Get Well Cards and Garden

Today I am a little sad.  I found out Wednesday that I will have to take radiation.  It will be starting in the next 2 weeks.

The bone scan is next Monday and it along with another test will determine if I need chemotherapy. 
Todays headline in our local newspaper, The Oklahoman, says "Chemo drug shortage stirs fears for cancer patients".  Let's hope I don't need the chemo since it sounds like the drug is in short supply. 

Look at all of the get well cards I have received.  Simply looking at these cards lifts my spirits and snaps me out of my pity party.  Thank you everyone for the cards and well wishes.

Today I was feeling well enough to walk out on my back yard deck and take a few pictures of the garden.  Woohoo!!  It feels good to do something that is part of my "normal" life. 

I took these pictures at mid-afternoon, temperature was 102 degrees, bright and sun shiny.  The picture quality is rather poor but you can tell that my automatic drip irrigation system is doing it's job.  My plants are surviving just fine without my assistance. 

The potato vine LOVES the heat and is taking over the yard!! 

The castor beans are a beautiful color and they too love the heat.  This one is a little droopy during the heat of the day but it will look much better during the evening hours.

That's all for now.  Until next time,

Flowers and Plants I Have Received

Hello friends,

These are the flowers and plants that I received while I have been convalescing.  At the end of the calendar year I always print a book of my blog so I am posting pictures primarily for myself so I can look back and remember. 

In the hospital my sister-in-law and brother-in-law brought me the get well candy bouquet.  I am still munching on the sprees.  They also gave me a gigantic box of assorted chocolates.

Friends of my husband in Tulsa sent the center bouquet, the hospital volunteers gave me the single Gerbera daisy.

My friends, Kellie and Joe sent me the lower right bouquet while I was in the hospital.

My BFF Jamie sent the center bouquet to me while I was in the hospital.  They delivered this bouquet just as I got into my room from recovery.  I was on so much Morphine that I didn't even realize I had received it until later.

The plant on the left is a schefflera and it came from the ladies I bowl with on Thursday mornings.  My bowling days are over for now.  I hope to be able to bowl again in 2012. 

The peace lily on the right is from my other sister-in-law and brother-in-law. 

My friend Freda sent me this candy bouquet.  We attend Sit-n-Sew every Wednesday at our local quilt shop.  The bouquet is covered with delicious chocolates and chewy taffy.  I am still munching on this one also.

Needless to say I do think I have gained a few pounds since surgery. 

Wednesday I will find out if I have to take radiation.  I will post again Thursday with the results.

Until next time.

Thank you for the Shawl and Quilts

This week I am feeling soooooo much better.  I wanted to send out a few posts thanking people for their prayers and their kindness.  It is overwhelming how many people have offered to do anything for me that needed to be done....cook, clean, drive me to appointments, pray and simply be there as a shoulder to cry on if needed.

First my husband has been by my side doing everything, cooking, cleaning, doctoring my wounds, driving me to doctor appointments, and wiping my tears while he tries to work his full time job.  I love you so much hubby.

My Mom and my daughters have also cooked dinners, drove me to doctor appointments, cleaned my house and been there to cheer me up.  No pity parties here.  I love you all so much. 

So far I have not been to a single doctor appointment by myself.  I am truly blessed with a loving supportive family. 

I also have friends and strangers that have been very generous with their time and their talents.

Look at this beautiful shawl my friend Elisabeth knitted for me.  Elisabeth lives in Sweden.  She had posted a blog entry about this shawl (click here to see it) and I thought it was absolutely gorgeous.  The tears were flowing when I received a package in the mail and it was that shawl. 

Thank you Elisabeth for the shawl, and the chocolates and the card from Ake.

This week I was surprised to receive this quilt from the Karring Quilters of Emmaus Baptist Church.  People that I have never met made this quilt just for me.... talk about tears flowing again.

 It is a prayer quilt.   It is beautiful.  A life long friend of my Mom's attends this church.  She had told the prayer quilt ministry about my cancer.  They read my blog and knew I was a gardener and a quilter.  They chose the perfect fabrics, very colorful and cheery.  For some reason I have been cold since I have been home from the hospital and this quilt is already getting a lot of use.

What makes this quilt so special are the ribbons with the knots.  A complete stranger said a prayer for ME and then tied a knot in the ribbon.  There are 53 knots.  Praise God for "Karring" people that will take time out of their busy days to lift me up to our Lord and Savior for healing. 

And look at this....they made one for my Mother also.  Hers has appliqued and embroidered flowers on it.  Just beautiful.  I didn't count her prayer knots but isn't that nice that they would also pray for my mom. 

I love the Karring Quilters statement "It's not about the quilt....it's about the prayers". 

Thank you to whomever made these quilts and lifted prayers up for us.  I hope to meet some of you in the near future.

For now I will end this post.  In the next few days I will be showing plants I received and Get Well cards.

Until next time,



I am Recovering

It has been a few days since I had surgery so I thought I should send out a health update.

Surgery was last Wednesday.  It lasted between 5 and 6 hours. I spent one night in the hospital and was released at noon on Thursday.  At first I was on morphine and now I am taking a milder pain killer so my mind is a little fuzzy.  For now I opt for fuzzy mind over the pain. 

On Friday we got the pathology report.  It was good news.  Stage 2 cancer but no cancer was found in any of the lymph nodes.  Tomorrow I met with the doctors.  I will find out if chemo is still needed. 

Thank you for all your prayers.  Prayer and God's grace got me through this. 

That's all for now.
Until next time,