put in. They said it would take about 40 minutes to put that in. I will be put in a twilight sleep for it which means I will go to recovery until I wake up and drink something. Once that is all done then I have the drive back to my hometown to see my medical oncologist for an appt. and the chemo will start after that. The chemo is suppposed to drip for about 4 hours. It is going to be a long day. I have no idea how I will feel right afterwards. I just know they have told me how sick I am going to be feeling.
I just wanted to say that if you are a praying person....I can use some. For the others that don't pray just keep some positive thoughts. My worst fear is having to puke all the time. There is nothing worse. They have given me tons of medicine for nausea so I am hoping to keep that at bay. So is my hubby. He would always gag when the kids got sick when they were little. I can see him helping me...LOL I do have back-up plans if need be. I hope to post soon but I don't know.
Everyone have a great weekend! I can't belive the end of April is upon us.

What a FUN Weekend

I had my semi-annual retreat this weekend and boy did I have a good time. It is just what I needed before all this chemo stuff starts. The card I am showing here is my card I did for the Card Swap. I am loving this Butterfly Swirls set. I actually took the idea from a fellow angel that made a card out of the scrap box at my SouthWest Ohio Angel Gathering...THANKS Sheryll Nall.

I just want to say that I have so many wonderful friends and family. They went behind my back and decided to get Breast Cancer Awareness shirts and wear on Saturday at the retreat. I also got some wonderful gifts from them. The funny thing is a lot of them went to a local shop in our town and got the shirts and gifts. They told them they were going to a retreat that was hosted by a lady that has been diagnosed with Breast Cancer and is getting ready to go through chemo. They didn't mention my name but I have known the lady that owns the shop of a very long time and just haven't been in there to talk to her. I am going in the next day or so and talk to her and tell her that it was my friends coming in. I want to also thank them because they gave one of the girls a very pretty bracelet to give to me. For anyone that is groing through Breast Cancer and wants a wonderful place to see things; go HERE and check them out. Of all times to forget my camera it was this weekend. One of the girls took pictures and I will get them from her to post. This is just the medicine I needed.

Friday I have to go to the hospital and get my porta cath put in for my chemo injections. As soon as I am done there I am off to see the oncologist and have my first treatment. It will be a full day. I hope to get a lot done this week before I start. I also hope to do some more posting so keep checking back. I have some things I want to scan and share.