Survivor Day is every day

Here is the final image of the "Save the Date" card for Survivor's Day :)

In some ways I'm so proud to be a part of this event and in other ways I wish I never was a part of this "club"
But...
Gratitude to the Lord should overcome all other feelings...as it will bring me through.

...blessings to you all today.

Pictures speak a thousand words

Hello folks...I've been very busy with my dd#3's birthday, recovery, chasing after a 2 1/2 year old and preparing for Thanksgiving break...that's me in my wig with 2 of the kids at my mom's house...so this post will be mostly with pictures...many thoughts spin in my head...but mostly I've been tired and sore...Physical therapy has started and radiation will start in December...nerve endings fire all the time and my whole area of the incision is so sensitive...i don't even like water to hit it...no fun...but on the positive side...my swelling is down, my range of motion is better and I'm getting better each day...

Ellie got a horse from the American Girl doll company for her birthday...ya' think she's happy?

This picture of em came out so nice...the kids are still in counseling but doing well...Here's a shot of my eyebrows/eye lashes...they are falling out as they grow back...just stubble these days...

I got this package from Anhoki at etsy this week...oh my goodness it blew me away...I was speechless...it really did brighten my week...Thank you so much!
I needed to say a huge thank you to the etsymom that gave me this necklace over the summer...it says "Survivor" on it...I wear it everyday...with embarrassment I have misplaced the shop name....i will keep searching...

Koryn from the Taffybox at etsy gave me this bracelet (it's georgous)...only to find she had to face this diagnosis herself. My prayers are with her and our friendship grows as we now have so much to share.

Crochet hat by
Margo Smith Designs
*giggle*
it looks like hair...but i may wait till i have some more of it...to wear it out :)
RikRak
Jen Hintz Yarn Knits
Happy at Home Made
Knitsteel
Eblankies
So many wonderful family, friends and etsians have shared with me gifts, time and love...my gratitude is just not enough but will have to do.
Blessings to you.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Helpful Links for Cancer Patients

I'm in that part of the recovery process where my arm/left side of my chest is very sore and I need to eat lots of protein and rest...so I'm limiting how long I'm at the computer.

BUT...

I wanted to share these links that I have come across in the past week...
Don't Waste your Cancer is 10 points about how to embrace your new life with a spiritual edge.

Lotsa' helping hands is a place to organize friends and family members that want to help. It's a personal group calendar specifically designed for organizing helpers. Now, unfortunately I haven't use it (yet) as my awesome friend Becky organized all my friends for me with a schedule and emails for after my first surgery. But when I told another friend (and cancer survivor) about what Becky did for me she shared this link and thought it might be helpful moving forward.

This next link came from a booklet sent by my health insurance company. Planet Cancer is a website for young adults faced with cancer. I didn't join and maybe you all can give me some advise about whether i qualify (I saw it written that it's for young adults in their 20's and 30's)...but if I'm too old (almost 41)...one of you may not be, and it looks like a nice place to meet others faced with surviving through this disease process. BTW, I'm totally ok if I'm too old...really :)

So much for not typing too much...I really hope these links are helpful to someone out there dealing with all these huge life situations. I've said from the very beginning, Cancer has been a gift to me. It has forced me to pause my life, reflect, prioritize and appreciate myself and all the wonderful people around me. I am grateful for it all, and with all the people around me giving to me and my family, I just want to pay it forward and help others in a small way.

Blessings!

And this too shall pass...

I leave today for the drive up to the medical center as I have to be there very early in the morning. My parents are taking me and staying with me until Tuesday when I will be discharged. Not sure what to expect or what condition I will be in...keep posting here and please keep phone calls to a minimum as i recover. I believe a friend will post my status in the next day or so.

Chemo was bad, I never want to go through that again...this is going to be under anesthesia (which is good) and then each day i'll heal...every few weeks I'll get saline added to the expander and next summer another surgery...but that is very far off...in the mean time I'll have daily radiation to keep me occupied this winter.
My parents will be in the waiting room for 3-5 hours...my prayers are with them as they struggle to help me in so many ways. Thanks be to God for having me move to be close to them.

My children will be with friends and my gratitude is with those that will be watching them for me as well. Amazing women (and a great guy) are all around us...but we have to work at relationships...i don't have sisters and I really consider many of my friends to be lifers...sisters in a sense...I do hope to pay all this attention that they have heaped onto me forward to another friend some day. Just hope it's for a better situation and not cancer.

The small wall quilt above is a piece my middle DD did these past couple of months. We worked on it together but she lead the process. She calls it "Sunshine" and she has identified all the flowers to be "mommy and her girls" (mommy is the biggest). Kids are amazing...this is such a great visual hug from afar, I guess I'm doing something right?
blessings to all, as always.

Gratefulness by Bother David

Wow...this is all i can say...the video says the rest!
Thanks Koryn of the Taffy Box for sending it to me...We are EtsyMoms together and now survivors together...her surgery is the day after mine...God works in wonderful ways to bring people together...don't 'cha think?
see her blog where she too writes about her journey through breast cancer here
http://MothersPreciousGems.wordpress.com

Gratitude

I watched a scrapbooking show early this morning on CreateTV and the first segment was to scrapbook about 7 things you are grateful for...do you think God was speaking to me or what??? We have a Gratitude Box that we keep out but honestly it has been collecting some dust...time to clean it up and start stuffing it full of everything there is to be grateful for!

so here they are...I hate being tagged...and won't tag anyone with this...but do encourage others to comment here or at their own blogs with things/people...anything really...that YOU are grateful for. Blessings to all!

1. The Lord above and my growing FAITH in Him to never leave my side.
2. My health...sounds weird...but the tumor is responding to treatment and that means my body is healthy and strong...it makes sense to me anyway.
3. My children (for as someone with Cancer recently said, "they are often my wings")
4. My close friends, who in many ways have become surrogate sisters to me...you know who you are :)
5. My ability to create and express myself via color, texture, stitching and composition.
6. My house and the ability to live independently.
7. The internet...for i have been exposed to so much through etsy, blogging, flickr, etsymoms, gymboutique, myboutiquespace....i have made friends, grown personally, learned much and expanded my horizons this past year and a half for sure!