Silent Night

I wanted to update my blog and let you know I'm doing well. I did have surgery last Wednesday. I got out of the hospital on Saturday afternoon. It was a cyst and Dr. Weinstein said it was benign and not related to Lymphoma. Thanks to the good Lord. We were supposed to host Christmas Eve this year. My family was going to come and have dinner and exchange gifts. Well, needless to say that didn't work out as planned. Everyone went to my Sister's house in St. Charles. John and I decided to spend a quiet night at home. John still made a slow cooked roast. Which came out juicy and delicious! He had ordered two of them earlier in the week and so he cooked one and donated the other one to a shelter for homeless veterans. My parents and some of my brothers and sisters did stop by for a few minutes to exchange gifts and visit for a little while. I was kind of sad to have missed the family get together. It is the first time we haven't been with either my family or John's. It was different but, at the same time it was what I/we needed this year. We lit a fire, watched some Christmas movies and I slept off and on. We did pretty much the same Christmas day with some football game watching added.
I'm still needing to take some pain meds. I tried yesterday to take regular Tylenol but it didn't take care of my pain so I think I'll give it another day and try again. I am feeling a little frustrated because I can't do what I want to do around the house. John has been wonderful and taking care of me but you know me and my OCD tendencies. I want things done a certain way. Clothes are all over our bedroom floor and piling up in the laundry room.UUGH! The carpets and floors need to be vacuumed (with 2 dogs they need to be vacuum every day) and moped. My wonderful Mama' would usually come and help but I said before surgery I wouldn't let her come over and clean this time. She is tired and has Arthritis and doesn't need to be cleaning our house. John went back to work this morning and when I talked to my Mama' last night she asked if I wanted her to come over. I told her I would be fine by myself. I know if she comes over she'll do too much and then not feel well. I need to be patient and let things be messy for a little while. I don't want to set my recovery back by doing too much too soon. We had talked about going away to Galena for New Years Eve. We haven't been there in a while and we keep hearing how beautiful it is during the Holidays. We haven't had any snow :) I only missed it Christmas morning otherwise, I'm fine without snow. Oh! Sorry... as I was saying Galena would probably look amazing under a blanket of pure, white snow. It has, I have heard , some great skiing. We don't ski and just wanted to have a nice, quiet and romantic New Years Eve. We decided last night we'll be staying home and reschedule our getaway when I can get around better and be able to enjoy it. Maybe there will be snow on the ground when we go :) I hate to post without any pictures so I'll show you the picture of my Grandparents (may they rest in peace) I made/ gave my brothers and sisters for Christmas. My Aunt emailed it to me earlier this year. We don't have many pictures of them for some reason. I love this picture! Como los extrano Abuelita y Abuelito.







I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones.

I Can Do All Things Thru Christ Our Lord

This has been my mantra for last few days. I found out Friday I will need to have surgery tomorrow Wednesday. My Doctors have found a cyst or mass on the left side of my lower abdomen. They are thinking it is on my ovary but, won't know for sure until surgery. The Doctors also think it is benign. Praise Jesus! My emotions have been all over the place! One minute I am scared to death and the next I am super mad! It is Christmas in 4 days and I am sitting here getting ready for surgery! I know this is TMI but, I am sitting here typing and drinking some awful drink for a "bowel prep". A nurse called me yesterday at about 12:30PM and told me that I could not have any more solid food until after surgery. I had chicken broth, sprite, water, Jell-o and tea for the rest of the day. I can do all things thru Christ our Lord...
I started having pain and discomfort for a few weeks, I am no stranger to ovarian cyst so I knew what it was except I could feel it getting bigger and the pain wasn't going away. I made an appointment with my OB/GYN and she sent me over to get an ultrasound "STAT" after she examined me. She told me not to leave until after she looked at ultrasound. I was scared you know my mind thought Oh no! It's back! I of course called my BF Becky to come sit with me while I waited for results. I love this girl! We have known each other for more than 20 years. She is loud and a bit crazy (aren't we all?!) but I can call her at any time day or night and she is there! She was my Maid of Honor and I was hers. Okay back to the ultrasound Well, the radiologist looked at the ultrasound and said it was fibroid. I came home feeling so grateful and praising Jesus. My happiness was a bit short lived because my Gyne called me and said she felt "something" during her exam and that I was to follow up with my GP. Long story short I did call my Dr and he scheduled a CT of my abdomen and that's where they saw the mass. I was then referred to a surgeon I can tell you I was very reluctant to go. I was hoping there was another way to treat this. I wanted my Oncologist to look at the new CT and compare it with the new one. The only problem was that the only way this was going to happen on a timely basis was to go take it to him personally. So after we left the surgeons office on Friday we decided to go to Chicago and take it to him. We also picked up a copy of Octobers CT so that the surgeon could look at and compare to the new ones. We spent all day Friday at doctors offices and hospitals! How dreary and sterile some of these building are. I told John I should start redecorating Doctors waiting rooms since I seem to spend so much time in them. HA! I'm sorry this post is such a downer and a pity party. I am trying very hard to stay positive and faithful. I have a lot to be grateful for I have a wonderful Husband who has been doing everything he can to make me feel better and to keep me company. He has been readjusting his work schedule around doctors visits and now surgery. I love you Honey! I hope I show you that every day! I have wonderful family and friends too. Please say a prayer that surgery goes well and
that recovery is nice and fast. My poor little body has been thru so much but it is all in God's plan. Though I may not understand it I know it is. I can do all things in Christ our Lord who is my Savior.

An Anonymous Gift to Paul Young Kept on Giving

An Anonymous Gift to Paul Young Kept on Giving

Deck the Halls

I'm taking my time in decorating for Christmas this year. Last year I wasn't feeling much like decorating. This is what I have done so far, I'm having fun and getting creative with what we have. I had originally said I wanted to decorate the tree in red but, I would have had to buy a lot so I went with what I had, silver and white. A couple of years ago I had decorated the tree in blue and silver. Oops! I hadn't noticed the extension cord over the skirt until I uploaded the pictures.

I'm still working on the mantel in the family room. I need white candle sticks and some real or natural greenery to finish.

We've had this little "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree well, John has had this tree since before we got married. I remember I wanted to get rid of it but, we didn't have room or money for anything bigger. Now, I put it in our bedroom and love it and the memories of simpler times it brings back.

John had to work late last night so I took a little break and made these ornaments. I found the plain glass ornaments at Menard's for $1.99 a box of 6. I added some old book pages I had cut into thin strips and some glitter.

I got the idea on Pinterest of course! I love how they turned out!



My Paperwhite bulbs are growing so nicely. This is the first time I grow bulbs inside :)

We bought this Nativity scene a few years ago. This is the first time I put it on this side table.



You might remember this container from my Fall decorations. I just changed out the greenery and added some silver picks I had. I'm not totally happy with it, I might add something to it still.




This is one of the Santas I have around the house.

So there you have a few decorations for this Christmas. I still have some work to do and ALL the bins are still out in the dinning room and, I hope to get to some project ideas soon.

Fashion Trends: When Are you Too Old to Follow Them?

Okay Ladies, Here is something I've been thinking about lately, especially since Fall fashions came out this year. Here is what prompted this question. I saw this older lady(I think she was in her late 60's) at the grocery store. She was wearing black leggings with black, ridding boots with a long, asymmetrical vest. She was thin and in good shape. I mean she didn't look bad, I just think it looked a little bit off. What do you think? When are you too old to follow fashion trends? Maybe if she wasn't wearing the long vest. Do you think if you are in good shape and want to wear fashion trends you can do so at any age? Maybe adding a few fashion forward pieces is okay but not a whole outfit. If you know me at all you know I love clothes and I love keeping up

with fashion. I so don't want to be that old(er) lady trying too hard to look young. I like my age and I'll proudly tell you I'm 46. Most days I don't feel my age but, there are days I feel ALL of 46. HA!!

I've been following this blog http://Lilliy's Style She has a great sense of style and she does it without breaking the bank. She seems to know how to mix high and low pieces. I would really like to learn how to do that better.

I am so lovin' the fashions for this Fall/ Winter! I like the look of skinny jeans and leggings with boots. I also like the look of dresses and tights with boots. I have found and started following a couple of fashion blogs. I always see outfits on Pinterest that are just so cute. I like how they accessorize the outfits sometimes down to the Starbucks coffee cup!

Don't you love these outfits! I'm slowly buying some similar pieces to get these looks. What do you think about my initial question? Will you one day just know you are too old to pull off certain looks? I know that I will always care about how I look and I like looking put together. When you look good you feel good. Right?! John tells how much he liked that even when I was going through treatment and sick last year I still "dressed" I didn't just go out in whatever. So there you have it, these are my thoughts on this rainy Saturday night.

Halloween Pictures and Frames

I'm a little late in getting these pictures posted. I had just been too busy getting ready for a craft show. I took these pictures the day before Halloween because we had taken both dogs to the groomers. Ginger's hair was just too matted from getting wet and drying, with all the rain we had, and she's not good about letting us brush her. So the goomer had to cut her hair pretty short. I don't like it like that, I'd rather have her with long "Cocker Spaniel" hair.

Ginger loves to pose for pictures.

My little one, Farrah, Isn't she pretty?!

Farrah wouldn't sit for me so I kinda' yelled at her. I think she got mad at me because after that she wouldn't move and she wouldn't look when I called her to look at me. Ginger felt sorry for her and came over and gave her a kiss. Farrah sat in the same spot for a while so I kept taking pictures. All the pictures look pretty much like the one on the top. My dogs are too funny!

Here are two of my favorite picture frames I made for yesterday's craft fair at OHS. It's only my second craft fair. I sold 2 frames and a couple pounds of my dog treats. It was fun and I love meeting and talking to other vendors and crafters. I wish I would have taken my camera to take pictures of some of the crafts being sold. There were many creative ideas. I met a girl who is a graphic designer and has some beautiful work. I might have her print some Christmas cards for us.

I hope everyone had a great week-end!

Boots, Bonefire and Baking

I finally found some riding boots I like and FIT! They are by Etienne Aigner. I've been looking all over and tried on many pairs and none of them worked out. I've always had thin legs and I am still working on getting some muscle mass back in my calves. I was about ready to give up.

I haven't worn them yet. Weather has been very nice again. It was in the 70's today :) but it sounds like that is about to change.

Saturday night we went to my Mother-in-laws house for a bonfire. I don't think I'd been to a bonfire since HS. It was so much fun! My Sister-in-law made chili, Mexican hot chocolate and we roasted hot dogs and the kids made Sm ores' . It was a perfect night a little cold but not windy at all. This was my view most of the night.

Our god-daughter Yvette and her cousin Mia roasting some marshmallows for their Sm ores'.

Now about the baking. I don't know why I hadn't written about this yet. But this is a little something I've been working on from home. I've been making and selling Organic dog treats for about 6 months now. (I did take a break in mid June and July for Katie's bridal shower, The family reunion and the wedding. Wow! We had a very busy Summer!) I got the idea to make these dog treats from our trip to Orlando in April. We found this little store that sold organic dog food and dog treats that were decorated with frosting and sprinkles. I bought my dogs 2 cookies in the shape of Micky's face and ears. They were so cute! I took a picture of the cookies with my phone but, my phone is not letting me download anything to FB or Blogger. I've taken it in twice. Anyway, I think it's time for a new phone! Too bad I have to wait until December Ugh!!

I've been able to sell them to family members, friends and neighbors. Some of John's co-workers both at the Army Reserve Unit and his civilian job have also placed orders for the dog treats. I even sold some at a local craft show a few weeks ago. I have 3 different recipes right now. One has peanut butter and honey, another one has fresh mint leaves perfect for dogie breath and upset tummy and the third one is all veggie and has sweet potatoes and squash. I sell more of the peanut butter and honey bites then any of the others. I just found a recipe for some pumpkin treats. My Mom comes over and helps me make them. Thanks and love you Mom! My dogs are happy to do QC Ha! I plan to try out this new recipe soon. I had wanted to go out and get the ingredients today but got to doing laundry ooh! FUN!...only not so much.

This is how I've been packaging them so far. What do you think?

My Furbabies

I was looking at my past post. I can't believe I haven't talked about my beautiful dogs! I love these dogs! I call them my furbabies. They give me unconditional love and they are always happy to see me. When I was sick last year, I swear they knew I was sick. If I was having a bad day or upset about something. They would come and jump up on the sofa with me and just lay there or sleep with me. I even remember John, who never allows them to sleep in the bed with us, putting them in bed with me. Wow! That brings tears to my eyes. We've come so far!

This is my 2 year old Sheltie. Her name is Farrah. Yes, she was named after Farrah Fawcett. She came from a breeder. We picked her up the day after Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson died. She didn't have much hair as a puppy but, as you can see she has beautiful hair now. I just love her coloring. She was the pick of the litter.

She /they love to sit by my slippers.


This is Ginger. She is 7 years old. She is the first dog I have ever had. John grew up with dogs. My parents never cared to have any pets in the house. Who could blame them with a full house. We rescued her from the Naperville Animal Shelter as a 6 week old puppy. Ginger came from a litter of 7. They told us they found the puppies in an alley in Michigan.

Do you remember the stuffed animals "Pound Puppies"? A very popular toy in the 80's. Well, Ginger is my Pound Puppy. Ha! Can you see the resemblance?

Boots and Crafts

I finished working on this frame today. A friend requested I make her a pink and purple frame for a picture of her Grand-daughter. I was going to distress it some but, once I finished it; I liked the way it turned out. I tried getting a clear picture of the fabric rosettes. I'm looking at getting a new lens for my camera. I just can't seem to zoom in and get clear close up pictures. I have a Canon Power Shot S3IS that I've had for a few years now.


I found this frame at a thrift store this Summer. I think it was $6. I had seen this idea on Pinterest. So today we went out to Menard's and I found the chicken wire. I just cut the chicken wire to size and John helped me staple it to the back. I still need to finish the back somehow so that it doesn't scratch the wall. I'll show you once I figure out how I'm going to do that :)

This close up didn't turned out too bad .

I've been looking for riding boots. Yesterday, I went to TJ Maxx and I tried on a few boots. Uh! How frustrating! I couldn't find any that fit me well around my calves. They were all too BIG! These are a few of the ones I've found online. I don't think I'll order any of these boots without trying them on in a store first. I like these boots but I don't remember who makes them. I like the color and style.

These boots are from Salvatore Ferragamo. This is the look I'm looking for but these are a bit over my price range.

These are Franco Sarto riding boots.

I think they look a little too cheap. So the hunt continues for boots that will fit me well and won't break the bank.

All Good Things

Yesterday was our 14th Wedding Anniversary. Unfortunately we spent it at the U of C with me getting a CT. (It was a scheduled appointment) Last week when the Doctor said, we'll do the CT next Tuesday, the date wasn't the first thing on our minds. We had talked about going to dinner afterwards but, it was such a long day and traffic was awful. We just wanted to get home and relax. So we had leftovers and watched one of our favorite shows. John ran out to the store for his drink of choice (Miller Lite) HA! He surprised me with this

a triple chocolate cake

Oops! Sorry, forgot to get a picture before we cut into it :D Can you tell we like our chocolate cake!

In other good news no, make that GREAT news!

My Oncologist, Dr. Klein, called me early this morning...CT showed no change! I am still Cancer FREE! Praise be God!

I haven't done much today. I still feel tired from yesterday. I wish I didn't spend so much time and energy on worring about these test, but I do. I hope and pray it gets easier as time goes by. I know I am truely blessed. We have a lot to be greatful for.

We are planning to go out to dinner sometime this weekend to celebrate our anniversary and my test results.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

Link

I wanted to let you know the name of the blog where I got my idea for putting lamps and books into small boxes. The blogs name is Gracious Southern Living. Thank you Judy! Very creative idea =)

What I'm Lovin' Tuesday

I heard about this product in a book by Maria Menounos "The Every Girls Guide to Life" In her book she shares everything from different products she uses, food & health and even some family recipes (Her parents are Greek) She also talks about organization ideas she uses in her busy life. I heart a good lip balm, I found it at Sephora. I don't remember the price right now. It has a bit of a sweet scent. I used it this Summer but I think it will work nicely for my Winter chapped lips.

I drank this coconut water all Summer. I started drinking it last year. The pineapple flavor is my favorite. I found them at a local super market. But, I've also bought them at Whole Foods. I like them super cold. Just grab a straw and go!

I recently changed to this Cetaphil facial cleanser. I had been using Neutrogina products for as long as I can remember. It is very gentle but I use it after I take off my make-up with one of those pre-moistened towelettes. I've noticed a change in my skin not overly dry.

I think I've told you before how much I like my shower gels. Well, Philosophy's Grace is my all time favorite. It has a very nice, soft, clean scent. You can use it as a shower gel, bubble bath and shampoo.

And lastly, I'm lovin' Burt's Bees Body Oil. I like it for after a shower or adding a few drops into bath water.

That's my list for this week!

Pinterest Love

Have I told you how much I heart Pinterest?! If you haven't had the chance to look at this site please, let me know and I'll send you an invitation. I have found everything from gift and craft ideas to recipes. Some people out there in blog land are very clever =) Here are a couple of things I have found on Pinterest.

John loves this weather because I make his favorite comfort food like beef stew and chicken & dumplings. The other day I was busy getting ready for a craft fair and had to make more
dog treats to sell. Anyway, I remembered I had seen this recipe for chicken & dumplings in a crock pot on Pinterest. A quicker version of the original recipe I make. Here is the recipe:

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breast

2 tablespoons of butter

1 can chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup ( I used Campbell's)

1 onion (diced)

1 tablespoon dried parsley

4 Grand flaky refrigerator biscuits

* fresh carrots and frozen peas

put everything in the crock pot (except for the biscuits) cook on high for 3-4 hours. After it has cooked for that time. Then cut up the biscuits into 9 pc. add to pot and cook for another 35 min.

* I added fresh carrots and frozen peas to the one I made.

John really liked it. I thought the dumplings were a bit too doughy/raw. I think I like them better from my other recipe but, this was nice and quick for a busy weekday dinner. If you try it. Let me know what you think =)

Here is a clever idea. You know those plastic hangers you get when you buy dress slacks or a skirt. Well don't throw them out. break off the clips at the ends and use that as chip clips. How come I never thought of that?!

So there you have it. What ideas have you tried from Pinterest?

Fall Decor

Last week I had John bring out my Fall decor bin. I didn't have the energy last year and so I had forgotten some of things I had. It was fun to unwrap and find a place for these things. So here are a few pictures of what I've done around the house, so far, for Fall.



This table is in the living room.



This is the coffee table in the LR. I made the runner.

I printed this sign from Dear Lillie. I got the frame at a garage sale.

I got the idea to put my lamp and books in crates or boxes from another blog. I don't remember the name right now but, I'll get you the link.

This is my side table in the dinning room.


I kept the mantel pretty simple. I'm really liking the clean look of it.

I bought this at a Southern Living (when it was called that) party a friend had a few years ago. I love that I can change out the flowers depending on the Season.

I found the flowers (in bunches) in the bin and I just took them apart and arranged them in the holder. The ribbon was from an old Fall wreath. Not too bad HUH!

So there you have it. I want to get my pumkins and corn stalks soon to decorate the front porch. I don't want to get them too early. I would like them to last until Halloween. So maybe I'll wait a little while. Then again you know, me I want to do it tomorrow! Enjoy this beautiful Fall weekend =)